diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 8d2d557c..19f5d60b 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@d-i-t-a/reader",
-  "version": "2.3.9",
+  "version": "2.3.10",
   "lockfileVersion": 2,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@d-i-t-a/reader",
-      "version": "2.3.9",
+      "version": "2.3.10",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@types/pdfjs-dist": "^2.7.4",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d0ba0190..e9cb39c9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@d-i-t-a/reader",
-  "version": "2.3.9",
+  "version": "2.3.10",
   "description": "A viewer application for EPUB files.",
   "repository": "https://github.com/d-i-t-a/R2D2BC",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
diff --git a/src/modules/highlight/TextHighlighter.ts b/src/modules/highlight/TextHighlighter.ts
index 05f08a28..5533a384 100644
--- a/src/modules/highlight/TextHighlighter.ts
+++ b/src/modules/highlight/TextHighlighter.ts
@@ -2791,8 +2791,11 @@ export class TextHighlighter {
     let drawStrikeThrough = false;
     let drawBackground = false;
 
-    const doNotMergeHorizontallyAlignedRects =
+    let doNotMergeHorizontallyAlignedRects =
       drawUnderline || drawStrikeThrough || drawBackground;
+    log.debug(doNotMergeHorizontallyAlignedRects);
+    // TODO: override doNotMergeHorizontallyAlignedRects to always be true, will need to come back to this if any changes need to be done, or the above removed
+    doNotMergeHorizontallyAlignedRects = true;
 
     const clientRects = getClientRectsNoOverlap(
       range,