Tuesday, July 28, 2015

New Release & Giveaway ~ Racing the Sun by Karina Halle





From the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky comes a new adult novel about a young woman who becomes a nanny in Capri and falls for her charges’ bad-boy brother.

When I’m traveling, I feel like the secret to my life, to myself, to really becoming, is one step ahead. It’s in the next destination, the next town I get lost in, the next stranger I talk to. It’s always next but never here . . .

After six months of backpacking and soul-searching across the world, Amber MacLean is flat broke. There are worse places for a twentysomething to be stuck than the Amalfi Coast, but the only way she can earn enough money for a plane ticket home to California is to teach English to two of the brattiest children she has ever met.

It doesn’t help that the children are under the care of their brooding older brother, ex-motorcycle racer Desiderio Larosa. Darkly handsome and oh-so-mysterious, the young master of the crumbling villa tests Amber’s patience and will at every turn—not to mention her hormones.

When her position turns into a full-time nanny gig, Amber grows dangerously closer to the enigmatic recluse. But can she give up the certainty of home for someone whose closely guarded heart feels a world apart from her own?

















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With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term "Hybrid Author." Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she's a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA...whenever possible.

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her 
husband and rescue pup.

LINKS: FACEBOOK TWITTER GOODREADS AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
Thursday, July 23, 2015

Blog Tour - Bleeding Love by Harper Sloan



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Meet Liam & Megan in the newest stand alone
in the Hope Town Series by Harper Sloan!
NOW AVAILABLE
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Blurb
(Stand alone)
I've loved once. I gave everything that I had to that love. Blindly believing that nothing could ever take that feeling away from me. Away from us. And when my little world of happiness was ripped from my fingers, I felt a loss that still haunts me to this day.
Now I use that lingering grief as a shield to keep my heart from loving again. It's that fear that keeps me from letting anyone, except my daughter, get close enough to make it hurt. To make my heart bleed when I inevitably lose again.
Until the day I met Liam Beckett and everything I thought I had protected myself from was shoved back in my face.
He's on a mission to prove to me that a love worth having is a love worth fighting for.  
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Excerpt #1 (New to Tour)
His mouth leaves mine and with his hand still on my leg, he demands, “Dig your heels in deep, baby.”
I give him what he wants, but not because he told me to.  I give him what he wants because when his hand leaves my leg and pushes into the mattress, bringing his body up he goes even deeper into my body and those heels push hard.
Just as he demanded earlier, my hands go to his shoulders on my own accord and as he takes my body hard, my nails dig in with my heels still pushing hard against the small of his back.  Our eyes never leave each other’s probing gaze.  Never once do I take my eyes away from his, so full of lust that I know there isn’t an ounce of control left in his body.
He drops his head and I lift up to meet him in a kiss so sweet it doesn’t match the powerful way that he’s taking my body.  A kiss that gives me more than words ever could at this moment.  His hips slow and as his tongue rolls against mine, his hips start to take me in slow, deep rolls.  He doesn’t pull back, just rocks his hips against mine.
I push up and cry out when he slips even deeper.
His lips come from mine and his hooded eyes open a sliver.  “Feels like heaven,” he says softly.  “Everything, darlin’.  Feels like everything.”
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**Prologue and additional excerpt have been previously released**
Prologue
Prologue - Megan
Holy shit.
What am I doing?
“Oh, God!  Right there… I’m coming… Don’t stop!”
Is that me screaming like that?
Holy shit.
I didn’t even know that noises like that could come out of my mouth!
“You like that?” he asks with his lips pressed against my neck – the vibrations shooting straight to my core.
I focus, my now alcohol free vision, on the man thrusting above me.  His dark hair is blending in with the shadows that are dancing around the room.  His face is a mask of ecstasy as he thrusts into my waiting body.  It’s a look of pure desire that I will never forget.
What the hell am I doing?
“You feel so good.  Your body so greedy for my cock.  You want it harder, darlin’?”
I moan shamelessly and feel my body get even wetter with his huskily whispered words.
Screw it – this feels way too good to stop now.
I reach down, dig my fingers in the firm globes of his ass, tip my head back and beg.  Beg with incoherent cries for him to take me harder.  To take everything he can.
**Two Hours Earlier**
“You look beauuuutiful,” I sing as Dani Reid – No, Dani Cage – walks over to sit next to me at one of the tables scattered around the backyard wedding.
She looks at me, her stunning green eyes bright with love and happiness.
“And you sound a little drunk, my friend,” she laughs.
I just smile at her, running my fingers through the lace on her wedding gown.  “This is soft.”
She just laughs and leans back and looks across the yard to where her new husband, Cohen, is standing by the dock talking to some of his friends.  This is another one of those moments when I’m reminded that this group doesn’t have a single unattractive person in it.  I take a second to look at all the well-built, good-looking men standing around him.  When my eyes meet Liam Beckett’s, I look away quickly.  For months now Liam has made no secret that he would love nothing more than my undivided attention.
“They’re all so unfairly hot.  No men should be that attractive,” I whisper in awe, gaining me another chuckle from Dani.  I blush when I realize that my thoughts aren’t staying in my head, where they belong.  When I look back over to where the group of men are standing, my eyes hit the familiar pair of deep brown ones again, eyes that always seem to know each and every time I’m looking their way.  I quickly look away, feeling that blush get even brighter.  I’m not ready to deal with him right now.  At least not when I’m this tipsy.
Picking up my wine glass, I take another healthy swallow as I do a quick scan, taking in all that is the Reid Family property.  They’ve done a beautiful job transforming the backyard of Dani’s family home for Cohen and Dani’s wedding.  I still can’t believe that Dani managed to pull off a surprise wedding without Cohen even catching the smallest hint of her plans.
“Are you sure you’re okay with Molly spending the night with my parents, Megs?  I know it’s hard for you to leave her overnight, but they just love your daughter to pieces.  And I know Owen loves having her around.”  Dani reaches out and takes the hand I had resting against the table while she speaks.
“Yup,” I smack and nod my head.
“You’re drunk,” she says, repeating her earlier observation.
“I’m not drunk, I’m tipsy.  There’s a huge difference there.  If I was drunk I wouldn’t be able to walk.  Watch!”
I jump up from my chair with a little more power than I mean and quickly stumble when the narrow heel of my five-inch shoes sinks into the soft grass beneath me.
“Whoa, there darlin’.”
I feel it, those words, every single syllable deep down in my gut.  Each rumbled word vibrating through my body creating a slow burn until they end with a sharp pulse between my legs. His arms locked at my elbows and my back solidly against his front – where my graceless stumble caused me to end up. I jerk my body tight and feel his laughter reverberate through my body once again.
I attempt to pull my arms from his loose but strong hold, only to give up when it becomes clear that he isn’t going to let go.  Shifting until my face is turned, he lets one arm go and helps me spin until I’m facing him, and moves his hands from my elbows to my hips.
“Hey,” he says with a smile, the dimple in his cheek popping out.
“Liam,” I sigh and then curse myself for not being able to hide my reaction to him.
His smile turns knowing and his eyes darken before dropping to my lips.
I gulp.
“You should be more careful, Megs.”
“It’s Megan,” I snap.
“I know, babe, you don’t have to keep reminding me.”
“Then why can’t you seem to actually remember it?” I squeak and try to pull my body away from his grip – and fail, again.
“Someone doesn’t sound drunk anymore.” I hear Dani speak but I don’t take my gaze off Liam.  “She does look it though.” She muses on a laugh, which finally gets my eyes to snap to hers.
“I’m fine!  I just had a few glasses of wine and I haven’t eaten much.  But, I most definitely am not drunk.  I think I would know if I was drunk.”
Okay, so that’s a lie.  I might not be drunk, but I am definitely slightly past tipsy.  Dealing with Liam – or rather my attraction to Liam – is hard enough for me on a good day, when I’m completely sober.  But with this amount of wine flowing through my body, I just can’t trust myself.
It’s taken everything I have to keep him, and his obvious interest, at bay for the last couple months.  When he’s around he goes out of his way to get me alone and lay it out.  He wants me.
“You look stunning when those shadows aren’t rolling around your shoulders,” Liam whispers, his lips press close enough to my ear that I can feel his words one by one against my skin.
I shiver, his words hitting me close to home, but the tone causing me to forget I should be pushing him away.  Especially when he’s talking about things that he has no business speaking about.
“I’m fine,” I stammer.
“Yeah, darlin’, I know you are.”
His eyes keep their hypnotizing hold on my own.  I hear Dani excuse herself.  I don’t turn to watch her disappear in the lingering crowd of party-goers that are still left milling around.  The music is still floating in the air around us.  As I look into his eyes everything around me feels like it’s…alive.  It’s a feeling that I’ve been missing for the last few years.  A feeling that only comes to visit when I’m with my daughter, or until recently, when Liam Beckett is in the same room.  It’s a feeling that, even though I shouldn’t, I feel guilty for allowing myself to enjoy.
Whether it’s the wine, the fact that Molly left a few hours ago with Dani’s parents, or the man standing in front of me, all I know is if I don’t hold on to this feeling for as long as I can right now, I’ll regret it for years to come.
“Megs,” he says on a sigh, his fingertips digging in and his eyes swirling with a rich hopefulness that turns those golden flecks you can normally see swimming in his brown eyes into a burning fire lighting his gaze.
Hungry eyes.
I don’t think.  If I had given myself just a second to process my next move, I’m sure I would have backed out of his hold and run as fast as I could to my car.  But, I didn’t think, so my next move was pure, one-hundred-percent Megan.  But not the Megan I’ve been for the last couple years since my husband died.  No, this Megan feels like I’ve finally dug myself out of those ashes I’ve been living in since my life burned up around me.   The cloak of depression that normally lingers loosely around my shoulders, dropping to my feet with the feel of Liam pressed tight.  I know this feeling won’t last, but I suddenly want to hold on to every second I can of this experience, until it leaves me.
I reach out and curl my fingers around his forearms.  My eyes growing wide when his brow lifts.  With a quick push I rock up and close the distance that is left between our mouths.  When my lips touch his, that feeling of being alive burns so bright every nerve in my body feels it, each inch of skin boiling and cooling so quickly it’s as if I can’t make up my mind if I want to be hot or cold.  My hairs stand on end, my skin pebbles – going cold before rushing heat fills my veins, and the very thump of my heart seems to skip a beat the second our lips touch.
One thing I know for sure.  I want this.  I want this and Liam’s going to give it to me.
He doesn’t pause.  His groan vibrating against my chest only lights the feeling that is firing through my skin.  My hands move from his forearms and I run my hands up his chest until both hands curl around his neck and I use the hold to pull my body even closer to his.
His hands move from my hips and he curls them around my bottom, pulling me tightly against his body.  When I feel the very obvious sign of his attraction, I moan deeply, and shiver when he answers with one of his own.
I can’t tell you how long this kiss lasts.  When his tongue moves to swipe against my lips, I open without reservation.  We continue, our tongues dancing together while each of our moans are swallowed by the other, until I have to pull away to gulp a breath of air before I pass out – however, the way I feel right now, passing out might very well be a possibility.
“This is finally happening,” he snarls in a tone that should scare me, but all it does is act as kerosene to our already uncontrollable fire of lust.
“It is,” I agree without question.
“Now,” he says.
“Okay,” I agree on a sigh and sway toward his hard body.
With the encouragement he needs, his hands finally leave my body.  He turns me, wraps one thick arm around my shoulder, and turns to walk toward the front of the house.
“We’re leaving?” I question lamely.
“Darlin’ I didn’t stutter.  This is happening,” he says, pausing when he reaches the side of the house and the shadows that will give us the privacy we need.  His body turns, moving me to stand before him once again.  “I need to know you’re with me, Megan.  I’ve wanted this since the day I met you, but I knew you weren’t ready for me.  I’ve been trying to keep my distance, just waiting for those clouds to leave your eyes.  If you don’t want me to take you back to my house, strip you naked and fuck you until you can’t walk for weeks, then say so now, because the second I have you I won’t be letting go.”
“Oh, boy,” I whisper.
“I prefer oh God, but I’ll make that the first item on my to-do list.”
“You’ll make what?”
“My to-do list, Megs.  The list of things I’ve wanted to do to you for months now.  Making you scream oh God will be number one, followed by my name, of course.”
“Oh, God,” I repeat, my mind swilling with the promise his words inflict.
“Yeah, you’re getting it.”
His mouth crashes down on mine for a hard but quick kiss before pulling back and giving me another one of those knee-melting smirks.  “Last chance, Megan,” he whispers while his hands are framing my heated face.
Whatever he sees in my eyes is enough, he gives me a light kiss, takes his hands from my face and curls one around my left hand and pulls me toward his truck.


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About the Author:
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Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed 'Estrogen Ocean', much to her husband’s chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero--the super alpha kind!

Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn't take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.



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Sunday, July 19, 2015

Blog Tour ~ King of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

King of Hearts Release Date



king of hearts
Synopsis  
Welcome to the City, London’s most prestigious square mile, where finance reigns and Oliver King is a rising prince.
I used to rule the world.
There might be wolves on Wall Street, but there were crocodiles in Canary Wharf. Some of us craved money. Some of us craved power.
I liked money, and power had its advantages, but what I really wanted was to excel, to surpass the men who came before me. I never cared much for love and romance until I met Alexis.
I could feel it the very moment she walked into the interview, with her outspoken charm and vivacious personality. She cast all the others in shadow, made me laugh when life held no humour. Our friendship should have remained professional, but it wasn’t long before the lines started to blur.
You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? Well, I never foresaw where my plans would lead, and only in my darkest hour did I finally see the light…
You can have all the money and prestige in the world and still be the poorest man alive. And love, well, I hate to use a tired old cliché, but love can be the thing that truly sets you free.

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My Review
I get insanely excited by a few authors. Cosway is one of those authors. When I hear that she is releasing a new book…….BEST NEWS EVER!
I have been waiting for King’s story ever since he was introduced in Hearts of Fire. From the glimpses we were given of him, I just knew he had one hell of a story. I could not wait to see how Cosway could make a drunk asshole into someone I could root for. Really, how could anyone love that guy? You know someone did, but what in the world could have happened to him….to his love to turn him a way and hide in the circus?
While I LOVE all of her books….this one was not my favorite. Not because of the writing….that is amazing as always. And not because of the characters themselves. I adored Alexis and King. What bothered me was a plot issue. The WHY he ran to the circus. It honestly did not make that much sense to me. A man like him. A man with his power and influence. To run off….it just didn’t seem plausible to me. Especially because of the connection he had with Alexis. Their chemistry was tangible. It was electrifying. I would’ve hoped that King would have done anything to keep that. So, the fact that he ran……just did not seem to jibe with the kind of man he was. One other thing that bothered me was a location issue.  I recently moved to Italy….so when at one point in the story when they had a business trip to Rome I was so excited!! But then…..Alexis walked to the beach. The beach! In Rome? I was like….what? I didn’t know Rome was that close to the beach. So I mapped it and the closest beach was at least a 30min drive from Rome. Then I went back and re-read that part in the book. It says they are staying outside the city…so maybe she could walk there? Either way….it threw me off a bit.
Seriously though….there are SO MANY awesome things about this book! Alexis and her humor. LOVED IT! King (before he went off the rails) SEXY AS HELL! I mentioned their chemistry. All these things made it a great story.  Something I haven’t gone over yet is the AFTER. After King runs away. Where does that leave Alexis? Because there is another half of the book. What happens to Alexis and how does she move past him? Or can she? If you’ve read Hearts of Fire (please say you have!) you know there are some forces at play that try to reconnect King with Alexis. Alexis and King are reunited….but it’s not exactly hearts and flowers for them. The question is…..did their love survive? Can King come to terms with the mistakes of his past and heal.
Addicted



        Excerpt 
 What he said made me curious, so I went on, “What do you do to deal with the stress?” He gave me a wan smile, and there was something in his expression that struck me as sad somehow. Rubbing at his chin, he answered, “Hmmm, when I’m stressed out…a nice glass of top shelf whiskey usually does the trick.” “That makes sense,” I said and walked around his desk before taking a seat in front of him. “You know, I always thought it was poor people who did drugs, to escape the bleakness of their realities. Now I’m thinking maybe the practice is most common at the top and the bottom of the ladder. Perhaps the best place to be is somewhere in the middle.” “Not necessarily. I’m at the top. Do I look high to you?” The deadpan way in which he said it made me laugh. I leaned forward and teased, “I’m not sure. Let me have a look at your pupils.” Surprising me, King rose from his seat, walked around his desk and came to kneel in front of me. Before I knew it his face was mere inches from mine. “Go ahead,” he said, voice low. Whoa, Oliver King’s face right up close…I wasn’t sure what to do with that. I guess he didn’t realise the effect he had on this very non-gay lady, because he seemed entirely unselfconscious. His eyes were beautiful, his lashes long and golden, his skin smooth with a hint of stubble around his jaw, and his lips were just…I had no words. Sculpted and masculine was probably the only way I could think to describe them. I realised I was staring at those lips a little too closely when my eyes flicked back to his. A moment ago he was smiling, but now that smile was transforming into a thoughtful frown. I cleared my throat. “Your pupils look fine.” King exhaled a small breath and I watched as his attention went from my eyes to my cheeks, nose, chin, and then finally to my lips. He looked like he was about to say something when suddenly Gillian’s voice filled the room. “Mr King, Jenson Gellar is on the phone. Shall I put him through?”  
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AboutTheAuthor authorpic1
L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.

READ THE BOOKS
Six of Hearts
Hearts of Fire
King of Hearts
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

New Release & Giveaway ~ The Espionage Effect by Kat & Stone Bastion

The Espionage Effect Banner
We are thrilled to bring you the release day launch for Kat & Stone Bastion's THE ESPIONAGE EFFECT!
THE ESPIONAGE EFFECT is a standalone, full-length, action-adventure romance filled with plenty of the sexual tension, deep emotion, and scorching scenes the Bastions are known for.
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Do you like romance a little more erotic, edgy, darker, filled with action-adventure, toned with mystery, complete with a twist...or two? If so...
Be sure to preorder your copy today!
 
About The Espionage Effect:
When desire sets you free…control is a matter of perception.
I'm Devin Hill.
Darkness taints my soul.
I'm suffocating. Drowning.
The sweet promise of air? Pure illusion.
Tested as a genius at age seven, I hide my emotions, become what they expect...bury my secrets. At nineteen, I trudge toward a predestined path, blinders on, heart safeguarded.
Until I dare to be wild.
Until Alec Marquez crashes into my world.
Until all that follows redefines everything I've ever known.
What happens when you stumble into a world of spies...and discover you belong there?

The Espionage Effect - The Blindfold Pic Quote

Excerpt

When I woke, the remnants of an exhausting dream kept a sticky hold on me. Heavy eyelids prevented me from taking in my surroundings too quickly. After several minutes of opening then shutting my eyes, two slow yawns, and one lazy stretch, awareness of someone else in the room pricked at my senses, and I finally pushed myself upright. Alec. I inhaled his scent before I spotted his silhouette across the room. At some point, he’d turned off the bathroom lights, swathing the room in darkness once again. Only a dim blue-white glow that emanated from beside him cast light into the suite. He sat at the large desk. His features, focused in concentration, were bathed in the soft illumination from a penlight affixed in some way to the top corner of an open laptop. As I couldn’t recall any baggage thrown over the balcony with his unorthodox means of arrival, the laptop had to be Anna’s. Curious, I pushed off the bed. My bare feet landed toe first onto the cool floor tiles. I padded closer in silence, not wanting to distract him. “You slept like the dead.” His comment came without inflection of judgment, merely statement of fact. And he didn’t move from his studious position. Nor did he attempt to hide what he was looking at. My pulse accelerated as I smoothed my hands down the thin cotton tank top and boxer shorts I still wore, my thoughts drifting over the reasons I’d slept so soundly. “I suppose orgasmic endorphins followed by a meal heavy in carbs and fat will do it.” At that, he swung his gaze my way, arching one of his brows. “Orgasmic endorphins?” I paused. The toes of my right foot slid just over the edge of the first step that led down to the sitting area. I curled them down over, rooting myself as I swayed under his sudden scrutiny. Even in the dim light, I could see the heat in his gaze. I certainly felt it, my skin beginning to warm from the second his attention had shifted toward me. “Well, actually, many chemicals accompany orgasm: endorphins, dopamine, testosterone, norepinephrine, serotonin...oxytocin.” The muscles at one corner of his mouth twitched, tugging his lips into a sinful smirk as his gaze drifted a few inches lower. “That sexy mouth of yours keeps spouting intellectual factoids. I keep wondering what it’ll take to render you speechless.” My mind froze. “Speechless?” A full smile now played at his lips. “Oh, yes. I’m taking it as a personal challenge to blow your mind to the point you cannot describe an event that happens between us with mere words.” “Oh.” I didn’t know what to say. Couldn’t fathom it. Then, I began to want it… “See. You get the idea. We’ll leave it there for a while.” Why? To let the anticipation build? Already, my heart rate quickened, my breath shallowed, my…mind analyzing the possibilities of orgasmic chemicals once again. He turned back toward the desk with an unaffected expression, carefully smoothing his hands over a large, thin paper he’d spread across the surface—as if he hadn’t just dropped a nuclear bomb between us and set the timer for detonation.

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About Kat & Stone Bastion:
Shoe and Boot Photo
Kat Bastion won several awards for her bestselling debut novel Forged in Dreams and Magick. Kat and Stone Bastion’s bestselling first novel No Weddings and the No Weddings series were named Best of 2014 by multiple romance review blogs. When not defining love and redemption through scribed words, they enjoy spending their time mountain biking and hiking in the beautiful Sonoran Desert of Arizona.
Be sure to follow Kat & Stone's social media pages to keep informed: Facebook | TalkToTheShoe Blog | Kat's Twitter | Stone's Twitter

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One lucky subscriber will win an eBook of their choice from their backlist AND a $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card each time they send out a preorder or new-release announcement.
Sign up for their Email Subscription list here: http://www.katbastion.com/email-subscription/
(They solemnly promise to email only a handful of times a year to announce preorders and new releases.)
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