Caidy Bowman had been the apple of her family’s eye – until a devastating tragedy forced her to hide from the world. She was used to devoting her time to the animals on her family’s ranch. Then widower Ben Caldwell and his two adorable children arrived in Pine Gulch, and suddenly, Caidy wanted more than a life in the shadows… As the town’s new vet, Ben needed a place to stay for the holidays – and for his family to heal from their own loss. He absolutely wasn't looking for love again! But Caidy Bowman’s sparkling green eyes and sweet smile touched Ben’s broken heart, giving him hope for a new future. Their future – if he could convince the beautiful cowgirl that Christmas was a time for new beginnings…

Returning from the front line, Corporal Joe Madden clutches his divorce papers. After a series of heart-breaking fertility problems, his once perfect marriage is set for the final curtain. It may be three years since Ellie saw her husband, yet the power to make her heart race is just as strong. But he’s only passing through and all that’s needed is her signature… Until the rain begins to fall on Karinya Station, and there is nowhere to escape. Could a Christmas peace treaty and a magical few days bring the sparkle back into their marriage?

She was BORN to save what he is SWORN to DESTROY… Indira Simon doesn’t believe in magic any more. But when strange dreams of being sacrificed have her waking up with real injuries, she’s forced to acknowledge that she may have been too hasty in her rejection of the unknown. Then she meets mysterious and handsome Tomas. Emerging from the secrecy of an obscure sect, he arrives with stories of a demon, a trio of warrior witches – and Indira’s sacred calling. But Tomas’s sworn destiny haunts them and now he can’t escape a terrible choice: save the life of the woman he’s come to love – or save the world. Praise for Maggie Shayne ’Shayne crafts a convincing world, tweaking vampire legends just enough to draw fresh blood’ - Publishers Weekly on Demon’s Kiss ’Maggie Shayne is better than chocolate. She satisfies every wicked craving’ - - NYT bestselling author Suzanne Forster

Jennifer Dunning’s boss has made her an offer too good to refuse. Or is it? Jen knew Marshall Grainger’s reputation before she took the job. But nothing could prepare her for the explosive power of their attraction…nor for the sexy rancher’s proposal of a loveless marriage – especially when it’s not loveless for her!

With a budding career, Lila Hacket has no intention of changing her life to become conservative Sam Gordon’s idea of the perfect wife. So if he wants their baby from a shared passionate night to have his name, he needs to change his ideas about what he really needs from Lila…and just what he’s willing to give her in return!

There’s a fine line between lust…and love Lust. Sailor Gryffald’s body quivers with it, but is it a symptom of the deadly Scarlet Pathogen coursing through her bloodstream or the proximity of shifter Keeper Declan Wainwright? Sailor and Declan have had an uneasy relationship ever since they met and now things are about to get a lot more complicated. A killer is stalking Los Angeles, infecting the supernatural with a deadly virus, and Sailor and Declan must work together to bring the murderer to justice. But can Sailor control her attraction to the charming Declan to avert a supernatural crisis or will her yearnings land her in deep water?

Stop Wondering What to Wear and Wear. This… Now. That first date, job interview or dinner with your future in-laws may be stressful, but figuring out what to wear for it shouldn’t be. And thanks to style expert Michelle Madhok and the editors of SHEfinds.com, it isn’t. Members of the team behind SHEfinds.com make a living putting the perfect outfit together (at the right price), and they’ve taken the guesswork out of getting dressed. From basic essentials to special events, learn how to build a foolproof wardrobe―without breaking the bank―and look stylish for every season, every occasion, every single day of the year. Get the inside scoop on: Designer deals and steals, When to invest and when to spend less, The essentials for every season, S.O.S. for any (and every) style conundrum, Navigating the sales racks―and seasons!―like a pro

Of course you love being a parent. But sometimes, it just sucks. I know. I'm Amber Dusick and I started my blog Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures because I needed a place to vent about the funny (and frustrating) day-to-day things that happened to me as a parent. Turns out, poo is hilarious! At least when you're not the one wiping it up. This book won't make your frustrating moments any less crappy. But these stories about my Crappy Baby, Crappy Boy and my husband, Crappy Papa, will hopefully make you laugh. Because you're not alone. And sometimes the crappiest moments make the best memories. Parenting is wonderful! And also, well, you know. ‘The drawings aren't very good, Mama.' -Crappy Boy, age 5

A Fact About Frogging With new species discovered every day, it’s hard to find a rule to catch a good frog, except to say that when it comes to frogs there are no rules at all. Karrie Kline had kissed her share of frogs. But when it came to finding her prince her pond was dry. With disappointments ranging from a Colorado bound Casonova to a lascivious lawyer she meets online, Karrie’s frustration climbs so high even dreams of meeting her match on her own reality show become a nightmare. But she still has her tales. An enterprising actress, Karrie turns her dating stories into a successful one-woman show. Has her quest to put her bad-date karma to good use turned her into a dating pariah? Her old frogs are hopping out of the woodwork. But offstage, Karrie journeys back to the beginning to figure out how she got here. From finding her very first tadpole on up to her biggest horniest toad, Karrie comes away with an even stronger sense of herself and relationships, passing on a prince for her own good frog.

A Man On A Mission He’s defended his country and upheld the code of the Navy SEALs, but Garrett Solomon has never faced a mission quite like this. As teenagers, he and Eve Barnesworth were passionately in love. Eve’s unplanned pregnancy only deepened his commitment to her. But Eve’s powerful father, fearing a scandal, whisked her away. As far as Garrett and Eve knew, their baby had died – and with it, their love. Years later, the loss and betrayal still pain Garret deeply. Then comes shocking news: The child is still alive. Determined to find their stolen son, Garrett and Eve join forces. Working together is strictly business… until it isn’t. Because it seems their powerful attraction – like the child they once thought was gone forever – is still very much alive.

SMALL-TOWN REUNION Helping children in her hometown is a dream fulfilled for single mother Brianna Benson. But being back in Hope, New Mexico, isn’t easy for the medical clinic’s new child psychologist. Ten years ago, the night before her wedding, Brianna discovered that her fiancé, Zac Enders, betrayed her—and she left town in tears. Now a school administrator, Zac is asking for her help with kids at risk. Such as her own troubled son. But how can she work with the man who broke her heart? As Christmas approaches, the gift of reunited love is waiting to be unwrapped. Healing Hearts: Love is always the best medicine

A Family For The Holidays When two orphaned boys and their aunt arrive for Thanksgiving supper at church, retired army colonel Brett Stanton feels his heart tugged. Despite having her hands full, young businesswoman Haley Jennings handles her nephews with a smile. Still, Brett can’t get too close to the needy trio.

Wedding Awaits Despite her protests, Princess Gisela, headstrong daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, must enter into a diplomatic marriage. Yet en route to her wedding, her ship is attacked and she’s gravely injured. Rescued by a renowned healer, King John of Lydia, Gisela recuperates at his Mediterranean castle. The handsome, widowed ruler soon has her reevaluating her beliefs on love and marriage…but only if King John could be her groom. Their love is forbidden, and duty requires him to deliver her to her betrothed. Unless they can find a way to join their hearts—and kingdoms—with love, faith and honor. Protecting the Crown: The royal family fights for love and country

AN IMPOSSIBLE ATTRACTION Lady Beatrice Gregory has beauty, brains—and a wastrel brother. With her family fortune squandered, her only chance of a Season is as a lowly companion. London’s glittering balls and parties are bittersweet when Beatrice has no hope of a match. Still, helping Lord Greystone with his charitable work brings her genuine pleasure…perhaps more than she dares to admit. Even when every marriageable miss in London is paraded before him, the only woman to capture Lord Greystone’s attention is the one he shouldn’t pursue. Attaching himself to a ruined family would jeopardize his ambitions. Yet Lady Beatrice may be the only wife to suit his lord’s heart. Ladies in Waiting: These companions find love during the London Season

A Con Man with a Conscience… From the moment Jesse Baker collides with Erin O’Grady on a Boston train platform, he faces a dilemma. For once, Jesse doesn’t want to lie about who and what he is. Yet if she learns he’s a con artist, not a cowboy—and the urchin with him is certainly not his brother—she’ll never give him a chance. Erin suspects there’s more to the enigmatic cowboy than meets the eye. But the sheltered socialite is certain his deep compassion is real. On the long Christmastime train ride to Wyoming, hearts and courage are tested and true motives revealed. And the journey that began in a charade may end with redemption—and a very real love.

Leverage the full potential of Entity Framework with this collection of powerful and easy-to-follow recipes About This Book Learn how to use the new features of Entity Framework Core 1 Improve your queries by leveraging some of the advanced features Avoid common pitfalls Make the best of your .NET APIs by integrating with Entity Framework Who This Book Is For This book is for .NET developers who work with relational databases on a daily basis and understand the basics of Entity Framework, but now want to use it in a more efficient manner. You are expected to have some prior knowledge of Entity Framework. What You Will Learn Master the technique of using sequence key generators Validate groups of entities that are to be saved / updated Improve MVC applications that cover applications developed using ASP.NET MVC Core 1 Retrieve database information (table, column names, and so on) for entities Discover optimistic concurrency control and pessimistic concurrency control. Implement Multilatency on the data side of things. Enhance the performance and/or scalability of Entity Framework Core Explore and overcome the pitfalls of Entity Framework Core In Detail Entity Framework is a highly recommended Object Relation Mapping tool used to build complex systems. In order to survive in this growing market, the knowledge of a framework that helps provide easy access to databases, that is, Entity Framework has become a necessity. This book will provide .NET developers with this knowledge and guide them through working efficiently with data using Entity Framework Core. You will start off by learning how to efficiently use Entity Framework in practical situations. You will gain a deep understanding of mapping properties and find out how to handle validation in Entity Framework. The book will then explain how to work with transactions and stored procedures along with improving Entity Framework using query libraries. Moving on, you will learn to improve complex query scenarios and implement transaction and concurrency control. You will then be taught to improve and develop Entity Framework in complex business scenarios. With the concluding chapter on performance and scalability, this book will get you ready to use Entity Framework proficiently. Style and approach Filled with rich code-based examples, this book takes a recipe-based approach that will teach .NET developers to improve their understanding of Entity Framework and help them effortlessly apply this knowledge in everyday situations.

Learn to build expert NLP and machine learning projects using NLTK and other Python libraries About This Book Break text down into its component parts for spelling correction, feature extraction, and phrase transformation Work through NLP concepts with simple and easy-to-follow programming recipes Gain insights into the current and budding research topics of NLP Who This Book Is For If you are an NLP or machine learning enthusiast and an intermediate Python programmer who wants to quickly master NLTK for natural language processing, then this Learning Path will do you a lot of good. Students of linguistics and semantic/sentiment analysis professionals will find it invaluable. What You Will Learn The scope of natural language complexity and how they are processed by machines Clean and wrangle text using tokenization and chunking to help you process data better Tokenize text into sentences and sentences into words Classify text and perform sentiment analysis Implement string matching algorithms and normalization techniques Understand and implement the concepts of information retrieval and text summarization Find out how to implement various NLP tasks in Python In Detail Natural Language Processing is a field of computational linguistics and artificial intelligence that deals with human-computer interaction. It provides a seamless interaction between computers and human beings and gives computers the ability to understand human speech with the help of machine learning. The number of human-computer interaction instances are increasing so it’s becoming imperative that computers comprehend all major natural languages. The first NLTK Essentials module is an introduction on how to build systems around NLP, with a focus on how to create a customized tokenizer and parser from scratch. You will learn essential concepts of NLP, be given practical insight into open source tool and libraries available in Python, shown how to analyze social media sites, and be given tools to deal with large scale text. This module also provides a workaround using some of the amazing capabilities of Python libraries such as NLTK, scikit-learn, pandas, and NumPy. The second Python 3 Text Processing with NLTK 3 Cookbook module teaches you the essential techniques of text and language processing with simple, straightforward examples. This includes organizing text corpora, creating your own custom corpus, text classification with a focus on sentiment analysis, and distributed text processing methods. The third Mastering Natural Language Processing with Python module will help you become an expert and assist you in creating your own NLP projects using NLTK. You will be guided through model development with machine learning tools, shown how to create training data, and given insight into the best practices for designing and building NLP-based applications using Python. This Learning Path combines some of the best that Packt has to offer in one complete, curated package and is designed to help you quickly learn text processing with Python and NLTK. It includes content from the following Packt products: NTLK essentials by Nitin Hardeniya Python 3 Text Processing with NLTK 3 Cookbook by Jacob Perkins Mastering Natural Language Processing with Python by Deepti Chopra, Nisheeth Joshi, and Iti Mathur Style and approach This comprehensive course creates a smooth learning path that teaches you how to get started with Natural Language Processing using Python and NLTK. You’ll learn to create effective NLP and machine learning projects using Python and NLTK.

Create powerful, effective visualizations to help analyze your data with Tableau 10 by your side About This Book Cook your favorite Tableau 10 business intelligence recipe with the help of this easy-to-follow book Build beautiful, interactive dashboards and visualizations in Tableau 10 that help you make informed decisions This rich collection of independent recipes cover everything needed to become an advanced Tableau user and get an edge over other Tableau users Who This Book Is For This book is targeted to business, data, and analytics professionals who want to build rich interactive visualizations using Tableau. Familiarity with previous versions of Tableau would be helpful, but is not necessary. What You Will Learn Become familiar with the Tableau interface Build basic to more advanced charts with step-by-step recipes Use filters, calculated fields, parameters, and actions to add interactivity to charts and dashboards Prepare and transform data for analysis using Tableau’s built-in tools and functions Create effective and compelling dashboards and story points Leverage Tableau’s mapping capabilities to visualize location and shape data Integrate analytics and forecasting to enhance data analysis Get to know tips and tricks to work more quickly and effectively in Tableau Increase your confidence and competence in creating rich, interactive visualizations in Tableau In Detail Tableau is a software tool that can speed up data analysis through its rich visualization capabilities, and help uncover insights for better and smarter decision making. This book is for the business, technology, data and analytics professionals who use and analyze data and data-driven approaches to support business operations and strategic initiatives in their organizations. This book provides easy-to-follow recipes to get the reader up and running with Tableau 10, and covers basic to advanced use cases and scenarios. The book starts with building basic charts in Tableau and moves on to building more complex charts by incorporating different Tableau features and interactivity components. There is an entire chapter dedicated to dashboard techniques and best practices. A number of recipes specifically for geospatial visualization, analytics, and data preparation are also covered. By the end of this book, you’ll have gained confidence and competence to analyze and communicate data and insights more efficiently and effectively by creating compelling interactive charts, dashboards, and stories in Tableau. Style and approach This book is a collection of independent recipes that cover a wide range of options for data visualization on offer with Tableau. With the help of the recipes in this book, you can explore Tableau and pick the business intelligence solution that’s best suited for your needs.

Learn how to apply functional F# design patterns to a huge range of programming challenges, and discover a smart route to building better applications About This Book This book provides a path if you are coming from imperative and object-oriented paradigms It will take you to an intermediate level of functional programming in very practical manner to write enterprise-quality idiomatic F# code Tackle complex computing problems with simple code by fully embracing the functional-first F# paradigm Packed full of practical coding examples to help you master F# programming and author optimal code Who This Book Is For This book is for .NET developers, web programmers, C# developers, and F# developers. So, if you have basic experience in F# programming and developing performance-critical applications, then this book is for you. What You Will Learn Acquire the practical knowledge to use the main functional design patterns Realign some imperative and object-oriented principles under the functional approach Develop your confidence in building and combining first-order and higher-order functions Learn to use core language pattern matching effectively Make use of native F# algebraic data types in place of custom-built classes Recognize and measure the difference in resource consumption between sequences and materialized data collections Navigate and use F# Core libraries with ease by seeing patterns behind specific library functions Master writing generic polymorphic code In Detail Following design patterns is a well-known approach to writing better programs that captures and reuses high-level abstractions that are common in many applications. This book will encourage you to develop an idiomatic F# coding skillset by fully embracing the functional-first F# paradigm. It will also help you harness this powerful instrument to write succinct, bug-free, and cross-platform code. F# 4.0 Design Patterns will start off by helping you develop a functional way of thinking. We will show you how beneficial the functional-first paradigm is and how to use it to get the optimum results. The book will help you acquire the practical knowledge of the main functional design patterns, the relationship of which with the traditional Gang of Four set is not straightforward. We will take you through pattern matching, immutable data types, and sequences in F#. We will also uncover advanced functional patterns, look at polymorphic functions, typical data crunching techniques, adjusting code through augmentation, and generalization. Lastly, we will take a look at the advanced techniques to equip you with everything you need to write flawless code. Style and approach This book will teach you how to write F# code in an idiomatic functional-first manner, thereby improving the productivity of F# programmers. This book is ideal for an F# programmer who wants using F# in functional-first way.

No one knows Chase Jarvis is in the CIA witness protection programme. For years his life has been loveless, bleak…and under threat. But now the woman he once loved and the child he never knew existed are back in his life. Keeping them safe is imperative; claiming them finally is his heart’s desire.

Rachel Cotton has high hopes for her cruise through the Kimberley region – surely this will be relaxing… But gorgeous shipmate Finn Kinnard seems intent on stirring her up! Finn might claim to be a heartbreaker, but Rachel soon discovers that there is much more to this man than meets the eye…