THE COLOR OF US IS NOW LIVE!

The Color of Us is now live and as a gift to our readers, Laura and I are making the ebook available for $.99 for one day only through Amazon. This book can be read as a standalone, so buy it while deal is hot!

Eighteen year old Alexis Sinclair is lost in the darkness of grief. Since the death of her sister in a car accident, she can’t find the will to get out and enjoy life again. When she’s forced to face her biggest fear and take a summer Driver’s Ed course, she’s surprised to find hope in the most unlikely person.

Liam O’Connell is trouble. He isn’t proud of his dark past, and he knows Alexis is the one girl he has no business pursuing. Doing the right thing has never been easy for him, but this time, it just might be impossible.

The perfect girl and troubled boy are all wrong for each other, but as Liam helps Alexis cope with her grief, they realize nothing has ever felt more right.  

That is, until Alexis uncovers a secret about Liam that breaks her heart.

Liam knows he can’t allow the one good thing in his life to walk away without a fight, and he’s determined to convince Alexis they can find their way out of the darkness together.

Can he prove he’s worthy of her, or is some love too tainted to be saved? 

BUY THE COLOR OF US ON AMAZON!

AUTHOR BIOS & LINKS

Laura Ward lives in Maryland with her loud and very loving three children and husband. She married her college sweetheart and is endlessly grateful for the support he has given her through all their years together, and especially toward her goal of writing books. When not picking up toy trucks, driving to lacrosse practice, or checking spelling homework, Laura is writing or reading romance novels. Her debut novel, NOT YET, is a Top 100 Amazon Bestseller.

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The first thing Christine does when she's getting ready to read a book is to crack the spine in at least five places. She wholeheartedly believes there is no place as comfy as the pages of a well-worn book. She's addicted to buying books, reading books, and writing books. Books, books, books. She also has a weakness for adventure, inappropriate humor, and coke (the caffeinated, bubbly kind). Christine is from Forest Hill, Maryland where she lives with her husband, three kids, and her library of ugly spine books. 

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Cover Reveal for The Color of Us!

Today is the day to reveal the cover of The Color of Us! Laura and I are so excited to share this story with you. Scroll down for the cover, synopsis, teaser, excerpt, and full cover wrap. Let us know what you think. And don't forget to add it to Goodreads!

Title: The Color of Us (College Bound #2)

Authors: Laura Ward & Christine Manzari

Release Date: June 20, 2016

Add to Goodreads

Eighteen year old Alexis Sinclair is lost in the darkness of grief. Since the death of her sister in a car accident, she can’t find the will to get out and enjoy life again. When she’s forced to face her biggest fear and take a summer Driver’s Ed course, she’s surprised to find hope in the most unlikely person.

Liam O’Connell is trouble. He isn’t proud of his dark past, and he knows Alexis is the one girl he has no business pursuing. Doing the right thing has never been easy for him, but this time, it just might be impossible.

The perfect girl and troubled boy are all wrong for each other, but as Liam helps Alexis cope with her grief, they realize nothing has ever felt more right.  

That is, until Alexis uncovers a secret about Liam that breaks her heart.

Liam knows he can’t allow the one good thing in his life to walk away without a fight, and he’s determined to convince Alexis they can find their way out of the darkness together.

Can he prove he’s worthy of her, or is some love too tainted to be saved?

He took a deep breath. “Our lives are completely different, Lex.” He raised his hand in a loose fist, running the backs of his fingers along my jaw. My breath caught in my chest as his thumb stroked over my skin in slow, gentle circles. “So different.” He stared into my eyes, and I leaned forward, mirroring his posture. I placed my hand on his jaw. His chin was rough with stubble and tight with worry.

“Help me understand.” My voice was needy, begging, but that’s only because I was desperate to figure him out, to unlock the secrets he kept close. I wanted to know how he could be the sweet, patient boy who taught me to drive and then beat the living hell out of his friend a few days later. It didn’t add up for me.

He reached up to grab my fingers that were still touching his cheek, and he adjusted them so that he was holding my hand. “I didn’t grow up the way you did. The only thing I could ever depend on were my fists. That’s how I protect myself and those I care about. Yeah, Adam’s my boy, but he crossed a line. Said something he shouldn’t. And in my world, when that happens, you teach a lesson. That lesson usually means blood.”

I cringed at his bluntness and then felt guilty about it. He’d said our lives were different, but that didn’t mean mine was better than his. I had no right to look down at him. Too many people already did that. In my world, there were lessons and punishments too. They were more calculated and less physical, but they were no less vicious. Like Melissa’s threat to get her father to have Liam fired from the country club. When I thought about it, I wasn’t sure which lesson was more cruel—fists or social war.

“What did Adam do to make you so mad? Was it because you wanted to hang out with me instead of going to the levees?” God, I hope not. That’d be the overreaction of the century.

Liam shook his head and traced patterns on my jaw with his thumb. “It’s not important, angel. Just know that when you’re with me, you’re safe. No one hurts you. No one touches you.” He leaned forward, letting his lips hover next to mine. “If anyone tries to hurt you, I’ll make them pay. I mean it.”

A chill skittered down my spine. The passion in his words was so strong that the air around us was charged with unspoken promises. Why would Liam feel such a fierce need to protect me? It frightened me that I enjoyed it so much. I swallowed. “Why did you call me angel?”

He tilted his chin up and pressed his lips to my forehead and then trailed kisses down my face, stopping to press his mouth to the corner of mine. He leaned back to let his eyes scan the length of me, head to toe, as he grinned. “It’s hard not to think of you as an angel when you’re dressed all in white and looking so goddamn perfect. You’re so… good.” He shook his head with a sad smile. “I have no right to want you as much as I do.”

His eyes darted to my lips, and then his mouth was on mine again, stealing the words I wanted to say—I’m not perfect… I’m not good… I want you too. He sucked on my lower lip, pulling it into his mouth with such gentleness I thought I might melt into a puddle on his floorboards. How could so much rage be wrapped up in this much tenderness?

My hands snaked around the back of Liam’s neck, and I moved to bring his mouth back to mine, grazing the tip of my tongue against his. I could faintly taste the smoke of his cigarette, but I could also taste the sugar of the funnel cake we’d shared. He was a heady mix of danger and sweetness that was so uniquely Liam it made me crave more. I slid my tongue against his again, and Liam’s groan was the only warning I got before his mouth was devouring mine, demanding kisses from me that I was only too happy to return.

“You even taste good,” Liam murmured against my lips before dropping his face to the curve of my neck where he nibbled along my skin, leaving goose bumps in his wake. “I want to taste every single inch of you. I think I’m addicted.”

His lips pressed against my pulse point, and I was sure he could feel the frantic beating of my heart. My entire body felt like it was vibrating for him. I couldn’t decide what I wanted more—for him to keep whispering his precious thoughts against my neck, or for him to go back to worshipping my lips.

As if he knew my inner turmoil, Liam trailed a slow pathway of kisses up my neck toward my greedy mouth.

“You look like an angel,” he said, whispering a kiss under my ear. His quiet words trickled down my neck in a delicious shiver. “You act like an angel, too good to be true.” He left a kiss on the side of my jaw before turning my face to his, his lips hovering over mine with so much heat I thought he might burn me when he finally kissed me. “You’re my angel, Lex. And I think you just might save me.”

Laura Ward lives in Maryland with her loud and very loving three children and husband. She married her college sweetheart and is endlessly grateful for the support he has given her through all their years together, and especially toward her goal of writing books. When not picking up toy trucks, driving to lacrosse practice, or checking spelling homework, Laura is writing or reading romance novels. Her debut novel, NOT YET, is a Top 100 Amazon Bestseller.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

The first thing Christine does when she's getting ready to read a book is to crack the spine in at least five places. She wholeheartedly believes there is no place as comfy as the pages of a well-worn book. She's addicted to buying books, reading books, and writing books. Books, books, books. She also has a weakness for adventure, inappropriate humor, and coke (the caffeinated, bubbly kind). Christine is from Forest Hill, Maryland where she lives with her husband, three kids, and her library of ugly spine books. 

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

TAKE A RISK FOR LOVE

Hooked is a year old this month! Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I'm celebrating Hooked's birthday by hosting a contest that will run the entire month of February. Check out the rafflecopter below and enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card, signed paperback, and swag!

ONCE YOU'RE HOOKED, WHAT WOULDN'T YOU RISK FOR THE CHANCE AT MORE?
Hooked is all about taking the risk to fall in love. I'd love to hear your story about how you took a risk for love. Take the time to write your story below, and at the end of the month I'll pick one story to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

HOOKED IS ON SALE FOR A LIMITED TIME!
Hooked will be on sale on Amazon for $.99 from February, 8 - February 14, 2016. Get a copy for yourself or gift one to a friend. Click here to buy Hooked.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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COVER REVEAL FOR THE PLEDGE!

I hope you love this lovely cover as much as I do! It's the first book in a new adult romance series that I co-wrote with my sweet friend, Laura Ward. The Pledge comes out July 27, 2015.

Can two people who are destined to be opposites ever find common ground?

SYNOPSIS:

Taren needs a do-over. She’s decided the best way to put the high school bullies behind her is to pledge a Taylor-Swift-lip-syncing, beer-guzzling, sorority. Sisterhood helps Taren find the acceptance she’s always craved, but not the love she needs.

Alec wants freedom. To escape his father’s iron fist and unrealistic expectations, he pledges a campus acrobatics club where he finds that drugs and alcohol aren't the only ways to get high. His addiction to danger helps him gain his independence, but it comes at a heavy price.

When the two cross paths, Alec fears his undeniable attraction to the party girl just might threaten everything he's worked so hard to earn. Taren hasn’t forgotten that Alec humiliated her back in high school, but she also can't deny the chemistry they share.

Alec and Taren have nothing in common, but fate is bound and determined to bring them together. They know falling in love is a risk, and yet it’s too hard to ignore. When their worlds clash and they both end up suffering, will they fight to stay together? Or are some pledges too hard to keep?


EXCERPT:

“I dreamt about this.” Alec dragged his fingertips down my neck and to my hair that lay splayed across his pillow. He leaned over me, and his weight rested on his forearms. “I pictured you just like this. Laying in my bed, your hair spread out on my pillow, your scent on my skin.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Your lips begging to be kissed.” Alec slipped his tongue along my lower lip. “I missed your taste. I missed…you, Taren.” He dipped his tongue inside my mouth, pulling me in for a deep, slow kiss.

The words coming from his lips were too much. I moaned into his mouth as emotion stung the corners of my eyes. He was hard as he pressed against me, and my eyelids fluttered shut as I lifted my hips into him. My hands ran all over his arms, and my fingers molded themselves to the muscles of his shoulders and back. I would never have enough time to feel him. Never.

Alec’s kisses were eager, his lips pressing against mine with such intensity I hardly had time to catch my breath. He moved down, trailing his lips along my neck until he reached my chest. Every place he left a kiss felt hot, and I felt flushed.

“I missed the way you tuck your hair behind your ear when you’re nervous.” His lips branded my right shoulder. “I missed the way you smile when you know you’re out-debating me.” His mouth traced the words into my skin before leaving a scorching touch on my rib cage. “I missed the way you can get lost in a book and fall into its pages.” His kiss settled between the swell of my breasts, and his breath feathered across my skin.

A tear rolled down my face as emotion overwhelmed me. I wasn’t just another body. He saw me. The real me.

He looked up and propped himself up on his elbow. He reached up and wiped the tear away with his thumb. He left his hand on my face and gazed down me. “What’s wrong?” His fingers stroked my cheek.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. “I’m so happy we get a second chance.” Another tear escaped me, and his face pinched as he reached up to wipe that one away, too.

“Second chances don’t change the past. They just prove we can learn from our mistakes.” He pressed his face into my neck, his mouth just below my ear. “I’m not the same guy I was in high school. I’m going to prove that to you.”

Visit Christine Manzari at www.christinemanzari.com
Visit Laura Ward at www.laurawardauthor.com

Books by Laura Ward and Christine Manzari:

NEW RELEASE - HOOKED!

Hooked, my first new adult romance, released on February, 3, 2015! Hooked was inspired by a trip I took to Venice Beach, California a few years ago. I fell in love with the gritty charm of Venice—the graffiti art, the street vendors on the boardwalk, the skate park, the Santa Monica pier, and Muscle Beach. I just had to write a story about the kind of girl who would not only live there, but fall in love with a place like that.

Hooked is almost a month old and I'm very excited about the reviews it's getting. Interested in reading it? Here is the synopsis and some of my favorite teaser images.


SYNOPSIS:
If you ask the confident and snarky skater girl, and she’s in the mood to share, she’ll tell you her name is Cat. She might even tell you that she’s hooked on graffiti, 80s movies, and having fun—the riskier the better. Cat will share a good time with you, but she won’t ever trust you enough to share her heart. It’s protected by secrets and she’d like to keep it that way. 

Cat knows one thing for certain: Love isn’t really her thing. 

If you ask the confident and rich pretty boy, he might tell you his name is Huck. He might even tell you he loves a challenge and is used to getting his way. He won’t tell you that his life is a mess because he risked his heart by trusting the wrong girl. Huck is ready for a change, he just wasn’t ready to get hooked on someone like Cat. 

Huck knows one thing for certain: Love hasn’t done him any favors, but Cat just might be worth the risk. 

Cat and Huck think a one-night stand seems harmless, but when all the little secrets they didn’t share turn out to be toxic truths, they realize how easily a one-night stand (or a few) could ruin everything. 

The thing is, you can be ruined in more than one way. Once you’re HOOKED, what wouldn’t you risk for the chance at more?


TEASERS:

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Book Review - Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

Title: Best Kind of Broken
Author: Chelsea Fine
Series: Finding Fate #1


SYNOPSIS:
Pixie and Levi haven't spoken in nearly a year when they find themselves working―and living―at the same inn in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. But that was before everything went to hell. And now things are... awkward.

All they want to do is avoid each other, and their past, for as long as possible. But now that they're forced to share a bathroom, and therefore a shower, keeping their distance from one another becomes less difficult than keeping their hands off each other. Welcome to the hallway of awkward tension and sexual frustration, folks. Get comfy. It’s going to be a long summer.


MY REVIEW:
I have a snooty reader confession to make. I don't usually read books if they don't have at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads. I've learned that anything less than 4-stars on Goodreads usually disappoints me. However, a friend suggested I read Chelsea Fine's books and when I went to the book store, this was the only one they had on the shelves. I liked the description on the back and so I took a risk.

And....what the heck is wrong with people? This book is so much better than the rating it got on Goodreads. It's funny, touching, romantic...with so much anticipation woven into the story that I couldn't put it down. I liked this book. I liked Levi and Pixie. Sure, they're both a hot mess and they make terrible, whacked out decisions...but what fun would it be to read about them if they were perfect? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and just added the rest of Chelsea's books to my TBR list.


SUM IT UP:

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Indie Book Review — Past Heaven by Laura Ward

Title: Past Heaven
Author: Laura Ward
Published: January 26, 2015


SYNOPSIS:

Not every love story has a happy ending. Some just change your life.

Liz Atwater’s happily ever after was torn from her the instant her husband, Jack, was murdered. She is forced to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and raise her three young sons alone.

Reynolds Carter’s picture perfect Hollywood life ended the moment the paparazzi got hold of his girlfriend’s cheating scandal. As he watches his life unfold in the tabloids, he comes to a crossroads in his career and his purpose.

When Reynolds takes on the challenge of a new project, his world collides with that of Liz. Neither of them expected their professional relationship to evolve into friendship, or love.

But life is never simple.

Faced with complications from family, friends, and colleagues, Liz and Reynolds are left to decide whether two people from such different worlds can find happiness together.

Can they get past the pain, fear, and guilt and risk their hearts to love again?

Not every love story is just a happy ending. Some completely change your life.


MY REVIEW:

"Not every love story has a happy ending, but the great ones, no matter how they end, change your life. Love is the only thing in this world more powerful than death. Love transcends. And in the end, all that any of us can hope for, is a love that is past heaven."

I don't know if there is much I can add to my review that says it more perfectly than that quote. Isn't that what we all want? A love that is past even the best we could hope for? A love that transcends beginnings and ends? 

Past Heaven is a powerful story about love, loss, trust, and second chances. It's a story about how even when we're broken by tragedy and loss, we can still be pieced back together into something even stronger by new love. It's a story about how we can have many great loves in our lives, and each one helps mold us into the best version of ourselves.

As a happily married woman, I can't imagine what it would be like to suffer through what Liz did—the tragic murder of her husband. The thought is unbearable and Laura Ward drags us through the grief of that awful night with perfection so we feel the agony and helplessness that Liz and Cindy both felt. 

After Cindy's heart-wrenching intro, we get to live the story alternately through Liz's and Reynolds' point of views. We see Liz struggle to keep herself strong for her boys, and we live through Reynolds' efforts to overcome the public humiliation he suffers at the hands of a woman he thought he loved. Both Liz and Reynolds are still soul searching, trying to discover where their hearts will be safe. 

When Reynolds and Liz cross paths, they find that they have a common goal: keeping Jack's memory alive. They put aside their own heartbreaks to work together on a screenplay about Jack's life goal to close down poorly-run state institutions for the intellectually and physically disabled. Liz and Reynolds soon discover that even though they're from completely different worlds, they can find common ground immortalizing a story they both believe in. What starts out as mutual admiration for one another, however, soon turns into something more and they're forced to make hard choices. Should they pursue a second chance at love or part ways and avoid heartbreak? Because of Liz's three young boys and Reynolds' Hollywood career, starting a relationship together is not as simple as they'd like. But simple isn't always the best choice. They finally decide that sometimes it's the risk—the unconditional faith that things will work out, the reward of waiting—that makes the journey worthwhile.

I found this story to be heartbreaking, beautiful, and hopeful. Ends, no matter how tragic they may be, are also beginnings. I love how Ward once again incorporated her message about people with intellectual and physical disabilities and did it in a way that was thoughtful, tasteful, and believable. 

One last thing...I loved Cindy's character. It was only fitting that the "fun friend," the one with the best one-liners, was the one to unravel and then wrap up this story of heartbreak and love.


SUM IT UP:

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www.christinemanzari.com

Book Review — Ensnared by A.G. Howard

Title: Ensnared
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #3


SYNOPSIS:
After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?


MY REVIEW:
Mad. Wild. Wonderful. Violent. Unexpected. Heartbreaking. Sensual. Beautiful. Tempting.
What a great finale to a different kind of series. Yes, the story is based on Alice in Wonderland, but it's almost unrecognizable in this insane retelling. One of the things I loved was that the love triangle in this story was so well done, I could feel my heart splintering just as much as Alyssa's. How to choose between two men who are so different, yet so perfect for her? When she was with Morpheus...I was Team Morpheus. When she was with Jeb...I wondered how I could ever not be Team Jeb. It was perfect. If there is one thing I would have liked, it would have been more of Jeb in the epilogue, but I will just have to imagine the details myself.


SUM IT UP:

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Check out my website for information on my books, giveaways, and other fun stuff.

www.christinemanzari.com

Book Review — Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Title: Unhinged
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Splintered #2


SYNOPSIS:
Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.


MY REVIEW:
I liked the first book more because everything was so new and weird, but Unhinged was also a great, dark, twisted read. A.G. Howard has taken the Wonderland story and turned everything on its head to make it even more whacky than the original. Because the story is so dark and there are so many "rules" to Wonderland, I often found myself putting the book down in the first half of the story and digesting all of the details for the rest of the day. But once I got to the last third of the book, I couldn't put it down. There was a huge cliffhanger at the end and I'm really excited to see what happens in the next book.


SUM IT UP:  

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Check out my website for information on my books, giveaways, and other fun stuff.

www.christinemanzari.com

Deviation, Conviction, and Hooked Cover Reveals!

It's been a busy week for me . . . THREE COVER REVEALS!!!

In August, I asked VLC Productions to redesign the covers for the first two books of my Sophisticates Series, Deviation and Conviction. Vania Stoyanova did a photo shoot to capture the personalities of my main characters and she came up with a new design that really showed off the dystopian feel of the story. She will also be designing the last book in the series. The cover reveal for those two books occurred last week and it was so exciting to finally be able to share them after having them finished for so many months. I'm really happy with the way that they turned out.

DEVIATION
Cover Design: VLC Productions
Cover Photo: Vania Stoyanova
Cover Model: Krista Gibson

CONVICTION

Cover Design: VLC Productions

Cover Photo: Vania Stoyanova

Cover Model: Hart Morse

And tonight I revealed the cover for my NEW ADULT romance that will be published February 3, 2015!!! I love this cover so much and I hope you do too!

HOOKED

Cover Design: VLC Productions

Cover Photo: Vania Stoyanova

Cover Models: Chandler Steele and Damien Michael Chase

HOOKED SYNOPSIS:

If you ask the confident and snarky skater girl, and she’s in the mood to share, she’ll tell you her name is Cat. She might even tell you that she’s hooked on graffiti, 80s movies, and having fun—the riskier the better. Cat will share a good time with you, but she won’t ever trust you enough to share her heart. It’s protected by secrets and she’d like to keep it that way. 

Cat knows one thing for certain: Love isn’t really her thing.

If you ask the confident and rich pretty boy, he might tell you his name is Huck. He might even tell you he loves a challenge and is used to getting his way. He won’t tell you that his life is a mess because he risked his heart by trusting the wrong girl. Huck is ready for a change, he just wasn’t ready to get hooked on someone like Cat.

Huck knows one thing for certain: Love hasn’t done him any favors, but Cat just might be worth the risk.

Cat and Huck think a one-night stand seems harmless, but when all the little secrets they didn’t share turn out to be toxic truths, they realize how easily a one-night stand (or a few) could ruin everything. 

The thing is, you can be ruined in more than one way. Once you’re HOOKED, what wouldn’t you risk for the chance at more?


Put Hooked on your TO READ list on Goodreads!

Visit me on Goodreads to see all of my reviews. 
Check out my website for information on my books, giveaways, and other fun stuff.

www.christinemanzari.com