Mark Twain Library Long Beach

Every year, the village had to choose a girl of age to become the Blossom Bride. The girl who was chosen would be sent into the cave as the village god’s wife. She would spend the entire night with him. If she came out alive, she would be honored for the rest of her life as a village elder. Any child she bore was said to be blessed, destined for a life of effortless fortune. If she died, the village would simply wait for the next year, when another Blossom Bride would be chosen. The blessing of the Blossom Bride was believed to pass on to her parents and elders as well. However, no one wanted to be chosen. To escape the ritual, families quietly left the village, one after another. I was the only one who volunteered. I had a lust problem, and I had always wondered what it would feel like to be with a god.

MARKED is book #4 in a new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Bella Lore, whose series MY TRUE MATE and THE ALPHA’S MATE have over 500 five-star reviews. “I couldn’t stop reading.” --Amazon review (My True Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ When her father suddenly dies, Winter Grace, 17, is forced to fly across the country and attend a mysterious prep school, an ancient castle in a fog-covered island on the coast of Maine. Nothing here is what it seems, and it isn’t long before Winter, feeling a surging power for the first time, realizes that she is not who—or what—she thinks she is. But when Winter feels an inexplicable crush for an elusive and dangerous boy at the school, she realizes a greater destiny is at play. She knows the relationship might destroy them both—yet she also knows that they can never be apart. In MARKED, it is time for Winter to return on the epic quest back to save her school—but first, it is time for her to now sacrifice it all, and find—and save—her lost love. Creating an unforgettable world of vampires, werewolves, shifters and magic of all sorts, a world of fantasy, love and sacrifice, MORTAL will take you to another place, rife with shocking twists and turns. Fans of books such as Vampire Academy and Twilight and Crush are sure to fall in love! Future books in the series are also available. "The story was very well written and was unique as compared to other shifter stories.” --Amazon review (The Alpha’s Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Excellent from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.” --Amazon review (My True Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Some people say, high school life is great but for Joycelyn Lopez it was a misery. A young girl, from Pangasinan Philippines who experienced bullying. For her, school is hell because of people bullying her looks and skin ever since elementary, that is why she is full of insecurities in herself... but not until she met Dave, a transferee guy who came from the United States of America A well-mannered, a son of the City Mayor, living in upper-class life and a boy who fall stupidly in love in her. Dave didn’t know he would fall in love crazy to the girl, ever since he was in America, girls are going crazy over him. But when he went to the Philippines, the tables have turned. Of course, Dave shoots her shot to Joy. They became together because they think they would find peace with each other; never thought they will make misery for themselves.

A reverse harem (MxFxM) story. *** They are the Beast, ruling over the earth for thousands of years and are the ultimate Kings. They are invincible, powerful and cold hearted. Their words are the command which no one dared to refuse, their actions are cruel which makes people tremble in terror, their presence itself is enough to make death turn it's way. They had everything one could ask for- power, strength, position, wealth and looks. Yet they were not happy. The only thing they ever wanted in their life was their mate. They knew they are cursed to live without a mate, without their other half but it didn't stopped them from searching for their mate. Then imagine their surprise when one night their mate magically appears in front of them out of nowhere. *** The Beast Kings are the one who are merciless. They are the one who are Savage Beasts. They are the one who are Heartless monsters. They are the one who killed thousands and thousands of people. They are the one who causes fear in people with just the mention of them. They are the one who doesn't have enemies because no one dares to oppose them. They are the one who have strength combined of all the supernatural species. They are the one who are the kings of All. They are the one who are The Beast Kings. They are the one who are searching for their mate ever since they remember. They are the one who will do anything to find her. And she is their Mate. Their little Rose. Their Human Mate.

Vampires and Werewolves? Yeah, they don’t mix. Vampires think they’re superior. Werewolves can’t stand their arrogance. But when Hunters come for both clans, there's only one choice—team up or die trying. As the Alpha’s sister, Aritzea is stuck working with her enemies—the same people who killed her father. And to make things worse? She’s paired with Lucian, the irritatingly lazy, frustratingly charming Vampire Prince who just can’t seem to keep his fangs off her. Oh, and apparently… he’s her mate.

Not wanting to accept her Fate, Annabelle tried fleeing but was caught. Being abducted by werewolves wasn't what she had expected when going into the woods. While making efforts to escape, she found out that she wasn't just kidnapped by a mere human but the leader of the blue sea Pack, Alpha of werewolves. Rejecting and being Marked by an animal was what she never believed would happen. Wondering how she could be marked by her already rejected mate, she tried all she could in order to make him detest her and send her away, but instead of sending her back home he sent her to the Pack house where she started a new life with Emily the Beta's mate. But staying away from her mate after being marked has its problems, and was she ready to bear it? What happens when she tries getting away but ended up getting abducted again by another pack of werewolves who were the rivals of the blue sea pack.

He groaned. "I can hear your heart, little one. Does that excite you?" He can hear my heart! She had to clear her throat before she could answer. "It's the way you talk." One of his claws caressed her cheek. He leaned down close, those golden eyes gleaming, his face a shadow. Her breath caught. "I could lick you again, make you scream with pleasure. Would you like that?" ************************************** Purchased by the Demon King, Victoria O'Hare is thrown into the world of the immortal. Brutal and ruled by instinct, the Demon King comes to her in the dark, filling her world with pleasure and fear. Cursed and broken, King Sebastian struggles to control his inner demon. He now owns a sweet little beauty. One who calls to him in the darkness. One he could kill in an instant. Victoria struggles to show Sebastian there is more to him than his brutal nature. Despite his curse, Sebastian is tempted to accept all Victoria has to offer. When a desperate werewolf and an evil army threaten war, King Sebastian must accept what he is and protect the woman he loves...if his inner demon doesn't kill her first.

Rary didn't expect to meet her mate so soon. in fact, all she wanted was to live one day at a time, without much news. But absolutely everything changes drastically when she crosses the path of Vidar, the powerful Alpha King. Despite the unusual circumstances that bring them together, a strong bond forms between them, revealing a supernatural connection and a sealed destiny between a human and a werewolf.

Layla is a human slave who is mocked for being useless, ugly, overweight, and completely insignificant. She should never have been anywhere near the wolves’ sacred mating ritual, but one wrong turn drops her right in the middle of it. And, of course, she unknowingly sits in the one place no wolf dares to go: beside the infamous Cursed Alpha Prince. Scarred. Cold. Silent. Lucian Stark is the Alpha King’s undefeated warrior. A wolf so feared that even the King watches his steps around him. The moment their eyes meet, the mate bond snaps to life. The kingdom freezes in horror. A human slave? Mated to him? To the monster whose last nineteen mates died before the next full moon? Unluckily, Layla becomes the twentieth. So now the only question that matters is…Will she survive what none of the others could, or is she already living on borrowed time?

TAEYANG SHIN I was never meant to come here. The Alpha Court Academy is a place for heirs, leaders – not broken things like me. I keep my head down, lock my wolf away, and pretend I don’t feel the pull of fate tightening around my throat. Then I meet Ronan Blackwood. The connection is instant, undeniable… and I know what it means. But instead of claiming me, Ronan hates me. Bullies me. And yet, even when his words cut, his eyes burn. I wasn’t looking for a mate. Especially not one destined to ruin me. RONAN BLACKWOOD I’ve spent my life training to inherit a title I never asked for. Son of a dying Alpha. Heir to a bloodline soaked in expectation and control. I don’t have time for distractions – especially not a delicate, sharp-tongued outsider like Tae Yang Shin. The moment I see him, something inside me twists. A dangerous, primal instinct I refuse to name. I push him away, torment him, but the bond coils tighter with every cruel word. I can’t want him. Can’t need him. But fate is cruel — and it’s about to take away our choice. In a world where bonds mean power, desire is weakness, and fate never asks for permission… two souls on opposite sides of pain and pride are bound to collide.