Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren is the shared pen name of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, an American writing duo who met as Twilight fan-fiction readers online before co-writing their first novel together. Their debut, Beautiful Bastard, grew out of a fan fiction and launched the explicit, alpha-hero Beautiful and Wild Seasons series; the pair later became known for something different -- sharp, funny, deeply researched contemporary rom-coms like The Unhoneymooners, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, and Love and Other Words, which balance banter with real emotional weight.

Hobbs and Billings write in alternating point-of-view chapters, each taking a character, and edit each other's prose so thoroughly that even devoted fans usually can't tell who wrote which voice -- an unusual collaborative method that has held across well over a dozen books. They've also written YA and literary standalones, including Autoboyography, and frequently build their romances around a vividly researched profession or subculture, from competitive baking to space camp to matchmaking algorithms.

A new reader chasing the rom-com side should start with The Unhoneymooners; a reader wanting the earlier, steamier material should start with Beautiful Bastard. No film or TV adaptation exists yet, though several titles have been optioned.