More about the author 

Mindy McGinnis is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy.

While her settings may change, you can always count on Mindy’s books to deliver grit, truth, and an unflinching look at humanity and the world around us.

The Initial Insult

(The Initial Insult #1)

by

Mindy McGinnis (Goodreads Author)

3.66  · 

Rating details ·  2,722 ratings  ·  862 reviews 

 

Welcome to Amontillado, Ohio, where your last name is worth more than money, and secrets can be kept… for a price.

Tress Montor knows that her family used to mean something—until she didn’t have a family anymore. When her parents disappeared seven years ago while driving her best friend home, Tress lost everything. She might still be a Montor, but the entire town shuns her now that she lives with her drunken, one-eyed grandfather at what locals refer to as the “White Trash Zoo,” – a wild animal attraction featuring a zebra, a chimpanzee, and a panther, among other things.

Felicity Turnado has it all – looks, money, and a secret that she’s kept hidden. She knows that one misstep could send her tumbling from the top of the social ladder, and she’s worked hard to make everyone forget that she was with the Montors the night they disappeared. Felicity has buried what she knows so deeply that she can’t even remember what it is… only that she can’t look at Tress without having a panic attack.

But she’ll have to.

Tress has a plan. A Halloween costume party at an abandoned house provides the ideal situation for Tress to pry the truth from Felicity – brick by brick – as she slowly seals her former best friend into a coal chute. With a drunken party above them, and a loose panther on the prowl, Tress will have her answers – or settle for revenge.

In the first book of this duology, award-winning author Mindy McGinnis draws inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and masterfully delivers a dark, propulsive mystery in alternating points of view that unravels a friendship... forevermore. 

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Hardcover, 372 pages

Published February 23rd 2021 by Katherine Tegen Books

 

 

 A short opinion

An interesting story about two teenage girls that used to be best friends but is now divided by place in high school popularity. Have and have not and a dark, dark secret.

I liked the book well enough but I was not crazy about it.

Most readers will disagree with me and fawn over it and that is their prerogative.

I do not feel as if I wasted my time on this book and that in these weird and wonderful times is a major plus.

Not really that much aimed at a YA group but it will get the avid reader of that age a nice and new point of view.

 

Rating ***

Book Review of Dawn of Ra (Blood of Ra Trilogy Prequel) by M Sasinowski

Book Title: Dawn of Ra (Blood of Ra Prequel)

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Thriller

Pages: 396

Author: M. Sasinowski

Date Published: 5 December 2020

Synopsis:

The prequel to the best-selling Blood of Ra Trilogy

Millennia before Alyssa, Paul, and Tasha...

The ancient Rathadi and Pureans live side by side, sharing the island entrusted to their care. When the fragile peace between them is shattered, a young boy, exiled to a distant land, rises to become worshipped as the falcon-headed god.

This is his prophecy. This is his story.

This is how it all began.

Review:

Dawn of Ra by M. Sasinowski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Heru-Pa, being a Rathadi, is about to go through an important rite where he and his sentinel become one, and he will be given his true name (Horus). Set is destined to reign over the Purean's. However, when the island of Atlantis is attacked by a foe long thought dead, both of them will have to face challenges that would crush anyone, never mind two twelve-year-olds.

Having read the trilogy, I was excited when I heard this book was available to pre-order. I downloaded it as soon as it became available.

I was quickly swept up into the tale. I loved the way the two boys acted, like brothers. I also liked how they grew as the story progressed. I spent most of my time on a rollercoaster of emotion throughout. I cursed the author in my head for it. However, I also thanked him because he brought the characters to life.

It's a stand-alone read, so even if you read the trilogy first, you will not face confusion. However, it explains the history that joins Alyssa's destiny. My only criticism is that I wish it was a little longer and showed Horus as a young man/adult and up until he came face to face with Alyssa. I know it wasn't possible as it spanned millennia. Nevertheless, I loved the journey from beginning to end.

M. Sasinowski is a fantastic author. As Heir of Ra was his first book, I think this author is one to watch. I love his fast-paced writing style. His characters come to life on the page, and I can picture the scenes in my mind's eye with ease. I also love the story flow, which runs smoothly from scene to scene. I've added him to my favourite author's list.

There are scenes of a sexual nature (not explicitly shown) between adult characters, and there is some violence, so I feel that parental guidance may be required. I highly recommend this book (and series) to teens and adults alike who love YA science fiction, fantasy, action, adventure, thrillers, mysteries, mythology, and romance genres. - Lynn Worton

View all my reviews

About The Author:
Taken from Amazon.

About the Author - written from the point-of-view of his 15-year old daughter (that's me! :)

Some say that M. Sasinowski writes until 4 am... fueled by a single cup of decaf coffee. Others say this Polish-born American hyper-nerd absorbs energy from late-night TV space shows. No matter the truth... he's my dad. He will never be cool.

He loves archaeology, Star Wars/Trek, martial arts (especially women who kick butt), and impromptu father/daughter (that's me! :) science debates or music jam-sessions. He's kind of smart, I suppose (he has a physics PhD and an MD, or whatever) and likes to build computers for fun.

His teenage daughter (that's me! :) is occasionally a handful to deal with and also served as the inspiration for the main character in his debut young adult novel Heir of Ra.

You may recognize him from his glorious hair or his tendency to do the "vacuum cleaner" dance to embarrass his daughter (that's me... :(.

If you ever see this man, approach with care and greet him in a language he understands, like in Klingon or, better yet, in Wookie.

Guurrghghgh!

Author Links:

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Amazon Author Page

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                     A YA novel that should be read by all grownups!

It touches on a lot of issues either directly or by implication and dealt with in a very, very good way.  I listend to this via Netgalley and #Winterofthewolf#Netgalley made my day when they granted me this book to listen to.  That I can tell you!

 

4****

 

Winter of the Wolf by Martha Hunt Handler and narrated by Kelly Pruner is the first book I had listened to from start to end via Netgalley.  I lost the first book due to the fact that I could not find the time to listen to it in it's entirety.

This book however had me hooked.  The story is very well told.  The narration is pitch perfect.  The narrator made Bean herself come to life right in front of my minds eye.  Her timing in reading as well as her diction added a lot to the outcome of my enjoyment of the book.

The subject matter, which at first seems cut and dry turns on a dime and left me going --Whoaaa.  What.  Do not get me wrong.  As teenagers we used to play this same game at parties and we were all as stupid as dirt about it.  But somehow I figured this would have died out by now.  After I finished the book I did a bit of light research and were shocked to see kids still playing this very dangerous "game".  

The clincher for me regarding to book is the fact that all proceeds goes towards wildlife.  What more can you possibly want.  

The one negative about the book.  The cover.  I would strongly suggest the author invests in getting a better cover.  But even with this cover, I decided to ask for the book and I was so glad to receive it.  

Here is the Goodreads photo from the author.

Martha Hunt Handler grew up dreaming of wolves and has always understood that her role in this lifetime is to tell stories and be a voice for nature. She has been an environmental consultant, a magazine columnist, an actress, and a polar explorer, among other occupations. When she and her four children relocated from Los Angeles to New York more than twenty years ago she began to literally hear the howls of wolves. This marked the beginning of her work advocating on behalf of wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center (nywolf.org). Winter of the Wolf is Martha's debut novel.

You can learn more about her at https://marthahunthandler.com/ or follow her on facebook at Martha Hunt Handler or on Instagram at @marthahunthandler

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (Book one in a trilogy)

 

Red Sparrow

(Red Sparrow Trilogy #1)

by 

Jason Matthews

 3.95  ·   Rating details ·  48,519 ratings  ·  4,279 reviews

In the grand spy-tale tradition of John le Carré comes this shocking thriller written with insider detail known only to a veteran CIA officer.

In present-day Russia, ruled by blue-eyed, unblinking President Vladimir Putin, Russian intelligence officer Dominika Egorova struggles to survive in the post-Soviet intelligence jungle. Ordered against her will to become a “Sparrow,” a trained seductress, Dominika is assigned to operate against Nathaniel Nash, a young CIA officer who handles the Agency’s most important Russian mole.

Spies have long relied on the “honey trap,” whereby vulnerable men and women are intimately compromised. Dominika learns these techniques of “sexpionage” in Russia’s secret “Sparrow School,” hidden outside of Moscow. As the action careens between Russia, Finland, Greece, Italy, and the United States, Dominika and Nate soon collide in a duel of wills, tradecraft, and—inevitably—forbidden passion that threatens not just their lives but those of others as well. As secret allegiances are made and broken, Dominika and Nate’s game reaches a deadly crossroads. Soon one of them begins a dangerous double existence in a life-and-death operation that consumes intelligence agencies from Moscow to Washington, DC.

Page by page, veteran CIA officer Jason Matthews’s Red Sparrow delights and terrifies and fascinates, all while delivering an unforgettable cast, from a sadistic Spetsnaz “mechanic” who carries out Putin’s murderous schemes to the weary CIA Station Chief who resists Washington “cake-eaters” to MARBLE, the priceless Russian mole. Packed with insider detail and written with brio, this tour-de-force novel brims with Matthews’s life experience, including his knowledge of espionage, counterintelligence, surveillance tradecraft, spy recruitment, cyber-warfare, the Russian use of “spy dust,” and covert communications. Brilliantly composed and elegantly constructed, Red Sparrow is a masterful spy tale lifted from the dossiers of intelligence agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. Authentic, tense, and entertaining, this novel introduces Jason Matthews as a major new American talent.

Thank you Goodreads for this amazing book blurb.

Now onto what I think of the story.

Character development;

The prima ballerina is somebody the reader gets to know pretty well.  Her later love interest and the CIA agent that saves her, endangers her life, and in general think she is made out of porcelain is not a bad character but he could have been developed a bit more.

As for the characters that filled the fluff.  Some of them needs serious work.  Still, those who did not was fascinating and I would not mind reading more about them pretty soon.  

Overall 3 *

Pace of story:

The book is not a fast read but it is a compelling read if this is your genre so it reads far faster than you might have imagined at the start.  I liked the pace and I liked the flow.  

Overall 4*

The plot: 

Well now.  This is the one thing most of us can agree upon.  The plot was fascinating.  It has been some time since I last read an East vs West spy novel and this one did not disappoint in the least.  

Overall 4*

The general feel of the book left me with a complete story and I was amazed to find out this is only the first in a trilogy.  The first book ended neat enough for my taste.  

So in all, it is a good but not fast read that can do with a bit of character development but still serves to entertain.  A well deserved 4*.

Ab

About the author thanks to Goodreads

Jason Matthews

Genre

Thriller, Suspense

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Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Jason Matthews is a retired officer of the CIA’s Operations Directorate. Over a thirty-three-year career he served in multiple overseas locations and engaged in clandestine collection of national security intelligence, specializing in denied-area operations. Matthews conducted recruitment operations against Soviet–East European, East Asian, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean targets. As Chief in various CIA Stations, he collaborated with foreign partners in counterproliferation and counterterrorism operations. He lives in Southern California.

Book Review of Just Shelby by Brooklyn James

 

Book Title: Just Shelby

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 301

Author: Brooklyn James

Date Published: 27 October 2020

Synopsis:

A secret note square found in a handmade guitar proves that small-town gossip is not only ubiquitous but occasionally true. This gossip comes with strings rivaling those on Ace Cooper’s guitar, the safest strings he will ever have around his heart.

Ace’s father warns him to stay away from the Lynn girl. Daughter of a deceased bootlegger and a barely living addict, Shelby Lynn is no stranger to small-town contempt. She keeps her nose in the books and feet to the ground, a college scholarship the only escape from her tumultuous life.

As Ace’s heartstrings unravel, so does his family’s role in Shelby’s broken past. Thrust into a precarious journey of their roots brimming with music and betrayal, the two have never been closer…to the truth of how Shelby’s father died. One truth transforms every facet of their lives forever.

A dual POV friends-to-first-love story, Just Shelby is an unsuspecting mystery that depicts how growing together can sometimes hurt worse than growing apart.

My Review:

Just Shelby by Brooklyn James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just Shelby is a young adult, coming of age tale that takes the reader on an emotional journey.

Shelby Lynn is a wonderful character. I liked her a lot. She is the daughter of a deceased bootlegger father and a drug addict mother. She faces challenges that most people struggle with - peer pressure, small-town gossip and job prospects that are rather lacking. However, she has plans, big ones, to get a running scholarship and go to college so that she can escape from the judgement of the townsfolk. Her one saving grace is her friendship with Ace.

Ace Cooper is a fantastic character. I loved him too. He works in the mine with his father, but would much rather play music. When an opportunity to own a guitar belonging to one of the members of a band that once lived in the town appears, Ace takes it, little realising the secrets the guitar holds. 

I enjoy a story where the protagonist grows, and this story both of them do. I love the chemistry these two have. Not fiery passion, but love that grew from a shared history, including the sole incubator (which they called the box) in the hospital when they were born on the same day. It came as no surprise to me that I fell in love with these two. They are the boy and girl next door, with family issues and day to day worries. 

I knew going in that this book would take me on an emotional roller coaster, as I've previously read a few other books by this author. My only regret is that the book ended. The difficulty is trying to write a review without giving too much away, though I want to know more about what happened to Shelby and Ace, and whether they managed to find the happiness they wanted with their chosen paths. However, I can say that this story is incredibly touching, with surprising twists that had me gasping in shock, laughing and or crying, depending on the situation. The mystery surrounding the death of Shelby's father is revealed, and the culprit is a surprise.

Brooklyn James has written a story that touched me deeply. I love her fast-paced writing style, and the flow is wonderful. I am now looking forward to reading more of her books as soon as I can.

Due to the mention of drug abuse, I do not recommend this book to younger readers under 13, or those of a sensitive nature due to triggering. However, I highly recommend this book if you love older YA, Coming of Age and Romance genres. - Lynn Worton 

View all my reviews

About The Author:

This picture was taken from her Amazon Author Page.

Brooklyn James is an author/singer-songwriter inspired by life in the Live Music Capital of Austin, Texas. Her first novel, The Boots My Mother Gave Me, has an original music soundtrack and was chosen as a Quarter-Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. The book provided a platform where it was her honour to serve as a guest speaker with a focus on awareness and prevention of domestic violence and suicide.

When she is not writing books, she can be found playing live music around Austin as part of an acoustic duo. Moonlighting occasionally in voice-over and film, she played a Paramedic in a Weezer video, met Harry Connick Jr. as an extra on the set of When Angels Sing, appeared in Richard Linklater's Boyhood for all of a nanosecond and was a stand-in and stunt double for Mira Sorvino on Jerry Bruckheimer's Trooper pilot for TNT. Although reading, dancing, working out, and a good glass of kombucha get her pretty excited, she finds most thrilling the privilege of being a mother to two illuminating little souls and a wife to the one big soul from whom they get their light.

Brooklyn holds an M.A. in Communication and a B.S. in both Nursing and Animal Science. Her nursing career has seen specialities in the areas of Intensive Care and Postpartum. With the publication of her birth memoir, she is available for speaking engagements, readings, signings, and writing workshops on how to put pen to paper composing one's own birth story.

Author Links:

Website

Amazon Author Page 

Goodreads 

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Book Review of Calistos (Guardians of Hades Romance Series Book 5) by Felicity Heaton

 

Book Title: Calistos (Guardians of Hades Book 5)

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 425

Author: Felicity Heaton

Date Published: 17 July 2020

Synopsis:

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Air, Calistos was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai. Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence.

Tormented by the death of his twin sister, Calistos wants nothing more than to find a way to save her soul, but the pain of continuing without her, the constant feeling that he got her killed, is slowly pulling him down into the darkness and he knows it’s only a matter of time before he succumbs to the call of the abyss.

Until a battle sets him on a collision course with a kind-hearted and beautiful mortal, one who rouses softer emotions he had sworn he would never risk feeling again, threatening to peel away his mask of playfulness and shatter the barriers around his heart.

Marinda is a woman on a mission—to become a great cellist and repay her father for his faith in her. But her regimented and studious life is thrown into chaos when a handsome man is carted into the ER where she works and takes her hostage, pulling her into a dark and dangerous world… one where she discovers there’s more to her than meets the eye and her entire life has been a lie.

When the enemy makes a play for Marinda and the gates, will Calistos find the strength to let someone into his heart again and look to the future, or will the pain of his past lead him to unleash hell on this world?

Review:

Calistos by Felicity Heaton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Calistos is the fifth book in the Guardians of Hades series. I loved it!

Calistos is one of six son's of Hades. He is an intriguing character, and I liked him a lot. Calistos hides behind a devil-may-care attitude and acts as if he has no worries. However, he misses his twin sister, who died long ago. Every time he tries to remember what happened that day, he suffers from blackouts. After a fight that leaves him severely wounded, Calistos wakes up in the ER, where, in an attempt to escape, he kidnaps a mortal woman.

Marinda is a cellist, who works in the ER as a receptionist when not playing in an orchestra. I loved Marinda. She is a fantastic female protagonist who is level-headed and loyal. After seeing Calistos in the ER, Marinda feels a connection to the injured man. When he kidnaps her, Marinda finds her life will never be the same again.

I have been looking forward to reading this book for several months, ever since I finished Marek. 

I love reading the Guardians of Hades series; I love the world the author has created - a mixture of real and imagined, with a dash of action, adventure and romance. The brothers are loveable, with flaws and insecurities, which make them more realistic and relatable, and their women are strong and feisty.

In this story, the brothers are still trying to avoid the Morai prediction of both the human and Underworld colliding to create the Otherworld. It was a pleasure meeting the other brothers and their new loves once more. Hades and Persephone also make an appearance; they are typical parents - overprotective and loving. We also get to meet Marinda's godmother, Cassandra, who has a most unusual effect on Daimon. Marinda herself has a secret she didn't know she had, and Calistos learns what happened to his sister. There are also fast-paced fight scenes, which are this author's forte. She brings them to life with such vividness that I feel like I am there, so I always enjoy those and am now looking forward to reading Daimon and Cassandra's story soon.

Felicity Heaton has written another fast-paced, sexy paranormal romance that I thoroughly enjoyed. I love her fast-paced writing style, which flows effortlessly from scene to scene. She is on top of my favourite author's list.

Each book of this series could be read as a stand-alone, as this one does not end in a cliffhanger, though I would recommend reading them in order. I do not recommend this book to younger readers due to the extremely HOT and explicit sexual scenes. However, I highly recommend this book (and series) if you love sexy paranormal romances full of gods and daemons. - Lynn Worton 

View all my reviews

About The Author:

Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shapeshifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan, then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires, then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic, then try the best-selling London Vampires series. Seven sexy and sinful Greek god brothers can be your new addiction in the Guardians of Hades series. Or how about four hot alpha shifter brothers in her Cougar Creek Mates series? Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the Eternal Mates series.

If you want to know more about Felicity or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:

WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM

Book Review of No Reprieve: An A.I. Thriller (No Freedom Book 2) by Inge-Lise Goss

 

Book Title: No Freedom: An A.I. Thriller

Genre: Crime Thriller/Horror/Suspense

Pages: 361

Author: Inge-Lise Goss

Date Published: 15 May 2020

Synopsis:

Can the rebels stop the androids' reign of terror or is the human race doomed?
After escaping the grip of Pellegrin, a powerful android, and joining the rebels, Paislee Hobson is far from safe. Disguised as a recently-recruited employee of the courthouse, she goes undercover at Portland's courthouse to dig up vital information.

But she soon discovers things aren't that simple. With Pellegrin promoted to overseeing the entire west coast Institutes, Paislee must use all of her wits to avoid detection—only to find the android is one step ahead of her.

Back in L.A., Paislee is faced with her toughest challenge yet—to gain Pellegrin's trust in order to infiltrate his high-security office and complete her mission.

As more humans fall victim to the androids and her cover begins to slip, Paislee knows that her time is running out…

Review:

No Reprieve: An A.I. Thriller by Inge-Lise Goss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a fantastic dystopian thriller. I loved it!

Paislee Hobson is a character I struggled to connect with in the first book. I found her a little annoying, though I grew to like her as the story progressed. Paislee is a paralegal living in a future world that has gone through a cataclysmic war that left the humans struggling to cope with the aftermath. Androids were developed by The Institute to help the remaining citizens rebuild the world. In this story, Paisley goes undercover for the rebels while trying to keep out of Pellegrin's way. Unfortunately, events conspire, and Paislee finds herself having to make some difficult decisions.

I started reading this book, told through Paislee's POV. Unfortunately, due to the situation the world finds itself in at the moment, I struggled to read this book in one sitting. This situation was not the fault of the author's - I think I was in a bit of a funk, and I struggled to focus my attention on reading anything. However, I persevered and can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

Have you ever sat watching a movie with your hands over your face because the suspense is killing you and you can't watch it, but you don't want to miss anything either? This is what I felt while reading this book. The author skillfully builds the suspense so you don't know whether you should be cheering for Paislee or not, or liking Pellegrin or not. 

Several twists kept me guessing, and I found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop. Pellegrin is a scary villain. He's a control freak, and his attitude is one of a dangerous psychopath and master manipulator, but this could also be Paislee's paranoia talking. His identity and role at The Institute is a mystery, but I had a feeling when reading this book that it's not what I think it may be. Then again, he could exactly be who I think he is. 

I love books like this. I've always been interested in robots/androids as a concept but would be completely scared if A.I. ever got this powerful. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but it's my fear of the unknown talking, and until I learn otherwise, I'm keeping my worries alive. I guess I'll have to read the next book to find out what happens next, as the book ends on a small cliffhanger, and I can't wait.

Inge-Lise Goss has written an intriguing dystopian thriller full of mystery and suspense. I love her writing style, which is fast-paced, and the flow's fantastic. I am curious to see what this author comes up with in the future.

Although there is mention of sex, there are no explicit scenes and tends to fade out. I do not recommend this book to younger readers due to some violence. However, I highly recommend this book if you love science fiction, dystopian, horror, suspense, and thriller genres. - Lynn Worton 

View all my reviews

About The Author:

Inge-Lise Goss loves the journeys where her characters take her, and she hopes her readers do too. She was born in Denmark, raised in Utah and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Utah. She is a Certified Public Accountant and worked in that field for over twenty years. She now lives in the foothills of Red Rock Canyon with her husband and their dog, Bran, where she spends most of her time in her den writing stories. There, with her muse by her side, imagination has no boundaries and dreams come alive. When she’s not pounding away on the keyboard she can be found reading, rowing, or trying to perfect her golf game, which she fears is a lost cause.

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