Benevolence, Book 3
From the publisher:
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Never Got Over comes a second-chance romance with a heartwarming emotional journal and a vibrant small-town cast.
Healing isn’t easy―unless you find someone who refuses to let you go. Welcome to Benevolence: where scars fade, hope grows, and every love story is hard-won.
When burned-out trauma surgeon Mackenzie O’Neil escapes to a small town for a fresh start, romance is the last thing on her mind. But her neighbor, the town’s fiercely loyal and impossibly attractive fire chief, refuses to let her hide behind her walls. Can Linc be her hero when she needs him the most or will their scars ruin everything?
Their slow-burn attraction is electric, but the true heat is in how they mend each other’s hearts. Together, they’ll face community meddling, playful banter, a disaster of a rescue dog who steals the spotlight, and the kind of danger that tests more than their courage.
One thing is certain: Someone is going to get burned.
Author’s Warning: This small-town happily ever after is smokin’ hot, sweetly hilarious, deliciously suspenseful, and a one-two punch to the feels. One-click for a disaster dog, precocious kids, a good ol’ fistfight, nosy neighbors, high-adrenaline first responder heroics, firefighter bromance, and kitchen sexytimes.
Fire Chief Lincoln Reed—known around town as “Chief Sexy Pants”—is a hometown hero and an all-around good guy. Charming, loyal, and quick-witted, Linc is great with kids, loves dogs, and isn’t afraid to jump headfirst into chaos when lives are on the line. During a horrific traffic accident, he does exactly that—and it’s there he catches his first glimpse of flight trauma surgeon Mackenzie O’Neil. One look at her, and the town’s most confident flirt is completely undone. For the first time in his life, Linc is left speechless as she flies off, taking his composure with her.
A lifelong ladies’ man who’s never considered settling down, Linc can’t stop thinking about the woman who literally dropped into his world. When Mack turns out to be the new doctor in town, fate seems determined to keep putting her in his path.
Fresh out of the military, flight trauma surgeon Mackenzie “Dr. Dreamy” O’Neil comes to Benevolence, Maryland, for a much-needed reset. Burned out and struggling with PTSD, she plans to spend six months working at a small family practice and embracing a slower pace of life. But slowing down proves difficult when she keeps running into the town’s charming fire chief—especially after they discover they’re next-door neighbors. Throw in Linc’s feisty yellow lab, Sunshine, and sparks are inevitable.
Guarded and carrying deep secrets, Mack excels in high-pressure emergencies but struggles with everyday connections. Watching her grow—both personally and emotionally—is deeply satisfying. Her chemistry with Linc is electric, fueled by sharp banter, shared purpose, and a mutual drive to save others. Though they seem like opposites, they understand each other in ways no one else does.
Mack may be determined to change her life, and Linc may not fit her carefully laid plans, but his warmth, persistence, and surprising vulnerability slowly break through her defenses. When they finally give in to their undeniable connection, the heat is off the charts—this dirty-talking firefighter absolutely delivers.
By the epilogue, it’s impossible not to feel joyful for the family Linc and Mack build together. Their story is one of healing, trust, respect, and passion—a love that’s hard-won and completely worth it. This book can be read as a standalone, but I think it’s better as the final book in a terrific series. I recommend reading them all in order:
Benevolence
1. Pretend You’re Mine
2. Finally Mine
3. Protecting What’s Mine
1/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
PROTECTING WHAT’S MINE by Lucy Score. Bloom Books. (September 30, 2022). ISBN: 978-1728282589. 464p.
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