Review: Bound to You by Alyssa Brandon

Bound to You by Alyssa Brandon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Megan is desperate to find her mate. As an 18 year old werewolf, an alpha born from the Alpha of alphas, she is having a hard time finding the person she is supposed to spend the rest of her life with, but that makes sense since she is not a normal werewolf. When her father throws a party and invites all of the single eligble guy werewolves, Megan cannot wait to find the one for her.

Sadly for her, though, she does find him, though their first meeting is not how Megan has foreseen it. In fact, James is outright mad that he is her mate. That doesn't stop him from going through the initiation, but he isn't warm and caring toward Megan. And he treats Megan as if she's not even there, barely acknowledging her.

Megan is sure that James is going to open up to her soon, that she just needs to give him time. She decides to do projects around the castle that she now lives in to keep herself busy, but also to give James her space.

The more she is around her new pack, the more she realizes that warrior werewolves are a bit different than a normal werewolf pack and Megan is going to figure out a way to make it better. But the more James keeps pushing her away from their bond, the more Megan wonders if she can live a life where she is not welcomed.

When wraiths become an issue and risk her packs life, Megan has to decide if she wants to leave this life behind or if she wants to stay and fight for the new people in her life.

I am very glad that I got this eARC! I really enjoyed it! There were a few moments where Megan was being a baby and saying the same thing over and over and over again, but otherwise I flew through this book and loved reading about the different characters.

Megan has always been put aside in life for her other sisters, so this mate bond means so much more for her. It's a bummer she gets stuck with James who never wanted to have a mate, but in the end things work out.

James is a haunted man, and it's no wonder he is keeping his guard up. But he should realize that Megan is not going to hurt him intentionally because she is such a sweet thing.

And can I just say that the tension between James and Megan was steamy?! Jeez, louise, I was blushing haha!

Overall, I really liked this novel. And I'm hoping that there might be another book coming?!? Because I use more James and Megan in my life! I'll have to keep an eye out for more from this author and I definitely recommend this to readers :)

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Review: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk

Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Attia is a princess, but nobody knows that. Her people were slaughtered by the Romans - they want to rule the world and they had to take out the small villages that surrounded Rome. Attia's people were one of those small villages. Even though they are well known for their fighting ability, they were outnumbered 10 to 1, and everyone was massacred.

Attia is the only one that survived, and that is because they think she is a lowly girl, rather than the kings daughter, the next ruler of her people. And now she is being sold as a slave. Attia is waiting her time, waiting until she is healed enough, and then she is going to kill the person who bought her and branded her as if she was a sheep.

Thankfully, she got a good deal out of her enslavement - if you can call anything good when being a slave - because she was given to Xanthus, the Champion gladiator of Rome. Xanthus is not like most gladiators in the fact that he hates what he does. He has been trained since a child to fight and be the best gladiator when his own small village was raided and destroyed, just like Attia's home.

Xanthus is not going to force Attia to do anything to his bidding, because he himself hates being slave. He is not going to make someone else be his slave. So they have an understanding that they follow, and life is okay for the most part.

But both Xanthus and Attia are out for blood, and they are out to kill the ones who ruined their lives by killing their friends and family. With the political uprising happening in Rome and Pompeii, they may be able to get their wishes come true, but they can also have things go up in smoke when things don't go their way.

I am not a history geek, so this book was hard to follow when the author was talking about historic events that really happened and tried to figure out how the story was going to end. When I did like about this book was the fighting, the redemption, the understanding between Xanthus and Attia, and the characters development throughout the novel.

I love Attia. She is badass and she is the best fighter in this whole novel, and that includes all of the gladiators and soldiers together. She was trained in a way to make her invincible, and she can knock down a man 3 times her size without a hitch in her breathing. And she is so determined in her ways to make sure that she avenges her family that nothing is going to stop her.

Xanthus is amazing. He has learned to fight to survive, to the point that he is the best out there, but he grieves every time he has to kill someone because of the sport that everyone so loves to watch. He is a slave, but he is treated like a god some days. That can mess with a person, but Xanthus doesn't let it get to his head that he is the best - he just wants to be free.

This was a great novel that kept me entertained and entranced throughout the whole novel. I was always wanting to know what else is going to happen and was not disappointed with anything.

I'm not sure if this is a stand alone novel or not. I guess it could end where this book ended, but neither character got what they really wanted in the end, so it wasn't concluded as many books are. But it also wasn't a huge cliffhanger ending that you had to have the next book in your hand. It was just an ending. I would definitely be interested in reading the second book to see what happens with all of the characters and whether they get their revenge or not, so I'll be keeping an eye out for more books by C.V. Wyk in the future!

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Review: Once She Dreamed (Part 2) by Abbi Glines

Once She Dreamed by Abbi Glines
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'm not even going to do a overview of this book, because I'm just done with it.

Sammy Jo is beyond naive at this point. She goes off with a stranger that she has met a total of 10 times and expects her happy ever after? No. Then she starts to think that she is doing something wrong when Hale is upset with something she did? No. Sam is thinking that she is not doing her job right when in fact Hale is judging her person and trying to change her. And Sam is letting him! Sure, she is mad during the moment, but she doesn't try to stop him.

Then when Hale has finally been pushed too far, he starts to abuse her, and Sam has NO ONE to turn to because of the situation she has put herself in. She is helpless. Sam never thought to go out and learn self defense when she moved to the big city. No. Hale was going to protect her. Guess again.

And then the whole Ezra thing. Seriously? First she hates the guy and thinks he's a weirdo who she just wants to leave her alone. And then he's doing a creepy stalking thing where he is always around when Hale is gone, and basically tells Sam that he is going to follow her around so she might as well just let him join her during her shopping and food outings.

So then, of course, Sam realizes that she likes Ezra as more than a friend and wants to be with him instead of Hale, who is being weird. Magically Sam is now in-lust with another guy, but he is so mysterious and Sam wants to know all of his secrets.

And then the end? When Sam thinks she can change Ezra's mind because of their sexual attraction? That's just a load of crap and it is very degrading to Sam as a person. Don't try to change someone's mind with your body. He told you the score, he told you his situation, and you still basically bullied him to do what you want.

I don't feel pity or anything toward Sam, and I feel bad about it, but it's true. Sam deserved everything she got because she was a little child with her head in the stars hoping that all of her dreams would come true without lifting a finger. Sam is everything I hate in a woman because we are independent beings and we need to be able to take care of ourselves and make our own dreams come true, rather than rely on a big, strong, handsome man to come to the rescue.

I really wish I didn't hate this book so much, but I can't pretend I liked it. I love Abbi Glines books so much, so I'm very upset that I didn't love this one just as much. I will definitely continue reading her books, and I will be getting rid of my copies of this series so I don't have to stumble upon them again and remember the terrible time I had with this.

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Review: Once She Dreamed (Part 1) by Abbi Glines

Once She Dreamed by Abbi Glines
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sammy Jo lives in a small, podunk town in Alabama, and she wants out. Sammy wants to discover the world and live in big cities. Being married to a farmer and popping out kids is not in her future. Even though she is getting a vibe from one of her best friends that he wants to do just that with her.

When a mysterious man, who is definitely not from her town comes into the sweet shop that she works, Sammy may have just found her ticket out. Because Hale is very much interested in Sammy when he keeps coming every so often just to buy cupcakes.

Then Sammy gets the chance of a lifetime: to be a housekeeper for Hale in Brooklyn! Now she can live her life, even though she will be leaving her family and friends. But Sammy is ready for this change, no matter what she has to sacrifice.

Wow... I don't think I've ever give an Abbi Glines novel 2 stars before... I just... I couldn't handle this book.

First, Sammy is dumb. I mean, there is naive dumb and then there is just plain dumb. And sadly Sammy was part of the second option. I get wanting to go off and live a different life than what you've been handed, but she is just too much for me.

And Sammy never even thought about going to school and getting scholarships/grants/loans. Believe me, you can get loans no matter what your family situation is. The only problem is to have to pay them back.

She doesn't even have a goal for a CAREER!!! She literally just wants a man to swoop her off her feet and take her on adventures. SAMMY HAS NO IDEA WHAT SHE IS DOING!!!

Now, don't think I'm a snob. Many don't know what they are doing and that is fine, but Sammy expects a free ride and she doesn't have a plan to get there. It's just really frustrating for a person like me who has had to work my butt off to get where I am and I am an independent woman who would never trust a stranger to move thousands of miles away and rely solely on that person - that stranger!

And second, the language and dialogue in this book was just terrible. I get maybe trying to distinguish that this is in the south, but it was just plain bad and made me cringe on multiple occasions.

Lastly, the repetition in this book was driving me insane. Sammy thought about one thing, then she said it outloud to her friends/family, and then she thought about it AGAIN!!!

I am going to read part 2 to see what happens because I also bought it, so I might as well, but I may have to delete these books from my kindle because I don't think I will re-read them again. It's sad, because Abbi Glines is one of my go-to authors that I instantly buy, but this was really a huge let-down for me.

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Review: Garnet's Story by Amy Ewing

Garnet's Story by Amy Ewing
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Reading Garnet's story really reminded me of how much he had changed throughout the series - probably the one character that changed the most to be honest. I didn't like him at the beginning of the series, but came to really enjoy him toward the end, so reading his story brought back all of the unlikable feelings.

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Review: The Wishing Well by Amy Ewing

The Wishing Well by Amy Ewing
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story/book was mentioned many times throughout the trilogy, so it was nice to finally read it! And I don't know what it is about older sisters, but they must be something else in this world. Though Violet wasn't anything like that, so I dunno.

I enjoyed this short story, and it definitely didn't take that long to read!

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Review: Sil's Story by Amy Ewing

Sil's Story by Amy Ewing
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was nice to see Sil's story! She is so gruff and hardcore and tough when we are reading Violet's story, that I never would have imagined she was a scared 16 year old girl. I would have thought she was like her older self the whole time!

And for her to not know what is going on? That would be very scary. Violet had a lot of people helping her through this process, but Sil was all alone and had to feel all of those new feelings without anyone to guide her.

Sil is a very strong character and I am glad that things ended up the way they did with her. She may have worked her butt off, but she deserved everything she got in the end and I'm really glad that I got a chance to read this short story!

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Review: The Black Key by Amy Ewing

The Black Key by Amy Ewing
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Violet has been recruiting other surrogates to overthrow the royal families of the Jewel, because living as a slave is not something that anyone wants to do anymore. They are human beings and they deserve to be treated as such. Especially since it was Violet's people who used to live on the island before the royal families killed them and took their land.

Now Violet is out for justice, and she is gathering forces with other people who do not want to be treated like furniture anymore.

But before they can carry out their plans, the Exector and the royals have changed tradition: they are having the Auction in April rather than in October like normal. This means that Violet has to get the word out to people faster and hope that they are the right people to talk to, rather than making a mistake because of the fast pace they are put under.

And then the Duchess does something so terrible that Violet risks all of her plans for: she takes her younger sister, Hazel, to be the new surrogate for her daughter. Now, Violet is returning to the palace of the Lake to make sure that her sister is alive and try to find a way to get her out, or to at least keep her safe until the Auction.

There are so many risks and dangerous things that are about to happen, and Violet is hoping that her newfound ability will work - otherwise the royals will win and destroy the "servant" population.

I am so glad that the book ended like this! This last book was all about action and determination and it was so fast-paced I finished the book in no time and loved every minute of it!

I did get annoyed with Violet (no surprise there) because of the way she was treated others. Sure, I said that I liked her being able to stick up for herself and making her own decisions, but I didn't like the way she was bossing everyone around like a royal does, and how she thought she knew what was best for Ash. Ash is is how person and he was making his own decisions before Violet got in the picture, so for Violet to tell him no on what he wanted to do was wrong. I'm glad he went behind her back and did what he needed to do for himself, and I'm glad that Violet had no say in the final matter.

I loved Raven still, and I loved Garnet still. The niece actually grew on me as well.

Also? The Duchess's death? So loved it. Along with Raven's revenge too.

I am really glad that I stuck with this series because this last book made it up for all of the ups and downs I had with the other two novels. While it wasn't my all-time favorite series, it is a series that I won't forget, and it certainty has made my perspective of life realize that my life is not that bad. It could be a helluva lot worse!

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Review: The White Rose by Amy Ewing

The White Rose by Amy Ewing
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Violet was caught by the Countess with Ash and was able to escape from her clutches, along with saving Ash and her friend Raven, who was on the brink of death. Lucian came through in the end, but only by having a lot of allies in usual places.

Now the trio needs to escape the Jewel and get to the Farm - the farthest circle of the city. With security on their tails trying to find Ash, a wanted fugitive for allegedly raping Violet (not true, by the way), everyone has to face their worst nightmares in order for them to truely escape.

The more Violet is away from the Jewel, the more people she realizes are against this system that is in place with the royals, and the more they are risking their lives to help her, the savior of this war. But Violet has no idea how she is supposed to save everyone.

Only when she gets to the house on the Farm does she meet someone who has fined toothed their Auguries to what they really are: a connection with life. By having this power and this knowledge, everyone believes that all surrogates could possibly win this war - which is why the royalty has always trained the surrogates to do the opposite of what their real power is.

With this knowledge, Violet needs to figure out how she can use this power to stop the corrupted palace from spreading their evil ways, before it is too late.

This book literally picked up right where the first one ended, so I am very glad that I waited until all books were released before starting this. Otherwise I would have had to re-read all of the books over and over again!

The more I read about Violet, the more I like her and admire her strength. I also admire her dedication to save the people that she loves, because most would be determined to just save their own skin, rather than Violet who saved two people who mean the most to her.

I loved seeing the characters travel to the Farm because I was able to see the other layers of the circles that make up the city. Seeing the Bank and the Smoke really put things into perspective of how life is for these characters, and it makes me appreciate my life more and more.

Raven is one of my favorite characters. I can't even imagine what that girl has gone through, but she has been through nightmares and torture I wouldn't want myself in, and yet she is still tough and brave. She is determined not to forget herself, even when it would probably be easier to just let go.

Ash may have grown on me a little during this book, but overall he is still annoying to me. Now Garnet is a bit of a mystery and a surprise. I loved seeing him pop in and out of the story, even when I thought it was more probable that his mother would have trapped him in the palace. But seeing his character grow is phenomenal to me, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing him in the third book.

Lucian got put in his place after being the "boss" from the first book, and I appreciated that. Violet was a weaker character who was not sure what her role was, but now that she does, she is more strong and has decided to make her own decisions without Lucian judging her the whole time, which I appreciated.

This book was slightly better than the first, and of course there is another cliffhanger ending so I am intrigued to read the third and final book to see how everything comes about!

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Review: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

The Jewel by Amy Ewing
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Violet is a surrogate - she was diagnosed with this at age 11 and was sent to the facility to get trained on how to use her Auguries - her abilities that come with being a surrogate. After 4 years of trainings and getting ready for the Auction, Violet is one of the highest scorers among the surrogates - the third actually.

And what are surrogates, you may ask? Well they are girls who are able to carry a royals child to term and give birth for them, since royals were forced to procreate. Instead, they can have one boy and one girl, and surrogates are the only way to continue their royal line. And the highest score surrogates, the richer your royal family is.

After getting prepped by a lady-in-waiting, Lucian, Violet is physically ready for her auction, and it was an auction that lasted until the last second with Violet being bought at 6 million total.

Violet does not want to be pregnant. She does not want to be a surrogate. But she has been bought and paid for by the Countess of the Lake and she does not get a choice: she is her property now. She doesn't have it as badly as the other surrogates, though, because the Countess is having a lot riding on Violet producing a girl to be the next Electress of the Jewel.

When Violet meets Ash, the companion to the niece of the Countess, she feels such a strong connection with him. Even if it means punishment, Violet continues to see Ash because it's what makes her happy, and she wants to be happy for as long as she can.

Then Lucian tells Violet that she can escape from her fate at the Countess's house - he can free her. This is the best news that Violet has ever heard, and she is on board.

But just when life is getting good for Violet, events unfold that will forever change her fate and how she is treated. In fact, death may be preferable than to what she may have to go through.

I have had this book for so long and I just have never gotten around to it. First it was because I wanted to have the whole series in my hands before starting and second just because I forgot about it, to be honest. But I finally got the third book in my possession and I thought that I would finally read it!

And it was okay, overall. The idea of surrogates creeps me out and is literally a big fear of mine to be pregnant, so I would definitely pick dying than being pregnant. No, seriously. So to be in Violet's shoes is not something I would even want to imagine.

So it was a strike against this book about the surrogate part, and then the way she was treated like an animal? Being on a leash?!? I feel so much for Violet, yet she continued to find subtle ways to defy the Countess and make her life bearable for herself.

But the scene where they drug her and impregnate her? No buenos. No. There was nothing like physicalness - just doctor stuff, but still!! Violet really is treated like a piece of furniture and not a human being.

So I had some issues with this book. The whole romance factor with Ash was just weird and Violet was always on the fence with him that it made me frustrated every time they were together.

I am going to read the next books - even though my review sounds hesitant and that I didn't like the book. I'm curious to see what happens after that ending and how it all ties together. Hopefully there won't be any more uncomfortable topics for me, but I obviously pushed my way through them during this book so I can do it a few more times. Hopefully there will be more adventure and action that happens in the upcoming novels.

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Review: Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a free eARC novel from the author and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a great group of stories! Of course, my only 5 star rating was Jennifer L. Armentrouts - the only reason I HAD to get this anthology - but I did enjoy a few 4 star ratings as well! I may need to re-visit this later when I want another feel good book.

Here are my reviews and thoughts of the 14 novels in this anthology, breaking it down for my thoughts right after I read the stories :)

SIEGE ETIQUETTE by Katie Cotugno
4 stars
Hailey is at a high school house party when the cops show up. Everyone hides, knowing they will leave when no one gives them a reason to enter the house, and Hailey ends up hiding upstairs in the bathroom with Wolf, a fellow senior who always misses the first part of school because he works at his family’s farm. And Hailey, as the most popular girl in their class, you couldn’t have put too different people together in the same room. But after the incident in Hailey’s life, she decides to try to get to know Wolf and not be the jerk that she used to be. But will that change everything in school?

There are so many questions I have and no answers!! Ahhh!! So short, so sweet, so bitter ending, and I just need to know more!! I wonder if the author is going to write a full length novel of this?? One thing, the second person point of view threw me for a little bit, but just when I was getting used to it, it ended! Oh, the agony!


PRINT SHOP by Nina LaCour
3 stars
Evelyn is at her first day at Print Shop, the local, 30 year business where they make flyers/posters/banners – anything that needs to be printed. Evie doesn’t like being in the spotlight since she is queer and knows that not a lot of people are comfortable around her, so working at the Print Shop is great since they don’t have a website. But part of her job is to start mainstreaming the business to get more customers. When one customer, Lauren, makes a lot of bad noise about them because of a typo, Evie needs to figure out how to control the situation before it gets out of control. And she needs to figure out why she is getting flutters in her stomache when she thinks of Lauren.

This was a cute story. It was full of anticipation and mystery, seeing as how we didn’t find out Evie’s name until well past halfway through the novel! And there was just as much mystery and suspense at the end of the novel, since the reader doesn’t really find out too much about the characters or their decisions.


HOURGLASS by Ibi Zoboi
2 stars
Cherish has always been the odd person out in her town as one of the few black families in a white town, and it doesn’t help that she’s 6’ 5” tall. When her best friend – Stacy’s – ex-boyfriend made a terrible meme of Cherish, she knew she had to leave this small town and go somewhere she will fit it, so going to college far away is her dream goal. Then Cherish finds out that Stacy has been lying to her for months, and it is even more ammunition for her to leave. It’s only when she meets Mamadou, a black guy she can look up at and finds out that he’s going to school in this small white town that Cherish starts to think about what is best for her future.

This was a good novel. There was a lot of drama about prom, which I was never into as a high schooler so I couldn’t really relate to, and I couldn’t relate to the problems Cherish was going through either. I would like to think that things started to work out for her and that she had a happy ending, though!


CLICK by Katharine McGee
3 stars
In the year 2020, a new app came out called Click, where they use althograms to match you with the perfect person. Alexa and Raden decided to try this app, for two completely different reasons. Just when Alexa met Raden, she realizes that she left her phone in the taxi. Losing a phone is not a big deal, but Alexa created her own data app that can “bring a person back to life” using their online data and it is on a chip that is connected to her phone. Alexa needs this chip so she and Raden go on an adventure to find it. And they may be going on another adventure all together.

Very cute story. I loved how different Alexa and Raden are, and I love how easy going Raden was about jumping around town after a taxi to find her phone. And even though this is a short story, I loved the background stories we got for both characters.


THE INTERN by Sara Shepard
2 stars
Clara is working as an intern at her father’s music production company, but she’s not really working. They are just giving her magazines to read and everyone is walking on glass around her. Since her mom passed away, Clara has been treated differently and has been a shell of herself. So when she was given the task to pick up Phineas, an up-and-coming musician, she was happy for a task. And the way Phineas got Clara to open up about herself and her mother was something no one has done yet, so the connection between them might have been the thing Clara needed.

The connection between Phineas and Clara was a bit strained for me, but overall it was a good short story. The problem with short stories is the reader can’t get all of the details of the characters, which in this case made it a little harder for me to connect with the characters.


SOMEWHERE THAT’S GREEN by Meredith Russo
2 stars
Nia has been trying to get her school to allow her, a transgender, to use the girls bathroom for a year since she changed genders. And things were looking up for her, until Lexie gave a speech about how scared she felt about the thought of letting her, and then other boys who claimed they were transgender, into her bathroom. But Lexie has her own deep secret, and she doesn’t necessarily feel this way – it was just what she was told to say about her parents. Neither Lexie nor Nia have talked to one another, but one night at a party changes all of that.

I can honestly say that this might be the first transgender story I’ve read. I don’t have anything against these kind of stories, just that I can’t really relate to them that well. And I didn’t connect with this story as I would have with different characters, but I learned a lot about the feelings and thoughts that they go through every day, which makes me sad. I enjoyed this book and am glad that this was my first story about this topic.


THE WAY WE LOVE HERE by Dhonielle Clayton
4 stars
Viola is asking the gods to show her who her true love is, when she saves a boy, Sebastian, from drowning in the ocean behind her parents inn. They both have the same number of lines on their fingers – a sign that they might be each other’s soul mate. Vio is tired of waiting to see what will happen, so they ensnare with each other to see their futures. But there are too many variables, and when it is all said and done, they have no idea what their future holds. One thing is for certain, though: Vio and Sebastian have intruded each other’s lives from that moment on.

This was a very interesting story! There was a hint of magic and superstition, but also a feel of an islander’s life where they are living in the archaic times. I couldn’t quite tell if this was a historic story or a futuristic story. Though I kept imagining Vio looked like Moana from the movie, haha! I really liked how different this was from anything I’ve read, and I wish I had more to read!


OOMPH by Emery Lord
4 stars
Cassidy is at the airport at JFK flying back home after visiting the college that she may or may not want to go to next year, when she met a cute girl in the waiting room. Since Cassidy wants to be an actress, they started calling each other Peggy (Cass’s new name) and Natasha (the pretty redhead) after Marvel characters. Cass can’t tell if “Natasha” is gay or not, but she is crushing hard core on her. When their planes start to board, Cass has to decide if she wants to take the plunge, or think it wasn’t meant to be.

This was adorable. I loved the “cos-play” they were doing at the airport and how they really got into their roles at the beginning, and then how serious and real they became when they were getting to know each other. You do get to find out “Natasha’s” name in the end, and it was a definitely a feel-good story for any reader, I think 


THE DICTIONARY OF YOU AND ME by Jennifer L. Armentrout
5 stars
Moss goes to work at the public library 3 days of the week, and almost always during 1 of those days, she calls Mr. H. Smith to remind him that the dictionary he checked out is over 4 months overdue. The conversations they have start with the dictionary, but little bits of information come through about both of them, so it feels like Moss knows H. Smith, even though they have never met. And she thinks he may sound her age, but you can never tell with someone’s voice. He is definitely a mystery, and then one day he shows up with the missing dictionary, and Moss’s life may change forever.

O. M. G.!!! A JLA book about library related things??? This seriously is the best thing in my life right now!! Though – one thing – you can’t really go to undergraduate college to get a degree in library science – that doesn’t happen until you get a graduate degree. But other than that? PERFECT!! I loved the banter on the phone with the mystery man, and then when he came in they were still bantering and flirting and it was just wonderful. I think JLA needs to make this a whole novel, maybe a series, and relate it to libraries and I will die happily! Gah, so glad I got this short story and I may have to re-read this one over and over again :D


THE UNLIKELY LIKELIHOOD OF FALLING IN LOVE by Jocelyn Davies
4 stars
Samara, Sam, is a mathematician and taking AP Statistics, so when she gets a month long project worth 50% of her grade, she decides to do it on the percentage on how often she will see the guy she fell in love with by locking eyes with him in the subway trains. Not that likely, right? But Sam is putting in every effort to get all of the data and statistics she needs to ace this project. Or is she doing it because she really thinks she fell in love with him, and wants to see him again?

This was a cute story. Very mathy, which I’m okay with, though statistics is a bit much for my brain at this stage in my life, but I enjoyed it none the less! And Sam is such a nerd – she will go far in life! The ending was adorable!


259 MILLION MILES by Kass Morgan
4 stars
Philip is one of the last few contestants to possibly take a one-way trip to Mars and help start a new civilization there. And he needs to go, after his viral embarrassing event he just had at school. He needs to go far away so no one will remember the one mistake he made in his life. The last part of the trials he has to do is spend 24 hours in a shuttle to see how he does in closed spaces, and how he will react. He is also bunking with Blythe, a girl full of life and emotion and curiosity. Spending 24 hours alone with a person is difficult, but it can also change you as a person. Philip is about to experience that with Blythe.

I enjoyed this! It kind of reminded me of the movie The Space Between Us and I adore that movie. Philip is still in the stages of high school bullying, so he has some growing to do as a person, and Blythe is just fun and amazing and so free-spirited. I loved the context of this story and wouldn’t mind a follow-up to see what happens to them!


SOMETHING REAL by Julie Murphy
3 stars
June is a huge fan of teen musician Dylan, and she gets a rare chance of a life-time to compete for a date with him – in a mini tv show of course. And she has one other competitor: Martha. June created a huge mass internet fan-site for Dylan and Martha is doing this for her older sister who died listening to his song. But the more that June and Martha see and listen to Dylan, the more they realize they were in this competition for the wrong reasons. And the more they realize that they could be friends rather than enemies.

This was a good story. It was the stereotypical story of a popular boy who doesn’t think about anyone but himself and had a lot of controversial issues that were brought up throughout the story. I didn’t really connect with the characters that well, but I think other readers will enjoy this one.


SAY EVERYTHING by Huntley Fitzpatrick
3 stars
Everytime Sean comes into the diner, Emma can’t seem to keep her eyes off of him. There’s nothing special about him and he always orders an iced tea – nothing else. When he asks her out on a date – awkwardly – she awkwardly says yes and they agree to meet the next day. But Sean’s surprise turns out to be a nightmare, because the worst thing that happened to her involves Sean as well. But she can’t deny the attraction she always felt for him before finding his out secrets, so Emma is going to need to figure out what to do.

This was a little bit different than where I thought the book was going, and I actually found myself skimming part of the story, which in my mind is not that good since it’s a short story. But I did like the overall message. I think, again, it’s because of the second person point of view and having the word “you” used like it was supposed to be me as Emma. I’m figuring out real quick that second point of view is not my thing.


THE DEPARTMENT OF DEAD LOVE by Nicola Yoon
3 stars
When Samantha broke up with Thomas, he wanted to know why. He’s known her since they were 6 years old, and they should be happy and still together, but they are not. He goes to the Department of Dead Love and the HeartWorker, Gabrielle, decides to do a scan on him and Samantha to find the cause of death for their love. When Thomas gets a choice to start again and see if they can make it last, he is unsure if he wants to have his memories of Gabrielle wiped clean.

This was a different kind of novel. Something that I haven’t found yet in YA literature, so it was very refreshing for me. It was a bit weird keeping up with it at first, but it got easier the further along in the story I got. It was sort of futuristic but today’s times as well. Glad I read it!

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Review: The Smoking Lamp by Kimberly Loth

The Smoking Lamp by Kimberly Loth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the author and Red Coat Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Liv has just come back from Egypt, where her older brother was there to take photos for his work, when she found her best friend and her boyfriend in bed together. That's not a great welcome back for her at all. And now she has to go to school after a great spring break trip, to know that everyone in the school will be watching how she reacts when Nora and Kole are together.

But Liv will suck it up and deal with it. And it doesn't hurt that there is a new boy in school: Gabe. Though she is too embarassed to look at him since he saw her in her underwear. How he got in her bedroom, she doesn't know, but now she can't look at the smoking hot guy whenever he is around.

And Gabe is constantly around because he needs to hear the wishes that Liv is making. Because when Liv was in Egypt, she found his vessel and opened it, releasing Gabe from 3,000 years trapped in their not able to do his genie or Jinn duties. So he has a lot of time to make up. And he is bidding his time on making the death wish because, as much as he wants Liv's life source to fill him up, he is liking the time he has been spending with her. But Gabe realizes that he may be liking LIV more than her life source, which is what all jinn live for.

Liv is liking the way that Gabe makes Kole jealous, so she's warming up to the idea of playing games with Gabe. But the more she is around him, the more she realizes that she might be falling for him, which is way too soon for her broken heart after what Nora and Kole did to her.

But when Liv brought Gabe to the states after her trip in Egypt, she didn't realize that she brought back 10 more jinns! And those guys don't care if the kill an innocent girl, as long as they get their life source fix.

Now girls in a small town of Michigan are dying for no apparent reason, and Liv is the next in line to die in order to hurt Gabe and make him suffer for something he did 3,000 years ago.

This was such a great book! Wow! I don't know if I have read a genie/jinn book, but if I had, it definitely isn't that memorable like this book is! I flew through this book so fast - I got it today and started reading it at 2pm during lunch, and I had to work until 6pm, so you know a book is good when it only took about 3-4 hours to read!

I love the details that Kimberly Loth gave us for the background story, but left just enough secrets to reveal at the right time. The only thing that was lacking was at the very end when the big stuff was happening. It seemed like she was rushing and glossed over a few things that would have been nice to have had to explain things further. But other than that - no complaints here!

Liv is an interesting girl. She says she is shy but she doesn't like to be alone because of what happened to her parents. And speaking of her parents, I could never in a million years know what Liv went through during that terrible nightmare. To wake up like that? No, it's just awful. So I get her sense of never wanting to be alone, but Liv is not shy. I get that she doesn't like to be embarrassed, because who does, but Liv has her moments where she is very outspoken and draws attention to herself.

And the thing with Nora and Kole is just stupid - to have people like that in your life who you trusted without a doubt and have that happen? I would have gotten revenge if I was Liv... Just saying...

Gabe is so yummy. I just can't even with him. And the way he was always trying to get Liv's attention? I don't know how that girl ignored him for so long, because I would have been like "heck yeah! let's do this!" But Liv is a much stronger girl than me, and I give her props for that.

I loved the backstory of the jinn world, and I am now debating if I need to go find more genie/jinn books in my life :) Nah, I have other books that are backed up, but I know what to look for in the future!

I am so glad I got this as an advanced reader copy, and I cannot wait for the second book in this series because I HAVE GOT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!

This is why I usually wait to read the books until all novels in the series are released...just saying.

I am definitely going to be recommending this book to YA readers because it was a great book!

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Review: Touch of Ice by Aleah Raynes

Touch of Ice by Aleah Raynes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Ayla and her three sisters witnessed their parents murdered by their terrible, jealous uncle, and then they were captured and sent to a prison camp. Their uncle wants to be king and he took the most direct way to do it, but he is destroying the kingdom with his evilness.

Since Ayla and her sisters powers and wings were bound, they are powerless to do any magic, but they are going to fight their way to the palace and find a way to get their kingdom back.

Dain, his brother Vander, and their two friends got themselves stuck in the prison camp so that they can break out the sisters and get them back to the kingdom. It was a tough start because Ayla isn't allowing Dain to talk to her at all, but after many failed attempts, he finally gets through to her and they devise a plan to get them out.

Little did any of them know that there is a mission for the sisters. They are giving ancient artifacts that they have to get to their proper location before it is too late. A seer predicted this war, and she also predicted all of the things that would need to be fixed in order for the kingdom to be saved.

But as much as the seer knew, she didn't let on HOW they were to use the artifacts and now all 8 of the teenagers are going to have to figure out how to use them in order to save their kingdom and their people.

I love books about magic and dragons and romance, and this book had it all. And for the most part, I enjoyed this book, but it was just so...simple. There wasn't enough meat about the history of the sisters. Not that I needed it because it was easy to figure out, but because of the lack of information that was given about any of the characters, I was left not really attached to anyone in this book. There wasn't enough emotion for me to care about any of the teens and the details were lacking in some parts.

The pairing of the sisters and their guards were obvious and so cliche I think I actually rolled my eyes when it happened. The instant connection between Ayla and Dain was just too much and then seeing the sisters react to their attraction was annoying because they were almost judging, yet they were doing the exact same thing.

This is a very short book that a reader will fly through it in a day or less, if there are no other commitments. I think this could have had a lot more potential if it were longer with more information and details, and also a little bit more spark between the two love birds. Plus the suddenness of some events drove me crazy, and the characters were like "oh, okay".

Overall it was a nice story, and if I stumble upon the next 3 (at least) books I may read them, but it's not something that I will mark on my calendars on release day.

I think readers who enjoy magic and romance and mystery will enjoy this book!

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Review: Netherworld by Amy Miles

Netherworld by Amy Miles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the authors and from Red Coat Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Taryn is a banshee. No, not the one that you are thinking of where they scream and suck people's souls out of their bodies. That is just the typical lie that humans are told. No, Taryn retrieves humans souls when they die and help them onto the boat to get to heaven. She lives in a world where humans can't see or reach, but she is constantly in their world helping the humans move on into their next life. Only women are banshees, and guys are reapers - soldiers who are trained to fight the Lorcan - the monsters who are out to steal the souls before they can be at rest.

Taryn hates that she can't be a fighter, because her world is pretty sexist and splits the two jobs between gender instead of talent or their own wishes. But she doesn't let that stop her. In fact, with the help from her cousin, she has been training on how to fight in secret with him for a few years now. Just in case she would ever need to defend herself.

When Taryn is in the human realm, she realizes that there was a "mistake" on her job and she is actually faced with a Lorcan. And just because she has trained, she really doesn't know what it means to fight and kill a Lorcan.

Thankfully she makes it out of there alive - with a lot of nasty looking scars - but one interesting thing happened: a human guy saw her. Humans can't see banshees, but Devlin definitely saw Taryn when she was covered in blood and so many wounds.

With a war abrewing in the Netherworld, Taryn is determined to make her people see that her king is corrupt and possibly even aiding the Lorcan to reach their town. With the help of the Crown Prince Aed, Taryn may be able to do something to stop the destruction of her people.

Even though Taryn is tied up with the state of her people, she is always drawn to Devlin. First it was because she had to transport his twin sister over after she passes away, but also because Devlin is not like anyone that she knows.

Now Taryn is in this terrible triangle between herself, Devlin, and Aed of all people and things are getting a little out of control, which is not good since Taryn really loves to be in control of all things.

One thing is for sure, though. Nothing is going to be the same after Taryn figures out what to do, and she better figure it out quick, because she's pretty sure that the King wants her dead, and fast before she starts a revolt.

This was a great novel! I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading it, but I was immediately sucked into the story and flew threw the whole thing like I needed air to breathe!

Taryn is such a badass and I love her oh so much. She doesn't give two shits what happens to her because she is all about revealing the secrets of the king and getting to the bottom of the Lorcan issue that her town is having with them. She doesn't let the law stop her from training to be a mediocre reaper, because she wants to be able to defend herself and have a fighting chance.

Devlin is an okay guy. He doesn't do it for me like he does for Taryn, but that's okay because I got Prince Aed :) But I do feel for Devlin because he lost his twin sister and it ate him up inside so much. I can't imagine being that close to a person and then to lose them so quickly. And to have that person be the other half of you? It would be devastating. I think in the next book we might bet a mire intense version of Devlin since he did a lot of grieving during this book, and he will have a different mission to focus on now that he needs to find Taryn.

And Prince Aed... I gotta admit, I am totally Team Aed. I don't know, a crown prince, a soldier, a sensitive guy. One who is trying to solve all problems around him. I definitely fell for him during the first chapter we had his point of view, and I never stopped falling after that. Plus I think that Aed and Taryn would be great together because they could do so much good overall. And the push each other so much. Granted, I bet that she will end up with Devlin, since he is the one the authors focus on during the synopsis, but I am hoping for my kind of ending! ;)

I am so glad that I got this an an ARC and now I just have to wait a year to see what happens to all of these characters - bummer. But I loved the comedy, the seriousness, the different world and overall everything about this book! I definitely recommend it to everyone! :)

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Review: Broken Skies by Theresa Kay

Broken Skies by Theresa Kay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the author and Red Coat Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Jax and Jace are twins who have just moved into the town closest to their cabin. They were living just fine on their own until a couple of guys broke into the house and traumatized Jax. Then Jace decided that they weren't that safe there, and moved them to the strict rules of the town, which Jax hates. Sure Jace can do whatever he wants because he's a boy, but as a girl Jax is supposed to act a certain way and be prepared and happy to be matched off with a mate when she turns 18.

That's not her cup of tea.

When she escapes from the guarded wall to go find Jace, who is out hunting, Jax never thought that she would witness a spaceship land from the city. Or that Jace would be taken with the aliens, and an alien would be left behind.

Now Jax has no alternative but to work with the alien, Lir, in order to get her brother back. He is the only family she has, and he has been her rock through all of these years. Even though she doesn't trust Lir, she has to trust that he wants them same thing as she does: to get back to the city. And he doesn't seem to know very much about wilderness stuff, so Jax has some leverage over him so he can't really leave her alone to try to break into the city.

The longer they spend time together, though, the more Jax thinks that maybe she can trust Lir. That maybe there is more between them then there should be. Because she tends to think about him a lot, and not in the hatred kind of way she did when she first met him.

They both get into so many jams along the way through their journey, such as a bear rummaging through their camping supplies, a rattle snake bite and poisoning, townsmen trying to capture them for their own gain, and Jax getting matched with the most unlikely person.

But Jax is determined to find Jace. She just hopes that she will get their in time before it's too late.

I love alien novels, so I was super excited to get this as an eARC. But something was off for me. I don't know if it was Jax and Lir's friendship/relationship or how stiff the writing was, but I felt like something was off for me. Jax was always, ALWAYS repeating the same stuff over and over again that it was driving me nuts. And the background information for how the aliens came to Earth wasn't fully explained, so it left the reader wondering about a lot of details.

And poor Jax and Lir. They did not have the best of times when they were traveling to the city. In fact, they never caught it break. It was like they weren't meant to go there, and everything in it's power was trying to stop both of them. At some point I might have given up myself, to be honest.

Lir kept way too many secrets from Jax, and that hurt them in the end. If only he would have opened up more and told her things, Jax would have understood and could have played along to get better results, but instead he messed everything up. And Lir is way too trusting of everyone in his life, which might be a good thing in a different world, but the world that he lives in? No. Just no.

And Jax was not trusting enough and didn't give someone the benefit of the doubt when they needed it, which made everything take 3 times longer to get through because she wouldn't just trust them a little and had to make them prove it.

These two together was a bit of a nightmare to be honest. And the whole love interest between them? Felt a bit too forced for my liking. And there was so many mood swings between the two of them that I would have rather they traveled separately so I wasn't whipped around so much.

Overall, it was an okay novel for me. I don't think I'll attempt to read the other books in the series because I might get more frustrated, but it was a good novel to keep me entertained and in a different world. I think fans of supernatural/science fiction will enjoy this novel by Theresa Kay!

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TOUR: Wolves and Roses (by Christina Bauer) TOUR!!

I got a great opportunity to read Wolves and Roses by Christina Bauer as an advance reader in September (here is my review: http://jeracalea.blogspot.com/2017/09/review-wolves-and-roses.html), and now they are going to have a TOUR where you get FREE STUFF!!!

I loved this book, so if you are interested in this tour, here is the information:

RSVP for the WOLVES & ROSES Tour now… Get a T-Shirt Later

WOLVES AND ROSES is the new young adult shifter fairy tale by best-selling author Christina Bauer which “blends magical fantasy, swooning romance, and a bucketful of teenage sass” (Booklist) and is “a fun romp for Twilight fans” (School Library Journal).

And now they’re having a bookstore tour where you can get your copy of WOLVES AND ROSES signed, meet characters from the novel, and even take home a swag bag full of goodies… including a themed t-shirt! Bottom line? You don’t want to miss the WOLVES AND ROSES book launch tour.

Be sure to RSVP today and arrive early to the event (links down below) — there’s only a limited amount of swag bags given out on a first-come, first served basis to folks who purchase a new copy of WOLVES AND ROSES.

BOSTON, MA AREA

Barnes & Noble, Prudential Center, Boston MA
Wednesday, November 1st, 5:00 PM EST
REGISTER NOW

Barnes & Noble, Framingham, MA
Thursday, November 2nd, 7:00 PM EST
REGISTER NOW

NEW YORK CITY, NY

Bluestockings, Manhattan
Friday, November 3rd, 7:00 PM EST
REGISTER NOW

SAN FRANCISCO, CA AREA

Barnes & Noble, Corte Madera, CA
Saturday, November 4th, 12:00 NOON PST
REGISTER NOW

COMING SOON: San Jose, CA

CHICAGO, IL AREA

Barnes & Noble, Oakbrook IL
Wednesday, November 7th, 7:00 PM
REGISTER NOW

The Book Cellar, Chicago, IL
Wednesday, November 8th, 7:00 PM CST
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Review: Morrighan by Mary E. Pearson

Morrighan by Mary E. Pearson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Morrighan was 8 years old when she met Jafir for the first time. And she was terrified. Just a boy, but he was a scavenger and they take everything that is worth value away from tribes like hers. But instead of giving away her location, and possibly saving her life, Jafir saves her and leaves her be.

Throughout the years, Morrighan and Jafir meet one another. The first few meetings are really tense and unsure, but when both of their tribes are settled for a short period of time, they start to meet every day. And the more they meet, the stronger their friendship grows.

Morrighan teaches Jafir how to read, and how to find edible plants to eat. Jafir teaches Morrighan how to hunt and his language of different words.

But their happy life is about to change when Jafir's tribe finds out about Morrighan. Because Morrighan's history has a dark secret that is about to be revealed, and she is going to be tested severely in order for her to survive.

I am so glad that my library had this eBook that I could read quickly through! It explains so much and definitely completes the entire Remnant Chronicles series for me. I was always a bit confused about the Venda, Morrighan story, so this definitely clears a lot up for me!

I love Morrighan and Jafir's story, even though it's very hard and so, so heartbreaking at some points. It was so great to be able to see how it all started - from the VERY beginning - and how it progressed throughout the years. And to see the inner struggle that both characters were going through during their morality struggle was so bitter sweet.

This was such a great novella and I am definitely recommending that anyone who enjoyed the series, NEEDS to read this great story to fully get the whole story of this amazing series.

This was a great way to end the series as a whole, and I am so glad I got around to reading this. I will definitely be recommending it to YA lovers! :)

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Review: The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Lia has had a lot of terrible things happen to her in a very short amount of time, but that isn't destroying her mission or spirit. She's determined to avenge her name and her family who is being betrayed from the inside.

But Lia is coming up with a lot of resistance and she needs to find the will to make everyone listen. After being a part of 2 countries, she realizes she needs to go home and save her people. But her people are all over the world now that she has been a part of each community so deeply.

And many people in Lia's life are in extreme danger if she decides to go against the Kominar. But if she doesn't, they are also going to be in extreme danger. So Lia needs to make a decision on what she needs to do the most.

Because war is coming, and she needs to be completely prepared in order to keep the most important people in her life safe and sound from the dragon that is coming to destroy her home.

I am so glad that I read this series! Lia is such an amazing girl who is full of love and ambition and determination and strength. She is always going out of her way to make sure that everyone is safe and that she is taking on the whole world on her shoulders.

From going to a girl who ran away from an arranged married to a girl leading an army, Lia has become the strongest person I can think of. And I just love her so much.

The love triangle between Rafe, Lia and Kaden was just insane. You seriously didn't know what was going to happen by the end of the novel and of course I have my pick of which one I love more.

This was such a great series and I'm so glad that I finally got around to reading them. I will definitely be looking out for more books by Mary E. Pearson now to see what other amazing novels she's written!

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Review: The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lia has been captured by the assassin who was out to get her, and now she is on her way to Venda and wondering how she is going to escape this prison she is being forced into. After a very brutal and trying journey through all kinds of weather and emotional events, Lia arrives at Venda, only to have Rafe suddenly show up with secrets of his own.

Lia realizes that the two men in her life are not who they said they were, and now she doesn't know who to trust at all. Which is a terrible thing to find yourself in when you are in the enemies territory and are trying to find a way out.

But the more Lia is in Venda, the more she is starting to learn about her place in this town. And she is also learning more and more about the history of not only Venda, but of all the colonies in her life. Because the ancient stories that she has been told as a child are not quite right. And only with the persistence of studying an ancient language and text is she going to truly know what her role is.

Because her mother naming her a unique name was not as accidental as she may have thought. And Lia's role in everything is about to become extremely important very soon.

This was a great novel! There were a few moments where I thought it was a bit slow and dry for my taste, but I stuck with it because I love Lia's story and I have to know how everything pans out in the end.

This is such a great storyline and very unique and I'm loving it so much. The first book has the mystery of the boys and what was going to happen with Lia (because we all know that her life as a bar maid just wasn't going to last, let's be honest). This book was how Lia was going to escape Venda and how she could trust in a city full of enemies. And the third book is hopefully going to answer all of my dying questions that I need fulfilled!!

I have to say, Rafe is my boy. I am so rooting for him and I seriously hope that nothing gets screwed up in the third book because I might be royally P.O.ed... Just saying.

I'm glad I finally got around to read this series, and while I get very upset when the author kills off so many innocent people and puts my heart into a fake heart attack, I'm so loving it and can't wait to read the third and final book!

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