Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Breaking Angelina by T.J. and Rita Webb

18131954
Publisher: Robot Playground Inc
Date Published: November 2013
Genre: YA / NA Paranormal Romance
Series: Paranormal Investigations #1.5
Source: Author
Rating: Crazy Good 4 out of 5 stars
She's the Beauty. Can the Beast break her curse before the monsters break her?

I never told anyone my darkest secret.

Something evil whispers in my mind. It threatens to destroy everything I care about, and now it wants me to kidnap and murder a mythical creature. Refusal means excruciating pain or sleepwalking into oncoming traffic ... again.

I don’t dare refuse, even if I have to steal from my friends, sell my body, or ruin my college career. Anything to stop the feeling of its claws scraping the insides of my skull.

That’s when I hired the Hunter, a wolf-man from a magical world, to help me. A tracker for hire, an honorable man who has misplaced his honor, a twisted soul with no heart left to care.

But he has secrets of his own, and I don’t think anyone can save me from the trouble I’m in.
Angelina has heard the voices in her head since she was twelve years old. She's now nineteen and attending college in Alaska when odd and mysterious things begin to happen. The voices are taking control of her life more than ever, making Angelina do things and hurting her when she resists. Angelina is now on a quest for a love potion to get her sisters' best friend to fall in love with Angelina so the voices will stop torturing her. Will she make it before they break her?

Hunter is a chimera, part wolf, hawk, and man. Hunting is what he does best. He tracks and finds people and objects. With his family slaughtered by the Usurper he is cold and empty inside. But when a client double-crosses him and nearly gets him killed, Hunter is out for revenge. Along the way he discovers a bracelet that everyone seems to want and happens across a human girl in need of his services. A girl who recently had been in contact with the bracelet. How is it all connected? And should he care?
I don't know how to feel about Angelina. She seems a little on the weak side, but honestly? She's up against these voices in her head. So maybe she isn't so weak. I go back and forth on liking her in this. I can safely say that in the first few pages I most definitely did not like her. Angelina was... I don't know, almost, childish, I guess. No. That's not exactly right. It's like she's so naive and young, disgustingly so, on a lot of her opinions in the beginning of the book.

By the end of the book my opinion changes. You learn more about the voices and their hold on her. I don't like a lot of what Angelina does in the book, but most of what she does is controlled by the voices. Especially that scene where she goes psycho. By the end of the book I realized I didn't really know Angelina. She may be one of the two main protagonists (dual POV), but she did what anyone would do in her situation; she tried to stop the pain.

The places where her personality shined through and pushed past the voices was when she stood up for Brianna. And that one scene with Hunter where the voices left them alone. For the rest of the book her personality was suppressed. So I'll be interested to see what she is like in the future.

Hunter I liked. Well, for the most part. I empathize with him and feel a bucketload of sympathy for his loss and the crap he went through. To have your entire family slaughtered? I'm amazed he's kept going. He has his own brand of courage and determination. The entire book you can tell he's fighting, and, other than his alcohol problem, he's kind of winning. Sort of.

The one time I don't like him is the 'romantic' scene between him and Angelina. Maybe for some people having sex for a one night to help with a payment is okay, but it rubs me the wrong way. It's too close to prostitution. Even if it's only once. I get that he actually cared about Angelina, and her about him, but I just don't like it. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone else. It's the one time in the book that I just really don't like. Everything else is okay. And he redeems himself in the end, kind of.

There are a few other secondary and minor characters in the book. I suppose you can count the voices as a character, though you don't figure them out until the end. Of course you have Jason and Emma from Playing Hooky, the first book. I think you can read Breaking Angelina as a standalone without having read Playing Hooky. There are some nemesis' of Angelina's you see, like Cyndi and Tyler (who totally gets what's coming to him). Spyder is a bit of a ghost in the book, you don't see much of him. Mostly just minor characters in this one. Of course there's the blue lady who has yet to be named. She's part dragon, part fae, I think. Hunter has a few enemies you run into, but again, they seem kind of minor to me.
I mostly liked Hunter, and I went back and worth with liking and disliking Angelina. I think most of the characters were static, unchanging, with the exceptions of Hunter and Angelina who were very dynamic and changed a lot throughout the story. Especially Angelina.

I liked the fast-paced story. I am so easily bored with having to wait for the author to set the scene, it was such a delight to jump right into the story. For those that like their slow build-ups, sorry, but I like jumping in head first. And it didn't really get dull. There were some small lulls in the story, but for the most part the story was great.

I already mentioned the one instance where I didn't like Hunter. And I place the blame mainly on Hunter because he allowed it to happen even knowing that Angelina was young and couldn't be that experienced. I don't really blame Angelina because of the voices, but she didn't really seem to mind all that much, considering it was her first time. It really irked me.
The writing was pretty great. The flow of the story went well, I liked the pace that was set, it all came together nicely. It was fairly short in length, but I do believe this series is made up of novellas. So not that short. Just not too long either. It was a pleasantly light read (as far as the length goes, the material was medium-heavy as far as content).

The book was pretty upbeat even though at times it was depressing. That sounds like a contradiction, but it makes sense if you read it. It was like even though the characters were going through a hard time, the writing still had an upbeat spin to it.

I would also label this as a young adult / new adult crossover. I would say it's NA because of the ages of the characters, but content wise its really just upper YA. I think it's a good thing, because you get a bigger audience. There's no racy bedroom scenes if that's what you're looking for in NA. It's pretty tame there. All behind closed doors. And it only happens once, so I definitely would label this as a YA / NA crossover. Minor violence.
I thought it was a wonderful read. Relatively short, but long enough to curl up and chill on the couch. The story was fascinating. I missed the world of fantasy that I saw in the first book and I cannot wait to read the second book (this 1.5, if you didn't know). I would definitely recommend it, even if you just read it as a standalone.

   




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Taking Chances (Paranormal Investigations Book 3) is now out as well! It'll be the next book on my reading list. I can't wait to see how things go with all of the characters. I hope to see Angelina and Hunter again! What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Happy reading!

Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun

16061083Publisher: Amazon Digital
Date Published: April 10th 2013
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: Courtlight #1
Source: Purchased
Rating: Crazy Good 4 out of 5 stars
Seventeen-year-old Ciardis has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of the empire. But beneath her empire’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations.

Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron.

But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.

This sensational series debut melds intricate storylines with remarkable characters and unforgettable magic. Sworn To Raise is ideal for fans of Kristin Cashore, Michelle Sagara, and Maria Snyder.
Ciardis Vane was orphaned at a young age. In her small town in the north, no one wanted to deal with an orphan. The only job allowed to her was that of a laundress. But a strange lady known as a Companion shows up in town to buy her famous red dye. She offers a proposal of a life elsewhere. 

Ciardis takes that chance and is whisked away to the Companions Guild where she trains to become a companion herself. Soon it is discovered that Ciardis was no ordinary girl, no, she was the last remaining Weathervane, someone who could enhance the powers of others. Now everyone is interested in Ciardis, and she’ll have to choose where her loyalties lie.

Ciardis is the main character in the story. She starts off as an outcast in her village and then finds herself becoming the person of interest at the Companions Guild. Her personality is a bit, arrogant? Hmm, not sure that is the word I’m looking for. I guess she doesn’t have a shining personality. She’s not some fierce tough girl or a shy good girl. She’s a bit rough. Sometimes it works in her favor and sometimes against it.

Sebastian. I hope he does not become a lover in future books. He’s just so… childlike, I think. He’s young, and has limited life experience. I just don’t want him to be paired with Ciardis. His personality needs a little work too. I really would have preferred if he were older.

There are a few other main characters, but they are pretty static and don’t change. I do wonder if Damais is gay, or if that’s just my impression of him. The other characters don’t really stick. I imagine we’ll see more of them and get to know them better in future books.

I really liked this book; I haven’t read one like it in a while. I suppose it’s similar to Graceling, though Graceling seems to have more depth in it to me.

Even though the characters weren’t very substantial in my mind, I loved what happened to Ciardis. Following her along and how the world changed for her was pretty interesting. She became a dynamic character and had a full personality. I liked her dry wit and humor. It was entertaining.

Things I didn’t like… well, I think the characters could have been more memorable, and the plot could have had more twists to it. I did not like how young Sebastian was. Other than that though there wasn’t much I didn’t like. It was a captivating story.

I think as far as the writing goes it was a fairly well written book. The beginning was a little jarring, being thrust into a laundress’s world in a fantasy realm, but I doubt that could have been helped. When entering a fantasy realm it is best to just jump right in, none of this wading in that some authors do.

Overall, a wonderful story that I plan to continue to read and enjoy, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

 




Sworn to Raise is currently free, though I'm not sure how long that will last, so grab your copy while you can :)


Covert Cover Cracked by Missy Marciassa

22009970Publisher: Marissa Marciassa
Date Published: April 28th 2014
Genre: New Adult Action Romance
Series: Covert #3
Source: Author / NetGalley
Rating: Crazy Good 4 out of 5 stars

When 23-year-old Elle can’t explain why her job as an Information Scientist at the Library of Congress keeps her so busy (because she’s actually a CIA operative who just became field rated), her boyfriend dumps her, so she decides to focus on her career and enjoy a fling.

Navy SEAL Reese Beckwith seems like the perfect fling material except the more he sees Elle, the more he wants to know about her, and she can’t resist him. Things get complicated when Reese spots her with her CIA partner, a known womanizer. His questions for Elle get more pointed: he sees the potential for more than a fling, and once he sets an objective, failure is not an option.

Yet Elle tries to keep Reese in the “fling” category as her first major assignment heats up, becoming more personal with each development. When her personal and professional lives collide, Elle is put to the test. Does she have what it takes to be a covert operative? Will she have to choose between love and her career?
Elle is an Information Scientist at the Library of Congress. At least, that's one of her jobs. The other one is a secret, one that very few people know about. She's really a CIA operative. And she just became field rated. Her first op is successful, and nothing will take her down from her high of doing well on her first op. Except her boyfriend of one year, Lyle, decides to dump her for not being around enough.

Elle has to decide if having a successful career is really worth having a crappy social life. Except she's come so far. From being a total geek to a geek that can kick ass. She doesn't want to let go of her new life. She's not allowed to tell family and friends what she does, and its wrecking her personal life. But Elle wants her job more than anything. But if she can never tell anyone what she does, what kind of personal relationships can she ever have?

Reese is shipping out soon. He's a Navy SEAL and he isn't looking for anything permanent. All he wants is a fling to tide him over. Being stuck on a sub for six months is going to suck. But when he meets Elle, he's blown away. What starts as a fling becomes someone more. Reese knows that there's something about Elle that's different. And how does a Liberian, excuse me, Information Scientist, know krav maga? Reese is falling for her hard, even though they were only supposed to be a fling. But what if he wants more?

Elle is my dream girl version of me. She loves books, she gets to work for the Library of Congress, and she gets a healthy dose of action on the side, working for the CIA. I gotta admit, if I could be any character in any book, she would be it. She does struggle a bit with the relationship side of things, at least in the beginning, but she has the coolest job(s) a girl could ever want. And she can kick ass.

"I wouldn't want to hurt your manly pride. Or get myself arrested for assault."

I love that she's a kick-ass heroine and that she does struggle. She doesn't have everything fall into her lap. And she struggles within herself, too. It's believable, and I connected the most her. She struggles with her want to keep going and the realities of the job she has. Her dreams versus reality, basically. And she pushes herself. It's great. And she grows. She's not a static character. At the end of the book she understands more about her choice to work for the CIA as a field rated agent compared to the beginning of the book when she thought she understood what she was getting into, but didn't really understand on a fundamental level.

Reese you don't meet right away. He comes in a bit later. He's a sweet guy, can kick ass just like Elle, and he gets the job thing. They work relationship wise together.

"I'm up for some sparring. I'll even lick your wounds afterwards."

He is rather sexy too.

I do think that Reese is a bit more of a bland character compared to Elle, and I wished we had more from his point of view so I could understand him better. Most everything we read was from Elle's point of view, so we understood her the best. Reese we only got glimpses of. It bothered me that for the first half-ish of the book he was pretty scarce. I would have liked to know more about him.

Preston. Wow, that name has really begun to mean womanizer in books. I don't know how many books I have read where Preston is the player. Preston is a bit annoying for me. He seems like a know it all, and he keeps asking if Elle really knows the score. She didn't at the beginning, but that's not the point. It bothered me that he kept bugging her about it, even if he had a point.

Mason. God, you are gonna hate this guy. He has no emotions, may as well be a robot. And he's a good guy. But he's patronizing, critical, and puts Elle down with every minor mistake she makes. He does have a point about her complaining sometimes and threatening to quit, but still. He could be a little more cordial.

The romance in this story is more of a subplot to the story than the main plot of the story, which is great, because I like the action first and the romance second. If it's all angst-y romance and just a side order of action, I get bored. The action is the story, for the most part. Romances tend to be the same throughout most books, so the action is what captures my interest. This story had a heap of interesting things going on. I think there were about three op's in this book, which counted most of the actual fighting. But there was plenty of other action too. Elle sparred with Reese several times and they did things that were exciting. We didn't have another 'They went to the movies...' kind of romance. Theirs was exciting and fun.

You are thrown into this world from the beginning. It takes the first few chapters to get acclimated to the story and get a feeling for the world your reading about. There weren't any questions though. You understood what was happening and you got right into it. I'd say it was plausible and detailed, and for the most part you were shown the world, rather than told.

I will say that I thought the romance between Elle and Reese was slow. I was at 42% on my Kindle when I realized that we had only met Reese twice so far. I guess it's good that the romance was secondary in the scheme of the plot. If this was simply a romance book it would have been disappointing. But since there was action to make up for the slow romance, I wasn't too bothered. I think the middle and end were the best bits though. Like I said, the beginning was a little slow.

I would recommend this book to all of the readers who like action and romance hand-in-hand, rather than one or the other, because action and romance are best served together. My honest assessment of this book was I really liked it. There may have been some minor things that could have been improved, but I will without a doubt read this book again. And since I have not read the other books in this series, I will read those too. And this book can be read as a standalone, for those that are interested.

  



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No Apologies by Sybil Bartel

20926029

Publisher: Carina Press
Date Published: June 23rd 2014
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Never apologize. 

Hard-edged rocker Graham Allen has it all. He's flush with cash from playing bass in a band by night and restoring classic cars by day. And there are plenty of women willing to share his bed for a night, complication-free.

Perfect, because if there's anything he learned from his past, it was to never get attached—to anything. So when bartender Carly Sullivan flashes her innocent smile, Graham isn't prepared for what happens next.

Never fall in love.

Two rules, that's all Graham has—never apologize and never fall in love. He knows Carly is everything he should avoid. Cheerful and sweet, she has "relationship" written all over her. But Graham can't stay away from her probing questions and concerned blue eyes.

When Graham discovers Carly is hiding a crushing secret, he's prepared to risk it all. Until in one single moment, everything changes and Graham's past threatens to collide with his future. His life is crumbling down around him, and soon no apology in the world can save him.

He should've known to walk away.

Graham has two rules; never apologize and never fall in love. So far its been working out for him. He plays bass in a band, works on muscle cars, and owns part of a club. More money than he knows what to do with. But lately he's been hanging around a bar, just waiting for his day to end on the gorgeous bartender's smile.

Carly is cheerful, all the time. Even when Graham is a total ass. How she puts up with his B.S. and still keeps up that gorgeous smile is a mystery to him. Soon Graham realizes that Carly isn't just another girl, she has scars, scars that he can't fix. And he's falling for her hard. But with his screwed up childhood and mommy issues, he's broken. And Carly has her own issues to deal with. Will Graham break his rules for Carly? Or will he continue not living, in a hope that he can just deal with life?

I was enticed by the cover of this book before the story, if I'm honest. The cover is amazing, I love it. And then of course I love womanizing broken bad boys. They make for the best love stories.


Graham. He's a complicated character. Not everything he does in this book I liked. He acted like a real ass sometimes. And not in a hot, 'oh he's being a playboy' kind of way. I understand he was afraid of what he was feeling a lot of the time, but he didn't respect boundaries and he did some screwed up things. I don't know if I would have been as forgiving as Carly. THERE WAS NO CHEATING! Thank god for that small miracle. I hate books with cheaters. Cheating is inexcusable. End of story.

Carly. She was like a ray of sunshine compared to Graham. Yes, she has a past that will make you want to punch a bunch of scumbags, but she isn't jaded. She still sees the world in the light, not the dark. I love that about her. Graham is jaded enough without Carly being jaded. They balance each other out.


I think the characters were believable and I connected to them on a basic level. I can't say that I felt the characters, exactly. I don't really have anything in common with the characters. I thought Graham was cool because of the muscle cars and playing bass, and Carly was a writer, but personality wise I didn't mesh with them. I did love Carly though. I mean, how many girls know cars, ride motorcycles, can actually hold their alcohol, fight MMA, and are still super nice and sunny? She's great.

Carly didn't grow that much in the story. I mean, she grew a bit there from the middle to end, but most of the character growth came from Graham. If you read the first few pages and then the last few, you'd find an almost completely different person. I mean, Graham wasn't a bad person, per se, at the beginning, but he was a player and his morals on sleeping with lots of women and getting drunk were pretty low. At the end he understood why some people wanted monogamy.


The romance in the story was a little slow going. There was an attraction from the first few pages, but it didn't turn into more until later. It felt like a real romance because of that. They had to build it up. It wasn't insta-love or anything, which was nice.

I'm not really sure whether the romance was the main focus or a subplot. I mean, it was definitely there, but there was a whole lot of other things going on too. I think it would probably be somewhere between the two. It wasn't really the main focus, because that wasn't the first thing that happened. They became friends before lovers. But it wasn't really secondary to anything in the story.

The story was detailed, you weren't left with any questions. That's always nice. I hate it when there are holes in the plot or the story. It felt real, I imagine there are similar couples out there everywhere who have issues akin to the ones in the book. The writing was done well, it was like watching a movie in your head rather than reading the script.

Unlike with some books, I think the middle was the best part of the story. There was so much anticipation and waiting to see what Graham did, how he would handle all of the hurdles thrown at him. And whenever he screwed up you could just roll your eyes and mutter 'men' under your breath. Thats what I did, anywho.

This story was in 1st person, told from Graham's point of view. I thought it was interesting, because we got complete access to his thoughts. And a lot of the time his thoughts didn't match his words. It was an interesting perspective.


I would recommend this book to all of the girls who love the broken bad boys. In real life, they suck. In books, though? They rock your socks off. And other clothing items :)

 



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Doe Eyes by Staci Hart Release Day Blitz


22051713 Doe Eyes by Staci Hart
Aphrodite knows better than anyone how the heart works. Just don’t ask her to figure out her own.

She’s been away from Olympus for weeks, which wasn’t near long enough for her move on from everything that happened, to get past the betrayal and loss. She has no idea what she’s walking into when she gets back other than a new competition, this time against Artemis. The goddesses have never been friends, but now they have more in common than ever, though they’d rather face eat ambrosia straight than admit it.

Artemis can’t help but be smug. Her player, Josie, is a private investigator who’s lost more than she’s won. Every waking moment is consumed by her fire to catch the man who killed her partner, and when Jon comes back into town after leaving her without a word, it’s more than she can handle. She’ll never let him in. Not again.

But Jon only did what he thought was right, and he’ll do anything he can, give her everything he has to give to prove that he can be trusted with her heart again.

With Adonis gone and the threat of Ares around every corner, Aphrodite’s past presses on her, leaving her more alone than she’s ever been. She can’t help wondering if she’ll ever escape, and how much pain she’ll endure before the whole ordeal is behind her.
   

THE BEST BOOK IN THE SERIES SO FAR!

Artemis is the newest competitor in the games, and she is determined to win against Dita. This time her player can't go wrong. Josie is a private investigator who has lost everything in the past three years. The love of her life left her for his ex girlfriend and their baby. And recently her best friend was murdered by the guy they were trying pin down for the murder of a sixteen year old girl. Artemis soon comes to realize just how closely related she is with her player and how she's still bitter about her own past with love.

Aphrodite woke up in the last book - falling hard and losing her way. Now, picking up the pieces she is distracted from the current game against a spiteful and bitter Artemis. Trying to find herself again and struggling, Dita's game is a little off this time round. Dita's player is Jon, Josie's ex boyfriend, the one who left her for his ex girlfriend, the mother of his child. Jon knows he handled Josie wrong all those years ago, but he really does still love Josie - and he's going to prove it. No matter what it takes.

This is my favorite book so far. Josie is pig-headed like you wouldn't believe. But she is independent, and she's hanging in there even with the murder of her best friend. Gosh, you really feel for Josie though. All the crap that life's thrown at her and she's still standing.

Jon messed up. He left Josie to help support his ex girlfriend and their baby. He never stopped loving Josie though. His heart was in the right place when he left the Dear John letter that never reached Josie. He messed up, but he knows that and he spends the entire book trying to fix it. I like Jon, and I'm his side throughput the book. But Josie can't deal with him and trying to find Anne's murderer. So it's definitely a conflicting situation.

Artemis is bitter. She doesn't see the use of love and she blames Dita for her own lost love eons ago. She is determined to beat Dita this time, and the fact that Dita chose Josie's ex boyfriend, well, Artemis knows she has this win. But the longer the games go on the more she doubts herself. And Artemis is just soreckless, it's incredibly frustrating. She underestimates humans and their emotions.

Dita, gods you really feel for her. After what happened in Snake in the Grass Dita's life is all topsy-turvy. She has a lot to figure out in this book, and its a real strain playing the game as well. Artemis's plays at her and hiding from Ares puts a real dent into Dita. Her life is just a whirlwind in this book.

I love, like LOVE, this book. It's my favorite of the series so far. Each of the books has its own feel to it, and this one is the darkest. I love how each plot in all of the books are so different, telling their own story. So often you find books in a series being the same or similar.

Doe Eyes is without a doubt the darkest of the books so far. It's completely different from the other ones. This book has more mystery to it than the others. One of the things I loved was the anticipation. I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was awesome.

There is a crime-story feel to this book, which I'll admit I'm not normally into, but it works with the way the series has been going and the way the game is with the characters. It's different, but a good different. And of course it fits Josie and Jon since they're both private investigators.

I love the characters in this one. You can really connect with them, even if like me you don't have all that much in common with them. Some of the things are tragic and horrifying, and you feel sympathy for the characters. But you also really hope that they end up together, and there are several close calls in the book where I had to put the book down and pace the room to get my emotions down. Gods, the feels in this book. They're something else.

There was nothing I disliked about Doe Eyes. It was the most amazing book so far, and I am already excited to read the next book. The wait will be horrible, but I will endure it happily.

Doe Eyes captivated me from the very first page and the anticipation to find out what would happen very nearly killed me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys a good book with some romance and mystery. It is a spectacular read and you will be dying for the next one.



TEASER LOVE!

 
 


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AUTHOR BIO


Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom; she has three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife; even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f, ends with k, and there a uc in there. Just saying. From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, cleaning, or designing graphics. But let's be honest, she's mostly writing.



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