Forget the book boyfriend—what about the book BFF?!

Thanks so much for letting me stop by to chat about CRUSHED!

I know we authors are supposed to love all our babies (books) equally, and I do! I really do. But I’d be lying if I wasn’t slightly partial to CRUSHED, because …

My heroine, Chloe Bellamy, … (brace yourself, while I go all braggy…) BFF material.

I didn’t sent out to write her that way, but I know once I’d finished that she was my most solid heroine yet.

She’s feisty and funny, has frizzy hair, wears a larger dress size than the average romance heroine, but most of all, she’s kind. She’s a friend to Michael even when he pushes her away, she’s a good deal nicer to her sister than her sister perhaps deserves. She says what she’s thinking, when she thinks it, and she wears her heart on her sleeve like none other.

Quite honestly? I have a girl crush.

So often we romance readers (myself included!) get obsessed with our book boyfriends. And gosh, why wouldn’t we? I myself am partial to a quiet alpha—I mean, give me a guy that wears glasses AND has a six-pack, and you’ll have to wipe the drool off my face.

But lately I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend of heroine-hating! Okay, maybe hate is a strong word, but generally speaking, we romance readers are a lot harder on the heroines than the heroes!

You know, like if a hero acts like a jerk for 2/3 of the book, he’s “damaged.” But if a heroine has a few flaws, she’s “unlikable.”

I too have been so guilty of this double-standard, which has got me thinking … maybe it’s time for a little girl power!

How about it ladies?!

In honor of Chloe Bellamy, in all her curvy, mouthy glory, I want t know … who’s YOUR favorite heroine of all time?

Lauren Layne’s latest novel about the healing power of redemption tells the story of a crush gone wickedly wrong, proving that what you want isn’t always what you need.

Growing up in New York, Michael St. Claire never expected to spend his twenties wearing cowboy boots. But that was before he learned about his real father, a total stranger with a family in Cedar Grove, Texas. Once in the Lone Star State, Michael meets Kristin Bellamy, who is exquisitely refined and everything Michael always thought he wanted in a woman. The only problem is that Kristin is dating Michael’s new half-brother, Devon.

Kristin’s mouthy, curvy sister Chloe has always been in love with Devon Patterson. So when Michael offers to help Chloe break up Devon and Kristin, Chloe agrees to a deal that seems too good to be true. Before long, Chloe finally gets her man, only to make a startling discovery: She no longer wants the guy she had to fight for—she wants the one who stood by her side.

After all he and Chloe have been through, Michael swears he’s damaged goods. Can Chloe convince him that love is worth the risk?

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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