Once Upon Photo Book Reviews Novels & Stories

"Up until now, my life made sense. Up until now, I had been sheltered away from a world where murder was acceptable and debts were payment. Now, I was exposed to that world, and the lies, secrets and favours were my new currency. The rules were easy to follow and even easier to manipulate. But the last thing I expected was to be thrown in the deep end, fighting for everything I loved." Emiliana was moving on from what she lost, her safety, security, and the love. But what happens when her bodyguard comes back and shows her that the life her family had protected her from, is the life she fits into?

They say karma strikes when you least expect it. And for me, it did. That small boy I once harassed, ignored, and bullied is now a fully grown Urekai Alpha with immense power, unmatched strength, and a name associated with many fearsome reputations. And because he once swore vengeance, I have been running all my life. But he has caught me. The hatred he has for me, is one I have never known before. Coated with venom. Burning with spite. Only in those cold, satanic gray eyes have I seen hate in its rawest, purest form. I thought I had prepared for this day. That I was ready for the revenge and retribution he promised. However, the punishment he delivers is one I never saw coming. But how do you break what is already broken? How do you drown one who lives with their head buried underwater? How do you kill something that stopped breathing a long time ago? And more terrifying still, how the hell does love grow from the most venomous, hate-filled, black heart to ever exist? . . WARNING: This book contains highly sexual mature content and really dark themes that cross the line from dark into pitch-black territory, which some readers may find unsettling or triggering. Please proceed with caution. • NOTE: This book is a complete standalone. Though set in the Urekai universe, this story introduces entirely new characters with their own depths, nuances, and experiences. You need not read "That Prince Is A Girl" to enjoy or understand this tale, for it is a completely independent story of its own.

Nadia Reyes has died twelve times. Different centuries, different methods — same hands, same face, same cold eyes watching her take her final breath. At twenty-seven, armed with soul memories that science cannot explain and a rage that twelve lifetimes of dying has sharpened into something precise, she stops running. She spends eight months engineering an introduction to Dorian Ashvale — the man her soul recognizes as her killer — seduces him deliberately, and marries him with one goal: end the cycle on her terms before he ends it on his. Dorian doesn't remember any of it. He only knows that Nadia feels like a memory he was never supposed to have, and that marrying her is the first decision in his life that has ever felt completely, terrifyingly right. But as Nadia moves closer to executing her revenge, her forensic genealogy skills uncover something that fractures everything — Dorian's violence across lifetimes wasn't chosen. His soul has been hijacked by an ancient predatory entity that feeds on Nadia's interrupted purpose, growing stronger every time she dies before completing something she was always meant to finish. The monster she married didn't kill her. Something far older did — using his hands. As the entity begins to activate, triggering blackout episodes Dorian cannot control, Nadia faces the most dangerous realization of all thirteen lifetimes: she is falling in love with the man she planned to destroy. Book 1 ends when Dorian surfaces from his worst blackout yet to find Nadia bleeding — and looks at her with the eyes of a man who remembers nothing and is about to lose everything.

“Are you deaf? I said the marriage is over.” His voice rose, sharp and final, “From this moment on, I, Damon Cross, reject you, Amber Smith, as my mate.” --- Amber Smith is the wife of Damon Cross, the powerful alpha of the silver moon pack and a wealthy, charismatic CEO. To the outside world, she is the lucky woman who got married to the rich and handsome CEO. But behind closed doors, she was nothing more than a complete stranger to him. On the day she was supposed to reveal her pregnancy to him, Amber comes home to find him in bed with his ex girlfriend. In an attempt to escape the pain, she makes the decision to leave the country, burying her feelings behind her. Six years later, she returns to the country, no longer the timid omega she once was. But as the world's most prestigious CEOs. And this time around, she's not the one chasing love.

SYNOPSIS ‎Isabella married a billionaire to save her family from ruin—only to discover her past was waiting at the altar. ‎Isabella Moretti thought she had made a clean escape from love when she accepted Richard Moretti’s proposal. It was a transaction, a lifeline, a way to silence debt and pain. But on her wedding day, the second he calls his son forward, her carefully built new life shatters. ‎Salvatore Moretti—the man she once loved and left behind—stands before her as her stepson. ‎Now trapped in a mansion of wealth, lies, and polished smiles, Isabella is caught between a devoted husband who gave her everything… and the forbidden man who refuses to let her go. Every glance burns. Every secret pulls her deeper. And every night threatens to undo the vows she swore to keep. ‎In a house where love is dangerous and loyalty is a weapon, Isabella must choose between the man who saved her and the one she was never meant to lose.

Betrayed. Abandoned. And Avenged with Triumph. When I married Damian Carter, I believed in forever. In loyalty. In love that withstands time, success, and hardship. I was the woman who stood beside him when he was nothing, who helped him build his empire, who sacrificed everything so he could become the man he always wanted to be. And when he finally got there—when he was rich, powerful, untouchable—he threw me away like last night’s mistake. He didn’t just cheat. He rewrote our story, twisting the truth until I was nothing more than a pathetic, useless wife clinging to his fortune. The world believed him. My own family doubted me. I lost everything. But they were all wrong about me. I didn’t break. I didn’t shatter. I rebuilt. With the help of a man who saw me for who I really was, I built my own empire. I exposed Damian’s secrets, stripped away his power, and took back everything they said I never could. And when he came crawling back, whispering apologies, asking for another chance—his voice trembling with regret—I simply smiled. Because I wasn’t that woman anymore. And more than that, I had finally found a man who never needed to lose me to understand my worth.

MATED is book #2 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.”

--Reader 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 MATED, Winter and her crush embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve the magic relic and save their friends their school.

Yet they have no idea of the fate awaiting them—or what they will need to do for each other to survive.

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.”

--Reader review (The Alpha’s Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Excellent from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mistfalls Wilderness Camp is an awful place, a series of islands in the rainy Northwest, populated by delinquents and outcasts from their families. It is supposed to be a remedial place—but Taylor soon learns something else is happening here. They are training the kids here for something. But what?These kids are all different, not normal somehow. And as Taylor herself goes through changes she doesn’t understand, she can’t help but wonder: is she different, too? But when she finds herself having a crush on a mysterious boy, Taylor realizes he is not what he seems—and that her own destiny may be far greater than she imagined.But will their forbidden love take them both down for good?Weaving a world of fantasy, love, destiny and sacrifice, WISH is a page-turning vampire saga, one that will whisk you away to another place and make you fall in love with a bold new heroine as you turn pages late into the night. With shocking twists and turns at every corner, you will not put it down. Fans of books such as Crush, Twilight and Vampire Academy are sure to fall in love!Future books in the series are also available.

Christina McQuinn, a 16-year-old witch, and her mother, once again change residence out of fear of being exposed to mortals, this time ending up in Italy. Christina is dissatisfied and fed up with constantly moving, but knowing her mother, she has to come to terms with this decision. However, the young witch does not know yet how much her life will change in this country - especially when Christina meets the mysterious Oliver.

I used to believe fate was cruel. Taken as a child. Forgotten by the family who should have fought for me. And bound to an Alpha who only ever looked at someone else. For three years, I’ve lived as his wife in name only— a ghost in my own home, unwanted and unloved. When I told Matthias I was pregnant, I thought something might change. But his golden eyes burned with fury. He called me a liar. A mistake. A deceiver. Then she came back. The sister I thought I’d lost forever. The woman he grieved. The one he truly loved. The one his mating bond was connected to. Now, just as I’d walked away and reclaimed my freedom, Matthias decides he wants me back. But it’s too late. Because Alpha Cassiel Aldric—the coldest, most respected Alpha of them all, held me tight… and said, “Mate. You are mine.” Now I’m caught between two Alphas: One who threw me away. And one who would burn the world to claim me.