Black and Blue Trick or Treat Halloween Hop with Gena Showalter

Black and Blue Trick or Treat Halloween Hop with Gena Showalter

BLACK AND BLUE Tour Sidebar Button

HALLOWEEN HOP
INSTRUCTIONS & RULES:

Thank you for joining in Gena Showalter’s BLACK AND BLUE Trick or Treat Halloween Hop! The instructions and rules are easy!

1) Every day there will be 3 – 6 participating blogs. In order to enter the giveaway you must “Trick or Treat” at the participating blogs, see which candy the blog has posted and then enter the name of that candy into the Rafflecopter widget.

2) There is ONE MANDATORY blog PER DAY. In order to enter the giveaway, you must visit the mandatory blog of the day. You will receive 10 points for each mandatory blog entry.

3) Once you visit the mandatory blog of the day, you then have the choice of gaining extra points by visiting the “Optional” blogs for that day. You will get an extra 5 points for each optional blog you visit. Once you visit each blog, write down the candy you found at each blog and be sure to enter it Rafflecopter widget to get your points.

__________________________

TRICK OR TREAT

October 23 Candy Clue

Showalter Halloween Hop_Witch's Fingers Entry Pic

Black and Blue
Otherworld Assassin #2
by Gena Showalter
Release Date: October 22, 2013

Black and Blue

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Click HERE to read our review of BLACK AND BLUE by Gena Showalter

He is every woman’s fantasy…

Corbin Blue is a man of many talents. One of the most powerful otherworlders ever born, he is wealthy, a professional football star, and a legend in the bedroom. But only a select few know he is also a black ops agent…and there is no better killer. When he and his crew are attacked and separated, he’s forced to turn to his boss’s daughter for help—a woman with even more secrets than Blue.

She becomes his only obsession…

Evangaline Black has always been wary, guarded. No man has ever breeched her walls. Until Blue. He has never been denied something he wants, and now, he’s decided he wants her. As he sweeps her into his double life of seduction, intrigue, and danger, he helps her see beyond the darkness of her own past. But as an enemy closes in, Blue will have to let Evie go to keep her safe—even though he’d rather die than live without her…

About The Author Black and Blue

GenaShowalter2Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the White Rabbit Chronicles, Otherworld Assassins, Angels of the Dark, Lords of the Underworld, and several of other series.  She has written over thirty novels and novellas.  Her books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages.

Connect with Gena:

Every day there will be 3 – 6 participating blogs. In order to enter the giveaway you must “Trick or Treat” at the participating blogs, see which candy the blog has posted and then enter the name of that candy into the Rafflecopter widget.

Click HERE for complete tour schedule.

Rafflecoptergiveaway

At the end of the tour Gena will pick THREE (3) winners to receive:

GRAND PRIZE: $100.00 gift card to Amazon

RUNNERS-UP: TWO (2) winners will each get an autographed copy of BLACK AND BLUE and some SWAG from Gena.

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Black and Blue by Gena Showalter – a Review

Black and Blue by Gena Showalter – a Review

Black and BlueLinks to order Black and Blue: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

 

Description:
He is every woman’s fantasy…

Corbin Blue is a man of many talents. One of the most powerful otherworlders ever born, he is wealthy, a professional football star, and a legend in the bedroom. But only a select few know he is also a black ops agent…and there is no better killer. When he and his crew are attacked and separated, he’s forced to turn to his boss’s daughter for help—a woman with even more secrets than Blue.

She becomes his only obsession…

Evangaline Black has always been wary, guarded. No man has ever breeched her walls. Until Blue. He has never been denied something he wants, and now, he’s decided he wants her. As he sweeps her into his double life of seduction, intrigue, and danger, he helps her see beyond the darkness of her own past. But as an enemy closes in, Blue will have to let Evie go to keep her safe—even though he’d rather die than live without her…

 

Review:

Black and Blue is the 2nd book in Gena Showalter’s Otherworld Assassin series.  I enjoyed the 1st book in this series, but Black and Blue is so so much better.  I loved this book, which is one of my favorite books of 2013.

Gena Showalter outdoes herself with this book, which has everything….paranormal, supernatural, sexy heroes, romance, a fantastic couple, action, violence, suspense, hot hot sexual scenes, and a lot of humor in between the heavy action.  I was so engrossed in this story, that I read this almost 400 page book in less then a day.

As for this fabulous couple, they were so good together. Totally opposites, strong dislikes for each other, and both very good at their jobs.  Corbin Blue is an Otherworlder, a supernatural assassin, with awesome powers, and has worked for & trained by Michael Black since he was 13 years old.  Blue leads a double life as a spy/assassin, and a football player, as well as being known as a “love em & leave em” ladies man.  Blue works as a Black Ops agent with Solo (book 1 hero), John and others, with Michael as their boss.  

Evie Black (Evangeline) is Michael’s daughter, and she too has worked for her father’s agency, until a tragedy happened causing her to leave, and become a doctor instead.  During one of her first cases for her father, she met Blue, and the two of them started off on the wrong foot immediately. She having known he was a ladies man (He-Slut), who thought nothing of cheating on his girlfriends; caused Evie to dislike him very much.  Blue was the type of man all woman (except Evie) would want to jump him immediately.  What a hot sexy hunk…gorgeous in everyway.   He was attracted to Evie immediately, though he knew she was off limits because her father (his mentor) would never forgive him.  Evie was very sarcastic with him, turning him off on her.  But as they say opposites attract, and forbidden fruits always make it more tempting.   However, 4 years pass, with neither having much to do with one another.   Then an explosion,  that threatens to kill everyone with Michael’s agency, changes everything. 

Blue is horribly injured in the explosion, and his friends are no where to be found.  He finds himself going to Evie for help. At first she isn’t interested, though she does help treat him; but she needs to be involved in what is happening, as her father is missing. 

What follows is a fast paced, exciting action packed adventure, with danger, & violence, as they try to uncover who is the perpetrator that is trying to kill them.  But the best parts of this book was the relationship between Blue and Evie.  Despite her dislike of what and who she thought Blue was; she had this extreme attraction to him, that she tried desperately to block.  It was so much fun to watch both of them slowly begin to fall hard, with such explosive intensity, and the hot..hot…did I say hot sexual chemistry between them. Showalter steamed this book with their sexual scenes…Whew!!  The fun though was their constant flinging of funny comments between them, as their camdarie was awesome.  Blue would constantly give her nicknames…butter buns, sugar dumpling, honey badger, buttercup,,  just to name a few.  Of course, our Evie was always quick to counter..calling him a nifty toy, or Mr. Brothario.  In between all the action, these humorous moments brought out the much needed enjoyable laughter.

Black and Blue is an awesome addition to this series, with an exciting, fun and action filled romance thriller.  I loved Blue & Evie so much that if Gena made a series based on just the two of them, I would be thrilled. I also would like to say that this is an awesome cover.  Black and Blue is one of the best books I have read this year, and as I have said before, I have read some great ones.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

 

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The Darkest Craving by Gena Showalter-Blog Tour and Giveaway

The Darkest Craving by Gena Showalter-Blog Tour and Giveaway

DARKEST CRAVING Tour Button

The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10)
by Gena Showalter
Release Date: July 30, 2013

 The Darkest Craving

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Having endured weeks of torture in the bowels of hell, Kane wants nothing to do with his beautiful rescuer, Josephina Aisling. The half-Fae female threatens to awaken the demon of Disaster inside him—a beast he’s determined to kill, no matter the price.

Josephina is hunted by a brutal enemy—her royal family—and Kane is her only source of protection. He’s also the only male to ever set her aflame, and even he succumbs to the heat. But as they navigate the treacherous world of the Fae, they are forced to make a choice: live apart…or die together.

Lords of the Underworld Collage

Long ago, twelve immortals warriors – each more dangerously seductive than the last — stole and opened Pandora’s box, unleashing the evil from within. Now they carry that evil within themselves. Violence, Pain, Death, Disease, Disaster, Misery, Doubt, Promiscuity, Defeat, Lies, Secrets, and Wrath. When a powerful enemy returns, they will travel the world in search of a sacred relic of the gods – one that threatens to destroy them all.

Reading Order:
The Darkest Fire
The Darkest Night
The Darkest Kiss
The Darkest Pleasure
The Darkest Prison
The Darkest Whisper
Heart of Darkness (Anthology)
After Dark (Anthology)
The Darkest Passion
The Darkest Lie
The Darkest Secret
The Darkest Surrender
The Darkest Seduction
The Darkest Craving

About The Author Black and yellow

GenaShowalter2Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the White Rabbit Chronicles, Otherworld Assassins, Angels of the Dark, Lords of the Underworld, and several of other series.  She has written over thirty novels and novellas.  Her books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages.  

Connect with Gena:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

 

Rafflecopter Giveaway Black andYellow

Gena is giving away the following prizes at the end of her tour:

GRAND PRIZE: $100.00 gift card to Amazon

RUNNERS-UP: Two (2) runners-up will receive a paperback of THE DARKEST CRAVING

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway.  If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Shadow Hunter (Execution Underground 0.5) by Kait Ballenger-a review

SHADOW HUNTER (Execution Underground 0.5) by Kait Ballenger-a review

AfterDarkJPEG

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 25, 2013

Shadow Hunter (Execution Underground 0.5) by Kait Ballenger

Vampire hunter Damon Brock’s first assignment with the Execution Underground is Rochester, New York, a city crawling with the undead. But he isn’t the only hunter in town gunning for vamp blood. Tiffany Solow is fierce and ruthless when it comes to slaying the monsters that destroyed her family-and she works solo. But being alone is no longer so desirable when she meets the mysterious hunter who wants more than just her turf. As they work to massacre the local covens, the line between good and evil blurs when they are forced to decide between their lifelong beliefs… and their newfound hearts

••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: SHADOW HUNTER is part of an anthology called AFTER DARK with Gena Showalter and Kait Ballenger. Shadow Hunter is Kait’s storyline featuring Vampire Hunter Damon Brock and Tiffany Solow-a woman he has loved from afar but never really knew.

Damon Brock has been desperate to prove himself worthy of the title vampire hunter, but when his best friend and fellow hunter at the Execution Underground was killed while on assignment, Damon cannot compete with his own guilt. Feeling he has betrayed his best friend, Damon makes it his mission to hunt down the vampire who struck down Mark Solow. And the last person Damon ever thought he would meet on assignment was Tiffany Solow-Mark’s little sister-all grown up and hunting the vampire who took her brother’s life. When Damon discovers Tiffany’s plans, he must decide whether to reveal the truth about his identity and relationship to Mark or continue to hide behind a cold façade of anger and pain.

Meanwhile there is a string of vampire killings that resemble something similar to zombie feasts. With no explanation, Tiffany and Damon seek out known vampire haunts and discover that the mysterious zombie-like behavior plaguing new vampires may not be a naturally occurring event. Hoping to take down one of the oldest vampires, Tiffany puts her life on the line and in doing so, discovers the truth behind the origins of the vampire virus.

The relationship between Damon and Tiffany begins as one of disdain and animosity then friends to lovers. When Damon discovers that Tiffany is willing to risk her life to take down the vampire who killed her brother, his hopes and fears for his best friend’s sister turns Damon into both protector and warrior. But Damon holds back a few secrets from Tiff, and if those secrets were revealed, Damon believes his relationship with Tiff would never be the same.

SHADOW HUNTER is a well-written, fascinating and amazing storyline that introduces the premise behind Execution Underground and the men and women who risk their lives fighting the supernatural creatures that stalk the human world. Kait’s fantasy world of vampire hunters and the undead they seek had me reading until the very end- and oh, what an ending it was. I hope to learn more about what happens to Damon and Tiff-but the ending was heart breaking and painful to read.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

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COVER REVEALS -April 4, 2013

Cover Reveals-April 4, 2013

Black and blue Oct 2013

 

TITLE: Black and Blue

AUTHOR: Gena Showalter

SERIES: Otherworld Assassin

RELEASE DATE: October 2013

 

 

 

Through the Zombie Glass

 

TITLE: Through the Zombie Glass

AUTHOR: Gena Showalter

SERIES: White Rabbit Chronicles

RELEASE DATE: September 2013

 

 

 

ONe Lucky Vampire Sept 2013

 

TITLE: One Lucky Vampire

AUTHOR: Lynsay Sands

SERIES: Argeneau

RELEASE DATE: September 2013

 

 

 

Terminated Aug 2013

 

TITLE: Terminated

AUTHOR: Rachel Caine

SERIES: Revivalist

RELEASE DATE: August 2013

 

 

 

Midnight's Promise Oct 2013

 

TITLE: Midnight’s Promise

AUTHOR: Donna Grant

SERIES: Dark Warriors

RELEASE DATE: October 2013

 

 

 

Kicking It Dec 2013

 

TITLE: Kicking It

AUTHOR: Rachel Caine/Shannon K Butcher/ Chloe Neil and more

SERIES: Anthology

RELEASE DATE: December 2013

 

 

Escaping Reality July 2013

 

TITLE: Escaping Reality

AUTHOR: Lisa Renee Jones

SERIES: The Secret Life of Amy Bensen

RELEASE DATE: July 2013

 

 

 

TWD-Desserts Apr 30

 

TITLE: The Winemaker’s Dinner: Desserts

AUTHOR: Dr.Ivan Rusilko

SERIES: The Winemaker’s Dinner

RELEASE DATE: April 2013

 

 

 

Eternal Immortality 2013

 

TITLE: Eternal Immortality

AUTHOR: K.S.Haigwood/Ella Medler

SERIES: Eternal #2

RELEASE DATE: 2013

 

 

 

The Grove Dec 2013

 

TITLE: The Grove

AUTHOR: Jean Johnson

SERIES: Guardians of Destiny

RELEASE DATE: December 2013


 

 

Black Widow Demon

 

TITLE: Black Widow Demon

AUTHOR: Paula Altenburg

SERIES: Demon Outlaws

RELEASE DATE: November 2013

 

 

 


Witchstruck Sept 2013

 

TITLE: Witchstruck (YA)

AUTHOR: Victoria Lamb

SERIES: The Tudor Witch Trilogy

RELEASE DATE: September 2013

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Cover Reveals-March 5, 2013

Cover Reveals-March 5, 2013

Zombieglass

 

TITLE:  Through the Zombie Glass

AUTHOR:  Gena Showalter

SERIES: White Rabbit Chronicles

RELEASE DATE:  September 2013

 

 

 

Rapture's Edge

 

TITLE:  Rapture’s Edge

AUTHOR: J.T. Geissinger

SERIES:  Night Prowler

RELEASE DATE:  June 2013

 

 

 

 

Unchosen

 

TITLE:  Unchosen (YA)

AUTHOR: Michele Vail

SERIES: The Reaper Diaries

RELEASE DATE: September 2013

 

 

 

 

Yours For Eternity

 

TITLE:  Yours For Eternity

AUTHOR:  Hannah Howell/Alexandra Ivy/Kaitlin O’Riley

SERIES:  Anthology

RELEASE DATE:  2013

 

 

 

 

The Unwanted

 

TITLE:  The Unwanted

AUTHOR:  Shiloh Walker

SERIES:  The FBI Psychics

RELEASE DATE:  2013

 

 

 

Autumn Whispers


TITLE:  Autumn Whispers

AUTHOR:  Yasmine Galenorn

SERIES:  Otherworld Series

RELEASE DATE:  September 2013

 

 

 

The Fiery Heart nov 2013

 

TITLE:  The Fiery Heart (YA)

AUTHOR:  Richelle Mead

SERIES:  Bloodlines

RELEASE DATE:  November 2013

 




Born in Chains


TITLE: Born in Chains

AUTHOR:  Caris Roane

SERIES:  Men in Chains #1

RELEASE DATE:  October 2013

 

 

 

 

Bound in Death Apr 2013



TITLE:  Bound in Death

AUTHOR:  Cynthia Eden

SERIES: Bound Series

RELEASE DATE:  April 2013

 

 

 

Unbound

 

 

TITLE: Unbound

AUTHOR: Angela Knight/Jennifer Ashley/Jean Johnson/Hanna Martine

SERIES: Anthology

RELEASE DATE: March 2013

 

Seal of Honor May 2013

 

TITLE: Seal of Honor

AUTHOR: Tonya Burrows

SERIES: Hornet Series

RELEASE DATE: May 2013

 

 

 

Fangs for Nothing

 

TITLE: Fangs for Nothing

AUTHOR: Erin McCarthy/Kathy Love

SERIES: Anthology

RELEASE DATE:  July 2013

 

 

 

The Arrivals July 2013

 

TITLE: The Arrivals (YA)

AUTHOR: Melissa Marr

SERIES: N/A

RELEASE DATE: JULY 2013

 

 


Unchained Sept 2013

 

TITLE: Unchained

AUTHOR: J.Lynn

SERIES: Nephilim Rising

RELEASE DATE: 2013

 

 

Midnights-Temptation-Octo 2013jpg

 

TITLE: Midnight’s Temptation

AUTHOR: Donna Grant

SERIES: Dark Warriors

RELEASE DATE: October 2013

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COVER REVEALS-January 24, 2013

Cover Reveals-January 24, 2013

Heart-of-Venom Aug 2013

 

TITLE: Heart of Venom

AUTHOR: Jennifer Estep

SERIES: Elemental Assassin

RELEASE DATE: August 2013

 

 


Night's Mistress

 

TITLE: Night’s Mistress

AUTHOR: Amanda Ashley

SERIES: Children of the Night

RELEASE DATE: August 2013

 

 

the-darkest-craving July 2013jpg

 

TITLE: The Darkest Craving

AUTHOR: Gena Showalter

SERIES: Lords of the Underworld

RELEASE DATE: July 2013

 

 

 

Her Knight's Quest Mar 13

 

TITLE: Her Knight’s Quest

AUTHOR: Alexis Morgan

SERIES: Warriors of the Mist

RELEASE DATE: March 2013

 

 

 

Silencing Breath Apr 2013

 

TITLE: Silencing Breath

AUTHOR: Joanne Brothwell

SERIES: Stealing Breath

RELEASE DATE: April 2013

 

 

 

Bitten by Deceit 2013

TITLE:  Bitten by Deceit

AUTHOR:  Shawntelle Madison

SERIES:  N/A

RELEASE DATE:  available now

 

 

 

 

The Mistress Aug 2013

 

TITLE: The Mistress

AUTHOR: Tiffany Reisz

SERIES: The Original Sinners

RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 2013

 

 

 

UnbreakableApr13-1

 

 

TITLE:  Unbreakable

AUTHOR:  Elizabeth Norris

SERIES: Unravelling (YA)

RELEASE DATE:  April 2013

 

 

Dangerous-Curves-Ahead

 

TITLE: Dangerous Curves Ahead

AUTHOR: Sugar Jamison

SERIES: A Perfect Fit Novel

RELEASE DATE: August 2013

 

 

 

The Proposition Feb 13

 

TITLE: The Proposition

AUTHOR: Jennifer Lyon

SERIES: Plus One Chronicles #1

RELEASE DATE: February 2013

 

 

 

Possession May 13

 

TITLE: Possession

AUTHOR: Jennifer Lyon

SERIES: Plus One Chronicles 32

RELEASE DATE: May 2013

 

 

 

Obsession Sept 2013

 

TITLE:  Obsession

AUTHOR:  Jennifer Lyon

SERIES:  Plus One Chronicles #3

RELEASE DATE:  August 2013

 

 

 

Forsaken-by-the-Others-July2013-1

 

TITLE: Forsaken by the Others

AUTHOR: Jess Haines

SERIES: H & W Investigations Novel

RELEASE DATE: July 2013

 

 

 

Blurred-July 2013jpg

 

TITLE: Blurred

AUTHOR: Tara Fuller

SERIES: Kissed By Death #2

RELEASE DATE: July 2013

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Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter – a Review

Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter – a Review

last kiss goodnight

Last Kiss Goodnight is a new series by Gena ShowalterOtherworld Assassins series is a spinoff from Showalter’s Alien Huntress series.

Description:
     The breathtaking first novel in New York Times best selling author Gena Showalter’s new paranormal romance series, Otherworld Assassins, featuring a black ops agent who is captured and enslaved…and the beautiful deaf girl who holds the key to his salvation…

    THE SWEETEST TEMPTATION

     Black ops agent Solomon Judah awakens caged and bound in a twisted zoo where otherworlders are the main attraction. Vika Lukas, the owner’s daughter, is tasked with Solo’s care and feeding. The monster inside him yearns to kill her on sight, even though she holds the key to his escape. But the human side of him realizes the beautiful deaf girl is more than she seems—she’s his.

     THE ULTIMATE PRICE

     Vika endures the captives’ taunts and loathing, hoping to keep them alive even if she can’t free them. Only, Solo is different—he protects her. But as hostility turns to forbidden romance, his feelings for her will be used against him…and he’ll be put to a killer test.

Review:

Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter begins with some members of the Alien Huntress series.  Michael Black meets with his alien team (Otherworld Assassins) to discuss a mission, but before breaking up, they are attacked.

We meet our heroine, a young girl named Vika, who helps her father run a zoo.  Vika cares about the animals under her care, especially the lion.  Her father is a bitter, angry man, who thinks nothing of hitting Vika. Because he wants to teach her a lesson, knowing he will hurt her more, he kills all the animals in front of her.  Years later he has a different zoo, made up of Otherworld aliens, who have been kidnapped and caged. 

Solomon (Solo) is our hero, and the newest addition to the zoo, having survived the attack.  Vika’s father keeps all the Otherworld aliens cuffed with special magical bindings that will cut into each person, as well as drugs.  No matter how strong they are, they cannot escape.

Vika’s job is to take care of them, feed them, but they all hate her, not knowing she too is a victim.  Vika’s is deaf, something her father did to her long ago.  Only Solo, who is a giant of a man, used to being called fugly, begins to discover that what he feels when he sees Vika, is that she belongs to him;  and suspects something is not right when Vika never responds to threats from the other caged aliens.  Solo finds out about her reading lips, and that she cannot hear. Vika finds herself attracted to him, though she tries to fight it, but she takes care of him, when he is beaten. For the first time in his life, Solo cannot find a way to escape, and he worries about the beating Vika takes from her father and the assistant.   This was a nice build up of a romance between two unlikely people, and it was nice to see them discover their love later in the story.

I thought the book was a bit gross, by the torture of the Otherworld beings.  A lot of time was spent on that, and it seemed somewhat repetitious during those long scenes at the zoo. The torture, humiliation suffered by them was not pretty to read. Once Solo and Vika escape, the storyline does pick up with excitement, and romance. 

Showalter does show very well the desperation of Vika, who turned into a very nice character.  I also liked Solo, but more so later on.  I had mixed feelings, especially with so much time spent on both the evil father and his assistant, who wanted Vika for himself. 

Overall, I think this series has great potential, with the use of these wonderful Otherworld characters.  I just did not care for some of the gross torture that we spent too much time on,as this took away from my enjoyment of the book.  But I plan to read the next book in this series.

Reviewed by Barb

 

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