Descent
- Downloads：3428
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-01 21:21:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sam Mariano
- ISBN：B09PGSD21H
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Оля ***
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What a pity！ After reading the reviews， I understand that the hero is exactly what I want to read。 but here is my main trigger - the heroine is not a virgin。 therefore it is not for me。 But for those for whom the heroine's experience is not important， I think it will be a Five Star Reading！ What a pity！ After reading the reviews， I understand that the hero is exactly what I want to read。 but here is my main trigger - the heroine is not a virgin。 therefore it is not for me。 But for those for whom the heroine's experience is not important， I think it will be a Five Star Reading！ 。。。more
Tori
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TW: r*pe kink so not for everyone or even most peopleWow， loved every bit of this & Calvin 😍
Booksesive
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it's like sam pulled out my darkest fantasy into book。 it's like sam pulled out my darkest fantasy into book。 。。。more
Toma
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Not 5 stars simply because I do not condone Calvin's behaviour， but it was very well written and I totally understand Hallie。 Being the focus of such charismatic man can make you drunk with it。 One thing I really did not like was the open issue of him potentially having a son sometime in the future。 The way Calvin approached it was unhealthy and I felt was was left unresolved Not 5 stars simply because I do not condone Calvin's behaviour， but it was very well written and I totally understand Hallie。 Being the focus of such charismatic man can make you drunk with it。 One thing I really did not like was the open issue of him potentially having a son sometime in the future。 The way Calvin approached it was unhealthy and I felt was was left unresolved 。。。more
Ri
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What a way to start my reading in 2022。This author has been a one-click author since I discovered the Morelli Family series。 Since that time， I have read everything she has written， oftentimes， more than once。 There is just something about the way that she creates an anti-hero。 There shouldn't be anything remotely redeemable about them， yet， she does the unthinkable and makes them not only redeemable but she makes them delicious。 That was most assuredly the case with Calvin。I wasn't sure how thi What a way to start my reading in 2022。This author has been a one-click author since I discovered the Morelli Family series。 Since that time， I have read everything she has written， oftentimes， more than once。 There is just something about the way that she creates an anti-hero。 There shouldn't be anything remotely redeemable about them， yet， she does the unthinkable and makes them not only redeemable but she makes them delicious。 That was most assuredly the case with Calvin。I wasn't sure how this book was going to fit into the Heaven and Hell series， and Purgatory， the interconnected club that ties all the books by various authors together。 Especially， considering that this author's books don't traverse down the BDSM club scene。 However， other than the initial "meeting' between Calvin and Hallie， there was nothing to tie things back to that club and the story didn't tie into a BDSM-type theme。Calvin is a mix of Mateo and Carter。 His manipulation tactics are out of this world。 There were times， that even I had a hard time not seeing his rationale。 He made it make sense which is almost ludicrous because he was a lunatic in many aspects。 Yet， I still loved him。 I loved that he would set the world on fire for Hallie。 He knew that he wanted her and in his world that was all that mattered。 Some of his flippant responses were so spot on of Mateo that it will likely prompt a reread because it made me miss him。 Other responses were， completely， Carter。 Even with the similarities， he was uniquely his own character。 He was shameless and unbothered by how he obtained a relationship with Hallie。 One moment， I was nodding in agreement with how he rationalized things， and in the next， I was shaking my head in wonder that he thought it would work。Hallie was interesting。 I felt for her as a woman。 I wondered how she would adapt to the situations that she found herself in with Calvin。 There should have been no way that she should have been able to get past how this all started。 Yet， as a former Luke and Laura from General Hospital fan （look it up if this is confusing as to why I mention that）， I know that it can be done。 Some moments she did well trying to negotiate with Calvin， but for the most part， she was in over her head。 There was no way that she was going to win against him。 What I， initially， thought of was her being naive was more that she was kind-hearted。 She had the capacity to forgive， at least in the case of Calvin， which wasn't a bad thing。 Some could call this Stockholm syndrome， however， I felt like it was more that she realized that this man truly would give her the world and would burn it to the ground if he had to do so。 I don't need to mention the steam because anyone that is familiar with this author knows that she can bring the good stuff。 Even in the scenes that were uncomfortable， she depicted it accurately which says something。 There were a few areas of the story that I wished had been fleshed out more。 It felt rushed in a couple of places。 However， none of that deterred me from loving this book。 In some ways， I loved Calvin and Hallie more than I loved Mateo/Mia and Carter/Zoe。 In other ways， I didn't。 However， all the trademark things that I love about this author were in this book and I cannot say enough how delightful it was to have this Cheshire grin back after reading this book。 I will say that there are triggers so be prepared。 That seems redundant to even have to say because it is this author that I am talking about。 However， I am saying it anyway because I would hate to see this book get bashing or low ratings because of it。 。。。more
Cyn
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Love Love the book！ Calvin and Hallie reminded me of Hades and Persephone。 Sam， is a fantastic writer， and I immensely enjoy getting lost in her dark universe！ Planning on re-reading asap。
Seline
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I need time to process what I just read before writing a review。
Jasmine
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If Carter and Mateo had a baby， it would be Calvin。
Julie
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"I want what I want， and I’ll have it at the end of the day。" Calvin Cutler wants Hallie Meadows and there is nothing that will stand in his way。 And， I mean nothing。 He is probably one of the most unapologetic anti-heroes that I've ever read。 He's obsessive， manipulative and possessive to the 'nth degree。 'Consent' is not even a word in his vocabulary。 And， he has the best inner monologue。 We get a front row seat to all of his justifications。Like all of Sam's other anti-heroes， he's not an easy "I want what I want， and I’ll have it at the end of the day。" Calvin Cutler wants Hallie Meadows and there is nothing that will stand in his way。 And， I mean nothing。 He is probably one of the most unapologetic anti-heroes that I've ever read。 He's obsessive， manipulative and possessive to the 'nth degree。 'Consent' is not even a word in his vocabulary。 And， he has the best inner monologue。 We get a front row seat to all of his justifications。Like all of Sam's other anti-heroes， he's not an easy person to love。。。but， she finds someone for Calvin who accepts who he is and wants him just the same。 Her relationships always start out in the most dubious of situations， but Sam writes them so we're always pulling for the villain to get the girl。 And， she does not disappoint here。 I loved Calvin and found him to be the perfect combination of Carter， Mateo and Jasper。 Loved his story！Nickname: Little DoveI don’t want to break her; I just want to play with her。"I’m not afraid to put in a fuck ton of effort to get what I want， even if there’s a much easier option available。 We only get one life， and I’m going to spend mine having exactly what I desire。”It’s adorable how she doesn’t realize she’s mine yet。I’m bingeing her life like most people binge shows on Netflix，“So… you’re into BDSM， then？”“I've dabbled， but the lifestyle doesn't really do it for me。 The cornerstones of BDSM are ‘safe， sane， and consensual。’ Does any of that sound like me？”"I don’t want someone who doesn’t know the worst things I’m capable of， Hallie。 I want someone who does， and wants me anyway。”Maybe he’s not the most traditional place in the world to seek refuge， but maybe he is the right one for me。 。。。more
Melluvsbooks
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Well。 Happy Effing New Year to me！ 🖤🎉🖤🎉This has all my very favorite things。 🥰🖤 Unrepentantly ruthless， manipulative， bulldozer Hero who takes what he wants 🖤 A sweet h who is a bottomless pit of empathy and forgiveness but is also clever and witty - she’s PERFECT for this H🖤 Aaaaall the dark banter 🖤 noncon/dubcon - Calvin is not interested in “no” 🖤 BDSM elements without all the official stuff。 This gal really needed a safeword， but Calvin wasn’t about that life。 👀😏😅🖤 Calvin has tried CNC in t Well。 Happy Effing New Year to me！ 🖤🎉🖤🎉This has all my very favorite things。 🥰🖤 Unrepentantly ruthless， manipulative， bulldozer Hero who takes what he wants 🖤 A sweet h who is a bottomless pit of empathy and forgiveness but is also clever and witty - she’s PERFECT for this H🖤 Aaaaall the dark banter 🖤 noncon/dubcon - Calvin is not interested in “no” 🖤 BDSM elements without all the official stuff。 This gal really needed a safeword， but Calvin wasn’t about that life。 👀😏😅🖤 Calvin has tried CNC in the past， but what he really wants is an authentic Total Power Exchange 🖤 Conscious decision by the H to forgo condoms （only with h， and without consulting her） 👀😬🖤 H pursues h RELENTLESSLY 🖤 H is super jealous and possessive and protective。 He’s not messing around。 🖤 While he’s dabbled in CNC before， what he wants from the h is EXCLUSIVE to her。 I was nervous at first， but my dear Sam soon makes the distinction。 The h is definitely special and an exception for the H。 Just be patient。 🖤 There’s a sweet kitty who steals the scenes and who I identified with WAAAAY too much。 #meow 😻🖤 the H is not afraid to do whatever it takes to bind the h to him。 Up to and including stalking， kidnapping， blackmail， and impregnating。 What a ✨PRINCE✨ 👀🤡🖤 Calvin is all about the “good girls” which is my favorite。 Lots of praise kink in this one。 👌🏻👌🏻Anything I didn’t like？ - this book is in a series with each book by a different author。 They are all connected by a sex club。 I REALLY don’t like sex clubs or heros who frequent them。 So the beginning of the book was kinda shaky for me。 Sex clubs aren’t typically Sam’s thing。 It’s one of the the aspects I love about her heros。 HOWEVER， hang tight because she fixes it quick and we never see that club again。 I can’t really let the sex club thing affect my review because I knew ahead of time the premise of the series， and chose to read it anyway。 Because… duh。 *SAM MARIANO* 🤡- no OW drama AT ALL - Zero #imadramahoooaar 🤷🏼♀️Bottom Line？ Oh Friends。 👀😏 Calvin was a perfect mix of Carter and Mateo and maybe a little Jasper thrown in。 It felt like Sam Mariano’s greatest hits with some extra depravity thrown in。 I looooooved it。 What a way to finish out 2021。 🖤 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️- no cheating or sharing- no OW drama- no OM drama- noncon and dubcon- loose total power exchange - no safewords- throat grabs， spanking， rough sex， manhandling- H drugs the h， strips her and possibly fondles her while she’s passed out- H refuses condoms - H intentionally impregnates h without her consent - H blackmails h into a relationship - H murders men who have hurt the h- h is 26 and is experienced but not promiscuous - H experienced - One scene is in a sex club but they are alone in a room。 They do not go back to the sex club after the initial scene。 It doesn’t really factor into the story at all。 。。。more
Jenn （The Book Refuge）
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Alright。 Calvin doesn't top Carter for me。BUT！ I still very much enjoyed his craziness。 And I feel like Hallie was still strong and pushed back， yet bent enough to not drive me crazy。TWs are for REAL though。 There was not a Consensual sexual interaction until 71% into this book。 Rape and dubious consent until that point。 Also， unprotected sex and breeding happening as well。。But。。 I love SMs crazy shit so。。5/5 stars Alright。 Calvin doesn't top Carter for me。BUT！ I still very much enjoyed his craziness。 And I feel like Hallie was still strong and pushed back， yet bent enough to not drive me crazy。TWs are for REAL though。 There was not a Consensual sexual interaction until 71% into this book。 Rape and dubious consent until that point。 Also， unprotected sex and breeding happening as well。。But。。 I love SMs crazy shit so。。5/5 stars 。。。more
Michelle Cox
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BoringSam Mariano is always an instant purchase for me， but this book just didn’t deliver。 The h was a pushover and there was no real story。
Pooja Prashar
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Calvin & HallieSam does it again！ Calvin is definitely a dark billionaire and his obsession with Hallie is absolutely red hot！ Definitely recommend to read， I couldnt put it down！ X
Issa Perdue （The Bookish Girl Reviews）
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Sam Mariano has done it again！ This is DARK romance， similar themes to untouchable except this couple is a little older。 Either way I stayed up until 4 AM devouring this book on my kindle。 Sam continues to provide amazing books and is my number 1 favorite author！ One click， read it but if course know YOUR limits 🖤 couldn't have asked for a better way to end the year！ Sam Mariano has done it again！ This is DARK romance， similar themes to untouchable except this couple is a little older。 Either way I stayed up until 4 AM devouring this book on my kindle。 Sam continues to provide amazing books and is my number 1 favorite author！ One click， read it but if course know YOUR limits 🖤 couldn't have asked for a better way to end the year！ 。。。more
Dani
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Perfect book to finish out 2021 🥳I have loved every book by Sam and this one was no different。 Calvin is a pretty standard Sam Mariano hero。 Selfish， manipulative， depraved。 All the things we love in a book boyfriend🤡🤣He’s also ALL about Hallie。 Obsessively。 So no OW drama or cheating。This book kept me awake until 3 am。 I love my sleep so this is not the norm for me。 Had my eyeballs not failed me I would have finished it in one sitting。 It was that good！If this is your first book by Sam Mariano Perfect book to finish out 2021 🥳I have loved every book by Sam and this one was no different。 Calvin is a pretty standard Sam Mariano hero。 Selfish， manipulative， depraved。 All the things we love in a book boyfriend🤡🤣He’s also ALL about Hallie。 Obsessively。 So no OW drama or cheating。This book kept me awake until 3 am。 I love my sleep so this is not the norm for me。 Had my eyeballs not failed me I would have finished it in one sitting。 It was that good！If this is your first book by Sam Mariano please note the trigger warning 🖤 。。。more
Vellini
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A very Mia （from her Morelli series） like FMC。 It seems that I can't tolerate that kind of heroine that much！ But I did a lot of skimming hence the low rating。 A very Mia （from her Morelli series） like FMC。 It seems that I can't tolerate that kind of heroine that much！ But I did a lot of skimming hence the low rating。 。。。more
Beth
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My favorite lunatic！I wasn’t sure what to expect with this new book of Sam Mariano’s after repeatedly reading her Morrelli series。 Absolutely loved this book！ The twists and turns of Hallie and Calvin kept me enthralled！
fancystephanie
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Descent is very well written。 Sam is a terrific author， and it’s easy to get lost in her writing。 No typos or grammatical errors stood out to me （sorry， but I will DNF a poorly edited book）。 I didn’t feel like there were any gaping plot holes， and although the book is very long （normal for Sam）， the pacing is great。 It’s NOT a slow burn。 I loved the first half of the book， but I didn’t feel like Calvin redeemed himself in the last half of the book。 Maybe he wasn’t supposed to。 Calvin is more sim Descent is very well written。 Sam is a terrific author， and it’s easy to get lost in her writing。 No typos or grammatical errors stood out to me （sorry， but I will DNF a poorly edited book）。 I didn’t feel like there were any gaping plot holes， and although the book is very long （normal for Sam）， the pacing is great。 It’s NOT a slow burn。 I loved the first half of the book， but I didn’t feel like Calvin redeemed himself in the last half of the book。 Maybe he wasn’t supposed to。 Calvin is more similar to Mateo Morelli than Carter （Untouchable）。 Honestly， this was super similar in themes to a Zoe Blake book， so if you love her， you will love this。 Descent is a great dark read， and well worth your time。 It gets 5 stars from me！ 。。。more
⚔Irunía⚔
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By sheer luck I saw this on my feed and DAMN IT ALL TO HELL IT SOUNDS SO GOOD。 Unrepentant guy， non-consent — in the best tradition of Ms。 Mariano。 I'm in。 💀✌🏻 See y'all next year hyping up another terrible terrible book;） 💋 By sheer luck I saw this on my feed and DAMN IT ALL TO HELL IT SOUNDS SO GOOD。 Unrepentant guy， non-consent — in the best tradition of Ms。 Mariano。 I'm in。 💀✌🏻 See y'all next year hyping up another terrible terrible book;） 💋 。。。more
The Romantic Rush Blog
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The complete Sam Mariano experience- if you know， you know。 The is this even romance？， why am I so into this toxic romanticism？， I need to have my head checked Sam Mariano magic。 No one writes psychologically manipulative， deliciously controlling and possessive， F'ed up yet somehow swoony anti-heroes like her。。。and I fall for them EVERY SINGLE TIME。Sam has such a keen ability to make the psychological toxic enchanting。 The darkness and twistedness of her stories come more from the psychological The complete Sam Mariano experience- if you know， you know。 The is this even romance？， why am I so into this toxic romanticism？， I need to have my head checked Sam Mariano magic。 No one writes psychologically manipulative， deliciously controlling and possessive， F'ed up yet somehow swoony anti-heroes like her。。。and I fall for them EVERY SINGLE TIME。Sam has such a keen ability to make the psychological toxic enchanting。 The darkness and twistedness of her stories come more from the psychological complexity of the relationship dynamics than anything- the warped and f’ed up power dynamics that exist between her characters。 And not only does she somehow make it romantic and sexy， she makes us CRAVE it， desperately- like her writing itself performs the very logic-defying seduction her heroes are so notorious for。 Perhaps she speaks to the part of me that wants to be so deeply cherished， craved， and worshiped that a man savagely rearrange the entire world so I had no choice but to be his- or perhaps she’s just a master at exploring unusual and riveting connections and character chemistry。 I think it’s both， but either way， the result is the same very time- I AM THIRSTY FOR IT。Her heroes are truly and unapologetically anti-heroic- they never change and they are unapologetic for the reprehensible methods they use to capture their lady， and with a practice finesse， Sam makes us swoon for them。 Their masterful machinations and mind-bending manipulation， and when all else fails， how they assume complete control。 They are soft only for their heroine- but they go hard for her， in very wrong ways。 They are messed up， flawed， deplorable- and holy hell， I fall for them every time。 Because somehow Sam finds just the perfect match for them- a heroine whose damages and needs， whose jagged edges perfectly fit the depravity of the hero。 Together their dysfunction warps into something more beautiful， yet taboo and unconventional。 And Descent is just that- a Sam Mariano anti-hero at his finest， but with perhaps her most obstinate （yet still soft， like we and our heroes like） heroine to date。 And the push-pull is EVERYTHING。 Calvin gave me all the Mateo-meets-Carter vibes， and I ravenously gobbled up every single page。 He does horrible things to capture our heroine Hallie- yet she soon finds herself falling into his tangled web willfully。 No spoilers- but so many tropes I love in this story！And like always， in the end， I’m swooning- Sam so brilliantly unpacks the psychology of our characters’ perversions and inexplicable longing， that somehow we not only accept but are drawn to the very messed up nature of these two soulmates。 The characters accept the darkest， most messed up （in-real-life-very-concerning） parts of each other- and in turn， we do too。 It is consuming， addicting， tantalizing， and so very wrong- but the wrongness isn’t the point。 It’s the singularity of true love- how somewhere in the universe there's someone whose soul calls to yours because your crazy is perfectly matched to theirs…。someone who doesn’t just forgive your messed up pieces， but loves you for them。 And that's the beauty of the "wrong。"Fair warning- this is not for everyone。 Not only are there triggers and very uncomfortable beginnings， but some would not find this type of hero quite unromantic。 PM me with questions！ If you can handle Mateo， you can handle Calvin- but he’s perhaps a bit more unforgivable than even Carter。 。。。more
Catherine
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I stayed up until 6am reading this。 SAM。 IS。 BACK。 （Not that she went anywhere， I’ve just been impatient for her next book since The Boy on The Bridge came out。）I loved this， it had all the hallmarks of a Sam classic - absolutely evil male main character that you can’t help but love， delicious turmoil for the heroine， tight pacing， intelligent discourse and searing smut。The hero is honestly quite evil in this one， potentially even less redeemable than Carter from Untouchable。 I don’t know how sh I stayed up until 6am reading this。 SAM。 IS。 BACK。 （Not that she went anywhere， I’ve just been impatient for her next book since The Boy on The Bridge came out。）I loved this， it had all the hallmarks of a Sam classic - absolutely evil male main character that you can’t help but love， delicious turmoil for the heroine， tight pacing， intelligent discourse and searing smut。The hero is honestly quite evil in this one， potentially even less redeemable than Carter from Untouchable。 I don’t know how she writes such dark characters that I still somehow fall for。I’m immediately going to re-read this。 What a treat of a book！ 。。。more
Ria | Abstract ♥ Books
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Website | Bookstagram | Facebook Page | Newsletter Website | Bookstagram | Facebook Page | Newsletter 。。。more
Melissa， Book Boyfriend and Husband Make Three
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What a way to bring the year 2021 to a close。 Descent isn’t just a dark romance; it's Mariano dark， and they are NOT the same。 The villain not only gets the girl， but crosses every line imaginable， and you swoon like a little psycho。 Descent is a dark romance set in the world of Heaven， and Hell， yet it can be read on its own。Hallie seemed uninterested in going out; she would rather be at home with her cat than at a trendy club。 She's a touch humble in some aspects， and she wants ot What a way to bring the year 2021 to a close。 Descent isn’t just a dark romance; it's Mariano dark， and they are NOT the same。 The villain not only gets the girl， but crosses every line imaginable， and you swoon like a little psycho。 Descent is a dark romance set in the world of Heaven， and Hell， yet it can be read on its own。Hallie seemed uninterested in going out; she would rather be at home with her cat than at a trendy club。 She's a touch humble in some aspects， and she wants others around her to be happy， which frequently means following others。 She also has a fiery sass， and those two parts of her personality are what made her Calvin's other half。Calvin has a commanding presence; he walks into a room and commands everyone's attention。 He's not looking to be a knight in shining armor; he knows who he is and takes what he wants without hesitation。 He’s not an alpha-hole looking for redemption; he owns who he is， the controlling， arrantly possessiveness， and I am not even kidding; his crazy made me swoon。 He doesn't toe the line between good and evil; he's left his morals in the rearview mirror， and he has no regrets。 His desires are as deviously twisted as he is， and right now， all he can think of is getting a taste of Hallie， by any means necessary。Descent was light on feels， and the level of steam was OUT OF THIS WORLD。 Calvin and Hallie's story does not begin in the traditional manner。 They begin with explosive physical chemistry; despite the unusual circumstances， I felt as if Calvin truly understood her to depths she hadn't even realized existed within her。 They balance one another out in the most unlikely of ways。 I enjoyed every minute of my Descent to Hell。 Descent is an unputdownable blend of passionate chemistry， a psycho-possessive villain， a sweet yet sassy heroine， witty banter， decadently dark， and deliciously depraved levels of steam。 The hottest book I've read this year， and Mariano's hottest book to date。 If you have boundaries， they won’t just be pushed， they’ll be bulldozed over。 Take the author’s warning to heart before beginning this book。 Website | Amazon | Facebook | Instagram 。。。more
Sam
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