Thursday, October 31, 2013

Book Review: Not For Profit by Glenn Shepard, MD




 

A prominent surgeon accused of murder and terrorism ...

A corrupt healthcare administrator hell-bent on bloody revenge...

A mysterious seductress whose secrets could free the doctor and kill thousands ...

A terrorist cell with missiles aimed at a leading hospital in America’s Bible Belt ...

Not for Profit takes you on an action-packed thrill ride that will have you questioning suspects, motives, and outcomes until the very last page.

Renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Scott James is charged with murder after two bodies are found at his surgery center. Just weeks before the start of his capital murder trial, Dr. James is approached by a beautiful woman claiming she can help him gain information that would prove his innocence.

As James hunts down the evidence that might free him, he faces a barrage of threats to his life and liberty—and makes one chilling discovery after another: Corporate corruption. A conspiracy to frame him for murder and for terrorist acts. A secret drone-control operation that takes out targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The true identity and intent of his beautiful ally. And a plot to blow up the local hospital and surrounding community.

Buy the book from......
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

My personal review:

I really enjoyed this book, although it was difficult to keep up with at the beginning. It bounced back and forth between Dr. James, Alpha Charlie (an incredibly accurate drone operator) and terrorists and I struggled to keep up with everyone. But partway through the book everything merged together well and Dr. Shepard's writing really shone. The plot twists will definitely keep you on your toes, literally to the very last page! You'll love some characters, hate some and be completely befuddled by others.

*Please note, this book contains graphic violence and sex. Since it deals with terrorist acts the scenes go along with the plot line, but it may be too graphic for some people.

Dr. Glenn Shepard was raised on a farm in eastern Virginia. He attended the University of Virginia on an academic scholarship and majored in psychology. As an undergraduate, he lettered in wrestling for three years in a row. Then, he went on to become the only person in UVA history to letter in wrestling again in his sophomore year in medical school.

After completion of med school at UVA, he went to Vanderbilt where he completed his residency in general and cardiovascular surgery. He spent two years in the Army at the Ft. Gordon Army Hospital in Augusta, Georgia and The Second Surgical Hospital in An Khe, Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he wrote his first work of fiction, SURGE, which is on his back burner of works to dig out of the attic and publish, with major revisions, in the future.

For 28 years, he founded and directed The Peninsula Cranio-Facial deformities clinic that was staffed by volunteer medical, dental, social services, psychology, and speech pathology experts. The group treated over five hundred patients with cleft lips and palates, as well as a variety of deformities of the face and hand.

After the massive earthquake in Haiti in January, 2010, Dr. Shepard emerged from retirement and joined the Notre Dame Hospital unit in Leogane, Haiti for a 10 day rotation. His empathy for the people and their problems as well as his admiration for the contributions of time and talent from medical personnel from all over the world greatly inspired his second novel, RELIEF AID, HAITI.

NOT FOR PROFIT, Dr. Shepard's first thriller.

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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers and $50 Walmart GC Giveaway






With the kids back in school it's always a struggle to make sure their lunches and snacks are healthy. A lot of their favorite fruits don't deal well in lunchboxes (at least the way my kids apparently handle their lunches!) We've had blackened bananas, smooshed strawberries, bruised apples, just about every fruit catastrophe a lunchbox can manage!

So I was very excited when I was contacted to try Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers. We've tried a couple squeezable fruit pouches in the past and the kids are kind of picky about what they'll eat.

When my Del Monte box came in the mail the kids were completely thrilled, especially since it was HUGE!

It looked like a monster case of fruit, even with loose "boards" that showed fruit peeking through!

Inside was one of each of the new Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers. The flavors are:

  • Apple Cinnamon
  • Mixed Berry
  • Strawberry
  • Blueberry
  • Peach-Mango
The Apple Cinnamon, Mixed Berry and Strawberry are Simply Fruit, and the Blueberry and Peach-Mango are Fruit + Veggies! That way if you have a picky eater you can get some extra veggies into them without them knowing. Plus they have 1 1/2 servings of fruit/fruits and veggies in each pouch. They have vitamins A and C, no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup. AND they're made in the USA! I love that!

I tried to get pics of us eating them, but they were sucked down before I had a chance. Luckily I snagged the Mixed Berry, because it's delicious. We've already had to acquire more for our household. You can find them at your neighborhood Walmart.

Want more info? Try Del Monte's website, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Want to try it for yourself? Del Monte is giving away a $50 gift card to Walmart for one of my readers!

The Del Monte products, information,  gift pack, and gift card have been provided by Del Monte.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Vtech InnoTab 3S Review and Giveaway





I was recently offered the opportunity to try the Vtech InnoTab 3S for our youngest, and it's become the new favorite electronic device in our house!

The box came in the mail and I had to hide it until after Scooter went to bed, so I'd have a chance to set it up in peace! Luckily it is super easy to set up, so I spent longer taking photos than I did getting it ready for her.

Here's a picture of everything in the box, the InnoTab 3S, directions and cd, USB cord, charging cord, game cartridge, 2 styluses (styli, however you say it), a string to attach the stylus to the InnoTab, and rechargeable batteries (which is one of the most useful features of this tab!)

My favorite things about the InnoTab 3S:

  • It's rechargeable. Seriously, all kids' electronics should be!
  • WiFi. Originally I thought it would be useless for us, since it's for our 3 year old, but we've used it quite a bit due to the next 2 items:
  • VTech Kid Connect. An app that lets kids send texts and stickers to their parents' smart phones through an app or sending them to another InnoTab 3S. Even better, YOU set up who your child is allowed to text with, so it's completely safe!
  • Kid Safe Browsing. VTech has allowed specific age-appropriate websites , and you can approve additional websites, again so it's safe.
  • The memory is expandable with an SD card! You're not limited to the size you buy :-)
  • Apps are reasonably priced. Your receive a free app download when you first set it up, and I was shocked that I had over 170 apps to choose from! Not just one or two! Once you start paying for apps they're extremely affordable, lots around $3.99!
Want more info? Check out their website here and see for yourself. They retail for less than $100, and are appropriate for ages 3-9 (although my 10 year old enjoys it too!)

Here's a video from TimeToPlayMag.com showing the InnoTab 3S features:


Want to win one for yourself? VTech has offered one of my readers the same awesome system that I received! Enter on the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends 10/21 at 11:59pm ET.

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