Wednesday, September 2, 2015

BLOG TOUR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY - Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne


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BLURRED LINES
Lauren Layne
Releasing Aug 25th, 2015
Loveswept


In a novel that’s perfect for fans of Abbi Glines and Jessica Sorensen, USA Today bestselling author Lauren Layne delivers a sexy take on the timeless question: Can a guy and a girl really be “just friends”?

When Parker Blanton meets Ben Olsen during her freshman year of college, the connection is immediate—and platonic. Six years later, they’re still best friends, sharing an apartment in Portland’s trendy Northwest District as they happily settle into adult life. But when Parker’s boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she starts to wonder about Ben’s no-strings-attached approach to dating. The trouble is, even with Ben as her wingman, Parker can’t seem to get the hang of casual sex—until she tries it with him.

The arrangement works perfectly . . . at first. The sex is mind-blowing, and their friendship remains as solid as ever, without any of the usual messy romantic entanglements. But when Parker’s ex decides he wants her back, Ben is shocked by a fierce stab of possessiveness. And when Ben starts seeing a girl from work, Parker finds herself plagued by unfamiliar jealousy. With their friendship on the rocks for the first time, Parker and Ben face an alarming truth: Maybe they can’t go back. And maybe, deep down, they never want to.



I've read a few Lauren Layne books over the last year or so, but this one by far is my favorite. Sure the premise has been done before, but there was just something about the relationship between Parker and Ben that made the story so much fun.

Parker and Ben have the kind of friendship where they can pretty much anything with each other and it doesn't get weird (well, maybe the excuse Ben comes up with to get rid of the flavor du jour is a bit odd), and he even seems to genuinely like Parker's long-term boyfriend (Lance with petite hands). So of course Ben is there to console Parker after the break up. After a few disastrous attempts at learning the art of hooking up, a conversation with her mother gives Parker a new way to get her groove back.

Everything is good until a trip out to the coast with Parker's family results in both Parker and Ben coming to the realization that their relationship has changed, but to what extent? That question gets answered once they arrive back in Portland, and then the story changes lanes and goes in a direction I wasn't really expecting. So that was the dramatic portion of the book. I was also surprised that the one person I'd least expect was the person who was able to analyze the reason why Ben is the way he is. I can see why Parker didn't realize it, it's always hard to see why those who are closest to us are the way they are. Sometimes it takes an outsider to show help you see what you're missing. A good wrap up for the story, I loved the epilogue and was happy to see a minor (albeit awesome) character was still around.


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Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance.

Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. In 2011, she and her husband moved from Seattle to New York City, where Lauren decided to pursue a full-time writing career. It took six months to get her first book deal (despite ardent assurances to her husband that it would only take three). Since then, Lauren's gone on to publish ten books, including the bestselling Stiletto series, with several more on the way in 2015.

Lauren currently lives in Chicago with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll find her at happy hour, running at a doggedly slow pace, or trying to straighten her naturally curly hair.





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