Series: Love Unexpectedly #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 25th 2015
Links: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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.
Guys and girls can’t be just friends. Or not best friends, anyway.
Shit gets too complicated.
I absolutely love reading the friends-to-lovers trope, and add in the fact that Lauren Layne wrote this, Blurred Lines was a total win for me! (I always manage to enjoy this author’s books.) Fun, sexy, hilarious, and so, so sweet, Blurred Lines is a wonderfully heartwarming read about best friends who end up being so much more to each other.
Parker Blanton and Ben Olsen have been best friends since college, and six years later they now live together in an apartment. I loved their friendship – the banter between them is hilarious, but I also enjoyed the more serious, supportive aspect to their friendship. They’ve been through thick and thin side-by-side, and that’s never going to change.
Ben is an eternal bachelor and manwhore, and he’s very firmly anti-relationship. He’s also got some deep-set issues with feeling inferior to others, mainly because of the way his parents have treated him. I found this fascinating about Ben’s character, because it’s not often that I read about a hero who has an inferiority complex. Lauren Layne surprised me with the depth of Ben’s character, which she executed very well. I adored Ben, and my heart went out to him whenever he felt so inadequate at doing anything, especially long-term relationships.
Parker has just gotten dumped by her long-time boyfriend, and she’s looking for someone she can hook up with. She wants to be the girl version of player Ben, but when she tries out some guys, they just don’t work because she doesn’t feel comfortable enough with them. Then she realizes that maybe the perfect person is the player himself, the guy she feels most comfortable with in the world.
What if the right guy to scratch my sexual itch is the one who makes me laugh? The one I can talk to.
What if the right guy . . .
Has been right in front of me?
Parker and Ben begin a no-strings-attached sexual relationship that they can choose to end at any time, all while trying to maintain their friendship. And it does work… for a little while. The chemistry between them is hot, the sex between them is on fire, so everything is going smoothly between them… until Parker’s ex wants her back. Then both Parker and Ben have to confront their newfound feelings for each other or risk losing the most important person in their lives.
There are so many things I want to do to her. Things that I want her to do to me. But when her arms come around me, pulling me closer, all I can think about is being inside her. Being home.
I know when I pick up a book by Lauren Layne, I’m going to get a feel-good, funny, entertaining read, and Blurred Lines is exactly that. It was easy to read, in the best of ways. I didn’t want to put it down – I was invested in the romance and I laughed so much at the humor. My favorite thing about this book is how the friendship between Ben and Parker is so strong, yet their love grows to be even stronger. This book is definitely a must-read for fans of the friends-to-lovers trope!
Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.
Reading Order: Love Unexpectedly series
#1 ~ Blurred Lines: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Good Girl: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
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