SETTLE DOWN, COWBOY! His family’s Arizona cattle ranch is just the place for Cole Dempsey to hang his hat before he heads back to the rodeo circuit. That is, until Violet Hathaway makes Cole think twice about his future when the livestock manager delivers her game-changing news: she’s pregnant! One passionate mistake could cost Vi her job at Dos Estrellas. And whatever growing feelings Cole and Violet have for each other, she knows the professional cowboy hadn’t planned on settling down in Mustang Valley. When he hits the road again, he’ll take her dream of them making a life together. Or is a rancher’s legacy about to come full circle?

Her Texas Protector Bodyguard Boone Wilder isn’t keen on his latest mission: watching over a pretty politician’s daughter. Boone is quiet Texas Hill country and Kayla is a showy city gal. But once safely settled at the Wilder Ranch, Boone watches Kayla enjoy cooking with his family, caring for his relatives, and bottle feeding calves. There’s more to her than he ever knew. Still, the former soldier’s wounds are way too deep to let Kayla close. But when he discovers someone wants to hurt Kayla, Boone must risk his heart to protect what he cares about most. Martin’s Crossing: In this small Texas town, every heart finds a home.

Harness the power of the Cloud, leveraging the speed and scale of Azure Serverless computing About This Book ? Take advantage of the agility, scale, and cost-effectiveness of the cloud using Azure Serverless compute ? Build scalable, reliable, and cost-effecient applications with Serverless architecture and .NET ? Learn to use Azure functions to their fullest potential in .NET Who This Book Is For This book is for .NET developers who would like to learn about serverless architecture. Basic C# programming knowledge is assumed. What You Will Learn ? Understand the best practices of Serverless architecture ? Learn how how to deploy a Text Sentiment Evaluation application in an Azure Serverless environment ? Implement security, identity, and access control ? Take advantage of the speed of deployment in the cloud ? Configure application health monitoring, logging, and alerts ? Design your application to ensure cost effectiveness, high availability, and scale In Detail Serverless architecture allows you to build and run applications and services without having to manage the infrastructure. Many companies have started adopting serverless architecture for their applications to save cost and improve scalability. This book will be your companion in designing Serverless architecture for your applications using the .NET runtime, with Microsoft Azure as the cloud service provider. You will begin by understanding the concepts of Serverless architecture, its advantages and disadvantages. You will then set up the Azure environment and build a basic application using a sample text sentiment evaluation function. From here, you will be shown how to run services in a Serverless environment. We will cover the integration with other Azure and 3rd party services such as Azure Service Bus, as well as configuring dependencies on NuGet libraries, among other topics. After this, you will learn about debugging and testing your Azure functions, and then automating deployment from source control. Securing your application and monitoring its health will follow from there, and then in the final part of the book, you will learn how to Design for High Availability, Disaster Recovery and Scale, as well as how to take advantage of the cloud pay-as-you-go model to design cost-effective services. We will finish off with explaining how azure functions scale up against AWS Lambda, Azure Web Jobs, and Azure Batch compare to other types of compute-on-demand services. Whether you’ve been working with Azure for a while, or you’re just getting started, by the end of the book you will have all the information you need to set up and deploy applications to the Azure Serverless Computing environment. Style and approach This step-by-step guide shows you the concepts and features of Serverless architecture in Azure with .NET.

Over 50 recipes to help you build applications hosted on Serverless architecture using Azure Functions. About This Book ? Enhance Azure Functions with continuous deployment using Visual Studio Team Services ? Learn to deploy and manage cost-effective and highly available serverless applications using Azure Functions ? This recipe-based guide will teach you to build a robust serverless environment Who This Book Is For If you are a Cloud administrator, architect, or developer who wants to build scalable systems and deploy serverless applications with Azure functions, then this book is for you. Prior knowledge and hands-on experience with core services of Microsoft Azure is required. What You Will Learn ? Develop different event-based handlers supported by serverless architecture supported by Microsoft Cloud Platform – Azure ? Integrate Azure Functions with different Azure Services to develop Enterprise-level applications ? Get to know the best practices in organizing and refactoring the code within the Azure functions ? Test, troubleshoot, and monitor the Azure functions to deliver high-quality, reliable, and robust cloud-centric applications ? Automate mundane tasks at various levels right from development to deployment and maintenance ? Learn how to develop statefulserverless applications and also self-healing jobs using DurableFunctions In Detail Microsoft provides a solution to easily run small segment of code in the Cloud with Azure Functions. Azure Functions provides solutions for processing data, integrating systems, and building simple APIs and microservices. The book starts with intermediate-level recipes on serverless computing along with some use cases on benefits and key features of Azure Functions. Then, we’ll deep dive into the core aspects of Azure Functions such as the services it provides, how you can develop and write Azure functions, and how to monitor and troubleshoot them. Moving on, you’ll get practical recipes on integrating DevOps with Azure functions, and providing continuous integration and continous deployment with Visual Studio Team Services. It also provides hands-on steps and tutorials based on real-world serverless use cases, to guide you through configuring and setting up your serverless environments with ease. Finally, you’ll see how to manage Azure functions, providing enterprise-level security and compliance to your serverless code architecture. By the end of this book, you will have all the skills required to work with serverless code architecture, providing continuous delivery to your users. Style and approach This recipe-based guide explains the different features of Azure Function by taking a real-world application related to a specific domain. You will learn how to implement automation and DevOps and discover industry best practices to develop applications hosted on serverless architecture using Azure functions.

Over 50 recipes covering all you need to know about AWS networking About This Book ? Master AWS networking concepts with AWS Networking Cookbook. ? Design and implement highly available connectivity and multi-regioned AWS solutions ? A recipe-based guide that will eliminate the complications of AWS networking. ? A guide to automate networking services and features Who This Book Is For This book targets administrators, network engineers, and solution architects who are looking at optimizing their cloud platform's connectivity. Some basic understanding of AWS would be beneficial. What You Will Learn ? Create basic network in AWS ? Create production grade network in AWS ? Create global scale network in AWS ? Security and Compliance with AWS Network ? Troubleshooting, best practices and limitations of AWS network ? Pricing model of AWS network components ? Route 53 and Cloudfront concepts and routing policies ? VPC Automation using Ansible and CloudFormation In Detail This book starts with practical recipes on the fundamentals of cloud networking and gradually moves on to configuring networks and implementing infrastructure automation. This book then supplies in-depth recipes on networking components like Network Interface, Internet Gateways, DNS, Elastic IP addresses, and VPN CloudHub. Later, this book also delves into designing, implementing, and optimizing static and dynamic routing architectures, multi-region solutions, and highly available connectivity for your enterprise. Finally, this book will teach you to troubleshoot your VPC's network, increasing your VPC's efficiency. By the end of this book, you will have advanced knowledge of AWS networking concepts and technologies and will have mastered implementing infrastructure automation and optimizing your VPC. Style and approach A set of exciting recipes on using AWS Networking services more effectively.

Unleash the combination of Docker and Jenkins in order to enhance the DevOps workflow About This Book ? Build reliable and secure applications using Docker containers. ? Create a complete Continuous Delivery pipeline using Docker, Jenkins, and Ansible. ? Deliver your applications directly on the Docker Swarm cluster. ? Create more complex solutions using multi-containers and database migrations. Who This Book Is For This book is indented to provide a full overview of deep learning. From the beginner in deep learning and artificial intelligence to the data scientist who wants to become familiar with Theano and its supporting libraries, or have an extended understanding of deep neural nets. Some basic skills in Python programming and computer science will help, as well as skills in elementary algebra and calculus. What You Will Learn ? Get to grips with docker fundamentals and how to dockerize an application for the Continuous Delivery process ? Configure Jenkins and scale it using Docker-based agents ? Understand the principles and the technical aspects of a successful Continuous Delivery pipeline ? Create a complete Continuous Delivery process using modern tools: Docker, Jenkins, and Ansible ? Write acceptance tests using Cucumber and run them in the Docker ecosystem using Jenkins ? Create multi-container applications using Docker Compose ? Managing database changes inside the Continuous Delivery process and understand effective frameworks such as Cucumber and Flyweight ? Build clustering applications with Jenkins using Docker Swarm ? Publish a built Docker image to a Docker Registry and deploy cycles of Jenkins pipelines using community best practices In Detail The combination of Docker and Jenkins improves your Continuous Delivery pipeline using fewer resources. It also helps you scale up your builds, automate tasks and speed up Jenkins performance with the benefits of Docker containerization. This book will explain the advantages of combining Jenkins and Docker to improve the continuous integration and delivery process of app development. It will start with setting up a Docker server and configuring Jenkins on it. It will then provide steps to build applications on Docker files and integrate them with Jenkins using continuous delivery processes such as continuous integration, automated acceptance testing, and configuration management. Moving on you will learn how to ensure quick application deployment with Docker containers along with scaling Jenkins using Docker Swarm. Next, you will get to know how to deploy applications using Docker images and testing them with Jenkins. By the end of the book, you will be enhancing the DevOps workflow by integrating the functionalities of Docker and Jenkins. Style and approach The book is aimed at DevOps Engineers, developers and IT Operations who want to enhance the DevOps culture using Docker and Jenkins.

Build DIY wireless projects using the Raspberry Pi Zero W board About This Book ? Explore the functionalities of the Raspberry Pi Zero W with exciting projects ? Master the wireless features (and extend the use cases) of this $10 chip ? A project-based guide that will teach you to build simple yet exciting projects using the Raspberry Pi Zero W board Who This Book Is For If you are a hobbyist or an enthusiast and want to get your hands on the latest Raspberry Pi Zero W to build exciting wireless projects, then this book is for you. Some prior programming knowledge, with some experience in electronics, would be useful. What You Will Learn ? Set up a router and connect Raspberry Pi Zero W to the internet ? Create a two-wheel mobile robot and control it from your Android device ? Build an automated home bot assistant device ? Host your personal website with the help of Raspberry Pi Zero W ? Connect Raspberry Pi Zero to speakers to play your favorite music ? Set up a web camera connected to the Raspberry Pi Zero W and add another security layer to your home automation In Detail The Raspberry Pi has always been the go–to, lightweight ARM-based computer. The recent launch of the Pi Zero W has not disappointed its audience with its $10 release. "W" here stands for Wireless, denoting that the Raspberry Pi is solely focused on the recent trends for wireless tools and the relevant use cases. This is where our book—Raspberry Pi Zero W Wireless Projects—comes into its own. Each chapter will help you design and build a few DIY projects using the Raspberry Pi Zero W board. First, you will learn how to create a wireless decentralized chat service (client-client) using the Raspberry Pi's features?. Then you will make a simple two-wheel mobile robot and control it via your Android device over your local Wi-Fi network. Further, you will use the board to design a home bot that can be connected to plenty of devices in your home. The next two projects build a simple web streaming security layer using a web camera and portable speakers that will adjust the playlist according to your mood. You will also build a home server to host files and websites using the board. Towards the end, you will create free Alexa voice recognition software and an FPV Pi Camera, which can be used to monitor a system, watch a movie, spy on something, remotely control a drone, and more. By the end of this book, you will have developed the skills required to build exciting and complex projects with Raspberry Pi Zero W. Style and approach A step-by-step guide that will help you design and create simple yet exciting projects using the Raspberry Pi Zero W board.

Learn how to unify Customer Experience, User Experience and more to shape lasting customer engagement in a world of rapid change. About This Book ? An introductory guide to Experience Design that will help you break into XD as a career by gaining A strong foundational knowledge ? Get acquainted with the various phases of a typical Experience Design workflow ? Work through the key process and techniques in XD, supported by most of the common use cases Who This Book Is For This book is for designers who wish to enter the field of UX Design, especially Programmers, Content Strategists, and Organizations keen to understand the core concepts of UX Design. What You Will Learn ? Understand why Experience Design (XD) is at the forefront of business priorities, as organizations race to innovate products and services in order to compete for customers in a global economy driven by technology and change ? Get motivated by the numerous professional opportunities that XD opens up for practitioners in wide-ranging domains, and by the stories of real XD practitioners ? Understand what experience is, how experiences are designed, and why they are effective ? Gain knowledge of user-centered design principles, methodologies, and best practices that will improve your product (digital or physical) ? Get to know your X’s and D’s—understand the differences between XD and UX, CX, IxD, IA, SD, VD, PD, and other design practices In Detail We live in an experience economy in which interaction with products is valued more than owning them. Products are expected to engage and delight in order to form the emotional bonds that forge long-term customer loyalty: Products need to anticipate our needs and perform tasks for us: refrigerators order food, homes monitor energy, and cars drive autonomously; they track our vitals, sleep, location, finances, interactions, and content use; recognize our biometric signatures, chat with us, understand and motivate us. Beautiful and easy to use, products have to be fully customizable to match our personal preferences. Accomplishing these feats is easier said than done, but a solution has emerged in the form of Experience design (XD), the unifying approach to fusing business, technology and design around a user-centered philosophy. This book explores key dimensions of XD: Close collaboration among interdisciplinary teams, rapid iteration and ongoing user validation. We cover the processes, methodologies, tools, techniques and best-practices practitioners use throughout the entire product development life-cycle, as ideas are transformed to into positive experiences which lead to perpetual customer engagement and brand loyalty. Style and approach An easy-to-understand guide, filled with real-world use cases on process, design, and techniques, helping you build a strong foundation in Experience Design.

Build your own enterprise applications and integration flows with JBoss and its products About This Book ? Build fast, smart, and flexible applications using JBoss ? Couple one or more JBoss products to effectively solve various business problems ? Explore the JBoss product ecosystem for improving the performance of your projects Who This Book Is For If you are a Java developer who wants to have a complete view of the JBoss ecosystem or quickly explore a specific JBoss Product, then this is the book you want. Integrators and consultants, familiar with JBoss, who want integrate several JBoss products within their ongoing project will also find this book useful. What You Will Learn ? Create new applications or integrate existing systems with JBoss products ? Setup and manage a JBoss domain ? Setup and manage a JBoss Fuse cluster with Fabric and Apache Karaf ? Create and deploy OSGi applications on JBoss Fuse containers ? Manage enterprise data with JBoss Datagrid ? Aggregate various data sources with JBoss Data virtualization to offer data as a service ? Optimize your business and workflows with both JBoss Business RulesManagement System and JBoss Business Process Management platforms. In Detail Have you often wondered what is the best JBoss product to solve a specific problem? Do you want to get started with a specific JBoss product and know how to integrate different JBoss products in your IT Systems? Then this is the book for you. Through hands-on examples from the business world, this guide presents details on the major products and how you can build your own Enterprise services around the JBoss ecosystem. Starting with an introduction to the JBoss ecosystem, you will gradually move on to developing and deploying clustered application on JBoss Application Server, and setting up high availability using undertow or HA proxy loadbalancers. As you are moving to a micro service archicture, you will be taught how to package existing Java EE applications as micro service using Swarm or create your new micro services from scratch by coupling most popular Java EE frameworks like JPA, CDI with Undertow handlers. Next, you will install and configure JBoss Data grid in development and production environments, develop cache based applications and aggregate various data source in JBoss data virtualization. You will learn to build, deploy, and monitor integration scenarios using JBoss Fuse and run both producers/consumers applications relying on JBoss AMQ. Finally, you will learn to develop and run business workflows and make better decisions in your applications using Drools and Jboss BPM Suite Platform. Style and Approach The book works through the major JBoss products, with examples and instructions to help you understand each product and how they work together.

A C# beginners guide to the core parts of the C# language! About This Book ? Learn C#, Visual Studio, and Object Oriented Programming ? See practical examples of all the core C# language features so that you can easily master them yourself ? Use the C# programming language to work with code and data, which can be applied to other programming languages as well ? Complete a variety of programming assignments for hands-on practice, as you move through the course Who This Book Is For This book will appeal to anyone who is interested in learning how to program in C#. Previous programming experience will help you get through the initial sections with ease, although, it’s not mandatory to possess any experience at all. What You Will Learn ? Learn C#, Visual Studio, and object-oriented programming ? Learn all the core C# language syntax with hands-on working examples ? Learn everything from basic variable assignments to complex multidimensional arrays ? Go through practical examples of all the core C# language features so that you can easily master them yourself ? Use the C# programming language to work with code and data, which can be applied to other programming languages as well In Detail Beginning C# Hands-On - The Core Language teaches you core C# language and syntax in a working Visual Studio environment. This book covers everything from core language through to more advanced features such as object-oriented programming techniques. This book is for C# beginners who need a practical reference to core C# language features. You'll also gain a view of C# through web programming with web forms, so you'll learn HTML, basic CSS, and how to use a variety of controls, such as buttons and drop-down lists. You'll start with the fundamentals of C# and Visual Studio, including defining variables, interacting with users, and understanding data types, data conversions, and constants. You'll move on to checking conditions using if/else blocks, and see how to use loops to do things such as repeat blocks of code. After covering various operators to evaluate and assign control structures, you'll see how to use arrays to store collections of data. By the time you’ve finished the book, you’ll know how to program the vital elements of the core C# language. These are the building blocks that you can then combine to build complex C# programs. Style and approach A comprehensive book that blends theory with just the right amount of practical code implementations, to help you get up and running with the C# programming language. You’ll also get to work with other tools and technologies that complement C# programming. Each core part of the C# language is coded as you learn, and code output is tested every time to verify the syntax is working as expected, so it’s easy for you to learn directly from the working code examples.

A free sampler of beloved and bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith’s modern and delightful EMMA. Prepare to meet a young woman who thinks she knows everything. Fresh from university, Emma Woodhouse triumphantly arrives home in Norfolk ready to embark on adult life with a splash. Not only has her sister, Isabella, been whisked away on a motorcycle up to London, but her astute governess, Miss Taylor is at a loose end, abandoned in the giant family pile, Hartfield, alongside Emma’s anxiety-ridden father. Someone is needed to rule the roost and young Emma is more than happy to oblige. As she gets her fledging design business off the ground, there is plenty to delight her in the buzzing little village of Highbury. At the helm of her own dinner parties and instructing her new little protégée, Harriet Smith, Emma reigns forth. But there is only one person who can play with Emma’s indestructible confidence, her old friend and inscrutable neighbour George Knightley – this time has Emma finally met her match? You don’t have to be in London to go to parties, find amusement or make trouble. Not if you’re Emma, the very big fish in the rather small pond. But for a young woman who knows everything, Emma has a lot to learn about herself. Ever alive to the uproarious nuances of human behaviour, and both the pleasures and pitfalls of village life, beloved author Alexander McCall Smith’s Emma is the busybody we all know and love, and a true modern delight.

The first unpublished novel from the historical fiction legend, George Macdonald Fraser, featuring the unscrupulous and brilliantly entertaining pirate, Calico Jack Rackham. New Providence, 1720s. When infamous pirate Captain ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham returns from the high seas to ask Governor Woodes Rogers for a royal pardon, the Governor sees his chance to put his own devious plans into action. Their agreement sets off an adventure of betrayals, counter-betrayals, plots and escapes that see Rackham join forces with the scheming but seductively beautiful pirate, Anne Bonney. Captain in Calico is a wonderfully spirited and entertaining novel, which will delight fans of George MacDonald Fraser. The unscrupulous Captain Rackham is pure pleasure, and shows the author’s early penchant - and flair - for writing scoundrels of the highest order.

The sequel to the epic HERO BORN Brann has come a long way since his days as a galley slave. At Lord Einarr’s side, he journeys to the capital of the Empire to warn the Emperor about Loku and his depraved cult. But Loku already has the Emperor in his thrall, and his scheming ensures that Brann is enslaved once more. He is put to work in the fighting pits deep below the city, where a man might escape with his life, but not his soul. Brann emerges bent on revenge, determined to stop Loku. But first he must fight to recover the man that he once was, to become the hero he is meant to be.

A comprehensive and fully illustrated guide, this book is the definitive photographic reference guide for anyone interested in butterflies and moths found in Britain and Ireland. Every species that occurs regularly in Britain and Ireland is included, along with a section dealing with the ‘rarest of the rare’ – extinct species or very rare immigrants. There follows the main section of the book, which covers our larger moths; every species that occurs regularly in Britain and Ireland is mentioned.

"The perfect, girly summer read" Reviewed the Book "Action packed and fun" Shaun the Book Addict "I was ready to jump in their luggage after enjoying the pool and the party, eager to see what happens at the next destination of their adventure" Jane Hunt "Recommended for those times you just want to read something quickly, for fun and smiles." Bestselling author, Carmel Harrington Part 1 of Summer Flings - a fun, flirty and laugh out loud rom com series of short stories. Armed with a degree from Oxford that she doesn't have a clue what to do with, Ciara Bree convinces her two best friends, Elle and Gem to spend their first summer of freedom backpacking across the globe. Now it's time to shop, sunbathe, think about boys for a change, and party hard... First stop: LA! The girls hit Tinseltown for a few days of shopping, star spotting, and even a movie premiere! But their plan to sneak into an exclusive celeb party in West Hollywood backfires. Elle's gorgeous older cousin, Zack, is called to the rescue and despite knowing she should stay away, Ciara just can't seem to resist him. The ideal summer treat for those relaxing days soaking up the sun!

"I am seriously gutted to have reached the end of this fantastic series. They have been the perfect tonic over the past few weeks" ~ Book Addict Shaun "As soon as I read Trouble in Tinseltown I knew I would love this series and I havent been disappointed. I have felt like a broken record as each novella has surpassed the previous one, but for me, it has just got better and better" ~ Jill Loves to Read "I'm going to miss reading one (or maybe two) of these daily. They have been a perfect way to relax in the evening and I'm sad this is the last one." ~ Lost to Books "Deliver Us to Dublin... With Care is the final instalment in what has been a brilliant summer series by Aimee Duffy. We've been brought plenty of laughs, romance and drama and in Dublin, after the fascinating way Flirting in Florence ended, there was a lot to be wrapped up. Having been with Ciara, Elle and Gem on their whole road trip journey, I really feel like I'll miss the characters but I thought the culmination to the series did their stories justice." ~ Reviewed the Book The final instalment of Summer Flings - a fun, flirty and laugh out loud rom com series of short stories. Miserable, lonely and broken hearted, Ciara returns to Dublin on a mission to sort out her life. A job is at the top of the list but a visit to the doctor has surprising repercussions. She refuses to drift apart from her friends now that real life has begun, struggles to fit new relationships into her life and still has to deal with everything else fate throws her way. But even Ciara should know that there's always something a little bit special to be found at the end of the rainbow... The ideal summer treat for those relaxing days soaking up the sun!

The new Loving on the Edge novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Nothing Between Us and Need You Tonight Oakley Easton wants two things: to be a good mom to her daughter and to ditch her less than ideal night job. Hooking up with bad boy drummer Pike Ryland? Not on the agenda. She needs a promotion. Not sex, tattoos and rock n roll. Pike isn t about to let Ms. Prim and Proper shut him down so easily, especially when he stumbles upon Oakley s sexy night job. She s only playing a role on those late night calls with strangers, but when he gets her on the line, all bets are off. He won t stop until that sultry voice is calling his name for real. But as they move from anonymous fantasies in the dark to the flesh-on-hot-flesh reality of the bedroom, the risk of falling in love becomes all too high. And the safe, quiet world that Oakley s worked so hard to create is about to be exposed to the one person who could ruin it all."

Three lovers really click in the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Call on Me Cora has an amazing sex life. She s beautiful, daring, and the most popular submissive in Hayven. Too bad none of it s real... IT specialist Cora Benning has figured out the key to her formerly disastrous love life make it virtual. In the online world of Hayven, she s free of her geek girl image and can indulge her most private fantasies with a sexy, mysterious master without anyone in her life discovering her secrets. Until her information is hacked and she finds herself working to fix the breach under two very powerful men one who seems all too familiar... Best friends and business partners Ren Muroya and Hayes Fox were once revered dominants. Then Hayes was wrongfully sent to prison and everything changed. Ren wants to get back to who they were. Hayes can t risk it. But when they discover the new IT specialist is their online fascination, and that she s never felt a dominant s touch, the temptation to turn virtual into reality becomes all too great "

"A page-turner that combines genuine intrigue with heartbreak and desire." --Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, Sam's best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs and a suicide note: For Sam--listen and you'll understand. To figure out what happened, Sam has to rely on the playlist and his own memory. But the more he listens, the more he realizes that his memory isn't as reliable as he thought. And it might only be by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he'll finally be able to piece together his best friend's story. And maybe have a chance to change his own. Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Spectacular Now, Michelle Falkoff's debut novel is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, and what if feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you--and the struggle to redefine yourself.

A classic tale of nautical adventure from the author of the acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series, now published in eBook for the very first time to commemorate the Patrick O’Brian centenary. As their schooner inches through the dense yellow fog of the northern Pacific, Ross is beginning to regret agreeing to Sullivan's latest plan. Their search for the island of Sakhalien, to hunt for precious sea-otters, is leading them nowhere. The appearance of a fellow ship should be cause to lift their mood, yet the captain and swarthy Malay crew of the Santa Maria leave Ross feeling all the more uneasy. But when their paths cross once again it is Sullivan's nephew, Derrick, who has good cause to doubt that there are no pirates nowadays. First published under a pseudonym, this classic tale of nautical adventure will thrill every fan of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series of Napoleonic sagas. Together with 'Noughts and Crosses' and 'Two's Company', it is also a captivating companion story to his novel, THE ROAD TO SAMARCAND, which also features Derrick, Sullivan and Ross.

This is the heart-breaking tale of Angell, a young girl desperately loved but inadequately cared for by her troubled mother Nicki. Abandoned and left barely clothed beneath a park bench on a freezing cold day in winter, the bewildered child is rescued by police and passed into the loving and compassionate care of the Lewis family. But when foster carer Rosie takes Angell into her home and heart, she wonders whether Angell’s mother will ever return for her daughter? Or will Angell be destined to spend the rest of her childhood in care?