The Elusive Samurai Manga

Sherry Hart never imagined the family business would crumble in her hands. With nowhere else to turn, she strikes a desperate deal with Enzo Blackwood, cold, calculating, and dangerously handsome, the elusive billionaire known for his ruthless business tactics and a heart as cold as his empire's towering glass walls. Enzo doesn’t make deals without control. In exchange for saving Sherry’s Fashion House, he demands 5 years of her life as his Personal assistant. Bound by a contract neither can break, what starts as a transactional arrangement soon sparks fiery clashes as Sherry challenges Enzo's authority at every turn. At the very moment she vows to guard her heart, Sherry resolves to keep their relationship strictly professional. But she's pulled deeper into Enzo’s high-stakes world, where hidden enemies lurk behind designer suits and whispered threats. Enzo reveals a side she never imagined: fierce, protective, and willing to fight for her. But the moments when Enzo shields her from harm, exposing a fiercely protective side concealed beneath his cold demeanor, leave her truly shaken. As secrets unravel and desire blurs every line between them, Sherry faces a dangerous question: Can Sherry trust the man who holds both her career and heart hostage, And when desire turns into obsession, will Enzo risk everything for the woman he swore he could never love or is she just a puppet in Enzo’s ruthless game?

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)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'"Tell me what you want, Amara,” Zane said, voice like silk over fire. His lips were a whisper from mine. I could feel the tension in his body. The restraint. The raw, maddening awareness. He dragged a finger down my cheek. “To be touched? Or to be remembered?” I stared at him. “Neither. I just want you gone.” “You don’t mean that,” he said, leaning in just a fraction closer. “I do,” I lied. His breath fanned my lips. His nose grazed mine. I felt every inch of my body coil, traitorous and trembling. I wanted him to kiss me. But it would be wrong. He was engaged to someone else.' *** He is the bridegroom. She is the wedding planner. He doesn’t seem to remember her. Or so he says. Five years ago, wedding planner Amara Ibe was madly in love with her fiancé, Zane Blackwood. Until she exposed a massive corruption scandal that was tied to Zane’s father’s company, to which Zane was the primary heir. Her whistleblower tip destroyed Zane’s career, or so she thought. Now Zane is back, bigger and better than ever, and about to marry someone else in the wedding of the century. The catch? Amara has been hired to plan the wedding. And Zane doesn’t seem to remember her. Behind the luxury wedding, perfect vows and Zane’s strangely elusive fiancée, nothing is what it seems. Everyone has secrets, and Amara gradually realizes that everything the couple sells out to the public is a lie. And loving this man could destroy her… again.

Maya Jenkins has built a life on her own terms. After being abandoned by her father at a young age and betrayed by a man she once loved, Maya has little faith in the concept of true love. But one lonely Saturday night, against her usual instincts, she downloads SoulLink—a new dating app designed to match people based on more than just physical attraction. When she matches with a man named “Ash,” she starts to wonder if she’s been too quick to write off the possibility of something real. Asher Reed is no stranger to living behind a mask. By day, he is the powerful CEO of NovaSpire, the cutting-edge tech company he inherited from his demanding father. By night, he sheds his corporate persona and anonymously tests SoulLink, a product his company has developed. What he doesn’t expect is Maya—a woman who challenges him with her passionate and authentic personality. For the first time in years, he feels seen—not as the CEO or the broken man his ex-fiancée left behind, but as himself. As their connection deepens, so does their vulnerability. Maya’s long-standing trust issues clash with Asher’s secret identity, and their growing bond is threatened by the arrival of past figures— Asher’s manipulative former fiancée. With each revelation, the digital space where they first met becomes a battleground for truth, betrayal, and the complicated pull of their emotions. In a world where identities can be easily manipulated and love is often elusive, Maya and Asher must confront their pasts, their fears, and the choices that will either bind them together or tear them apart. Can they overcome the ghosts of their history and the secrets they’ve kept from each other? Or will their insecurities and unresolved scars lead them down separate paths?

There are creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to struck fear to their preys, one of the elusive ones is the King of the shifters, Ruler of the Werewolf Realm, Alpha of the Alphas. Alpha Alexander, a man who bends for nothing and no one ...... That is until he met his mate. A woman destined to bring him to his knees. YOU CANNOT FIGHT AGAINST DESTINY. Humans have always been so oblivious to the world that they live in. They think that they are at the top of the food chain well infact they are and will always be our preys. 2 decades ago when creatures of the night emerged from the shadows and showed themselves out in a public eye. What human believed as myths were actually living with them all along. The reality is way harsher than it seems. ****** I could feel his lips against my neck as he trailed kisses, possibly leaving marks on his path. My hands were pinned by his left hand above my head while his other hand is busy roaming my body. His body was flushed against mine as my back is firmly planted against the wall. I could feel his arousal pressed against mine. His kisses were like a drug, I could feel my body responding to him. Just as I was about to let out a breathy moan I was shaken out of my reverie. Knowing that I am letting my enemy violate me was enough to make my blood boil. "Let me go! I swear to the moon goddess if I break free from your grip, I will chop off your balls and feed them to the oooomp-" I was cut off mid sentence when his lips crashed down to mine. ******

After catching her fiancé in bed with her best friend at their engagement party, Lana Rivera's perfect life shatters in a single night. Humiliated and heartbroken, she feels the scene, desperate to disappear. But running from one betrayal thrusts her into something far more dangerous... Seeking refuge, Lana wanders into an exclusive lounge that feels less like a bar, and more like a secret society. Cigars and cologne linger in the air, Italian jazz hums in the background, and patrons watch everything with sharp, vigilant eyes. But when she witnesses a man executed in cold blood, right into the middle of the club, she realises too late that she has stumbled into the world of Underground crime... quite specifically... the Mafia. Before she can escape, Ezio Benedetti, the ruthless Don who owns the lounge, claims her. At first, she believes she will be killed for what she's seen, but instead, Ezio decides to keep her, to parade her, and to make her part of a world she doesn't understand. When he brings her to his family's most elusive event, Ezio shows her off as his newest prize. But Ezio isn't the only powerful man in the room... Among the guests stands Dante Valencia, the one they call the Mafia King, Don of the most feared family in the city, and Ezio's sworn enemy. When Dante sets his sights on Lana, Ezio refuses to let her go, refuelling the war between the two empires. Now, Lana is caught between two Rival Kings of the Underworld, one who wants to possess her, and one who wants to save her. In a world built on loyalty, blood and power, her heart might be the most dangerous thing of all...

The Lupercalia Full Moon festival is in full swing. A fertility event where the males go wild to hunt and mate. Alpha Jasper, my mate, leads Storm Forest to the sacred cave to start it all, but I'm left behind. Despite our three years of mating, I haven't shifted into my wolf, nor have I produced the coveted heir. The pack is furious and my in-laws despise me. The Moon Goddess has not favored me; I have failed not only my mate but also my pack. Jasper adores me, but the feeling of being a burden to him gnaws at me. Then one day I set him free. With another Luna at his side, Jasper can have the successor he needs and the pack craves. In Human Town, I find what I long for: acceptance, respect, love. I am successful and now filthy rich. I have also stolen the heart of the most elusive bachelor in the state; we are the perfect human couple. But my happiness didn't last. I lose my memory in a boating accident and later discover that I am pregnant. My boyfriend claims to be the father and I have no choice but to believe him. Years went by, but the Alpha didn't give up and kept looking for me. Until he finds me, on the side of the King of the Royal Kingdom. And then Jasper faces a dilemma: courting the King's woman is fatal. And when the mate bond between us reactivated, I suddenly find myself between two mates. I have to choose. Only when the Moon Goddess reveals her plan and Lupercalia must bow to me....

“Reject me!” She begs. “Reject me now!” His eyes are on the pitiful girl who is on her knees, begging for rejection. Her desperate tone makes his heart ache. He will do anything for this woman. Kiss her, love her and kill anyone for her. But reject? “You are stuck with me, my dear,” his silky voice resonates in her ears. His handsome face leans close, his scarlet eyes locked into hers. "You are mine, Roseanne and I will burn down this world if you go away…” In the kingdom of Ezealyra where supernatural creatures rule over the humans, 18 year old Roseanne Vadimovna is a witch and a slave owned by the Lycan Royal Family. Ruled by the ruthless Lycans, Roseanne is forced to do their bidding until one day she was sold off to an auction for lecherous werewolves. And her world turns upside down when he comes to her life. Dmitri Daskov, the Lycan Duke of Sloria. Her master. Her mate. Elusive, sly and manipulative, Dmitri harbors a dangerous obsession for vengeance against his enemies. When his eyes set on Roseanne, he becomes her new master with a purpose in his mind. Scared by her new circumstances, Roseanne finds herself in a new land with no hope of the future. Yet, she finds herself drawn to the dangerous darkness lurking within Dmitri, a darkness which is about to plunge her into the depths of hell. What will happen when she finds out his true intentions? Can she redeem him? Or will she also drown in his darkness? ... Part 2: The Hated Mate (Lycan and his lover 2) is out now!

In the realm of 'Wild Valley World,' Sebastian was a legendary figure, renowned as the master of enlightenment. As the world's leading mage, he possessed the extraordinary power to manipulate the elements and shape the virtual world to his will. His name was synonymous with authority, and his presence garnered admiration from countless players. He had long reveled in the glory of the gaming world. However, a tragic twist altered the course of his narrative. Sebastian's heart was torn between two cherished bonds - his beloved partner and his brother, both of whom had once been his closest confidants. Yet, darkness infiltrated their hearts, leading to a cruel betrayal. Deceived by their false sincerity, Sebastian found himself ensnared by the 'Black Dragon King,' a formidable boss dwelling in the mystical realm of immortals, notorious for being one of the game's most elusive and ruthless foes. With little time to react, Sebastian faced his grim fate within the perilous lair of the Black Dragon King. The battle was fierce, and he ultimately met a tragic demise, consumed by the Black Dragon King. His in-game avatar crumbled, leaving no trace of his existence. Time passed, and it seemed that Sebastian was lost within the digital archives of the game. Yet, fate had different plans. Against all odds, he was reborn, his consciousness awakened, back in the world of 'Wild Valley World,' one day before the game's official launch. Sebastian's gaze met the vibrant landscapes of the virtual world once more. With unwavering determination, he realized he had been granted a unique opportunity - a chance to change his destiny. Equipped with the knowledge of his past life, he embarked on a journey to rewrite his own story and become a formidable force once more in the realm of 'Wild Valley World.'

Penelope thought she was her husband’s one and only love. Until she caught him in bed with her twin sister. Penelope Verdant has lived her life as a pawn and slave to her family desiring freedom. The only happiness in her life was her marriage of four years. She believed her husband loved her, he treated her well and never gave her a reason to doubt his love. But when she finds out he’s been sleeping with her sister longer than she’s been married to him, she becomes disillusioned with her marriage. She wants revenge for her wasted years. She files for divorce, only for her husband to reject it. Backed into a corner, she seeks help from a man she should never have sought out. The man known as The Devil of Deals, an elusive billionaire who wants nothing more than to possess her completely. His price is costly, one she isn't sure she can afford. But marriage is an even worse fate than selling her soul. Will she get her revenge, shatter the chains of her old life, and rise as the queen? Or will she sink into the depths of hell? The path from pawn to queen isn’t an easy one…and the Devil is not patient. (Content Warning: this is a dark billionaire romance containing mature themes including but not limited to: explicit sexual content, unhealthy obsession, toxic love, forbidden love, pain and blood kink, physical and sexual abuse (not between main characters), taboo family dynamics, a lot of swearing, and violence. Morality is but a friendly suggestion to the characters of this story. Proceed with caution.) THE THALORIAN PANTHEON SAGA LINEUP: BOOK 1.0: FALLING INTO THE DEVIL’S BED. BOOK 2.0: INFERNAL LILY (coming soon). BOOK 0.5: HIS HEAVENLY CURSE (coming soon).