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Second-Best Bride
Wedlocked! "Marry me now. Or I'll walk out of your life forever." Claire Jardine's wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but her whirlwind courtship had her who was the real Trader Benedict? Her perfect partner or a ruthless blackmailer? And why had he chosen Claire to be his bride? His glamorous companion Phoenix seemed a far more suitable candidate. As she stood at the altar with Trader, the time had come to answer the most important question of her did she dare take this man?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1995
9 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Sara Wood
255 books33 followersSara Wood was born in England. She has wonderful memories of her childhood. Her parents were desperately poor but their devotion to family life gave her a feeling of great security. Sara's father was one of four fostered children and never knew his parents, hence his joy with his own family. Birthday parties were sensational her father would perform brilliantly as a Chinese magician or a clown or invent hilarious games and treasure hunts. From him she learnt that working hard brought many rewards, especially self-respect. During her degree course she met her husband, a kind, thoughtful, attentive man who is her friend and soulmate. At 21, she married and had her first son at 22. Now she has another three children. She loved teaching in Sussex which she did for twelve years.
Her switch into writing came about in a peculiar way. Richie, her elder son, had always been nuts about natural history and had a huge collection of animal skulls. At the age of fifteen he decided he'd write an information book about collecting. Heinemann and Pan, prestigious publishers, eagerly fell on the book and when it was published it won the famous Times Information Book award. Interviews, TV and magazine articles followed. Encouraged by his success, she thought she could write too and had several information books for children published. Then she saw Charlotte Lamb being wined and dined by Mills & Boon on a television programme and decided she could do Charlotte's job! But she'd rarely read fiction before, so she bought twenty books and analysed them carefully, then wrote one of her own. Amazingly it was accepted and she began writing full time.
Sara and her husband moved to a small country estate in Cornwall which was a paradise. Her sons visited often; Richie being married to Heidi and with two daughters; Simon rushing in after some danger- filled action in Alaska or Hawaii etc, protecting the environment with Greenpeace. Sara qualified as a homeopath, caring for the health of her family and friends. But Paradise is always fleeting. Sara's husband became seriously ill and it was clear that they had to move somewhere less demanding on time and effort. After a nightmare year of worrying about him, nursing and watching him like a hawk, she was relieved when they'd sold up and moved back to Sussex. Their current house is large and thatched and sits in the pretty rolling downs with wonderful walks and views all around. They live nearer to the boys (men!) and see them often. Richie and Heidi are expecting another baby, Simon has a baby son and a new, dangerous, passion flinging himself off mountains (paragliding). The three hills nearby frequently entice him down. She adores seeing her family (mother, mother-in-law too) around the table at Christmas. Sara feels fortunate that although she's had tough times and has sometimes been desperately unhappy, she is now surrounded by love and feels she can weather any storm to come.
Her switch into writing came about in a peculiar way. Richie, her elder son, had always been nuts about natural history and had a huge collection of animal skulls. At the age of fifteen he decided he'd write an information book about collecting. Heinemann and Pan, prestigious publishers, eagerly fell on the book and when it was published it won the famous Times Information Book award. Interviews, TV and magazine articles followed. Encouraged by his success, she thought she could write too and had several information books for children published. Then she saw Charlotte Lamb being wined and dined by Mills & Boon on a television programme and decided she could do Charlotte's job! But she'd rarely read fiction before, so she bought twenty books and analysed them carefully, then wrote one of her own. Amazingly it was accepted and she began writing full time.
Sara and her husband moved to a small country estate in Cornwall which was a paradise. Her sons visited often; Richie being married to Heidi and with two daughters; Simon rushing in after some danger- filled action in Alaska or Hawaii etc, protecting the environment with Greenpeace. Sara qualified as a homeopath, caring for the health of her family and friends. But Paradise is always fleeting. Sara's husband became seriously ill and it was clear that they had to move somewhere less demanding on time and effort. After a nightmare year of worrying about him, nursing and watching him like a hawk, she was relieved when they'd sold up and moved back to Sussex. Their current house is large and thatched and sits in the pretty rolling downs with wonderful walks and views all around. They live nearer to the boys (men!) and see them often. Richie and Heidi are expecting another baby, Simon has a baby son and a new, dangerous, passion flinging himself off mountains (paragliding). The three hills nearby frequently entice him down. She adores seeing her family (mother, mother-in-law too) around the table at Christmas. Sara feels fortunate that although she's had tough times and has sometimes been desperately unhappy, she is now surrounded by love and feels she can weather any storm to come.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 30, 2018
Re Second Best Bride - Sara Wood, again. *face plant onto the desk*
This book probably deserves more stars for the wrecki drama, there is a LOT of wrecki drama and the plot was surprisingly coherent.
But I have no patience for this author, her heroines drive me nuts and her heroes are incredibly dubious at best. I will confess she does a FABULOUS evil other woman, at least she does a great one here.
So as always with SW, take my spoilerization with a grain of salt, I have a bias and I know it, so this really may be your cuppa.
This one opens with the h trying to stop her wedding. Her very wealthy con man criminal father is furious. Even tho he abandoned her mother 23 years earlier, has had multiple other woman and has only met the h twice before, the man is demanding the h follow through on marrying the H.
Mainly cause the H has a lot of proof of the father's dubious dealings and the father will go to jail if she doesn't. The H is also getting half of the father's wealth as the h's dowry and the h is forced to go along with all of this because her mother is a love sotted fool and is also very ill.
The H father uses the suggestion that he is reconciling with the h's mother to push the h to the altar. The h loves her mother, wants her father's approval and really does love the H, so she goes ahead with the wedding - after nearly running out in the middle of it.
Then SW turns the angst up. We learn that the father really is a coprophagic sewer swiller, he abandoned the h's pregnant mother to marry another woman while working as her chauffeur to con that woman out of her family fortune and manor house, then abusively drive her to her death.
The H has a serious grudge against the father and gradually the h learns that the H wants revenge for some huge wrong, (no points for guessing what the wrong is,) but also he fully intends to have his way with the unicorn petting former chambermaid h.
SW goes back to her usual messy plot holes for the next few chapters. We have the H alternately accusing the h of being a gold digger because the h wants to help her mother retire from her hotel housekeeping job due to her ill health, so he berates the h marrying him for his money, vs his personal knowledge of practically forcing the h into marriage within a week or so of meeting her, to force her father to cede to his dictates.
There is also the standard SW H threat of rape during roofie kisses and the h vacillates between hate and lust like a wind buffeted kite on the loose as the H goes through a pretty heated seduction attempt in the back of a limousine.
The one excellent and consistent character is the OW, a childhood friend of the H now turned assistant, who seems to be all things kind and likable to the h at first. She seems really happy the H finally found nice girl to marry, cause his first attempt at a wedding got him jilted at the altar when his wealthy fiancee believed he was just using her to con her for her money.
Gradually the OW starts feeding the h the words of poison about the H and his intentions. She claims every thing from the H being a fortune hunter using women for their wealth, to a criminal intent on swindling everything the h's father has while he waits to the OW to turn 30, when she supposedly gets a big inheritance and then the H plans on marrying her.
The OW is also not shy about letting the h know that she is just the means to an end, the H supposedly wants the h's father's money so that he and the OW will have equal assets when they marry. The h is soon convinced she will be discarded as the OW is the REAL love of the H's life.
The h actually does tell the H that she can't stay in the marriage because he is the OW's lover and the H manages to coerce the h into a private island honeymoon by claiming that he really loves the h and the OW is just like his sister.
He also claims that he gave the h's mother the money he got from the h's father. We then learn that the H isn't really a con man gambler, he is actually a banking executive and he deliberately set the h's father up with loan he couldn't repay to get the father into a vulnerable position.
The H swears he loves the h tho, so on the private island the h and H consummate their marriage off page after the h finds out he is really wealthy.
After a few weeks of wedded bliss and happiness, the h is thrown right back into confusion as the chartered jet lands in Jersey, (where the h's father has a house,) and the OW comes rushing up to exuberantly hug the H.
It turns out that the woman the h's father conned and married was the H's mother. She died and left all her assets, including the ancient family home, to the h's father. The H is angry about this, because the land and house was HIS father's family legacy and the H wants them back.
So he sent the OW to negotiate for the house, but the OW is intent on getting the H for herself. She and the h have a huge 'fight for your man' moment. First the OW tells the h a bunch of lies the h doesn't believe, then when the h threatens to smack her silly if she doesn't shut up, the OW pulls out her trump card.
The H really wants his family home back, but the OW bought it herself and refuses to sell it to the H unless he shacks up with her. There is a desperate h moment when she pleads and begs for the H's love and SW keeps the tension on, cause it looks like the H is going to choose the OW.
Then the H turns back to the h and symbolically turns his back on the house and his family legacy. He has chosen the h because he loves her, (and probably knows the OW will need money soon enough, so he can get the house at a later date.) The H and h reaffirm their true love forever troth and fly off into the sunset for their big HEA.
This one is the usual overwrought SW dramafest, the contradictions were huge at parts, but SW manages to mostly pull it out in the end, so keep this in mind if you need a big dramatic angst fest of an HPlandia outing.
This book probably deserves more stars for the wrecki drama, there is a LOT of wrecki drama and the plot was surprisingly coherent.
But I have no patience for this author, her heroines drive me nuts and her heroes are incredibly dubious at best. I will confess she does a FABULOUS evil other woman, at least she does a great one here.
So as always with SW, take my spoilerization with a grain of salt, I have a bias and I know it, so this really may be your cuppa.
This one opens with the h trying to stop her wedding. Her very wealthy con man criminal father is furious. Even tho he abandoned her mother 23 years earlier, has had multiple other woman and has only met the h twice before, the man is demanding the h follow through on marrying the H.
Mainly cause the H has a lot of proof of the father's dubious dealings and the father will go to jail if she doesn't. The H is also getting half of the father's wealth as the h's dowry and the h is forced to go along with all of this because her mother is a love sotted fool and is also very ill.
The H father uses the suggestion that he is reconciling with the h's mother to push the h to the altar. The h loves her mother, wants her father's approval and really does love the H, so she goes ahead with the wedding - after nearly running out in the middle of it.
Then SW turns the angst up. We learn that the father really is a coprophagic sewer swiller, he abandoned the h's pregnant mother to marry another woman while working as her chauffeur to con that woman out of her family fortune and manor house, then abusively drive her to her death.
The H has a serious grudge against the father and gradually the h learns that the H wants revenge for some huge wrong, (no points for guessing what the wrong is,) but also he fully intends to have his way with the unicorn petting former chambermaid h.
SW goes back to her usual messy plot holes for the next few chapters. We have the H alternately accusing the h of being a gold digger because the h wants to help her mother retire from her hotel housekeeping job due to her ill health, so he berates the h marrying him for his money, vs his personal knowledge of practically forcing the h into marriage within a week or so of meeting her, to force her father to cede to his dictates.
There is also the standard SW H threat of rape during roofie kisses and the h vacillates between hate and lust like a wind buffeted kite on the loose as the H goes through a pretty heated seduction attempt in the back of a limousine.
The one excellent and consistent character is the OW, a childhood friend of the H now turned assistant, who seems to be all things kind and likable to the h at first. She seems really happy the H finally found nice girl to marry, cause his first attempt at a wedding got him jilted at the altar when his wealthy fiancee believed he was just using her to con her for her money.
Gradually the OW starts feeding the h the words of poison about the H and his intentions. She claims every thing from the H being a fortune hunter using women for their wealth, to a criminal intent on swindling everything the h's father has while he waits to the OW to turn 30, when she supposedly gets a big inheritance and then the H plans on marrying her.
The OW is also not shy about letting the h know that she is just the means to an end, the H supposedly wants the h's father's money so that he and the OW will have equal assets when they marry. The h is soon convinced she will be discarded as the OW is the REAL love of the H's life.
The h actually does tell the H that she can't stay in the marriage because he is the OW's lover and the H manages to coerce the h into a private island honeymoon by claiming that he really loves the h and the OW is just like his sister.
He also claims that he gave the h's mother the money he got from the h's father. We then learn that the H isn't really a con man gambler, he is actually a banking executive and he deliberately set the h's father up with loan he couldn't repay to get the father into a vulnerable position.
The H swears he loves the h tho, so on the private island the h and H consummate their marriage off page after the h finds out he is really wealthy.
After a few weeks of wedded bliss and happiness, the h is thrown right back into confusion as the chartered jet lands in Jersey, (where the h's father has a house,) and the OW comes rushing up to exuberantly hug the H.
It turns out that the woman the h's father conned and married was the H's mother. She died and left all her assets, including the ancient family home, to the h's father. The H is angry about this, because the land and house was HIS father's family legacy and the H wants them back.
So he sent the OW to negotiate for the house, but the OW is intent on getting the H for herself. She and the h have a huge 'fight for your man' moment. First the OW tells the h a bunch of lies the h doesn't believe, then when the h threatens to smack her silly if she doesn't shut up, the OW pulls out her trump card.
The H really wants his family home back, but the OW bought it herself and refuses to sell it to the H unless he shacks up with her. There is a desperate h moment when she pleads and begs for the H's love and SW keeps the tension on, cause it looks like the H is going to choose the OW.
Then the H turns back to the h and symbolically turns his back on the house and his family legacy. He has chosen the h because he loves her, (and probably knows the OW will need money soon enough, so he can get the house at a later date.) The H and h reaffirm their true love forever troth and fly off into the sunset for their big HEA.
This one is the usual overwrought SW dramafest, the contradictions were huge at parts, but SW manages to mostly pull it out in the end, so keep this in mind if you need a big dramatic angst fest of an HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2021
2.5ish low suds Stars
Nothing new here, the h (Claire) is set for a quickie wedding when she starts having doubts. The H (Trader) reassures her of his love, and the two get hitched…only for the wannabe OW’s manipulations to blow it all up. Some spoilers…..
Trader is a VERY affectionate HP-H… bordering on cheesy with his mouthing I love you’s to even decorating the plane’s “honeymoon suite” with rose petals and heart balloons. It’s obvious even without his POV that he’s totally smitten. Claire isn’t a doormat per se, but she’s definitely not strong. She’s a little immature, and naïve. She’s also pretty flat, and doesn’t generate many emotions. Phoenix (wannabe OW) is pretty manipulative (and delusional) whispering lies, constantly inserting herself, and dealing backhand compliments upsetting Claire’s already shaky confidence.
Bottom Line- OK, but nothing great.... I was bored some. The author tried to sprinkle in doubts regarding Phoenix and Trader’s relationship, and has him randomly act like a jerk, but I was never worried. He’s just too openly affectionate with her to make me have any angsty feels. He’s also very clear early on that he’s never been with Phoenix, she gets around, and that he thinks of her as a sister. Claire suffers from low self-esteem, but she’s never heartbroken acting about what she thinks is going on between H & OW. She “burned with humiliation” a few times, but I wasn’t really feeling it. The OW was somewhat entertaining, but was lacking that “crazy” factor I like to see. She also gets no real comeuppance (except not being chosen) and I really wanted Trader to give her what for. There’s a revenge father/mother/mother side-plot going on, but I didn’t think it was fully developed. I did like that the couple communicated, and misunderstandings didn’t last long.
Nothing new here, the h (Claire) is set for a quickie wedding when she starts having doubts. The H (Trader) reassures her of his love, and the two get hitched…only for the wannabe OW’s manipulations to blow it all up. Some spoilers…..
Trader is a VERY affectionate HP-H… bordering on cheesy with his mouthing I love you’s to even decorating the plane’s “honeymoon suite” with rose petals and heart balloons. It’s obvious even without his POV that he’s totally smitten. Claire isn’t a doormat per se, but she’s definitely not strong. She’s a little immature, and naïve. She’s also pretty flat, and doesn’t generate many emotions. Phoenix (wannabe OW) is pretty manipulative (and delusional) whispering lies, constantly inserting herself, and dealing backhand compliments upsetting Claire’s already shaky confidence.
Bottom Line- OK, but nothing great.... I was bored some. The author tried to sprinkle in doubts regarding Phoenix and Trader’s relationship, and has him randomly act like a jerk, but I was never worried. He’s just too openly affectionate with her to make me have any angsty feels. He’s also very clear early on that he’s never been with Phoenix, she gets around, and that he thinks of her as a sister. Claire suffers from low self-esteem, but she’s never heartbroken acting about what she thinks is going on between H & OW. She “burned with humiliation” a few times, but I wasn’t really feeling it. The OW was somewhat entertaining, but was lacking that “crazy” factor I like to see. She also gets no real comeuppance (except not being chosen) and I really wanted Trader to give her what for. There’s a revenge father/mother/mother side-plot going on, but I didn’t think it was fully developed. I did like that the couple communicated, and misunderstandings didn’t last long.
January 25, 2010
The whole storyline of this book can be summed up in two lines:
"He loves me. He loves me not."
"She loves me. She loves me not."
Interestingly, most of the book takes place on the morning of the wedding between Claire and Luke, who goes by the nickname of Trader. Claire gets a massive case of cold feet, when she comes to realize that Luke doesn't seem to love her. It doesn't help that she has a so-called friend telling her things that feed into her insecurity about Luke's feelings for her.
And then there's the fact that she finds out that Trader is blackmailing her father. She think's Trader is after her dowry from her father. Is Trader a fortune hunter? But then, Trader does things that seem so devoted and shows he has feelings for her. What's a girl to do? Her father is leaning on her to marry Trader, to bail his butt out for his illegal activities. Is she willing to marry a man who doesn't love her to save a father who wasn't there for her, who cheated and ran out of her mother?
It's hard to figure out how Trader feels for Claire for some parts of the book. He's hard towards her in some moments, and loving in others. Is he hurt at her rejection and lack of belief in him? Does he think she's the gold digger? Things are not helped by his childhood friend, Phoenix, who's very possessive of him. And she's gorgeous and sophisticated in a way that Claire never will be.
This is one of those books where you are constantly trying to figure out what the hero's motives are. And what's the deal with Phoenix? I didn't trust her from the beginning. I'm glad that Claire wized up and realized that Phoenix didn't have good intentions.
This was not bad for a "Saturday morning in bed" read. Quick and involving. I like the others I've read by Sara Wood more. Still, it's a solid three star read.
"He loves me. He loves me not."
"She loves me. She loves me not."
Interestingly, most of the book takes place on the morning of the wedding between Claire and Luke, who goes by the nickname of Trader. Claire gets a massive case of cold feet, when she comes to realize that Luke doesn't seem to love her. It doesn't help that she has a so-called friend telling her things that feed into her insecurity about Luke's feelings for her.
And then there's the fact that she finds out that Trader is blackmailing her father. She think's Trader is after her dowry from her father. Is Trader a fortune hunter? But then, Trader does things that seem so devoted and shows he has feelings for her. What's a girl to do? Her father is leaning on her to marry Trader, to bail his butt out for his illegal activities. Is she willing to marry a man who doesn't love her to save a father who wasn't there for her, who cheated and ran out of her mother?
It's hard to figure out how Trader feels for Claire for some parts of the book. He's hard towards her in some moments, and loving in others. Is he hurt at her rejection and lack of belief in him? Does he think she's the gold digger? Things are not helped by his childhood friend, Phoenix, who's very possessive of him. And she's gorgeous and sophisticated in a way that Claire never will be.
This is one of those books where you are constantly trying to figure out what the hero's motives are. And what's the deal with Phoenix? I didn't trust her from the beginning. I'm glad that Claire wized up and realized that Phoenix didn't have good intentions.
This was not bad for a "Saturday morning in bed" read. Quick and involving. I like the others I've read by Sara Wood more. Still, it's a solid three star read.
September 2, 2022
There needs to be a warning label on this one, but I don't know what that warning exactly should be.
The OW situation is ridiculous. The H is quite physical with her, including mouth kissing sometimes, and the h has every good reason to think that he is in love with the OW. At the same time, I don't think he is actually attracted to the OW, although the exact reason is revealed later on in the book: he calls her a "grande horizontale," which is French for a money-grubbing high-class hoor.
I even believe that the H loves the heroine. However, he has her in a situation where she can never feel comfortable, she can never feel really safe with him, she never knows what's going on, and she can never trust what he says. He closes up and then just leaves her to agonize over what on earth is going on.
Rather than this just being one vendetta that he needs to work out, I think that this character is fundamentally mentally unstable. The way he treats her during the situation is the way he operates.
I know this sounds like a very strange thing to conclude from a category romance. However the vibe is so strong that this guy has some sort of mental illness that needs to be treated. She'll spend a lot of time walking on eggshells and trying to decipher cryptic statements and figure out which things are lies and which are evasions.
It's an interesting and sometimes memorable read in particular at the end when the OW does something very OWish. However that shadow of mental illness is one that I find hard to avoid when remembering this book.
The OW situation is ridiculous. The H is quite physical with her, including mouth kissing sometimes, and the h has every good reason to think that he is in love with the OW. At the same time, I don't think he is actually attracted to the OW, although the exact reason is revealed later on in the book: he calls her a "grande horizontale," which is French for a money-grubbing high-class hoor.
I even believe that the H loves the heroine. However, he has her in a situation where she can never feel comfortable, she can never feel really safe with him, she never knows what's going on, and she can never trust what he says. He closes up and then just leaves her to agonize over what on earth is going on.
Rather than this just being one vendetta that he needs to work out, I think that this character is fundamentally mentally unstable. The way he treats her during the situation is the way he operates.
I know this sounds like a very strange thing to conclude from a category romance. However the vibe is so strong that this guy has some sort of mental illness that needs to be treated. She'll spend a lot of time walking on eggshells and trying to decipher cryptic statements and figure out which things are lies and which are evasions.
It's an interesting and sometimes memorable read in particular at the end when the OW does something very OWish. However that shadow of mental illness is one that I find hard to avoid when remembering this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 17, 2020Uhhhh did a schizophrenic write this? It is written as if it has 4 different converging plots but it doesn't. What the heck is with the heroine and hero's reaction to things. First they are angry then they make up even though nothing was resolved. There are huge issues that are just brushed aside and forgotten. Skip it's not even fun.
January 19, 2018
Such a good angsty older harlequin. Probably my favorite in the wedlock series.
January 27, 2018
Story has a wonderful plot with passionate purposes, object of a person's ambition, and desires of other people, & relationships issues...a must read.
May 2, 2019
Waste of time
This story is a complete waste of time. Worse than a soap opera, ok couldn't begin to like any of the characters except maybe the chauffeur.
This story is a complete waste of time. Worse than a soap opera, ok couldn't begin to like any of the characters except maybe the chauffeur.
April 28, 2020
"Marry me now. Or I'll walk out of your life forever."
Claire Jardine's wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but her whirlwind courtship had her reeling: who was the real Trader Benedict? Her perfect partner or a ruthless blackmailer? And why had he chosen Claire to be his bride? His glamorous companion Phoenix seemed a far more suitable candidate. As she stood at the altar with Trader, the time had come to answer the most important question of her life: did she dare take this man?
Claire Jardine's wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but her whirlwind courtship had her reeling: who was the real Trader Benedict? Her perfect partner or a ruthless blackmailer? And why had he chosen Claire to be his bride? His glamorous companion Phoenix seemed a far more suitable candidate. As she stood at the altar with Trader, the time had come to answer the most important question of her life: did she dare take this man?
July 10, 2021
Second-Largest Bride
Claire marriage to Trader had a rocky start. His supposed BFF, Phoenix keeps making mischief in their marriage. Being a female she has known him longest. And makes no secret that she wants him. But he has a blind spot with her. He tells Claire she is the one he wants. But when all his secrets come out will Claire believe him? Or is she just a pawn in his revenge against her father?
Claire marriage to Trader had a rocky start. His supposed BFF, Phoenix keeps making mischief in their marriage. Being a female she has known him longest. And makes no secret that she wants him. But he has a blind spot with her. He tells Claire she is the one he wants. But when all his secrets come out will Claire believe him? Or is she just a pawn in his revenge against her father?
February 23, 2018
Clair was forced to marry Trader. He was one of the people to force her and then demanded she bays the price of marrying him with her body! Outrageous and absurd! Utterly so, especially when he tells her he did it because he loved her and she falls for it! I don't know how could anyone love such a story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 23, 2012love it!
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