Monday, 29 June 2015

WILDFLOWER Book Tour & Giveaway


The Book

Wildflower by Alexandra Forry
Genre: Contemporary Romance


About Wildflower:
In this beautiful and moving story of love, growth, and redemption among the stunning red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, Sydney—a teenaged Army orphan—discovers that love knows no bounds and life has many twists and turns of fate. After she is forced to move in with her late mother’s sister Blanche and Blanche’s abusive alcoholic husband Dean, Sidney finds purpose and friendship in Lexy, the daughter of Max Heller the City’s most prominent widower and business magnate. Unknowingly, the girls’ antics awaken Blanche’s lost and suppressed passions and stirs Max’s long-thwarted drive to build a loving and complete family. What emerges is the wonderfully successful Epicurian Café, the brainchild of Blanche and Sydney actively encouraged by Max and Lexy. The Café quickly becomes a center of the community, the start of a new life for Blanche and Sydney, and a chance for Max and Lexy to discover true love and the meaning of commitment. An emotional roller-coaster with its exciting twists and turns, Wildflower is an exhilarating and satisfying read.
Source: Info in the About Wildflower was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):


Excerpt:
“Why don’t we open a business? Like a simple sandwich and coffee shop,” Sydney announced with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“A sandwich shop?” Blanche asked, looking surprised and a bit taken aback.

“Yeah, why not?”

While Sydney waited for an answer, Blanche just looked at her, dumbfounded “Sydney, I would love to open a sandwich shop, but it takes a lot of money--money that we just don’t have.”

“Oh please, Aunt Blanche! I bet you can get a loan from the bank. It will be exciting!” Sydney pleaded.

“I don’t think that your uncle will approve. Sydney I love your idea, truly do! I was taken aback at first, because it has always been a dream of mine to open a little shop of some kind on Main Street,” Blanche said wistfully. ”It costs a lot of money to open up a business, besides I have an offer for a job in Prescott.”

“Pooh on Uncle Dean, and turn down that job. For me, please? You can ask Annette how to open a business--she will know, since she owns her own business.” Sydney said begging her aunt.

“I will think about it, okay, Sydney?” Blanche said making her way to her closet and picking out a dress.


Meet The Author

About Alexandra Forry:
Alexandra Forry has an incredible talent for living vicariously through the colorful and intriguing escapades of her strong female characters and successful leading men. Her first book, “Omerta Affair,” based on the true story of mafia boss Tony Torino and his paramour Evelyn Rosenberg has recently been adapted and re-released as “Timeless Endings”–romance fiction. Her latest book, “Wildflower,” is an adventure in coming of age for both a young orphan and her repressed aunt who is trapped in a destructive marriage. It is a beautiful story of life, hope, growth, and triumph and deals with many of the traumas of youth, such as bullying.

Alexandra Forry is familiar with life’s challenges. She was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she lives with her loving grandparents. Alexandra has conquered the limitations of Cerebral Palsy to write exciting and engaging novels. She has completed a number of talks and internet book tours and is a member of the Las Vegas Romance Writers and RWA.




Giveaway


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Thursday, 25 June 2015

THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS Blog Tour & Giveaway

The Book

The Witch Of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose
Book 1 of The Daughters Of La Lune series
Genre: Gothic Historical Fantasy


About The Witch Of Painted Sorrows:
Possession. Power. Passion. New York Times bestselling novelist M. J. Rose creates her most provocative and magical spellbinder yet in this gothic novel set against the lavish spectacle of 1890s Belle Époque Paris.

Sandrine Salome flees New York for her grandmother’s Paris mansion to escape her dangerous husband, but what she finds there is even more menacing. The house, famous for its lavish art collection and elegant salons, is mysteriously closed up. Although her grandmother insists it’s dangerous for Sandrine to visit, she defies her and meets Julien Duplessi, a mesmerizing young architect. Together they explore the hidden night world of Paris, the forbidden occult underground and Sandrine’s deepest desires.

Among the bohemians and the demi-monde, Sandrine discovers her erotic nature as a lover and painter. Then darker influences threaten—her cold and cruel husband is tracking her down and something sinister is taking hold, changing Sandrine, altering her. She’s become possessed by La Lune: A witch, a legend, and a sixteenth-century courtesan, who opens up her life to a darkness that may become a gift or a curse.

This is Sandrine’s “wild night of the soul”, her odyssey in the magnificent city of Paris, of art, love, and witchery.
Source: Info in the About The Witch Of Painted Sorrows was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):
      iBook Buy

Excerpt:
Paris, France April 1894

I did not cause the madness, the deaths, or the rest of the tragedies any more than I painted the paintings. I had help, her help. Or perhaps I should say she forced her help on me. And so this story—which began with me fleeing my home in order to escape my husband and might very well end tomorrow, in a duel, in the Bois de Boulogne at dawn—is as much hers as mine. Or in fact more hers than mine. For she is the fountainhead. The fascination. She is La Lune. Woman of moon dreams, of legends and of nightmares. Who took me from the light and into the darkness. Who imprisoned me and set me free.

Or is it the other way around?

"Your questions," my father always said to me, "will be your saving grace. A curious mind is the most important attribute any man or woman can possess. Now if you can just temper your impulsiveness..."

If I had a curious mind, I'd inherited it from him. And he'd nurtured it. Philippe Salome was on the board of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art and helped found the American Museum of Natural History, whose cornerstone was laid on my fifth birthday.

I remember sitting atop my father's shoulders that day, watching the groundbreaking ceremony and thinking the whole celebration was for me. He called it "our museum," didn't he? And for much of my life I thought it actually did belong to us, along with our mansion on Fifth Avenue and our summerhouse in Newport. Until it was gone, I understood so little about wealth and the price you pay for it. But isn't that always the way?

Our museum's vast halls and endless exhibit rooms fascinated me as much as they did my father—which pleased him, I could tell. We'd meander through exhibits, my small hand in his large one, and he'd keep me spellbound with stories about items on display. I'd ask for more, always just one more, and he'd laugh and tease: "My Sandrine, does your capacity for stories know no bounds?"

But it pleased him, and he'd always tell me another.

I especially loved the stories he told me about the gems and fate and destiny always ending them by saying: "You will make your own fate, Sandrine, I'm sure of it."

Was my father right? Do we make our own destiny? I think back now to the stepping-stones that I've walked to reach this moment in time.

Were the incidents of my making? Or were they my fate?

The most difficult steps I took were after certain people died. No deaths were caused by me, but at the same time, none would have occurred were it not for me.

So many deaths. The first was on the morning of my fifteenth birthday, when I saw a boy beaten and tragically die because of our harmless kisses. The next was the night almost ten years later, when I heard the prelude to my father's death and learned the truth about Benjamin, my husband. And then there were more. Each was an end-ing that, ironically, became a new beginning for me.

The one thing I am now sure of is that if there is such a thing as destiny, it is a result of our passion, be that for money, power, or love. Passion, for better or worse. It can keep a soul alive even if all that survives is a shimmering. I've even seen it. I've been bathed in it. I've been changed by it.

*********

Four months ago I snuck into Paris on a wet, chilly January night like a criminal, hiding my face in my shawl, taking extra care to be sure I wasn't followed.

I stood on the stoop of my grandmother's house and lifted the hand-shaped bronze door knocker and let it drop. The sound of the metal echoed inside. Her home was on a lane blocked off from rue des Saints-Pères by wide wooden double doors. Maison de la Lune, as it was called, was one of a half dozen four-story mid-eighteenthcentury stone houses that shared a courtyard that backed up onto rue du Dragon. Hidden clusters like this were a common configuration in Paris.These small enclaves offered privacy and quiet from the busy city. Usually the porte cochère was locked and one had to ring for the concierge, but I'd found the heavy doors ajar and hadn't had to wait for service.

I let the door knocker fall again. Light from a street lamp glinted off the golden metal. It was a strange object. Usually on these things the bronze hand's palm faced the door. But this one was palm out, almost warning the visitor to reconsider requesting entrance.

I was anxious and impatient. I'd been cautious on my journey from New York to Southampton and kept to my cabin. I'd left a letter telling Benjamin I'd gone to visit friends in Virginia and assumed that once he returned and read it, it would be at least a week before he'd realize all was not what it seemed. One thing I had known for certain—he would never look for me in France. It would be inconceivable to Benjamin that any wife of his could cross the ocean alone.

Or so I assured myself until my husband's banking associate, William Lenox, spotted me on board. When he expressed surprise I was traveling by myself, I concocted a story but was worried he didn't believe me. My only consolation was that we had docked in England and I had since crossed the channel into France. So even if Benjamin did come looking, he wouldn't know where I'd gone.

That very first night in Paris, as I waited for my grandmother's maid to open the door, I knew I had to stop thinking of what I had run away from. So I refocused on the house I stood before and as I did, felt an overwhelming sense of belonging, of being welcome. Here I would be safe.


Praise for The Witch of Painted Sorrows
“This bell époque thriller is a haunting tale of obsessive passions.” — People Magazine

“Provocative, erotic, and spellbindingly haunting…will have the reader totally mesmerized cover-to-cover….a ‘must-have’ novel.” — Suspense Magazine

“A haunting tale of erotic love…. M.J. Rose seamlessly weaves historical events throughout this story filled with distinctive characters that will keep the reader captivated to the end.” — Examiner.com

“Rose has a talent for compelling writing, and this time she has outdone herself. Fear, desire, lust and raw emotion ooze off the page.” — Associated Press

“Haunting tale of possession.” — Publishers Weekly

“Rose’s new series offers her specialty, a unique and captivating supernatural angle, set in an intriguing belle epoque Paris — lush descriptions, intricate plot and mesmerizing storytelling. Sensual, evocative, mysterious and haunting.” — Kirkus

“Mixes reality and illusion, darkness and light, mystery and romance into an adult fairy tale. [Rose] stirs her readers curiosities and imaginations, opening their eyes to the cultural, intellectual and artistic excitement that marked the Belle Epoque period. Unforgettable, full-bodied characters and richly detailed narrative result in an entrancing read that will be long savored.” — Library Journal (Starred Review)

“An elegant tale of rare depth and beauty, as brilliantly crafted as it is wondrously told….melds the normal and paranormal in the kind of seamless fashion reserved for such classic ghost stories as Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw.” — Providence Journal


Meet The Author

About M. J. Rose:
New York Times Bestseller, M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice… books that exaggerate mystery and magic draw attention to it and remind us to look for it and revel in it. Rose’s work has appeared in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and she has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, WSJ, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the ’80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors – Authorbuzz.com. The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose’s novels in the Reincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and currently serves, with Lee Child, as the organization’s co-president. Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.


Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card



Tuesday, 23 June 2015

AXEL & THEO: MY DOG IS THE EMPEROR OF A FARAWAY GALAXY Blog Tour & Giveaway


The Book

Axel & Theo: My Dog Is The Emperor Of A Faraway Galaxy by Amberly Kristen Clowe
Illustrated by Katy Huggins
Genre: middle grade


About Axel & Theo: My Dog Is The Emperor Of A Faraway Galaxy:
Theodore Howard wants a white flag. The kind of white flag that will show Riverwood Elementary’s biggest bully, Theo’s given up on ever surviving the fourth grade, and achieving his dream of becoming a real-life astronaut. But, Theo’s seemingly pathetic future gets a glimmer of hope in the form of a very talkative weenie dog named Axel. Theo learns that his best friend on four legs, is actually an alien from the planet Doglin, and just when he begins warming up to the idea of having an alien for a best friend, Axel is kidnapped by two cats from the planet Catlat. Theo chases after Axel and his kidnappers, embarking on an adventure he could have never imagined.
Source: Info in the About Axel & Theo: My Dog Is The Emperor Of A Faraway Galaxy was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):
     

Excerpt:
Excerpt of Axel & Theo: My Dog Is The Emperor Of A Faraway Galaxy

My body jumped into hero autopilot and I quickly discovered that if I swam, I could actually travel faster through the goop. I began to swim like an Olympic swimmer. I was ready to take down the cats with a nickel in one pocket and a piece of candy in the other.

-Hey, you do what you have to do, to save your best friend, right?

I had gained three racecars when the little cat with the big attitude noticed me. The two cats made my Olympic swimming look like toddler swimming in the kiddy pool. They left a trail of goopy bubbles as they dragged Axel farther through the beam.


Trailer:


The Buzz
“When I saw the subheading of this book — My dog is the Emperor of a faraway galaxy, I knew I had to read it. After all, how often do you see a sci-fi kid’s book? Being the sci-fi nut that I am, I couldn’t pass this one up. I was not disappointed.”~ Shari T., Amazon

“Fun book!! The story is imaginative but told with enough familiar themes to make young ones think, “I can see how this could happen!!” And in a world jam-packed with princesses and girl power, it’s nice to see fun stuff for boys, too.” ~ Valerie S., Amazon

“What a nice story! Got this for my son and he chuckled through it all. He loved the characters and their adventure. He is looking forward to the next one.” ~ Nathalia G., Amazon

“It is a great book! My kids loved it (as did I).
I can’t wait for the second adventure!” ~ John, Amazon


published by



Meet The Author

About Amberly Kristen Clowe:
An avid story writer since elementary school, Amberly Kristen (Krissy) Clowe truly discovered her passion for writing after enrolling in a college, children’s literature class, where they read and analyzed children’s books. After completing her BA in early childhood education she began her teaching career.

“After my first year of teaching second grade, I had so many ideas swirling around in my head, I had to write. I might have gone crazy if I didn’t!” Clowe tells.

Axel & Theo is the first chapter book series written by Clowe, though she already has two other children’s picture books in print, and another due for publication in 2015. Today, her children provide the inspiration to her many stories, along with everything else she loves in life.


Meet The Illustrator

About Katy Huggins:
Raised in Lafayette, Louisiana Katy Huggins moved to Texas to attend the Art Institute of Houston, where she obtained her Associates degree in Visual Communications. Huggins has worked for creative departments from small design firms to corporate in-house Marketing and Advertising. Illustration has always been her forte but not always a part of her daily creative routine or “day job.” Illustrating for Children’s Books has been a lifelong dream of hers, ever since she first started drawing as a child every Sunday morning before church, alongside her father at the breakfast table.

Axel & Theo is Huggins' first published illustration work, and is excited for the additional upcoming releases lined up for publication. Huggins lives in Pearland, TX with her husband and black Labrador, Roxy.


Axel & Theo Blog Tour Schedule

June 22

Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch & Author Interview)

Lian's Summer of Fun Blog (Review)

Enter Here Canada (Excerpt)

June 23

Hide-n-(Sensory)-Seeking (Review)

Cherry Mischievous (Excerpt)

June 24

Rockin' Book Reviews (Review)

The Blended Blog (Review)

June 25

View From the Birdhouse (Review)

Tots & Tales Reviews (Review)

June 26

2ReadBook (Review)

Where Connor and JT Go (Review)

June 27

Eloquent Articulation (Review)

We Are The DinoFamily (Review)

Lisa's Research and Reviews (Excerpt)

June 28

Stitch Says (Review & Author Interview)

Heart of a Philanthropist (Review)


Giveaway

* Blog Tour Giveaway *

Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card or $25 PayPal cash prize, winner's choice

Giveaway ends: July 5, 11:59 pm, 2015

Open to: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the publisher, SmoothSailing Press and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

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Monday, 22 June 2015

THE CHILDREN OF DARKNESS Book Blast & Giveaway


The Book

The Children Of Darkness by David Litwack
Book 1 of the Seekers series
Genre: dystopian


About The Children Of Darkness:
“But what are we without dreams?”

A thousand years ago the Darkness came–a time of violence and social collapse when technology ran rampant. But the vicars of the Temple of Light brought peace, ushering in an era of blessed simplicity. For ten centuries they have kept the madness at bay with “temple magic,” eliminating forever the rush of progress that nearly caused the destruction of everything.

Childhood friends, Orah and Nathaniel, have always lived in the tiny village of Little Pond, longing for more from life but unwilling to challenge the rigid status quo. When their friend Thomas returns from the Temple after his “teaching”—the secret coming-of-age ritual that binds the young to the Light—they barely recognize the broken and brooding man the boy has become. Then when Orah is summoned as well, Nathaniel follows in a foolhardy attempt to save her.

In the prisons of Temple City, they discover a terrible secret that launches the three on a journey to find the forbidden keep, placing their lives in jeopardy. For hidden in the keep awaits a truth from the past that threatens the foundation of the Temple. If they reveal that truth, they might release the long-suppressed potential of their people, but they would also incur the Temple’s wrath as it is written:

“If there comes among you a dreamer of dreams saying ‘Let us return to the darkness,’ you shall stone him, because he has sought to thrust you away from the light.”
Source: Info in the About The Children Of Darkness was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):
 

Praise for The Children of Darkness
“A must-read page turner.” Kirkus Review

“Litwack’s storytelling painted a world of both light and darkness–and the truth that would mix the two.” Fiction Fervor

“The Children of Darkness is a dystopian novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.” C.P. Bialois

“A fresh perspective on our own society…[an] enjoyable read that will make you wonder just how society will judge us in the future.” Lexie


Meet The Author

About David Litwack:
The urge to write first struck when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter's editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.

Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned. After publishing two award winning novels, Along the Watchtower and The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky, he’s hard at work on the dystopian trilogy, The Seekers. David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod, Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.



Giveaway

BookBlast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 7/12/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



Saturday, 20 June 2015

MY MIND'S EYE by Gillian Jones

The Book

My Mind's Eye by Gillian Jones
Book 1 of the Pub Fiction series
Genre: contemporary romance


About My Mind's Eye:
Ryker

She is the epitome of the girl next door, but with a feistiness that makes my dick throb.

I'm drawn to her like no other. She stirs things in me I have no desire to feel, makes me long for things I shouldn't.

This is my game. I choose the players. I never play for keeps.

I don't believe in fate. I make my own destiny. I work hard and play harder. Luck is for pussies, karma for idiots. Me, I make shit happen.

Meeting her fucked up my plan. Threw me off my game.

I'm now face to face with my karma. Her name is Kat Rollins.

Kat

Ryker Eddison is the epitome of a player. You know the type: Mr. Get In and Get Out.

He's all about the chase, wanting just one night. Everyone knows this, I know this. Still, I find myself craving him, my greedy body betraying what my heart and mind already know: he will only bring me pain.

He's the guy that girls like me should avoid. I'm smart, I know better. But when I'm with him, I feel things I’ve never felt before. Things I never knew I wanted.

I can't deny it … I like the chase. The high is explosive but I'm afraid if I give in, I may end up losing more than I can handle: my heart.
Source: Info in the About My Mind's Eye was from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24707079-my-mind-s-eye on 20/05/2015

Buy Link(s):


Books in the Pub Fiction series:
Book 1: MY MIND'S EYE Book 2: ON THE ROCKS




Meet The Author

About Gillian Jones:
I'm a wife, and mother. My Mind's Eye is my first book writing adventure! Eeeeek! I'm Canadian so I might spell things a little odd once in a while;) I love red wine, adore my friends and I'm so completely in love with my hubby and little boy. I'm addicted to shoe shopping, shopping, and ummm shopping! But my biggest addiction however is reading. That shit runs deep in my veins, I'm a lover of alpha males, hot sex, with a side of angst all topped off with the happy ever after. I'm a new indie author and I can't wait to start this journey.




Brought To Us By:

Thursday, 18 June 2015

LUNA'S LOST BALL Book Blast & Giveaway


The Book

Luna's Lost Ball by R. A. Milnes II
Book 1 of the Shiloh And Friends series
Genre: middlegrade (3 to 8)


About Luna's Lost Ball:
Luna is a Labrador retriever and she has lost her most favorite ball. Follow Shiloh and her friends in a tale of friendship, teamwork, sharing, and reward as they help Luna find her lost ball.
Source: Info in the About Luna's Lost Ball was from the press kit from the publicity team.

Buy Link(s):


The Buzz About the Book
“Wonderful book for small children! My twins are 4 years old and loved the story and colorful backgrounds! We are anxiously waiting the next in the collection!” ~ Marianne H., Amazon


Meet The Author

About R. A. Milnes II:
I am a business professional working in the healthcare industry. Luna’s Lost Ball began as a gift to my niece and nephew. I have such love for them that I wanted to give them something that they can hold on to. The beauty of this work is that I am able to incorporate my dogs, Shiloh and Luna, into telling a story of friendship, teamwork, sharing, and reward.

I hope that you enjoy this story and it brings your family joy each time you read it. My goal is to continue to write more stories under the Shiloh and Friends brand.


Giveaway

* $25 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)

Giveaway ends: July 2, 11:59 pm, 2015

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, R.A. Milnes II and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.


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