BLOG TOUR: The General's Wife - Suzanne Dana

 

Some secrets don't stay buried, even beneath military honors

Margaret Stone appears to be the perfect military spouse—supportive, resilient, and respected as the wife of Brigadier General George "Rocky" Stone. But beneath her carefully composed exterior lies a past shadowed by tragedy and one fateful night that could destroy everything she's built.

When a blackmail letter signed "Swimbuddy1980" arrives, Margaret is forced to confront the truth about what really happened during a late-night swim at Coronado Beach nearly thirty years ago. As the threats escalate and her husband faces a career-defining deployment to Afghanistan, Margaret must navigate the complex loyalties of military life while fighting to protect the life she's crafted from the ashes of her troubled youth.

From a San Diego tattoo parlor to the formality of Marine Corps ceremonies, Margaret's journey reveals the resilience of the human spirit and the unique bonds forged through shared sacrifice in the military community.

In this compelling narrative of love, betrayal, and redemption, one woman discovers that while the past shapes us, it need not define us—and that true strength comes from facing the most painful truths of all.

What did I think?

The General's Wife is a wonderful debut novel that gives the reader a glance into US military life from a side you don't often see: that of the wives and partners.  The armed forces have such an important and difficult job but so do those they leave behind when they're deployed.

With reference to a secret in chapter one, I was immediately drawn into the story and just had to find out what was haunting Maggie from her past.  Maggie is a Brigadier General's wife and any scandal would be a detriment to his career progression.  That's why Maggie agrees to pay a blackmailer to keep her secret hidden but this means that she is hiding something else from her husband.

The secret is revealed to the reader through flashbacks to Maggie's youth and it broke my heart to see Maggie carrying this burden for so many years.  Secrets can fester if you try to bury them and it's true what they say about a problem shared but Maggie is terrified of the consequences and she doesn't know who she can trust.

I love secrets in a novel so I was hooked from the start and as much as I wanted to know what the secret was I was enjoying the whole story of Maggie's life, both past and present, just as much.  Maggie is such a strong character that I really came to care about her and she would definitely give us Brits a run for our money in the stiff upper lip stakes.

Completely captivating and incredibly intriguing, The General's Wife is filled with love, honour and respect.  It's a riveting story and it's so beautifully written that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

I received a gifted paperback for the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

Suzanne Dana is both a general’s daughter and a general’s wife. She graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in journalism and a secondary education credential in English. As a general’s wife, she moved nineteen times and supported her husband through eight deployments, including those to Iraq and Afghanistan. She currently sits on the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation board as an Adjunct Director. She enjoys photography, travel, water sports, and volunteering at a local women’s shelter. She resides in Arizona with her husband. 

The General’s Wife is her debut novel.

Social Media Links – 

Website: http://suzannemdana.com/

Facebook: suzannemdana

Instagram: @authorsuzannedana

Giveaway:

Giveaway to Win 10 x signed copies of The General’s Wife (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Win 10 x signed copies of The General’s Wife (Open INT)

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JACK JORDAN BLOGATHON: Conviction

The next book on the Compulsive Readers Jack Jordan blogathon is Conviction!

For my stop on the tour I am resharing my review and if you haven't read Conviction yet I can't recommend it highly enough.

TO STEAL A MAN'S FREEDOM ALL IT TAKES IS . . . CONVICTION

Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept before burning the family home to the ground. 

 

When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could be the career making case she’s been waiting for. But only if she can prove Wade’s innocence. 

A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must lose this case or the secret about her own husband’s disappearance will be revealed.

 

Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about until she follows orders.

 

Neve must make a choice – betray every principle she has ever had by putting a potentially innocent man in prison, or risk putting those she loves in mortal danger.

 

What did I think?

Conviction is the book that everyone is talking about and rightly so as it's another corker from The Master of the Moral Dilemma, Jack Jordan.  Miss this one at your peril; it's an absolute must read.

I love a good courtroom drama and this is a cracker as you actually feel as if you're judge and jury, sifting through evidence and deciding 'Guilty' or 'Not Guilty'.  I must have changed my mind a hundred times as the twists and turns of the trial played out.  Of course, this is a Jack Jordan book so there can't just be one hook...the defence barrister is being blackmailed into throwing the trial, which is a moral dilemma and a half.  

The plotting is razor sharp, the writing is flawless and the author continues to showcase his limitless talent, so I don't have to be Mystic Meg to predict that this book is going to be HUGE.  I am completely in awe of Jack Jordan's amazing writing and his imagination knows no bounds.  So, is Wade Darling guilty or not guilty?  You'll just need to read the book to find out!

Gripping, fast-paced and super-twisty, Conviction is absolutely brilliant and it's easily going to be one of my books of the year.  Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down.  Very highly recommended.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. After selling at auction in the UK and numerous foreign territories, Do No Harm is set to be the thriller of the summer in 2022. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it…

Follow Jack on social media:

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Instagram: @jackjordan_author

Facebook: @JackJordanOfficial

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BLOG TOUR: The Grass Widow - Vanessa Edwards

Ditched by her married lover Hugh on the day she was made redundant, Leonie plans to make life difficult for Hugh while she searches for a new job. She inveigles her way into his house as a cleaner, intending to plant fake clues to his new liaison for his wife Amanda to find. But instead she discovers real clues to Amanda’s secrets.

Meanwhile, fellow cleaners Brenda and Tina also have hidden agendas as they work: Brenda is counting on a spot of blackmail and Tina is looking for financial information to sell to her dodgy brother-in-law.

At the centre of this web is Amanda’s gardener Simon: handsome, ruthless and plausible, with a shady past and lofty ambitions.

A death in an apparent accident arouses Leonie’s suspicions. Can she put aside her animosity towards Amanda and use her impressive – if sometimes unorthodox – investigative skills to find the truth before someone else dies?

 

What did I think?

The Grass Widow is a book that is filled with secrets, blackmail and plans for revenge.  Nobody is who they seem and it it feels like everyone is being played; even the players are being played and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see who would be left standing at the end.

Leonie's life fell apart when her affair with a co-worker ended and she found herself single and out of work.  Leonie is not going to go down without a fight and plans to take Hugh down with her so she poses as a cleaner to get into his house and plant evidence of his infidelity for his wife Amanda to find.  Leonie's conscience gets the better of her when she starts to uncover Amanda's secrets and an unlikely alliance is formed.

Oh this book just keeps on revealing secrets with every turn of the page and the intricately woven plot keeps the reader on their toes.  There is so much going on with every character hiding something and the fast-paced storyline twisted and turned right up to the outstanding conclusion.

Gripping and suspenseful from start to finish, The Grass Widow is an intelligent and unpredictable novel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Vanessa is a solicitor specialising in EU law who has worked in private practice in London and Brussels and for the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

After taking early retirement from the legal profession she turned her hand to fiction.

She lives in Hampstead and likes wine, walking and music of many sorts. And of course reading and writing.

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BLOG TOUR: The Deception - Maureen Myant

Her past was a lie. Dare she uncover the truth?

When Kate’s mother dies, a man turns up at the funeral claiming to be her uncle. Kate is mystified; her mother was an only child. She agrees to meet him but when she tells him more about herself, he disappears. It’s best to forget him and get on with the business of grieving but when she finds her own death certificate, she realises she can’t let it drop. Besides, there are the threatening phone calls and messages to her mother to consider…

Four hundred miles away in Glasgow, DI Alex Scrimgeour is haunted by memories of past crimes. Is he responsible for a miscarriage of justice? He’s already worried when Kate contacts him with her story. If she is who she thinks she is, it could ruin his entire career. Despite their mutual antipathy, only by working together will they understand the past and finally put old ghosts to rest. 

What did I think?

Absolutely brilliant!  That's how I'd describe The Deception in two words and those are the exact words I uttered when I turned the final page.  I thought Maureen Myant's previous novel, The Confession, was good but The Deception has the wow factor, in my opinion.

I loved virtually meeting up again with Alex Scrimgeour and Mark Nicholson, who we met in The Confession, but The Deception is a complete standalone novel as it's just the characters who link the two books.  Scrimgeour takes a front seat as we find out more about his past, both personal and professional.

It gave me goose bumps when Kate finds her own death certificate after her mother's death.  Not only that, but her mother appears to have been threatened with exposing her terrible secret - oh I love secrets, the darker the better!  Kate is naturally upset but she's determined to get to the bottom of who she really is...even if that means exposing a miscarriage of justice.  Scrimgeour was certain that he put the right man away until Kate's appearance throws that in doubt.

With more hooks than in a fisherman's tackle box, The Deception is a veritable page-turner and a completely unmissable novel.  I couldn't put it down and I can't recommend it highly enough.  I can't wait to see what Maureen Myant writes next, although she's set the bar pretty high with The Deception.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Hobeck Books

Amazon

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Conviction - Jack Jordan

TO STEAL A MAN'S FREEDOM ALL IT TAKES IS . . . CONVICTION

Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept before burning the family home to the ground. 

 

When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could be the career making case she’s been waiting for. But only if she can prove Wade’s innocence. 

A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must lose this case or the secret about her own husband’s disappearance will be revealed.

 

Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about until she follows orders.

 

Neve must make a choice – betray every principle she has ever had by putting a potentially innocent man in prison, or risk putting those she loves in mortal danger.

 

What did I think?

Conviction is the book that everyone is talking about and rightly so as it's another corker from The Master of the Moral Dilemma, Jack Jordan.  Miss this one at your peril; it's an absolute must read.

I love a good courtroom drama and this is a cracker as you actually feel as if you're judge and jury, sifting through evidence and deciding 'Guilty' or 'Not Guilty'.  I must have changed my mind a hundred times as the twists and turns of the trial played out.  Of course, this is a Jack Jordan book so there can't just be one hook...the defence barrister is being blackmailed into throwing the trial, which is a moral dilemma and a half.  

The plotting is razor sharp, the writing is flawless and the author continues to showcase his limitless talent, so I don't have to be Mystic Meg to predict that this book is going to be HUGE.  I am completely in awe of Jack Jordan's amazing writing and his imagination knows no bounds.  So, is Wade Darling guilty or not guilty?  You'll just need to read the book to find out!

Gripping, fast-paced and super-twisty, Conviction is absolutely brilliant and it's easily going to be one of my books of the year.  Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down.  Very highly recommended.

I received a hardback copy for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Hostage - Clare Mackintosh

Save hundreds of lives. Or save your child?

You're on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney. It's a landmark journey, and the world is watching.

Shortly after take-off, you receive a chilling anonymous note.

There are people on this plane intent on bringing it down - and you're the key to their plan.

You'd never help them, even if your life depended on it.

But they have your daughter . . . So now you have to choose.

DO YOU SAVE HUNDREDS OF LIVES? OR THE ONE THAT MATTERS MOST?

 

What did I think?

WOW! What a book!  This is one of those books where I want to tell you to stop reading my review and just buy the book now - it's THAT good.  So for anyone still with me, I'll try to sum up my thoughts of a book that left me completely speechless (and incredibly tired as I really couldn't put it down).

The moment I opened this book, I knew I was going to be hooked.  The prologue is an emergency call transcript that is so chilling it made all of the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.  It haunted me throughout the book and I couldn't read fast enough to get to that point but also felt terrified of reaching it.

Mina is in the middle of a marriage breakdown so she signs up to be a flight attendant on the first ever non-stop flight from London to Sydney, even though this means she will be separated from her daughter Sophia for several days.  Someone on the plane knows all about Sophia and they're banking on Mina being willing to do anything to keep her safe.  Can Mina really sentence hundreds of people to death just to save one life?  That's all I'm going to say about the outstanding plot that kept me reading late into the night.

There is a lot going on behind the scenes of Mina's life and I was very intrigued as to how she ended up becoming a flight attendant.  Clare Mackintosh very cleverly weaves a story into the main thread that shows we can be physically held hostage but also metaphorically held hostage to our past.  This felt like a pearl of wisdom from the Dalai Lama; how often do we hark back to something we wish we'd said or done differently?  Let it go!  It's holding you hostage.

Claire Mackintosh scoops all the stars as well as all the adjectives in her exceptional new novel.  Hostage is breathtaking, jawdropping, awesome, stunning, gripping and terrifying; it's an absolute must read and very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of five Sunday Times bestselling novels, including I Let You Go, which was the fastest-selling debut thriller in the year it was released.

Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide, have been New York Times and international bestsellers and have spent a combined total of 64 weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller chart.

Clare spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant and is the founder of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. She now writes full time and lives in Wales with her husband and their three children.

www.claremackintosh.com / www.facebook.com/ClareMackWrites / @ClareMackint0sh

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BLOG TOUR: One Bad Thing - M.K. Hill

She thought she'd got away with it. She was wrong.

Hannah Godley is an agony aunt on a London radio show Queen of Hearts. She's warm and empathetic; a good listener. Her catchphrase is: Be kind, always. But when a stranger phones in to tell a tragic story about her brother who killed himself after he was the victim of a terrible prank by two people, Hannah goes cold. Because she remembers Diane's brother well. In fact, all these years later, he still haunts her dreams. All because of that one bad thing she did when she was young...

Is Diane just a sad, lonely woman looking for a friend, or does she know what Hannah did, and is looking for revenge? Because as Diane insinuates herself into her life and family, Hannah is going to discover that you can never truly escape that One Bad Thing you did – sooner or later, you're going to have to pay the price...

 

What did I think?

Ooooh this is such a good book!  I was hooked from the very first page when Hannah explains that she did something in her past that she's not proud of...but what did she do?  I couldn't read fast enough to find out but that's not the only hook...someone knows what Hannah did and if the truth comes out it could destroy her.

Hannah is radio's Queen of Hearts and her crown would well and truly slip if people ever find out what she did, so when a caller to the radio show threatens to expose Hannah's secret, Hannah will do anything to keep it buried...even befriending the person who is threatening her.  Diane is really creepy, she is so clingy and needy but it's clear that she is very lonely and I did feel sorry for her.  Loneliness can be a crippling condition so I could understand Diane grabbing on to social contact whether obtained through fair means or foul.

Although Hannah has a deep, dark secret that could show her in a completely different light to her public persona, I still really liked her.  She's a new mum, juggling a busy career and a home with a husband who needs a good talking to.  I think Sean often forgets that he is married; he acts like a single bloke, always leaving Hannah to look after the baby.  Sean's contribution to parenthood was to hire a nanny...enough said.

I just loved everything about this book: the well-developed characters, the fast-paced, drama-filled plot and the compelling writing that really drew me into the story.  The writing is so good that I already have my eye on M.K. Hill's previous books and can't wait to read them.

Gripping, pacy and twisty, One Bad Thing is a cracking thriller that is as impossible to predict as it is to put down.  I highly recommend it and I think M.K. Hill is definitely an author to watch.

Many thanks to Sophie Ransom for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and to Head of Zeus for providing an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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Hostage - Clare Mackintosh

 

You can save hundreds of lives.

Or the one that matters most . . .

The atmosphere on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney is electric. Celebrities are rumoured to be among the passengers in business class, and the world is watching the landmark journey.

Flight attendant Mina is trying to focus on the passengers, instead of her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home - or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage.

But soon after the plane takes off, Mina receives a chilling anonymous note. Someone wants to make sure the plane never reaches its destination. They're demanding her cooperation . . . and they know exactly how to get it.

It's twenty hours to landing.

A lot can happen in twenty hours . . .

What did I think?

WOW! What a book!  This is one of those books where I want to tell you to stop reading my review and just buy the book now - it's THAT good.  So for anyone still with me, I'll try to sum up my thoughts of a book that left me completely speechless (and incredibly tired as I really couldn't put it down).

The moment I opened this book, I knew I was going to be hooked.  The prologue is an emergency call transcript that is so chilling it made all of the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.  It haunted me throughout the book and I couldn't read fast enough to get to that point but also felt terrified of reaching it.

Mina is in the middle of a marriage breakdown so she signs up to be a flight attendant on the first ever non-stop flight from London to Sydney, even though this means she will be separated from her daughter Sophia for several days.  Someone on the plane knows all about Sophia and they're banking on Mina being willing to do anything to keep her safe.  Can Mina really sentence hundreds of people to death just to save one life?  That's all I'm going to say about the outstanding plot that kept me reading late into the night.

There is a lot going on behind the scenes of Mina's life and I was very intrigued as to how she ended up becoming a flight attendant.  Clare Mackintosh very cleverly weaves a story into the main thread that shows we can be physically held hostage but also metaphorically held hostage to our past.  This felt like a pearl of wisdom from the Dalai Lama; how often do we hark back to something we wish we'd said or done differently?  Let it go!  It's holding you hostage.

Claire Mackintosh scoops all the stars as well as all the adjectives in her exceptional new novel.  Hostage is breathtaking, jawdropping, awesome, stunning, gripping and terrifying; it's an absolute must read and destined to be one of THE books of 2021.  Very highly recommended.

I chose to read a digital ARC received via NetGalley and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Matchmaker - Hélene Fermont

 

Perfect Lives Don’t Come Cheap.

Marcia Bailey has it all: a passionate marriage to a rich and handsome man who is utterly devoted to her; fame and success as London’s premier matchmaker; a beautiful home in a posh neighbourhood, and fabulous holidays in exotic places.

But her perfect life turns into a nightmare overnight when a mysterious caller suddenly threatens to reveal secrets from her past she thought she had left behind forever. Who is he and what does he really want? He says he wants three million pounds to keep quiet, and she’s willing to pay. After all, she has already sacrificed so much, and perfect lives don’t come cheap.

But Marcia has a hunch her caller wants more than money from her. He wants to hurt and humiliate her. But why?

As police investigate a brutal murder in a wealthy London neighborhood, they untangle a web of lies, violence, sex and jealousy surrounding Marcia Bailey and the group of wealthy and powerful men who have secrets of their own to keep.

The Matchmaker is filled with unexpected twists and turns — and characters that will haunt you long after you’ve read the last page.

What did I think?

I love Hélene Fermont's writing so I was very keen to read her new book, The Matchmaker which I think is the first book of hers I've read without a Swedish link.  I think because I've read some of her other books, I really missed the Scandinavian feel that usually sets Hélene Fermont out from the crowd, however, this is still a good London-based thriller.

There isn't a single likable character in The Matchmaker for a very good reason as it makes all of them prime suspects in blackmail and murder.  The story twists and turns and the secrets of Marcia's past are revealed and as much as it's a tangled web, the characters are all quite closely linked; it seems like they all have a past in Brighton and any one of them could blow Marcia's world apart.

The story is told from several different viewpoints and this sometimes caused quite a bit of repetition when characters referred to other characters.  It did get a bit annoying and I found myself rolling my eyes every time I saw 'favourite mistress' mentioned.  It feels a little bit like an episode recap when you're watching a series but unfortunately there are no skip recap buttons in books.  It's not a big issue by any means, just a minor niggle and one that became less noticeable as the story took hold.

Well plotted and very addictive, I couldn't read fast enough to reveal all of the secrets in The Matchmaker.  It's a quick and satisfying read filled with surprises.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: I Made a Mistake - Jane Corry

IT STARTED WITH A KISS... AND ENDED WITH MURDER.

In Poppy Page's mind, there are two types of women in this world: those who are faithful to their husbands, and those who are not. Until now, Poppy has never questioned which she was.

But when handsome, charming Matthew Gordon walks back into her life after almost two decades, that changes. Poppy makes a single mistake - and that mistake will be far more dangerous than she could imagine.

Someone is going to pay for it with their life . . .

What did I think?

Oh wow; what a twisty little web you weave, Jane Corry!  I Made a Mistake captured me in its web from the very start with a brilliantly tense, breathtaking and claustrophobic prologue.  The tension and intrigue continued to mount as the story unfolded and, as my eyes widened in surprise at the end of chapter one, I can definitely say that this fantastic novel is astonishing.

The story is told from two perspectives with Poppy and her mother-in-law Betty having alternating chapters.  Both stories are so completely riveting that I found myself eager to get back to each one of them and I felt like I was in the speed reading Olympics as I raced through the pages as fast as I could.  I loved both characters' stories equally; Poppy trying to juggle family life and her own business and Betty's traditional 1960's marriage with her husband as the breadwinner.  I found it really interesting to compare and contrast marriages from different generations; with the focus very much on equality nowadays, it's shocking to think that we were ever so antiquated.

Without revealing any of the plot, other than what is already in the blurb, Poppy's marriage is put to the test when an old flame enters her life.  Whilst it might be easy to condemn Poppy's actions, there are mitigating factors and she more than pays for her mistake.  As the book title suggests, 'mistake' is a common theme in the book and consequently forgiveness and penance.  We humans do like to beat ourselves up for mistakes we make but we shouldn't keep paying for it for the rest of our lives!  

With a cleverly crafted and perfectly plotted storyline, I Made a Mistake took me in completely unexpected directions from start to finish; every single twist and turn surprised me.  I Made a Mistake is absolutely brilliant and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



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