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The Alexanders #2

The Things I Do for You

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Man Wh-re
Asshole.
Player.


I’ve heard it all. But it’s not my fault that I get a lot of attention. I make a lot of money and I have a really big… ego. Women love me almost as much as I love them.

Except the only one who has ever made me want more.

She’s independently wealthy and hates my guts. There’s nothing I can offer a woman like her. Fancy dinners and diamonds won’t impress this one.

Until I find out there’s one thing she wants that I can give her.

A baby.

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2013

373 people are currently reading
2190 people want to read

About the author

M. Malone

65 books1,503 followers
M. Malone is a NYT and USA TODAY bestselling author, a RITA® Award winner, and a member of RWA's Hall of Fame.

She lives with her husband and their two sons in the picturesque mountains of Northern Virginia even though she is afraid of insects, birds, butterflies and other humans.

Since starting her indie publishing journey she has sold over a million books and her titles have hit the NYT and USA Today bestseller lists more than a dozen times. She also holds a Master’s degree in Business from a prestigious college that would no doubt be scandalized at how she’s using her expensive education.

-JOIN MY MAILING LIST HERE - http://www.mmalonebooks.com/newsletter/

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5 stars
1,150 (34%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
Profile Image for Kara.
131 reviews28 followers
August 25, 2013
Did you know that, walking around in this great country of ours, there are brown people???? Yeah, I know. And as if things couldn't get crazy enough, not all of these brown people have poverty line-single parent-excessively urbanized stories. There are middle and upper class minorities yo!!! We don't all have street swag from fighting our way through gang and drug addict infected neighborhoods every day, we're not all cholos running around South L.A. hiding from immigration, and we're not all first-generation immigrants suffering under Tiger moms and dads who want us to be doctors when we really just want to be singers or cartoon artists or whatever.

Some of these mysterious minorities are doing many of the same things that white people do: falling in love, fighting with their siblings, playing with their kids and trying to get ahead in their careers. Shocking, right? Some of us not only don't live "in the hood" - sometimes we live in the suburbs!!! Madness...


GIFSoup

Yeah, I was starting to think I was a figment of my own fucking imagination. Don't get me wrong, all of the above are important stories that need to continue to be told, read, and discussed, but I don't think there always has to be such a stark division between stories about minorities (in which everyone is always struggling with everything) and contemp lit in which minorities very rarely get even an honorable mention. I don't know the reason for this - I don't know if publishers think such stories aren't marketable, or what, but I for one appreciate them when I can get my hands on one.


So anyway, since I was pleasantly surprised to see a black person on the cover of and otherwise typical romance novel, I grabbed the galley. It's like, you know, racial progress and what not!

I appreciated Malone's handling of race, in that it was a regular story that happened to center around black people. There was no incomprehensible slang, there was no mention of loved ones being lost to gangs/drugs, not once was the word "urban" used, in fact the whole story took place in the suburbs of DC - hallelujah we have arrived! It was just a simple story.
Nor did it follow many of the typical tropes seen in these stories. Neither character had A Big Secret which they believed (wrongly of course) would cause the other person to walk away from them. Neither had a tragic past. They were well off, but their wealth made sense, and was plausible for their age/station (Cheers to you, Christian Grey). There was no gay BFF! He's attractive but there are not women throwing themselves at him in every scene. There weren't any goddamned tattoos!!!! It's like somebody listened to all the list of complaints I and many of my goodreads friends have been wailing about and put and end to the nonsense!

Sadly, however, that is where my enjoyment of the book ends. I didn't like it for what it was, I liked it for what it wasn't. After dismissing all stereotypes of race, etc., what was left was a bland love story between poorly fleshed out characters.

There is a difference between drama and conflict. (Sidebar - That is pure genius! I should totally trademark that. I'm sure someone else far more intelligent has already said it, but that's not the point....) There was no conflict here - boy loves girl, girl loves boy. Yet girl decides she's afraid to give her heart because boy is going to tire of her at some point. Which is an okay idea in theory, but the way it played out here made no sense. Boy did everything he could to show her he was serious, and neither his actions nor his backstory gave any credence to why she thought he would leave at some point (had he hurt her before? had her friends/family warned her about him? had he confessed to never having been in love? Was he bound to fall for one of the bimbos/tramps/sluts always throwing themselves at him? ). So what we're left with is her refusing to take yes for an answer. And it gets old. And stupid.

Then there is The Big Misunderstanding. Which not only isn't that big, but again makes no sense. She finds out some info about him and thinks, oh well he's only with me for X reason. Except in all the time they've been together, he's never even mentioned X - so that's clearly not why he's with you! Yet it caused them to break up? It really felt like there had been so much handwringing of "he's going to stop loving me one day" that the author just threw something in to "validate" her fears. It didn't feel like an actual plot development, because X had so little to do with most of the story.

And while there was no character I hated, I didn't feel like they were particularly fleshed out. I think they had a lot of potential, but that potential wasn't realized and they just fell flat. Nick seemed like a nice enough guy, but other than loving Raina, what exactly was his personality? I swear all he said through the whole book was some version of "I love Raina". Raina had interesting "I dont' want to get hurt" fears and protecting herself and what not, which is something I've done I could see myself doing I could imagine someone doing, but with NO proof to substantiate her fears, it just became dramatic and whiny. Plus her twin sister was so well-adjusted in her love life it didn't make sense that Raina would be so scarred and traumatized - or not without a lot more explanation that the author gave.

That said, for the premises and F-U to typical stereotypes, I would continue to support Malone. But while I appreciated the plausibility and backgrounds of the characters (which again, I am very thankful for), I just didn't feel the author delivered an emotional connection. Moral of the story: minorities can star in trite, dramatic romances too!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Profile Image for Michelle [Helen Geek].
1,775 reviews411 followers
Read
March 24, 2013
03/24/2013 --

I'm not going to rate this book, nor really provide much of a review. I was awarded this book as an ARC. After I requested it, the author had a freebie on Amazon. I tried to read the freebie and just didn't click with the story or the writing. I was rather concerned about the ARC.

So, okay, I got an ARC copy and made two attempts in about a week and a half to read it. It just wasn't going to happen for me. To be fair, I'm not going to rate this book. I got about 30% the first time, and only about 12% the second time. I gave it the good 'ole college try. Just not going to happen.

I do thank the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the best I can come up with and I apologize. Not my cuppa'.

This wasn't for me, but it may suit you just fine. I really hope it does. I love the cover. I think the blurb intriguing and if you look at reviews for this authors' work, she has quite a following. I'm definitely in the minority on this one.

Happy Reading!
Profile Image for djdavis~*Sivad*.
412 reviews46 followers
March 20, 2013
Read more of the review and others @ The Book Wranglers. This book was provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

What happens when you mix a woman desperate to have a baby, a man desperate to have the woman of his dreams, and a marriage based on a bargain?
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... A severe headache

Ah hell...I really had very high expectations for this book. I read the prequel before reading this and couldn't wait to read this. But now I'm not quite sure how I feel about the over all story.

Synopsis(short and sweet):
Super model, Raina Winters has everything she's wanted except a baby to complete her life. Since she doesn't believe in love, she isn't worried about finding the perfect man to marry for love. She just needs one that holds the same values as she does; family, finances, and ambition, to help father a child. She's finally got the perfect man picked out and ready to say 'I Do', that is until she's dumped right before the wedding. The oh-so-perfect guy doesn't even have the decency to let her know in person or over the phone, she has to find out through the papers.

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(jackass)
Moreover, she isn't even pissed about the break-up, but upset about the baby that she was so close to having, the baby she's always wanted.

Nicholas 'Nick' Alexander is known for his playboy ways and being able to have any woman he wants. He's successful in business, has a great family, and charms most people that come within a 30 mile radius of him. The one thing he wants most seems to be out of his reach. Ever since his one night with Raina he hasn't been able to get her out of his head. He's now ready to stop dismissing their one time interaction as 'just sex' and accept it for what he feels, LOVE.

When Raina's life starts crumbling in front of the paparazzi Nick can't help but to help. Finally, he has something that Raina wants and he's decided to use that to his advantage. Their fate is sealed quickly when they run off to marry in Vegas
 photo tumblr_lv90nicv391r1l7g1o1_500_zps59efdb35.gif
and life as they know it changes forever. A marriage, a family, and a baby, what more could they ask for. Until the honeymoon phase was over and reality sets in.

The Best Thing:
There's just one word- NICK.


Nick is literally too good to be true. The man only wants to love Raina and give her everything she's ever wanted, he doesn't even care if she doesn't love him back. He's perfect!!! in every sense of the word. The man cooks, makes love like you've never experienced, listens to whatever the hell she has to say, is supportive, takes the blame for things even when they aren't his fault, and showers her with his love every chance he gets.
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There was a really good balance with the love, sex, and family in this book. I actually felt like I was a part of the family when Nick's family came into the picture. They were always around to show their support despite the ups and downs of Nick and Raina's relationship.

The Worst Thing:
One word- Raina.

Oh man... How to start? Let's see, I was all for Raina in the beginning, she knew what she wanted and was willing to find someone that wanted the 'same' things. I quickly fell off her 'cheering bench' when she decided to move forward with Nick's proposal of marriage knowing that his feelings were real and hers weren't. I find it kind of funny that she accuses him of being SELFISH when all he does is give, give, give and she doesn't give back.

I found myself so getting so irritated as the book moved along because we clearly see where Nick is willing to change many things about himself to prove himself to her. (I actually got pissed at him at times because he so willing gave all the time). It was nice seeing them fall in love, but when it was time to say the words Raina would either chicken out and/or find some excuse as to why it wasn't real, why she needed to protect herself, or why she didn't want it to work.

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Again, I really enjoyed the overall story line, but by the end (especially towards the end) I wanted to RIP Raina's head off. Men like Nick don't come around often and she was just ready to drop him and make seem as though he'd done something terribly wrong. Wake up honey, men like him don't come around often.

Read more of the review and others @ The Book Wranglers. This book was provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Tracy T..
1,023 reviews24 followers
September 28, 2015
The things he does are not enough! Geez. (audible whispersync review)

Well, the story started out good but fell a bit flat, dull, and annoying. The hero and heroine were just hard to like together. Raina was just a bit too much. Her character was not very pleasing or likable to be honest. NIck was supposed to be a bad boy wild child of the Alexander brothers and was basically just so nice in trying to please Raina so much it was nauseating. I just wanted him to dump her and be a bad boy again. It was very hard to believe his past of a bad boy type.

He did everything he could possibly do to please her and it was never enough. UGH!
The chemistry between the two started out great but due to her attitude and his "I have to do more she deserves it" mind set, ruined this couple. There was a couple of sex scenes, they were okay, vague at best, not erotica so if your wondering if this series is erotic it is not.

The story line and plot had potential and had the main characters been written better, so would the story line and plot. There was a lot of blah blah blah nonsense throughout the book. There was a lot of dialogue, and since I like lots of dialogue I did enjoy that.

I am not sure if I can move on with this series. This story was such a struggle to get through.

As for the narration. It was very good. I really enjoy Eva Kaminsky's narration. I think she does a great job giving everyone their own distinct voice and she does the men's voices well too. I have noticed that she gets better and better with every narration. She has a very nice reading voice and reads with emotion.


I have seen in a couple of other reviews that the Alexander brothers are african american. I read/listened to these first two books and just now saw this information in a post.

I can tell you that these brothers being african american was is not at all written in the first two books. The only reference to anyone being african american is the one reference in this book that Raina is bi-racial, which I also did not know until that one brief reference. I found even more surprising since she is the twin sister to Ridley the heroine in the first book (I read that one and loved it btw). I would have never known that this is an inter-racial book by just reading it and the cover does not lead you to believe that either. So if you are looking for interracial book you really aren't going to get that in these books. I would think an author writing interracial books would put that in her books. Just sayin...
Profile Image for SimplyƝì₭.
601 reviews302 followers
August 2, 2013
*I recieved this ARC for an honest review from Netgalley*

Spoiler alert


The Things I Do for You (The Alexanders, #2) by M. Malone


This is book two in a mini-series about the Alexander Family. They are a fun loving, large BLACK family that live in Virginia. The novel itself is more of a modern romance or contemporary novel. I believe it is erroneously cross listed as erotica. This was the first book I have read in the series. Perhaps I should have read the first book. Raina Winters is a twin who ends up marrying her twin sister’s boyfriend’s brother. The plot was simple and it dragged. I feel more drama, sex or conflict would have spiced up the story. The main characters are twins. This is sometimes overdone in books, however I got the sweet simple classic storyline. Two beautiful twins end up marrying fine sexy brothers… hmm I am not sure it was truly original or carried off that great.
The wedding scene in Vegas at the chapel could have been explained and positioned a little more. The ending of the book was also a letdown, there was so much drama around Raina (main character) getting pregnant I can’t believe we don’t find out if she has the baby.The set up at the end did not make you have that cliffy feeling.

Overall the book didn’t work for me. The story line, lack of character development and the pace of the book was just ok.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Deloris.
970 reviews42 followers
March 30, 2013
I really enjoyed this story the fights between the characters made their relationship that much hotter.I can't wait to read more about this family.
Profile Image for Lady E.
479 reviews
April 8, 2015
2.5, this heroine I didn't connect with, the story overall wasn't bad, just dragged on for me.
Profile Image for BookKraze.
51 reviews68 followers
March 27, 2013
Love from afar that bringeth determination! Have you ever loved someone from afar so much that you were willing to do anything to make them yours.? The things I do for you tells just that story. A story of an attraction that went awry then comes full circle to create a match made in heaven. Mrs. Malone does an excellent job of taking an unconventional way of coming together and developed it into a true love story. The sexual chemistry between the hero and heroine was off the charts and portrayed in passionate love scenes that was oh so fiery! I applaud Mrs. Malone for her ability to tell this story without going overboard in the angst department. While there were times I just wanted to slap some sense into the heroine I am happy to say I walked away not hating her. Lol In the end The Things I do for you is the perfect combination of physical attraction, love and determination.

**An ARC copy was kindly provided by the author for an honest review**

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK. ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF THIS TITLE HERE!

http://bookkraze.com/2013/03/26/the-t...
Profile Image for Kim.
740 reviews80 followers
March 20, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. Raina and Nick were something else. That had a true love/hate relationship that developed into a super intense love. Their coming together was unorthodox, but the building of their feelings for one another was a joy to read. The love scenes were so fiery and passionate, they make you feel like you are right their experiencing it with them. It was nice catching up with Ridley and Jackson. I can't believe those two really fell in love and married in a month, but it was nice to read a detailed follow up on them. The only criticism I have about this book is I want to read Raina and Nicks story to the end. What happened with their child? I know we'll probably have a detailed conclusion in the next book like we did with Ridley and Jackson in this book, but it would have been nice to read about how they turned out now instead of later.
Profile Image for Paula Legate.
Author 17 books25 followers
August 1, 2014
I have enjoyed the books that I have read in this series. I'm looking forward to reading more. This book should not be read as a standalone. You should start with one more day by M. Malone. So far the first book has been my favorite, and drew me into this series. Each book has offered views from a big happy family, romance, and suspense. In this story I loved, how crazy in love Nick was with Raina. He would do anything for her. It took Raina a while before she realized that she was in love with Nick. She had always guarded her heart, and tried to stay away from emotional relationships. Nick made it hard, because he never gave up on Love. I was a little disappointed that it took Raina that long to know that it was love that she and Nick shared.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
350 reviews
March 11, 2016
4 Stars
3.5 Flames

I knew from the first book that Nicholas had a thing for Raina. Rania wanted a marriage, stability and a baby and she was willing to sacrifice her happiness to get it. Being engaged to a man she didn't love was what it would take to get that until he broke it off suddenly. Nick makes a proposition that she just can't pass up. He gets to finally try to show her how he feels. She isn't sure what to take of it. I mean, he was handsome, rich, sweet, romantic, hot in the sack, and so very in love with her.

I wish I could just keep reading about their story, I couldn't put the book down. Read it in 1 day.
Profile Image for Genevieve Woods.
Author 12 books54 followers
July 26, 2014
Love the twins Ridley and raina

Love the twins Ridley and raina

great follow up to book 1 I love when sequels continue with the first story such as with Jackson and Ridley. the progression was wonderful less drama then the first but enjoyed the journey of love.

Profile Image for Kristin.
1,247 reviews
March 16, 2013
I hate to say that I didn't enjoy this book at all. I thought the premise made it sound interesting but it wasn't. It was tedious and annoying. This was all because of the heroine, who was the most selfish and infuriating character I may have ever read about.
Profile Image for Sheryl C. Nash.
2,019 reviews432 followers
Want to read
March 8, 2013
This book is NOW up on Netgalley and it looks like EVERYONE can access it!!!
Profile Image for Annabella.
24 reviews14 followers
April 7, 2013
I really liked the story line.
Profile Image for Jamoz23.
5,337 reviews46 followers
September 21, 2017
I had reviewed this when I originally got it but my reviews from the back of all books have disappeared so I am reviewing as I read them again.
A good story with no real tension, highs or lows, no reason this should have dragged out as long as it does except for the stupidity of the heroine.
It is difficult to warm to Raina even though you understand the ethos she is trying to live by. She was a b***h in book one and is no warmer in her own story. She is just too insecure and stubborn to be believed.
Marrying a man just to have a baby is low, not feeling upset when jilted at the altar by said man, weird. Marrying another man you spent one night with just to get pregnant, sad and pathetic.
Not believing Nick loves her even though he does everything in his power to show her how he feels. Nick is not abusive, a cheater, a liar. He is just himself for the first time in his life and Raina keeps looking for reasons to not be with him. Pushing Nick away because he makes her feel things was stupid, as was believing he would eventually cheat on her. Doing what she does, modelling, she should be better at reading people.
Nick should have fought for Raina originally but I understand you can only hit your head for so long before you give up but to head off to other pastures like he did just annoys me.
The blurb tells you the story but it took a long time till I felt this was going in a direction I liked.
Profile Image for Arianna.
707 reviews60 followers
July 9, 2023
1.5 ★

"Sometimes even when you don’t mean for it to happen, people get hurt. This hurts"

Gosh, I should stop reading this type of book. Why? I don't enjoy them, and this plot makes me angry.

The Things I Do for You is the second book in the Alexander series and is the story of Raina and Nick. Raina is a famous model and hates Nick, but she desperately needs something, and the only one who is willing to help her is him.

I wish the author would do a deep dive into her main characters. We don't know more about Raina or Nick, except that one is a model and the other an entrepreneur. They lacked character development and depth, which made them boring, and therefore the plot turned unconvincing.

I didn't expect much, but it still disappointed me because the chemistry between the two characters in the previous book was explosive, but here they are just a boring couple. Where were the drama, the confrontations, and the villains? There were none!

With this one, I will finish my journey with the Alexander men.
1,698 reviews15 followers
June 5, 2021
Nick and Raina's Story.... Good Read it Surprised Me

This is the story of Raina Winters and Nicholas aka Nick Alexander. Raina is Ridley's twin sister and engaged to Nick's younger brother Jackson. Jackson is a singer and music producer. We get to meet the Alexander family again in this story. There's Nick's brothers oldest Elliott and Bennett and Jackson the youngest. There's Mom the Julia and his Father, Mark. We even get introduced to Raina and Ridley's father, William. This story follows their struggle as they try to get pregnant. I thought Nick was mean because of how he treated Ridley in One More Day, the first book 📚📖 in the series. This story had romance 💒, it had angst, and of course there was plenty of drama. I don't know what took me so long to finish this book 📚📖 but it was well worth it. Read this story. I highly recommend it.
218 reviews
February 17, 2018
Baking muffins... Making babies...

Which is Raina best at? She's best at living her man. She just doesn't know it yet. The chemistry between Raina and Nick is off the charts and I don't mean just sexually. That is, "oh baby... Yeah." But I also found myself snickering over exploding cupcakes and crying over how they loved each other. Nick is every woman's dream husband. We all wish we had a Nick in our lives. This book was even better than the first and that's pretty hard to top. So if Malone has hit her stride the next one should be off the charts!!!
Profile Image for Angie.
2,447 reviews3 followers
September 11, 2025
Nick and Raina have been avoiding their attraction for awhile. When Raina is dumped by her fiancee Nick comes to the rescue. Raina doesn't believe Nick when he keeps doing nice things for her. When her ex-fiancee calls her and tells her stuff about Nick she believes her ex over Nick. When Raina's health isn't doing good Nick thinks it's because of him and steps out of the picture to make sure Raina isn't stressed. Raina starts to feel better and realizes that Nick has always been what he said he was. Now to get Nick to believe that she really does love him.
2,902 reviews6 followers
July 19, 2022
Nick and Raina. Nick did his brother a favor and took out his neighbor, Raina, and ended up with a one night stand. And they were both shocked when it was more than that but Raina was scared and avoided him after that. Now Raina’s heath has changed and she wants a baby pronto. Nick gets wind of it and offers his services but with a catch. Will she agree? He might have a hidden agenda though.
Profile Image for Books, Booze & Bon Voyage (Krista Webster) .
1,097 reviews33 followers
March 15, 2018
This book followed on nicely from One more Day . This story is about Ridleys twin Raina and her relationship with Nick Alexander. Much of the story revolves around Raina wanting a baby and how Nick is willing to do anything for her since he fell for her after a one night stand. Must admit I preferred Ridley to Raina but all the Alexander brothers are hot and very sweet.
42 reviews
March 26, 2018
Book review

Absolutely loved this book couldnt put it down loved it so much I bought the next book in the series luckily i found this author around my birthday i always buy my books around my birthday or Christmas im addicted to reading so i try to limit my spending or ild be broke in one month wonderful author kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next
Profile Image for Felicia.
102 reviews12 followers
July 26, 2019
Feel good

I enjoyed this feel-good story and I loved meeting yet again another Alexander brother. Nick wasn’t my favorite character in the first book of the series but I have to say he really does grow on you. I don’t think I can let these characters go so much so then I’m just about ready to one click my next book. I hope you enjoy it to if you do the same
Profile Image for MEL GORDON.
373 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2024
I loved Raina and Nick both as side characters so I was keen for this book.
HEA was worth it in the end but it was hard to get there. The reasoning for being together?!?!? How it just… happened? Okay sure makes sense.
The thoughts of things without communication between the two of them - I HATE the inability to communicate part of books and this one really did me over. Like.. Some things felt like they dragged on forever and then the big things were done in a paragraph. Just speak to each other yo.
Anyways. Enough from me.
Profile Image for Selina.
113 reviews
July 27, 2024
didn’t realise it was a second book until I’d started 🙄

I enjoyed this, happy family easy read. I didn’t read book one, wished I had but I feel I know enough about what happens from this book. I would recommend reading book one first as I think it would be nice to get to know all the people in the books.
Profile Image for Veronica Mostel.
1,222 reviews
September 12, 2018
Loved it

This series is amazing. The love they have is amazing. They were perfect for each other. He loved her from the beginning. Took her a little longer but she loved him. Great book
Profile Image for Wanda.
36 reviews
April 25, 2019
It seemed as if the author got tired of this story and dropped it at the end. The conflict was pretty silly. This story didn't grab me at all. I stopped reading and didn't finish until 9 months later when my internet was out.
Profile Image for Sandra.
249 reviews
June 15, 2017
Loved it!

From beginning to end it was a great, sexy and funny story. Couldn't put the story down once I started.
Profile Image for April Rose.
62 reviews
September 11, 2017
Good read

I can relate to Raina. Getting hurt and shutting down so it doesn't hurt again. But thats life and you have to take chances or miss out. It was a really good read
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