Introducing the newest heroes to children's fiction; the owls of Ga'Hoole. Meet Soren and his friends, the owls charged with keeping owldom safe. Based on Katherine Lasky's work with owls, this adventures series is bound to be a hit with kids. Join the heroic owls in the first of a series of mythic adventures. Out of the darkness a hero will rise… Soren the enthusiastic and young owl is busy learning the rituals of being a barn owl– First Meat Ceremony, how to fly and of course, about the legendary Guardians of Ga'Hoole. However, his life is quickly transformed when he abruptly falls from his parent's cosy nest to the bare and dangerous forest floor. Helpless, he is captured by evil chick snatching owls that bring him to St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, where his identify disappears as he receives a number instead of a name. Soren quickly befriends another young owl Gylfie, with whom he works to withstand "moon blinking" (brainwashing), and instead develops plans to escape. But before long, Soren realizes that he in fact has already embarked on an extraordinary adventure with much more excitement in the future.

A new-look picture book featuring the irrepressible little Twirlywoos and their elusive sidekick, Peekaboo.Join the Twirlywoos on their latest adventure as they explore the concept of ‘collecting’. First the Twirlywoos visit a hen yard where they see some children collecting eggs, and help them finish the job. Then they find lots of other examples of collecting in the outside world, before coming back to the Big Red Boat to discover a collection of brightly-coloured pebbles belonging to Peekaboo, which they have fun dividing into different colours.

You never know what secrets people are hiding. Isabel: Beautiful. Talented. Bored. Mathew: Mysterious. Handsome. Dangerous. For Isabel Archer, dating is a way to pass the time in her otherwise comfortable life. She casts herself as the Perfect Girlfriend for every man she matches with, playing a different girl with a different back-story every night for months. It's innocent – one goodnight kiss before swiftly deleting each profile – until she goes too far. Mathew likes playing games too. Only the games he wants to play are the kind you don’t always walk away from. Dangerous Liaisons meets Maestra in the most shocking thriller you’ll read this year.

The second short story set in Peter Newman’s incredible world of THE VAGRANT. 'It's a story that grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and refused to let go…' Fantasy Faction

‘A funny, feel-good read just perfect for the summer!’ Sarah Bennett, author of Sunrise at Butterfly Cove Two sisters. Two very different lives… Meg simply doesn’t have time for men in her life. Instead, she has a strictly one-date rule, survives on caffeine and runs one of the biggest model agencies from her smart office in London. That is, until she collapses one day at work and the doctor orders her to take some R&R in the country… Sarah is used to being stuck behind tractors and the slow pace of her cosy village life. But now her children are all grown-up (and her ex-husband long forgotten) she’s ready to change things up a bit – starting with taking back her old job in the city! After a devastating falling out, the sisters haven’t spoken in years. Swapping houses, cars, everything is the only option – surely they’ll be able to avoid bumping into each other? Perfect for fans of Fiona Gibson, Zara Stonely and Christie Barlow. Praise for The Sister Swap: A funny, feel-good read just perfect for the summer! The Sister Swap left me with a warm glow in my heart and a broad smile upon my face. Sarah Bennett, author of Sunrise at Butterfly Cove ‘Perfect for you summer beach bag!’ Pretty Little Book Reviews ‘Funny, uplifting, feel-good and absolutely wonderful. I loved it!’ Karen Whittard (NetGalley reviewer) ‘Such a feel-good book!’ Mary Torjussen (NetGalley reviewer) ‘Excellent!’ Nicola Clough (NetGalley reviewer) ‘I love Fiona Collins books and this one is no exception!’ Claire Ross (NetGalley reviewer) ‘A light-hearted read…this book will make you chuckle.’ Sara Oxton (NetGalley reviewer)

A deliciously charming romance, perfect for fans of Caroline Roberts, Jane Linfoot and Debbie Johnson. From fairy cakes to first dates! Maddie Lamington’s dreams are crumbling around her. If she doesn’t come up with a plan to save her little teashop on Sweet Street soon, it might be too late… So when she sees how the perfect apple crumble brings together her lonely father and faithful customer Birdie, inspiration strikes: she’ll set up a dating night involving all her sweetest bakes. Luckily, seriously gorgeous Caleb is on hand to help sprinkle a little magic – and a lot of sugar! Could one night of scrumptious first dates fix Maddie’s heartbreak and save her beloved teashop, too? Praise for Jennifer Joyce: ‘The perfect chick-lit novel to cosy up with!’ – Pretty Little Books ‘Just magical, the perfect read for Valentine’s Day!’ – Jessica Bell (NetGalley Reviewer) ‘A fascinating tale, I highly recommend this novel to all women, everywhere!’ – Urban Book Reviews ‘A scrumptious, warm, romantic book.’ – Tracey Ford (NetGalley Reviewer)

Escape to Italy this summer with this fabulously feel-good beach read! A summer of second chances… Just a week before her big day, Sarah returns home to find a note from her husband-to-be – the wedding’s off! So when her boss decides to send her on an epic cycling trip, from Venice to Rome, it seems like the perfect distraction… Although she never expected the distraction to come in the form of her oh-so-handsome, but slightly serious, cycling companion, Miles. And with still 600 miles of beautiful scenery, mouthwatering food and delicious wine yet to cover, anything could happen! Perfect for fans of Zara Stoneley, Mandy Baggot and Caroline Roberts. Praise for T. A. Willams: ‘The characters in the story really make it exceptional … Natalie is a brilliant protagonist … and I absolutely adored her journey to self-discovery to find her new identity.’ – BooksandBookends ‘Wow! This is contemporary romance at its best! The writing is exquisite. … And the plot is brilliantly clever, captivating, and delightful with a little bit of drama, love, loss, and of course romance.’ – WhatsBetterThanBooks ‘The characters are all brilliantly written, the storyline flows extremely well throughout, and I loved every bit of it.’ – Fiona Wilson (#10 Goodreads reviewer UK) ‘T. A. Williams has that gorgeous way of writing a feel good story…he’s absolutely backed up that men can write chick-lit.’ ─ Reviewed The Book (Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer)

‘A sumptuous story.’ Rachel’s Random Reads (top 500 Amazon reviewer) Escape to Tuscany this summer with Karen Aldous’s brilliantly uplifting read. A summer she’ll never forget… When Olivia Montague’s grandmother passes away, she decides it’s finally time to make some changes in her own life. So she breaks up with her ‘going nowhere’ boyfriend and embarks on a journey to her Nonna’s home in Tuscany. Until now, Olivia has always believed that she’s incapable of love, after being abandoned by her parents as a baby. But with each day spent at the gorgeous villa nestled in the rolling Italian hills, she feels her heart begin to flutter… And when handsome antiques dealer Hugh St. James arrives on the scene, she realises things might be about to change forever! Perfect for fans of Jules Wake, Erica James and Cathy Kelly. Praise for Karen Aldous: ‘A sumptuous story…what I love about fiction, being able to travel from my armchair!’ Rachel’s Random Reads (top 500 Amazon reviewer) ‘An uplifting story of hope, self-discovery and love, set amid the stunning Italian vineyards.’ Got Books, Babe? ‘A perfect summer read…set in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.’ Rosemary Smith (NetGalley reviewer) ‘Stunning… perfect for reading while on your own Mediterranean break!’ Pretty Purple Polkadots ‘Gloriously escapist, wonderfully entertaining and absolutely impossible to put down! Sure to appeal to fans of Cathy Kelly and Erica James.’ Bookish Jottings ‘Fascinating, heartwarming, engaging, romantic and utterly compelling.’ Sparkly Words

‘Pick up a latte and relax into this cosy read that’s chock-full of surprises!’ - Mandy Baggot Everyone deserves a second chance…don’t they? Jenny Masters finds herself living the modern dream. Wife to a millionaire, living in a mansion and mother to Kardashian-obsessed ten-year-old April, there isn’t anything missing. Until, her whole world comes crashing down, forcing Jenny and April to leave behind their glittering life and start over with nothing. With village gossip following her wherever she goes, she finds refuge and a job in the new coffee shop in town. As the days pass Jenny fears she doesn’t have what it takes to pick herself back up and give April the life she always wanted to. But with the help of enigmatic new boss Noah, and housemate Elle, Jenny realises it’s never too late to become the woman life really intended you to be! What reviewers are saying about The New Beginnings Coffee Club: ‘One of the freshest, captivating, and inspiring contemporary fiction novels that I have read in a very long time’ Books of all Kinds ‘A fantastic, charming story.’ With Love For Books ‘What a great story for your holiday reading, wonderful characters and written superbly by a great author.’ Karen’s World ‘It’s a wonderful, beautiful read.’ Whispering Stories Book Blog ‘What I truly loved about this novel was the sentiment of if you want to change something you can.’ Hayley Reviews

‘A taste of Italy and a summer read you won’t forget!’ Mandy Baggot To Rome…with love? Mary Smith is turning her very ordinary life upside-down! She’s bought herself a one-way ticket to Rome and is ready for a summer she’ll never forget. Men might be off the cards for waitress Mary, but within hours of arriving at the utterly charming family-run La Dolce Vita pizzeria, she’s already fallen in love with the bustling capital! Only Dante Rossi, the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) chef seems displeased with her arrival. And in the heat of the kitchen, it doesn’t take long for long-buried secrets to surface and sparks to fly… A deliciously heartwarming romance to have you dreaming of summer. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Caroline Roberts. Praise for One Summer in Rome: ‘Food, family and a Roman romance – this is the perfect summer read!’ Heidi Swain ‘A book you won’t regret picking up if you love Jenny Colgan or Cathy Bramley’s books!’ Being Unique Books ‘A perfectly uplifting story to enjoy in the sunshine!’ Fraser’s Fun House ‘A charming novel!’ The Library Corner ‘I couldn’t put this book down… A truly beautiful read.’ Nemesis Book Blog ‘Light-hearted and feel-good.’ Pretty Little Book Reviews ‘A lovely and summery read!’ The Cosiest Corner

‘Highly recommend for any cozy mystery fans.’ - Holly (Goodreads) Looking for a new fun cozy crime series? Then spend some time at the coast with Vicky Simmons amateur sleuth! Coming home can be murder Vicky Simmons is looking for the simple life. She’s ready to trade in London for a slower pace by opening a British Country Gift Shop in her old hometown on the coast of Maine. Little does she know a few old faces are back in Glen Cove, including unrequited teenage crush Michael Danning—having taken over the local Gazette and looking better than ever. All is looking rosy until Vicky finds herself face-to-face with a dead body and Michael is the prime suspect. When the sheriff links the motive for murder to the unsolved disappearance of a teenage girl twenty years ago, Vicky must turn amateur sleuth. She’ll stop at nothing to save Michael…and unmask the real killer! The first book in the new Country Gift Shop Cozy Mystery series, look out for book 2: GRAND PRIZE: MURDER! coming soon!

Status Update: I’m going offline for a while… Wish me luck! xx Lifestyle journalist and thirty-something singleton Melissa hashtags, insta's and snapchats her supposedly fabulous life on every social media platform there is. That is until she wakes up on her birthday, another year older and still alone, wondering if for all her internet dates, love really can be found online? The challenge: go technology free for a whole month! Forced to confront the reality of her life without its perfect filters, Melissa knows she needs to make some changes. But when she bumps into not one, but two gorgeous men, without the use of an app, she believes there could be hope for love offline. If only there was a way to choose the right guy for her…

‘A stylish and sophisticated thriller. With bold, clever writing, this is an assured debut and very welcome addition to the genre.’ – Aviva Dautch A teenage girl, missing in Paris. A young woman, searching for her mother. A female PI on a mission. When police drop the case on missing Mathilde Benazet, renegade PI Veronique Cotillard steps in to prove that she can succeed where police inspector Guillaume Leveque failed… Alice Weston’s father had always told her that her mother died in childbirth – but now, Alice has proof that her mother may be alive and living in Paris. When her father dies, Alice decides to take matters into her own hands: it’s time to uncover her family’s long-buried secrets… at any cost. As Alice and Veronique’s lives intertwine, and the city of Paris prepares to celebrate Bastille Day in the shadows of a gathering storm, both women must face the ghosts of their past – and the monsters in the present. What reviewers are saying about THE GIRL IN THE SHADOWS: ‘Fast paced and kept me on my toes. I couldn't wait to read what was going to happen next. Veronique is a strong female detective which is really refreshing.’ – Dash Fan, Blogger ‘This is the kind of book that you desperately hope will have a sequel; all of these characters (especially Veronique, Christophe and Guillaume) have such depth that it would be a shame not to meet them again in the future.’ – Lynne Frappier, NetGalley reviewer ‘Katherine Debona is a fine writer. This book is both well written and plotted.’ – Joyce Fox, NetGalley reviewer ‘A girl is missing in this complex family drama that is both heart wrenching and infuriating … Keep the tissues handy! The writer's style is very readable. I loved this book.’ – Judy Dowell, NetGalley reviewer ‘A complex and intricately woven mystery.’ – Rosemary Smith, NetGalley reviewer ‘Kept me guessing as there were twists and turns galore, with a surprising ending.’ – Philip White, NetGalley reviewer ‘I was drawn in from the onset.’ – Susan Anne Burton, NetGalley reviewer

‘Charming, original and thoroughly enjoyable.’Katie Fforde ‘A little gem. 5*’ Samantha Tonge, bestselling author of The New Beginnings Coffee Club You’re never too old to try something new! When octogenarian Olive Turner is persuaded by her son to move into a retirement home, she congratulates herself on finding the secret to an easy life: no washing up, cooking or cleaning. But Olive isn’t one for mindless bingo with her fellow residents, and before the first day is over she's already hatching a plan to escape back to her beloved beach hut and indulge in her secret passion for a very good gin & tonic. Before long Olive’s secret is out and turning into something wonderful and new. Only a select few are invited, but word spreads quickly about the weekly meetings of The Gin Shack Club. Soon everybody on the beach wants to become a gin connoisseur and join Olive on her journey to never being forced to grow older than you feel. A journey of friendship, defiance and a quest for the perfect G&T.

‘One of the best stories I’ve read in a long time…I can’t wait to read the other two!’ Stacey Rebecca (NetGalley reviewer) Life begins at forty… Trish Ford always dreamed of living in a little chocolate box village like Cornfield – but she never expected to be starting over at forty! Joining the Cotswolds Cookery Club seems like the perfect recipe for finding happiness again, along with her new friends Connie, Melody and Kate. From mouth-watering paella to sweet, honey-drenched pestinos, Trish finds a delicious distraction in the Spanish cuisine whilst doing her best to deal with her stroppy teenage daughter and her cheating ex-husband and his pregnant girlfriend. But it will take all of Trish’s new-found confidence – and maybe a helping of her irresistible leche frita – to risk her heart on hunk single dad Steve… Fans of Milly Johnson, Caroline Roberts and Jill Mansell will love this heartwarming read! The Cotswolds Cookery Club is a story told in three parts. A Taste of Spain is part two.

It’s the trip of a lifetime – with just one catch! Aspiring travel writer Mia Walker dreams of covering dream destinations for a living. So when she’s offered the chance to write a romantic travel piece, taking in turquoise oceans, tropical beaches, and a fairy-tale Scottish wedding, she knows it’s the opportunity she’s been waiting for. It’s the trip of a lifetime… but it comes with a catch. The photographer who’ll be travelling with her is Hunter Scott, who Mia last saw five years ago – when she ended their engagement! Mia knows she’d be mad to say no – even if it does mean traveling the world with the one man she never wanted to see again! But, whether it’s the stunning locations or the wedding on the horizon, Mia soon finds herself wishing she hadn’t cancelled her own engagement after all… If you’re dreaming of sipping cocktails from a pineapple surrounded by palm trees and flamingos don’t miss Maxine Morrey’s gorgeously uplifting summer romance, perfect for fans of Holly Martin and Jo Watson. Previously published as The Christmas Holiday

Become a better web programmer by writing efficient and modular code using ES6 and ES8 About This Book ? Learn to write asynchronous code and improve the readability of your web applications ? Explore advanced concepts such as closures, Proxy, generators, Promise, async functions, and Atomics ? Use different design patterns to create structures to solve common organizational and processing issues Who This Book Is For If you’re a web developer with a basic understanding of JavaScript and wish to learn the latest features of ECMAScript for developing efficient web applications, this book is for you. What You Will Learn ? Organize JavaScript programs across multiple files, using ES modules ? Create and work with promises using the Promise object and methods ? Compose async functions to propagate and handle errors ? Solve organizational and processing issues with structures using design patterns ? Use classes to encapsulate and share behavior ? Orchestrate parallel programs using WebWorkers, SharedMemory, and Atomics ? Use and extend Map, Set, and Symbol to work with user-defined classes and simulate data types ? Explore new array methods to avoid looping with arrays and other collections In Detail ECMAScript Cookbook follows a modular approach with independent recipes covering different feature sets and specifications of ECMAScript to help you become an efficient programmer. This book starts off with organizing your JavaScript applications as well as delivering those applications to modem and legacy systems. You will get acquainted with features of ECMAScript 8 such as async, SharedArrayBuffers, and Atomic operations that enhance asynchronous and parallel operations. In addition to this, this book will introduce you to SharedArrayBuffers, which allow web workers to share data directly, and Atomic operations, which help coordinate behavior across the threads. You will also work with OOP and Collections, followed by new functions and methods on the built-in Object and Array types that make common operations more manageable and less error-prone. You will then see how to easily build more sophisticated and expressive program structures with classes and inheritance. In the end, we will cover Sets, Maps, and Symbols, which are the new types introduced in ECMAScript 6 to add new behaviors and allow you to create simple and powerful modules. By the end of the book, you will be able to produce more efficient, expressive, and simpler programs using the new features of ECMAScript. Style and approach This book will follow a modular approach covering independent recipes on different features of ECMAScript throughout the book.

Optimize the powerful techniques of Java 9 to boost your application's performance About This Book ? Tackle all kinds of performance-related issues and streamline your development ? Dive into the new features of Java 9 ? Implement highly efficient and reliable codes with the help of new APIs of Java ? Embedded with assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book Who This Book Is For This book is targeted at developers who would like to build reliable and high-performance applications with Java. What You Will Learn ? Familiarize with modular development and its impact on performance ? Learn various string-related performance improvements, including compact string and modify string concatenation ? Explore various underlying compiler improvements, such as tiered attribution and Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation ? Learn security manager improvements ? Understand enhancements in graphics rasterizers ? Use of command-line tools to speed up application development ? Learn how to implement multithreading and reactive programming ? Build microservices in Java 9 ? Implement APIs to improve application code In Detail Java 9 which is one of the most popular application development languages. The latest released version Java 9 comes with a host of new features and new APIs with lots of ready to use components to build efficient and scalable applications. Streams, parallel and asynchronous processing, multithreading, JSON support, reactive programming, and microservices comprise the hallmark of modern programming and are now fully integrated into the JDK. This book focuses on providing quick, practical solutions to enhance your application's performance. You will explore the new features, APIs, and various tools added in Java 9 that help to speed up the development process. You will learn about jshell, Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation, and the basic threads related topics including sizing and synchronization. You will also explore various strategies for building microservices including container-less, self-contained, and in-container. This book is ideal for developers who would like to build reliable and high-performance applications with Java. This book is embedded with useful assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book. Style and approach This book is a fast-paced guide that provides practical solutions to enhance your application’s performance. Note: This book is a blend of text and quizzes, all packaged up keeping your journey in mind. It includes content from the following Packt product: ? Java 9 High Performance by Mayur Ramgir and Nick Samoylov

Delve deep into various security aspects of AWS to build and maintain a secured environment About This Book ? Learn to secure your network, infrastructure, data, and applications in AWS cloud ? Use AWS managed security services to automate security ? Dive deep into various aspects such as the security model, compliance, access management and much more to build and maintain a secured environment ? Explore Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and its components ? Embedded with assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book Who This Book Is For This book is for all IT professionals, system administrators, security analysts, solution architects, and chief information security officers who are responsible for securing workloads in AWS for their organizations. What You Will Learn ? Get familiar with VPC components, features, and benefits ? Learn to create and secure your private network in AWS ? Explore encryption and decryption fundamentals ? Understand monitoring, logging, and auditing in AWS ? Ensure data security in AWS ? Secure your web and mobile applications in AWS ? Learn security best practices for IAM, VPC, shared security responsibility model, and so on In Detail With organizations moving their workloads, applications, and infrastructure to the cloud at an unprecedented pace, security of all these resources has been a paradigm shift for all those who are responsible for security; experts, novices, and apprentices alike. This book focuses on using native AWS security features and managed AWS services to help you achieve continuous security. Starting with an introduction to Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to secure your AWS VPC, you will quickly explore various components that make up VPC such as subnets, security groups, various gateways, and many more. You will also learn to protect data in the AWS platform for various AWS services by encrypting and decrypting data in AWS. You will also learn to secure web and mobile applications in AWS cloud. This book is ideal for all IT professionals, system administrators, security analysts, solution architects, and chief information security officers who are responsible for securing workloads in AWS for their organizations. This book is embedded with useful assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book. Style and approach This book follows a practical approach delving into different aspects of AWS security. It focuses on using native AWS security features and managed AWS services to help you achieve continuous security. Note: This book is a blend of text and quizzes, all packaged up keeping your journey in mind. It includes content from the following Packt product: ? Mastering AWS Security by Albert Anthony

Unlock the power of Spring Boot to build and deploy production-ready microservices About This Book ? Get to know the advanced features of Spring Boot in order to develop and monitor applications ? Use Spring cloud to deploy and manage microservices on the cloud ? Look at embedded servers and deploy a test application to a PaaS Cloud platform ? Embedded with assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book Who This Book Is For This book is aimed at Java developers who knows the basics of Spring programming and want to build microservices with Spring Boot. What You Will Learn ? Use Spring Initializr to create a basic spring project ? Build a basic microservice with Spring Boot ? Implement caching and exception handling ? Secure your microservice with Spring security and OAuth2 ? Deploy microservices using self-contained HTTP server ? Monitor your microservices with Spring Boot actuator ? Learn to develop more effectively with developer tools In Detail Microservices helps in decomposing applications into small services and move away from a single monolithic artifact. It helps in building systems that are scalable, flexible, and high resilient. Spring Boot helps in building REST-oriented, production-grade microservices. This book is a quick learning guide on how to build, monitor, and deploy microservices with Spring Boot. You'll be first familiarized with Spring Boot before delving into building microservices. You will learn how to document your microservice with the help of Spring REST docs and Swagger documentation. You will then learn how to secure your microservice with Spring Security and OAuth2. You will deploy your app using a self-contained HTTP server and also learn to monitor a microservice with the help of Spring Boot actuator. This book is ideal for Java developers who knows the basics of Spring programming and want to build microservices with Spring Boot. This book is embedded with useful assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book. Style and approach This book follows a practical approach to teach you how to build, monitor, and deploy microservices with Spring Boot. Note: This book is a blend of text and quizzes, all packaged up keeping your journey in mind. It includes content from the following Packt product: ? Mastering Spring 5.0 by Ranga Rao Karanam

Build smarter and efficient database application systems for your organization with SQL Server 2017 About This Book ? Build database applications by using the development features of SQL Server 2017 ? Work with temporal tables to get information stored in a table at any time ? Use adaptive querying to enhance the performance of your queries Who This Book Is For Database developers and solution architects looking to design efficient database applications using SQL Server 2017 will find this book very useful. In addition, this book will be valuable to advanced analysis practitioners and business intelligence developers. Database consultants dealing with performance tuning will get a lot of useful information from this book as well. Some basic understanding of database concepts and T-SQL is required to get the best out of this book. What You Will Learn ? Explore the new development features introduced in SQL Server 2017 ? Identify opportunities for In-Memory OLTP technology ? Use columnstore indexes to get storage and performance improvements ? Exchange JSON data between applications and SQL Server ? Use the new security features to encrypt or mask the data ? Control the access to the data on the row levels ? Discover the potential of R and Python integration ? Model complex relationships with the graph databases in SQL Server 2017 In Detail Microsoft SQL Server 2017 is the next big step in the data platform history of Microsoft as it brings in the power of R and Python for machine learning and containerization-based deployment on Windows and Linux. Compared to its predecessor, SQL Server 2017 has evolved into Machine Learning with R services for statistical analysis and Python packages for analytical processing. This book prepares you for more advanced topics by starting with a quick introduction to SQL Server 2017’s new features and a recapitulation of the possibilities you may have already explored with previous versions of SQL Server. The next part introduces you to enhancements in the Transact-SQL language and new database engine capabilities and then switches to a completely new technology inside SQL Server: JSON support. We also take a look at the Stretch database, security enhancements, and temporal tables. Furthermore, the book focuses on implementing advanced topics, including Query Store, columnstore indexes, and In-Memory OLTP. Towards the end of the book, you’ll be introduced to R and how to use the R language with Transact-SQL for data exploration and analysis. You’ll also learn to integrate Python code in SQL Server and graph database implementations along with deployment options on Linux and SQL Server in containers for development and testing. By the end of this book, you will have the required information to design efficient, high-performance database applications without any hassle. Style and approach This book is a detailed guide to mastering the development features offered by SQL Server 2017, with a unique learn-as-you-do approach. All the concepts are explained in a very easy-to-understand manner and are supplemented with examples to ensure that you—the developer—are able to take that next step in building more powerful, robust applications for your organization with ease.