Category: iRead tour

November 3, 2015

Murder on Safari by Peter Riva

In Murder on Safari, it is up to a reality TV producer and an expert safari guide to stop a terrorist attack.

About Murder on Safari

Every adventure starts at the fringes of civilization. For expert safari guide Mbuno and wildlife television producer Pero Baltazar, filming in the wild of East Africa should have been a return to the adventure they always loved. This time they’d be filming soaring vultures in northern Kenya and giant sea crocodiles in Tanzania with Mary, the daughter of the world’s top television evangelist, the very reverend Jimmy Threte.

But when a terrorist cell places them in the crosshairs, there is suddenly no escape and they must put their filming aside and combine all their talents to thwart an all-out al-Shabaab terrorist attack on Jimmy Threte’s Christian gathering of hundreds of thousands in Nairobi, Kenya.

My Thoughts

Murder on Safari is an intense, action full novel that demands your full attention. Peter incorporates the language of the African countries they travel through (with some explanation to the terms so you just have to pay a little bit more attention to the first time the words are used but it doesn’t take away from the story). I loved how action packed the entire novel was from start to finish as they traveled East Africa and explored the wilds while trying to escape terrorists. There was never a really dull moment.

Despite the action packed adventure in the story, there was just as interesting story line playing out behind the scenes in our main characters of Pero and Mary. Pero has lost someone close to him and it is this loss which helps him on this mission. Mary is the glue that holds the story together, a very important part of the novel and how the story unwinds.

Murder on Safari was a fantastic read from start to finish, that readers will not want to put down.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Chapters.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Peter Riva spent many months over thirty years in Africa, many of them with the legendary guides for East African white hunters and adventurers. He created a TV series (seventy-eight 1-hour episodes) in 1995 called WildThings for Paramount TV. Passing on the fables, true tales and insider knowledge of these last reserves of true wildlife is a passion.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

January 13, 2015

The Metabolism Solution Review & Giveaway

A sluggish metabolism can hinder weight loss and fitness goals. After years of research Lisa Lynn has developed an approach to eating and exercising to help maximize your metabolism in order to reach your weight loss goals.

About The Metabolism Solution

You might be thinking – not another weight loss plan! But here is the main difference between The Metabolism Solution and other weight loss solutions: Lisa Lynn focuses on the body and what we are consuming to help with weight loss. Lisa has studied and examined how to increase our own body’s natural metabolism to speed up our weight loss and fitness goals. Lisa also teaches us how to work out (yup there is a science behind exercise!) and how to use this to help you reach your goals. Lisa also includes some delicious recipes at the end of her book to help guide you in meal planning and eventually developing your own recipes. The Metabolism Solution is the perfect road map to transform your whole life.

About Lisa Lynn

Lisa Lynn is a celebrity fitness and nutrition expert who has dedicated three decades of her career to personal training, metabolic weight loss and performance nutrition. Coupled with her experience in fitness and nutrition she has earned four certificates from the International Sports and Sciences Association’s Professional Division.

Her research in metabolic boosting and performance nutrition has resulted in the development of her Leaner Lifestyle DVD series that help promote healthy fat loss by boosting stubborn metabolisms.

My Thoughts

I have been dedicating the last several months to healthier eating and (trying) to stick with my workouts. I have not always been faithful (hang head in shame!) and at times I have felt just like giving up. Mostly because I can not get my food and exercise to work for me. I am having a hard time revving up my metabolism and ensuring that I am reaching maximum results or any results to be very honest. This book was delivered at a perfect time for me.

Lisa devotes several of the chapters examining and explaining the how to and why’s of diet and exercise. Even with my own educational background I found I definitely needed this refresher to help open my eyes. While some of the advice will be hard to follow – cutting out the amount of red meat, fruits and adding in all the extra vegetables (which will definitely explain the weight loss achieved) a lot of it is good healthy advice that we should be incorporating into our daily lives.

Lisa also includes a fantastic set of recipes at the back of the book divided up into categories with some pretty fantastic and delicious sounding names. Each recipe was easy to follow with minimal steps to take to prepare the recipe. Which makes sense as the healthiest meals for us are the simplest ones with minimal ingredients. I found that it may be hard to stick to the increased vegetables with minimal fruits (she suggest one a day) as I love my fruits.

I really like the way Lisa writes. You feel like you are having a conversation with her and she has been there. Any excuses you may have she already knows and has the answer for you. She gets straight to the point and explains the theories she presents in an easy manner.

Overall, The Metabolism Solution, is a very helpful tool to aid in weight loss and if you can stick to Lisa’s suggestion you will be on your way to weight loss in no time! If you are like me and have a harder time you can adapt her concept to better suit your goals and have the benefits of eating healthy and losing weight (just slower than others may).

Rating: 4/5

Giveaway Time!
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Disclosure: I received a copy of the Metabolism Solution in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 15, 2014

Little Things Long Remembered by Susan Newman #review #giveaway

Little Things Long Remembered is a fantastic guide to help us re-connect with our children in this digital age. Susan gives us helpful tips and ideas on how to speak and play with our children.

About Little Things Long Remembered

As our digital devices take over the family life in subtle ways, what will happen to child development and family bonding when children spend more time with screens than they do at school or with their parents?

Life is constantly moving at a hectic pace. This reality places a high premium on finding family time. Little Things Long Remembered: Making Your Children Feel Special Every Day is updated for today’s digitally drive and time strapped families. It offers hundreds of easy ways to create memories and rituals that your children will remember fondly.

Consider this book as a personal think tank for being a standout parent and a starting point to spark ideas for family time. When a parent feels out of touch with their child, Little Things Long Remembered is the go to resource full of ways to bring families closer while making use of limited time. It is possibly to stay involved no matter how busy you are.

Childhood is an adventure and a journey to be joined by parents whenever possible. Small parcels of time well used assure stellar memories and ultimately these memories and traditions are the backbone of family unity. They are the glue that holds family together. In these short intervals you give a child a clear sense of security and attachment to yourself, the family unit and the larger family.

The book hinges on the ten cardinal rules designed to help parents let go of work or social obligations and commit to spending time with their children. These rules include:

At home focus as much as possible on your children.
Put away electronic devices so you can really ‘be’ with them
Choose activities you like, children can tell when you are not having fun and are faking it.

Little Things Long Remembered is designed to help maximize parents and children’s time, slow down to grab pockets of time – even if it is just a few minutes here and there.

Readers are encouraged to pick and choose to match their needs and the needs of their children’s ages and personalities. The time you spend with your children and what readers choose to embrace from within these pages will become as memorable and meaningful to parents as they will be to their child.

My Thoughts

We all want to be the best parent for our children. We want them to know we love them, we are proud of them and believe in them. Many of us have read countless books in preparation for our child’s birth and continue to read books to help us through the various stages of childhood. I am constantly trying to learn new techniques on parenting to help guide me with my own children.

What I loved the most about Little Things Long Remembered was how Susan offers quick and simple activities to do with your children. It is easy to quickly glance through to find the activities you would like to do with your child without finding the guide boring or too intimidating to want to read. The ideas and examples that Susan offers are relevant and easy to accomplish while suiting all parenting styles. The book is also the perfect size, smaller then your regular novel but slightly bigger then a pocket sized guide.

We have already used so many of her suggestions and activities which our kids love (boys and special kisses and signs – they love it!). This is definitely a parenting book you will cherish for a long time.

About the Author

Susan Newman, a social psychologist, specializes in child development and family dynamics. She has been named one of the 100 Top Psychologists to Follow on Twitter, as well as one of 25 Parenting Educators to follow. She has been blogging for Psychology Today magazine about parenting and issues related to raising children for over six years: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/singletons.

She has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, MSN BC, and her work has been feature on NPR and major leading newspapers and magazines.

Rating: 5/5 ++

The giveaway!

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Make sure to connect with Susan on Twitter and Facebook!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 8, 2014

The Metabolism Solution: Spotlight Tour #giveaway

Ready to lose weight and get healthy? Get ready for The Metabolism Solution from Lisa Lynn!

About The Metabolism Solution

Have you tried many weight loss plans? Or perhaps you have tried to eat right but keep giving up because of lack of results? The Metabolism Solution will help you with your weight loss goals by making it easier and quicker.

What makes The Metabolism Solution different? It will teach you how to safely harness the power of your metabolism to lose weight and help fight the stomach bulge. You will learn the right way to work out to boost your metabolism (yes there is a right way to work out!) and you should be able to see results the first few days after your first 30 minute work out!. You will learn how to address your weight loss and fitness issues from the inside out thus allowing you to focus on what created the weight gain in the beginning and how to correct those issues. Do you love delicious food? You will adore Lisa Lynn’s hundred irresistibly delicious fat blasting recipes. The Metabolism Solution is the perfect road map for not only transforming your body but changing your whole life.

About Lisa Lynn

Celebrity fitness and nutrition expert, Lisa Lynn, has devoted nearly three decades of her career to personal training, specialising in metabolic weight loss and performance nutrition. Couple with her experience in the field of fitness and nutrition she has earned four educational certificates from the International Sports and Sciences Association’s Professional Division including: Certified Fitness Trainer, Specialist in Performance Nutrition, Fitness Therapy and Elite Trainer.

Lynn’s years of research in metabolic boosting and performance nutrition resulted in the development of her Leaner Lifestyle DVD series, specifically designed to promote healthy fat loss by boosting the most sluggish and stubborn metabolisms. She is best known for her thirteen years as Martha Stewart’s personal trainer who has said, “Lisa is the only trainer that made a difference”. Lynn is also a regular go to nutrition and fitness expert on the Dr. Oz Show, appearing in two of his highest rated episodes. Major media outlets frequently call upon her for her expertise in fitness and nutrition. Lynn maintains a diverse portfolio of clientele including professional bodybuilder, models, actors, CEOs and people throughout the country.

Lisa just released her award winning book The Metabolism Solution that has helped thousands of people lose weight and reach their fitness goals. The Metabolism Solution is available at: www.lynfit.com.

In support of the spotlight tour, one US reader will win the LynFit trio along with a copy of The Metabolism Solution. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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Check out the trailer for The Metabolism Solution below.

Disclosure: I will be receiving a free copy of The Metabolism Solution in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 2, 2014

The Publicist Book One by Christina George #AudioBook #review #giveaway

A young, independent woman trying to find her way in the publishing world in New York. The Publicist Book One by Christina George in audio book format has it all: adventure, finding oneself and a forbidden love.

About the Book

There is always more to every story.

A young woman wants to change the age old institution of publishing. Will she succeed? Maybe not but Kate sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system – books that don’t always sell and author egos that are often as big as the island of Manhattan!

Enter the star Editor, MacDermott Ellis. MacDermott is tall, handsome, charismatic as well as married. He is always ready to save the day. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be leading her decisions. Then there is Allan Lavigne, once a revered author, now as forgotten as yesterday’s news and his nephew Nick, who wants to sweep Kate away from New York for another coast, California.

As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, the over the top author expectations and the careful dance of, “I’m sorry your book isn’t on the bestseller list this week”, she also finds authors who are painfully overlooked by a publisher wanting more celebrities and more scandal.

My Thoughts

This was my very first audio book (no lie – my Dad is a huge fan of them but I have never listened to one before) so I was super excited to wind down each night with this book.

When I first saw the novel I thought it would be solely a romantic novel but I was pleasantly surprised. While there was a strong focus on the sparks between MacDermott and Kate, we are able to see into Kate’s life as a young publicist trying to make a difference in the world. She is like any other young woman trying to find her place in the world – she struggles, she loves and she cares for those around her. Sometimes it is her caring heart that causes her to be hurt in turn.

I loved the audio book format of this book – the narrator was excellent truly bringing each character to life. It was so easy to fall into the story this way – I was able to close my eyes, lay back and let her bring them to life. This is definitely one book that will not disappoint!

About the Author

Christina George has worked in publishing for twenty years (give or take). Here’s what this book isn’t. It’s not a slam against publishing (though it is broken) and it’s not a slam against authors (though some of them are crazy). This book is not autobiographical though many of the stories are true. No you won’t know which ones, cause it’s more fun to guess, right? George continues to work in publicity and helps authors because at the end of the day she does love books, she loves publishing, and she loves authors. She hopes you’ll enjoy this romp through Kate’s world as much as she enjoyed creating it.

Rating: 5/5

Make sure to follow Christina on Twitter and Facebook.

Giveaway Time! Enter below to win your own spa basket or Amazon gift card!

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Disclosure: I received an audio book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.