BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: Cole by J.B. Hartnett

Welcome to J.B Harnett to Sassy Mum Book Blog and

so honored to be apart of the Cole Blog Tour

Release Date: September 21st 2013.   Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Book Two in the Leaves Series.

COLE SYNOPSIS

Cole Carlyle, successful hotelier, has lived his life on his own terms.

Burned by a gold digging ex-wife, he never expected to find his soul mate in Anika “Inky” Redding.

Anika Redding, talented artist, overcame her past to live her life free of shame.

Betrayed by people she thought she could trust, the last thing she expected was to find true love in Cole Carlyle.

Their love for each other has helped them overcome their demons before, but now faced with an unimaginable challenge, Cole must turn to the last person he wants involved in his life, and hope that those demons don’t once again try to swallow them whole.

Inky and Cole’s romance and passion ignite and in the sequel to “Inky” we follow their journey to overcome their pasts once and for all, while building their love into something everlasting.

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MY REVIEW - COLE

We return were Inky left us with a Cliffhanger of all Cliffhangers ending, with this amazing sequel to the Leave Series through the eyes of the heartwarming Cole Carlyle. Julie certainly gave us one.

We continue with the unknown of Where is Inky? Poor Cole unknown as to what happened joins forces with his family and Inky's friends. This brought together an emotional family moment between Cole and his dad. Can family members move on after such a devastating past.

This sequel was full of it all. Full of a rollercoaster of emotions, family drama, laughter and best of all Hot sizzling sex.  Always love a good wall banging scene! :)

With Cole being Inky's protector none the less, the love honestly showed just how much they are truly meant to be together.  Through the leaps and bounds, there love is just too strong.

"When I wake up, it's to his kiss on my forehead. He tells me I'm beautiful everyday. He's always gentle with me. He knows my pain and I know his, and neither one of us is afraid to swim through the darkness of the other. The world could be falling down around us, but together we would be impenetrable. He is the other half of my heart, the other half of my soul.....without him, I'm incomplete." ~ Inky

The emotional support that Cole provide Inky thought her panic moments is beautiful. This brought out further truths about Cole's past. The artistic side of both of these characters, as I fan of Art, I this moment I loved. 

My Darling Girl, All my dreams, all  my love........all you. Cole

After such an emotional rollercoaster for Inky & Cole, they were were given their chance to more forward to the future together. The beautiful moment capture at the ending was beautiful. 

This sequel still brought us the jam pack full of action throughout however it also gave us some closure that Inky and Cole deserved. 

I look forward to the next installment to the Leaves Series with Nico.
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Book One in The Leaves Series

INKY SYNOPSIS

Anika “Inky” Redding is passionate about two things; her love of painting and her fiancé Evan. While working as a bartender to pay her bills, she meets Cole, a sexy divorcee. She denies their mutual attraction and tries to put him out of her mind.

When an abusive person from her childhood makes an unexpected visit, Inky’s world is turned upside down. Secrets are revealed and truths are exposed leaving Inky devastated and questioning what she thought was love. As she picks up the pieces and tries to move on, she finds her path crosses with Cole once again and this time, she cannot deny the passion between them.

Once she opens her heart again, will she be able to move forward or will her past find a way to stop her?

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MY REVIEW - INKY

This book was included in a few recommendations to read from another blogger. It had sat on my Kindle until only a couple of weeks ago to start this Blog Tour.
Now I was kind of glad I did as once I finished it..........WHAT A CLIFFHANGER! I'm a fan of cliffhangers only if its a goodie but also the sequel isn't too far away from release. Thankfully I had the pleasure of reading on to Cole straight after or I would have lost my mind. Literally!
 More about Cole in the above Review.

Let me start off by saying what an amazingly well written, thought out novel from J.B. Harnett. As per my messages to J.B. via facebook, I was hooked from the start. Emotional heart wrenching mess!
This book pulled every emotion out of me left right and centre. Without going into details, the emotions throughout the book was speechless! Inky was a Brave Girl and I have got to Hand it to her for what she had been through.

As the Synopsis explains we are met with Inky and her fiancé Evan. As times goes by things happen through the book that make Inky pull up her Big girl panties and move on. Definitely Shouted out "You Go Girl" with her sweet act of revenge moment! Loved It!

From the first meeting when Inky & Cole met, the connection these two developed was amazing. Through both their troubled pasts, they both find the passion between one another. The feeling I got from this couple was indescribable! They are certainly one of my favorites couples of all time.

"Dont break my heart, Anika and I won't break yours" ~ Cole
"Deal" ~ Inky

With the love of Inky & Cole, I also fell in love with the additional characters through the book. From Abe from the Art Gallery to her best friends you could never imagine life without, Gus & Aimes. Through the good and the bad you know they would do anything for Inky. To the ever so called friend Lisa to the tattoo artist Nico!

Now the CLIFFHANGER of all Cliffhangers......WOW what an emotional ending. It left me sitting there screaming Noooooo. For the heartwarming emotion I have for Cole this......just cant explain!

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SERIES ORDER & PURCHASE LINKS

   

  

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DREAM CAST

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ABOUT JULIE

Julie is a Southern California native, a fan of a really good story (preferably romance with a happily ever after), really good pie (preferably pumpkin) and copious amounts of coffee (preferably Folgers).

She has always enjoyed writing and at one time thought she could be a singer songwriter...the 'writer' part is the one that stuck.

Julie is obsessed with pi...the equation(and the food). She's allergic to cats and cantaloupe and hates mushrooms...so if you ever want to give her a gift, those are out for sure. She currently lives with her own romance hero husband and two boys in Melbourne, Australia.

CONNECT WITH JULIE: WEBSITE I FACEBOOK I GOODREADS

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RELEASE BLITZ: Beautifully Awake - Riley Mackenzie

 

 Title: Beautifully Awake

Author: Riley Mackenzie

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 2, 2013

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SYNOPSIS

Diagnosis: Sleep-running

Treatment: Truth

Prognosis: Beautifully Awake

Lili Porter hates the rain. Bad things happen in the rain. As a small town social worker dedicated to protecting children, she is forced to start over to escape her rural disaster. Determined to follow her father’s advice—head up and chin high—Lili finds herself in a new city, taking on a new system, this time healthcare. In doing so, she gets something she never expected, an intimate behind-the-scenes look at life in the hospital.

Lili learns that a surgeon’s hands have the power to heal more than physical wounds. And a prescription for truth can cure three years of sleep running and leave you beautifully awake.
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EXCERPT

I washed up and had just enough time to tug on a clean tank and thong and then climbed back into bed. I heard his footsteps. Excitement and relief washed through me. A small part of me feared he might have changed his mind, but my insecurity vanished the second his chiseled face appeared from the darkness.

His shirt hung open. He folded his arms across his chest and casually leaned against the wall, studying me like the MRI images he methodically memorized before each surgery.

“You moved?” His lips parted into a half grin, and he shook his head disapprovingly.

“You took too long.”

“You put clothes on.”

“You might need some new clothes.” I smiled.

“You’re fucking beautiful.”

Speechless.

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PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US - EBOOK AMAZON US - PAPERBACK

AMAZON UK - EBOOK AMAZON UK - PAPERBACK

AMAZON CA - EBOOK KOBO 

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ABOUT RILEY & MACKENZIE

Yep. That's an “s.” There are two of us! We’re East coast girls separated by Long Island Sound who met in Physician Assistant School and have been besties ever since. We can safely say that thirteen miles of water does not get in the way because we talk or text, no exaggeration, at least 150 times a day. No, really, we do—about everything and nothing. Shockingly, we never (we mean never) run out of things to say. Umm, ever. We definitely laugh A LOT and we’re a tad sarcastic. And if we’re being totally honest, one or two people might have, on occasion, used our names and ‘dramatic’ in the same sentence. But it’s hard to trust the sources since they married us.It only took twelve years, two husbands, five kids, two dogs, and a two-week vacation in Cape Cod later to decide the romance world needed a splash of medicine. Write what you know.So you can easily find us at 4 o'clock on Bank Street beach with a glass of cold Prosecco brainstorming. And guaranteed if we bump into you, literally, it’s only because our iPhones are glued to our hands (totally out of our control) either writing or editing our next novel (and yes, it is possible to do from your iPhone, we mastered it … damn those straight quotations).When we are not working on our book or reading the latest angsty romance on our kindles, you basically name it and we have it going on. Soccer, lacrosse, golf, swimming, dance, gymnastics, football, chess, baseball, basketball, skiing, ice skating, school, homework, and more school. Oh yeah, did we forget to mention our careers in medicine?

Needless to say, we realized fast that something had to go, so we opted for sleep. It’s completely overrated (yet so AMAZING) and delirium makes everything funnier. Good thing we share a brain and can pretty much complete each other’s sentences (definitely weird, we know), otherwise it might have taken us two years to write Beautifully Awake rather than one.

So that’s our story, who we are … just add AUTHORS to the list!

Connect with the Authors: Facebook | Website | Twitter | Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

(10) $10 Amazon Gift Cards

a Rafflecopter giveaway

COVER REVEAL: Hard To Love You (Book #3 of The Love Series) by Megan Smith

Release Date: November 12, 2013

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SYNOPSIS

What do you do when the one you’ve always wanted becomes too Hard to Love?

Hailey Taylor’s heart is broken. She was sure that if anyone could tame bad boy Mason, she could. They were supposed to be together forever. It was finally their turn.

Mason Cahill’s baseball career is taking him to new places. Places he’s always wanted to go. Things on the field come easily. Why can’t the rest of life be simple? All actions have consequences but will the price be too high?

What would you do if you had one last chance to turn it all around? Sparks fly. Tempers flare. Hearts shatter. One thing is certain…everything has changed.

Who will be too Hard to Love?

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~ SERIES ORDER & PURCHASE LINKS ~

TRYING NOT TO LOVE YOU 

AMAZON US I AMAZON UK I AMAZON CA

EASY TO LOVE YOU
AMAZON US I AMAZON UK I AMAZON CA

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MEET MEGAN SMITH 

Megan Smith is the author of USA Today and Amazon Bestselling novels, Trying Not To Love You and Easy To Love You.

She lives in New Jersey, with her husband and son.

During the day Megan is behind a desk purchasing computer equipment. At night, she's writing and planning for her next release or chasing around her very active son.

CONNECT WITH MEGAN: TWITTER  I FACEBOOK I AMAZON

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: Patch Up by Stephanie Witter

Patch Up by Stephanie Witter

Genre: Contemporary New Adult novel with a slow building romance.

Publisher: Anchor Group

Date of Publication: 16 Sep, 2013

ISBN: 9780989707336

Number of pages: 260 pages

Cover Artist: Cover It Designs

Editor: Melissa Ringsted

Length: over 85 000 words.

Due to some shocking scenes, this novel is not intended for readers under 18.

SYNOPSIS

Skye followed her long time boyfriend to Seattle for their first year of college, but he dumped her after only a week. The relationship brought only pain and destruction in Skye's life, and yet, she can't bring herself to open up and live her life.

"What if I am already broken into pieces?"

She hates to be touched, hiding under her oversized shirts and behind her wild frizzy hair. Even her bubbly roommate can't reach her. And yet ...

"I'm the guy who knows how you can hurt so much that your insides feel like they're cut and bleeding."

The tall, handsome, and tattooed TA in her psychology class changes everything when he literally collides with her and confronts her. For the first time in a long time, she wants to try and open up to this guy whose dark, intense eyes can't hide his own pain despite his dazzling smile getting to her.

However, just when she's starting to live again, her ex-boyfriend comes back, breaking her time and time again, making it all the more complicated.

She wants to fight for herself and for this building thing with the TA, even when he pushes her away, but can two broken people patch each other up?

"I never thought colliding with someone could change lives, but it is possible."

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PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon US/UK/CA

  

 Barnes and Noble I  Smashwords

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EXCERPT 

(The first meeting)

Without paying attention to my surroundings, I turn to my left to walk toward the row closer to the door where a seat is available. I take a step and collide with a hard body, almost toppling me over on the ground for the second time in less than an hour. A strong hand grips me firmly by the forearm. My body stiffens and my breath catches in my throat. It’s as if I can’t move besides yanking my arm free without looking up to see who I collided with.

“Are you all right?” he asks me in a deep and calm voice.

My eyes wander from my red Converse to his dark boots. I have to calm down. I’m being ridiculous. Calm down. I take a deep breath and look up slowly. Long, muscled legs in beat up dark blue jeans, an old black leather jacket open over a dark grey V-neck sweater that showcases an impressive tall body with broad shoulders and finally, longish and messy black hair, perfect straight nose, full lips, high cheekbones and expressive soft dark eyes that lock with my bluish-greyish ones. He looks older with his goatee perfectly trimmed. A perfect hot mess many girls would say. I’m just intimidated by this stranger, though.

“I’m fine,” I reply, my voice even. I push away some of my untamed locks and curse my auburn frizzy hair that is always all over the place.

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MY REVIEW

Hats off to Stephanie on her debut novel. This story definitely brought out every emotion you can think of. As the Synopsis says it all, we are met with 2 characters that have such heartache from a dark past, how can they both move forward? With the emotional ties that bring Skye & Duke together, can they fight there demons within to move forward? I thoroughly enjoyed the book in 2 sides of the story.

As the warning stated, this novel isn't for under 18 but also for the faint hearted. Some parts throughout the story are raw and heart breaking. These parts of the story I can't go into details as you will need to read it to know what happens.

"He smiles, a genuine smile that reaches his eyes this time, making them sparkle with a life tinted by dark shadows. He may be a better actor than I am, but one broken person can always recognize another one" ~ Skye

Throughout the book leads you on a rollercoaster of emotions from both Skye & Duke. It shows such depth as to how they both find themselves once again but also how they need to move forward together.

The additional characters bring a great story together. From the beautiful and supporting room mate Kate to the evil, manipulative ex-boyfriend Sean.

Its hard to say anything more to not spoil it but I certainly enjoyed this debut novel. 

This book has no cliffhanger but it leaves us to look forward to the remaining of their untold story in the sequel to the series. As you will see there is a still an untold story that needs to be shared.

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ABOUT STEPHANIE
Stephanie Witter is a French dreamer. She started English at three and fell in love with the language. Always with a book - or two - close by, she soon started reading in English when she couldn't wait to see Harry Potter translated in French. After a while, reading wasn't enough and she started writing young adult and new adult contemporary novels always filled with drama. Now she hopes to translate English novels in her mother tongue as her everyday job. By My Side is her debut novel.

CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE
Goodreads / Twitter/ Facebook / Blog / Amazon Page

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

COVER REVEAL + GIVEAWAY: Let Love Heal by Melissa Collins

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SYNOPSIS

Perfection.  We all strive for it, but what happens when the desire to be perfect consumes you?  What happens when the need to bury your mistakes blinds you?

Melanie Crane has always been the perfect daughter, friend, student – she’s been perfect at everything, in fact.  But when she lets her insecurities, the ones that she keeps hidden from everyone, get the best of her, she falters in her pursuit of perfection.  Melanie crumples under the pressure and buries her pain.  Numbed by sadness and guilt, she is determined never to let anyone find out how broken she really is.

Bryan Mahoney may appear to have everything in order.  He’s charming, witty and completely swoon-worthy. In short, Bryan has life all figured out, but appearances can be deceiving.  When the landscape of Bryan’s family changes in an instant, he’s left to pick up the pieces.

Not all bruises leave a mark. Now, weary and afraid, Melanie and Bryan must find a way to let love heal their broken and jaded hearts.

CLICK HERE to check out the Prologue:

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~ SERIES ORDER AND PURCHASE LINKS ~

LET LOVE IN

iBOOK I BARNES & NOBLE I KOBO

   

FOR LET LOVE STAY

iBOOK I BARNES & NOBLE I KOBO 

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MEET MELISSA COLLINS

I’ve always been an avid reader.  Majoring in English Literature was a no brainer.  Becoming a teacher and instilling my love for reading into my students was also a no brainer.  I’ve spent the last ten years teaching and I’ve loved (mostly) every minute of it.  When I was home on maternity leave for my third son, I discovered a new genre that sparked my creativity.  My passion for writing sprang from my love of reading and once I knew I had a story to tell, I couldn’t wait to get it out there.  I only hope that my readers enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

CONNECT WITH MELISSA

FACEBOOK I TWITTER I GOODREADS I WEBSITE

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GIVEAWAY

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

COVER REVEAL + GIVEAWAY: Her by Carey Heywood

Book: HER
Author: Carey Heywood
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 26, 2013
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

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 SYNOPSIS

 You know her side of the story, now learn his. "It was useless. I felt branded beneath my skin by a girl who left without even saying goodbye." When Will Price was assigned a partner for a sixth grade class project he had no idea she would become his best friend. After years of friendship, she eventually became so much more. Then, one day she left with no explanation. Will’s life shattered right before his eyes and he was left alone to pick up the pieces. Floundering, Will must figure out a way to carry on, to find a way to exist without her. Seven years later, a chance encounter leaves him desperate to get her back. He has one week to make her his again. Not everyone gets a second chance with the love of their life and Will is determined to never lose her again.

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 MEET CAREY HEYWOOD

   New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. I make up stuff and write it down. Here are some things that make up who I am, in no particular order; Books, Swedish Fish, Rivers, Kids (I have some), Husband (I have 1), Dog, Wuss, Reader, Elephants, Mermaid Shows, Belgian Chocolate, Plastic Rings, Fizzy Water, Abs (I don't have them...well yes, I have them but they're nothing to look at I meant Abs that I like to look at), Twitter (@careylolo), Making up Words, Chair Dancing, Old Movies, Cartoons, Belgian Waffles, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, People, Kayaks, Screen Porches, Laughing, Colored Paperclips, Junky Green Laptop, Golden Rule, Falling in Love, Jumping in Puddles, Spellcheck, Windy Days.

 CONNECT WITH CAREY: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS AUTHOR

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~SERIES ORDER & PURCHASE LINKS ~

HIM PURCHASE LINKS: 
BARNES & NOBLES

  

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK BLITZ + GIVEAWAY: Lengths by Steph Campbell & Liz Reinhardt

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SYNOPSIS

Nineteen-year-old Whit Conrad leaves her conservative Pennsylvania home for sunny California, looking for independence, a fresh start, and a place to stash her grief. She promptly finds a job at a tattoo parlor, a craptastic first apartment, and one friend—Ryan—who is a little less friend, a little more benefits. Deo Beckett is a soulful surfer with a passion for tattoos and beautiful women. On the eve of his twenty-second birthday, he finds himself living with his grandfather, recently unemployed, and seriously adrift. He doesn’t know much about what he wants out of life, but he does know his current situation isn't cutting it. When Deo meets Whit, she’s all sexy makeup and fierce, smart-ass fun. It doesn’t take him long to see past her tough shell. And when he gets a good look at what's under all the superficial stuff that usually gets his attention, it leaves Deo wondering if there might be more to life than living fast and free. Too bad Whit has a past she doesn't plan on sharing—no matter how hot Deo is. She might want him, but she knows better than to let her guard down. Deo falls for Whit, and falls hard. But everything about her, down to that mysterious tattoo and the way she thrashes in her sleep, tells him that the girl he loves is hiding something. And the more he pushes for answers, the more Whit pulls away. Having your guard up is one thing, but are the lengths Whit goes to to protect her secret worth throwing away the second chance she has at happiness with Deo? 

    

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SERIES ORDER & PURCHASE LINKS

( all books can be read as stand alone books in any order!) 

1. Lengths 

2. Depths 

3. Limits 

4. Ties 

5. Riptides (coming 10/15/13) 

6. Drift (coming 11/12/13)

   

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MEET STEPH CAMPBELL

Steph Campbell grew up in Southern California, but now calls Southwest Louisiana home. She has one husband, four children and a serious nail polish obsession.
Steph's works include Delicate, Grounding Quinn and Beautiful Things Never Last; My Heart for Yours and My Fate for Yours (with Jolene Perry); A Toast to the Good Times (with Liz Reinhardt) and the bestselling new adult LENGTHS series with Liz Reinhardt: Lengths, Depths, Limits, Ties & Riptides.CONNECT WITH STEPH: WEBSITE I FACEBOOK I TWITTER 

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MEET LIZ REINHARDT

Liz Reinhardt was born and raised in the idyllic beauty of northwest NJ. A move to the subtropics of coastal Georgia with her daughter and husband left her with a newly realized taste for the beach and a bloated sunscreen budget. Right alongside these new loves is her old, steadfast affection and longing for bagels and the fast-talking foul mouths of her youth.

She loves Raisinettes, even if they aren't really candy, the Oxford comma, movies that are hilarious or feature zombies, any and all books, but especially romance (the smarter and hotter, the better), the sound of her daughter's incessantly wise and entertaining chatter, and watching her husband work on cars in the driveway.

She is the author of the Brenna Blixen series (Double Clutch, Junk Miles, Slow Twitch), the Youngblood series (Fall Guy, Perfectly Unmatched), and co-writes with the awesome Steph Campbell in the Lengths series (Lengths, Depths, Limits, Ties, Riptides).

CONNECT WITH LIZ: WEBSITE I FACEBOOK I TWITTER

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway