Taking Something is the second book in the series by Elizabeth Lee.  In this story, it's from Nick's perspective and he runs the ultimate con for him- weaseling his way into the music industry and acting as a music producer for Sadie Sinclair. He is actually really good at what he does so it helps him produce music well with Sadie, who has been difficult to the label and trying to make her own songs. He starts out running the con fine,  including securing Sadie as his girlfriend fairly quickly, and producing great tracks with her for the label.

 Then the problem comes in- Gia, former child star who was in the same group as Sadie but chooses to stay as Sadie's assistant rather than take up the offer with the label.  She piques Nick's interest and he becomes more attracted to her while trying to keep his A game up with Sadie, who gets jealous and clingy. She sees right through Nick's bs and keeps him on his toes and plagues his thoughts.  She has a whole unique story all her own and it shows how crazy the music industry gets, especially working with Sadie.

Then you throw in another ingredient to a total cluster-Landry, the son of Nick's boss and major star in the music world. Because of him, Nick starts learning more about what happened to this group of childhood stars and the friendships between them.

 Starting out reading this book, Nick still is a total prick and not someone you want to know. As you read the story, you get inside his head more and understand his life and story more. You hate to fight for him knowing what a total tool he can be and how he operates as a con man. But then you see him really get a run for his money and fight to keep his ruse going in order to break into the music world. Gia starts to make his plan crumble but shows that Nick can  care about someone else and face love versus dream job choices.

 I definitely recommend reading this series!  It has con games, cut throat music industry stories and, of course, a good love story.

- Jamie

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So I finished up Past Imperfect a little bit ago and not exactly sure what to write. Alison G. Bailey has such a way with words that play so much with emotion its crazy. She made me cry. Again. Its not the first time she made me cry. In this book the highs were good but the lows. Wow those lows were as low you could possibly go.

In Present Perfect, I hated Brad. He was a Smurffucker. Plain and simple. But boy did he redeem himself. You wouldn’t believe that the Brad in Past Imperfect and the Brad in Present Perfect was the same guy. Things happened during the book that made Brad change and grow up.  He reevaluated what he was doing and decided he didn’t want to be that way anymore. And then he met Mabry.

Mabry has had one of the toughest lives you could imagine. The events that took place were horrifying for anyone, especially a younger girl.  It shaped who she became. And then she met Brad.
 I loved pretty much each chapter alternated between the present and the past. And within each chapter, you had both viewpoints. You got to see the events that shaped them to who they are and also how it is affecting them in the present. And you got to hear from both of them.
 And then you got to the end. And and and. Ugh, I wish I could just tell you but I can’t. I will say I gasped and broken down crying. And then the epilogue started. And I love Alison’s epilogues. She does a great job, especially with this book, of finishing it off where it needs to be.

I guess the best way to describe my emotions and overall feeling about this book is WAMFU! (Read the book to understand what that means)

~Katie

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Ahh, Katie Ashley does it again. She’s one of my go-to authors, and she didn’t let me down with this one. The Pairing is heartwarming, sexy, funny, and just classic Katie Ashley all rolled into one. I've been anxiously awaiting this book, and it was everything I had hoped for. 

Pesh is…well, he’s Pesh. We all know him from The Proposal. Dr. McDreamy Bollywood – The deep, emotional, loving, GORGEOUS doctor who tried to sweep Emma off her feet in The Proposal. He’s not your normal playboy. He wants to be in love and everything that comes with that emotion. After losing his wife, he hasn’t been ready to try a relationship again. When he meets Megan, Aidan’s niece, that changes for him. He wants to get to know her, date her, just simply be with her. 

Megan is amazing, funny, and witty. She’s a single mom and a nurse. After being emotionally hurt by her ex and left alone with her son, Mason, she has no intention of any serious relationships. Megan is obviously attracted to Pesh, but because of her past, she won’t let it be more. She wants sex with Pesh. Pesh wants to date and have something serious. Hmm…what to do.

Pesh decides to try his luck and maybe play into Megan’s idea of sex only. He plans on wooing her and hoping she’ll change her mind. Does his plan work though? It’s sure fun to read and find out. 

You’ll be cheering for them from the first time they meet. You’ll get the warm fuzzies, the giggles, and the swoonworthy moments all in this book. Their chemistry is so hot. I love that Pesh is such a gentleman, yet can be so different in the bedroom. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow and mature into what it is by the end. It’s also so nice when a book doesn’t HAVE to have the crazy amount of angst that some do. It’s okay to just have a love story, and Katie Ashley did that. Sure there’s some angst thrown into the mix, but it’s enough to make it interesting and not so much to be overwhelmingly dramatic. It was a perfect mix in my opinion. 

And we get the Fitzgerald’s! Eeek. I’ve missed them! The interactions with Emma, Aidan, and the whole gang made me want to pick up The Proposition and start all over again. They’re so much fun in the previous books, and that’s true for The Pairing as well. It’s definitely Pesh and Megan’s story, but you see a lot of Emma & Aidan, and that couldn’t make me happier. I love them.

Overall, this book was a fantastic read. It was everything a Katie Ashley novel is known to be. A sweet, sexy, heartfelt tale with great writing and characters. I can’t suggest it enough, along with the other books in this series. Who am I kidding? Go one-click any Katie Ashley novel. You’ll love them all, especially The Pairing.

<3 Erin

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Oh. My. God.

Let me say it again. OH MY GOD! This book. I love this book. Not love it as in, “Wow that was pretty good, I’ll definitely keep it in mind for book buddy recommendations”. Not love it as is in, “I’m so glad I signed up for this ARC and it wasn’t awful. Yay!” No. I love In Bloom, as in one of my new favorite reads…ever. I always try to make my reviews make sense, be organized, so on and so forth. I just can’t make my mind stop running through these characters and their world long enough to do that. So an excited, completely unorganized review it will be!

The best way I can think of to describe this book is taking the fashion of The Devil Wears Prada + the L.A. life of The Hills + the fairy tale love story of Love Unscripted = In Bloom. In a genre that sometimes (let’s be honest) all sort of run together, this was such a breath of fresh air. It’s just so different. Katie Delahanty is amazing. Her writing style, her character development, and the descriptions used for the people and places Olivia encounters. It’s just all perfection. It also wasn’t our normal smut. Sometimes it’s nice to not have that, and In Bloom was so good without it. I was captured from the very first page, and had zero intention of putting my Kindle down until I saw “The end”.

Ok, so meet Olivia Bloom. A newcomer to Los Angeles straight from Pittsburgh, PA. She’s trying to make it as a stylist, while also trying to figure out life and the “rules” in L.A. Between coworkers and bosses, her friends, and the celebrities, it’s a long ways from Pennsylvania. She’s hilarious, witty, and a ton of fun.

Then of course, there’s the guy and this one is a doozy. Meet Berkeley Dalton – Beautiful, talented, and above all else: a NICE guy! He’s the good guy, an A-list celebrity, and genuinely loves just playing music. He’s dreamy. He has officially shot to near the top of my book boyfriend list. He’s up there with Kellan, Jameson, and Ryan. He’s just…*sigh*

Without making this review too horribly long, basically Olivia and Berkeley meet. Their first encounter is completely adorable. He’s the frontman of Berkeley & the Brightside, who happens to be Olivia’s favorite band of all time. She’s so awkward and he’s so charming, they just worked and made you cheer for them from the get go. They’re relationship is so romantic. They’re falling for each other hard, and it makes you all warm and fuzzy to experience their moments together. It’s like a fairy tale. The question is if Olivia is ready to accept everything that comes with Berkeley’s world (the paparazzi, the gossip, etc) knowing in return, she gets to be with him. Is he worth it? (I LOVE him, so yes, he would absolutely be worth it)

Overall, In Bloom is so refreshing. Katie has a great writing style. Everything felt very realistic. Of course, I don’t live in L.A. but it felt as though she was very knowledgeable with a lot of the details. The characters are fantastic. If you’re looking for something outside of the box, without so much raunchiness and focused on an actual love story, In Bloom is the book for you. I just funking (you’ll see) loved it.

<3 Erin

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Warning: This book includes a hot cowboy! A sweet southern boy from Texas with a drawl!

Do you ever wish you could just shake the characters in a book? That’s how I felt, more than once, while reading Nacole Stayton’s In the Lyrics.  Both Colby and Hensley drove me nuts! 

This book was great. There were so many emotions that went on in this story. And Nacole had you feeling all of them. More than once I put down my ipad and walked away. I just needed a break. But there were other times, like at 1 am, that I just had to keep going. Yes, she kept me up half the night.

Hensley is the back talking, tough as nails southern girl who only wants to get the heck out of Nashville and make it big in county music. She knew from her mother’s experience what could happen when love gets in the way. She had her best friend Dusty. That’s all she needed while she waited for her big break she wanted nothing to do with guys until she saw Colby in a crowd. At first sight she knew she could be in trouble. And then she learns, Colby is Dusty’s new roommate. 

Colby was the sweet talking southern boy with a great accent. He’s had heartbreak in his life, not a great family situation and he just needs to get away from it all.  He came to Nashville with a dream and ended up falling head over heels with a sassy girl.  

This book is the opposite of most books. Usually it’s a girl giving up it all for a guy. But not in this story. Colby was so in love with Hensley he gave up a great chance. He just wanted her. Hensley on the other hand, when handed her opportunity to make her dreams come true, took it and ran. And then, major lack of communication. It imploded on them, big time.  This was when I wanted to shake them the most. 

But I don’t want to tell you anymore. If I keep going, I will ruin it for you. I could go on and on about these 2 and their story. But instead, you should just read it and fall in love with them yourself.

- Katie

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Sweet Rome is the sequel to Sweet Home by Tillie Cole. I fell in love with Rome Prince in Sweet Home but my love for him grew in Sweet Rome. To hear what happened between Rome and Molly, from Rome’s point of view, was amazing!  You get to learn more about his background, more about his moods and more about his love for Molly.  I loved being about to feel all the ups and downs with him. There were many scenes from Sweet Home but there were also many from Sweet Rome. It wasn’t just a real telling of Sweet Home from Rome’s POV.  Those scenes that were in Sweet Home were amazing to see, the way Rome saw them. The scenes that were new were amazing. You got to see his lows, his turmoil with his parents and how he felt, in his words. But you also got to see his highs.  There was a scene soon after they found out Molly was pregnant that showed his excitement for this new chapter in his life. His future.  

I think my favorite parts were what happened after Sweet Home ended. The extras. The future. The epilogue. Sure there are parts that I wish we read about but Tillie Cole did a great job showing us where they are and what has happened to them in the future. It comes full circle in my opinion. 

- Katie

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I really enjoyed reading The Scars of Us. Narvaez tells the story of two broken people who help heal one another. It has just enough angst, twists, and turns to make you not want to put the book down, but not so much to feel like she was specifically trying to add drama. 

To say Kaiya is broken is an enormous understatement. Bless her heart, seriously. She has a past that haunts her every single day. She tries to get past it, has her "rules" that seem to help her move along in life, but she's not really living life to the fullest. She's just surviving. She has no intention of ever being in a relationship again, and keeps everyone at a distance.   

And Ryker, ahh Ryker. Yum. He's a self-defense instructor, gorgeous, and doesn't do relationships. At all. After having his heart broken, he's completely content with random hook ups. He, like Kaiya, just doesn't trust anyone enough to settle. 

When Kaiya and Ryker meet after she enrolls in Ryker's self-defense class, the sparks fly. Holy sexual tension. This book has enough to last a while, and Nikki is just so good at it. I found myself screaming at my Kindle, "Come on already!! You both want this!" Soon enough, they're both breaking their own rules about relationships and find themselves unable to deny their attraction to each other. 

Seeing how they help one another overcome their pasts was fantastic. Ryker was so strong for her, as was Kaiya for him. The obstacles they go through only make them stronger in the end, and they truly do heal one another. The characters seemed real. They seemed like someone you could actually come across in real life or be friends with. I loved this story. It was an easy read that you won't want to put down. I can't wait to read book 2.

<3 Erin

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Laura Miller is about as great as they come at writing sweet, enthralling romance novels. She shows that you don’t have to have the sexuality that so many do these days. She writes the most beautiful stories and captivating characters. If you pick up a Laura Miller book, be prepared to stay up and continue reading because her books are unputdownable. For All You Have Left was no exception. It was a gorgeous story about a girl and her two loves – her first love and true love, and how to not let go of one entirely, but move into the future with the other.

I loved these characters. Logan/Ada (You’ll see) is strong, loves her family, and enjoys her career as a writer for a magazine. You see her as a child and teenager, and her relationship with her first love, Andrew. You also see her as the adult who lives by herself and is single. It teases you with flashbacks, making you wonder what the secret is. How does she go from being so in love with her childhood/high school sweetheart, to being all alone? The puzzle pieces will start fitting together, in the midst of watching a new love make his way into Ada's heart.  

That new love is Jorgen – The gorgeous next-door neighbor. They just click when they first meet. It’s not instalove, but you know there’s something there. Throughout the beginning of their relationship, you can’t help but fall in love with him. Their relationship is so sweet, romantic, and just a ton of fun to read. They made me giggle, and Jorgen will make you swoon. The interactions and conversations between Ada and Jorgen are also SO adorable. I enjoyed seeing them together, and seeing their relationship mature. 

Overall, I can't recommend this book enough. It shows that there can still be novels out there that don't revolve around sex, but can still be just as interesting as the ones that do. The characters are real. Laura is so great at making you feel like you're really living in their moment, right there with them. The descriptions used for the places and times were dead on. I just love love love this book and their story. 

<3 Erin

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I loved this book from paragraph one!  First thing, it talks about Ronnie, the main character, and her hatred of Valentine's Day, which is my stance whether I'm single or not. Later in the book, she gives a detailed reasoning of that loathing for the holiday. For example, the fact people should treat their partners with that much love and attention all the time or sporadically not be forced to one day a year. I 200% agree along w everything she says in her mental rant, lol.

Ronnie is a rough-around-the-edges type girl that works as a tattoo artist. Kale is the epitome of what she doesn't want-pretty boy and in the military, especially after a horrible breakup with her fiancé, Brandon. She's just waiting to run from the military lifestyle and the town she got stuck in because of Brandon.

Kale is a career military man just looking for a bed warmer while on his 2 week R&R. However, both are instantly attracted to the other but Ronnie denies it at first. Eventually, Kale along with her friends wear her down and she arranges a sex only setup with Kale, on Valentines Day nonetheless.

Both of these characters remind me of people I know, not only personality wise but situationally too. I love that Kelsie really got into parts of what base life/military life can be like for both sides, which is what is the whole reasoning behind the Valentine's Day Arrangement Ronnie and Kale create. However,  their arrangement shows the other what they're really missing out out- true love and passion not just a idea of love and life together with someone. Also what it's like to have someone you can't wait to come home to instead of a bed warmer.

A critical point in the book was Kale's injury. Kelsie details the gruesome injuries and incident causing them. She shows that love conquers all-whether appearances and injuries are permanent or not.  She wrote this part so well, I was teary eyed (which does not happen for me with books or movies) at the beauty behind the scene because it really does happen and it, unfortunately, usually takes an extreme situation to make people see their feelings. I also REALLY appreciate that there wasn't an "OMG, I'm pregnant" moment upon Kale's return or anything like that. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, how the perspectives were written, the characters, and the fact it was more realistic than a lot in this genre since it approached the military lifestyle. This book was so real to me and made it easy to get into the character's lives, especially since I've had friends go through similar situations.  I am super excited to read the next book in Kelsie's Hard Feelings series, Feel the Rush!

- Jamie

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I really like this book. It’s the first book I’ve read by Laurelin Paige and I definitely want to read more by her. I love second chance romance books but what I loved most about this was Micah. He made it different than most second chance books.  He didn’t just give in. He didn’t want to believe that it would work. And I don’t blame him. Yes some of his reasons didn’t make sense but in the business he was in and because what has happened in his life, they made sense to him.

One of the best things that happened, which was different from most books, was that Maddie didn’t push him. While she didn’t agree with all of his reasoning, she knew if she pushed she would lose him altogether.  Most other books, the girl would have pushed. Pushed for the guy to make a decision, push him into something faster.  But she waited. And she waited. And she backed off and she put herself first, even if it killed her.  She knew what she wanted but didn’t push him to get him there. She laid her feelings and her wants in front of him and when he didn’t want the same she walked away. To me that was very brave of her. It’s not something that you see in every book.

- Katie

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Hear it here first, Maegan Abel is going to make it big!  She is going to get so popular. This book is like nothing I’ve read before. And I can’t even tell you much about it because, well my mouth dropped open and a gasped at the end of chapter 9.  And if I tell you, it will give it all away. But what I will say is, awesome book by an awesome new author who threw a twist out there that I totally didn’t expect.
Oh, not only is there a twist, theres a bit of a cliffhanger at the end. Like, HELLO!, a huge freaking twist and a cliffhanger all in the same book!

So I know I’m not telling you much but what I will say is read this book. It good, like really freaking good, like one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. And its her first book which just blows me away.

- Katie

Amazon

Gah! I loved Lifers, and enjoyed reading Jordan and Torrey’s story SO much. It’s a beautiful and emotional tale of two people who better one another. Jane Harvey-Berrick did a great job of bringing her characters to life and grabbing you from the beginning. She doesn’t let go until the very last page.

First, there's Torrey – She’s feisty, spunky, a bit wild, but has a good heart. She’s badass, says exactly what is on her mind, and doesn’t have a care in the world whether people approve of her or not. She has a past and is trying to get far away from it. She moves to Texas to live with her mother, mainly as a stepping stone to more in life. That stepping stone just happens to include a lot of one night stands and wild behavior. She ends up finding much more than she expected by coming across Jordan. (I kinda want to be Torrey when I grow up, or parts of her anyway.)

Then there's Jordan – Ahh, I want to hug him. He’s such a good guy, but one night of crazy, fun, teenage normalcy changed his life forever. After 8 years in prison, he’s released, but his life doesn’t get any better. Everyone in his town knows what he did, and they make his life a living hell because of it. He believes he deserves the horrible treatment from past friends who used to be close to him, or people he used to know. He lives and breathes the guilt from the accident. He won't allow himself even a smidge of happiness. Then there is the rough relationship with his parents who don’t side with him, as you would assume. They’re very open about not approving of him being in their house, and don’t want him near. It’s just so heartbreaking to see him living that way, when he should be surrounded by people who love him and welcome him home with open arms.

When Jordan and Torrey meet, *sigh* (there’s a sigh somewhere in all of my reviews. I just can’t help it) To see how much Torrey helps him is amazing. She brings him out of the darkness and makes Jordan see that he CAN be happy. She shows him that he doesn’t deserve to be treated badly, and it takes a bit for him to finally understand, but when he does, you breathe a huge sigh of relief. I loved seeing the change in their relationship, and how much they helped each other. Jordan went from this sad, lonely guy trying to figure out his way in the world, to a guy who smiles, laughs, and jokes around. When you meet him in the beginning, you would have never expected that he could change so much. As much as Torrey changes Jordan, he does the same for her. He breaks through her walls. She was just this wild child who had no intention of letting someone close to her again, yet she couldn't help but fall in love with him.

Their relationship isn't ALL serious, there is a ton of fun between Torrey’s smart mouth and Jordan’s wittiness. They mesh together unbelievably well. There are so many funny or sexy moments, you kind of forget how sad Jordan’s life is for a split second. Their morning coffee dates, interactions with friends, and even their arguments are all fantastic.

Jane leaves it in such a happy place, but I really want to know more. What are they doing now? Where are they? Are they still as happy as they appeared?  I kept swiping my screen with my finger, thinking surely book 2 would miraculously appear. No such luck. Yet. Come on Jane! Please! I need more Torrey and Jordan!

I do want to mention that the dialect bothered me a teeny tiny bit. I understand being from the south, but it seemed to be over exaggerated. It wasn’t such a problem that I’d want to put the book down, because I loved the story way too much for that. You do get used to it, and it’s not a big deal. Just a little thing that stuck out.

This probably seems so silly, but you know how they say not to judge a book by its cover, especially with this genre because so many have half naked guys on the front? But with Lifers, REALLY look at the cover. It tells you everything about this story. The colors, the clothes, the background, the mirror imaging. It was perfect, and I LOVE it. Good job Hang Le and Jane Harvey-Berrick!

Overall, I was completely enthralled with this story. Between the blog, work, and kids, it takes quite the book for me to really get so sucked in that I cannot put it down. Lifers did that for me. I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll fall head over heels in love with Jordan and Torrey. It&apos;s no secret that I LOVE Jane, and Lifers didn't disappoint.

<3 Erin

Amazon

If you haven't read Torn and Twisted yet, please do!  This whole series has been amazing to read. It's a different type of book for this genre considering some of the topics approached throughout the series. You see abuse, cheating, substance abuse issues and what all of them do to people throughout the series.  A lot of the books in this genre will approach cheating but not many dare to approach substance abuse and abuse issues. Maybe I took this series more to heart because I work with these issues daily at my job.  Either way, I loved this series and how it was written. In the first book, Chloe's over exaggeration of emotions was kind of annoying, but then I remember that's how a lot of girls and even guys think at that age. You see the love triangle and split and also see how everyone grows up in a sense emotionally.  

When you read the second book, Drake and Chloe are more serious and have moved in together.   However, the book starts off with her mother coming back around for her own personal gain, like she usually does. The trip that Chloe embarks on to see family and Drake's band going on tour starts a destructive path for Drake falling back into old habits which destroys his relationship with Chloe.  The second book also is written from both Chloe and Drake POVs which was a great way to read and know what was going on to start Drake's habits up again and what goes on in both of their minds. 

Tainted is a book that was ridiculously well written and gave details you didn't have in the other two books- like what happens before the epilogue in Twisted and the details that happen when Chloe and Drake are apart. It is solely about Drake and Chloe also. Drake's old habits  cause them to spilt and Chloe doesn't go easy on him, which is great to read because that's real life!  Not break up get back together and everything is fine or sex fixes everything. She makes them approach the issues like a real-life couple would have to in order to make a relationship survive. 

In Tainted, you get to see more behind the mask of Drake also and who he is-not just the bad boy rock star.  Chloe really proves to be a stronger and more independent person in this book rather than the over emotional girl you see in the first book.  You see specifically how the phrase from book one about how together they are a destructive whirlwind comes into play. But you also get to see the beauty after the storm that comes afterwards.

- Jamie

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Connected is the story of a second chance at love but it is not your typical second chance story. Kim Karr writes a beautiful and unique story about 2 souls who are supposed to be together but it takes a lot of tragedy to make it happen. Dahlia and River were never actually together. That’s what makes this unique. But they had a connection one night that was so powerful it scared Dahlia. See, she was in love with someone else. And with just a connection and a short conversation she realizes that there is something about River and she leaves before anything could happen.

I love this story because it is different. It is so beautifully written that you feel every emotion that Dahlia goes through. This woman has not had an easy life. It has been full of tragedy. More than any one person should have.  You feel her grief, you feel her giving up and then you feel her love for River. You can feel their connection. 

Connected ends in a cliffhanger. One that you didn’t see coming.  One that you know will turn Dahlias world so upside down that.

- Katie

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There isn't much I can say about Torn without giving away to much. Once again it is a beautifully written story with emotions you can feel. Kim Karr did a great job at shocking me. Lets just say that what she wrote, I didn't expect. AT ALL.  But she did a great job doing it. Torn is the continuation of Dahlia and River's epic love story. That's right epic. Everything they faced together in the first book, is nothing like they will face in Torn. There ups, way ups and then there are way downs. Once again it is beautifully written. I felt like I was on the rollercoaster with them.

- Katie

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