Posts Tagged ‘romance’

Books From The Back Log #70 ~ Extreme Honor

Posted: December 2, 2021 in military romance, suspense
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If you’re like me, you have a pile of books beckoning to you from your lists. Carole hosts this fun feature where you can share some of those older books and perhaps nudge you to finally read them. If you want to join in on the fun, head over to Carole’s Random Life In Books and leave a link to your post.
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Extreme Honor

True Heroes #1

by Piper J. Drake

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Genre: Military / Suspense / Romance

Synopsis

Hot military heroes, the women who love them, and the dogs that always have their backs. EXTREME HONOR is the first book in a high adrenaline contemporary suspense series from Piper J. Drake.

HONOR, LOYALTY, LOVE

David Cruz is good at two things: war and training dogs. The ex-soldier’s toughest case is Atlas, a Belgian Malinois whose handler died in combat. Nobody at Hope’s Crossing Kennel can break through the animal’s grief. That is, until dog whisperer Evelyn Jones walks into the facility . . . and into Atlas’s heart. David hates to admit that the curvy blonde’s mesmerizing effect isn’t limited to canines. But when Lyn’s work with Atlas puts her in danger, David will do anything to protect her.

Lyn realizes that David’s own battle scars make him uniquely qualified for his job as a trainer. Tough as nails yet gentle when it counts, he’s gotten closer to Atlas than anyone else-and he’s willing to put his hard-wired suspicion aside to let her do the same. But someone desperate enough to kill doesn’t want Lyn working with Atlas. Now only teamwork, trust, and courage can save two troubled hearts and the dog who loves them both . . .

Amazon

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I added this back in 2016.

I’ve been on a kick with dogs as character’s and heroes and discovered I have the first two books in this series. They were hidden behind some other books on one of my shelves. Picture me rubbing my hands together in anticipation!

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

The Maizemerized Tales ~ Born For This and Nine For A Kiss

Posted: November 25, 2021 in giveaways, historical romance, Paranormal or fantasy
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Born For This

A Maizemerized Tale Book 1

by Maggie Blackbird

Genre: Historical Time Travel Romance, Paranormal

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She’s always been obsessed with her ancestors, and now he’s offering her a chance to live with them…forever.

Second-year university student Edie Whitecrow gobbles up each course on Indigenous studies. If only she could experience the lives of her Anishinaabe ancestors instead of reading about them. On her way to a Halloween party decked out as a historical Ojibway maiden, she spies a corn maze in a spot known to be barren.

A scarecrow figure beckons Edie to enter with the enticing offer of making her biggest wish come true. She jumps at the chance and finds herself in the past, face to face with the man who haunts her dreams—the handsome brave Thunder Bear. He claims he’s spent twelve years waiting for Gitchi Manidoo to send her to him.

Life in the eighteenth century isn’t what Edie romanticized about, though. When her conscience is tested, she must choose between the modern day or the world of her descendants—where the man she was born for resides.

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Thunder Bear nodded. “Fire Woman. Is it not an appropriate name? The flames did not burn you. Fire is your friend. Your spirit guide.”

“I want to be honest.” She wet her plush mouth with the color riper than raspberries. “I have been educated in the ways of the white men. Where I come from, we live like white men.”

“I know you do. It is in your speech, your movement, your behavior.” He reached out and touched her bare arm that possessed delicate strength beneath the smooth flesh he palmed. “You are here to become what you are meant to truly be. We will teach you, if you are willing.”

“I am more than willing. In the white man’s world, I am learning everything about the People. I have studied the People ever since I was a little girl.”

“I know you have. It is why you came.” He could not resist letting his palm move along her arm. Beneath the skin he stroked, her slight muscle flexed.

She wet her lips.

The urge to claim her mouth was a test of his restraint. They’d only met this morning, and he must go slow. To slide his mouth over hers after just meeting was not how a warrior conducted himself. Yet, the way she’d drew her tongue along her lower lip was caressing and licking him beneath his breechclout. Her innocent gesture might as well have been her nails raking his backside, her hands boldly exploring his arms, and her breasts melting against his chest.

She was aptly named, because a fire danced in her sparkling dark eyes. A fire of desire. A fire of need. A fire flickering with mesmerization in her gaze touching his face.

He stifled the groan aching to leave his throat.

She seemed to drag her gaze to the dark water. If where they stood was better lit, he’d probably witness redness on her cheeks.

“What is it?”

Again, she wet her lips. “I… Maybe I should go back?”

A punch seemed to knock his gut. “Return? Now?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I mean the wigwam. Not the…the…”

“The dancing flames?”

She nodded.

Relief loosened the knots of his shoulder muscles. He didn’t believe in restraining any maiden, but if she had dared to run for where she had come from, he probably would have tossed her over his shoulder and carted her back to the camp. Now that he had found what he’d waited twelve years to capture, he wasn’t letting her go.

Somehow, he had to help her find her courage to survive with them. She was destined to be here.

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Nine For a Kiss

A Maizemerized Tale Book 2

by D.S. Dehel

Genre: Paranormal Romance

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Just one perfect day.

Nothing has gone right in Sadie Lyons’s life since the accident, but she’s trying her best to get back to normal. She’s just not sure if the trip to the old apple orchard was the best decision, and the creepy corn maze run by the even creepier owner confirms her fears. Inside, the maze is even worse, and she’s soon lost in a never-ending labyrinth that twists and turns but goes nowhere.

When a raven joins her as a guide, she feels better, but like the maze, the raven is not what he seems, and the news he brings her changes everything.

Love and loss intertwine in this tale of the endings and beginnings we all face.

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This passage was short compared to the others she’d traversed so far, maybe seventy-five feet long, terminating in a dead end. The dark shape leaned against the wall of the maze, clinging onto a stalk with one hand. The other clutched to his side.

“Hello.” The voice was raspy and undeniably masculine.

“Are you alright?” She took two steps.

“Um.” Then he collapsed, falling to his knees, palms against the ground.

“Oh god.” She dashed forward, ignoring the little voice that insisted it could be a trap. “Are you hurt?”

He shook his head as if clearing it. His longish hair covered his face. “No. Not hurt.” He seemed to be struggling to find the words.

Indecision rocked her. Usually, she wasn’t so suspicious, but everything had changed that night. But someone helped me.

Lots of someones. I need to return the favor.

She knelt beside him, dipping her head to see the face hidden by the dark hair. Sharp nose, pale skin, and dark  lashes fringed his closed eyes. “Can I help?”

“Help how?” His voice rasped, making her wince.

Water. “Here.” She dug the bottle out of her pocket and held it out. “I don’t have germs, well, not so many.” She’d been on antibiotics forever. “Sorry it’s warm.”

For a moment, she thought he’d reject her offering because he looked from her hand to her face and back again. Then he sat back on his heels and brushed off his hands before taking the proffered bottle. “Thank you.”

He ran a hand through his hair, drawing it back into a low ponytail, then dropping it. The move revealed sharp cheekbones and skin strangely free of stubble for someone with such dark hair. No trace lined his jaw. He twisted off the cap, raised the bottle to red lips, and took a deep drink.

Now that’s a neck. She watched his Adam’s apple move as he finished her water. I need to stop staring. So, she stood up and brushed the fine dirt off her hands.

As he climbed to his feet, she took in his outfit consisting of dark, ripped jeans, a black short-sleeved shirt, topped by a black leather vest, and fingerless gloves, also black. Heavy black boots completed the ensemble, making him look like a rocker from the 1980s.

“Thank you,” he repeated, then he looked at the bottle in his hand. “I seem to have finished your water.” Regret flashed in his eyes. “I am very sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She waved him off. “You obviously needed it. Your voice sounds better.”

“Ah.” He cleared his throat. “I am not used to using it much.”

“You’ve been lost for eons in this maze?” She’d meant it as a tease, but the look on his face crushed the humor.

“Eons?” he scoffed, then his smile lit up the day. “No, not quite so long.”

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An Ojibway from Northwestern Ontario, Maggie Blackbird resides in the country with her husband and their fur babies, two beautiful Alaskan Malamutes. When she’s not writing, she can be found pulling weeds in the flower beds, mowing the huge lawn, walking the Mals deep in the bush, teeing up a ball at the golf course, fishing in the boat for walleye, or sitting on the deck at her sister’s house, making more wonderful memories with the people she loves most.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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D.S. Dehel is a lover of words, wine, and the Oxford comma. When she’s not immersed in a book, she is a mom to her four kids and her spoiled feline Mr. Darcy or two pampered pooches: Piper and Jaime. Having “retired” she spends her days dreaming up new plot lines and word smiting for hours on end. She adores literary allusions, hot sex scenes, and British men. Her husband is still convinced she writes children’s books. Please don’t enlighten him.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Dating Dracula ~ A Dating Monsters Novel by Kinsley Adams

Posted: November 24, 2021 in comedy, giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, Romance
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Dating Dracula

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by Kinsley Adams

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(Dating Monsters, #1)
Publication date: March 15th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Paranormal, Romance

Synopsis

The Legend. The Immortal. My… Boyfriend?

You know, I really only had two goals in life:

1) Unearth the truth about vampires and,
2) Become hella famous.

Nowhere on that list did I have “die” or “get turned into a bloodsucker.” But guess what? Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Now, thanks to an unfortunate back-alley encounter, I’m the newest member of the undead country club (fangs, coffin, and all). And my savior? Sire? Whatever…

Freaking. Dracula. Himself.

Even stranger, he claims I’m his mate. Like… eternal love. But come on! I don’t have time for that. Not only do I need to track down my attempted murderer, but I also need to learn how to be a vampire. Falling in love is the last thing on my mind right now.

Too bad Dracula has other plans for me.

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Fans of Dracula will love this new modern and chic take on the immortal legend himself. Scroll up and one-click now!

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Only 99¢ for a limited time!

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“I’m sorry,” she whispered with her back still to me. “I just…. You died, Anna. You’re dead.”

“Undead,” my savior clarified for like the third time.

“It’s still dead!” Lucy snapped.

Even I glared at him. Now wasn’t the time for his little comments.

“I—I don’t know how to handle all this. Do I grieve for you? Or celebrate the fact that you’re still walking around? You’re a vampire, Anna. For frick’s sake, do you know what that means? You drink blood, you sleep in a coffin… you aren’t you anymore. How am I supposed to handle this?”

My dead heart shattered. “You’re supposed to accept me as I am,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “We’re sisters. Always. Forever.”

“Except always and forever means two very different things to us now,” she said.

I forced myself to swallow. From the sounds of it, Lucy was breaking up with me. Which almost made me laugh. She was my longest relationship ever. And she wanted to walk away from it? All because of an accident I had no control over?

I ran a hand down my face and turned toward my savior. Someone whose name I really needed to learn. I couldn’t keep referring to him as my savior or I was going to develop some major hero worship issues.

“Anna, I’m sorry,” Lucy repeated. “But I think I need some time to process all this.”

I nodded, all the while keeping my gaze trained on my savior. He was the only thing keeping me calm right now. The thought that I might lose my best friend over all this was too much. I couldn’t show her how much this hurt, because if I did, I might never recover. Lucy had stormed into a vamp club at my side, but apparently, she drew the line at death.

And honestly? I didn’t blame her. This time, tears really did spring to my eyes, but I blinked them back before they spilled. If I started crying, I had a feeling I’d never stop.

“I’m going to head back to the hotel,” she said. “I’ve been staying there the past few nights.” Wait, what? Past few nights? But before I could question that little tidbit, she continued speaking. “Do you want me to call your parents for you? Explain what happened?”

“No,” I rasped. That wasn’t her responsibility. If anyone was going to tell them about my transformation, it would be me.

“I’ll text you,” she mumbled, but her voice was already fading. She was leaving.

Text me. Ugh. Why not just tell me you hope we can still be friends?

I hated this. What happened to best friends forever? I’d like to think that if this had happened to her, I’d still be standing by her side. Lucy was my world. Nothing could have convinced me to leave her.

“I’m sorry” was her final comment before I heard the door shut.

I took a few minutes to absorb everything. Thankfully, my savior let me brood in silence. I appreciated that. I wasn’t in the mood to hear platitudes right now.

Once I was sure I had schooled my expression, I turned toward him and nodded. It was embarrassing to have someone witness a break-up, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that now.

I needed a distraction. I didn’t want to think about Lucy right now. I’d reserve that for later, when I was alone and could process everything myself. Instead, I stared up at him, once again stricken speechless when our gazes met. Why did I find him so enthralling? So fascinating? It felt like I could stare at him for hours.

Clearing my throat, I rubbed the bridge of my nose and asked, “Well, do you have a name?”

His brows shot upward, and an amused smile claimed his lips, exposing the tips of his fangs. Intrigued, I reached for my own, poking them with my fingertip. They must have been what scraped my tongue earlier. Seemed they were a permanent fixture too. I’d have to remember that when talking and laughing. Vampires might be public knowledge now, but as seen by Lucy, humans weren’t one hundred percent ready to accept them yet.

“Forgive me,” he said, his voice deliciously rumbly. “I’m so accustomed to being recognized wherever I go that I often forget to introduce myself.”

So, he was like vampire royalty or something?

Fangs still peeking out from behind his lips, he gave an old-fashioned bow, one he executed flawlessly, then peered at me through long, dark lashes. I shit you not, the boy almost breathed life back into me. He was just that gorgeous.

“My name is Vlad.” He took my hand and lifted it to his lips before brushing a gentle kiss across my knuckles. “But most know me as Dracula.”

I wish I could say I absorbed that information with grace and poise. But that would have been a lie. Instead, I burst out laughing, and said, “No shit!”

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Author Kinsley Adams

Kinsley Adams is a thirty-something-year-old author who stopped counting when she turned twenty-five. When she isn’t writing uproariously hilarious romantic comedies, she’s raising her womb-gremlin with the hopes that he might one day become the world’s first Supreme Leader.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

The Cowboy And His Christmas Rockstar by Kaci Rose

Posted: November 20, 2021 in giveaways, Holidays, Romance
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The Cowboy and His Christmas Rockstar

Rock Springs Texas Book 10

by Kaci Rose

Genre: Holiday Rockstar Romance

The cowboy who just took over his parent’s ranch. The rockstar who’s trying to lay low after a recent scandal. And a little small town match making.
One well placed photo and a lot of lies send me running to my sisters in the small town of Rock Springs, Texas to hide from the press for Christmas.
Too bad my sister’s plan includes the blind date from hell.
But my brother in law’s best friend comes to my rescue.
Ford is every bit the hard muscle cowboy.
Next thing I know he’s at my side for everything from the town’s secret Santa and Christmas shopping to the Winter Carnival.
It has to be my sister’s doing.
But when another record label calls me to talk via a little Christmas Magic the clock starts ticking.
Ford might be fine going with me to Nashville for a weekend but how will we survive a rock star’s schedule of tours, recording, and PR?
Then the real reason comes to light as to why I was used staged on those photos and it’s a doozy.
Santa do you have one last miracle for me?
Come meet the small town of Rock Springs Texas with a family that has your back, a town that knows your business, and men who love with everything they have.
This is a Steamy, Small Town, Rockstar, Christmas Romance. No Cliffhangers.
This is Book 10 in the Rock Springs Texas Series.
As always there is a satisfying Happy Ever After.
If you love steamy Christmas romances with insta love, hot love scenes, small towns, rockstars, and cowboys, then this one is for you.

Goodreads * Amazon

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Kaci runs on coffee, chocolate, and Oreos. She loves her book boyfriends with tattoos, muscles, beards, and a little dirty.

Kaci loves romance books and has been jotting down ideas since she was in high school and is now putting the ideas down on paper. She believes in satisfying, happily ever afters with a lot of steam on the way.

She was born and raised in Southwest Florida but is wholeheartedly a mountain girl. She has been reading as many books as she could get her hands on since grade school and loves to travel when she gets the chance.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads * TikTok

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Summer Storms by Thomas Grant Bruso

Posted: November 15, 2021 in giveaways, Romance
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Summer Storms organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Thomas Grant Bruso will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour and for more chances to win.

Summer Storms

by Thomas Grant Bruso

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Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Earl Layman is going stir-crazy. Secluded with the flu inside the four walls of his home and only the escape of his video games to help him through, Earl is struggling to keep his sanity.

That is until he notices the boy next door, seventeen-year-old Rex Chambers, raking leaves in the adjacent yard.

Earl’s summer is about to change. Before another torrential rainstorm hits the small upstate New York town of Betham County, they meet during an awkward cell phone exchange. As they start to connect through occasional texts, Earl and Rex enter the throes of adolescent lust.

In the early stages of forging a lasting connection, their family situations threaten to destroy all they are working for.

Enjoy this peek inside:

The walls of Earl’s bedroom rumbled from the vibrations of the motorcycle. Rex turned and waved. Earl lifted his hand and returned the favor, watching as Rex the Wonder Boy fled out of the yard into a string of traffic on Bauer Street.

A sharp knock on his door surprised Earl, parting the cobwebby thoughts building in his brain as Rex disappeared from his line of vision.

“Honey? May I come in?” his mother asked, poking her head inside his cluttered, smelly bedroom.

“Yeah.” He turned away from the window and looked up at the sweet expression on his mother’s face.

“You talking to someone? I thought I heard voices.”

Earl looked out the window at the neighbor’s empty backyard and shook his head, shuffled back into bed. “Just talking to myself.”

“Well, breakfast is ready.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat.”

Earl sighed. “What did you make today?”

“Chocolate chip pancakes. Your favorite.”

“Maybe,” he said, shrugging. “I’ll try some.”

“Are you feeling any better?”

“A little.”

She walked into the room and touched his forehead with the back of her hand. “You don’t feel as warm as you did yesterday.”

“I slept a lot.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to go back to school tomorrow?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“How about I fix you a plate and bring it up to you?”

“I’ll be down in a few minutes. I need to get out of this room.”

She stopped and stared, studying her son. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

Earl looked up from his cell phone and shook his head. “Nothing.”

Paula wagged a finger, went to the empty chair at his writing desk, and sat. “I know that look.”

“What look?”

“That faraway, disconnected gaze.”

He got up and walked to his closet. He stared at himself in the dusty mirror on the back of the door. “I didn’t realize that’s how I looked.”

“Trust me. You do. Mothers know.”

He padded back to his bed and plopped down. He sighed and stared up at the low, sloping ceiling.

“What’s on your mind?” Paula asked, giving him all her attention.

Earl glanced in her direction. “I don’t know why, but I was thinking about Shells and Uncle Fred.” He gestured to the photo album spread out across his ruffled video-game-printed bedsheets.

Paula fingered the album and stared down at the familiar faces of her family. “What made you think of Shells and Uncle Fred?”

“What else am I supposed to do in here all day?”

She smiled. “Come on. You can tell me. Why are Shells and Uncle Fred on your mind all of a sudden?” She tapped the leather-bound photo album.

“Something that you told me many years ago about the importance of loving and caring for others.” He shrugged. “I just miss Shells. She was a good cat.”

“I miss her too. She was a crazy cool cat.”

About Author Thomas Grant Bruso:

Thomas Grant Bruso knew at an early age he wanted to be a writer. He has been a voracious reader of genre fiction since he was a kid.

His literary inspirations are Jim Grimsley, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Karin Fossum, Joyce Carol Oates, and John Connolly.

Bruso loves animals, book-reading, writing fiction, prefers Sudoku to crossword puzzles.

In another life, he was a freelance writer and wrote for magazines and newspapers. In college, he was a winner of the Hermon H. Doh Sonnet Competition. Now, he writes book reviews for his hometown newspaper, The Press-Republican.

He lives in upstate New York.

Amazon / Goodreads / Instagram / Twitter

 

Buy links: Amazon / Ninestar Press / B&N

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Northern Necromancers: The Island Series ~ Novice Necromancer by Amy B. Nixon

Posted: November 7, 2021 in Dark Fantasy, giveaways, Romance
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Novice Necromancer

Northern Necromancers: The Island Book 1

by Amy B. Nixon

Genre: Romantic Dark Fantasy

Novice Necromancer is a revised edition of my discontinued book Nordstrøm Necromancer. It includes new content, sprinkled throughout the story.

Intrigue, monsters and a forbidden affair. What could go wrong?

Learyn Dustrikke didn’t believe in black magic, until her aunt’s secrets forced her to flee San Francisco and seek shelter on the ominous Nordstrøm Island – an obscure Norwegian holm uprooted from the realm Vanaheim.

Ensnared by the island’s magic, Learyn finds herself in deadlier peril than ever before.

Between juggling the principles of necromancy, waltzing with intrigue and monsters, and falling for a man whose love is forbidden by the gods, can Learyn untangle the web of family secrets before it’s too late? Or will the threat she fled from catch up with her?

Hop on a ride to cinematic lands of atavistic Norse mythology in this NA Dark Fantasy series, as Learyn learns why black magic should not be taken lightly.

(Disclaimer: Every book in the series contains swearing, deaths and occasional gore. The main characters are also featured in my other series Northern Necromancers: The Dragons.)

Goodreads * Amazon

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The excerpt features one profanity, but if you prefer to spare some language-sensitive bloggers, you can stylize it as “f-ck” (I did the same on Amazon to bypass Author Central’s restrictions, so I’m totally fine with that if you have to censor it). I also left line breaks above and below the paragraphs in Italics since they’re a scene during which the character has a vision of the future, and the Italics/ line breaks would make it less confusing for the bloggers.

 

“Miss Dustrikke, I’d like a word with you.”

Confused by his request, I waited for everyone to leave before I stepped onto the raised podium.

He studied me from head to toe with that pair of unnaturally light blue irises. Cold and intrusive, like an avalanche sliding across every inch of me. Hoar-frost scalded my guts. My heart dropped in my stomach with the weight of a glacier. Why did he always look so freakishly intimidating?

When his icy blues finally trailed back up, I barely prevented myself from squirming. And then the world unraveled around me.

 

I was standing in what was supposed to be a spacious hall, or at least it had been once before.

Erosion had struck the stony walls, demolishing them to nothing more than crumbled ruins. They laid bleak and barren in hues of fading grays. Jagged outlines of damaged columns spanned up to an open sky, devoid of stars. A pale crescent moon barely illuminated its onyx darkness, shedding light on a thinning haze.

My eyes darted down as I stepped onto something hard and uneven — a serrated piece, chipped off the marbled tiles. Disarrayed, aegean patterns covered the icy floor, like protrusive veins running under pale skin. Shudders slithered up my spine at the sight of hollow trunks and tarred roots, mere footsteps from where I stood. Those trees were dead. They shouldn’t have been able to break through the stone.

I navigated my way across the ruins carefully, diving deeper into the remains of a dead world.

Until it wasn’t dead anymore.

Eerie tones flew past my ears. A haunting rock ballad, coming from somewhere ahead. I braved the freezing temperatures and kept walking. A man and a woman, locked in a tight embrace, appeared out of the blue and spun around me. I barely caught a glimpse of their formal clothes before they disappeared. Just as I wondered if they had been some crazy mirage, another couple broke through the haze.

More and more people manifested before my shocked stare, all of whom were waltzing. Trying to tell mirages from reality, my eyes lingered on the formal suits and puffy dresses. Torn and battered, they revealed naked flesh. Rotten, flaky, decomposing flesh.

A horrified gasp ruptured my throat. The cloud of somber mist lured out my breath, robbing me of my fleeting warmth. A sinister thought rushed through my mind — the haze was sucking away my life, like it had sucked away theirs.

 

I panted, writhing like an aspen twig.

The haze had disappeared, as had the ruins and the waltzing corpses. I was standing back on that podium, facing Dann’s creepily intense stare.

“What the fuck was that?” I whispered, still trembling from the lingering aftertaste of what I had just experienced.

“What was what, exactly?”

“That! The ruins, corpses, music and… everything!”

His face hardened in an obscure grimace.

“You were there!” I pressed when he didn’t say anything. “You were there with me all the time!”

“I never stood from my chair, Miss Dustrikke, and you never left this room.”

My mouth fell open. I peeked over my shoulder to see nothing more than rows of tables and empty chairs, stacked neatly in their ascending formation. I could swear on the creator of the Python programming language, moments ago we had both been in that dreadful, gothic, post-apocalyptic excuse of a ruined hall.

Tearing my gaze off the empty room, I faced his stone-cold features.

Incorporeal blades raked through my spine while the waltzing corpses still glided through my head, possessing my thoughts with images of their rotten, festering flesh. Between the livid skin and the soul-sucking haze, his familiar presence had felt like the only factor that had prevented me from losing myself to the cold, ghastly darkness. Which was a paradox on its own, considering I didn’t even know him well, least of all trust him.

Still, why was he pretending nothing had happened?

“We both walked through those ruins.” Treacherous notes of desperation bled from my shaky voice. “You were right behind me.”

“As I said, neither of us left the room.”

So, I’d had… a hallucination, or something? A vision? Was it even possible? Did necromancers have visions? Omens? Predictions about the future? Past lives? What the hell was going on?

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Rampant Necromancer

Northern Necromancers: The Island Book 2

My life got freakier than a black metal music video. Ironic, since my blood runs with black magic.

Newbie necromancer Learyn Dustrikke quickly learned why leaving San Francisco and moving to a chunk of Vanaheim land nestled in Norway was a bad idea.

Nordstrøm Island is anything but the fairytale land she thought it would be. Murderers run rampant in broad daylight. Freshly deceased human flesh rots before her eyes. Wrongfully cast spells serve as a one-way ticket to a soulless eternity. And sneaking out means getting exposed to lethal forces, which are impervious even to necromancy.

The last things on Learyn’s mind are worrying about Dann’s eerie secrets or the furtive warnings of a mysterious dark elf. But in a world where reality is more terrifying than any nightmare, seeking love and friendship will cost her more than she’s prepared to lose.

And that’s just the calm before the storm…

Hop on a ride to mythical lands of ancient Norse mythology in this NA Dark Fantasy series, as Learyn learns why black magic should not be taken lightly.

(Disclaimer: Every book in the series contains swearing, deaths and occasional gore. You’ll also see some characters and events from my series Northern Necromancers: The Dragons.)

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Goodreads * Amazon

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Amy B. Nixon is a designer and columnist by day, an aspiring fiction author by night and a 24/7 caffeine addict.

When she’s not working or writing, Amy enjoys cooking, playing board games, taking roadtrips, shocking the people around her with dark humor, playing the piano and ruining group photos due to not being able to pose seriously for a proper picture.

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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Red Velvet Crinkles And Christmas Sprinkles by Maria Imbalzano

Posted: November 2, 2021 in giveaways, Holidays, Romance
Tags: , ,
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Red Velvet Crinkles And Christmas Sprinkles organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Maria Imbalzano will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter! And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour and for more chances to win.

Red Velvet Crinkles And Christmas Sprinkles

by Maria Imbalzano

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Red Velvet Crinkles and Christmas Sprinkles (Christmas Cookies) by [Maria Imbalzano]

Synopsis

Competitive, work-obsessed Bella Simonetti has just been fired from her high-paying job at a Manhattan law firm. At an all-time low, she returns home and helps her parents at their small-town gift shop, but the business is failing and may not make it past the Christmas holidays.

Successful landscape architect Dean Jackson is like a son to Bella’s parents. But he’s a persistent annoyance to her—he seems to have forgotten his unforgivable blunder thirteen years earlier.

When Bella transforms her parents’ gift shop into a cookie cottage, Dean’s generosity and magnetic smile are hard to resist, and those feelings of unrequited adolescent love come rushing back. But can Bella let go of the past and accept Dean for the man he is today?

Enjoy this peek inside:

There came that half-teasing, half-serious smile. To avoid it, she started pulling Christmas balls hung on red-and-green silk ribbons from the large box she’d brought out.

“I can help you hang those in the window. I hid the hooks above the molding last year so we don’t have to remove them every year.”

“Clever.” Her sarcastic tone couldn’t be mistaken.

“We’ll need a ladder,” he determined. “I’ll get it from the back, then you can hand me the balls, and I’ll attach them.”

She slitted her eyes at him. “I want to hang the balls. You can do something else.”

“Fine. But it takes two for this job. You don’t want to be going up and down the ladder each time you hang a ball. It’s inefficient.”

He had a point. She’d have to bury her reluctance to work with him at the risk of coming up with some other childish excuse.

Once Dean brought the ladder to the window, she climbed up three steps and took the first ball from him. Not a well-thought-out plan since her butt was now at his eye level.

“Can you stand over here, please?” She pointed to the other side of the ladder.

“It’s better if I stand behind you, to spot you. In case you lose your balance.” His grin emerged, and she gritted her teeth to prevent a growl.

About Author Maria Imbalzano:

Maria Imbalzano is a retired matrimonial lawyer who now writes full time. Instead of drafting motions, legal memoranda, and briefs, although fascinating, she now spends her days creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys through her contemporary romance novels.

Her novel, “Unchained Memories,” won the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Award and the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award. “Sworn to Forget,” the first of the four-book Sworn Sisters Series was a finalist for the illustrious RONE award as well as the Book Buyers Best Award. Her novellas, “The Blueberry Swirl Waltz” and “A Song For Another Day” each came in first in their category in the National Excellence in Story Telling contest.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Blog / Goodreads / Bookbub

Purchase Links: Amazon / B&N / Apple

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

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Shopping For A Turkey ~ A Romantic Comedy by Julia Kent

Posted: November 2, 2021 in comedy, giveaways, Romance
Tags: , ,
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Shopping for a Turkey
Julia Kent
Publication date: November 2nd 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

I don’t understand Americans.

Or, as we say in Scotland, I dinna understand ye eedjits.

And I definitely dinna understand the crazy mother-in-law of my cousin Declan. Who in their right mind names a wee dog Chuffy?

I’m stuck in New York after ma agent makes a bloody mess of an otherwise good endorsement contract for a sports towel company, and this crazy American holiday–Thanksgiving–is in two days.

The invitation to spend it in Mendon, Massachusetts, with the Jacoby family is about as appealing as rotten haggis. As far as I can tell, Thanksgiving is about stuffing yerself silly, watching pathetic American “football,” while fighting with relatives ye only see once a year.

If I wanted that last one, I’d head back to Scotland, where we dinna need a holiday to be salty to each other.

Ma firm answer is nae.

Until I remember Amy is part of the family.

Suddenly, I’m available.

Eager, even. Perhaps she’ll pull ma wishbone. I hear that’s part of the Turkey Day festivities, aye?

What I canna admit, though, is how she pulls ma heartstrings, too.

Which shouldna feel better than the wishbone, but it does.

And here comes Amy’s mother with another holiday tradition, this one a bit early.

A sprig o’ mistletoe, dangling right above Amy’s bonnie head.

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Shopping for a Turkey features Scottish football player Hamish McCormick and Amy Jacoby as they navigate unusual cultural norms, new traditions, and the undeniable attraction between these two characters, who have appeared as supporting players in Julia Kent’s New York Times-bestselling Shopping series.

It’s their turn to have their own all-new spinoff series. And to pull the wishbone.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Hamish

I’ve been to the Jacoby’s a number of times before, but I’ve never walked in to find a giant dead chicken on the kitchen counter, with Amy’s hand so far up its arse, it’s like she’s giving it a prostate exam.

“Careful. Ye touch the right spot and he’ll give ye a pearl necklace,” I joke as I set a half-case of wine on a different counter, along with a bag holding a small container of saffron, a mesh bag of shallots, and a hostess gift. The house smells like sautéed onions and yeasty bread, with a strong sage and thyme component to it. Unlike James’s house, the Jacoby residence is a home. Lived in and filled with people bonded to each other, with worn edges to objects.

And few edges on people.

Amy’s mouth forms an O of surprise. “This is its head, not its ass!”

“What’re you doing to the poor carcass?”

“Massaging olive oil into the inside before we put the stuffing in.”

“How big is that chicken?”

“It’s a turkey. And it’s twenty-four pounds. Why are you here so early?

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About Author Julia Kent

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 1.5 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 16 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French and German, with more titles releasing soon. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three children in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon / Newsletter

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Holiday Fake-Out ~ 22 Fake Holiday Dates To Heat Up The Season

Posted: October 9, 2021 in giveaways, Holidays, Romance
Tags: , ,
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Holiday Fake-Out: 22 Fake Holiday Dates To Heat Up The Season

by Heather Graham, Carmen Falcone, Victoria Pinder, Christine Glover, Ann Omasta, K.L. Brady, Michele De Winton, Kristin Wallace, Rossie Cortes, EmKay Conner, Jodi Linton, Melanie Rose Clarke, Lyz Kelley, Marcia King-Gamble, Brynn North, Cindy Redding, Kathleen Lawless, Laurel Greer, Dee J Holmes, Emma Lee Jayne, Cara Carnes, Kat Baxter and Kara Kendrick.

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Holiday Fake-out: 22 Fake Holiday Dates to Heat Up the Season
Holiday Contemporary Romance
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Love in a Book (October 19, 2021)
Number of Pages: 500
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08WM377B8

Need a date for the holidays? We’ve got you covered with 22 fake holidates to heat up your season!

Travel from small towns to cosmopolitan cities, snow covered mountains to gorgeous mansions. You’ll meet sexy billionaires, brainy tech gods, buff journalists, sinfully cocky athletes, and sizzling hot chefs. They’re naughty and nice (and everything in between) and they’re enough to fulfill any romantic fantasies.

 

These 22 swoon-worthy heroes are ready to be your *fake* plus-one at holiday events, from Christmas weddings to Chanukah and Kwanzaa celebrations. Each starts out as a charade, and though they might lie to family, friends, or co-workers, they won’t be able to fool themselves when a very real romance develops.

 

Escape into addictive tales of second chances, sweet new beginnings, secret crushes, friends to lovers, love triangles, and forbidden rendezvous. Throw in a mix of suspense, laughs, passion, and temptation, and your holidays are set.

 

PreOrder HOLIDAY FAKEOUT now to get the season started. The tingles, butterflies, and swoons brought on by these sweet and scorching stories will have you wondering which book boyfriend you should bring home for the holidays.

About some of the authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
(From Amazon)

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Purchase Links – Amazon – iTunes– KOBO– B&N– 99 Cents 

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 5 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

October 5 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

October 6 – Novels Alive – SPOTLIGHT

October 7 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

October 8 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

October 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

October 10 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – SPOTLIGHT

October 11 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 12 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT

October 12 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

October 13 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 13 – Laura’s Interests – SPOTLIGHT

October 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 14 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

October 15 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

October 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

October 16 – Ebook addicts – SPOTLIGHT

October 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 17 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT

October 18 – The Book’s the Thing – SPOTLIGHT

October 18 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Sin City Wolf: Hunt by January Bain

Posted: October 4, 2021 in giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, Romance
Tags: , , ,
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Hunt organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

January Bain will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter.

And be sure to click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Sin City Wolf: Hunt

by January Bain

Hunt (Sin City Wolf Book 2) by [January Bain]

Synopsis

To be chosen is everything.
Billionaires. Scholars. Relic hunters.
Alessandro and Maximus Luceres are a united force and dangerous wolves to cross. Members of the powerful House of Luceres, they have spent their lifetimes searching the world over for the Lupus Sanguis Chalice, the fabled wolf blood chalice reputed to save the life of a human bitten by a werewolf during the first full moon.

But never in all their travels did the twins expect to find their possible Forever Mate, much less discover the beautiful Trinity Wells to be in league with their sworn enemies, the nefarious House of Ribelle, who are seeking the precious chalice by any means necessary and want Trinity to mate with one of their own.

Shockingly, Trinity is bitten by a Nomad wolf, starting the clock ticking down to her possibly fatal transformation and making the discovery of the chalice all that more vital.

Will Trinity survive the change…and unite the pair of brothers rivaling to be her Forever Mates?

Check out this peek Inside:

Trinity Wells laid the four of spades atop the ace and six of clubs, adopting an innocent and surprised expression. The male dealer frowned, unhappy that she’d beaten him yet again. All a card counter required was an eidetic memory and a family screaming at her to bring home the goods and they, too, would win as many hands of blackjack as humanly possible.

Maybe they can also earn a nickname. Not that The Chameleon was negative, more like appropriate considering the many appearances of Trinity, all devised from a one single suitcase stuffed with useful disguises. But then wasn’t everyone something of a chameleon, as John Locke suggested in Some Thoughts Concerning Education? We take our hue and the color of our moral character, from those who are around us.

There was nothing Trinity enjoyed more than a wise quote. She sprinkled her life and her research notes with them, trying to make sense of the world and the people in inhabiting it, especially her family. Her stomach tightened with thoughts of that complicated relationship. A childhood that had guilted her to the point she pretty much let them run amok over her needs. But what else was there to do?

Her parents had been there for her when no one else had been, had kept her from being driven crazy by her growing abilities when her brain couldn’t seem to shut itself off, taunting her day and night with thoughts and ideas. Making peace with her abilities had not come easily and as a small child she’d been certain that men in white coats would come for her, haul her away and lock her up tight in some dismal prison. Her parents had saved her from that. Kept her safe. And now I owe them big time.

She gathered up her chips and, tossing the dealer one, turned to make her escape. Never get greedy and take too many hands in any one place. Though her luck was better than average at the Glitter Palace—always a plus no matter how brilliant one was at counting cards—there was no point in pushing it.

“Miss, you need to come with us,” a security guard said, his face inscrutable, laying his hand with authority on her shoulder. He was a sturdy guy with wide shoulders and a well practiced ready-for-any-kind-of-action look.

About Author January Bain:

January Bain has wished on every falling star, every blown-out birthday candle, and every coin thrown in a fountain to be a storyteller. To share the tales of high adventure, mysteries, and fast-paced thrillers she has dreamed of all her life. The story you now have in your hands is the compilation of a lot of things manifesting itself for this special series. Hundreds of hours spent researching the unusual and the mundane have come together to create a series that features strong women who don’t take life too seriously, wild adventures full of twists and unforeseen turns, and hot complicated men who aren’t afraid to take risks.

If you are looking for January Bain, you can find her hard at work every morning without fail in her office with two furry babies trying to prove who does a better job of guarding the doorway. And, of course, she’s married to the most romantic man! Who once famously remarked to her inquiry about buying fresh flowers for their home every week, “Give me one good reason why not?” Leaving her speechless and knocking her head against the proverbial wall for being so darn foolish. She loves flowers.

If you wish to connect in the virtual world she is easily found on Facebook, twitter and writes a weekly blog about her journey on Blogger. Oh, and she loves to talk books…

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Amazon

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GIVEAWAY

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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