What Lies Beneath Book

He offered her a contract. She sold her freedom to save her family. When Elara Reine Vera signs a contract with the cold, ruthless billionaire Sebastian Zen Montecarlos, she thinks she's found a solution to her problems. But stepping into his world is stepping into a life she doesn't belong in—a world ruled by money, secrets, and an ironclad control that leaves no room for mistakes. Every day under his roof is a test of obedience, and every glance from him reminds her of the invisible chains tightening around her. Sebastian doesn't believe in love. Only rules. Only control. He expects perfection, submission, and silence—but Elara refuses to be owned. Not by anyone, and certainly not by a man like him. Her defiance frustrates him, excites him, and awakens desires she's never allowed herself to feel. The tension between them escalates with every shared moment, turning into temptation, turning resentment into something dangerously addictive. But behind Sebastian's cold exterior lies a past riddled with betrayal, secrets, and pain—a past that could shatter them both if exposed. As boundaries blur, Elara finds herself drawn into a game she doesn't fully understand, where power decides everything, and love is the greatest risk of all. Every choice she makes could cost her more than she bargained for—her independence, her dignity, even her heart. In a world where control is currency and desire is a weapon, will Elara survive the billionaire's world intact? Or will falling for Sebastian Zen Montecarlos trap her beneath a control she can't escape, no matter how fiercely she fights?

I set fire to my painting in front of the entire academy. Thunderous applause erupts from the crowd as everyone thinks it's some kind of performance art. Unlike them, Willow Laurent is distraught. She rushes up and grabs my hand, questioning in a shrill voice, "Cassidy Seymour, have you gone mad? This is your only chance to prove yourself!" I shake her hand off me coldly. My only chance? No… What she means is that it's her chance. In my past life, I created this masterpiece with all my heart and soul. But she stole it from me and submitted it as her entry first. Whether it was the composition, the colors, or even my original dot-stippling technique… She replicated every detail flawlessly. Then, she won the National Young Artists Gold Award, signed with a top gallery, and became a rising star. And what about me? I was condemned as a shameless plagiarist. Insults and curses gradually drowned me. "You shouldn't be an artist!" "Plagiarists are scum! They should just die!" Her fans stormed into my studio, smashed my art supplies, and broke my right hand. As I saw no end to the hell that I was living in, I jumped down from the top floor of my studio. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the very day she first accuses me of plagiarism.

​Amelia Hayes has 30 days to save her niece. ​A judge’s ruling demands the 35-year-old heiress present a stable family unit to win custody of her niece, or the child returns to her abusive father. With time running out, Amelia rushes to secure the only perfect solution: her own bodyguard. ​Her solution? Adrian Cole. ​He’s 25—loyal, quiet, and financially desperate. For a staggering sum, he agrees to a two-year contract with one unbreakable rule: No love, no intimacy, strictly business. ​But when their fake wedding night turns into a real assassination attempt, Amelia realizes her calculated bargain has made them targets. Now, fighting a vengeful ex-friend and a killer lurking in the shadows, Amelia and Adrian must fake their way through a deadly war. ​The contract was just a lie. But the way he risks his life to protect his 'wife' might just be the terrifying truth.

‎A relationship built on lies, was bound to perish by lies. ‎ ‎It was just a saying until it happened - ‎ ‎To me. ‎ ‎Now, I was entangled in a ferocious web of lies, secrets and forbidden lust - one that felt too good to turn my back on. ‎ ‎However, such entanglement was going to cost me everything I had worked hard for, including my marriage. ‎ ‎Was I ready to put everything on the line because of one forbidden fruit - my husband's best friend, Kayden. ‎

On the day of my ninth wedding attempt, my fiancé, Lucas Yearwood, leaves me jilted again. This time, I follow him. I see him holding his adoptive sister's hand as they walk into the obstetrics department. "Lucas, I dreamed that we're having a boy—he's definitely going to be as handsome as you." Watching the two of them laugh and chat like that, I feel my blood freeze. After I chased Lucas for seven years, I got a chance to use a debt of gratitude to force a marriage contract out of him. I backed him into a corner to make him marry me. Everyone thinks I can't survive without him. But this time, I hand the marriage contract back and leave him without looking back. On my wedding day, he calls me. "Viv! Where are you right now?" I'm in the shower. My new husband picks up the call for me. "Do you have business with my wife?" Later, I hear Lucas turned all of Riverville upside down, digging through every trash can to find our marriage contract.

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.

“You moan the same way,” Jake whispered against her throat, his voice rough with desire. “The way your body trembles… the way your nails dig into my back. I love it. …Don’t lie to me, Chloe, I’ve had you before.” Her breath hitched, heat rushing to her cheeks as his words wrapped around her like chains. She wanted to deny it, to push him away, but the scent of his hair, clean, sharp, achingly familiar, sent shivers down her spine. Something about him was the same as that night, the night blurred by heartbreak and too much wine, the night she could barely remember but could never forget. And yet… he wasn’t supposed to be the man she married. ********************************** Venice was meant to be Chloe Rodriguez’s escape, not her prison. One reckless night of heartbreak leaves her in the arms of a stranger whose touch she can’t forget. Weeks later, she’s forced into a contract marriage with billionaire heir Jake Williams Martinez, only to realize he is that same man. But Jake believes he’s marrying her twin sister, Zoe, the wild one he thinks matches the woman from that night. Bound by her sister’s lies, Chloe steps into a marriage built on deception. Yet her heart belongs to another, Jake’s younger brother, Tyler, her ex-lover, whose shadow lingers in every memory. She comes in contact with Ethan, their close family friend who takes every opportunity to to be close to her as he has feelings towards her but wouldn’t want to betray them. When a secret pregnancy threatens to unravel everything, Chloe is trapped between two brothers, two betrayals, and a devastating truth: the father of her child may be the same man responsible for her family’s ruin.

(R18) - Warning: This book contains explicit sexual scenes. Rebecca Grey, an up and coming journalist lands one of her biggest stories yet. She is to cover the series of murder cases that is engulfing the Silverman Corp. There she meets the enigmatic CEO, William Silverman himself. He intrigues her to no end, seducing her body and soul. As as Rebecca gets pulled deeper and deeper into the life of the sensual billionaire, she realizes that he is hiding something from her. Something dark and dangerous. Even worse, the murderer seems to have gotten a whiff of her investigation and is set to stop her once and for all. Together with John Grant, her long-time friend, admirer and protector, they unravel the mystery surrounding the murders before it is too late.

Jeri was pregnant and chose to give birth to the child without knowing who the father was. When she awoke from her massive blood loss during labor, she realized that her status as the family's daughter had changed; her father was not her biological father. She was left with no choice but to navigate a web of deceit and heartbreak. However, when a mysterious stranger saves her life and wins her heart, she is forced to confront her dark past and the shocking truth about her child's father. As secrets emerge and family ties are revealed, Jeri must decide between love, vengeance, and redemption. Will she find happiness or succumb to the darkness that surrounds her?