Month: May 2015

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Winging It by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6081

winging itBlurb

Gabe Martin has a simple life plan: get into the NHL and win the Stanley Cup. It doesn’t include being the first out hockey player or, worse, getting involved with one of his teammates. But things change.

Dante Baltierra is Gabe’s polar opposite—careless, reckless… shameless. But his dedication to the sport is impressive, and Gabe can overlook a lot of young-and-stupid in the name of great hockey. And Dante has a superlative ass in a sport filled with superlative asses.

Before Gabe can figure out how to deal, a tabloid throws him out of his comfortable closet into a brand-new world. Amid the emotional turmoil of invasive questions, nasty speculation, and on- and off-ice homophobia, his game suffers.

Surprisingly, it’s Dante who drags him out of it—and then drags him into something else. Nothing good can come of secretly sleeping with a teammate, especially one Gabe has feelings for. But with their captain out with an injury, a rookie in perpetual need of a hug, and the race to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995, Gabe has a lot on his plate.

He can’t be blamed for forgetting that nothing stays secret forever.

Review

First Gabe is outed to the NHL, he survives and then makes friend with a new teammate, the young Dante. Soon their friendship turns into Dante’s exploring his sexuality, and becoming Gabe’s lover.

Dante is funny, bumbling, not good at keeping secrets and very, very loud in bed. Soon the entire team knows Gabe and Dante’s “secret” and then the couple has to make some decisions. Do they want the nation to know and if they do what does that mean for them, their team, Dante’s life?

**
This book was both really good and really long. For me, the hockey stuff was ok, but I mostly skimmed it. For some – it will be a treat because these ladies sound like they know what they’re talking about! I loved the relationship between Gabe and Dante because it felt so authentic. They are terrible at sharing their feelings, make silly mistakes, they have super hot sex and they sort of stumble along until they realize that they’re in this deep relationship.

It was a fun book, well written, maybe a bit too long, but overall a great ride!

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Just Desserts by Mary Calmes

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6326

JustDessertsBlurb

Boone Walton has tried hard to create some distance between himself and his past. He’s invested in his new life, his New Orleans art gallery, and his friendship with Scott Wren. Things finally seem to be settling down to normal, and Boone couldn’t be happier.

Chef Scott Wren wants much more than normal with Boone. He wants to raise things to the next level, but Boone is terrified—and not because of the ghost in Scott’s apartment or Scott’s relatives. No, Boone’s past is about to pay him a visit, and the only thing that can get between Boone, Scott, and a hinky recipe for chocolate mousse found in a curious cookbook is the river of pain Boone had to swim across to get to this side of The Big Easy. There’s a secret behind the ingredients, though—one that might reveal the trust and love that have been missing from Boone’s life.

Review

Boone’s heart was broken years ago and he hasn’t let anyone in since. His buddy, Scott, captures his interest, but he’s a player and Boone can’t risk that kind of hurt again.

When it finally looks like the player might settle down, Boone realizes he can’t let Scott go to someone else and together they embark on the relationship both had been pining for, for years.

This is another wonderful Mary Calmes love story, full of clueless MCs, tough guys, friendship, laughter, well structured secondary characters and hot sex. Add to it the Yakuza, NOLA and some amazing chocolate mousse and you have Just Desserts!

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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The Enlightenment of Daniel (Sex in Seattle Book 2) Audiobook by Eli Easton Narrated by Tommy O’Brien

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6363

EnlightenmentOfDaniel[The]AUDMEDBlurb

Business tycoon Daniel Derenzo lives for his work until his dying father reminds him life is short. When Daniel starts to reevaluate his world, he experiences a startling revelation: He’s attracted to his business partner and best friend, Nick, even though Daniel always believed himself to be straight. In typical type-A fashion, Daniel dissects his newfound desires with the help of the experts at the Expanded Horizons sex clinic. He goes after Nick with the fierce determination that’s won him many a business deal.

Nick Ross was in love with Daniel years ago, when they were roommates in college. But Daniel was straight, and Nick patched his broken heart by marrying Marcia. Two kids and 14 years later, they go through the motions of their marriage like ships passing in the night. But Nick’s kids mean the world to him, and he’s afraid he’ll never get joint custody if they divorced. If he can trust his heart to an awakening Daniel, they all might find their way to a happily ever after.

Review

Daniel and Nick have been friends and business partners for years.  One day – really from out of the blue – Daniel sees Nick as a potential lover.  Daniel has never had feelings for a man before so he goes to see our favorite sex therapist who helps him to understand his feelings better.  (This was one of the hottest and funniest scenes in the book!)

Once decided – after finding out his dad has a terminal disease – Daniel works hard to get Nick (who is still married to a woman) on board.

Nick’s wife, unfortunately, is not a nice woman and she has quite a bit of baggage.  Luckily Daniel knows a PI who can help us figure out just what makes her tick.

Eventually the truth comes out about Daniel and Nick and Marcia and Nick and though it was hard – everyone ends up deliriously happy in the end.

**

Of course this was wonderful!  Eli Easton is an amazing author!  I loved Daniel’s character so much.  He was both brash yet trepidatious and though Nick sometimes bugged the crap out of me – I loved them as a couple.

Audio

Tommy O’Brien did a nice job with the narration.  He didn’t do very much with the voices but let the story tell itself.

Overall a wonderful story and audiobook.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Liz Borino- Secrets of Nothing Tour with Excerpt & Giveaway

SONAfter several months overseas, Rhett and Kaden O’Neil fantasize about a return to their version of normalcy. However, the FBI mission shows no signs of completion and the men are forced to wait. 
Just when Rhett reaches the end of his patience, a single phone call shatters his world. His beloved grandfather’s plane disappeared. No tracking. No landing. No crash site.
Nothing.
Rhett now must unravel the lies in place to protect him so he can help his family. And not even the risk to his own life will stop him.

Pages or Words: 192 pages

Excerpt:
Rhett shook his head. With a deep breath, he logged onto the employee portal and typed Pop’s flight number into the tracking system. Rhett blinked at the screen.
“What the fuck?” Kaden whispered, peering over his shoulder.
Without answering his husband – because he couldn’t – Rhett dialed Jasper. One ring. Two rings. Please answer.
“Hey, Rhett,” he answered after the third ring. “Isn’t it early there?”
“About six a.m. Annabelle called, though, and I told her I’d try to get some information to help her relax,” Rhett said.
Silence. “About your grandfather.” Statement, not a question.
“She call you, too?”
“No, I’m not the person she goes to for comfort,” he answered with an unfamiliar edge to his voice that Rhett didn’t have time to explore. “But I’m waiting for him, too.”
Right… “Would you run a track on Trixie for me, please?”
“Can’t you?”
“Yeah, but I’d appreciate you confirming what I found. I think there might be a glitch on my end.” I hope.
Jasper typed on the other end. “Um, can you confirm the plane number?”
Rhett swallowed hard and his heart raced. “Why?”
“Please?”
He blew out a breath and recited the plane’s registered number.
More typing. “And he left on Friday morning at four-thirty?”
“Yes, why? What are you seeing?”
An unmeasurable moment of silence preceded Jasper’s sharp inhale. “Nothing.”
“What the hell do you mean, ‘nothing’?”
“After Lou cleared him for takeoff we have nothing. No tracking. No communication.”
Nothing. The word cleared every other thought from Rhett’s head and sucked the moisture from his mouth. If he could count on one thing with his grandfather, it was his adherence to safety. To get nothing meant his navigation system was disabled, which meant…
“I’m sorry, man.” Jasper’s voice yanked him from his thoughts. “Want me to call the FAA or Annabelle?”
“Definitely not Annabelle. Yes, I’m going to be an asshole and wait until we have some answers before talking to her.”
“No arguments there,” Jasper said. “FAA?”
Rhett leaned on Kaden, who had appeared at his side somewhere around the time he lost all the air from his lungs. “Let me ask the FBI. If they don’t know anything, we’ll start a full investigation. Can you send me a screen shot of the flight?”
“Um,” Jasper started, “sure, but why would the FBI track flights? I know he used to run missions for them, but he can’t anymore.”
“He and Stuart are friends, and I have to exhaust all possibilities before involving the FAA.”
More silence. “You know best.”
No, I don’t, but we’ll pretend.
“Keep me updated.”
“Will do. Thanks, Jasper.”

Sales Links: Amazon

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About the author:

Liz Borino transcribes the world inside her head onto the page, and shares it with the people who are stuck in the “real world” to makes their lives a little more interesting. Because in her world, heroes fall and stand up again with the help of their partners and friends. Liz’s world is littered with formidable obstacles, which her heroes overcome with a fire of courage and passion. The beauty of love between two men is celebrated. Who wouldn’t want to live there?
When not with her heroes, Liz enjoys exploring cities, working toward social justice, and editing for other authors. Liz published fifteen books since 2012. Visit lizborino.net to learn more!

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.borino.1
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/lizborino?fref=ts

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25406174-secrets-of-nothing
Publisher: Liz Borino
Cover Artist: Sean Hayden

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Serpent and the Angel (Shifters #8) by MD Grimm

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6201

SerpentandtheAngel[The]Blurb

In the year 1866, Sheriff Tobias Goldstein guards a small mining town in the Colorado territory with a cold and merciless hand. A rare rattlesnake shifter, he lives by a code and expecting others to do the same has kept the peace—until a nameless stranger wanders into town. Intrigued by the lone man, Tobias names him Angel Smith, and sensing he’s trustworthy, he deputizes Angel.

A guardian at heart, golden eagle shifter Angel protects the townspeople, but his dedication is to an ancient scroll capable of great destruction. For generations, Angel’s family protected the artifact with their lives. Now something has returned to hunt down the scroll. Forced to leave his tribe, Angel enjoys the quiet he’s found with Tobias, who hides a warm heart under his aloof exterior. Angel knows the quiet will not last and fears the battle on the horizon. But with Tobias at his back, Angel might stand a chance against his enemies.

 

Review

This is another historical tale, this time in the 1800s Colorado territory.  As with the previous book we get more history of the scrolls and a new pair of lovers who are entrusted with their care.

I really like how MD Grimm incorporates the flashes of history with the bits of scroll history and intermingles it with a new (if not completely unique) love story.

In this case we have two men, one very stoic and one very kind, gentle character.  Together they make a united whole and a great pair for protecting the scrolls.

I highly recommend this book and the series.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Bits of Magic by Angela Benedetti Tour

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Excerpt:
Sebastiano Fiorentelli studied the calendar — a freebie from the Humane Society with photos of puppies and kittens on it — on the wall of his cluttered basement laboratory and observed that it was the thirtieth day of October. Since emigrating to the United States and discovering the Halloween custom of sending children around to beg for treats, he’d made a habit of including something extra in the candy he made for the occasion each year. By the Nineteen-seventies, when hysteria over poison and razor blades swept the population, Mr. Fiorentelli had been living in his San Jose neighborhood long enough that no one fussed about letting their children eat his wax-paper-wrapped candies.

He paced back and forth in front of open cabinets and crowded shelves, pondering what to make this year, until finally he stopped and nodded.

“Courage,” he said. “This year, I think I’ll make courage…”

Sales Links: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=4384

bitsofmagic1400About the author:

Angela Benedetti lives in Seattle with her husband, five computers, and thousands of books. She started writing as a teenager, and discovered soon after that romances with two hot guys are twice as good as romances with only one. When she’s not at the computer, she enjoys cooking and baking, going to science fiction conventions, and cruising with her husband. She’s one of the few people in the universe who loses weight on cruises. (Must be all those walking-around shore tours and the lack of free internet access.) Her favorite mainstream fiction genres are science fiction and fantasy, both of which tend to seep into her own writing; the Hidden Magic series is a fun blend of romance and fantasy.

Where to find the author:

Blog: http://www.angiebenedetti.com/blog/
Livejournal: http://angelabenedetti.livejournal.com/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100361343167913966179/about

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3067621.Angela_Benedetti
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: BS Clay
Rafflecopter Prize: An e-copy of the novel that started the series, A Hidden Magic
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Deception (Vampires of America book 9) by DB Reynolds

ImaJinn Presents http://www.imajinnbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=237

Deception - 200x300x72Blurb
Book Nine of The Vampires in America Series
Kauai, Hawaii—tropical paradise, vibrant jungle, turquoise sea… and sensuous nights that hide vampires so powerful they can change the world.

Raphael—powerful, extraordinary, arrogant. He’s been eliminating rivals and gathering allies, determined not just to survive, but to demolish the Europeans who think they can steal what he’s worked for centuries to create. In a final bid to avert a war that seems inevitable, Raphael agrees to meet an enemy he knows of old. She is formidable, wily, and not to be trusted. But in his arrogance, Raphael believes he can foil whatever treachery she has brewing.

Cynthia Leighton—Raphael’s human mate, beautiful, smart, and deadly when threatened. She doesn’t trust anyone, much less a powerful vampire claiming to want peace. So while Raphael prepares to negotiate a treaty, Cyn is preparing for the inevitable double-cross that she knows is coming. Raphael worries about saving thousands of vampire lives. She only cares about one, and she will do anything to keep him alive and in her arms.

When Cyn is proven right, when it all falls apart and Raphael’s enemies draw on ancient magic to trap him, taking him away from Cyn and out of the war, it all falls to her—to find Raphael, to save the thousands of vampires who will die if she doesn’t succeed… and to kill every single being, human or vampire, who gets in her way.

Review

This is one of my favorite m/f romance writers and this series is amazing. In a nutshell we have a very, very tough Cyn mated to the uber-alpha Raphael, the most powerful Vampire in American and possibly in America. Throughout the series we have seen Raphael’s enemies fall as his allies have taken over the various parts of North America into Mexico and Canada as leaders, each time finding their own mates, always a powerful woman.

(In one case the woman was the vampire!)

What I love about DB Reynolds is that her women are tough but still feminine and the alphaness of the vampire does not require them to fold and quaver. The sex is really hot (and plentiful!) and the action is always exciting.

Cyn and Raphael have had several novellas and this is their second full length novel. Their relationship is not usually at question, but their safety is always at risk.

In this, the ninth book in the series, Raphael is facing off against the Europeans and has been taken captured by them. Cyn and the remaining vamps have to find him and rescue him and then defeat the evil vamps.

I love that each time Cyn and Raphael come together it’s like they’ve been apart for days. They are always so hot for each other, yet caring.

The final scene is an epic battle and victory for our team… but there’s the hint of the next phase to come…

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Beneath the Stain Audiobook by Amy Lane Narrated by Nick J Russo

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6367

BeneaththeStainAUDMedBlurb
Complete novel.

In a town as small as Tyson, CA, everybody knew the four brothers with the four different fathers– and their penchant for making good music when they weren’t getting into trouble. For Mackey Sanders, playing in Outbreak Monkey with his brothers and their friends—especially Grant Adams–made Tyson bearable. But Grant has plans for getting Mackey and the Sanders boys out of Tyson, even if that means staying behind.

Between the heartbreak of leaving Grant and the terrifying, glamorous life of rock stardom, Mackey is adrift and sinking fast. When he’s hit rock bottom, Trav Ford shows up, courtesy of their record company and a producer who wants to see what Mackey can do if he doesn’t flame out first. But cleaning up his act means coming clean about Grant, and that’s not easy to do or say. Mackey might make it with Trav’s help–but Trav’s not sure he’s going to survive falling in love with Mackey.

Mackey James Sanders comes with a whole lot of messy, painful baggage, and law-and-order Trav doesn’t do messy or painful. And just when Trav thinks they may have mastered every demon in Mackey’s past, the biggest, baddest demon of all comes knocking.

Book review here: https://kimichanexperience.com/beneath-stain-amy-lane-first-episode/

Audio

Wow. Can I just say? Wow.

I absolutely loved Nick J Russo’s narration! His Trav was sooooo sexy! He did an amazing job with the hours and hours of narration – giving each character a distinct voice and flavor. He does a nice job even with the female characters.

I really wish he could have included the bonus material – but I know that wasn’t his decision to make – I would have loved to hear the “ass-babies” discussion at the end!

I can’t recommend this book and the audiobook highly enough – 6 of 5 hearts!

amazing

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Claw (Gothika Volume Three) by Kim Fielding, Eli Easton and Jamie Fessenden

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6254

ClawBlurbs

Gothika: Volume Three 
Beasts lurk in the shadows of wild and forgotten places and in the hearts and souls of men. They are the stuff of dreams and nightmares, but are they feral and savage, or just misunderstood? Creatures of myth and legend stalk these tales of dark desire and animal passions. Three men come face-to-face with such creatures and find they are much more than they seem. While there is danger, there might be unexpected benefits as well, if they can accept the impossible and dare to venture into the primordial regions where nature and the beasts still reign. Three acclaimed authors of gay romance explore the boundaries between man and beast and the place where their worlds overlap.

Isolation by Jamie Fessenden
When Sean’s marriage breaks up, he returns to his hometown, hoping to find the childhood friend who meant everything to him in his teens. He finds Jack living in a cabin, surrounded by the forest he always loved, and the two begin to tentatively repair their damaged relationship. But a large animal has been seen prowling around the edge of town, and soon Sean comes face-to-face with the beast. Jack insists the creature isn’t dangerous—it’s been coming around the cabin for years. It isn’t long, however, before Sean discovers a far more disturbing connection between his friend and the beast.

Transformation by Kim Fielding
After being caught in bed with another male student in 1886, Orris Spencer is declared an abomination by his wealthy father. Orris is promptly banished from their Fifth Avenue mansion and sent across the continent to Oregon. Now Orris must try to find a place for himself on his brother’s farm and figure out how to deal with life as a pioneer. When he’s called on to help protect the livestock from a predator, he’s not at all certain he’s up to the task. Then he meets Henry Bonn, a strange and intriguing man who lives in a cabin in the hills. Orris’s attraction to Henry may not be an abomination—but it may prove a greater danger than banishment.

The Black Dog by Eli Easton
Constable Hayden MacLairty is used to life being dull around the tiny hamlet of Laide on the north Scottish coast. They get occasional tourists, “monster hunters” interested in the local legend of the Black Dog, but Hayden thinks that’s only a myth. A rash of sheep killings, a murdered hiker, huge footprints, and sightings of the Black Dog force Hayden to rethink the matter. With the help of Simon Corto, a writer from New York doing research for a book about the Black Dog, Hayden tries to figure out why the enormous hound is reappearing. Hayden finds himself strongly attracted to another person for the first time in his life. But between the danger stalking the hills, Simon’s inevitable return to New York, and Hayden’s mother’s illness, true love may be more of a phantom than the Black Dog.

Reviews

All three of these stories are very dark but strive to leave us with a happy ending.

In Isoloation two former lovers are reunited but things have changed and the question remains as to what secrets can be told and how will they be handled.

I didn’t care for this story as much as the others – I wanted a more concrete ending to satisfy the romantic in  me.

2 of 5 hearts

Transformation is an historical tale in Oregon (yay!) of farmers and hunters living in the wildneress.  I loved the historical aspect of being gay in the 1800s and though I was sad by the decisions that separated the brothers (both sets) I loved the overall joy that Orris and Henry found together.

4 of 5 hearts

Black Dog was my favorite in this series.  It was a fully fleshed out short story about a man who doesn’t know his own families secrets and when he finds out he has to make some tough decisions.

Eli is one of my all time favorite authors and this story is just as amazing as her longer stories.

5 of 5 hearts

Overall 3.5  of 5 hearts

3.5

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Releasing the Shifter by Summer Devon

Samhain Publishing Presents :

https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5419/releasing-the-shifter

Coming May 5th

releasing shifterBlurb

To save his love he must face his monster and—worse—be nice to people.

Montag is a monster. He doesn’t know what sort of creature he would turn into if he ever let himself shift, but he knows it’s something predatory and lethal. He fights back the urge to shift every day of his life, and has never dared get close to anyone—not that they want him to. He can literally smell their fear.

Kevin’s not scared of monsters. He works for the SSU, the agency in charge of tracking shifters—particularly the dangerous ones. When he and his young niece are kidnapped by her scum-bucket dad, he’s grateful to be rescued by Montag, whose curmudgeonly defenses can’t hide the kind man beneath.

As they work together to protect Kevin’s niece, attraction sizzles between them. But their relationship may not survive if Montag learns who writes Kevin’s paycheck—or if Montag dares to confront the inner monster he hates and fears.

Warning: Contains a grouchy virgin shifter (and we mean virginal in all possible ways), a hero with a back pocket full of secrets, and a couple of jerks.

Review

In a unique world where Shifters must be tagged and identified by the government, but biogotry still runs rampant, Montag is a shifter in hiding.  He’s a mechanic in a small town and he’s sort of keeping the peace by acting as an “enforcer” for the local criminal element when he meets/rescues Kevin.

Kevin is literally being held by his psychotic brother-in-law and his sister when Montag crashes in and saves the day.

There are a lot of secrets being held.  Montag doesn’t want anyone to know what he is (and he’s not all that sure himself).  Kevin doesn’t want Montag to know he knows about Shifters nor does he want him to know who he works for.

Everyone wants to keep Kevin’s niece safe from her psychotic father.  Nobody wants the local law to know about Montag, and Kevin wants to keep his family under the radar as well.

There is an instant “mate” attraction between Montag and Kevin, and though Kevin would readily act on it, Montag fears the results.

Between keeping the humans safe from the perceived and real monsters, dodging the law,  and going to the hospital, the relationship between Montag and Kevin builds.

Finally, with the help of Colt (who we met earlier in book 2), the two manage to cut through to the truth and find their own path towards a permanent relationship.

**

So – there are shifter novels that you can read through in a hour or two, their pattern so familiar that it’s almost just a change of names to keep the story “new” and there are shifter books where the previous “lore” is unique, different and detailed in such a way that anything short of a careful reading will leave the reader scratching her head.

This is the second.  Summer Devon has given us a unique shifter lore in well-written prose with fantastic characters who draw you into the story and keep you turning pages.  She has included some of the more common lore and blended it with a sort-of dystopian future to keep things fresh, yet grounded.

The romance and the story are both much darker than some of the more traditional shifter stories out there and the prose is more dense and definitely more complex.  The focus is definitely more on the story and less on the sex, though there are some smexy times (With a virgin!).

I really enjoyed Summer’s character development and world building and though I was sometimes forced to re-read things to be clear about the whos and the whats, I really enjoyed this take on Shifters and will look to reading the previous two books and any future stories.

Writing/Editing  4

Romance  4

Sex/Heat   3

Storyline  4

World Building/Characterizations  4

3.8 of 5 hearts

4

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