Blurred Lines
by Lauren Layne
Lauren Layne is another one of those go-to authors I choose if I need an enjoyable feel-good story. I finished last night and had to sleep over the rating for this one. I love the promise a friends-to-lovers setting holds. I love the initial intimacy they have from the beginning. It's not much different with Blurred Lines.
Ben and Parker have been friends for years. No, not just friends, best friends. They have gone through good times and bad. They live as room mates by a set of rules and they are in tune with each other. The easy way of their friendship is something they both cherish and don't want to let go.
Ben is a manwhore. And we all know how delicious they are. Ben is also a fantastic friend to Parker and has his own code of honor. Sex is to him a fun past time, the more diverse the girls, the better. So he doesn't really want to commit to a relationship, at least not now.
When Parker's boyfriend breaks up with her Ben is there to catch her and to give her a shoulder she can sob on. Once the hurt eases she has the glorious idea of hooking up with her roommate, because, well, she misses sex and she doesn't want the anonymous sex Ben so celebrates. She approaches her best friend and after setting some rules they go at it. And when I say "go at it" I mean they set the bed on fire. This no-strings sex works perfectly for a while. But have they really thought this through? After several weeks of mind-blowing sex they both feel other emotions bubbling up to the surface.
Ben and my no strings attached relationship?
Yeah. Turns out that there are suddenly strings after all.
And I'm completely tangled in them.
They still hold on fast to their friendship and try to navigate the complications arising from the change in their relationship.
What if the guy 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?
I loved the dialogues and inner monologues of these two. They had an ease to their friendship that was refreshing and funny - I adored their witty banter. I did have an issue with how they both stopped communicating after the first emotions surfaced. The problems they had, dealing with their respective feelings, shouldn't have been this huge if they had actually talked without leaving this gigantic elephant in the room. However, I get that there had to be a little bit angst for the plot development.
I have been debating (with myself) whether the way Parker handled her ex-boyfriend's return was relatable. And I couldn't find an answer. I wouldn't have given in but I'm sure there are people who would probably choose a false sense of security over scary feelings.
Ben on the other hand was a revelation. He was HOT as hell, hilarious and adorable. The way he just was THERE for his best friend whenever Parker needed him was sweet.
That’s one rather crucial detail we’ve each learned about the other person.That we’ll put their needs first. Always.
There were a lot of aspects I loved about this story, a few things I had issues with and around the 60% mark it seemed to drag slightly but that might have been me, because it did pick up again right after that. Altogether I'd totally recommend this for the dialogues alone.
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Astrid! This blog is so cute!
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