A little harmless flirting never hurt anyone. Unless you cross the line and have a one-night stand with your best friend’s sister. And if that didn’t complicate things enough her crazy ex-boyfriend is stalking her as well. Should have stayed just friends, but it’s probably a little late for that now.
Not Just Friends is another fun book in T. Gephart’s Hot In The City firefighers series. This time around, we get Leighton (Jared), who falls for Presley, the little sister of his best friend, Tibbs. The book opens after a one-night stand between Jared and Presley, who have been friends for quite a while since he’s friends with her brother. While Tibbs is very protective, Presley is a no-BS kind of gal, successfully running one of NY’s hottest clubs. But she has a stalker psycho ex, so there’s that.
I really enjoyed the evolution of Presley and Jared’s relationship. It started out as a friends with benefits hookup, since neither of them really wanted more at first — especially with the other. But there is a nice development to their falling for one another, and kind of not wanting to admit it to themselves or the other. Or to her brother, for that matter.
This is a standalone with crossover characters from the previous books in the series. The drama with Presley’s ex began in Mack’s book, and it all comes to a head in Not Just Friends. You don’t need to read the previous books, but they are equally entertaining!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
We’re celebrating the release of 𝐍𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫: 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚, a sexy new romance by Jeannine Colette and Lauren Runow! Purchase your copy now!
As a romance novelist, I’m facing my worst nightmare—writer’s block.
No matter what I write, I hit delete, knowing it’s not worth publishing. The future of my career rests on the success of this new book.
So, here I am, looking at Tumblr, desperate for inspiration, when I hear a thumping. Annoyed by the music blaring through the walls, I barge into the hall and bang on my neighbor’s door.
My very hot, very naughty neighbor, Jake Morreau.
Jake is romantic, charming, and the bane of my existence. I need to work, yet he refuses to let me.
When he greets me in the hallway, ideas of a sinfully hot hero come to mind.
When he takes me out on the town, the words flow as soon as I come home.
The more time I spend with this entertaining and quick-witted man, the more I’m able to write.
My neighbor is my muse, and before I know it, I slowly become the heroine of my own story, but I don’t know how to end it.
As I write the epilogue, I’m afraid our romance won’t pan out as I’ve written.
Jake Morreau is my hero.
Then again, in my life, heroes don’t exist.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Naughty Neighbor is so sweet! This may be my favorite collab from these authors yet.
Romance writer Lacey has writer’s block, and finds her muse in her hunky next door neighbor, Jake. I have read this trope before, but what I liked about Naughty Neighbor is that Jake knows that Lacey is using him for inspiration. She’s been burned in the past and has some abandonment issues, so Lacey thinks that love isn’t in the cares for her. But Jake is sweet and sexy, makes her feel desirable and come out of her shell.
So when The Conflict comes, it’s not because Jake feels betrayed that she used their relationship for her book, but that he’s fallen head over heels for her… and she can’t let herself or won’t let herself feel the same in return. Will Lacey realize just how different Jake is before it is too late?
This story was so fun. I loved these two, and all of their cute dates. Starting as friends, slowly becoming more… it was all wonderful to read.
I wish there had been more than just the one chapter from Jake’s POV because I really loved getting inside his head during the breakup, and I would have loved to have gotten to see more of his side as he was falling for Lacey.
The way Lacey’s book comes into play in their makeup, and then her previous books in that epilogue, was brilliant! I will definitely keep this on my reread list! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
When I read Stirred (Twisted Fox #1), I was completely taken with Archer and Georgia and their constant bickering. I knew there HAD to be a story behind their hatefest and I am so glad that Charity did not make us wait to get their book!
Shaken spans several years, and Archer and Georgia actually have several awkward encounters and a one-night stand that ended in disaster years before they even make the connection that his business partner, Cohen, is her brother.
As much as Archer is smitten with Georgia, wants to be in her light, he’s a broken man carrying around a ton of guilt and grief on his shoulders and doesn’t want his darkness to dim her sparkle. So instead of trying to make something work between them, he pushes her away at every opportunity. But when he gives Georgia glimpses of the man he is underneath the hurt and facade, she sees something great in him. Granted, I wanted to smack Archer more than once for acting like a jealous boyfriend when he was making no moves to be Georgia’s boyfriend himself. The guy gave me serious whiplash. But every time that push and pull happens, Archer revealed a little more of his true self, and it kept me wanting to see more and find out what his big secret is. It isn’t a quick and easy road for Archer and Georgia to get to their happy ending, but it was well worth the wait!
Shaken is a perfect slow-burn book with a tortured hero, a spitfire heroine who doesn’t give up on him, and a fantastic group of friends. I can’t wait for more in this series with the other couples!! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Charity resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. She grew up riding her bicycle to the town’s public library, and reading anything she could get her hands on. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, spending time with her family, or caving into her online shopping addiction.
The People We Meet Along The Way Beth Rinyu
Publication date: September 17th 2020
Genres: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Would you be able to grant the same forgiveness to someone else that you’re so desperately seeking yourself?
Jillian O’Rourke’s marriage died long before her husband’s tragic accident. Years of battling with infertility and demanding careers melted their once solid relationship. Bearing the burden of guilt over his death, Jillian gets lost in despair and a series of what ifs. But one chance encounter with a stranger, changes everything. Now being faced with newfound knowledge and a painful decision, Jillian must push past her anger, learn to forgive and open her heart in ways she never could’ve imagined. As she comes to grips with the devastation of her past, she learns to embrace the possibility of a future she never thought possible. A bittersweet story of love, forgiveness, and the unexpected destiny that is sometimes handed to us in life from the people we meet along the way.
“I just wish you didn’t hate me so much.” I concentrated on the coffee in my cup as I swirled the wooden stirrer round and round.
“I don’t hate you,” I said, focusing my attention back to him. “I hate what we did. I hate that I let it define who I was for so long, and I hate that I hurt someone I cared about so much because of it. But I don’t hate you—you were just one of the many cracks in my life.”
He creased his forehead. “I don’t understand.”
I gazed at him long and hard, finally fearless of the shame the man staring back at me conjured up inside of me. He held no control over me, and he never had. I stood up and pushed my chair in as he sat there waiting for an explanation. “And I wouldn’t have expected you to. Goodbye, Jonathan.”
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I can not think of a better title for this wonderful book. The people we meet along the way in this journey we call life each have an impact on us, whether we realize it or not. As Jillian tries to piece her life back together following the death of her husband, the people she meets along the way help her heal and move forward — and affect her life in a way she never could have imagined.
Jillian is struggling with some major grief after her husband dies, even though they’d been estranged and were separated before he died. She blames herself for the accident that killed him, and is having a hard time making peace with it all. As she travels through Europe on the trip that she and her husband never got to take together, Jillian slowly begins to heal, with the help of three people she meets on her journey: DeAndre, who becomes a dear friend; Kate, who becomes a galpal, and Kate’s brother, Theo, who shows Jillian how to love again. Each one of them fill a void in her life that Jillian didn’t fully realize was missing. The bonds and friendships are so well-written and relatable, and when a major secret is revealed, the brilliant plot twist upends Jillian’s life once again. But can she recover this time?
The People We Meet Along The Way is a wonderful story of friendship, strength, healing and forgiveness, full of heart. This magnificent story is a must-read!
Author Bio:
Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen – or in today’s world a touch of the keyboard. I love creating deep characters who you will love or love to hate.
My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? My happy place is a seat by the ocean with my feet in the sand or on the busy streets of New York City. You will more than likely find one of these places as the setting for most of my books.
At least, that is what Hardin is hoping when he finally, finally tracks down his teenage sweetheart, Mac, 12 years after they were torn apart and she vanished without a trace. He may be a soccer superstar in Europe, but Hardin is still in love with his high school girlfriend, and has been searching for her for a decade.
But Mac isn’t the same girl he knew back then. She now goes by Kenna, is a single mom, and was forced to reinvent herself after the horrible night that tore her and Hardin apart. But when Hardin tracks her down in Colorado, he manipulates his way into some one-on-one time with her.
Told in dual 3rd person POV, this story uses flashbacks to explain Mac and Hardin’s history, while they hash out that history in their present-day reunion. It’s hard to get through at times, but this is a sweet story of second chances and proof that no, hearts don’t lie.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Make sure you enter to win a signed copy of Afraid to Fall & a $25 Amazon Gift Cardhere!
Meet Sutton Bishop
Sutton Bishop enjoys having a foot in both worlds—real and make-believe.
She’s been writing stories since she was a little girl, her imagination inspired by the rural meadows and woods of her childhood and her travels and life experiences. She has degrees in forensics and anthropology and a minor in world history.
She lives in the Midwest with her husband, their four kids, and a passel of pets.
LOVE AT FIRST FIGHT is now live! You have to grab Carrie Aarons’ steamy, hate-to-love romance about a broody alpha who falls in love with his best friend’s girlfriend. After pretending to hate her to mask his feelings, it’s going to be pure torture spending the entire summer rooming right next door in their Hamptons’ rental … especially now that she’s single 😉
This summer was supposed to be spent lounging on the beach, madly in love with my boyfriend.
Until he decided to move to Singapore, and break up with me an hour before his plane left.
Now I’m stuck in a Hamptons house share with six of his closest pals, including his best friend … who despises me.
Since the moment Smith Redfield laid eyes on me, he’s hated my guts. I’m serious, I think the raven-haired restaurateur gets physically sick just being in my presence. And he’s never been shy about hiding that fact.
There was the time he cackled when I landed face first in a pile of Manhattan trash bags. Or the night I tried to throw my ex-boyfriend a surprise party, and Smith had strippers crash the bash. Or maybe it was New Year’s Eve, when he got in my face and called me a sheltered goody two-shoes who wouldn’t know passion if it smacked me in the lips.
He’s rooming right next door for the summer months, and I don’t think more animosity could exist than in the hallway of our vacation rental. As if I wasn’t already sporting a bruised ego and broken heart from the way his best friend left me.
But the more midnight run-ins we have, the more I can’t help but think about the way his mouth would feel against mine. With each heavy-eyed glance over the dinner table, I’m starting to wonder if the damaged alpha male doesn’t harbor more than just loathing towards me.
After all, they say hate is the closest emotion to love.
And with the way we’re skating that thin line, it’s bound to burn this whole house down.
I love an enemies-to-lovers book when the guy hates the girl because he’s secretly in love with her. I don’t know why, but I love that vulnerability in a hero, and knowing that he doesn’t really hate her, but he’s just trying to protect himself. That’s what we get in Smith, the hero in Love At First Fight. In this dual POV story, we get both Smith’s inner conflict as he finds himself sharing a Hamptons beach house with Molly, the girl he’s been in love with since he first layed eyes on her, and Molly’s turmoil in being post-breakup, sharing a beach house with her ex’s friends, including one who can’t stand the sight of her.
Smith’s explanation of the moment he first saw Molly made me all melty. But she was his best friend’s girlfriend, and he refused to break Bro Code, so he made her his enemy instead. Over the course of the summer, there are some really sweet moments between Smith and Molly as the tension builds between the two of them. And that first kiss in the hallway? Holy smokes!
I love that Molly doesn’t jump into a relationship with Smith right away. She takes her time to reconcile that the guy who has treated her like crap for the past year has been doing so because he’s liked her. Kindergarteners on the playground? Sure. But Smith puts in the effort to prove himself to Molly and is a pretty darn good boyfriend.
There is a moment when her ex comes back that leads to The Conflict between them, and it drove me crazy that Smith and Molly were sharing a beach house yet it took them like 2 weeks to talk about what had happened. But in the end, this was a beautiful, enjoyable enemies-to-lovers romance. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Carrie Aarons!!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
A nice, normal life. Is that too much to ask? For Riley Thorn it is. Divorced. Broke. Living with a pack of elderly roommates. And those hallucinations she’s diligently ignoring? Her tarot card-dealing mom is convinced they’re clairvoyant visions.
Just when things can’t get worse, a so-hot-it-should-be-illegal private investigator shows up on her doorstep looking for a neighbor…who turns up murdered.
Nick Santiago doesn’t play well with others. Unless the “others” are of the female persuasion. Wink. He’s a rebel, a black sheep, a man who prefers a buffet of options to being stuck with the same entrée every night, if you catch his drift.
When the pretty, possibly psychic Riley lands at the top of the list of suspects, Nick volunteers to find out whodunit. Only because he likes solving mysteries not because he wants to flex his heroic muscles for the damsel in distress.
All they have to do is figure out who pulled the trigger, keep the by-the-book detective with a grudge at bay, and deal with a stranger claiming he was sent to help Riley hone her psychic gifts. All before the killer discovers she’s a loose end that requires snipping.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door isn’t my typical romcom fare that I like to read. I’m not a huge fan of romantic suspense. But I’ve liked what I’ve read from Lucy Score in the past (Hello, Bootleg Springs!) so I gave it a shot.
Riley is a “reluctant psychic” who gets drawn into a murder mystery and teams up with hottie detective Nick after she has visions of her neighbor being killed. Nick just kind of goes whichever way the wind blows, and isn’t a rule-follower. But when he meets cooky Riley, he feels an instant zap of chemistry.
Their chemistry is instant, and as they fake their way through a relationship while trying to solve the murder, lines get crossed and it’s hard to determine what is fake and what is becoming very real. Add in some zany family antics and a crazy cast of supporting players, lots of funny moments and plenty of sweet ones, and this story was a pleasant surprise!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Lucy Score is a Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Small town contemporary rom-coms are her lady jam and she enjoys delivering the feels with a huge side of happily ever after.
Her books have been translated into several languages, making readers around the world snort laugh, swoon, and sob. Lucy lives in Pennsylvania with the devastatingly handsome Mr. Lucy and their horrible cat.
In her spare time she enjoys sleeping, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and reading all the romance novels in the universe.
Blakely Foxx is about to turn the big 4-0 and Slade Henderson thinks she’s hotter because of it.
Flirting with 40 by K. Bromberg is now live!
An all new flirty, lighthearted, standalone romance by New York Times bestselling author K. Bromberg guaranteed to make you swoon.
Blakely Foxx is having one of those years.
Her divorce may have been finalized a few months ago, but her ex is already engaged to someone half her age. Her younger boss is determined to sabotage her chance at getting the promotion she rightly deserves. And to make matters worse, she’s closing in on the big 4-0. There isn’t enough wine or ice cream in the world to convince her things will turn around.
When Blakely meets Slade Henderson, she’s left wondering why an early-thirties, hotter than hell, cardiothoracic surgeon would take an interest in her.
She’s been warned that he’ll break her heart, but she’s willing to take the chance. Not only is he helping her get that promotion, but in the process, he’s encouraging her to find the parts of herself she’s lost over the past few years.
Slade shows her that good guys really do exist, but who knew the hardest part about turning forty would be realizing the man you thought was a rebound, is actually your happily ever after?
Download today on Amazon, Apple, Google Play, Kobo, Books & Noble!
“The way I look at it, you owe me one.” His voice is just loud enough for me to hear over the din of the restaurant.
“I owe it to you?” I sputter.
“Mm-hm.” He nods resolutely as he puts more space between us, and my lungs find a way to breathe. “You ran out the other night without giving me a chance. I could be the best thing that ever happened to you—platonic or otherwise—and you might have missed that opportunity if we hadn’t run into each other on the street this afternoon.”
Or otherwise?
He’s talking nonsense but is doing it so convincingly that I try to talk myself out of what he’s successfully talking me in to. “I don’t—”
“Does my age unnerve you?” he asks.
“Your age doesn’t matter.”
“Exactly.” He smirks. “So, why are you making it matter?”
I walked right into that one.
“We’re at different phases of our lives. You’re in your residency. I’m a divorcée with baggage—”
“Everyone has baggage. It just looks different from person to person.” He leans back in his chair. “What are you afraid of? Getting to know someone new? Taking a chance? Stepping outside of the box for once? Finding yourself again?”
His words root deep into me and take hold. “I appreciate you trying . . . but we’ll never pull it off.”
“Yes, we could.”
“No one would ever believe it.”
“Quit letting them—whoever they are—put you in a mold, Blakely. Make your own damn mold. You might surprise yourself in the process.” His dimples deepen, and his eyes are as unwavering as his resolve.
“How do I know you aren’t some Ted Bundy in waiting?”
His laugh is throaty and rich and draws the stares of those around us. “I’m in the business of saving lives, not taking them.” He takes a sip of his beer. “Next excuse?”
“I’m . . .” I’m at a loss, and a small thrill of adrenaline shoots through me. This isn’t something I’d ever do, and yet, the idea of it is invigorating, almost freeing. I chew the inside of my cheek as I contemplate agreeing to Slade’s crazy scheme.
“What do you say?”
Say yes.
“It isn’t a crime for a younger man to think an older woman is attractive.”
I bite my bottom lip as the smile creeps around it.
He is drop-dead handsome.
“We go as friends. I help you out. No strings attached.”
The answer is yes.
“When’s the last time you threw caution to the wind? When’s the last time you did something unexpected no matter how small?” he asks.
It’s always yes.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” I mutter.
“Saying what?”
“Fine. Yes. Okay.”
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Flirting With 40 was a joy to read! It was fun, with great characters, and a likable heroine and hero.
Blakely is approaching 40 and recently divorced. Her ex is getting remarried to a younger version of her. But Blakely’s life turns upside down when she meets hot younger man Slade at a bar. She can’t imagine what the heck he sees in her. But Slade — even though he’s usually a one-nighter kind of guy, due to his hectic schedule as a cardiac resident — is hit hard by this beautiful older woman and is determined to break through her barriers and get her to see herself the way that he does.
There is a lot of fun banter with these two. And as they fake a relationship on Blake’s work retreat, she finds herself having fun for the first time in who knows how long with Slade by her side. But is a fake relationship all that Slade and Blakely are meant to be?
I really enjoyed how Slade brings Blakely out of her shell as he shows her how to “howl at the moon” and not be afraid to go after what she wants. Perception and reality are two different things, as she learns with Slade by her side.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Kristy
New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary romance novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate but can’t help to love.
A mom of three, she plots her novels in between school runs and soccer practices, more often than not with her laptop in tow and her mind scattered in too many different directions.
Since publishing her first book on a whim in 2013, Kristy has sold over one and a half million copies of her books across eighteen different countries and has landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists over thirty times. Her Driven trilogy (Driven, Fueled, and Crashed) is currently being adapted for film by the streaming platform, Passionflix, with the first movie (Driven) out now.
With her imagination always in overdrive, she is currently scheming, plotting, and swooning over her latest hero. You can find out more about him or chat with Kristy on any of her social media accounts. The easiest way to stay up to date on new releases and upcoming novels is to sign up for her newsletter (http://bit.ly/254MWtI) or follow her on Bookbub (http://smarturl.it/KBrombergBB)
My father says that’s the problem. But he says a lot of things about me, none of them very nice.
I finally have a chance to show him, to show everyone, I’m more than a pretty boy who parties hard with his parents’ money. My business partner, Enzo, and I have developed a product that will change the world.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙣𝙖𝙜.
Ada Flemming, the FDA official who controls our company’s fate, is the most compelling woman I’ve ever met. Even though everything is at stake—my friendship with Enzo, my business, and my one chance at redemption—I can’t seem to stay away from her.
Pursuing Ada might be the biggest screwup of all—the only bad decision I don’t bounce back from—but it’s too late to start making safe decisions now.
Last Call is the second book by Bella Michaels — although, it’s apparently a pen name for a popular author and I would love to know who she is! So Last Call is connected to Billion Dollar Date, and is the story of Enzo’s partner, Hayden. If you read Billion Dollar Date, you know all about Hayden and his wife Ada and their marriage. Last Call takes us back a few years to how Ada and Hayden met, as well as tells the tale of how Angel liquors came to be.
Hayden is your typical cocky billionaire hero. He’s got some baggage and lots of family issues thanks to a father who basically wants nothing to do with him. Probably because Hayden continually makes one bad mistake after another. And even though Ada is the woman who can make or break Hayden and Enzo’s future when it comes to Angel, he can’t help but be fascinated by the beautiful DEA agent.
Ada has some skeletons in her closet as well, and is trying to not repeat past mistakes. She seems to be smitten with Hayden as well, and the two strike up a tentative professional friendship at first. But when feelings come into play, Hayden is willing to show Ada just how much she truly means to him. Even if it comes at the risk of his future.
Last Call is equal parts sweet and sexy, with likable characters and a captivating story about love coming your way when you least expect it! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Bella Michaels is the pen name of a contemporary romance author debuting her first billionaire novel this summer. When not writing historical, paranormal and contemporary romance, Bella loves dreaming up new sassy heroines and alpha heroes for readers to enjoy. Firmly Team Gryffindor, Stark and Reylo, she lives with her husband and two pre-teens in Pennsylvania.
It’s not as if I’m ever going to send you this letter, and there are a million reasons why.
First of all, I was sent to this reform school as a punishment for a petty, totally inconsequential crime. Not to ogle the principal’s hot son around the campus.
Second of all, you’re a giant jerk. You’re arrogant and moody and so cold. Sometimes I think I shouldn’t even like you.
But strangely your coldness sets me on fire.
The way your athletic body moves on the soccer field, and the way your powerful thighs sprawl across that motorcycle of yours, make me go inappropriately breathless.
But that’s not the worst part.
The worst part is that you, Arrow Carlisle, are not only the principal’s hot son.
You also happen to be the love of my sister’s life.
And I really shouldn’t be thinking about my sister’s boyfriend, or rather fiancé (I overheard a conversation about the ring that I shouldn’t have).
Now if I can only stop writing you these meaningless letters that I’ll never send and you’ll never read…
Never yours,
Salem
NOTE: This book is a standalone and DOES NOT contain cheating
I’ve read two books by Saffron Kent now, My Darling Arrow and Bad Boy Blues. I loved Bad Boy Blues, and how unexpected that story was, and My Darling Arrow was quite the same. On the surface, Arrow is a bit of an egotistical jerk, but there is so much more to the guy, and witchy Salem breaks through all of his barriers. There is so much angst in this slow-burn romance. I wanted to toss the kindle in frustration so many times, but the outcome is worth the journey!
While this is a forbidden romance, I liked that the “forbidden” came from Arrow being Salem’s soccer coach at her all-girls reform school. Yes, he was her pseudo brother and her sister’s boyfriend, but there is no cheating and the forbidden doesn’t come from a place of a love triangle. Score on that!
The growth on Arrow’s part is phenomenal. He’s lived his life in his dad’s shadow, always feeling like he was a disappointing his mom and needing to be the perfect son. Through his time with Salem, he learns that he can be himself and that is perfect enough. Perfect enough for her.
My Darling Arrow was a great start to a new series! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Saffron A. Kent
Saffron A. Kent is a Top 100 Amazon Bestselling author of Contemporary and New Adult romance. More often than not, her love stories are edgy, forbidden and passionate. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, New York Daily News and USA Today’s Happy Ever After.
She lives in New York City with her nerdy and supportive husband, and a million and one books.
Universal Amazon – mybook.to/NotJF
Amazon US – https://amzn.to/36MCOgG
Amazon CA- https://amzn.to/3eB5wnj
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
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