Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Darker the Release by Claire Kent

USA Today bestselling author Claire Kent continues her emotionally charged story of longing, betrayal, and insatiable desire as two lovers find themselves in a deadly standoff of seduction.

Kelly Watson got involved with mogul Caleb Marshall for all the wrong reasons: namely, to prove that he murdered her father twenty years ago. But Caleb is hotter than hell, the sex is mind-blowing, and Kelly’s afraid that she’s falling for him despite her chilling suspicions. Now, the more time she spends in his arms, the more she risks betraying her identity and losing her heart. The only way out is to discover the truth before Caleb figures out who she really is.

Caleb’s feelings for Kelly are taking him into uncharted territory, replacing his weakness for call girls and one-night stands with a hunger for something real. Still, the ruthless businessman in him can’t resist looking into Kelly’s background. When his investigation suggests that he’s not the only one with something to hide, Caleb is forced to decide if he can trust someone who’s been telling him lies. For the first time, Caleb understands how intimacy can be so tempting—and, in the wrong hands, so dangerous.

Darker the Release is intended for mature audiences.
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Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo
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Excerpt

Kelly Watson was getting annoyed because Caleb wouldn’t hang up the phone.

She’d come over to his big estate outside DC for the weekend. She wasn’t living with him all the time anymore—the way she had in the beginning—but she’d spent the last three weekends with him. Now it was Friday at almost seven in the evening, and he was still on a work call.

He was also wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

Caleb Marshall was the CEO of Vendella and Co., a high-powered pharmaceutical company. He didn’t have the luxury of working only on weekdays. She didn’t expect him not to work—or not to take calls on any day or at any hour they came in.

But still, they were scheduled to leave for a black-tie event in ten minutes. The cocktail party was his thing—since she was a pet portrait artist and wasn’t in the habit of attending formal events of any kind. It was only because of him that she was going to this party at all. She’d gotten out of the shower, dried her hair, and done her makeup in the bathroom, and she’d expected him to be dressed when she reentered his bedroom.

But he was sitting in a leather chair near the window, talking on the phone, naked except for the towel.

And he didn’t even appear aware of her presence.

It worried her.

They were supposed to be in a real relationship. They’d never said the words “I love you.”

Given both of their pasts as commitment-phobes, that would have been far beyond the comfort zone for either of them. But they’d admitted that the feelings between them were real, and they’d agreed to try to make the relationship work.

He was supposed to care about her, be totally into her, feel for her more than he’d ever felt for anyone else. That was what he’d said, at least.

Which was why it was concerning that he hadn’t noticed that she’d walked into the bedroom wearing nothing but her underwear. He hadn’t even glanced over at her.

Caleb wasn’t just her boyfriend. He might have killed her father. And the only way she could ever find out the truth was to get him to trust her completely, let down his guard, and allow her access to the information she needed so she could find concrete evidence about who had arranged her father’s murder. And she only had a limited amount of time to accomplish all this in the month or so her mother had left to live.

If Caleb was losing his interest in her, if she wasn’t as attractive to him as she used to be, then she could never do what she needed to do.

So she felt distracted and out of sorts as she walked over to the dresser and looked in the mirror.

Her makeup was good—setting off her blue eyes, high cheekbones, fair skin, and full lips—and her long, dark gold hair was pulled up into an elegant twist. Her bra and panties were a sexy black lace—much more expensive than she’d ever bought for herself before she’d met Caleb.

In the past, she’d only ever had one-night stands. There was no man in the world whom she’d known as deeply and intimately as Caleb. No man who could turn her on as much. No man she’d invested nearly as much in as him.

No man she’d hated as much.

It was the bitter irony of her life—to live torn apart like this until she could finally find the truth, finally find closure, finally heal. If such a thing was even possible.

But all of it would be futile if his interest was waning.

He was talking about some sort of marketing campaign on the phone. She heard the words, but they were of no interest. It didn’t sound like an emergency, though, so it was definitely time for him to hang up the phone.

With that same flutter of anxiety and uncertainty, she grabbed a tube of lotion from the bag she’d brought over for the weekend and squeezed some out on her palm.

Then she walked over so she was directly in Caleb’s line of sight, sat down on the edge of the bed, and started to rub the lotion onto one of her legs.

Her body was pretty decent, with long legs and good breasts. Caleb had always seemed to really like it before. Might as well use it to her advantage.

She massaged the lotion in slowly, extending her leg in a way she hoped was sexy.

With a clench of pleased satisfaction, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Caleb’s eyes had shifted over to her.

He was still talking, but at least now he was watching her.

She took her time rubbing the lotion on her other leg as well, and then she stood up and started applying it to her arms and shoulders in turn.

He was definitely focused on her now. His brown eyes had taken on a familiar heat—albeit still distracted by his conversation—and his gaze didn’t leave her body.

Making sure to act unaware, she walked over to the closet to get a dress. She’d brought two possibilities with her for this evening, since she hadn’t been sure which she should wear.

Inspired, she grabbed the one she’d already decided against.

She returned to his line of sight to slowly, sensually pull the dress on, letting the soft fabric cling to her body.

It was a blue that matched her eyes, and she studied herself in the mirror, turning around and pretending to be evaluating the effect. She slipped on her high heels and looked at herself again.

Then she unzipped it and let it fall slowly to the floor so she was standing in nothing but her underwear and heels.

Caleb stumbled over something he was saying.
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Author Info
Claire Kent has been writing romance novels since she was twelve years old. She has a PhD in British literature and, when she’s not writing, teaches English at the university level. She also writes contemporary romance under the pen name Noelle Adams.




Unblocked - Episode Two (Timber Towers, #2) by Marni Mann

24643003We were introduced to Derek Block and Frankie Jordan in Episode 1, well in Episode 2 things begin to get a whole lot hotter.

Picking up where Episode 1 left off, Derek and Frankie must now decide if once is really enough or should they keep going.

Ms. Mann really has a hot addictive series going here and from the looks of it, things are only going to get way hotter and the series progresses. 

Rating 4 out of 5 
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Monday, September 28, 2015

Unblocked - Episode One (Timber Towers, #1) by Marni Mann

23500281This was part one of a five part story about revenge and love. In part one Derek Block is in the process of completing his newest construction project, Timber Towers, all he needs now is a realtor. Enter Frankie Jordan, she's the best in her field and from the moment Derek and Frankie meet sparks fly.

This was a great opening for the series, you meet very engaging characters and a very interesting storyline.

Rating 4 out of 5 
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Friday, September 25, 2015

Big Nate: Welcome to My World by Lincoln Peirce

25074379Our favorite little big man is back in school to continue his reign as detention king in this laugh filled collection.

The book starts off with Nate's grandparents coming over for Grandparents Day at school and goes on to follow Nate through baseball training, summer, and even Halloween (by the way NO ONE should ever trick or treat at Nate's house, no candy, HORROR).

Just to enjoy it even more we get a kick of watching Nate bet his life he'll get a perfect score on an exam. 

I'm big fan of Nate Wright, this little guy is so witty and hilarious that you can't not love him. 

Rating 5 out of 5 
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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Donald Duck: Shellfish Motives by Romano Scarpa, Dick Kinney, Jonathan Gray

26065973This was a fun enjoyable read about our favorite grumpy duck, Donald Duck and his three adorable nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie.

The book was a little long, so some children might be a bit put off, but the illustrations are sure to reel them in. If you want a nice laugh definitely check this book out.

Rating 5 out of 5 
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Monday, September 21, 2015

Mickey Mouse: The Mysterious Crystal Ball by Andrea Castellan, Bill Walsh, Jonathan Gray

While a bit lengthy, this collection of classic Mickey Mouse adventures is sure to delight readers big and small. 

We see Mickey in various misadventures that will have you laughing and giggling like back in the day. We see Mickey get conned by a fake psychic, but don't fret, he figures it out right on time to save the day.

Plus how adorable is the cover, but then again I do have a soft spot for Mickey and Friends; still, enjoy this fun adventure.

Rating 5 out of 5 
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Friday, September 18, 2015

The Fly: Outbreak by Brandon Seifert

This book was alright, but I wouldn't call it great. If failed to really pull me in and I found the main character and the majority of the supporting characters unlikable.

Normally the art can often save a bad book for me, but unfortunately this one failed impress.

The concept of the story seemed promising, but somewhere along the process of creation things went horribly wrong.

Rating 2 out of 5 
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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

A Glimpse of the Dream by L. A. Fiore

This was such a sweet and heart breaking story; Teagan Harper and Kane Doyle met as children and were destined to be together but life threw them a couple of curveballs.

While Teagan is away at college, Kane suffers a horrible accident that blinds him; out of love he crushes Teagan's heart in order to set her free. Years later both are still broken hearted, but a reencounter gives them the opportunity of a second chance. 

This was such an emotional read; you understand why Kane did what he did, but as you see Teagan suffer you want to hate Kane. Kane despite being so selfless suffers so much, that you can't even be mad at him.

Despite the teary eyes, this one is definitely worth the tissues.

Rating 5 out of 5 
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Monday, September 14, 2015

Next Stop: Love by Miranda J. Fox

Girl on her way to a new city to escape crazy mother; train oversells and with luck they're able to place her in a first class compartment. Enter cute, well he was already in there; at first he's kind of a jerk and by the end he's super sweet.

Well, Sophia Neumann just met Luca Marcs and since he was a bit of a jerk they did not hit it off. By the end of their train ride however, Luca has changed his tune, but you know what they say "first impressions count". Sophia kindly and hastily declines; as she dashes off to her interviews, guess who she sees there?

From then on it's an up and down roller-coaster that has you flipping through the pages. I would have loved this book even more if we had gotten a real confrontation between Sophia and her mother; but not to worry, we still get a whole lot of other action to keep us happily reading.

Rating 4 out of 5 
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Saturday, September 12, 2015

Seduced by the Baron (Fairy Tales of New York #4) by Amy Andrews

In the final book of the series we follow Faith Sullivan and her journey to happily ever after. While her friends moved on to do great things and live their lives after boarding school, Faith stayed behind in the family bar, forgoing Columbia to take care of her father. As her friends and brothers find happiness she is left to feel like she's missing out on life. Enter super great friend Mercy, who points ex-surfer, turned beer baron Rafael Quartermaine in her direction.

Rafael and Faith have instant attraction but Faith is a little slow to really give into it because she's allowed her whole life to revolved around the bar and her father.

The story was engaging and super sweet; the ball scene was just aww. Dawn, Zelda and Mercy (Fairy Tales of New York #1-3) team up to play fairy god-mothers and get Faith to the "ball" where Prince Charming, I mean Rafael waits. 

They have their ups and downs, but in the end Faith is able to find her voice and her true love. Rafael was just swoon worthy and the way he goes after Faith, just love. This story was a perfect ending to the series.

Rating 5 out of 5 
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Thursday, September 10, 2015

Taming the Beast (Fairy Tales of New York #3) by Lucy King

Book three of the Fairy Tales of New York follows Mercedes "Mercy" Hernandez and Sebastian "Seb" Madison (Zelda's jerk of an older brother) as they find their happily ever after and work through their issues.

I really liked the story but I wanted to read about Seb's reconciliation with Zelda. That was a pivotal point for his character and we only get the implication that he fixed things with his sister.

Mercy I absolutely loved, not that right there is a true friend. I was also very happy for her when she went back to South America after Seb pushed her away; she made him have to work a little to get to her, except she should have made him grovel a bit more.

Overall loved the continuation of the series and how these four friends stories interrelate.
Rating 3.5 out of 5 
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Tuesday, September 8, 2015

One Night with Her Ex by Lucy King

18722877Hey it's totally okay to cheat if you're unhappy in your marriage because talking with your spouse is so overrated.

This story starts off five years after Lily Montgomery divorced Kit Buchanan, keyed his car and ruined all his clothes because he cheated on her. Well in that time they've both tried to move on with their lives, except Kit has a little problem. Since the divorce he can't seem to get it up; talk about a guilty conscience. 

Kit decides to seek Lily out and they hook up, shocker [insert eye roll]. Now they decide to give it another go, just one problem, okay more than one; Kit still works with the woman he cheated on, it's really Lily's fault he cheated and despite the other woman now being married it's totally okay to continue a relationship with her because she's "happily" married and those people don't cheat.

While I do generally like and enjoy Ms. King's work, I have to say this story was just not good. The characters were really unlikable; Kit was a total douche and Lily was so weak, always apologizing when Kit says "we both played a part in my cheating". The only reason I gave the story a 2 and not a 1 is that I found it hilarious that he had issues with his little friend; overall I felt Kit didn't redeem himself and Lily was an idiot for taking him back.

Rating 2 out of 5 
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Friday, September 4, 2015

Just a Little Kiss by Renita Pizzitola

In the sizzling new novel of Renita Pizzitola’s Crush series, Felicity knows that “Summer Boys” are only good for one thing. But what if hooking up with the right guy could lead to a fresh start?

Like most of the residents of her dead-end beach town, Felicity Daniels doesn’t know what she wants from her future. Instead of college, she’s waiting tables at the local grille where she’s more likely to run into the guy who was the love of her life—until one decision changed everything. Now as this year’s tourist season kicks in to high gear, Felicity realizes that whatever she wants isn’t going to be found here.

Mason Hayes is the quintessential Summer Boy: hot, impulsive, and born without strings attached. While in town helping with the family fishing charter, he plans to have a little fun—and hopefully get over a certain girl. He’s never had a long-term relationship, but when he meets Felicity, he wonders if he’s found the girl who could change that.


With her heart still in repair, Felicity’s happy to have a distraction like Mason, but her best friend thinks he could also be her ticket out of this town. What’s the harm in using him to escape more than just her boredom? After all, he is just a Summer Boy, and they never stick around. But after one kiss, Felicity wonders if only one summer with Mason will ever really be enough.

Buy Links:   Amazon | B &N | iTunes | Kobo
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Excerpt

The waves crashed against the shoreline beneath the boardwalk. Their melodic pounding drowned out the bells, rattles and cheers from the carnival behind me. There was just something about the ocean that helped calm my nerves, except today it seemed to torture me with its boundless sky and endless water, the epitome of freedom . . . yet my life was contained to this. This nothing that felt like everything. Small town; smaller life.

My sister Hope slipped up beside me, pressing her elbows against the railing, her rounded belly grazing the wooden slats. “Everything okay?” she asked.

I straightened, stretched my hands over my head then tugged my white work tank top back down. “Yeah. Just a little worn out from tonight’s shift. This summer has taken it out of me.”

Of course, it wasn’t really just this summer; it was every day. Every moment. Every single minute spent doing the same freaking thing: Wake up, pull a long shift at Eddie’s, crash, repeat.

My skin itched for something new. Something better. I felt like the boats in the harbor, crashing with the waves, fighting to break free, but bound by a single freaking rope. Except my rope was my own fear, but that was all it took. One thing, one person, one commitment. Tied down.

“It’s been a hot one.” Hope rubbed her hand over her stomach. “In a few years, when you have kids,plan for a winter pregnancy.”

A few years? No way. I refused to let my life be headed in that direction. But this town . . . it sucked everything out of you. Well, not everything. I swear, every time I turned around someone else was pregnant. The fertility rate here must be astronomical.

“Felicity?” Hope turned toward me, her expression one of concern.

I forced a smile. “Sorry, I spaced out. I think I need something to eat. I skipped dinner.”

“Food sounds good.”

She licked her lips and I suppressed a laugh. “Yeah, I can grab us something. What are you in the mood for?”

“Um, a corn dog? But hot dogs are bad for you. Maybe some cotton candy? But that’s a lot of sugar.” She bit her lip. “An ice cream cone? That’s good. It’s dairy, right? And protein.”

“Sure. And the cone’s a grain, and if you get strawberry you can add in the fruit.”

Her eyes brightened, then her expression sank. “You’re screwing with me, aren’t you?”

“Of course not.” I grinned. “Okay, I’ll be right back with your corn dog, cotton candy and ice cream.”

“Can you also maybe get a drink? To wash it down.”

I chuckled. “No problem.”

“You’re the best. Love you.”

With a shake of my head, I headed to a nearby food trailer to blow a decent chunk of that night’s tips. Thankfully the line wasn’t too bad, and it didn’t take long to load up and head back to Hope. Juggling way too much food, I navigated through the carnival crowd, careful not to drop anything.

“Hungry?” A guy’s voice called out.

I turned and smiled when I saw my friend Colby walking up. “Hey. It’s not all for me.”

“I was kind of wondering when you started eating non-green food.”

I rolled my eyes then lifted the hand holding sweet potato fries and cotton candy. “These are orange, and I may even eat a bite of pink.”

“Wow. Really branching out.”

I grinned. “So what are you doing here? Past your bedtime, isn’t it?”

“Pretty much.” He took his baseball cap off, scratched his head, then readjusted it, centering the John’s Charter Boats logo perfectly. “Dad had shoulder surgery this week, so I got a few days off. But we’re heading back out come Sunday.”

“That explains why it’s been so quiet these past few mornings.”

He shrugged in a halfhearted apology. “Sorry, but when the sun comes up, we hit the water.”

“You and your fishing.” I smiled. “Okay, well, I’ll see you around. Tell your brothers hi for me.”

“Will do.”

Just as I turned to leave, another voice called out, “Hey, T, no love for me?”

Colby’s younger brother, Owen, was the only person to ever call me T, and also happened to be my favorite out of all the Callahan boys.

I turned back around with a little grin. “I’ve got nothing but love for you.” My gaze flicked to the guy walking up alongside him. He fell behind Owen as they maneuvered around the bumper car line then came back into full view.

Whoa. Tall. Blond. And all sorts of hot.

Who was he? Definitely not a local, which got my hopes up that he might be a Summer Boy.

And I loved me some Summer Boys. They rolled in for peak season and packed their bags before the days grew shorter. They were perfect for girls who refused to get tied down to this crappy town. Girls like me.

“Then what’s the rush?” Owen, who’d finally made his way to his brother’s side, stared at my full hands then grabbed his chest with a pained look. “Don’t tell me there’s someone else?”

I laughed and shook my head. “It’s for Hope and if I drop it, she’ll have a conniption.”

His shoulders sagged in feigned disappointment but then he quickly rebounded and, with a tilt of his chin, said, “That’s cool. You can make it up to me later.”

Colby groaned, clearly knowing where this conversation was headed . . . the pretend-flirting

Owen and I loved, and he hated.

“Leave your window open, and I will,” I said with a wink.

Colby rolled his eyes, while the other guy glanced between us, looking confused or amazed or maybe both.

With a chuckle, Owen said, “My window, my room, my bed . . . they’re all open to you.”

Colby smacked his kid brother upside the head.

Owen winced and rubbed the side of his head. “What the hell? T started it.”

I bit my lip to stop a laugh then offered my most suggestive smile. “But Owen plans to finish it.”

“Seriously, this isn’t funny,” Colby huffed. He shifted his weight, like he always did when he got uncomfortable. And though it might seem like his discomfort resided in the fact I was pretend-flirting with his seventeen-year-old brother, the real source was the fact that he still saw me as his best friend’s girlfriend. But that was long over. And something he seriously needed to move past.
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While not as strong as the previous two books in the series, what will really endear this book to you is that the characters are very realistic. Mason comes across as a decent guy who becomes immediately likable, while Felicity's hang ups make her appear genuine.


The relationship between the two develops naturally without this over the top guy is douche but he's hot so I'll let him treat me like crap stuff. 

Sometimes it does feel like the pace is a little too slow, but other than that it was a good story with strong lead characters.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Author Info

Renita Pizzitola is the author of New Adult contemporary romance and Young Adult fantasy. When not writing, she can be found feeding her caramel macchiato addiction and reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children.

Author Links:  Facebook | Twitter | Website | GoodReads



Thursday, September 3, 2015

Witches Don't Back Down by Meredith Allen Conner

Kate Storm is one busy witch. Between her matchmaking service and a new black-magic user in town, will Kate hone the skills necessary to defeat her crazy Aunt Morgause once and for all?

Love humor and paranormal romance a la Dakota Cassidy or Angie Fox? You’ll love the Kate Storm series by Meredith Conner, with the latest installment, WITCHES DON’T BACK DOWN.

Kate Storm is running out of time. Her long lost aunt Morgause - the one with the grudge - is getting closer and closer to finding Kate. And Kate is going to have to come up with some serious skills in order to fight her. She’s working on it, but she has other things that need her attention too: Her hit-man channeling Chihuahua is trying to get in touch with his inner beast. Her un-dead best friend, Morgan, is obsessed with Karaoke. A new client is using Black Magic and her high school rival has signed up to use Kate’s matchmaking services. It’s enough to drive a witch crazy. Kate, however, is determined to triumph and have a chance at her own happily-ever-after with her demon boyfriend, Ash. Because if she can’t find a way to defeat her aunt and break the curse she’s under she’ll not only lose that chance, she may lose her life as well.

Buy Links:   Amazon | GoodReads |
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This was one funny, lighthearted read perfect for relaxing on these hot summer afternoons. You spend all of your time rooting for Kate to kick some major evil-Auntie butt.

If you enjoy laughing and supernatural comedy-romances you should definitely pick this book up.

Rating 5 out of 5

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Author Info

Meredith Allen Conner fell in love with romance the first time she read Jane Austin's "Pride and Prejudice." She now loves to create her own happily-ever-afters. She makes her home in Southeastern Idaho along with her husband, two daughters, two dogs and two cats - yes she has one of those households.

Author Links:  Website | GoodReads



Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Tempting the Knight (Fairy Tales of New York #2) by Heidi Rice

Zelda Madison wanted someone to love her; following the death of her parents and the subsequent abandonment by her brother, the pre-teen learned that being a tough as nails bad girl was way better.

Ten years after getting kicked out of convent school and having one too many downs, with the help of her friend, she's worked hard to turn her life around. But one impromptu swim on Manhattan Beach and she's in need of rescuing.


Tyrone "Ty" Sullivan is the last guy she should call; Ty really does not like Zelda, following and event involving communion wine and his little sister Faith ten years ago. 

Soon the bad girl and the golden boy are coming together in many ways, finding that opposites do attract and that love is worth fighting for.

The way they come together and tear away their preconceived notions of each other had you flipping the pages like there is no tomorrow. Zelda's story is so heart wrenching, despite growing up in luxury, there was one thing she couldn't buy. Romance lovers will really enjoy book two in the Fairy Tales of New York and will fall in love with these characters.

Rating 5 out of 5 
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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

The Replacement Wife by Rowena Wiseman

25956845The characters in this story were just deplorable self-centered jerks. Quite frankly I found absolutely nothing enjoyable about this story; none of the main characters had any redeeming likable qualities.

Rating 1 out of 5 
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