Monday, November 30, 2015

Stranger Than Fiction Review Tour

Blurb:
Set in New York City and Narragansett, Rhode Island in 1990, meet Claire Kennedy, successful mystery book editor at Cauldron Press. Her most famous client, the reclusive Sarah Winesong, has written her first new novel in five years, and Claire is ready to break out the champagne!

And then, in walks Tony Nichols. He’s gorgeous, angry and full of accusations that start with “Cauldron Press stole my book” and end with “Sarah Winesong is a fraud”.

This contemporary cozy mystery has a stellar cast of would-be villains and one real one who will stop at nothing to eliminate his nefarious scheme from coming to light, including stalk and try to kill Claire and Tony!


Excerpt:
Tony Nichols used both hands to push through the revolving door into the Waldorf Astoria. A second later he stood inside the hotel, his dark eyes methodically searching the throng of well-dressed guests.

The woman he sought was nowhere in sight.

Keeping his head down and his shoulders square, Tony walked through the richly paneled lobby. His demeanor was defensive, as if he expected to be asked to leave.

The people around him flashed discreet smiles, and their intimate conversations annoyed him.

Once he’d have felt right at home threading through this throng of professionals, greeting and being greeted affectionately. But today only disinterested glances were cast his way, the sour tang of insults too long held back burned in his mouth.

The person at the front desk directed him up to the third floor, where the socializing was now in full swing. Usually courteous, Tony snapped a curt no when a tray of canapés was offered to him by a gaping waitress. With a deep breath he reminded himself to stay calm until he had completed his task.

Everything was at stake.

Lengthening his stride, Tony reached the doorway of the main banquet room. A skinny redhead in a black sequined gown standing in the shadows took him by surprise.

“Why don’t I fill out a name tag for you? We really aren’t all that mysterious here.”

Turning to her, the lean muscles working slowly in his jaw, Tony measured out his words. “Why don’t you. The name’s Poe. E. A. Poe.”

The redhead smiled. “Poe. How appropriate. Any relation to the Poe?” Her black felt marker squeaked against the paper.

“Just in spirit.” Slapping the white adhesive tag against his shirt, Tony walked over to the table bearing a Register Here sign. The chairs behind it were empty, but a banner tacked on to the wall behind it heralded the 45th Annual Mystery Writers Convention. He was in the right place.

So where the hell is she?

Turning back to search the now even more crowded room, his anxiety began to turn to anger. He fixed his stare on the groups of threes and fours moving into the room and studied each woman. Several, including a couple of blonds, returned his look.

But he did nothing to encourage any of them to speak to him. Only one woman interested him today.

 Look for a tall blond woman about thirty with freckles. She is wearing a scarlet jacket and miniskirt. With a croc belt.

 Isn’t that what the receptionist at Cauldron Press had said? Damn, every other woman here had on that color, he thought.

He discarded his original plan. He had planned to confront the editor in her office when Cauldron’s secretary told him the woman would not be back until Monday. But Tony now realized it might be impossible to find her in this crowd or, once finding her, to get her alone. But he had to keep trying. His business could not wait five days.

Tony was jostled out of his thoughts when a large group of Mystery Society members moved in his direction. Backtracking to the banquet room doorway, he noticed that the redhead was gone. Most of the people were sitting at the tables inside, as a battalion of waiters bustled around the room. He glanced at his watch.

It had been twenty-four hours since the phone call that had confirmed his suspicions. Time was running out. He had to find Claire Kennedy now.

Find her. And convince her she would be better off dead than publishing that book.


My Review:
4 stars

If you’re looking for a thrilling, suspenseful read, look no further. Stranger Than Fiction definitely lives up to its name. I loved the mix of murder, mystery, suspense, and romance and I enjoyed that it was set in the publishing industry. The characters were realistic and engaging, while the plot was full of twists and turns, and an unexpected ending. I was kept on the edge of my seat, and couldn’t put the book down. The only thing I didn’t like was that the romance between Tony and Claire felt forced to me at times. Other than that, this was an interesting and suspenseful read.


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November 30: Room With Books
November 30: Our Families Adventure
November 30: Sharing Links and Wisdom
December 7: Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock
December 7: Journey of a Bookseller
December 7: Romorror Fan Girl
December 14: Unabridged Andra's
December 14: Romantic Fanatic
December 14: The Book Review
December 14: Katie's Clean Book Collection
December 28: The Reading Addict
December 28: LibriAmoriMiei
December 28: Books Are Love


Author Bio and Links:
Emelle Gamble became a writer at an early age. At six years old, she was bursting with the requisite childhood stories of introspection, and this itch to tell tales evolved into bad teen poetry and tortured short works that, thankfully, never saw the light of day, or an editor’s red pen.

She took her first stab at writing a novel in an adult education class in Mobile, Alabama when her kids were in bed for the night. As ‘M.L. Gamble,’ she published several romantic suspense novels with Harlequin Intrigue. She now publishes novels of Ordinary Women in Extraordinary Situations with SoulMate Publishing and Posh Publishing …works ranging from women’s fiction to thrillers and romantic suspense.

Always intrigued by the words ‘what if’, Gamble’s books feature an ordinary woman confronted with an extraordinary situation. Emelle celebrates the adventurous spirit of readers, and hopes each will enjoy the exciting and surprising journeys her characters take.

Emelle lives in suburban Washington D.C. with her hero of thirty years, Philip, and two orange cats, Lucy and Bella. Like all good villains, the cats claim to have their reasons for misbehaving. Her children are happily launched on their own and are both contributing great things to society, their mother’s fondest wish.

Emelle welcomes any reader interested in emailing her and hopes they will visit her website or her Author Emelle Gamble FaceBook page.

The book will be FREE during the Tour
Amazon     |     B&N

Friday, November 27, 2015

Tested by the Night Review Tour

Blurb:
Mia Hammerstrike was always the meek, mild mannered, spare to the heir. But when her brother abdicates his position as heir to the throne of Alaria, she is faced with a decision—marry a man to rule her people or take on Queen Adrina’s Challenge so that she can someday rule the country herself. After all, why should gender decide her future? Granted, the broad shouldered, dreamy eyed barbarian sent to look after her during her quest makes her VoT glad she's of the female persuasion.

Barbarian Talon Starkweather made a promise a long time ago, and now he must make good on it. He must play bodyguard to his best friend's sister, a little princess on a big mission. There are those who want her to fail, but he vows to help the barbarian princess earn the right to rule. There's only one problem—while he's protecting the stubborn and insatiably lusty female, who is going to protect Talon from the one woman trying not only his patience but also his willpower?

Their journey leads to danger, passion, and a battle of wills, and both will find themselves Tested by the Night.


Excerpt:
Talon shook his head. “You see, princess, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s why you need someone watching your back at all times. I’ve been attacked by a frigging dragon, for God Draka’s sake, and all you can say is what’s her name?”





My Review:
3 stars

This was an interesting story for me. For one, I enjoyed the combination of fantasy and humor. This is definitely not a serious book, as it seems to me that while the author throws in stereotypical "quest-y" stuff, she's doing it in a tongue-in-cheek, genre making fun of itself kind of way. I enjoyed this (though I know not everyone will) since I read it as a comedic adventure at times.

However, I was not such a fan of the erotic romance element. Normally, I have no problem with erotic romance, but it just didn't seem to fit here. For one, Mia went back to school in the book to finish her training. While I don't mind that, it just felt weird because the characters kept dealing with high school drama. I felt this was a YA or NA at some points drama-wise, yet then there would be a detailed, hot n' heavy sex scene, which didn't fit.

I also had an issue with the sex and romance. I don't mind sex in a story so long as it moves the plot and/or relationship along. That wasn't the case here. There were so many sex scenes, yet the relationship between the two main characters felt forced. They never developed true chemistry between each other. And the way the sex was handled in the story didn't help. The heroine basically used the hero for sex. All the time. So while they had a physical relationship, it never developed emotionally. I think several sex scenes could have been removed in exchange for adding in more romantic scenes showing their relationship growing. 

All in all, this was an interesting book that combined a lot of my favorite fantasy elements with humor and fun. I would recommend giving this series a try, and I will definitely be checking out the rest of the series.

Note: 
Tested By the Night is the fifth book of a series, which I did not know going in. While the book does work as a standalone, there are characters in this book who have been introduced and have backstories provided in earlier books, so I would recommend starting with the beginning of the series in order to get the most out of the books.



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Author Bio and Links:
Hi, my name is Maxine Mansfield and I write fantasy, erotic romances. I live in the far northern state of Alaska where the summer days are long and the winter nights even longer. I have one very special man, his three equally special children, and our six delightful grandchildren in my life. Not to mention a very bossy African Grey parrot named Gabriel. Oh, and gnomes! Many, many gnomes! Visit Maxine at  www.maxinemansfield.

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Thursday, November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!


Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans! And for those of you who don't celebrate, Happy Thursday! Lol. I just want to take a moment to wish you all a blessed day, full of family, food, and fun. 

Also, don't forget that the Thankful For You blog hop is still going on, so come enter for your chance to win a $5 Amazon GC!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Future Winds Book Blast

Blurb:
Set in a science fiction setting with elements of twisted horror, Future Winds is a strange yet wondrous tale of species self preservation and the all out moral cost of survival. Forced to leave earth, humanity discovers a planet capable of supporting life and hatches an audacious plan that will warp them across the universe to settle and begin anew. There is a darkness that resides below the planet's surface, but with no option to turn back, humanity must find a way forward.


Excerpt from Ch. 4:
Here we have two brothers who are being transported to their new home. They are nervous and afraid.

Ness wasn’t sure of the correct answer, so he lied. Way he saw it, he had a fifty/fifty shot of getting it right anyway. “Na, we aren’t slaves Lucas. You think Ma would have let us get on this ship if that were the case?”

The younger boy began to quietly weep. “I miss Mom,” he reminded his older brother, just as he had the day before and the day before that.

“Yea me too buddy, but we will see her soon.” Ness lied once more.



Author Bio and Links:
My name is Kevin Laymon. My passions are space exploration, music, sailing, snowboarding, wildlife, and of course writing. I have been writing for some time but the focus has been primarily on short stories and dark poems strictly for personal use. Future Winds is the first of a handful of novels I am working on for publication. I grew up in upstate New York and have lived up and down the east coast. New York is a location that holds a very special place in my heart. After working a wide range of jobs that I hated for far too long, Sara my significant other, and I decided earlier in 2015 to make some dramatic changes and travel. We scraped together some cash, I quit my job, and we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where we live a libertarian life as vegetarians. We share our desertscape living quarters with an aquatic turtle named Taz and a rabbit named BunBear. On October 9th 2015 Sara & I got married in Las Vegas, Nevada. The sunshine in New Mexico has helped immensely in illuminating a greater perspective as to who I am and what I was placed on this planet to do; that is to teach and inspire. I have a hunger to awaken humanity so that we may break away from our programed way of thinking. Our minds are powerful and I encourage everyone to open them up, exercise them, and tap into the potential I know every living man woman and child has. Though my stories at times can be very dark there is a reason for everything I do. Perspective, perception, and relativity are everything in the world of literature.

Website     |     Facebook     |     Twitter

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The Ecology of Lonesomeness Review Tour

Blurb:
Kaleb Schwartz isn't interested in the Loch Ness Monster. He'd enough cryptobiological speculation about Bigfoot while studying the Pacific Northwest forests. He's in Scotland's Great Glen to investigate aquatic food webs and nutrients cycles; if he proves there's no food for any creature bigger than a pike, then so much the better.

Jessie McPherson has returned to Loch Ness after finishing university in London, hoping to avoid the obsession with its dark waters she had when younger and first discovered lonesomeness. She knows any relationship with a scientist studying the lake is a bad idea, but something about Kaleb makes her throw caution to the depths.

When Kaleb discovers Jessie's lonesomeness refers not just to the solitude of the loch, he's faced with an ecological problem of monstrous proportions. Can he find a way to satisfy both the man and the scientist inside himself, and do the right thing?

10% of the author's royalties will be donated to WWF, the World Wildlife Fund.


Excerpt:
"What?" she asked. "What're you shakin' your head at?"

He didn't know how to answer. "Just amazed at how words I never used before, back in the States, keep popping into my head, though I've only been here less than a month."

"Oh, aye?" She raised an eyebrow. "What words?"

"Just words. Words you use here that we don't." He tried to evade. Lovely... fancy... He tried to think of another word, but these two kept coming back into his brain like it was caught in a short circuit.

"We're good at getting into your brain," she replied, smiling broadly.

Again he thought of the word lovely as he saw her lovely mouth, her soft, red lips. Christ...

"For sure, you do."

"So, go on.... what words do we always say?"

"Um..." The words would not let him go. It was like Schrödinger's cat again. "Things like 'lovely' and 'fancy'." He said the words in a fake Scottish accent, hoping it would make them sound funny rather than serious, which was how he suddenly thought of them; too serious to say to a girl he hardly knew on a different continent, where he'd only stay a short time. He should leave her to get on with her life.

Jessie chuckled, but seemed to blush deeper as she turned back towards the lake. She'd finished her food and crumpled the wrappers and drank from the bottle of water.

Kaleb was silent too, yet again unsure how to continue the conversation without broaching a subject he was trying to avoid.

Jessie seemed to let the subject drop, staring out at the end of the canal. Then she turned back to Kaleb, peering at him with those blue eyes as if she was seeking to find something in his own.

"Aye. We do use them quite a lot," she said. A smile played around her mouth as she continued, "It's a lovely day. D'you fancy a walk?"




My Review:
4 stars

I liked this story, as it was a fun twist on the Loch Ness monster. I enjoyed the author’s writing style, and I thought he did a particularly good job with his characters. The characters were well written and likable (Arab and Malcolm were two of my particular favorites) and I liked the build up of Kaleb and Jessie’s relationship.


My biggest complaint was the heavy focus on science in the story, which I was not expecting as it was primarily marketed as a romance novel. I don’t have a problem with the science being in the book; I didn’t like that the science would crowd out the romance. This book was supposed to be a romantic novel that featured science, not a scientific novel that featured some romance. And while the science angle was interesting and added to the story, there were times were I felt like I needed a degree in ecology to understand and track what was going on. 


I think this would be a great read for those who like a little romance in their stories, but want more than just the romance. This would also be a great book for those who might not normally like reading romance novels, as it’s a great way to wet your “romance” feet while still reading an interesting suspense/science-y novel.


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November 10: Unabridged Andra's
November 10: Our Families Adventure
November 17: One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
November 17: Romorror Fan Girl
November 24: Sharing Links and Wisdom
November 24: LibriAmoriMiei
December 1: Hope. Dreams. Life... Love
December 1: Romantic Fanatic


Author Bio and Links:
David is a writer, ecologist and teacher from Dublin, Ireland, now living in Pamplona Spain. He has a degree in environmental biology and doctorate in zoology, specialising in deer biology and is still involved in deer management in his spare time. 



As an avid wildlife enthusiast and ecologist, much of David's non-academic writing, especially poetry, is inspired by wildlife and science. While his stories and novels are contemporary, they often seek to describe the science behind the supernatural or the paranormal.

His novels, Leaving the Pack and Five Days on Ballyboy Beach are available at Tirgearr Publishing. His YA novel, The Soul of Adam Short and Children's novel Peter and the Little People will be published soon by MuseitUP Publishing. He writes erotic romance under the pen name J.D. Martins.

A long-time member of The World Wildlife Fund, David has pledged to donate 10% of his royalties on all his hitherto published books to that charity to aid with protecting endangered species and habitats.

Book Buy Links:
Tirgearr Publishing     |     Amazon US     |     Amazon UK
Smashwords     |     Apple     |     Kobo     |     Barnes and Noble

Author Links:
Tirgearr Page    |    Website    |    Amazon Author Page    |    Facebook

Monday, November 23, 2015

Eclipsing Apollo Review Tour

Blurb:
Apollo is fond of many things. Music, poetry, physical prowess, truth, and love. The Pythian Games are held in his honor and he attends, as a mere mortal, to enjoy the competition... and the women. Meeting the fair Coronis offers him his greatest delight. Her strength, her beauty, and her fearlessness clasp his heart with an irrevocable hold. But she wants none of him.

Coronis' duty is to marry, but she yearns for so much more. She is a fierce competitor, a hunter, skilled in strategy and reason. Those that would court her lack both the mind and the body to rival hers - she will settle for no less. As a mortal, Apollo was both infuriating and tempting. But Apollo the Olympian is terrifying. She fears giving him her heart might destroy her soul.

Demeter's need for revenge pits Olympian against Olympian, forcing Apollo into a darkness the God of Light must fight if he ever hopes to see his Coronis again.


Excerpt:
He sat in a metal tub, one leg dangling over the side. He was talking, of course. The man seemed to think his every word a gift from the Gods. Erato, who was on her knees washing his foot, laughed as if she agreed. Stupid cow.

Khloris appeared then, pouring water over his shoulders from a large earthen jug. He sighed, shivering slightly, as Khloris set the jug aside and began to scrub his neck and shoulders. Her pale fingers clasped a thin rag against his gilded skin, sliding it over the impressive curve of his shoulder.

Coronis swallowed again, her hands fisting inexplicably.

He looked at her then, startled. But instead of looking ashamed, his brows rose, his lips curved in that smug grin, and he waited.

She wanted to yell. She wanted to hit him, to slap that look from his all-too-handsome face… To demand his apology for putting his baser needs before the respect he owed her father. He should not sit, smug and waited-upon, when she’d been sent to fetch him. She was not a common servant. She was certainly better than the two serving him. Oh, how she longed to tear the cloth from Khloris’ pudgy fingers and knock Erato aside...

She stopped then, stunned by rage twisting her insides.

She was a fool, too, to waste time expecting more from the likes of him. He may be named after Apollo, but was a man. An irreverent, lustful, peacock of a man…

She cocked a brow in return, not bothering to hide her disdain as she spoke. “I will inform my father that you’re too busy for his company this evening.” Erato gasped, Apollo’s foot sliding from her hands, while Khloris dropped the rag in the dirt at her feet. With mumbled apologies, they both hurried from the tent, scurrying past Coronis into the night.

He dared laugh. “Stay, awhile, fair Coronis. These maids were simply attempting to make me fit to visit your father’s home.”

“I fear it would take far more than a… bath to make you fit company for my father.”


My Review:
4 stars

This is book three of the series, and I would recommend starting with book one, since this story would have made a lot more sense if I had read the first two.

I enjoyed seeing Apollo and Coronis interact. They made a great couple and I could feel their chemistry. I also liked the twist of seeing Apollo being the one who was doubting the relationship. Usually, it’s always the woman who is overly anxious, consciously doubting her relationship, so I enjoyed seeing the flip side of that. I also liked how Coronis made him work for her heart, instead of just falling head over heels for him like in typical romance novels.

There were quite a few sex scenes in the book, some that made sense and enhanced the story and others that I felt the story could go without, especially since this was not categorized as an erotic romance. However, it wasn’t too over the top, so I didn’t mind too much.


I thought this was a very interesting story. The only issues I had with the story were all the grammatical errors I kept finding (though I received a review copy, so I’m not sure if they were fixed in the published version) and the ending. The ending was more of a bittersweet ending than a HEA (maybe a HFN), which I was not expecting. Other than those two things, I enjoyed the story.


November 2: The Reading Addict
November 9: Unabridged Andra's
November 9: Romorror Fan Girl
November 16: Reading Romances
November 16: One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
November 23: LibriAmoriMiei
November 23: Sharing Links and Wisdom


Author Bio and Links:
Sasha is part gypsy. Her passions have always been storytelling, romance, history, and travel. Her first play was written for her Girl Scout troupe. She's been writing ever since. She loves getting lost in the worlds and characters she creates; even if she frequently forgets to run the dishwasher or wash socks when she's doing so. Luckily, her four brilliant children and hero-inspiring hubby are super understanding and supportive.

Website & Blog    |    Twitter    |    Facebook Author Page    |    Amazon
Goodreads    |    Pinterest    |    Group Blog    |    Fresh Fiction

Sunday, November 22, 2015

The Case No One Foretold Blog Tour


Synopsis:
Two men engage in an altercation in a movie lobby. Later one of the men turns up dead in a New York City alley. But this is no ordinary murder. The deceased is a sex demon and his fellow combatant was the werewolf, Jean-Claude Roué, fiancé of Mark’s shape-shifter secretary. Now the werewolf is accused of his murder and faces a trial by before a supernatural tribunal. If Jean-Claude is convicted for causing this death it will mean his execution. This time however, Mark Julian is away on a personal investigation in Kenya so Tortego, the crafty vampire chief, goes to an unusual source to secure help. Using his powers as head of New York City’s supernatural community he appoints Mark’s human partner, Detective Vincent Pasquale, to be one of the three judges for Jean-Claude’s trial. Now Vinnie must not only fight to clear his friend, Jean-Claude, he must deal with his supernatural co-jurists: the werewolf Viola Lupa and the sex demon Dale Carter. Both of his companion judges are on record as sworn enemies of “any mixed supernatural mating.” Throw in a shifty shape shifter named Andelan Clarke, Ja-ne the original Oracle of Delphi and, a sexy TV newsman from the island of Guernsey who appears to be more interested in bedding Vinnie than nailing a story and it truly becomes “The Case No One Foretold!” 

Buy Links
Amazon US    |    Amazon UK    |    Amazon AU    |    Amazon DE


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More in the Mark Julian, Vampire P.I. Series:
While each individual mystery can be read as a stand-alone, there are storylines that continue from one book to another, so we recommend you use the series in order. 


Book Two – The Case of the Strega’s Touch
My Review
About the Author:
L.G.Fabbo-Gonnella is a resident of NYC. He has often said Manhattan is the underlying unspoken character in many of his books. "I guess its a love affair that I have with her," he once said. "I could live here forever and yet still find magical things about her that I never knew existed.

When not seeking out interesting new locales for his books he can be found dinning with friends and enjoying all the city he adores has to offer.

Though he has not yet met the supernatural denizens of NYC, he does hope too one day. And yes, there is a "letter Lounge" albeit under a different name.

He can be reached at L.G.Fabbo.Gonnella@gmail.com
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Friday, November 20, 2015

Thankful For You Blog Hop


It’s that time of year again (at least for those of us in the States). Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we are thankful for, and as part of that, I am participant in the Thankful For You Blog Hop hosted by The Herd Hops.

I am thankful for quite a few things when it comes to my blog. I’m thankful that even after 3 years, I’m still able to keep blogging. And not only am I able to continue doing something I love, but I’ve had even more opportunities come to me through my blog. Whether it’s winning gift cards through hosting tours (as well as entering them) to getting the opportunity to review awesome items for free when I might not otherwise be able to afford buying them myself. Plus, I have found an awesome community of authors, reviewers, and readers who I get to not only communicate with, but meet up with at conventions. I’ve even been able to be a panel participant at RainbowCon this year due to my being a blogger. I’ve been able to do great things that I had never imagined when I first started blogging…and it’s due to people like you. 


Yes, you, the person reading this post. Whether you are a first time visitor or one of my loyal followers, you are the reason why I am able to keep doing this. It’s true that I do a lot of the things I do because I want to. But having people read and follow what I post gives me a reason to do so. By reading, commenting, liking, and following, you have not only helped me build my blog up and made it noticeable, you have also encouraged me. 

I’ll admit, there were many times along the way when things got tough and I considered quitting. In the past few months alone, I’ve considered it since going back to school made spending time on my blog difficult. Yet seeing people comment, seeing that people actually read and cared about what I said is simply amazing. Knowing that I have loyal followers who have stayed with me through 3 years of trying to figure out what the heck I was doing is a huge confidence booster. You’re the reason I keep going. 

I know that sounds corny, but while I started this blog just for me, it has since grown to so much more than I could have ever imagined. I am truly thankful to all of you for sticking with me, as I couldn’t have done this for 3 ½ years without your support. And if you are just now visiting for the first time…I hope you consider sticking around and supporting me to year 4 and beyond. Thank you so much, and may you all have a peaceful week and a Happy Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate).



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