Friday, June 30, 2017

July Book of Choice Giveaway Hop


I'm joining in this month to celebrate some things that have gone well for me this year, as well as it being summer and being off of school!  This hop is hosted by FLYLeF each month.  I will be selecting one winner to receive a new book of their choice up to $15 as long as The Book Depository ships to you.  You're able to pick any book you want, just fill out the rafflecopter.  When you're done, you may hope along to the other links and enter the other giveaways.

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Blog Tour with Giveaway: The Lucky One (A Carolina Connections Novel) by Sylvie Stewart


Book info:
Title: The Lucky One
Author:  Sylvie Stewart
Series:  A Carolina Connections Novel
Publication date: May 11th, 2017
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance
When your luck runs out, do you run away—or do you stay and fight?
Bailey:
Let’s get one thing straight. I am not your typical girl. Sure I’ve got all the parts, but I’ve been a stubborn, irreverent tomboy since the womb, as my Irish father would proudly attest. Despite my Irish blood, I’ve had a bit of bad luck here and there—I recently trusted the wrong guy and got derailed in my professional pursuits. But I’ve bounced back. With my shields firmly in place, I thought nothing, or no one, could touch me again. Until he did. And he just might make this tomboy do the girliest thing in the world—fall head over heels in love. Of all the damn luck…
Jake:
I’m a pretty lucky guy. I have a phenomenal family, a career I love, and I’m building a brand-new life back in my hometown. And, not to be a jerk about it, but I do more than all right with the ladies. Everything’s been going according to plan—like I said, I’m a lucky guy.
That was, until my luck ran out.
Until I met the girl I call “Irish.”
Irony can go kiss my a$$.

The first two chapters of The Lucky One are available for free download on Instafreebie!
Sylvie just won the National Indie Excellence Award for Romantic Comedy!

Excerpt:
Jake finished his entire bottle in one go. I watched his throat work as he swallowed, and my knees sent an S.O.S. signal to the rest of my body. We’re going down!
 
“Are these ‘complicated’ things part of the reason you won’t go out with me?”
 

He was really going there, wasn’t he? I couldn’t seem to catch a break.
 

I stuttered in my response. “I-I-It’s hard to explain that.”
 

He studied me and then nodded, his expression turning knowing. “Question.” He moved a step closer. “Are you attracted to me?”
 

Ha! Like my horny text and my jumping him at the wedding hadn’t been clear enough! Add in my skin’s propensity to mimic a pomegranate and I may as well just take out a billboard—Take me now, Jake Beckett, you sexy beast!
 

I felt like my entire body was about to combust. “Um,” was all I could manage.
 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” His lips quirked up in a cocky, lopsided grin.
 

Jerk.
 

Correction: hot jerk.
 

(Copyright 2017 Sylvie Stewart)
Author Bio:

Sylvie Stewart is an author of Romance and Romantic Comedy. Like the characters in her books, North Carolina is where Sylvie calls home these days, and she can’t get enough of the great weather and fun adventures NC offers. She and her husband love arguing over which of them is the funniest. Sometimes, she lets him win because she’s cool like that. When she’s not writing, she is hanging out with her husband and kids or reading, Romance being her favorite genre, of course. And she knows that life wouldn’t be worth living without a lot of laughter, friends, and wine! You can always find out what Sylvie’s up to at her website www.sylviestewartauthor.com
Want free books? Join Sylvie’s Review Team! http://bit.ly/2fIuOV6

GIVEAWAY!
 

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Thursday, June 29, 2017

Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway: Love Wasted by Shirl Rickman


Title: Love Wasted
Author: Shirl Rickman
Genre: NA Romance
Published: June 22, 2017
Available on Kindle Unlimited
“A great slow burn” - Amazon Review

“SO MANY FEELS THROUGHOUT…” - Amazon Review

She loves him. She loves him not. 
When Cassandra Porter was seven years old, she fell in love with her next door neighbor and her best friends brother. Cass loved that boy every single day…until he broke her heart and all that remained were the pieces.
Ten years and what feels like a lifetime apart, that boy—now a grown and sexy, warm blooded man—is thrust back into her life. He might make her temper flair and blood boil, but a few unresolved feelings are no match for the way her heart races when he is near…
She drives him the good kind of crazy. 
Paxton Luke led his life with one thing on his mind: success. Friends and family come first, with no room for emotional attachments—not even with the neighbor girl, who's turned into a complete knockout. His sister's best friend. Emotions only lead to love, and love was trouble.
They’re determined to fight this undeniable attraction to the bitter end. It’s too damn bad their hearts are about to get love drunk-- wasted on love.
 


 
 My rating:  4 stars

The drama was definitely held out throughout the whole story.  I like that Cass doesn't all of a sudden get over the way that Pax treated her when she was a kid.  Now honestly, all the flashbacks in the story show us that he kept denying any feelings for her, as well as pushing her away more than just one time.  So her reluctance to act on any feelings they might have made total sense.  While sometimes it is fun to have your secondary characters be in on the whole knowing the two should be together, I like that in this case, Laney, Pax's sister and Cass's best friend, didn't act that way around the two.  Even if it was her forgetfulness that led to them staying in the same apartment.  Seeing Cass try to hold onto her on again/off again relationship with Richard was something that seemed very realistic for what it was.  Paxton's final realization of just what he was missing with all the goals he'd set out for himself was perfectly set for the ending of the story.  The book kept me reading, was hard to put down, a great summer romance read.
 
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Shirl Rickman is a writer, a dreamer, and an optimist. A small town Texas girl currently residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, Shirl adores her husband, daughter, and two crazy dogs. When she's not dreaming up new love stories, Shirl can be found reading, drinking her favorite coffee, Kona Blend with coconut milk. She loves kindness, laughing and meeting her readers. 
 
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Release Week Blitz with Giveaway: Girl on the Verge by Pintip Dunn

 
Hello Readers!  Welcome to the Release Week Blitz for
Girl on the Verge by Pintip Dunn!
Check out the excerpt below, and  be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
 
Congratulations Pintip!!
 
 
 
From the author of The Darkest Lie comes a compelling, provocative story for fans of I Was Here and Vanishing Girls, about a high school senior straddling two worlds, unsure how she fits in either—and the journey of self-discovery that leads her to surprising truths.
In her small Kansas town, at her predominantly white school, Kanchana doesn’t look like anyone else. But at home, her Thai grandmother chides her for being too westernized. Only through the clothing Kan designs in secret can she find a way to fuse both cultures into something distinctly her own. When her mother agrees to provide a home for a teenage girl named Shelly, Kan sees a chance to prove herself useful. Making Shelly feel comfortable is easy at first—her new friend is eager to please, embraces the family’s Thai traditions, and clearly looks up to Kan. Perhaps too much. Shelly seems to want everything Kanchana has, even the blond, blue-eyed boy she has a crush on. As Kan’s growing discomfort compels her to investigate Shelly’s past, she’s shocked to find how much it intersects with her own—and just how far Shelly will go to belong…

Girl on the Verge by Pintip Dunn 
Publication Date:  June 27, 2017 
Publisher:  Kensington
 
 
  
A fish swims beneath the open staircase in my Khun Yai’s house. A real live fish, with its translucent fins fluttering in the water, its belly gold-scaled and bloated from regular feedings. If I part my knees, I can catch long glimpses of its lazy swimming through the gap in the stairs.
Of course, I’m not supposed to part my knees. It’s not ladylike for a twelve-year-old girl, not here, not in Thailand. The land where my parents grew up; the place that’s supposed to be my home, too. That’s what the banner said, when my relatives came to pick us up at the airport. “Welcome home, Kanchana.”
Never mind that I only come to Thailand every couple years. Never mind that I don’t look like anyone else here, with my American build and my frizzy, out-of-control hair. Never mind that I don’t look like anyone in my hometown, either, since I’m the only Asian girl in school. Never mind that the only reason we’re here now is because my father’s dead and my mom can’t keep it together.
For a moment, pain lances through me, so sharp and severe that it might as well slice my heart in half, like in one of those video games my friends like to play. I squeeze my eyes shut, but that doesn’t keep the tears from spilling out. Neither do the glasses sliding down my nose. And so the tears drip down, down, down, past my unladylike knees, through the gap in the stairs, into the fish basin below.
The drops scare the fish, who swims away with its tail swishing in the water, no longer languid, no longer lazy. So, even this creature wants to get away from me—from my grief, from my strangeness—as quickly as possible.
“There you are, luk lak,” Khun Yai says in Thai, coming down the stairs. She is my mother’s mother, and since we arrived, she’s used the endearment—child that I love—more often than my name.
“You’re up early.” She pats her forehead with a handkerchief. It’s only seven a.m., and already sweat drenches my skin like I’ve taken a dip in the basin. No wonder they take two or three showers a day here.
“Couldn’t sleep. Jet lag.”
“I’ve been up for a couple hours myself.” She eases onto the step next to me, her knees pressed together, her legs folded demurely to one side.
Immediately, I try to rearrange my body to look like hers and then give up. My legs just don’t go that way.
“What do you want to do today?” Khun Yai asks. “More shopping?”
“Um, no thanks.” I make a face. “Didn’t you hear those salesgirls at Siam Square yesterday? They rushed up as soon as we entered and said they didn’t have anything in my size.” My cheeks still burn when I think about their haughty expressions.
She sighs. “The clothes there are just ridiculously small. We’ll go to the mall today. They should have something that will fit you.”
I stare at her diminutive frame and her chopstick legs. “One of the salesgirls asked how much I weighed. Another grabbed my arm and said I felt like a side pillow.”
“They didn’t mean any harm. It is just the Thai way to be blunt.” She catches my chin and tilts up my face. “You are so beautiful. I wish you could see that.”
I could say so many things. I could tell her that I’m ugly not only in Thailand but also in the United States. Even though I’m not big by American standards—far from it—I could confess how the boys call me Squinty. How those Thai salesgirls snickered at my poodle-fuzz hair. I could explain how I’m from two worlds but fit in neither.
But I don’t. Because my words will only make her sad, and there have been enough tears in our family.  
 
 
Pintip is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL.
Pintip's first novel, FORGET TOMORROW won the RWA RITA® award for Best First Book. Her other novels include THE DARKEST LIE, REMEMBER YESTERDAY, and the novella, BEFORE TOMORROW. She is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House.
She lives with her husband and children in Maryland.
 
 
Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Blog Tour with Giveaway: Prom Queen (Bad Boy Homecoming Series ) by Katee Robert

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Celebrate the Release of PROM QUEEN!

A high school reunion is about to get down and dirty and a whole lot more complicated in this new erotic romance from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Katee Robert.

Welcome to Bad Boy Homecoming! Five bestselling authors got together to see what happens when bad boy heroes (and even a bad girl or two!) roll back into a small town in Texas for their High School reunion. Sexy times, angst-filled memories, and second chances abound with this contemporary romance series.


Add PROM QUEEN to your TBR pile on Goodreads, then keep reading for an exclusive excerpt! Be sure to enter the giveaway for your chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card, a Signed Paperback Set of the entire Bad Boy Homecoming Series, or a Prom Queen themed scented candle!

Title: Prom Queen
Author: Katee Robert
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Publisher: Katee Robert
Series: Bad Boy Homecoming
Page Count: 109 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Price: $3.99

Synopsis:
 
Jake Davis had it all in high school—a scholarship to his college of choice, a promising football career, and the gorgeous prom queen for a girlfriend. And then he lost it all when he was injured right after graduation. Ten years later, he’s mostly made his peace with that, and now runs a company that provides women with dates for special events. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that the ex who left him in the dust needs a fake boyfriend for their high school reunion…

Jessica Jackson used to be the mean girl to end all mean girls. But life didn’t turn out like she’d thought it would, and now she’s twenty-eight, single, and works as an insurance agent to A-listers instead of being the A-lister like she’d always dreamed. She can’t go back to her hometown and admit just how thoroughly she’s failed, so she lets her friends set her up with a fake date for the reunion.

The second Jessica realizes that her fake date is Jake, she tries to call the whole thing off. The problem is the chemistry between them is even hotter now than it was when they were teenagers. Against her better judgment she lets herself get drawn into Jake’s arms again—and into his bed. But time doesn’t heal all wounds—sometimes, it actually makes them worse—and if Jessica and Jake can’t learn to forgive each other, their second chance might not last the weekend.

Find out more at: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo

Check out the entire Bad Boy Homecoming Series



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Excerpt from PROM QUEEN

Copyright © 2017 Katee Robert

Taking a fortifying breath that did nothing to fortify, she scrolled through her texts to find the number that had shown up last night. The words were short and to the point.
I’ll pick you up at the airport.
Nothing there to tell what kind of man she’d ended up with, and she’d been too cowardly to text back anything other than a generic agreement. Now there was nothing left to stall with. Jessica hitched her purse higher up on her shoulder and headed through security. The big red line tiled into the floor was a point of no return in so many ways. Why did I think this was a good idea?
Her mama didn’t raise a coward, though, so she lifted her chin and marched forward. No matter who this guy was, she’d faced down worse. She’d been worse. It couldn’t be more horrifying than the Miss Texas Teen USA pageant of 2005 where that little brat Misty Brennan cut holes into her dress and she didn’t realize it until she was out on stage and had her pink polka dot bra showing to the audience and God. Jessica had powered through that and walked out with second place, and she’d power through this, too.
She joined the people from multiple flights crowded around the baggage claim, her body practically vibrating from nerves. The scent of too many people in too little space assaulted her, but she was more focused on the faces she didn’t recognize from the plane. Too many, all filtered in with the travelers—there was no way she’d be able to pick him out of the crowd. Her date had her picture, so he’d have to be the one to approach. What if he doesn’t? What if this is just karma giving me one last kick in the teeth?
Oh, for God’s sake, stop being so dramatic.
“Jessica.”
A thrill shot down her spine, quickly eaten up by a dread so strong, she wished the ground would open and swallow her whole. She shot a look at the nearest exit, but if she took off now, she’d have to admit that she fled instead of turning and facing her Number One Nightmare.
Jake Davis.
Praying she was wrong, she turned slowly to face him. Nope. That was definitely Jake Davis, ex-quarterback, ex-boyfriend, just all around ex when it came to Jessica. And he was definitely way better in real life than he’d been in the pictures she’d seen while she was creeping on him. Her heart picked up and her body sparked to life in a way it hadn’t in far too long.
Something like ten years.
She was staring. She couldn’t stop. Jessica licked her lips, her breath stalling in her lungs when his green eyes met hers. His eyes had always been one of her favorite features—a true green that brightened depending on what he was wearing, framed with thick, dark lashes that had always made her jealous when she was a teenager. Going by those eyes, Jakes would be judged downright pretty.
At least until you saw the rest of his face. His hair had darkened over the years, closer to brown than blond, and his lantern jaw was covered with… “What the hell is that on your face?”
He blinked, the only outward sign that she’d surprised him.
“Nice to see you too, Jessie.” He touched his scruff. “A lot’s changed since you left.”
Her gaze jumped to his right shoulder. There was no outward sign of the injury that had started the end of it all, but then, he was wearing a light-weight black T-shirt, so it wasn’t like it would show. Focus, Jessica. “What are you doing here? Are you picking up someone for the reunion?” There you go. Nice and casual.
“You might say that.” He kept looking at her like he could see the inside of her head. Another new trick.
She glanced around, trying to be subtle. The baggage claim had started to clear out, and there weren’t any conveniently gorgeous men standing around alone. Where was her date? Now would be the perfect time for him to sweep in and do the job she’d hired him for. “I’m here with someone.”
“I know.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?” On second thought, escaping Jake before she met her date was probably a better choice. She didn’t want to have to deal with meeting this new guy and trying to pretend they’d been dating forever. And how was she going to explain how she’d magically lost him between getting off the plane
and the baggage claim.
Cora’s so-called perfect plan was teetering toward disaster.
“Your order from Diamond Dates.” He gave her a slow, knowing grin that she felt all the way to her toes, and offered his hand. “Jessica Jackson, I’m your date for the reunion.”


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About Katee Robert

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it 'a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension."  When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. 

Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads | Instagram

 
Giveaway:

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Enter for your chance to win one of these fabulous prizes!
One (1)
$50 Amazon Gift Card
One (1) Signed Paperback Set of the Bad Boy Homecoming Series
One (1) Prom Queen themed Scented Candle

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Mainstream Romance Blast with giveaway: Drummer Girl (Moonstone Series) by Andi Bremner




Drummer Girl (Moonstone Series) by Andi Bremner


*Editor’s Pick*

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Shawna Gill, drummer for the all girl band Moonstone, is hiding a shameful secret she can't let anyone find out about...

When an opportunity comes up to play drums on The Lairs new album, Shawna jumps at the chance. Her passion in life is playing percussion. But performing with The Lair means spending time with Adam Wilson, their sexy, arrogant, lead singer who seems determined to antagonize her at every turn.

But as their hate slowly turns into a passion neither of them expected, Shawna is torn between choosing what her heart wants and losing what she has sacrificed everything for. And worse too, her secret could come out and she could lose the one person more important to her than anything.


Buy the Book





Excerpt

What the hell? I planted my hand, palm flat on the middle of the steering wheel, sounding the horn. The driver in front, in a maroon sedan with out of state number plates merely gave me the finger in the rearview mirror.
Nice. Real nice. First they pull out in front of me and then they insult me when I correct their driving. I narrowed my eyes. Arsehole.
And to top it all off they were now driving incredibly, purposely slow. One glance at my speedometer told me I was going twenty miles an hour in a sixty zone. At this rate I would never get to church and I was already late. I could just imagine my mother right now, scanning the congregation, her neck stretched out like a giraffe and her eyes anxiously assessing everyone walking in. I was already late and this guy was determined to make me later.
Planting my hand on the horn again I let it blare for a little longer. How old was this guy? Eighty?
Suddenly he planted his foot on the break. Too late I saw the red lights flash up on the car and quickly slammed my foot on the brakes, sending my car into a tiny skid. Oh shit. I knew I was going to hit him and squeezed my eyes shut, only opening them after I heard the crunch of metal on metal and the cars were at a standstill.
Now I was definitely going to be late. And I was going to have to explain how I crashed my mom’s car.
Ugh. It served me right I guess for going to one of Tony Hurst’s parties and staying way too late. It had been after three a.m. when I’d finally climbed into bed so I was now extremely tired, plus, I had to admit I was a little hungover. It was probably the hangover and the lethargy that had contributed to this damn car crash, although if I hadn’t had to deal with imbeciles so early on a Sunday morning…
Steam rose from the bonnet of my car. The back end of his car was crumpled, although when I climbed out the majority of the damage seemed to be to my mom’s. His was some kind of old sedan, the type made out of solid metal, whereas my mom’s was a Japanese import that had crumpled like it was made of tissue paper.
“What the hell?” I yelled now as I heard their car door open, “this is totally your fault!”
“How is it my fault?” replied a smooth, masculine voice with a touch of amusement. “You’re the one who hit me.”
I turned around to face him, temper flaring. One glance though and I found myself faltering. Whoa. I hadn’t been expecting that.
A very good-looking guy stood watching me, arms folded across a broad chest and mouth twitching. A very, very good-looking guy who made my stomach do all sorts of little butterfly leaps and jumps. Short, partly shaved dark hair graced his head and his face was hard and angular with one of those jawlines that makes your knees go weak. Dark stubble traced said jawline and green eyes gleamed out from a tanned face. He wasn’t tall, although he was taller than me, with broad shoulders and well-defined arms. His body tapered down to a narrow waist off which hung denim jeans. Tattoo sleeves wrapped around both arms and I could see the edges of more tattoos peeping out from the top of his t-shirt too. The guy was seriously inked.
My stomach dipped for a second before I remembered what had just happened. And the fact that I’d just perused him like he was a delicious candy bar. And he was watching me with a stupid cocky grin spread across his face like he knew he was ridiculously good-looking. Which he probably did. I glanced up and met dancing green eyes and decided, yeah, he knew.
What an arse.
“I wouldn’t have fucking hit you if you’d been travelling at a decent speed,” I spat, “and if you hadn’t pulled out in front of me and slammed on your brakes.”
He shrugged. “Still, looks like you’re the one who hit me. Maybe you shouldn’t be in such a rush. It is Sunday morning by the way.”
I tugged on my blouse and lifted my head. “Exactly. Sunday morning and some people do have places to be.”
“Like where?” He laughed. “Church?”
I frowned, hating the way he said that. As if it was ridiculous, as if I would be ridiculous if I went to church, which was exactly where I was headed.
His eyes widened and then he began to laugh harder. “You are going to church!”
Ignoring him I made my way back to my car and pulled out my purse, searching for my insurance details and a pen and paper. While I wrote out my details he continued to talk.
“Actually now that I am checking you out,” he drawled, making obvious reference to my early perusal of him, “you do look like you are going to church. All sweet and conservative. You don’t sound like a church girl though. Does your mother know you swear like a trooper?”
“Don’t worry about my mother,” I replied tersely, “and don’t be checking me out.” I handed over my details and then stared at him expectantly.
“What?” He grinned, baring smooth white teeth. “You like what you see, hey babe?”
I rolled my eyes. Not only was he an arsehole but he was an arrogant arsehole. The worst kind. “Your details? For insurance.”
He didn’t even bother looking embarrassed by his misconception but simply shrugged and went back to his car. I waited impatiently, tapping my foot and glancing repeatedly at my watch.
I was very late now. I cringed inwardly. Perhaps I could slip in through a side door and say that I had been there the whole time. Bryce would be there and so would Hannah, they’d vouch for me. I just didn’t want to embarrass my parents. It was bad enough I’d humiliated them once already in this lifetime and I was continually trying to redeem myself. This was not going to help my case.
“Hey now that we’ve exchanged numbers maybe we can go out sometime,” arsehole guy was saying now, “I’ve never dated a girl like you.”
I snatched the number off him, glaring at his smug, cocky expression. “Well I’ve dated guys like you and let’s just say I won’t be making the same mistake twice.”
He grinned, like my answer somehow pleased and amused him. With a huff I turned back to my car. It was still drivable but would need to be fixed as soon as possible. This meant that my mom’s car would be in the shop for some time and I’d have no way to get around except for public transport and relying on my friends, which I hated doing.
“Hey,” arsehole guy called back now, “I know you.”
I shook my head. Really? That’s his line? “I don’t think so.”
He narrowed his eyes, “Yeah. I do. Just need to think about it…” he tapped his mouth thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on me.
“Well,” I drawled sarcastically, “don’t think too hard. You might pop a blood vessel.”

About the Author

Andi Bremner is a forever romantic who grew up with her nose in a book and head in the clouds. 

She always dreamed of writing sexy romance stories featuring strong heroines and dashing heroes and feels blessed to share her stories with readers all over the world.

When Andi is not busy writing she can found teaching high school or hanging out with her husband and three sons.  


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