Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

Read by Sean Masters, Erin Mallon, Connor Crais, JF Harding, Troy Duran, Teddy Hamilton, & CJ Bloom

The Nest, Book 1

From the author:

I made a deal with my brother a long time ago to never date his teammates.

Technically, Rowan Landry, the hot as hell center for the Chicago Falcons, is no longer my brother’s teammate. Or his best friend. Their college days are long behind them, and they barely talk now.

Also, I’m not dating him—we’re just sleeping together. There’s a difference.

Except there’s not a lot of sleeping going on, and neither one of us wants to stop what we’re doing.

It’s all fun and games until my brother is traded to the Falcons, because Rowan doesn’t know I’m the new goalie’s little sister. Oops.

https://amzn.to/3EJVNxm

The Hoopla algorithm sent me this hockey romance, and I was thrilled. I love all the Piper Rayne books and have never been disappointed by anything they’ve written.

This is a flirty, steamy hockey romance that scores big! This story hooked me from the very first page. The romance kicks off with an irresistible setup: a chance meeting at a wedding. For Kyleigh, attending is more of a chore to appease her mother, but bumping into her brother’s old college teammate, Rowan, now a star player for the Falcons, is an unexpected twist she can’t resist.

Rowan doesn’t recognize her, especially as she introduces herself as Leigh; she was just a kid the last time he saw her. Kyleigh really wants an unforgettable one-night stand. After all, what are the odds she’ll ever see him again? And bonus—her brother doesn’t have to know.

But fate has other plans. Their sizzling chemistry doesn’t end with that night. Rowan isn’t ready to let her go, and when they run into each other at a diner just hours later, he decides to pursue her. One thing leads to another, and soon their connection deepens into something neither of them can ignore. The only problem? Kyleigh’s keeping their relationship under wraps—especially from her brother. That seems manageable until her brother gets traded to the Falcons. Cue the drama.

This story is packed with humor, likeble characters, and plenty of steamy moments. While this was a truly enjoyable read, I did feel that the “big secret” dragged on longer than necessary. It seemed like such a minor issue to create such a major conflict. Still, the chemistry between her and Rowan more than made up for it.

This is a Full Cast production in Duet Style, which I am learning about through my audiobook journey. All I can say is that it was phenomenal. Sean Masters and Erin Mallon lead an incredible cast featuring JF Harding, Connor Crais, Troy Duran, Teddy Hamilton, and CJ Bloom. Their performances brought the story to life in such an engaging way that I can’t recommend this audiobook highly enough. If you’re looking for an entertaining escape with heat, heart, and humor, this one’s a winner!

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MR. HEARTBREAKER by Piper Rayne. Narrators: Sean Masters, Erin Mallon, Connor Crais, JF Harding, Troy Duran, Teddy Hamilton, & CJ Bloom. Piper Rayne Inc.; October 11, 2024. Listening Length: 7 hours and 13 minutes.

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Read by Kelli Tager & Will Watt

Sinful Manor, Book 1

From the publisher:

Killian Barclay is a grumpy Scottish billionaire who hates me…and now I’m his wife.

Their marriage of convenience is anything but…

All Killian Barclay wants is to be left the hell alone. He’s had enough heartache to last a lifetime, and he has no more need for love—earning him the reputation of a broody Scot and eventually turning his famous ancestral home into a den of iniquity. It doesn’t take long for tales of his raunchy house parties to reach the rest of his family, though, inspiring them to hatch a plan to shake Killian out of his routine.

New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux is tough as nails—as the daughter of famous yet neglectful parents, she’s grown a hard shell and keeps everyone at arm’s length. So when she sneaks into Barclay Manor during a trip to Scotland to get a glimpse of a famous heirloom, she doesn’t anticipate facing off against the brutish, maddening highlander who lives there. And she certainly didn’t expect to ever see the bastard again.

Yet just weeks later, she’s approached by Killian’s family with a proposal—move to Scotland and marry Killian to improve his playboy reputation, and after one year, she’ll walk away with ten million dollars. Sylvie agrees, even knowing that their plan is more deceptive than he realizes. But as she grows closer to Killian and the end of their year together, she has to decide: Is the love of a good man with a dark soul worth keeping, or is she willing to break Killian’s heart now that it’s well and truly hers?

“Cate pairs a feisty American with a reclusive Scottish billionaire in the red-hot enemies-to-lovers romance that opens her Sinful Manor series . . . with scorching chemistry and real feelings. The kinky sex scenes between this pair of sparring hearts scorch the pages. Readers who like their romances on the extra spicy side will want to check this out.” —Publishers Weekly

“This sexy enemies-to-lovers story is filled with biting dialogue and page-melting chemistry. A great start to Cate’s new “Sinful Manor” series.”—Library Journal

https://amzn.to/3EMI9JO

This was the steamiest romance I’ve ever listened to, and despite some convoluted familial machinations at play, I was completely drawn into this story.

Sylvie is visiting Scotland with her boyfriend, and he takes her to see a beautiful manor house. She wants to see the inside, but it’s someone’s home, and her boyfriend isn’t going to take one step inside. But Sylvie is headstrong, and when the front door is unlocked, she takes it as an invitation to enter. The owner of the house, Killian, is shocked to find this woman in his home and they have words. She takes off, and that’s that. Until…

Sylvie lives in New York City. Her parents are famous artists, and she had an unusual upbringing. She has a very difficult relationship with them, and things come to a head at one of their gallery openings. Sylvie destroys a piece of art, enraging her parents, and they cut her off. She also loses her job. Broke, and soon to be homeless, things are dire.

A woman from Scotland visits her, and she turns out to be Killian’s sister. She has a proposition for Sylvie. The family wants Killian out of the house. This was a bit confusing for me. They are afraid he’s become agoraphobic, and they are also concerned about his reputation. He has been having BDSM sex parties at the house, and in this small town, everyone knows. Sylvie is offered a crazy proposition; she is to return to Scotland and marry Killian. If they stay married and don’t have any extramarital affairs for one year, the house will go to Sylvie, and she, in turn, will have to sign it over to the family, thus forcing Killian out. She can return to NY with enough money to make distance from her parents a reality. It makes no sense, but I just went with it anyway.

The fake marriage is off to a rocky start. Killian is told a completely different story – he is somehow coerced into marrying Sylvie to restore his reputation. He thinks staying married to her will get his family off his back, so he also agrees to this crazy plan. But when Sylvie gets there, Killian is openly hostile to her. Eventually, they find a way to get along, and he slacks off on the BDSM parties.

It takes some time, but real feelings start to grow, and Sylvie is torn. She has to go along with the contract she signed; she needs the money, and the only way out of it will cost her more money than she has. By the end of the year, they are in love but still need to get the paperwork all in order and get a divorce. Sylvie goes back to NY, and Killian stays in Scotland. But that is not the end! After a lot of trauma and drama, they eventually get their happy ending.

The narrators were excellent – I can still hear Killian’s voice in my head. There is a lot of sex, and the power dynamic is at play here as well. If you liked Fifty Shades of Grey and want something just as dark but well-written, try this. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

KEEP ME by Sara Cate. Narrators: Kelli Tager, Will Watt. Dreamscape Media; December 03, 2024. Listening Length: 10 hours and 39 minutes.

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Read by Dane Anderson & Alex Picard

D.C. Eagles Hockey, Book 1

From the publisher:

I’m the notoriously angry, grouchy D.C. Eagles defenseman who just can’t keep his temper in check—a temper that leads to a fifteen-game suspension from the NHL.

As if that’s not bad enough, I’m forced into a short-term youth-hockey coaching gig—which my manager swears will “rebuild my image.”

But what I didn’t expect was for a gorgeous, spunky blonde to stomp onto the ice on day one and lecture me about being rude to her little brother.

Something about this spitfire of a woman, and the boy she’s so protective of, has my defenses melting.

And if I’m not careful, I’ll burst into flames, forever melting the ice I’ve carefully kept around my heart.

This is a closed-door romcom with mild language. Trigger warnings include parental substance abuse and dealing with grief/loss of parents.

https://amzn.to/4h6YkQt

I had to suspend my disbelief here; a hockey suspension for fifteen games is most unusual, but it does happen so I was able to go with it. Happily, it was worth it because I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. And no worries if you are not a hockey fan, it will not affect your reading of this sweet romance.

Andie lost her parents and is raising her much younger, 12-year-old brother. Mitch is a defenseman for a fictional pro hockey team who gets this huge suspension for fighting. His coach orders him to therapy, and to help with a peewee hockey team as part of his penance for letting his team down. That’s where he meets Andie, whose brother plays in this league.

This isn’t instalove, but there is definite attraction from the start. Andie and Mitch have similar traumas in their backgrounds, but there is a lot of cute banter that keeps the story light. There was a really funny scene where Mitch is listening to an audiobook that turns out to be quite a spicy romance, which this book is not. This is a closed-door romance, but that said, there is still plenty of innuendo, and you can definitely feel the sexual chemistry between Andie and Mitch.

This was a fun read, and the narrators did a great job bringing me into the story. This was one of those books that I really couldn’t put down. While the narrators often make the difference, in this case, it was the collaboration between the writer and the narrators that made this such a good listen.

Note: there is a novella that starts before this, even though this is the first book in the series. I was able to borrow it from Hoopla through my library. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get all the books in this series that way.

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DESIRE OR DEFENSE by Leah Brunner. Narrators: Dane Anderson, Alex Picard. Dreamscape Media; August 15, 2023. Listening Length: 7 hours and 52 minutes.

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Read by Leanne Woodward & Rusty Mewha

 It Happened in Charleston, Book 1 

From the publisher:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Practice Makes Perfect comes an expanded edition of The Match—a charming romance novel about second chances and the healing power of love, with a never-before-seen chapter.

Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it.

Evie Jones has dedicated her life and very limited funds working for Southern Service Paws, the company that matched her with the love of her life: Charlie, a service dog trained to assist with her epilepsy. But it’s no secret that the company has been struggling to make ends meet. It’s up to her and her longtime mentor and boss to throw the fundraiser of the century to keep the doors open.

Then, Evie meets Jacob Broaden at a client consultation meeting. There are instant sparks—but not the good kind, because Jacob’s daughter set up the meeting without his knowledge. Ten-year-old Sam has been recently diagnosed with epilepsy and has wanted a service animal ever since. While he has hesitations at first, it doesn’t take long for Jacob to be convinced that a service dog and possibly Evie, with her magical, woodland-green eyes, might just be the best thing for him and his daughter.

As Evie spends more time with Jacob and helps Sam find her perfect match with a lovable golden retriever named Daisy, she starts longing for something she’s never had before—a loving family. For Jacob, falling in love with Evie is the last thing he should be doing, but love has a way of finding those who need it most.

https://amzn.to/4hnPL3F

I have read most of Sarah Adams’ books, so when the algorithm showed me this one that I hadn’t read, I was all in. And I loved it! Apparently, this is an expanded edition of the original book with an extra chapter. I couldn’t tell you where or why though, it all flowed seamlessly to me.

Evie comes from old Southern money, but she is not too fond of her parents or their lifestyle. Her mother is super critical and pushy, and her father just goes along with her mother. When Evie is diagnosed with epilepsy as a teen, it changes her life. Her long-time boyfriend makes fun of her seizures, and she dumps him, much to her parent’s chagrin. Their fathers are lawyers and partners, and they hoped their children would marry one day. But that’s not going to happen if Evie has anything to say about it.

One day Evie meets a woman about her mother’s age, maybe older, who has a beautiful service dog with her. They get to talking and Evie is lucky enough to be able to purchase a service dog who can sense her oncoming seizures and take care of her. It’s a rather remarkable relationship, and it empowers Evie to move out on her own. Her parents cut her off, hoping that will force her home, but she is determined. She gets a job with the service dog company, and becomes great friends with her boss, who wants to retire and let Evie run the place.

Evie gets an email requesting a meeting for a man and his recently diagnosed young daughter. Evie is very excited; this is the first time she’s met someone else with epilepsy who needs a service dog. Except when she gets there, it turns out the child scheduled the meeting and manipulated her father into going. He is divorced; his ex-wife wanted to be an actress and took off for Hollywood, leaving him a single dad with his own successful architecture firm. It’s not easy and he probably hasn’t slept since his daughter’s diagnosis. He doesn’t know anything about service dogs but he knows he can’t handle the responsibility of one more thing.

Eventually, he sees the importance of the dog and makes amends with Evie. She spends a week with them acclimating them to their new dog. The more time they spend together, the more they realize how much they enjoy each other’s company. It’s a rocky road to a happy ending, and I loved every stumble along the way. The narrators were great and really pulled me into the story. Can’t wait to read the sequel, The Enemy!

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE MATCH by Sarah Adams. Narrators: Rusty Mewha & Leanne Woodward. Dreamscape Media; November 07, 2024. Listening Length: 9 hours and 7 minutes

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Read by Kate Handford

From the publisher:

A bookshop romance with a hunky hockey love interest and a pinch of spice from USA Today Bestseller Amy Andrews!

A bookshop face-off!

NHL hot shot, Nick Hawkeye Hawke has 4 months to recuperate from a potentially career-ending injury. All he has to do is take it easy and keep things low-key. So, looking after his grandmother’s beloved second-hand romance bookshop and working very closely with the ruthlessly efficient Samantha Evans is just what he needs right? Wrong!

Career-driven Sam has impulsively decided to swap her highly stressful corporate job for a slower pace in her favourite bookshop at the exact time her biological clock has started to tick. And she wants absolutely none of that. But when your boss is a hot hockey superstar and you can’t stop daydreaming of him being your baby daddy, forced proximity takes on a whole new meaning.

With temptation around every bookshelf, Nick and Sam find themselves skating on thin ice until they put themselves firmly in the friend zone. But the more they try to resist their slow burn, the more they want each other. How long can they stay in the zone until one of them breaks the ice?

Perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy, Bal Khabra, Emily Rath, and Hannah Grace.

Previously published as Risky Business

https://amzn.to/4a5SXP7

A professional ice hockey player and a bookstore? Count me in! When the owner of Sam’s favorite romance bookstore passes away, she is shocked to find the owner’s grandson taking over. Nick is a pro athlete; what could he possibly know about a romance bookstore?

Sam is in finance and setting the world on fire, that is until her boss decides to give all her accounts to his loser nephew. Sam is furious and quits her job. When Nick finds out she is unemployed, he offers her a job in the bookstore. She takes it, thinking it will be a nice break while she waits for the nephew to bomb out and her old boss to beg her to come back.

Sam and Nick find they have more in common than either originally thought. Sam has some body image issues (shocking, I know) and can’t understand why Nick is flirting with her. On the other hand, he thinks she’s gorgeous and loves her curves; he can’t understand why she puts herself down. The more time they spend together, the more feelings start to grow.

This is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance, and there is a lot of cute banter and a bit of heat, making this a fast and fun read. The narrator was really good, too; she totally brought me into this world, and I hated to leave.

Note: I’ve mostly been listening to audiobooks through Hoopla, a fantastic resource available through many public libraries. Like everything else online, they have an algorithm that suggests other books I may like based on what I’ve checked out. The next thing I knew, I was knee-deep in ice hockey romances! Some are definitely better than others, and I thought this was a good one, although, frankly, hockey had no real part in it! I will be reviewing a few others that I enjoyed.

On the other hand, Pucking Around by Emily Rath was a DNF for me, I got about three quarters of the way through and finally gave it up. It started out good but soon devolved into what just felt like bad porn to me. The plot was pretty thin; the story revolved around the female team doctor for a new hockey team and the men she was hooking up with. It started with a one-night stand leading to more encounters with that man, followed by a throuple. When it turned into a foursome, I gave it up. At that point, it was just descriptions of one sexual encounter after another, and all pretense at a plot was forgotten. It just didn’t feel like a romance anymore.

1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BREAKING THE ICE by Amy Andrews. Narrator: Kate Handford. Boldwood Books; November 07, 2024. ASIN: B0DHWD1TC3. Listening Length: 8 hours and 23 minutes

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Read by Jason Clarke & Ava Erickson 

Plain Daisy Ranch, Book 3

From the publisher:

It’s the classic story—girl returns to her hometown only to end up moving in with her high school crush, who she hates.

Returning to Willowbrook was my only option after Chicago chewed me up and spit me out. Technically, it wasn’t Chicago’s fault. It was his fault—the man I thought I knew who turned out to be a liar.

My older sister, always the one to swoop in and fix things, secured me a job as a yoga instructor on her fiancé’s family ranch. As my self-assigned protector, she’s keeping one eye on me and one eye on Emmett Noughton, her fiancé’s brother.

He’s the charming, fun-loving, take-life-as-it-comes kind of guy, and once upon a time, his name was scribbled in my notebooks. Back then, I was invisible to him. Now, he’s looking at me like I’m the only thing in the room. But he lost his chance with me a long time ago.

It’s easy to keep him at arm’s length and nurse the grudge I’ve held onto for years. Until the house I’m staying in sells, and I have nowhere to go except his house. Now, resisting him isn’t just difficult—it’s impossible.

https://amzn.to/420T1h4

Briar has moved back home, but her house sells almost immediately, leaving her temporarily homeless. Her sister’s father-in-law insists that she move in with Emmett, the youngest son, as he has tons of extra space. Unfortunately, Briar had a huge crush on him when she was young, but overheard him say something about her that she didn’t like, and now she hates him. But a roof over her head is a necessity so she moves in.

Emmett is trying to find his place in the family business, but his siblings all pretty much ignore the baby of the family. But Emmett is no baby, and it takes some moxie to make his family realize that. He also has a strong protective streak that works out well for Briar. Unfortunately, the eldest brother pretty much threatens Emmett with bodily harm if he goes near Briar, but the more the family tries to keep them apart, the closer they get, especially when living together.

Like all of Piper Rayne’s books, this is a spicy romance with a lot of humor. The story is compelling, and I really enjoyed listening to these narrators; they were both really good and brought the story to life. I’ll read anything by the writing duo known as Piper Rayne, and lucky for me, they are prolific!

1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE ONE I DIDN’T SEE COMING by Piper Rayne. Narrators: Jason Clarke, Ava Erickson. Piper Rayne Inc.; September 06, 2024. ASIN: B0DG9D8YY6. Listening Length: 6 hours and 46 minutes

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Read by Kelsey Navarro Foster  

From the publisher:

An enemies-to-lovers spicy romance set in the world of video gaming from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis—available only in audio!

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, a.k.a. her arch-nemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her–and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

“Foster’s expressive delivery keeps listeners invested in Viola and Jesse’s evolving relationship, audibly illustrating Viola’s change from hating Jesse to realizing the misunderstanding between them and deciding to begin a relationship. Foster’s overall performance of this short romance is entertaining” AudioFile 

https://amzn.to/4ggICBG

This is the audio equivalent of a novella and is not available in print or ebook format. I love Ali Hazelwood, so I was happy to listen and this did not disappoint at all. I also am not often a fan of novellas, usually finding them lacking in character development and short on plot. I was delighted that this had neither problem. The plot was good; video game designers who are competitors and forced to work together and the companies involved take their staff on a wintry retreat for bonding fun. This new game is based on Viola’s favorite fantasy book series, so there is no way she’s giving this up, even if she has to work with her design nemesis, Jesse. Turns out it’s not as difficult an assignment as either one of them feared. In fact, the more team building they do, the more Jesse grows on Viola, and before a snowball can melt, they are in bed and developing a good game and a good relationship.

This is a spicy romance with characters I couldn’t help but care about and root for. The storyline was interesting and the secondary characters were really just background noise. The narrator was terrific and I really enjoyed this!

1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TWO CAN PLAY by Ali Hazelwood. Narrator: Kelsey Navarro Foster. Spotify Audiobooks; October 01, 2024. ASIN: B0DGYFBMQC. Listening Length: 4 hours and 24 minutes.

Read by Lila Winters & Teddy Hamilton 

Forbidden Love, Book 1 

From the publisher:

This old flame just might set them on fire.

Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life: food.

Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating…

And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.

Ambrose has a lot on his plate: a new restaurant to open, a multi-million-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.

Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.

Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.

Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer.

Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running.

Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother—the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school.

Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.

Too bad she’s always been clumsy.

Truly, Madly, Deeply is a grumpy x sunshine, enemies-to-lovers romance. It is the first in the Forbidden Love series but can be listened to as a standalone.

https://amzn.to/4ggICBG

It’s a new year, and I’m trying something new. I’ve been listening to audiobook romances lately, so I’m going to try reviewing an audiobook every Sunday. We’ll see how it goes!

I’ve often wondered how I would feel listening to sex scenes, and this book tested my limits – turns out I didn’t mind at all. Although if I didn’t have AirPods in my ears, I don’t think I’d want to broadcast it into the atmosphere, if that makes sense?

This was one of the longer audiobooks I’ve read lately. Honestly, it probably could have used a bit of editing, it felt long. But I liked the characters and their backstories, and it definitely held my interest. Cal and Dylan have been best friends forever, but what Dylan doesn’t know is that Cal has a crush on her brother, Ambrose – like every other girl in school. Cal decides she wants to lose her virginity before heading off to college, and she asks Ambrose to be the one. Dylan catches them and their friendship blows up.

Several years later Cal returns home after losing her father, and she is broke. Ambrose runs a Michelin-starred restaurant in their small town, and his manager hires Cal. She desperately needs the money and would like to try and rekindle the friendship she had with Dylan. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Cal, Ambrose has been carrying a torch for her for years. He is mercurial and demanding as a boss and, as Cal comes to find out, as a lover. These relationships are new and somewhat precarious, and there is a lot of small town drama as well.

I liked how all these relationships were explored, and the character development kept me engrossed. This is a very spicy romance with some humor and witty banter, but it’s the drama that is the big draw here. These characters were complex, and the storyline was compelling. The narrators were very good and added dramatic tension to the story. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TRULY MADLY DEEPLY by L.J. Shen. Narrators: Lila Winters, Teddy Hamilton. Dreamscape Media; September 10, 2024. ASIN: B0D5ZJWQZS. Listening Length: 15 hours and 50 minutes

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