Finally Mine by Lucy ScoreMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Two Damaged Souls
I’d probably give this book 4.5 ⭐️ if I could.
This can be read as a standalone novel, however, it runs parallel to the first book in the series and the characters and storylines interact. Much of this story is told in the first book from a completely different point of view. You don’t need to read the first book to enjoy this one, but it will give you a deeper understanding of the characters and events in this book. There is no cliffhanger.
Gloria has been living a nightmare for 10 years with an abusive and violent boyfriend, Glenn. She has been isolated from family and friends and is not allowed a job or access to money. She feels like her own personality has disappeared and she is just a shadow. When she finally gets the courage to leave him, she does it in public not realising that Glenn doesn’t care about witnesses, especially when drunk. When Harper helps her survive the encounter, it’s the start of a true friendship. Starting again with only a high school diploma at age 27, having never held a job is hard, but she has the support of quite a few townspeople.
Aldo is gorgeous, fit and charming. He flirts with every woman he meets, no matter the age. He’s also ready to settle down, but the one woman he wants and has wanted for 10 years is Gloria. When Gloria finally escapes her ex, Aldo sees his chance, even though he’s about to go to Afghanistan for a 6-month tour of duty with the army reserves. The timing isn’t great but he’s not going to miss his chance as he did as a teenager. He makes his intentions known to Gloria and then leaves her to make her own way and learn her own wants and needs without anyone telling her what they are.
This story is so honest about the feelings of being abused and how you get stuck in the cycle, unable to see your way out. It’s revealing and enlightening for anyone who thankfully hasn’t had the same experience. Gloria experiences quite a lot of shame from taking so long to leave and hates being pitied. I love the way she grasps the opportunities she has been given with both hands and clings on for dear life, trying to shape her own future in the way she wants.
Gloria grows steadily throughout this book, leaning on her friends and learning to be honest about her feelings after years of having that honesty beaten out of her. She does the work to grow and deal with the aftermath of her trauma and gets counselling. She pushes through her conditioned fear and learns to say no to things she doesn’t want to accept no matter how scared she is to do it. Her friendships are a key part of this book and I love how she and Harper bond, in particular.
Aldo goes through his own trauma after spending most of his life able to work towards anything he wants, pushing through physical limits to condition his body and mind. He’s a successful businessman and has a lovely home and fantastic friends. Everything is rosy, apart from not having Gloria and even that seems to finally be coming together. Then he is injured overseas and his body lets him down for the first time. His worldview crumbles and he doesn’t know how to handle it.
The contrast between Aldo and Gloria’s attitude towards trauma is clear and the way they both have to work through different things in order to be happy makes for an interesting read.
These are two exceptionally well-written characters and they were both believable. I enjoyed their interactions and the way the town is involved with everything. Gloria and Aldo have to work separately on their issues and together on how those issues interact. Negotiating their way through their new relationship is tricky and reading about it is fascinating.
This is a great book and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series because I really like this town and the characters in it.
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