Beautiful Bastard
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings (as Christina Lauren) |
| Products | Erotic romance novel |
Beautiful Bastard is a 2013 erotic romance novel authored by Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who write together under the pen name Christina Lauren. Initially released online as a fan fiction inspired by Twilight and titled The Office, the rights for publication were later secured by Simon & Schuster.
This novel marked the beginning of a successful series that includes four follow-up novels—Beautiful Stranger, Beautiful Player, Beautiful Secret, and Beautiful—alongside five novellas: Beautiful Bitch, Beautiful Bombshell, Beautiful Beginning, Beautiful Beloved, and Beautiful Boss. Each book in the series has appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list, highlighting its commercial success.
Plot
The story of Beautiful Bastard is a romantic comedy revolving around Chloe Mills, an ambitious intern and MBA candidate, who works under her demanding yet attractive superior, Bennett Ryan. Their relationship starts off with frequent conflicts, driven by Bennett’s curt attitude and Chloe’s determined independence. A practice speech one evening unexpectedly leads to a sexual encounter, igniting an ongoing affair at the workplace. Despite efforts to end it, their paths continue to cross, including a chance meeting at a La Perla lingerie boutique. Chloe fears the affair might jeopardize her career, whereas Bennett becomes increasingly possessive, especially after his mother attempts to introduce Chloe to a family acquaintance.
The connection deepens when Chloe departs to care for her ailing father, causing Bennett to confront his true feelings. They reunite at a convention in San Diego, resuming their relationship. Following Bennett’s illness that causes him to miss a key presentation which Chloe successfully delivers, she overhears him claiming credit for her work. This leads to their breakup and Chloe’s resignation. She later obtains another position related to her student project, but Bennett attends her school board presentation to declare his love. The novel ends with their reconciliation and renewed commitment.
Development
Hobbs originally created the story in 2009 under the title The Office, which gained popularity online before she withdrew it due to feeling overwhelmed. In 2010, inspired by the success of Fifty Shades of Grey and collaborating with Billings, they extensively revised the narrative—preserving only about one-fifth of the original content—and published it as Beautiful Bastard.
A University of Utah professor has credited The Office with advancing fanfiction from being "porn without plot" to "porn as plot," setting a precedent that influenced Fifty Shades and many similar works.
Film adaptation
On February 11, 2013, Constantin Film acquired the rights to produce a film adaptation of Beautiful Bastard, with Jeremy Bolt attached as producer. However, in 2016 these rights reverted back to the authors. On May 4, 2018, Christina Lauren mentioned plans to adapt their novel Roomies into a television pilot and noted ongoing developments related to this series.
Reception
Beautiful Bastard was nominated as a finalist for Best Romance of 2013 at the Goodreads Choice Awards.
RT Book Reviews gave it three stars, praising its "hot sex and sizzling tension" but criticizing the alternating perspectives as distracting and the protagonists’ antagonistic dynamic as complicating the story’s resolution.
The globally bestselling series has been translated into over thirty languages.