The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman #5stars #fiction #bookreview @suzyapbooktours @ellenmariewise

About The Book:

Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary—awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears—seemed to need more protection from the world.

Six years after Rosemary’s death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage’s stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn’t die. She was committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until just a few days ago, when she went missing.

Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It’s always been a place shrouded by rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. With no idea what to expect, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, determined to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways she never could imagined . . .

Review

Sage has just discovered her twin sister is missing. She has thought for years that her twin, Rosemary, died. But Sage has now discovered her mother placed her in Willowbrook School and kept it a secret from Sage. Well, Sage is going to help. She tells no one she is leaving to go help with the search of her sister. Little does Sage know, but this is going to turn into a nightmare.

Sage is mistaken for her missing twin Rosemary and she is committed to Willowbrook herself. All her efforts fail to convince the powers that be that she is, in fact, Sage. But, what she discovers is a nightmare. The residents are living in inhumane conditions and neglect. Sage is powerless.

This book wore me out. Talk about intense! I just kept reading faster and faster…I had to get Sage out of danger! And to know this is based on a real place…You can read about it here. I cannot fathom! I do not understand how people can mistreat other people to this extent.

This is a book you will not soon forget! Sage’s difficult situation just kept getting worse as the story went on. You finally think she is out of the woods…but life turns on a dime and she is back in a mess!

Need a book you can’t put down…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

About The Author:

A first-generation German American, Ellen Marie Wiseman discovered her love of reading and writing while attending first grade in one of the last one-room schoolhouses in NYS. She is a New York Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into twenty languages. Her debut novel, THE PLUM TREE, is loosely based on her mother’s stories about growing up in Germany during the chaos of WWII. Bookbub named THE PLUM TREE One of Thirteen Books To Read if You Loved ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. Ellen’s second novel, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND, was named a Huffington Post Best Books of Summer 2015. Her third novel, COAL RIVER, was called “one of the most “unputdownable” books of 2015″ by The Historical Novel Review. THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN, was named A GREAT GROUP READS Selection of the Women’s National Book Association and National Reading Group Month and a Goodreads Best Book of the Month. THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR was an instant New York Times Bestseller. Ellen lives on the shores of Lake Ontario with her husband and a spoiled Shih-tzu named Izzy. When she’s not busy writing, she loves spending time with her children and grandchildren. https://ellenmariewiseman.com/

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllenMarieWisemanAuthor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ellenmariewiseman

Twitter: @EllenMarieWise

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August Escapes and Escapades #wrapup #augustwrap #5starreads #escapesandescapades

I hope everyone had a fabulous August. I am so ready for fall. And that is usually not the case. I am all about the summer. But this summer has been ridiculous. HOT 🥵!

We didn’t do a whole lot this month. We did go to the FedEx golf tournament in Memphis. Husband is a fan…I took my book!

Now on to the ESCAPES!

The Codebreaker’s Secret
Stay Awake
The Last of the Seven
Listening Well
Anticipation
Becoming Family
The Making of Her
Paradise Girls
Fox Creek
The Witches of Moonshyne Manor
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
Please Join Us
Daisy Darker
Midnight on the Marne

I also finished these books below…so stay tuned!

I also want to ask y’all to check out my TikTok channel! I need all the help I can get 😂😂😂😉😉

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRPhSwyA/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRPhLtJT/

Check them out…like and share!

Now…what did you read and enjoy!

Inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Midnight on the Marne by Sara Adlakha @sarahadlakha @suzyapbooktours #bookreview #fiction #historicalfiction

Overview

France, 1918. Nurse Marcelle Marchand has important secrets to keep. Her role as a spy has made her both feared and revered, but it has also put her in extreme danger from the approaching German army.

American soldier George Mountcastle feels an instant connection to the young nurse. But in times of war, love must wait. Soon, George and his best friend Philip are 

fighting for their lives during the Second Battle of the Marne, where George prevents Philip from a daring act that might have won the battle at the cost of his own life.

On the run from a victorious Germany, George and Marcelle begin a new life with Philip and Marcelle’s twin sister, Rosalie, in a brutally occupied France. Together, this self-made family navigates oppression, near starvation, and unfathomable loss, finding love and joy in unexpected moments.

Years pass, and tragedy strikes, sending George on a course that could change the past and rewrite history. Playing with time is a tricky thing. If he chooses to alter history, he will surely change his own future—and perhaps not for the better.

Review

Marcelle is a nurse during the war but she is also a spy. She ends up meeting an American soldier, George. These two create a life together but as the war moves along thing change drastically and tragedy strikes.

This novel is told in several different time periods. It begins with Marcelle as an older woman and she comes across a diary and this takes her back to a past she thought long forgotten.

I have not read too many WWI books so this was a nice change of pace. I loved Marcelle. Talk about someone who can keep a secret and never gives up…It is this woman right here! When she meets her American soldier, George, he is immediately taken with her. These two really change the course of many lives. And yes! You will need to read this to find out exactly what I am talking about. It is a twist in this novel I never saw coming!

Need a great story about WWI…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

About The Author:

Sarah Adlakha is a native of Chicago who now lives along the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her husband, three daughters, two horses, and one dog. She started writing fiction shortly after retiring from her psychiatry practice. Her debut novel, She Wouldn’t Change a Thing, was a CNN most anticipated book of 2021. Midnight on the Marne is her second novel. Www.Sarahadlakha.com

Social Media: 

Instagram : https://instagram.com/sarahadlakha

Twitter: @sarahadlakha

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adlakhabooks/

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Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney @macmillanaudio #thriller #fiction #5stars

Overview

This program is read by longtime narrator Stephanie Racine who has voiced numerous New York Times, U.S. and U.K. bestselling audiobooks.

Author Alice Feeney reads the acknowledgments on this program.

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder.

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave listeners reeling.

“Wow! Echoes of Christie’s And Then There Were None but turned into something wonderfully original and wrapped in a genuinely creepy dysfunctional family fairy-tale of a novel, this takes Feeney to the next level. I LOVED IT!”

Review

Daisy Darker’s whole family is finally coming together. They are all headed to the Cornish Coast to stay at Sea Glass. Sea Glass is Daisy’s grandmother’s home. Daisy and her sisters spent a lot of time here growing up. She is hoping fences will be mended and all will be well. But, when the tide comes in and they are all trapped for 8 hours, people start dying and then the secrets start to come to light!

Y’ALL! I loved this book! The creepy house on a cliff, the horrible family members and all the secrets set a stage for a huge family drama! I felt like I was in the middle of a clue game with a candlestick!

This book is so well written and so dang sneaky! When the twist started to happen…and yes it kind of happened in sections, I almost had to pull my car over and catch my breath. Then, there are so many phrases that resonated with me because the characters are so good! And for me to catch that in an audiobook…KUDOS TO ALICE FENNEY!

This narrator, Stephanie Racine, IS AMAZING! I looked through all her books and I am not sure if I have listened to her before. She is now my top narrator of all time!

Need a story which is has a twist you won’t believe…THIS IS IT! Run! Don’t walk! Get this today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Purchase Here

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Amazon

BookBub

Chirp

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The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford #fiction #bookreview @atriabooks

Overview

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

“One of the most beautiful books of motherhood and what we pass on to those that come after us.” —Jenna Bush Hager, Today

The New York Times bestselling author of the “mesmerizing and evocative” (Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet returns with a powerful exploration of the love that binds one family across the generations.

Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living.

As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.

Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: Faye Moy, a nurse in China serving with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, a student in England at a famous school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl quarantined in San Francisco during a plague epidemic; Greta Moy, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America.

As painful recollections affect her present life, Dorothy discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy endeavors to break the cycle of pain and abandonment, to finally find peace for her daughter, and gain the love that has long been waiting, knowing she may pay the ultimate price.

Review

Afong Moy was the first Chinese person to be brought to the USA. Dorothy, the poet laureate of Washington, is experiencing severe bouts of depression and she seeks help. She discovers some past regressions from a previous life or rather from a previous relative, Afong Moy. And this leads to many discoveries about herself and possibly a past life lover.

This story follows several characters through several time periods. Some time periods were more interesting than others. But all the characters are related through one person, Afong Moy. And what they are experiencing in their lives all go back to her.

I fluctuated between 3 and 4 stars. I ended up giving this book 4 stars based on originality and uniqueness. Plus, this book had me researching Afong Moy. And yes she did exist! So, this story is very unique in its premise. It is just slow in places.

Need a good book which will have you reflecting on your life…THIS IS IT! GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!

I received this novel from the publisher for an honest opinion.

Purchase Here

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The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marias #fiction #bookreview

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor

Bianca Marais

On Sale Date: August 23, 2022

9780778386995, 0778386996

Trade Paperback

$16.99 USD, $24.99 CAD

Fiction / Magical Realism

400 pages

About the Book:

A coven of modern-day witches. A magical heist-gone-wrong. A looming threat.

Five octogenarian witches gather as an angry mob threatens to demolish Moonshyne Manor. All eyes turn to the witch in charge, Queenie, who confesses they’ve fallen far behind on their mortgage payments. Still, there’s hope, since the imminent return of Ruby—one of the sisterhood who’s been gone for thirty-three years—will surely be their salvation.

But the mob is only the start of their troubles. One man is hellbent on avenging his family for the theft of a legacy he claims was rightfully his. In an act of desperation, Queenie makes a bargain with an evil far more powerful than anything they’ve ever faced. Then things take a turn for the worse when Ruby’s homecoming reveals a seemingly insurmountable obstacle instead of the solution to all their problems.

The witches are determined to save their home and themselves, but their aging powers are no match for increasingly malicious threats. Thankfully, they get a bit of help from Persephone, a feisty TikToker eager to smash the patriarchy. As the deadline to save the manor approaches, fractures among the sisterhood are revealed, and long-held secrets are exposed, culminating in a fiery confrontation with their enemies.

Funny, tender and uplifting, the novel explores the formidable power that can be discovered in aging, found family and unlikely friendships. Marais’ clever prose offers as much laughter as insight, delving deeply into feminism, identity and power dynamics while stirring up intrigue and drama through secrets, lies and sex. Heartbreaking and heart-mending, it will make you grateful for the amazing women in your life.

Review

A mob is coming after Moonshyne Manor. The mayor and the city members want to tear it down for commercial real estate. But, the coven of witches that live there are not giving up easily. This is their home and they will fight till the death…oops…it may come down to that in the end!

This book started strong and had me laughing out loud. It did slow down a bit in the middle and could have been a good bit shorter. But, I found it creative and engaging, especially where Persephone is concerned. I mean…she has a dog named Ruth Bader Ginsburg for goodness sakes! It goes around with a crocheted collar. What’s not to love!?!

This is more than fun novel…it is that, but it touches on a lot of todays issues. So, it has some serious situations which just add to this fantastical tale.

Need a good story about friendship with strong feminist feelings which will have you laughing out loud…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

About the Author:

Bianca Marais cohosts the popular podcast The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing, aimed at emerging writers. She was named the winner of the Excellence in Teaching Award for Creative Writing at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies in 2021. She is the author of two novels, Hum If You Don’t Know the Words and If You Want to Make God Laugh, as well as the Audible Original The Prynne Viper. She lives in Toronto with her husband and fur babies.

Social Links:

Author website: https://www.biancamarais.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biancamaraisauthor 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/biancam_author/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ 

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Witches-Moonshyne-Manor-witchy-rom-com/dp/0778386996/ 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-witches-of-moonshyne-manor-bianca-marais/1141674843?ean=9780778386995 

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/books/the-witches-of-moonshyne-manor/9780778386995 

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780778386995 

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778386995 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-witches-of-moonshyne-manor 

AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-witches-of-moonshyne-manor/id1609763913 

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Bianca_Marais_The_Witches_of_Moonshyne_Manor?id=WKteEAAAQBAJ 

Libro.FM: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781488215506-the-witches-of-moonshyne-manor 

Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-witches-of-moonshyne-manor/9780778333920-item.html 

Target: https://www.target.com/p/the-witches-of-moonshyne-manor-by-bianca-marais-paperback/-/A-85998293

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Fox Creek by William Kent Kreuger #bookreview #fiction #bookseries @atriabooks

Overview

The latest in the New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor Mystery Series from the “master storyteller” (Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author) follows Cork in a race against time to save his wife, a mysterious stranger, and an Ojibwe healer from bloodthirsty mercenaries.

The ancient Ojibwe healer Henry Meloux has had a vision of his death. As he walks the Northwoods in solitude, he tries to prepare himself peacefully for the end of his long life. But peace is destined to elude him as hunters fill the woods seeking a woman named Dolores Morriseau, a stranger who had come to the healer for shelter and the gift of his wisdom.

Meloux guides this stranger and his great niece, Cork O’Connor’s wife, to safety deep into the Boundary Waters, his home for more than a century. On the last journey he may ever take into this beloved land, Meloux must do his best to outwit the deadly mercenaries who follow.

Meanwhile, in Aurora, Cork works feverishly to identify the hunters and the reason for their relentless pursuit, but he has little to go on. Desperate, Cork begins tracking the killers but his own skills as a hunter are severely tested by nightfall and a late season snowstorm. He knows only too well that with each passing hour time is running out. But his fiercest enemy in this deadly game of cat and mouse may well be his own deep self-doubt about his ability to save those he loves.

From “an author who never disappoints” (Bookreporter), this is another gripping and richly told addition to a masterful series.

Review

Henry is preparing for the end of his life. But, as usual, life throws a curve ball and Henry ends up protecting a woman on the run and Cork must do everything in his power to find out why someone is chasing this woman. This could have deadly outcome if Cork does not succeed.

Henry is one of my favorite characters in any series. He ranks right up there with Agent Pendergast. Henry is as old as dirt and everyone in the whole novel expects him to die any day. But, Henry being Henry, continues to show everyone his strength and his Indian ways…and these are not to be laughed at.

This story had me guessing which way it was going to go! And believe me, it could have gone many different directions. I love a story which twists around and leads the reader on a merry chase! And this one definitely does that!

This is number 18 or 19 in the Cork O’Conner series. Amazon has it at 19, Goodreads has it as 18. When you get this many…it may be time to stop. And I really believe that is why I only gave this 4 stars. I absolutely love this author. And no, I have not even come close to reading all these in this series. But, I am already kinda of tired of them. But, I guess if it’s selling books for this author he will continue to keep this series alive.

Need a good mystery/thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Purchase Here

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Amazon

And yes…I met him at Book Expo several years ago…I miss book expo…anyway…he was such a super nice man!

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Paradise Girls by Sandy Gingras @macmillanaudio @stmartinspress #fiction #bookreview #audiobook #audiblebook

Overview

Sandy Gingras’s Paradise Girls features a broken engagement. A ruined vacation in paradise. One adorable little girl. The perfect recipe for the chance of a lifetime…

It’s Christmas time, and Mary Valley is in a funk. She’s a writer for home magazines, but she’s lost touch with what home means. Her life seems meaningless. The last house she wrote about was a gazillion-dollar mansion with a moat! Plus, she’s estranged from her daughter, CC, and granddaughter, Larkin, and mired in a dead-end relationship with her boss.

Daniel is a man adrift since his son Timmy was killed in Afghanistan. He’s living on a houseboat in Florida with Timmy’s three-legged dog, Tripod, and taking tourists out on fishing charters. But his life is on the edge. He’s painting his houseboat black, and he can’t stop thinking about “getting lost at sea.”

When Mary’s boss tells her he’s spending Christmas with his ex, she books a trip with her family to The Low Key Inn, a hotel on the edge of the Everglades. But things go wrong from the get-go. CC bails out of the vacation, and Mary is stuck with an unhappy Larkin. The hotel is dated and down on its luck, and perhaps its owner is a witch. Then Mary meets Daniel, casts a hook into his head and wrecks his boat.

This is the story of how wounded people can help each other heal, how lost people can help each other find their way home. How life can become a love story….

Review

Mary has just broken up with her boyfriend and has decided to run away to a well deserved vacation. She ends up taking her young granddaughter with her after her daughter backs out at the last minute. Things just go down hill from there. She wrecks a boat, she loses her wallet…just to name a few.

Mary is a character I wanted to slap most of the time. She is very wishy washy and will not stand up for herself. She just takes and takes and takes, especially from her daughter and her boyfriend. Enter Daniel! Daniel is a fabulous character with a 3 legged dog named Tripod (not original at all 🤦🏻‍♀️). Daniel is struggling with his own issues but he can’t help but feel a connection with Mary.

Quite a few eye roll moments in this read. Now, I did finish it. I might not have if I had been reading it physically. But, I have more patience with a book if I am listening to it. No idea why!

I am definitely in the minority on my review of this read. And usually I love these types of books. But, this one just didn’t sit well with me. I almost gave it 2 stars. However, I did like several of the characters and the setting is perfect. An old, outdated hotel by the Everglades…I can just picture some of the decor!

Now, don’t let my review stop you from trying this book, especially if it is your genre. This novel definitely has a few perks.

Need a book with a great setting and an adorable dog…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Purchase Here

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The Shadow After Sunset by Aaron Baker #bookspotlight @tsasbook

Overview

I guess it was arrogant to think myself so much smarter than the people of the past, that observable reality is all there is. That’s a lot easier to handle. Now the bliss of ignorance is gone.”

Travis and Alyssa Barnes are a typical suburban couple, trying to find happiness in the life they’ve created for themselves. However, recent events, coupled with their unwillingness to face the ugly truth of their relationship, has driven a deep divide into their idyllic marriage. When they come into the possession of a mysterious mask, their world is flung into a whole new level of turmoil. The secrets hidden behind the mask, as well as the ghostly figure tied to it, send the couple into a spiral of the unknown. Recorded through their personal journals, follow Alyssa and Travis on their terrifying fight to save their relationship and their reality as both begin the quick descent into madness.

Purchase Here

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The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa #5starread #fiction #bookreview @penquinrandom

Overview

An unforgettable debut novel about family secrets, falling apart, and coming together.

Dublin 1996. Joan Egan lives an enviable life. She and her husband, Martin, and daughter, Carmel, are thriving in Dublin at the dawn of an economic boom. But everything changes when Joan receives a letter from Emma, the daughter who she and Martin gave up for adoption thirty years before, asking for a life-or-death favor.

While Joan grapples with the guilt over giving up her baby long ago, she must confront her present as the cracks in her marriage become impossible to ignore and simmering tension with Carmel boils over. Meanwhile, Carmel and Emma must come to terms with the perceived sins of their mother, to imagine a future for their family before it is too late.

Spanning the nineties and the sixties, with Dublin as its backdrop, The Making of Her is the tender and page-turning story of marriage, motherhood, a culture that would not allow a woman to find true happiness—and her journey to finally claim it.

Review

Joan has a secret. One she wishes she never kept. But, because of her situation, she felt it was better for everyone. However, as her life moves along and she gets older, she realizes she has made a terrible mistake. She is not sure if she can ever correct it or make amends for it. Due to a circumstance beyond her control, she just might get the opportunity to at least try and make it better. She knows she can never make it right but she just might have the chance to help every one heal from her terrible decision.

Joan definitely comes into her own as this story moves along. And I wanted to slap her husband and her mother-in-law so many times. And yes, I know quite a few people like that. I mean, GOD FORBID, that you do not come across as perfect. So, let’s damage everyone’s life to make sure yours is spotless. Can you tell this book elicited major reactions for me! That’s the sign of a good book!

The premise of this book has been used numerous times. But, it is never boring. And I love the way this author used this plot to create strong female characters, especially one which is a late bloomer. But when she decided to roar…she ROARED!

This is a captivating tale full of hurt, pain, love and healing.

Need just an all around great read…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Purchase Here

Amazon

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