Finally Mine: A Small Town Love Story

By: Lucy Score

Narrated by: Melissa Moran

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

Who is he if not a hero?
Aldo Moretta has always been the hero. The strongest, the fastest, the bravest. He fought for his country and built a thriving business in his hometown. With friends and family never more than a few blocks away, there was just one thing he was missing. The right girl.

She’d fallen for the wrong guy. The bad guy. But now that she’s finally free, Aldo isn’t going to miss his second chance. Not until his last deployment goes horribly wrong. He was prepared to give his life, but he wasn’t ready for an injury that takes a piece of him. How can he be her hero now?

Who is she if not a victim?
Gloria Parker walked away from a relationship that almost cost her her life. But the shame clings to her like a shadow. She’s wasted 10 long years on the wrong man. When the right one returns home scarred and broken, she sees a kindred spirit. But as Gloria rebuilds her life, brick by brick, she wonders if she’s cut out for love. Real love.

Will they find a way to heal together or will their wounds keep them from the happiness they both crave?

Publisher’s Note: Finally Mine is the companion novel to Pretend You’re Mine, Harper and Luke’s story. It can be listened to as a standalone.

©2018 That's What She Said Publishing, Inc. (P)2019 That's What She Said Publishing, Inc.

I enjoyed it a lot - even with the abuse storyline

(Note - I'm always 100% anti abuse storylines. I gave this a chance and I'm very glad I did!!! The author worked with it very appropriately and well)

This book is good - emotional, sure, but good. I realized only just before starting that it was the second book in the Benevolence series, but it is truly a stand-alone. You don't need to know the other characters or their story before reading. Yes, you learn a little bit about what happens to them, but it doesn't spoil it like some series out there!

I don't consider myself too overly emotional (watching movies or reading books), so maybe someone else reading this book will find it harder than I did. If you find books and movies make you tear up or you have a hard time when there is a warning on a book, please take that to heart with this one. It starts out with the main character trying to pull herself out of a 10-year extremely physically (and emotionally) abusive relationship! She has gone through hell and Lucy Score really seems to be able to capture the victim mentality and why she didn't try harder to leave or seek help sooner. (She does a good job with this party of the story.)

Aside from this, the main characters have a bit of mutual attraction in high school, but the man Gloria ends up with (for 10 years) takes possession of her instead, because he gets there first. She can never escape, until the start of this book. Because of the way he is, no one else dares to get in the way. Aldo, gives up and just hopes, from the sidelines, that one day she'll be available again and he will get his chance. He goes about his life but never gets seriously involved with another woman, so that if Gloria is ever there, he can step in! He joins the reserves, and is about to deploy for the 4th time when it finally happens... They manage one single kiss before he goes - and then everything goes wrong while he's overseas. Will she still want a damaged man after all she has been through, when he does eventually come home?


I happened across another review for this book as I was starting and going to add it to my Goodreads "in progress" reading list - someone that had posted it and said that they only got 15% in and DNF because of the abuse and why didn't the hero step in sooner if he was interested in her from the beginning (in HIGH SCHOOL)?? Seriously, there are a lot of factors and Lucy Score did an extremely good job with the entire story and it sounds like she did a lot of research on how this type of relationship occurs in the real world and why victims aren't able to escape any sooner, and both the victim and abuser are able to hide the true horror from the outside. She couldn't escape and anyone that isn't in the couple don't know or understand exactly what happens behind closed doors - the hero didn't know how bad it was and that anyone needed to get more involved, and thought they were truly happy together.

Please give this book a chance, certainly more than 15% in! It is incredible and so very well written, and a fantastic story! Now I have to go back and read "Pretend Your Mine" to get the first-hand story of the other characters, because the parts we got in this book are so intriguing!

Finally Mine

Gloria has spent the last ten years at the hands of an abuser, when she's finally made the decision to get away it isn't as easy as she thought it would be but that doesn't mean that a stranger and the rest of town aren't willing to help. Now she just needs to learn to stand on her own two feet, and show the town that she's more than "poor little Gloria"

Aldo has had a crush on Gloria since high school, but between thinking he was two old for her, and her abusive boyfriend, she's kept his distance. Now that she's gotten a fresh start he's waiting for her to find herself, but then Aldo hits a rough patch of his own, and isn't sure he is good enough for her.

The entirety of Finally Mine happens throughout the same timeline of Pretend You're Mine, so there aren't really any spoiler or surprises if you have already read PYM, but it gives you Aldo & Glorias POV. Love Love Loved their story. It was so sweet.

amazing

i loved it! This book took me away to a different world. definitely worth it!!

Loved it

Oh I just loved Aldo and Gloria story!! The connection they have is so strong and full of love!! They each had there own scars they had to overcome to be together but they made it!! This book will warm your heart!! It will make you laugh and cry all in a matter of a few chapters!! I would recommend this book to everyone!

Finally Mine

After meeting Aldo and Gloria in Book 1, I was excited to read their story. I knew they would both be damaged in different ways and I live redemption storylines. This was everything I wanted and more. It had a good balance of flirting and chasing at the beginning then healing after tragedy and finally getting the love they deserved.

This timeline and story overlaps with Pretend You’re Mine by can be read as a standalone.

Best book boyfriend ever!

There's so much to love about this audio! Aldo is seriously book boyfriend material. And Gloria is the strongest, yet sweetest heroine that has ever been written! Their long journey to happily ever after is an emotional roller coaster that you won't ever want to get off. Add in Melissa Moran's incredibly emotional narration and you've got yourself a winner!

Aldo Finally!!!

This book was so worth the wait. Three years in the making, and expectations were high. Lucy didn’t let us down. This is probably my favorite book of the year. Definitely a top read. I have a lot of military people in my family so I’m always partial to military storylines. Aldo is one of my favorite book Heroes ever. Watching Aldo and Gloria overcome so much, and grow together was wonderful. Gloria coming into her own was heart warming. This is a great story of courage and strength and facing your fears. I’m so glad this didn’t stay a novella like it was originally planned. I can’t wait to return to Benevolence again when the next book comes out.

Loved!

Omg, I couldn't love Aldo and Gloria more! There's just something about a man who waits for the woman he loves and then finally gets her. *cue swooning* 
Such a beautiful story and the narration was great as well. All the stars!

long and slow

long book that took a LONG time to get going, then another slow spot later on.

Spent most of the book wishing I was reading/listening to Harper and Luke’s story but I can't now that it was basically told. HATE when authors do this!

Narrator was excellent but had to listen to most of it at 2x speed to get through all the slow parts.