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The Billionaire Hart #1

Daring the Billionaire

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To most, my annual cruise is a getaway to escape the cold. To me, I’ll light a match and set your bed on fire…

My name is Tristan Hart and every December, I leave my world behind as a strait-laced billionaire hotel COO to give myself away to women who want nothing but a d1rty fantasy.

For one week. And I’m known as…the Alpha.

This year’s sailing should be no different, but when a beautiful woman falls at my feet (literally), and I find out she’s the target of the world’s biggest d-bag, I go from Alpha to Protector.

Suddenly, all I want is HER.

But she’s not here for the likes of me.

She’s a good girl and I’m as naughty as they come.

But when she finds out exactly the kind of cruise she’s on and asks me for lessons in sin? I can’t say no.

It’s only for a week.

I never get attached to anyone.

This time won’t be any different…

Right?

Fans of Ruth Cardello's Billionaire series will love Daring the Billionaire

Daring the Billionaire is Book 2 in The Billionaire Hart Series (formerly Lords of Gotham) and features Hart brother Tristan, a man with a secret life once a year until he takes a dare and opens his heart. On a sex cruise.

No (real) cheating. No cliffhanger. HEA guaranteed.

Series Complete!
The Good Billionaire
Daring the Billionaire
Bossy Billionaire
Rebel Billionaire

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2020

About the author

Deborah Garland

45 books480 followers
Deborah Garland is a top 45 Amazon Bestselling and a 4x Award-Winning author of emotional, funny, and steamy romances!

She loves pugs, Friday night Cosmos, and that feeling when she publishes a new romance novel.

She lives on the beautiful North Shore of Long Island and in the summer, she escapes to Maine with her very patient husband.

She eats cheap mac and cheese with expensive red wine, her heroes are ALWAYS over six feet tall, and they fall hard, HARD for the girl.

Visit her website --> https://www.deborahgarlandauthor.com/... to join her newsletter and browse her little love stories.

New Releases are always featured, but all books can be read as standalones. Don’t be afraid to jump in. The water’s fine 😊

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5 stars
215 (41%)
4 stars
166 (32%)
3 stars
100 (19%)
2 stars
27 (5%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
Profile Image for Kathryn.
865 reviews14 followers
May 3, 2021
I read this book as a judge for the First Coast Romance Writers National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards.

Tristan Hart is a Billionaire who once a year  goes on special cruise just to have a chance to relax and get laid, frequently.
Laney Hathaway is a fabric designer with luscious curves and an unrequited crush on her boss, Jonathan. She's on the cruise with her boss and her coworker, Nikki.
Laney and Nikki don't know that on this cruise there is a secret club that meets once a year for a week of wild and carefree sex.
While boarding the ship Laney takes a tumble on the gangway. Tristan helps her up and is intrigued by her. He finds out the next day that Laney wants a tryst with her boss and Tristan agrees to give her some experience in the one night stand department. But unbeknownst to each of them they are falling for each other.
The H and h turn out to be interesting and intelligent people. The whole sex crazed atmosphere of the cruise has them not thinking about what they really want in life, and unfortunately are only living in the moment. (That whole 'living in the moment' thing isn't what it's all cracked up to be.)
Besides, who in this day and age does this kind of stuff anyhow? Don't they watch Jerry Springer? Who's your baby daddy?
These are mature, intelligent nearly middle-aged adults that shouldn't be playing these sex games. And then there's not being honest with each other when Tristan and Laney do realize that they're in love with the other person.
But the climactic knight-in-shining-armor scene made trudging through all of the muck worth it. The story had a very satisfying end.

I do not recommend reading the teaser at the beginning of the story. It sets the wrong tone for the story and you have to read quite a few chapters to understand where the story is supposed to be going.

This is book 2 in The Lords of Gotham series by Deborah Garland.  You don't need to read book 1 to enjoy this book. But you might just end up wanting to read books 3 and 4. The first chapter of Bossy Billionaire is at the end of this book and it looks interesting.

The only real negative to the story is the typos, there's at least one per chapter.
Profile Image for Korkoi.
5,315 reviews26 followers
June 2, 2020
Discovering The Meaning Of True Love:
By Korkoi -
OMG! This is story does deserves you plan a few hours of ‘me time’ to read it. I can promise that once you start reading about the sizzling sexual encounters, the bitchy women, the drama and the way Laney was able to turn Tristan inside out, you are likely to hit anyone who disturbs you. The book is that captivating.

I received an ARC of this book from Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Heather Socie.
272 reviews
February 20, 2024
There were just so many parts of this book that made me cringe (and oddly, none of them were really about the whole sex club on a cruise thing). The way Tristan kept referring to his alter ego Tris as a God and an alpha, the way Laney decided she was in love with her boss for three years without once ever having a real conversation with him. I was just annoyed with them.
Profile Image for Kiley.
1,677 reviews25 followers
March 2, 2023
Daring the Billionaire, Book 1 of The Billionaire Hart series (formerly known by the title Alpha Billionaire, and Book 2 of The Lords of Gotham series), was about Tristan "Tris" Hart, second oldest brother of the three Hart brothers who owned the Sterling Hotel together, and Laney Hathaway, textile designer.
Tristan, who always felt like he lived in the shadow of both his older and his younger brothers, had been going on a week-long "sex" cruise for many years. Known to the members as the "Devil cruise", it used to be an open "themed" cruise until too many people got involved and they had to make it more secret and exclusive. Before leaving for his most recent cruise, his cousin's wife dared him to just talk to a woman and get to know her rather than indulging in his usual escapades.
Laney, who had not only been working at her current job since she graduated college, had also been enamored with her coworker/boss for the last three years. When the head of the main boss of the company had handed out Christmas gifts, some of which were tickets for different cruises, Laney chose to go on the same one that her boss would be going on, (which just so happened to be the same cruise that Tristan would be on as well) with the idea of informing her boss of her feelings in hopes he would return them favorably.
Laney and Tris (as he was known by the members of the sex club that attended the yearly travel arrangements) met almost as soon as they embarked on the ship when she tripped and fell in front of him. From that point on, the two of them were almost constantly together. However, Laney was unaware of the reasons that both her boss and Tristan had chosen the cruise. She was under the impression it was just an ordinary trip. However, it didn't remain a secret for long.
There were so many things about this story that were funny, but there were just as many things that didn't quite gel together. While the angst and drama were high, the other emotions that filled the pages were more or less outrageously disproportionate for the circumstances to which they applied.
Tristan's character, which was supposed to be an Alpha of the sex club, was actually quite the introvert in "real life". I mean, whoever heard of an "Alpha" that blushed...A LOT?! Well, Tristan did throughout the cruise. He was more insecure than his cruise persona portrayed him to be, all due to the fact he was the middle son and had "daddy issues" because they were abandoned by their father at an early age. Laney, who was also abandoned by her mother, at least had her grandmother to raise her. However, even her character didn't quite fit the scene. She, too, was written to be more of an introvert than an extrovert. However, while on the cruise, she was the aggressor/instigator in her pursuit of both Tristan and her boss although once she met Tristan, her boss wasn't quite that important anymore.
The storyline and the plot were a tad incongruous and just fell flat for most of the book. Laney, who was going to pursue her boss, ended up with the "alpha" of a sex club who, for his part, was supposed to be this "great sex god" of the club, only to turn out to be something completely opposite. It all fell apart too easily. Even the relationship between Tristan and Laney was weak. The sexy scenes, the spice, and the chemistry were all at an extremely low level, especially since it was supposed to be a sex club cruise. The sexy scenes were too tame (not that I minded, but you'd think it would have been much more graphic given the idea behind the storyline, right?). Even the title was off. Tristan was dared by his cousin's wife...not by anyone on the cruise, but the dare happened in the prequel...NOT in this story. In fact, the cousin and his wife never made an appearance in this story at all.
Once again, this book had the potential to be a really good story, but it just didn't flow well enough to earn a rating higher than 3 stars. If you're going to write an "alpha male", you have to MAKE him the alpha and not a wimp. Tristan had such potential but he wasn't given the chance. Laney could have been better too. She started off strong, but she lost her backbone halfway through the story and never truly recovered it. I'd love to see the author take this book and re-work it. The characters definitely deserved better treatment.
Profile Image for Katie.
1,276 reviews16 followers
October 22, 2022
Tristan & Laney Smoking hot!!!

Tristan goes on a yearly “Pleasure” Cruise every year to blow off some steam and get lost in women for an entire week. During this week he doesn’t have be the COO for The Sterling he just gets to be Tris and bang as many women he wants. Before he goes his cousins fiancé offers him some advice that he should try and find a woman on the cruise and just talk with them, get to know them, be himself and see how it goes. Tristan never thought that would ever be a possibility or plausibility until he meets Laney. Laney is definitely a newbie and has never been on this cruise before and he’s not even sure she realizes what type of cruise she is going on but something about her makes him want to open up and be himself.

Laney has been infatuated with her boss Jonathan for 3 years so when their company awards them cruise vouchers as their bonus she chooses the same cruise as him. Along with her best friend they embark on this week long adventure where her goal is to seduce and sleep with Jonathan.

However, when she meets Tristan there is this new desire within her and she keeps running into him and his cabin is right next to theirs. She enjoys his company and he’s taking a solid interest in her work, her mind, and her body. Their chemistry is explosive but once she learns what the cruise is really about she’s not sure what to do.

This story is a wild adventure and they are the most adorable couple. They compliment each other in all the right ways. But it’s only a week long and she has no idea what is going to happen when they land back in NY! You will thoroughly enjoy this book and this series. Happy Reading!!
Profile Image for Frances Hernandez.
744 reviews5 followers
July 26, 2021
The Ultimate cruise

This book is the second part of the Lords of Gotham Billionaires. The main male character is Tristan Hart, middle brother of the Harts brothers, and COO of The Sterling hotel. He goes on an annual cruise, dedicated to having fantasy sex with as many willing women as possible. The cruise is basically a floating orgy.
Laney is a fabric designer, and is on the cruise because she is following her boss, a boss that she has been attracted to for three years. She is unaware of the bad part of the cruise, she is just there to enjoy the cruise, and hopes to make her boss fall in love with her.
When boarding the boat, Laney falls flat on her face, and is helped up by Tristan. Tristan’s goal is to enjoy the availability of as many women as possible, until he meets Laney, and his goal is completely changed. He is completely attracted to Laney, and begins to pursue her, Laney also begins to develop feelings for Tristan. They begin a relationship for now, but there is stress and problems everywhere.
When the boat returns stateside, they take a short break from each other, but eventually they realize that they do actually love each other, and obtain their HEA, with a beautiful closing of their story.
This author is a new-to-me author, but I do plan to read more books written by her. The characters were well developed, with great story, and theme. I highly recommend her books.
Profile Image for Madm007.
1,110 reviews6 followers
May 29, 2020
What an entertaining journey! It was easy to read, lower on drama, high on mishaps and misunderstandings. A totally unplanned romance, when all Tristan wanted to do was cut loose with all the women on board wearing the devil pin, indicating they were willing to oblige. Unfortunately or maybe not, Laney, who's not wearing a devil pin btw and has no clue about the devil pins, crosses his path, several times. Now, he can't get her out of his mind, but she wants her boss and doesn't know he is here for the same reason Tristan is or was, at least until Laney. He and Laney form a bond, and surprisingly to him, it's not all about the sex, but there is heat in here too. Laney does hold her own against this billionaire, though maybe a bit naive, but willing to try lol. Tristan may have a slight problem with that now, if he's not the guy!
I enjoyed reading about Tristan and Laney, could've done without obnoxious Cass, who put out a black cloud wherever she was. Laney's boss should've been jailed, so yes, there were a few realities that took away a bit from the goodness of the book.
A complete stand alone, with it's own HEA. Book 2 of the Lords of Gotham series
I received an ARC through Booksprout and am giving my honest opinions voluntarily.

Profile Image for Nirmiti Mittal.
92 reviews3 followers
October 26, 2020
This is the second novel in the Lords of Gotham series.
This is my first time reviewing an adult romantic comedy and I really don't know how to describe it! 😅
But talking about the plot, it is a fun, light hearted story which provides you a vivid escape and a sense of adventure and intrigue.
This was a fun book to read. The author keeps you guessing whether the characters would have a happily ever after or not.
It flows quite well and has some well thought out characters in Laney and Tristan. These are the two people, one would never think to put together, and yet they work so well.
•••••
𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀:
Billionaire Tristan Hart plays by the rules.
The week he spends on his hook-up vacation losing himself in decadent fantasies is no different. He keeps to the players. Women who are willing to please him. No questions asked.
Other guests are strictly off-limits.
But this year she showed up. Only, she’s not part of his game. She’s forbidden.
This billionaire is changing the rules and taking what he wants.
No cheating. No cliffhanger.
•••••
The writing overall is fast-paced and easy going. It does include some really vivid explanations of sex and related content.
So would suggest this only for people above 18.
2,257 reviews5 followers
June 1, 2020
A story about loving a person, and truly seeing them, faults and all. Tristan lost his first love, his college sweetheart when she moved across country, and ever since he is the good, nerdy, workaholic, but one week a year he goes on the sex cruise. Where he sleeps with multiple women and then goes back to his regular life the rest of the year. But this year when boarding the ship, he helps a woman who tripped name Laney, and his life is changed forever. This was a beautiful love story but funny also. Laney and her assistant don’t know what type of cruise they are on until half way through, so when women act angry with her for monopolizing Tristan’s attention she doesn’t know why, and some of the comments by other passengers confused her. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
3,166 reviews4 followers
June 3, 2020
Lacey received a cruise rather than the bonus she wanted. No matter - she's leaving that job after the holidays. Jonathan will become her ex-boss, and they'll be free to explore each other. All she has to do is convince him while they're on the cruise. Tristan is taking a much needed vacation, very much looking forward to mindless interludes with a variety of women. But now he's only interested in Laney. And she's interested in Jonathan. I really enjoyed this book. Laney is caught off-guard by what type of cruise they're on. Tristan, or Tris as he's known with this cruising group, is also caught off-guard, but Laney is his undoing. The two of them are hilarious together. I can't wait for the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Terri Zumbrook.
2,577 reviews15 followers
June 10, 2020
This was an unexpected type of story on two levels - first, the premise of the cruise itself, and second, that mild mannered Tristan had gone all out for years on this cruise. One week per year that he behaved totally out of character and with apparent debauchery.

Laney, of course, finds out later the reason Tristian and the others are on the cruise. She wants him to teach her to let loose. He realizes during their time together he no longer is interested in meaningless hook ups. He thinks he wants more with Laney but she could still be hung up on her boss, who is also on the cruise.

This is really a sweet love story even with the backdrop of an “adult” cruise. The two characters were written so well that you could tell there was at one time two sides to Tristian, but that what he felt with Laney changed that.

February 26, 2022
Cute Insta-Love

Rating: 3.5 🌟

I found Deborah Garland on TikTok and she’s a new to me author. The TikTok video was for this book and had me intrigued. I went in without reading any reviews or the blurb.

Tristian and Laney had instant chemistry. They completed one another seamlessly and had great, honest conversations about their personal lives.

I was hoping for more spice, due to the fact that Tristian was there for it and was a deemed “God” and “alpha” for these type of cruises. I wanted to see more of that with him. He was sweet with Laney and fell head over heels for her quickly, however, once she found out what happens on the cruise, she was open to see his other side. I wish we did too.

I will read more from this author as I am intrigued to find out more about his two brothers.
Profile Image for Emily Pennington.
18.9k reviews320 followers
June 1, 2020
Laney and Tristan have separately decided to go on a cruise. For Tristan, it was his annual sex trip where he sleeps with a ton of different women for a week then returns home refreshed and on good behavior the rest of the year. For Laney, she is on a mission to seduce her boss. Meeting Tristan changes everyone’s plans!

When Laney confides her plans to Tristan that she is there to seduce her boss, she asks the more experienced Tristan for a lesson in seduction. Tristan eagerly takes on the project, but the fun game get complicated when he feels much more than casual about the sex, and now there is no way Tristan is willing to turn Laney over to someone else! But what can he do? How can he get her “on board” with his new plan?
2,727 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2020
This is the story of Laney and Tristan. He is a billionaire on a cruise to relax. Laney is on the same cruise to seduce her boss. When she trips in the lobby upon arriving at the boat she feels embarrassed as Tristan helps her. As they keep getting thrown together, she admits why she’s on the cruise to Tristan and asks him to teach her how to seduce her boss. Tristan is more than happy to oblige. The more time they spend together, the more he sees her as his. Now he’s going to keep her, but is she on the same page? I enjoyed this fun, entertaining romance. I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for LeMiliere.
2,718 reviews15 followers
June 2, 2020
This is a fun book to read, it flows well and has some really good characters in Laney and Tristan, they are two people you wouldn't think to put together and yet they work so well.

Tristan hasn't been serious about anyone since his college sweetheart left him. His life might seem dull he's the good, nerdy, workaholic who avoids personal relationships. But once a year he spends a week on the sex cruise sleeping with multiple women before going back to his nerdy existence. But this year everything will change thanks to a chance meeting with Laney as they are boarding the ship. Laney has no idea what type of cruise this is but she's about to find out.
136 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2020
Loved this book from start to finish.
The book was a little different to what I usually read. But I still loved it.
You learn about people you work with outside of work. AND what an eye opener in this book.
The story just flowed for me from the start to the finish. It is a book that can be read again as well.
I didn`t realise it was part of a series until the end of the book.
I will be reading the other books when they come out as well.
I didn`t find any holes in the plot of the story or any spelling mistakes either.
This is a book I can recommend really well for people over the age f 18+

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Fictionlove_alwaysforever .
148 reviews21 followers
April 27, 2021
Why should you read this book?🤔
👇🏻
It has those ���alpha” 4💫💫💫💫 🌠

👍🏻  Deborah has done an amazing job with the background of the story, the plot and storyline🤩 The book has yumm-licious characters! Swooon...😍😋
👍🏻 An awesome plot, seamlessly blended characters, which is smooth and sexy and seductive. ..you can get lost into it!🤩
👍🏻 Its a perfect blend waiting to be read! The storyline is well written and something different, a bit monotonous and stuck in places but worth the read 🥰
👍🏻My recommendation: I found the book engaging and was so engrossed with the plot and twists in the story, I had a great time❤

If you are into sexy, steamy Romance, this could be your next fix!🤭🖤
Profile Image for Amy.
2,873 reviews24 followers
June 2, 2020
Alpha Billionaire by Deborah Garland was a great read. Tristan is ready for his annual cruise and getting to explore his fantasies. All year he spends working with his brother at the hotel they own. For one week he gets to indulge in all the debauchery he can handle. Instead of a bonus, Laney finds herself on the same cruise ship. She is hoping to seduce her boss before she leaves the company. She has no idea of the Seduction at Sea Cruise on board. It's going to be quite the journey. Once you begin reading, you will not be able to stop. Definitely recommend.
3,018 reviews17 followers
July 17, 2020
Alpha Billionaire: A Romantic Comedy by Deborah Garland is the story of Tristan Hart, a billionaire luxury hotel owner who goes on a cruise for vacation, and Laney, his employee with a secret crush who goes on the same cruise planning to seduce him but not quite sure how to do so. Tristan may not see her in the office, but he does see her at the pool side. I highly recommend this delightful read with its fantastic characters who find love on the high seas.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Yvonne.
1,233 reviews45 followers
March 9, 2022
ugh just no

I read the Novella about Seb and Kennedy and like Tristan from that story so checked this one out.

It started off fine, not great but there weren’t really any red flags to tell me to stop reading and it was only 220 pages so no biggie. This just got progressively worse in both story and writing.

I’ll preface this by saying I like dark romance. I have no problem with some f’d up situations, this is fiction after all. And I haven’t read any other reviews but I’m sure this is mentioned, but having evidence of attempted sexual assault and using it as leverage for personal reasons instead of having the perpetrator arrested is just wrong on so many levels. I mean honestly,

Really there are so many other books to read. Don’t waste your time.
Profile Image for Catherine Eileen.
30 reviews1 follower
March 24, 2023
A great HEA

So, there are a lot of good things about this book: I actually love the writing, and Tristan is just.. so well described. But there are just a few quotes that gave me the “ick” so badly I was almost brought out. The ending recovered it but, here they are:

“She felt like goo at the moment,”
”peel away from her body like a banana,”
”Much better than the banana.”
”but gave her my best sexy time”

Those are not in the same passage, but
If you can get past those, you’re in for an interesting man with golden eyes.
4,276 reviews
June 1, 2020
Tristan, it's looking forward to his reprise of obligation and his normal life onboard the cruise while Laney is there to try to seduce her boss.
This was a funny read with romance and some real-life stuff that intruded the illusion. A BDSM cruise, the man that lets loose once a year after a romantic failure and the woman that has no idea what type of cruise she's in.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Minnie.
523 reviews
August 23, 2021
Das Buch war schon ne Herausforderung für mich. Aber ich habe sie gemeistert. Auch wenn ich schon einiges verstehe, so bin ich dennoch "nur" eine fortgeschrittene Anfängerin was Englisch angeht.
Aber die Geschichte ist so toll, das hat es wieder gut gemacht😍

***
Interesse am Austausch übers englisch lernen durch lesen? Dann komm doch in meine Goodreads Gruppe
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
9,639 reviews56 followers
May 29, 2020
The author pulls you into the lives of the characters and never lets go. Laney and Tristan have each boarded the cruise ship for different reasons. Laney wants to seduce her boss, while Tristan wants a week of fun in the BDSM club on the ship. That is, until he encounters Laney.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Jackie Roberts.
927 reviews8 followers
June 1, 2020
This was a hot steamy contemporary romance story perfect for a quick afternoon read
.
A great heart pounding storyline that keeps you guessing. The story was very well written with great characters. It drew me in and I had it finished in one sitting.

I would highly recommend this read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Barbara.
18.1k reviews8 followers
June 2, 2020
The second book in the Lords of Gotham series a well written story with a very good storyline. This is brother Tristan Hart and Laney Hathaway's story. Her boss Jonathan is a real piece of work. I enjoyed seeing this story come together. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1,110 reviews11 followers
June 8, 2020
I enjoyed this romantic story with Tristan Hart and Laney Hathaway. They are both boarding a cruise ship when she trips and falls down. He stop to help her get up while yelling at her boss that has walk away from her. While she there to seduce her boss. He is there to blow off steam from work. He didn't expect to find love but when he picks her up off the ground she has stir his sexual desires.

The author had me guessing how would she hook up with her boss or would she hook up with Tristan by the end of the cruise. The story had a few parts that had me laughing too.

I received a complimentary copy via Booksprout. This is my honest unbiased opinion.
678 reviews4 followers
June 4, 2020
Absolutely loved this book with it’s exceptional characters and realistic world full of romance and drama. I recommend reading this phenomenal book by an extraordinary author that knows how to captivate the reader’s attention and hearts. I received this book via BookSprout in exchange for a fair and honest review.
9,909 reviews120 followers
June 6, 2020
This is the 4th book I've read written by Deborah Garland; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I loved the characters.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for casvec.
7,337 reviews71 followers
June 12, 2020
What a wonderful adventure this story takes you on. The story line is fun, exciting and very entertaining. The character chemistry is lighthearted, sweet and passionate.

Their journey will carry you away page after page.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews

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