Monthly Archives: February 2018

Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR18 #AuthorSpotlight – Attending Author, Event Sponsor & Event Host Jillian Jacobs @GreenMooseProd

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Jillian Jacobs

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

Jillian Jacobs
I write in the following genres: Paranormal and Contemporary with suspenseful elements. I love moose, polish pottery, and hot tea.
I am the co-founder of Healing with Words—a not for profit agency established for healing survivors of abuse, addiction, trafficking, and prostitution. The mission is to bring together readers, authors, and survivors in a positive manner that affects change and relief from negative influences. Writers on The River, an author event in Peoria, Illinois is hosted by Healing With Words.

When and Why did you start to write?

I started to write because I thought I’d be the next Nora Roberts with my books on every shelf. I learned quickly that’s not how it works. And I’m an avid reader and thought, I’ll give romance writing a try because I love it so much.

What authors do you always read or suggest to others?

I read a lot of historical over the years and some paranormal because that’s what’s sold in stores. I’ve since found many self-published authors I enjoy. My favorite new author of 2017 was TJ Klune. One author I suggest to everyone is Karen Marie Moning. I love her highlander series. I suggest you look at the Writers On The River website under the Authors tab for a whole list of awesome authors.

What is the most surprising thing you have found out with the writing process?

That the comma is not your friend. But seriously, I’ve found that the author community is a lovely, wonderful place, and I’ve made lasting friendships that I’ll cherish forever.

What are you working on now?

My very first Male/Male romance called Spotlight.

When writing are you a pantser or plotter?

Pantser.

What are your social links?

Website
Twitter

Facebook
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads

What are your buy links?

www.jillianjacobs.com

 

Angie’s review of Ember’s Center, Book 1 of the O-Line Series HERE

Kristi’s Review of Fire’s Field, The Elemental Book 2 HERE

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#WOTR18 #UglyCry – Don’t Be Afraid by CA Harms

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Don't Be Afraid

Have you ever looked at someone and just knew,
knew that they were put in your life for a reason?
The one person that would be not only your best friend,
but would be your absolute everything?
That’s how I felt the first time I saw him.

That one day when a few little words changed our entire lives forever…

Don’t be Afraid, he said.
Life can change so quickly.
One moment you can be smiling and feeling as if you’re walking on clouds and the next, everything you love, everything you treasure crumbles at your feet.

I told him to fight, I told him I needed him.
We needed him.
But there are just some fights that can’t be won…

He was my angel then, and he’s still my angel now.
In a way, I believe he’s still looking out for us, giving us a future.
Sometimes it’s as if I can still feel his presence,
guiding us and keeping us safe.

So, I won’t be Afraid.
I’ll live. I’ll fight.
It’s what he would have wanted.

I’ll do it for him…

Goodreads

Amazon

Don’t Be Afraid by CA Harms

I receive this book from the author for an honest review.

I don’t know if I will be able to get through this review without stopping to blow my nose or wipe the streams of flowing tears from my eyes.  Sweet Baby Jesus I am completely destroyed in the most beautiful of ways.

This book is such a simple idea but CA writes it with such depth of emotion if you don’t cry you must be a heartless person!  LOL  The story is all about love.  Pure and simple love.  The love of a man and wife.  The love of 2 brothers willing to do for each other and their family.  The story is about what happens when one person loses the love of their life or the person they consider to be their brother.  How do the remaining two continue on without their missing link plus what happens when feelings begin to develop between the remaining people?

Sawyer has had a sad life and when she meets Pat everything clicks for her.  She seems to have a golden life with the man of her dreams.  When Cancer tears her happily ever after apart she learns to lean on Gage.  Gage and Pat have grown up together and are brothers.  When Pat asks Gage to watch out for his family. Gage does it because his feels Sawyer is his family too.

The story has me sobbing through most of the beginning of the book.  Chapters 14 and 21 had me a hot mess so be warned!!  But as the middle to end of the story is being told we are facing life without our Rock Pat but also looking to Gage for MORE.  The end of the book throws a few amazing scenes that made my dried eyes begin to leak full force again.

The emotion and depth of story totally knocked me for a loop.  I was stunned at how well CA Captured the emotion of each character in the story.  The anger Pat felt.  The sadness Sawyer felt, and the guilt Gage felt.   Such a raw and emotionally gritty story this book is intense so be ready with the tissue.  Be ready to have some Tylenol to help with the raging headache you will have from the snot sobbing tears you will be shedding!!

C.A. Harms is a lover of HEA stories, mixed with a little heat and drama make it perfect. She needs some excitement, some angst, and moments that make her fan her face are always good too. She’s an Illinois girl, born and raised. Simple and true, it honestly doesn’t take much to make her happy. She loves the little things; they truly mean the most. She may have a slight addiction to her Keurig—oh my, that thing is a godsend. And so fast too. She is the mother of two children who truly are her very best friends, and their faces never fail to put a smile on her face. She has been married to her husband for eighteen years, and looks forward to many more. Even after all these years he is still able to make her heart skip a beat.
She is one of those authors that adores her fans and loves to hear from them. After all, it is because of each one of you that she continues to write.
Be sure to follow her to stay up-to-date on all her upcoming releases and news.

 

Erotica, Taboo

#REVIEW – Taking What’s Hers (Forced Submission #3) by Alexa Riley

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Taking What’s Mine 

Alone at night in the middle of nowhere. The town sheriff pulls me over. I should be safe.

I’m not.

Nothing could have prepared me for what he had planned. And my darkest desires should have remained a secret. But it seems he knows everything about me.

I’m his now, and only I will do.

Taking What’s Ours 

You can’t tease two alpha men like Hudson and Ridge and not expect consequences, not when you’ve become their every obsession.

They have a target…but their one obstacle has long legs, thick curves, and a mouth made for sin.

They do everything together, and Charlotte is no exception. She tempted them…and now they’ve come to collect. Together.

Can they take what they want and still stick to the plan? Five feet, seven inches of lush addiction says no.

Taking What’s Hers 

We’ve all been that girl.

Maybe you did a little social media stalking to check him out. Maybe you just drove by his house to see if he was home. Maybe you took it a step further and followed him once or twice.

We’ve all gone a little crazy over a guy before.

I went a little crazy. That’s how Archer Ware ended up tied to the bed. I should probably feel bad about it, and maybe once I get what I want, I will. But right now he’s mine, and that’s all I care about.

This isn’t the forced submission story you’re used to. Valentina will stop at nothing to have the man she wants, and Archer can only take what she gives.

Warning: Obsession beyond control. These books contain situations involving forced submission and dubious consent. Nothing can stop them from having what they feel is theirs. These themes are triggers for some, but sweet candy for others. If you’re willing to hold off judgement until the last page, the ending is worth it, I promise.

BONUS: Bundle includes never before seen epilogues for all three stories & chapter 1 of TAKING WHAT’S HIS! 

Twinsie Jo’s Review

Well this story didn’t go where I thought it would. Have you ever been obsessed with someone to the point you’d tie them to your bed? No? Neither have I. Unless you’re Valentina of course. She’s crazy in love with Archer and she feels the only way she can get him to be with her forever is if she tied him to his bed and…well, you’ll just have to read the story to find out cause like I said, it definitely took me for a loop.

I love these little forced submission stories. I have fun figuring out the twists. I’m usually wrong but it’s still worth a shot.

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#NewRelease – Darkest Hour (Iron Fury MC #3) by Bella Jewel

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Title: Darkest Hour
Series: Iron Fury MC #3
Author: Bella Jewel
Genre: Romance
Release Date: February 14, 2018
Blurb

From the second you are born, the shaping begins.

Who you are.
Who you’ll become.
Where your life will lead.
What kind of heart you’ll have.
If you’ll be good, or bad.
From your very first breath, those around you influence
everything about you.
I was influenced by the worst. By a monster. A cold hearted,
soulless man.
But I got away.
I started fresh.
I reshaped myself. 
Only now, my past is catching up with me. 
My demons have returned.
And they’re back with a vengeance.
The only protection I have is a Motorcycle Club. 
I helped them. Now they’re helping me. 
With a large hit on my head, I’m hustled into the mountains
with one very broody, very angry, very gorgeous biker.
He has a mission. A secret bigger than even mine. 
And he wants the blood of the monster after me.
He’s been assigned to protect me.
He gets on every nerve I have left.
The tension between us is high. 
And we’re stuck alone.
In the middle of the wilderness.
Things are about to get…interesting. 
Purchase Links
$2.99 for release day only!
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Available at other retailers soon

 

Also Available

 

99c for release day only!
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
99c for release day only!

 

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

 

 

Author Bio

Bella Jewel is a self published, USA Today bestselling author. She’s been publishing since 2013. Her first release
was a contemporary romance, Hell’s Knights which topped the charts upon release. Since that time, she has published over five novels, gaining a bestseller status on numerous platforms. She lives in North Queensland and is currently studying editing and proofreading to further expand her career. Bella has been writing since she was just shy of fifteen years old. In Summer 2013 she was offered an ebook deal through Montlake Romance for her bestselling
modern day pirate series, Enslaved By The Ocean. She plans to expand her writing career, planning many new releases for the future.

Author Links
Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR18 #AuthorSpotlight – Attending Author Brynn Paulin @brynnpaulin

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Brynn Paulin

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

I’m Brynn Paulin and I’m the author of over 55 books in multiple romance genres. In addition to writing, I love cooking, reading, hockey and dogs–especially my three spoiled furbabies.

When and Why did you start to write?

I started to write in the late 90s and was first published in 2007. I’ve always loves creating stories.

What authors do you always read or suggest to others?

I always read: Ruby Dixon, Penny Wylder, Frankie Love, Aurora Rose Reynolds, Kristen Proby, Kelly Elliott, Kaylee Ryan and Kelly Jameson.

What is the most surprising thing you have found out with the writing process?

I don’t know if anything has surprised me about the process. What has surprised me is how different everyone’s processes are.

What are you working on now?

A dystopian zombie book

When writing are you a pantser or plotter?

I’m a plotser – plotting with the freedom for surprises.

What are your social links?

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

What are your buy links?

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Erotica, Paranormal, Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR18 #review #Paranormal #Shifter #Erotica – Rumble and Growl (The Holloways Book 3) by Lacey Thorn

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Rumble and Growl (The Holloways Book 3)

Five years ago they were attacked. The alpha was the first to die, but his murder was followed by carefully planned attacks focused on one thing: find and kill the female shifters.

Xandra Blackstone is out for blood. She’s spent the last five years forced to hide and wait while the person responsible for the deaths of her parents and youngest sister remains free. Separated from her surviving siblings, her rage has only grown. She and her bear are in agreement. They’ll settle for nothing less than blood.

Declan Holloway is on a mission. Now that he and his brothers know there are female shifters still hidden among them, they’ve made it their focus to find them and protect them. What he didn’t expect was to find himself pursuing one frustrating female who seems hell bent on killing him. With each trap he dodges, his temper rises. When he gets his hands on Xandra Blackstone he might just take her over his knee for the trouble she’s caused him.

With one glance, neither can deny what their bears know is true. No matter how much they rumble and growl, they belong to one another.

*NOTE: Though Rumble and Growl is part of the Awakening Pride: The Holloways series, it is a standalone book with an HEA and no cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Amazon

I purchased this book.

OMG Xandra and Declan!! They are quite a pair.  Declan is Mr. Logical where as Xandra runs on pure emotion.  I knew the little clip we got of them in book 2 showed they were going to be a fun read but man was I loving this book.

Declan is the most trustworthy and dependable brother of the Holloways.  When he is sent to find Xandra he is blow away once he catches her scent because HELLO she is his mate.

Xandra has been living in a personal hell for the 5 years following all the female bear massacre.  The “Uncle” she was tasked to live with seems to be the reason for all the treachery against the Holloway Pack.  She is finally free and after blood for her family and lost bears.  When she sees Declan’s she is not about to let this whole MATE thing get her…..nope not happening.  She is going to run and avenge everyone wronged.  She is pulling the whole “I am an island” dynamic.

I loved seeing the pack dynamics really starting to come into play.  We learn a lot more about each brother and their job for the pack.  We learn more and more about the expectations for revenge for the past wrong doings too.

I am super excited for the next book and I really hope its Laramie’s books because come on and Alpha needs his mate!!!

Lacey Thorn spends her days in small town Indiana the proud mother of three. When she is not busy with one of them she can be found typing away on her computer
keyboard or burying her nose in a good book. Like every woman she knows just how chaotic life can be and how appealing that great escape can look. So toss aside
the stress and tension of the never ending to do list.

 

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#NewRelease #ReleaseBlitz #Contemporary More Than Love You (More than Words book 3) by Shayla Black

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I’m Noah Weston. For a decade, I’ve quarterbacked America’s most iconic football team and plowed my way through women. Now I’m transitioning from star player to retired jock—with a cloud of allegation hanging over my head. So I’m escaping to the private ocean-front paradise I bought for peace and quiet. What I get instead is stubborn, snarky, wild, lights-my-blood-on-fire Harlow Reed. Since she just left a relationship in a hugely viral way, she should be the last woman I’m seen with.

On second thought, we can help each other…

I need a steady, supportive “girlfriend” for the court of public opinion, not entanglements. Harlow is merely looking for nonstop sweaty sex and screaming orgasms that wring pleasure from her oh-so-luscious body. Three months—that’s how long it should take for us both to scratch this itch and leave our respective scandals behind. But the more I know this woman, the less I can picture my life without her. And when I’m forced to choose, I’ll realize I don’t merely want her in my bed or need her for a ruse. I more than love her enough to do whatever it takes to make her mine for good.

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More Than Want You, Book 1

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More Than Need You (More Than Words, Book 2)

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Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty novels. For nearly twenty years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.

Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past eight years.

Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her teenage daughter, and two spoiled tabbies. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

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Erotica, Paranormal, Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR18 #Review #Paranormal #Shifters #Erotica – Claimed by the Grizzly (The Holloways #2) by Lacey Thorn

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Claimed by the Grizzly (The Holloways, Book Two)

Five years ago the bear shifters were attacked. The alpha was the first to die, but his murder was followed by carefully planned attacks focused on one thing: find and kill the female shifters.

Sidia Blackstone is running for her life. Someone has discovered the existence of the remaining female bear shifters and is determined to hunt them down. One of the elders is dead and her twin is missing. Her guardian, Nicholas, sends her to find safety among the Holloway brothers. Her best chance at survival is to find them and if her bear is willing, claim one of the last remaining grizzlies as her mate.

Koby Holloway is one furious grizzly. They’ve just discovered there are surviving female bears hidden among them. Though he swore the one who came to them belonged to him, she chose another as her mate. He doesn’t understand the pull he feels until he learns she has a twin who also survived. Now, nothing will stop him from finding her.

He’d protect her, see to all her needs, and keep her right by his side. From the moment he found her, she was claimed by the grizzly.

*NOTE: Though Claimed by the Grizzly is part of the Awakening Pride: The Holloways series it is a standalone book with an HEA and no cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Amazon

I purchased this book.

*Clapping* Shifters…YESSSSS!!!  I love shifter books thank you very much!!

Ok so last book Koby was kinda a major pain in the ass for Hot and Jaeda.  He kept demanding Jaeda was his mate….wellllll not her so much as her TWIN Sidia!!! Once Koby found this news out, dude was GONE to find and save his mate from the hunters.

I loved the raw lust and then love between Koby and Sidia.  They are both shifters so they KNEW what would happen with the mating unlike poor human Holt…he is learning the ways thought guys.

We get a lot of “mating” time with the couple but we also see the pack trying to figure out what the heck happened 5 years ago.  Who was the traitor and why did they decimate the female bears????  Once we get the information plus we get a sneak peak of the next couples books we know everything is going to change drastically for the pack, the hidden females and the news about a new bear pack!!  GASP so much happened in such a small book!!!

Anyway, look out for book 3 because both bears are going to be a handful.  I so cannot wait to see what shenanigans Xandra pulls for Declan.

Lacey Thorn spends her days in small town Indiana the proud mother of three. When she is not busy with one of them she can be found typing away on her computer
keyboard or burying her nose in a good book. Like every woman she knows just how chaotic life can be and how appealing that great escape can look. So toss aside
the stress and tension of the never ending to do list.

 

New Release, Paranormal, Part of a Series, Shifters, Wolves

#NewRelease #Review #Shifter Eternal Mourning (Talon Pack #7) by Carrie Ann Ryan

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In the seventh book of the Talon Pack series from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan, a Healer is forced to come to grips with the idea that he can’t save everyone…including the woman he loves.

Walker Brentwood vowed to the moon goddess that he’d protect his Pack and Heal with every last ounce of his power. He’s watched his siblings and cousin battle the worst circumstances to find love and is now afraid that the one woman who could be his might not have much time left. The rules of mating have changed, and Walker will do what he has to in order to protect the bonds that have eluded him for so long.

Aimee Reagan knows there’s something wrong with her. She’s known since the first time she found out shifters were real and magic existed. When the Talon Pack’s enemy sets his sights on her, her battle to survive becomes even harder.

Walker and Aimee must turn to each other when the powers around them change and the paths that had been laid before them are no longer clear. But when their passion threatens a curse far older than anyone dreamed, they’ll only have one chance to save something worth more than a mating bond. Their future.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book

I swear this poor pack can’t catch a break they always are fighting against something, whether it be tyranny in their own pack, anti shifter groups, and now a power hungry alpha of another pack.
The fighting however is what makes them strong and the fighting with a mate at their side has made that mated pair even stronger, this time it’s the Healer and the human fight side by side.
Walker is the Talon pack’s healer and since the pack’s magic has made the mating bonds all wonky, he has made it his mission to try and find a way to fix it.
Aimee is a human that had no clue that shifters excited until the unveiling and that her friend was one until she shifter in front of her eyes. These two are thrown together because her friend has mated into his family, but they are also attracted to each other.
Walker doesn’t know if his attracted to her because she could be a possible mate or because he is. For Aimee the attraction is real, but since she is dying, and no one can figure out why, she is trying to stay away.
Can I just say, Wow! Know what all this pack has gone through and what they are going through in this book is crazy!!!!
Aimee is one hella of a strong woman to be at death’s door and still fight the way she is and Walker is with her every step of the way. I love how he is trying to find a way to save her even though the human’s can’t find out what is wrong with her and still trying to find a way to correct the wonky mating bonds.
When these guys finally stop fighting their attraction and come together it’s magic, maybe even healing too.
Ryan has done a awesome job writing a nail biting shifter story full of action and love once again and I can’t wait for the the story from the Talon Pack.

Goodreads

Amazon

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.

Website/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram

Erotica, Paranormal, Part of a Series, Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR18 #review #Paranormal #Shifters #Erotica – His to Bear (The Holloways #1) by Lacey Thorn

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His to Bear (The Holloways, Book One)

When a marine and a shifter-on-the-run collide, beware! Sparks will fly. This human isn’t all to sure of the mating and the bear… Well, bears will be bears and she wants him NOW!

Jaeda is all alone, desperate to find safety, and there’s only one place she can go. She’ll have to run for the Holloway land and hope they’ll help her and not force her into a mating she doesn’t want. With hunters hot on her tail, she isn’t sure she’ll make it. Until something carries to her across the breeze, and she meets the bluest eyes she’s ever seen.

Holt never planned to stay with the Holloways. He was only there to offer temporary help. Then a dream ran to him and threw herself into his arms. Her fear was palpable, and when she begged him to protect her, he knew he wasn’t leaving.

He’d protect her, see to all her needs, and keep her right by his side. From the moment she sought his help, she became his to bear.

Goodreads

Amazon

I purchased this book.

Oh sisters. My favorite books to fall back and read are shifters. I am a total book whore for a good shifter series and this one is going to be a favorite for dang sure.

I loved this dynamic of this book. Female bear shifters are all thought to be dead until one falls on the Holloway lands and claims…..not a bear……but human as her mate. I was loving the fact that the female is the one who can fully decide who she wants to mate, and she chose a human. Not any of the tough as nails Alaskan Grizzly bears but a human marine who wont back down for the bears either.

Jaeda has been taught to hide from hunters and fear the Holloway clan. She doesn’t know why but she has and does fear them. As she runs on the land she sees and senses her mate in Holt. Holt makes a promise to her right then and there to protect her when she is scared and begs him for help.

The little trouble maker that Jaeda is tricks Holt into mating with her and then all hell breaks loose because one of the bears thinks she is his mate and is uber confused by this. He goes as far as to challenge Holt for her. YIKES!! So yeah, the friendships are all put to the test.

I flew through this hot little read and immediately bought book 2 because I am so curious about who betrayed the clan, if Koby finds his mate and more about the Holloway family.

Lacey is a hyper blonde, bouncing through life with her magical bracelets of positivity. A die hard gamer (she refuses to call it an addiction), she resides in the Midwest, mom to three awesome children, one demanding bulldog, and two crazy cats. She has a passion for life and tends to leap long before she checks for safety exits. She writes possessive, alpha heroes who demand everything from the women they love. Believing sex is an integral part of a healthy romantic relationship, she doesn’t believe in closed doors, or even confining things to the indoors. Her stories reflect her strong family ties, friendships that showcase how some family consists of those we choose, and a goofy sense of humor that helps keep her laughing through all life’s ups and downs.
She loves to chat with anyone and often does to the annoyance of her children who are always in a hurry. If you want to talk books, television, movies, actors, World of Warcraft, prepping for the zombie apocalypse, or music (she loves music!), drop her a line at lcy_thrn1@yahoo.com.

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