Month: July 2015

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Binding Hearts by Cassandra Carr

GoodReads Presents http://www.mmromancegroup.com/?p=277154

binding heartsBlurb

Dear Author,
All three of us met on a study abroad trip to Spain, and the sparks flew pretty much immediately. To say we were enamored with each other would be an understatement.
Spain is one of the most tolerant countries of homosexuality in the world, as are the other countries we had the opportunity to visit during our stay, including Portugal and France. That’s not to say our threesome never got unwanted attention during our trip, but we were empowered by the freedom these countries offered us, and being so far from our “normal lives”, afforded us a nonchalant attitude about any strange looks or off-handed comments.
But now, we are back home in the U.S. with our families and friends, and an even less accepting society for unconventional relationships. As our sexual infatuation has developed into real love, we want to stay together. However, we’re each struggling with cultural reintegration in our own ways. Please tell me that we can make it work.

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Photo Description:
Three young men sitting on a cobblestone street with their arms around each other and melancholy expressions. The man in the middle is kissing the cheek of the man on the right, while the man on the left is resting his chin on his knee.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

Review

This is a short story of three college guys who hook up while on a Study Abroad program in Spain. There, the gay isn’t such a big deal, and the threesome only a little more concerning. When they return they are back in Virginia and not only afraid to be a threesome, but not all of them are even “out”.

Their biggest fear is being gay bashed and to a certain extent it’s justified by their own experiences. They also fear their parents reactions to the gay and the triad.

There are a few – almost random- sex scenes and a lot of hand wringing.

I typically love this author’s work, but this didn’t do much for me. I found the “utopia” that the fictional UVB presented to be unrealistic in the extreme as well as the way the parents handled the big reveals.

I really liked the characters and would have loved to get to know them in a longer, more well developed novel, but I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to become engaged in this short story.

2.5 of 5 hearts

2.5

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The Dusty Hat Bar by L.J. Hamlin Tour

RC
Excerpt:
Dusty is behind the bar, and Noah signals him for a beer, trying to shake off his thoughts about the Boyce family. He hasn’t been keeping track of them since he got fired. He sees them around, sure. It’s not that big of a town, and he hears the odd thing. But he hadn’t heard much about Earl’s youngest, Lennie, other than that he was his father’s pride and joy. If Noah was a violent man, he’d punch Lennie in the face just to see what his Daddy would do, but he’s not a violent man and prefers to avoid using his fists unless he has to.
“That’s quite a frown you’ve got going,” Dusty says as he passes him a cold bottle of beer.
“When did Boyce’s boy turn twenty-one?” Noah asks, ignoring the comment about his frown.
“Just today. That’s why him and all his friends are here. Mainly college kids, but if they’re drinking, I’m not complaining.” Dusty shrugs.
“Huh,” Noah says thoughtfully, taking a quick glance at the now seated Lennie.

Sales Links: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=4433

About the author:

My name is L.J. Hamlin. I’m twenty-four and writing has been a passion of mine my entire life. I have a deep love of M/M fiction and at the moment that is the only genre I write in. You can check out another short of mine, Nurse Levi, in the Men in Uniform anthology.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008189472526
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/L.j.hamlin91
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LjHamlin
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/lizibabes
Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/bkVh09
Blog: https://www.blogger.com/profile/02717576317697299159
Goodreads Link:
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: BSClay

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Knight of Ocean Avenue (Love in Laguna Book 1) Audiobook by Tara Lain Narrated by KC Kelly

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6749Blurb

KnightofOceanAvenueAUDMEDBlurb

How can you be twenty-five and not know you’re gay? Billy Ballew runs from that question. A high school dropout, barely able to read until he taught himself, Billy’s life is driven by his need to help support his parents as a construction worker, put his sisters through college, coach his Little League team, and not think about being a three-time loser in the engagement department. Being terrified of taking tests keeps Billy from getting the contractor’s license he so desires, and fear of his mother’s judgement blinds Billy to what could make him truly happy.

Then, in preparation for his sister’s big wedding, Billy meets Shaz—Chase Phillips—a rising star, celebrity stylist who defines the word gay. To Shaz, Billy embodies everything he’s ever wanted—stalwart, honest, brave—but even if Billy turns out to be gay, he could never endure the censure he’d get for being with a queen like Shaz. How can two men with so little in common find a way to be together? Can the Stylist of the Year end up with the Knight of Ocean Avenue?

Review

(From previously)

Billy can’t find a woman who “sticks”. He’s been involved, seriously, three times and they all sort of fizzle out. One day he “rescues” a beautiful redhead from a bully only to find out he’s the stylist hired to help his sister for her wedding to a rich guy.
Chase, aka Shaz, sees the hunky Billy and falls into lust. But Billy is straight, Shaz has a boyfriend and a vision of his future and that future doesn’t include blue-collar straight boys.

When Shaz and Billy spend time together “sprucing” Billy up for potential future dates with a socialite pegged to be Billy’s next girlfriend they find a mutual attraction. When Billy ends up in the same bar as Shaz one night, the attraction goes from potential to realized and now the pair have some serious decisions to make.

**
I loved Billy! He was a sweet, gentle soul. His heart is so big and he is just in need of someone to recognize his diamond in the rough. Shaz was the perfect shiny foil to his understated Billy’s fabulousness. The couple had amazing chemistry and the story felt real and authentic. I totally bought in and loved every minute of it.

Audio

KC Kelly did so much with this story! He gave Shaz this delightful lisp and managed to give all the secondary characters distinct voices as well. I loved how he made it clear which “thoughts” were out loud versus spoken and really enjoyed this narration immensely. My only gripe was Ru – the voice he chose, while comical, was hard to listen to as it was so nasally. I get that it was a character development and I appreciated it for that aspect, but it was an unpleasant voice. Barely a detraction.

Definitely made the entire thing even more enjoyable!

6 of 5 hearts overall

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Xavier (Gillham Pack #1) by Catherine Lievens

Extasy Books Presents
http://www.extasybooks.com/Xavier/

xavierBlurb

Xavier’s life has gone to hell. Not only has his ex-boyfriend’s stalker attacked him, but in order to keep him safe he’s being sent to the Gillham pack. It wouldn’t be too bad, if not for the small detail that he hadn’t known shifters existed before that! He’s not sure what he can expect from them, but he doesn’t have a choice. When he meets Andy, he’s weirdly attracted to the man, but Xavier knows he’s not good enough for him.

Andy doesn’t want to play babysitter for Xavier, at least not until he meets him and realizes the man is his mate. He knows he’s going to have a hard time convincing Xavier to at least give their bond a chance, and that’s not counting the other problems their relationship will have to face.

The two mates will have to navigate angry families and the ever-present lab problem, and still Andy isn’t sure he’ll be able to help his mate get over his low self-esteem long enough to give him a chance.

Review

For fans of the Whitedell Pride you will be happy to know that this “spin off” relies heavily on knowing the story of the previous Whitedell packs and their mates.

In fact, Xavier was Andrew’s ex boyfriend before he found his own mate in Andy. Yeah – he went from Andrew to Andy (Not shortened for anything, his name is just Andy!)

Xavier has a lot of self-esteem issues, doesn’t know about shifters, and is possibly being attacked by Andrew’s stalker. He is put in the care of the neighboring Gillham pack (wolves) for protection when it’s discovered he’s one of the inner circles’ mates.

He doesn’t take being a mate well nor the information that shifters exist. He hates the idea that Andy is “forced” to mate with him because of the mate bond and resists until he’s finally convinced that the bond is only part of the attraction Andy feels for him.

In the way of many shifter romances this is fairly predictable, but the unique use of someone not ripped or super buff makes it superior in my eyes ☺

I really enjoyed this new start to a new series and recommend it to all the fans of the Whitedell series and shifter romances in general.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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The Raven’s Flight by Catherine Lievens

GoodReads presents http://www.mmromancegroup.com/?p=276856

The-Ravens-Flight-Jutoh-200x300Blurb

Dear Author,
I have never ventured far from home. Being a shifter keeps me from becoming a part of society, but it seems that society is beginning to infringe on my territory. They, the humans, are all so full of themselves and think they are entitled to my land. But there is one man, who stands up to the others, who stands on his own… he draws my attention. Why?

Photo Description:
The picture is a close-up of a gorgeous Native American man. His long, black hair moves with the wind and flows against his right shoulder. His dark eyes are looking straight at you, and you can almost feel them on your skin. His arms are crossed on his hairless chest, and there’s a barbed wire tattoo wrapped around his upper right arm. His plump, pink lips are highlighted by the dark stubble on his cheeks.

raven imageThis story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

Review

This is a sweet short shifter story about a toppy twink who goes looking for proof of bears in a small Colorado town and runs into a Raven Shifter.

The shifter doesn’t believe humans and shifters can mix after being burned in the past and resists it, but his Raven side is enamored and keeps bringing gifts to the human!

It’s a very cute story with some hot sexy times, but what I loved was the animal qualities which we don’t normally get to see. The bird wants the human and we get to see new, sometimes funny behaviors demonstrated – different from the typical wolf or cat shifter stories.

The only thing keeping this from being a perfect review was the ending. I didn’t like how tentative things are left – though we know mating is forever, the couple really hadn’t gelled yet and it made me uneasy.

But – it was thoroughly enjoyable and I definitely recommend it to fans of the paranormal/shifter romance genre.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Heart of the Race Audiobook by Mary Calmes Narrated by Greg Tremblay

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6708

heart of race audioBlurb

Varro Dacien spends his life riding toward the next adventure. Brian Christie, his best friend and touchstone, the one person who’s always truly seen him, plays sidekick on these madcap adventures and subsequent trips to the hospital until he can’t take it anymore. While Brian can see Varro, Varro has never caught on that he’s breaking his best friend’s heart.

Without Varro, Brian builds himself a life that’s all about just getting by, doing his best to ignore the hole in his heart and his life. Without Brian to balance him, Varro pushes harder and takes more risks to reach that ultimate high. His job racing high-octane bikes on suicide-level courses makes it easy to get that rush… until it’s no longer enough and Varro realizes it’s not the race, but who’s waiting at the finish line that truly matters. Now he just has to convince Brian to be there.

Review

(Previously on this site)

Varro and Brian have been best friends since they were thrown together as foster kids. Varro is wild, crazy, an adrenaline junky and straight. Brian is quiet, studious, a rock and gay. Of course Brian has wanted Varro forever, but not been willing to act on it for the obvious reasons.

Varro is a motorcycle racer and Brian goes out on the circuit to help him stay focused and safe for an entire year. During that year it becomes clear that Brian can’t stay around Varro without completely losing his heart so he opts to leave the circuit to pursue his own dreams.

Varro misses Brian and begins to evaluate his feelings more closely.

When the two get together it is super-nova hot and sweet at the same time.

Though I hate to “spoil” things for you – this is one quote that epitomizes their relationship for me:

“I love you, Brian.” I leaned forward to meet his dark gaze and whisper the words he needed to hear and I needed to say.
“I love you, Varro, so much.”
“Swear it,” he said and held out his pinky with his right hand as he fisted my cock with his left.
“What’re we?” My voice dropped off. “Ten?”
“I am. You’re nine. Now swear.”
I hooked his pinky with mine as he pushed up from under me. “Jesus, Varro, you feel so good.”
“So do you.” His voice sounded like sandpaper as he reached up and hooked a hand behind my neck, drawing me down to him.

I highly recommend this amazing and wonderful book!

Audio

Greg Tremblay is one of my absolute favorite narrators. I simply adore him.
He always amazes me with his ability to infuse passion and emotion and humor into his narrations. He truly brings the words to life.

He does another amazing job with this – a fantastic Scottish accent, a slight Hispanic, and Italian… seemless and wonderful! My only complaint and I can’t say it’s anything he did poorly – but in my head Varro had a deep, rough, slightly accented, maybe East Coast accent – very growly and in Greg’s interpretation he doesn’t. So I was a little disappointed but – that’s really artistic opinion and all that…

A wonderful audiobook and still very, very highly recommended.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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Trusting The Flop by S Allen

GoodReads Presents http://www.mmromancegroup.com/?p=277515

flopBlurb

Dear Author,
I’m in love with a strong willed man. He is a High Jump Athlete. I hope my love inspires him to fly higher. Btw, I’m a Sports Medicine Physician.

Photo Description:
A man is in midair, back bending over a high jump bar. He is wearing a prosthesis on his left leg just below the knee.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

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Review

Very sweet and tender, low steam story about a man who loses his leg but keeps his heart.

His physician becomes his boyfriend and together they get this athlete back into shape after a horrible accident.

**
I really enjoyed how sweet this was and the message.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Johnnie Audiobook (Siphon #1) by Cardeno C Narrated by Greg Tremblay

The Romance Authors LLC Presents http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Johnnie-Audiobook/B010TCE1ZI/ref=a_search_c4_1_8_srTtl?qid=1436336185&sr=1-8

johnnie audioBlurb

A Premier lion shifter, Hugh Landry dedicates his life to leading the Berk pride with strength and confidence. Hundreds of people depend on Hugh for safety, success, and happiness. And at over a century old, with more power than can be contained in one body, Hugh relies on a Siphon lion shifter to carry his excess force.

When the Siphon endangers himself and therefore the pride, Hugh must pay attention to the man who has been his silent shadow for a decade. What he learns surprises him, but what he feels astounds him even more.

Two lions, each born to serve, rely on one another to survive. After years by each other’s side, they’ll finally realize the depth of their potential, the joy in their passion, and a connection their kind has never known.

Review

The book starts off with Hugh’s near death! Hugh, a lion shifter and Premier (head honcho) has so much energy in his body that he requires a Siphon (an extra being who can carry around the excess energy) to be near him at all times. When not near the Siphon or if the Siphon dies, the excess energy reverts back to the Premier and the overload is fatal. As a result the Siphon’s life is guarded zealously. But he’s not necessarily treated well, beyond that.

In this case the Siphon has been protected and yet ignored since birth, so much so that he doesn’t even have a name! His feelings of desperation and loneliness cause him to take measures into his own hands, and as a result he almost ends up killing both himself and his Premier.

Hugh finally takes notice of his Siphon’s depression and starts to fix things by first giving him a name (everyone has only ever called him the Siphon), Johnnie.

What happens next is the bonding of Hugh and Johnnie and the revelation that they can mean even more to each other as mates than simply Siphon and Premier.

There are hurdles: jealous shifters want to take the Siphon both for their own and to hurt Hugh. Neither Hugh nor Johnnie know how to handle their newfound relationship and neither does the pack. But in the end we get a wonderful Cardeno happy ending that will bring tears to your eyes.

**

I just absolutely adore Cardeno C books! This is another wonderful new shifter series and I can’t wait for more! I loved the “energy” sharing twist and the very dark, dark beginning. It was quite a contrast to the very happy and light tenor the rest of the story carries.

Johnnie is wonderfully sweet and Hugh adorably clueless. Their love is tender and sincere, the sex is hot and the story moves so quickly you wonder where the time went.

I loved this book and highly recommend it to Cardeno fans, shifter fans, and fans of sweet love stories.

6 of 5 hearts

Audio

Greg. Tremblay. Sigh.

I just love him!

He did another absolutely amazing job with this. He gives so much emotion to poor Johnnie and does a fantastic job giving Hugh just the right amount of robotic certitude (at first) then utter adoration as he discovers his deep love for Johnnie.

It’s always like diving into a movie when listening to Greg tell his tales. I know I’m going to be blown away when he’s listed as the narrator and he never disappoints. When I see his name it’s an auto-buy for me!

Having him read this story that I loved so much was simply paradise and I listened to it all right away and started listening to it for the second time immediately again, because it’s just that good.

6 of 5 stars

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Ever the Same Audiobook by BA Tortuga Narrated by Paul Morey

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6711BlurbEvertheSameAUDMED

Audie Barrack is in it up to his elbows with a sick calf when his son’s school calls. Seems Grainger has gotten into yet another fight. When he walks into the principal’s office, he’s shocked to find his son has been fighting with a little girl named Randi.

A little girl with one blind dad and one dad who recently passed away.

Goddammit.

Dixon has lost his sight, his career, and his husband. Thank God for his brothers, Momma and Daddy, and his little girl, or he would simply give up. The last thing he needs is for Randi to start trouble at school, especially trouble that puts him in contact with another dad who might expect him to be a functional human being.

Dixon is struggling to live as a blind man, Audie is terrified someone might see he has a closet to come out of, and everyone from the school to both men’s families is worried for the men and their children. Unless they get themselves together and commit to change, neither of them stands a chance.

Review

(Previously on this site)

Dixon has had to move in with his parents after losing his husband and his sight. His parents are supportive – to an extent – but there is an underlying tension in the house that keeps Dixon on the edge of miserable.

Audie is a young, single father, working his family ranch because he knows nothing else. His mother is somewhat supportive of him, but doesn’t approve of his being gay and isn’t shy about letting him know it.

Dixon and Audie meet when Randi (Dixon’s daughter) punches Grainger (Audie’s son). Audie pretty much immediately falls for Dixon but it takes awhile for that to play out.

The romance between Dixon and Audie is fairly easy going, their relationship is not. Dixon is a widower, well meaning friends and family worry Audie is a rebound man. Dixon is blind, family members worry that he won’t be able to contribute and that he might not be the best man to raise his own daughter, much less two children. Audie is a landless cowboy (he’s mother won’t put a gay boy in her will) with a child of his own.

Despite all the various obstacles and reasons why this shouldn’t work… it does and it does so beautifully.

**

I really enjoyed this country mouse/city mouse story. The immediate attraction and the acceptance of their romance between themselves let the rest of the story be about each of their own growth.

For all intents and purposes, one wrong decision led to Audie being a single dad, trapped on his family ranch at the age of 25. He’d never gotten to be a single gay man or do any of the other stuff that we do when we are young and carefree. As a result he’s older in some ways but still has a lot of that youth and inexperience in him that was a perfect mix for Dixon.

Dixon had been there and done that. Though he was only 33, he’d had a much more varied life, though not on a ranch! He was a bit jaded, a bit spoiled, a bit insecure, a bit self involved, but so brave. His family didn’t support him – not really – and he felt totally lost.

What I loved was that both men saved each other and the kids helped too. It’s hard to write kids because no two kids are a like and it can be hard to represent that mix of surprisingly mature things that sometimes come out of a young mouth along side the more immature tantrums and such. I think Randi and Grainger are excellent examples of kids done well. Though there were times I thought they were a little too mature, most of the time I really thought they were great.

I loved how the families were represented. They both felt very “gray” to me, meaning not all good and not all bad. So often the family is this all or nothing evil villain when in reality there is usually a mix. Dixon’s parents are well meaning if not fully supportive. Audie’s mom isn’t all bad, though she is pretty judgmental and petty.

Dixon’s reaction to being blind felt pretty appropriate as well, though I did wonder at his relative ease at getting over Ron. I also wondered why Ron’s family was so intent on keeping Randi when Dixon was the biological father, why weren’t his parents taking over?

Overall I thought this was a riveting and wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

Overall 4.6 of 5 hearts!

Audio

Paul Morey did an amazing job with this. God, I loved his Audey and Dix was PERFECTION. This was such a fun book to listen to with all the different southern accents! I highly recommend this as an audiobook!

6 of 5 hearts

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Shifter Tales by Anya Byrne

Anya Byrne Publishing Presents

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-mateofthecursedwolfprincegayromance-1814351-340.html

And

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-storytellerforasorrowfulbeastgayromance-1844324-340.html

mate cursedBlurb

Phelan is a wolf shifter and a prince of his kin. All of his life, he’s been taught to believe in the superiority of his people. But when the shifters’ dismissive cruelty toward humans draws the eye of a mysterious witch, it is Phelan who becomes the target.

Now cursed, Phelan is forever bound to his animal form, while being the only one of his people to maintain his sense of self. The only way to break the enchantment is to find a human to love him. But who could have that kind of affection for a wretched, broken beast?

It seems like a lost cause, until one terrible winter, he meets beautiful and kind Elian. Elian brings warmth once more in Phelan’s heart. His gentle fingers tend to Phelan’s wounds, and his soft voice soothes Phelan’s soul. Phelan soon realizes Elian is his mate. But can this love surpass all the obstacles in its path, or will it be cursed like the rest of Phelan’s kin?

storytellerBlurb

Shay has an uneventful existence. He delivers his mother’s baked goods to shifter families and tells stories to his brother in his free time. Everything changes one day when, taken by surprise by a mysterious storm, Shay finds refuge in the home of a peculiar shifter lord. He does not expect for the shifter in question—Conor—to make unprecedented emotions swell inside him.

Spurned by his own family, Conor knows he should keep his distance from his beautiful, red-hooded guest. But from the moment Shay steps onto the grounds of his mansion, Conor is drawn to him like a moth to the flame. He tells himself it is all only temporary and tries to stay away, even if Shay’s smile and his trust make him feel for the first time more than the beast he knows himself to be.

What happens when the two men are unexpectedly trapped together? Will the help of an unlikely ally be enough to give this particular tale a happily ever after?

Reviews

In Mate of The Cursed Wolf Prince (sort of a version of Beauty and the Beast) Phelan and his family scorn humanity and are cursed. Phelan must live out his days only in wolf form and watch the world he knows crumble to dust. He manages to meet and fall in love with Elian even in wolf form and they manage to somehow reverse the curse and find their own happy ending.

In Storyteller for a Sorrowful Beast (sort of Little Red Riding Hood) Shay stumbles upon a mansion in a storm and is rescued by Conor. Shay is summarily cursed to stay with Conor and tell 1001 stories before the storm will let up and he can return to his family. There is some other drama and deceit but both Shay and Conor prove their love and their willingness to sacrifice and reverse the curse and find their happy endings.

**

In both these an old fairy tale is changed and given a different, gay, paranormal slant (they link to each other but are stand alones). The writing is excellent and though the romance moves along quickly (like every great shifter story has a tendency to do) it is still sentimental and sweet. The unique look at these fair tales is very entertaining and I recommend this series to fans of shifters and the paranormal.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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