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Winter Wishes

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Member Reviews

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Cheryl Bolen and USA Today Bestselling authors Bronwen Evans, Lana Williams, Bree Wolf and Collette Cameron are joined by Heather Boyd, Sasha Cottman, Samantha Grace, Donna Cummings, Barbara Monajem, Suzanna Medeiros, Wendy Vella, and Alina K. Field in this exciting new anthology of thirteen never-before-published Regency Christmas Romances.
This was a great anthology All of the stories were cute and perfect for the holiday season. I really enjoyed reading it and finding new authors to enjoy. I highly recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

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An amazing set of steamy romantic novels that had me busy yet very entertained. I especially loved the books by Bronwen Evans, Heather Boyd, Suzanna Medeiros and Samantha Grace. Their books stood out the most, to me and I'd love to read more from them.

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Anthologies are the best way to read authors unknown to you. When mixed with stories from favorites, they become a real bargain for the reader. Winter Wishes is one such anthology. It is a collection of tales with a Christmas setting in common. Also tieing some of the stories together is an underlying tendency toward thievery, among them, a coat, a horse, a letter, a deed, and even identity theft. There are so many novellas in this book that it took me much longer to read than a regular novel. Not complaining, however. I thoroughly enjoyed offerings by some favorites like Cheryl Bolen, Bronwyn Evans, Bree Wolfe and more. Scattered among my favorites were offerings from new to me authors, whose stories I also enjoyed. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the very last novella by a new to me author, Alina K. Field. Her The Duke She Despised was my favorite in the collection. Although I have seen her books, I had never read one. In the future, I will correct that omission. As I stated previously, anthologies are a great way to discover new authors. I certainly found one!

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Uneven Pack of Holiday Regency Novellas

This is an anthology with 13 novellas by different writers. I like all multi-author collections, I found this one to be of varying quality, but if available for a reasonable price, it offers enough good books to be of value. The stories range from clean to steamy. It contains a gallery of rogues, rakes, and decent gentlemen, as we like to see in Regency romance. Some stories feel very short, while others are more long and involved. Each story revolves around winter and/or Christmas in some way.

Here’s a review of three of the stories:

One Room at the Inn by Cheryl Bolen: I've read many holiday romances lately, and few have been straightforward. Normally I like that. I like a bit of suspense, a bit of steam, or something else to light my imagination. This book is so different. While the heroine definitely has troubles at the start of the book—the book opens with a scene of her pawning her wedding ring so she can feed and house her children—after that, the story is relatively low angst. In fact, surprisingly so. I kept waiting for more bad things to happen, but actually the end of the story was kind of like a victory lap for both the hero and the heroine, and I genuinely found it very sweet to read. My only problem with the book is I thought the heroine acted so wishy-washy with the hero at first, wanting to believe the worst in him most of the time even though he treated her and her children wonderfully. I didn't like that she wanted to think of him as a cad when so clearly he was not. But it all ended well, and as I said, the ending was lovely. If you're looking for a relatively low angst Regency Christmas romance, this charming little tale of a destitute widowed woman and her darling children finding a true home and love may fill the bill.

Invitation to Pleasure by Bronwen Evans: Given the title, you would think that this is a lot about the sensual scenes, but it is not. (In fact, I don’t really remember an “invitation.” That's not to say there aren’t steamy scenes, as there is one long one near the end. The heroine has an evil father who has done bad things to both her and her mother; the latest insult is giving away the heroine’s special horse (a gift from her grandfather) to pay off a debt. The hero catches her in the act of attempting to steal the horse back. I did have a few issues with this book. I thought that the hero didn't act gentlemanly enough for Regency on several occasions. There were some truly bizarre issues with grammar, punctuation, usage, and word choice. For the latter, there was a standard error with similar words like complimentary/complementary. Still, more alarmingly, the heroine was at one point referred to by a different name (!), and in a laugh out loud moment, the words wanton and wonton were confused! In all honesty, I do not feel like I can recommend this book.

Dared & Kissed by Bree Wolf: I usually like this author's books. She has put out several series I find charming and engaging. But this book had me disliking it nearly from the beginning, unfortunately. I know this is a novella; with this short form, we are often told backstory and the like rather than being shown for expediency. This is actually one thing that I hate about novellas. We are thrown into the teenage dared kiss with no real setup that shows affection or longing on either side, though we are briefly told of it. So, it comes across as over-the-top instalove, which I found to be disappointing. As the book progressed, I also found myself frustrated with the hero and the heroine for their inability to just talk to each other. After the instalove in the first scene, there is definitely a lot of animosity on his part due to his misunderstanding about the dare. Seriously, when he is amongst his mates, isn't he prone to at times prevaricate or mislead? Why wouldn’t he expect the same from a group of young women and instead just grow bitter and not get to the bottom of it? I hate it when a whole book is built around a concept that could simply be resolved if people talked to each other. Honestly, they had no good reasons they could not.

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How could you not love this book? Every. Single. Author is good! Great stories for cold nights from authors you already know and love.

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A wonderful collection of swoon-worthy heroes and beautiful women. if you love regency romance, you are sure to enjoy the stories you'll find here.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughats and opinions are my own.

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Each story in this anthology has a unique piece to it that makes it fun to read and makes it stand out. In Brownwen Evan's title, Invitation to Pleasure, Georgiana and Daniel each had a family dynamic that was unique and set the story apart. This is a very satisfying anthology with good stories and strong characters and plots.

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I haven't had time to read the entire book but the ones I have read are wonderful. They are perfect if you are looking for some books to read in one setting. The collection offers a variety in authors and even a few new authors for me. I like discovering new authors in this way and rediscovering some known authors.

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Want to get in the mood for Christmas and romance? Go no further than this fabulous collection for an amazing group of historical romance authors. Some of my favorite!

A Yuletide Highlander by Collette Cameron
Loved, loved, loved this story! A brawny Scot named Gregor, who has an orange and white tabby he rescued and named Cat (sorry I have to mention the wonderful "friends" she always adds to the stories!) help a lass hide while some rough pieces of shite were trying to nab her. Thus, Gregor meets Sarah Paine and her brother Kipp, who have been on the run for a few years hiding from the villain who had murdered her father. He takes them in and cares for them. Can I just say again I loved this story? Collette also writes exactly what my heart is looking for!!

Invitation to Pleasure by Bronwen Evans
Such a sweet story with a lot of emotion. Georgiana was determined to get her colt back that her father had sold to the Earl of Hascombe. But her plan went awry as she was captured in the Earl's stables before she could make her escape. His brother in law Daniel, saw her as she was about to get away and stopped her.
When he realized it was a lady, all bets were off and he stole a kiss. This story drew me from the first because I love horses and of course romance and Bronwen Evans wove a wonderful tale of an injured soul trying to save her mother and a man who realizes that maybe he has found the one woman who can share his dreams and life. Truly enjoyed this one so much!

The Earl from Christmas Past by Wendy Vella
A delightful story with one of my very favorite storylines. Friends as children who come back together when they are older. Such is the case with Maddie Spencer and Gabriel Lockhart. Gabe sees Maddie and cannot believe it is the same girl that was so much fun and wild when they were young. She seems to spurn any attention and keep to herself. That is until he finds out what she is really doing and tries to protect her... Of course Maddie is a determined soul, even though she is so attracted to the man Gabe has become. What will happen between these two? Adored this story!!

More to come!

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This anthology is a true Christmas gift for the regency romance enthusiast. It's a gift that just keeps giving.

One Room at the Inn by Cheryl Bolen

To reach the only person who ever offered help after her husband’s death, destitute Charlotte Hale must travel with her children on the coldest night in a generation—with a handsome stranger she prays she can trust.

Invitation to Pleasure by Bronwen Evans

There can be no love without trust…Will handsome and sexy Daniel Kerrich, Lord de Winter, be able to earn fiercely independent Lady Georgiana’s trust and win her heart in time for Christmas?

A Rogue’s Reputation by Lana Williams

Will Christmas magic and mistletoe unite this unlikely pair?

Dared & Kissed - The Scotsman’s Yuletide Bride by Bree Wolf

A daring lass. An angry Scot. And the happenings of a fateful day.

A Yuletide Highlander by Collette Cameron

A gentlewoman afraid for her life and the Scottish warrior willing to risk all to protect her.

One Enchanted Christmas by Heather Boyd

When Lord Clement finds himself in a marriage wager, finding a woman to love in a scant few months seems an impossible task…until he rediscovers his best friend’s sister.

Mistletoe and Kisses by Sasha Cottman

It’s Christmas and Cupid’s little helpers are busy at work. The mistletoe has been hung and now kisses await.

Must Love Majors by Samantha Grace

Lady Ambrosia Everly promised to select a husband by Christmas, but when Major Rowland ambushes her at her parents’ house party with a claim to the stray dog she rescued, love becomes a battlefield. Soon the lines between enemies and lovers are blurred, and Ambrosia is faced with a tough decision: follow her heart or marry a man of her parents’ choosing.

A Twelfth Night to Remember by Donna Cummings

Rhys has loved Grace his entire life, but their different stations in life made a future impossible. She eloped with another, but now she has returned—a widow with a young son. Can the magic of the holiday season bring Rhys and Grace together at last?

A Kiss Upon the Wind by Barbara Monajem

Two families feud over a stolen pendant. Will a kiss under the mistletoe spark a love that can end the feud forever?

Miss Hathaway’s Wish by Suzanna Medeiros

Emily Hathaway has given up on marrying for love. But when Sir Jonah Stanton arrives at Hathaway Manor for a Christmas ball after being away for ten years, she realizes there might be more between them than friendship.

The Earl from Christmas Past by Wendy Vella

A feisty Regency miss and an arrogant, sexy Lord. Can a sweet kiss under the mistletoe, and a dangerous secret shared, be enough to rekindle their love?

The Duke She Despised by Alina K. Field

Hiding her true identity, a young vicar’s widow takes a position as housekeeper in a remote Scottish castle at Christmas for a new duke who years ago sabotaged her chance for happiness. She quickly falls for the duke’s charming but not very competent factor, not knowing that he’s hiding something also—he’s the duke she despised!

All new, never published before stories that get you in the mood for the Christmas season. This anthology gets an overall rating of 4.25 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this collection to read.
This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

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This is another lovely collection of marvellous stories for a great price. A great way to try new authors and enjoy old favourites. There were a few new ones to me and I look forward to reading them as I haven’t read all of the stories but the ones I have I enjoyed very much, my favourite being Collette Cameron’s A Yuletide Highlander, it was different to your usual Ton story. There was sex in some of the books and as usual this reviewer skipped it and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the books. For the price you can’t go wrong even you don’t some of them you will get more than your monies worth with the rest. I received this collection as an ARC and freely give my review.

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Thirteen Regency Holiday Romance bundled in one amazing read. Each read has great character with lots of emotion and steamy chemistry. The stories are fast-paced with loads of suspense and drama. I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved it!

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A lovely selection of stories written by some well loved authors.
One Room at the Inn by Cheryl Bolen
This was an enjoyable read. I liked the characters, Charlotte was trying to be the best mother to her two children, Susan and Eddie. I did chuckle at some of Eddie’s antics. Philip Fenton is an honourable man who tries to do the best for the family. A snow storm means they have to stay at the inn for a few days. They get to know each other much better in all sorts of ways!
Invitation to Pleasure by Bronwen Evans
This was an entertaining read with engaging characters. Lady Georgiana loved horses as did Daniel, Baron de Winter. They were also attracted to each other. Georgiana’s mother had been abused by her father and Georgiana wanted to take her mother to safety. Daniel also cared deeply for his sister and they looked out for each other. This had a very satisfying ending.
A Yuletide Highlander by Colette Cameron
This was an entertaining read. Gregor MacTavish is in London but is missing the highlands. Sarah Paine comes into his life, whilst escaping from some thugs. Sarah is a caring and brave person who looks out for her younger brother, Chris. Sarah has quite a tale to tell. Gregor decides to help, enlisting his many influential relations and friends to help. Sarah and Gregor have feelings for each other but Gregor wants to return to Scotland. There is also the estranged grandmother, who Sarah has failed to meet.

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Winter Wishes A Regency Holiday Romance Anthology Box Set has over 800 pages and 12 different stories by different authors. I am crazy about this set because it has all my favorite authors in addition to the Christmas feel good stories. Box sets are great when looking for new authors or for just reconnecting with your favorite authors. Of course Christmas theme romances just warm the heart. I highly recommend this set.
Here are the books that you get with a previous posted theme story lines.

1. One Room at the Inn by Cheryl Bolen: To reach the only person who ever offered help after her husband’s death, destitute Charlotte Hale must travel with her children on the coldest night in a generation—with a handsome stranger she prays she can trust.

2. Invitation to Pleasure by Bronwen Evans: There can be no love without trust…Will handsome and sexy Daniel Kerrich, Lord de Winter, be able to earn fiercely independent Lady Georgiana’s trust and win her heart in time for Christmas?

A Rogue’s Reputation by Lana Williams: Will Christmas magic and mistletoe unite this unlikely pair?

3. Dared & Kissed - The Scotsman’s Yuletide Bride by Bree Wolf: A daring lass. An angry Scot. And the happenings of a fateful day.

4. A Yuletide Highlander by Collette Cameron: A gentlewoman afraid for her life and the Scottish warrior willing to risk all to protect her.

5. One Enchanted Christmas by Heather Boyd: When Lord Clement finds himself in a marriage wager, finding a woman to love in a scant few months seems impossible…until he rediscovers his best friend’s sister.

6. Mistletoe and Kisses by Sasha Cottman: It’s Christmas and Cupid’s little helpers are busy at work. The mistletoe has been hung and now kisses await.

7. Must Love Majors by Samantha Grace: Lady Ambrosia Everly promised to select a husband by Christmas, but when Major Rowland ambushes her at her parents’ house party with a claim to the stray dog she rescued, love becomes a battlefield. Soon the lines between enemies and lovers are blurred, and Ambrosia is faced with a tough decision: follow her heart or marry a man of her parents’ choosing.

8. A Twelfth Night to Remember by Donna Cummings: Rhys has loved Grace his entire life, but their different stations in life made a future impossible. She eloped with another, but now she has returned—a widow with a young son. Can the magic of the holiday season bring Rhys and Grace together at last?

9. A Kiss Upon the Wind by Barbara Monajem: Two families feud over a stolen pendant. Will a kiss under the mistletoe spark a love that can end the feud forever?

10. Miss Hathaway’s Wish by Suzanna Medeiros: Emily Hathaway has given up on marrying for love. But when Sir Jonah Stanton arrives at Hathaway Manor for a Christmas ball after being away for ten years, she realizes there might be more between them than friendship.

11. The Earl from Christmas Past by Wendy Vella: A feisty Regency miss and an arrogant, sexy Lord. Can a sweet kiss under the mistletoe, and a dangerous secret shared, be enough to rekindle their love?

12. The Duke She Despised by Alina K. Field: Hiding her true identity, a young vicar’s widow takes a position as housekeeper in a remote Scottish castle at Christmas for a new duke who years ago sabotaged her chance for happiness. She quickly falls for the duke’s charming but not very competent factor, not knowing that he’s hiding something also—he’s the duke she despised!

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I voluntarily read this ARC in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a great anthology of Christmas stories - great for a grey, heading towards Winter days. I thoroughly enjoyed these - they are quite quick reads and would highly recommend

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A Christmassy Read 4.5*
One Room at the Inn by Cheryl Bolen. Widowed Charlotte Hale is at the end of her tether when she has to sell her wedding ring to feed her children and on the same day is evicted from her lodging. She takes a chance that the handsome young man who takes her up in his carriage is trustworthy,little knowing that he was actually a friend of her husband. A Christmas story with a difference.

Invitation to Pleasure by Bronwen Evans. A daughter trying to protect her mother and a young man visiting his sister who meet whilst she is trying to steal a spirited colt. Shame about the typos.

A Rogue‘s Reputation by Lana Williams. Dressed as a boy Louisa Felton breaks into the new Earl’s study to retrieve foolish letters written by her mother. Unfortunately she is caught before she can find them but perhaps the Earl is not such a rogue as his reputation would suggest!

Dared and Kissed - The Scotsman’s Yuletide Bride by Bree Wolf. A dare gives Emma enough courage to steal a kiss from Finn but ever since that day he has has gone out of his way to glare and glower at her. Can they finally find their HEA seven years later?

A Yuletide Highlander by Collette Cameron. One of the longer novellas this is a delightful tale with baddies, hardships, deceit, generosity, love and a HEA.

One Enchanted Christmas by Heather Boyd. Six months into her mourning period for her second parent, Meg’s brother whisks her away to Derbyshire and his friend’s house. Meg hasn’t seen Otis Clement for over a decade but the impression she has formed from her brother’s conversations leads her to believe he is a rogue. However when she meets him again, he is not what she expected. An enjoyable short story, with only one wrong note with regard to Hector’s estate which you would expect to be entailed.

Mistletoe and Kisses by Sasha Cottman. Christmas in Scotland and a long overdue realisation of his true feelings leads to happiness for Hugh and Mary.

Must Love Majors by Samantha Grace. A dog loving couple eventually find happiness together. A lovely story.

A Twelfth Night to Remember by Donna Cummings. Despite their differing stations in life Rhys and Grace were friends as children but knew the gulf between them was too wide for them to be more than friends and so Grace married and moved away. Returning as a widow with a young son, their situation is unchanged but this time can they find the courage to deal with the difficulties a relationship would bring? Delightful story and Grace’s young son is adorable.

A Kiss Upon the Wind by Barbara Monajem. A poetry writing ghost, lecherous men, a stolen pendant and a handsome young man make for an intriguing story.

Miss Hathaway’s Wish by Suzanna Medeiros. After three unsuccessful seasons Emily is delighted when her brother agrees to host a house party, perhaps she can meet men who do not normally attend the London Season. Someone she does not expect to meet is an old friend of her brother, who she hasn’t seen in ten years - will he be the man she has been waiting to fall for?

The Earl from Christmas Past by Wendy Vella. An awkward meeting, years after they last saw each other, leads both Gabe and Maddie to make snap judgments about each other. However a chance encounter where Gabe finds Maddie rifling a lord’s study leads him to dig deeper into her London activities.

The Duke She Despised by Alina K Field. In order to prepare a dilapidated castle for the arrival of her cousin’s children, Filomena signs on as the Duke’s housekeeper even though she has every reason to hate the man. She mistakes the Duke for his new factor and intrigued by her Andrew plays along. Fab story.

Note: all stories have sex before marriage, so avoid this boxset if you don’t like that type of thing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Winter Wishes is an anthology filled with charming Regency Christmas stories featuring a host of authors that will entertain you for hours. All the stories were good, and there is something for every reader. My favorites in this volume are One Room at the Inn by Cheryl Bolen, Dared & Kissed-The Scotsman Yuletide Bride by Bree Wolf, and A Yuletide Highlander by Colette Cameron. Settle down in your favorite chair and enjoy!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Endearing, Romance! This is a marvelous anthology. Not only is it a steal of a deal, but it will make your heart soar with all the wonderfully crafted stories. All the stories are entertaining, heartwarming, engaging, steamy, emotional and perfectly romantic, and they deliver sublime happy-ever-afters. Occurring during the Christmas season all of these stories will make your heart full.

Filled with wonderfully crafted characters, whose story quickly captured and held my attention, and left me begging for more. A lot of these authors I had never read before and I am seriously pumped to have so many new authors to be able to get to read more of their stories. Don’t let this anthology pass you by!! Loved it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Winter Wishes is a bookshelf full of delight! There is such a variety of books from which to choose for great reading. Each book is different, paranormal, second chances, bitter enemies turned lovers, servant and peer. Each book will keep your interest. Each book has everything needed for sweet romance. Each book is short, but I loved every one!

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One Room at the Inn by Cheryl Bolen:

Invitation to Pleasure by Bronwen Evans 5 Stars
There can be no love without trust.
Daniel Kerrich, Lord de Winter doesn’t feel at home in society so at his sisters house he sneeks away to the stables & finds a young woman trying to steal his brother in law Rufus' new prize colt Apollo. Lady Georgiana is extremely independent & is determined for herself & her mother to escape her bullying father.
A truly lovely novella that I read in a sitting Daniel & Georgiana are drawn to each other from their first meeting but how can they trust each other. Strong characters & a very well paced story had me totally captivated. I loved it

A Rogue’s Reputation by Lana Williams:

Dared & Kissed – The Scotsman's Yuletide Bride by Bree Wolf 5 Stars
Sixteen year old Emma Stewart has been in love all her life but he’s no idea she even exists & so she decides to steal a kiss. Finnegan MacDrummond is surprised to be kissed by an unknown woman. Seven years later & Emma & Finn are pussy footing around each other. Everyone else knows how they feel about each other but it takes some straight talking from their friends to make them see what’s in front of their noses. A well written lovely short story of misunderstandings. Characters with depth & a well paced story made for a lovely read before I slept. This novella features characters from other books so slots nicely into Breeworld

A Yuletide Highlander by Collette Cameron 5 Stars
Gregor McTavish is working & surprised when a youth dashes in. He sees that something is wrong & when three ruffians arrive he hides Sidney under his desk. Only Sidney isn’t a he at all but Sarah Paine who has been scraping by for three years in London along with her younger brother Christopher after fleeing Jamaica.
Oh Gregor! I loved everything about him - absolutely irresistible! Sarah is just as lovely, strong, independent & loving, she willingly accepts Gregor's help. Gregor calls on his relations & friends to help. A wonderful read, we caught up with some characters from earlier books. The pace never falters & the final chapter is heart wrenching but in a good way as all ends are tied up

One Enchanted Christmas by Heather Boyd:

Mistletoe and Kisses by Sasha Cottman:

Must Love Majors by Samantha Grace:

A Twelfth Night to Remember by Donna Cummings:

A Kiss Upon the Wind by Barbara Monajem:

Miss Hathaway’s Wish by Suzanna Medeiros:

The Earl from Christmas Past by Wendy Vella:

The Duke She Despised by Alina K. Field:

Another wonderful anthology with a baker’s dozen of well written delightful stories. Whilst I've not read all the stories yet I’ll be dipping into this over the coming months when I’ve a spare hour or two. The novellas are all new but some are additions to the authors’ other series so it was like sitting down with old friends

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

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