Laced in Lies

Publisher's Summary

Book 10 in the Shelby Nichols Adventure Series

Meet Shelby Nichols, mind reader extraordinaire.

A typical day in the life of Shelby Nichols involves cheating husbands, solving the hardest cases for the police, and working for a big time mob-boss, all because of her little secret that she can read minds. It can get complicated, especially considering she has a husband and two kids.

Ramos, Uncle Joey's hit man, is reluctant to involve Shelby when an acquaintance from his past comes into town. Uncle Joey has a favor to ask Shelby which involves heading to New York City and meeting his estranged relatives. Then there's Dimples, a police detective, who needs her help finding the person behind a deadly new drug.

It's no wonder Shelby has a hard time keeping everything straight. But the worst is deciding how to explain her crazy, mixed-up life to her kids. So far, her explanations have all been laced in lies, and she worries that if the truth ever comes out, they will never trust her again.

Of course, none of that matters if she doesn't escape the deadly enemy that takes her by surprise. Facing death has a way of putting things into perspective, if only she can stay alive long enough to appreciate it...

©2017 Colleen Helme (P)2017 Colleen Helme

This series starts great and then gets better!

I've listened to all 10 Shelby Nichols Adventures novels in order during recent weeks and am now sad there likely not be another for at least 6 months. The combination of suspense, comedy, and the mildly paranormal (mind reading) along with a wonderful protagonist and supporting characters make this an interesting and fun series. Both author Colleen Helme and narrator Wendy Tremont King do a superb job of bringing Shelby Nichols to life. Volume 1 on the series, titled Carrots, should be listened to first.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

More Heartfelt

Even though there were a few plot holes the overall story was sweat and very emotional. I would love to see Ramos have a love interest in the next book. Maybe even a spin off book series about him!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Another winner!

This series never disappoints. Great story, and I especially love this book because it felt like a good long visit with old friends. If you haven't read any of the earlier books in the series, don't start with this one. Start with "Carrots" and work up to this one. The books stand alone, but there is some story line crossover. To get full enjoyment potential you must begin at the beginning!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Completely hooked

Loved it. completely hooked on this series and can't wait for the next book. Ramos rocks!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent !!

Love this series, can't wait for the next one !! Full of adventure, humor and just great story telling !!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Being family means something.

What did you like best about this story?

Being part of the family with Uncle Joey is growing to a new level for Shelby with her husband and kids. All starting with the family barbecue that they agreed to when at Miguel's musical. Things have really grown with Uncle Joey personally. This leads us to get to spend time with Miguel, which is really nice. The family feel really comes through strong. There are ties that are reconnected and ties that grow to bring a big family feel to the whole story.

Colleen is amazing at writing the characters so I love them and I'm drawn into every moment with them. There is something with each scene that keeps me listening to the words. Shelby has amazing chemistry with everyone she meets. Awesome job!

What does Wendy Tremont King bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Wow. Wendy is one amazing voice actor. She gives Shelby the full feel of a person. I love the lightness to Shelby yet the complete package that she's well aware of what's happening around her is not good (when in trouble). When Wendy slips into Shelby's persona I feel like I'm watching Shelby as she goes through her day and stumbles into troubles. A wonderful combination of Colleen's writing and Wendy's voice makes me giggle in the right moments and feel the excitement in Shelby. Wonderful job.

Any additional comments?

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Shelby is amazing at getting into trouble. But the best part is, even through she's nervous, she works her way out with quick thoughts. She does have a small consulting business of her own and helps with the cops on special cases, and these sometimes cross into the life that's including Uncle Joey. But if Shelby ever gets in trouble she can call on Ramos for help, and she does.

Goodness! Ramos. He's amazing. If you love dark, sexy men you'll love Ramos. I love the time Shelby and him spend together. They tease each other so well, and mean some of what they say. lol. Harmless flirting...maybe? Sometimes I wonder if Ramos doesn't have his own dose of reading minds ability. He's great at knowing and reading people, and finding them in a crowd. He even makes me smile when that all is focused on Shelby. Oh, Shelby is amazing with her husband too. He's different from Ramos, yet just as sexy. I really love both men when Shelby is with them.

I absolutely love these books and will continue with Shelby and all the characters as long as there are books written!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Another Great Adventure for Shelby

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Most definitely! I actually recommend the whole series and to begin with the first book, Carrots, for the best experience.

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed how this book shares a lot more of Ramos' backstory and how it expanded the circle of family (real and not).

What does Wendy Tremont King bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Wendy Tremont King is wonderful. I could (and actually have while medically recovering) listen to her all day long. I have a few favorite narrators and she quickly rose to the top.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not as much as in a few of the previous books, but I did appreciate some of these story lines in this particular book more than in some others since it added a lot to the world of Shelby, Ramos, and Uncle Joey. The backstory of Ramos that is shared, the outcome, and the repercussions of events in his story were the most emotional to me. I truly want some love and happiness to come to Ramos really soon!

Any additional comments?

Other than the underlying formula used throughout this series of Shelby being asked to help, then getting into some major trouble, and finally being saved by Ramos (but all in a variety of ways/scenarios that I appreciate)... this book breaks away from that in both of the main story lines in this book for awhile and expands the character development quite a lot. This slowed it down a bit for me, but I was then rewarded with more "meat" to my current favorite series.I received a copy of this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review. I have, however, purchased the previous 9 audiobooks as well as the first book also in Kindle form. I am definitely looking forward to book 11. I cannot wait to see where this story goes from here.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Love me some Shelby!!!

Where does Laced in Lies rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

That might be unfair to some audios as this is one of my favorite series so they always rank pretty high. :)

Who was your favorite character and why?

Shelby of course but Ramos is a close second. :)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I could just sit and listen to a book all day this would definitely be one!

Any additional comments?

I am huge fan of this series and the author does such a great job. I don't think I have been disappointed with any in this series so far. I love the characters and the continuing story arc between all the books with Shelby working for Uncle Joey (mob), Dimples (police) and her own consultant agency. I do think it's all starting to catch up with her though as her kids are getting old enough to figure out who Uncle Joey is, they know the didn't have an Uncle Joey before and Shelby is getting tired of lying to them.

I liked that we get a little bit of past information about Ramos as an old girlfriend's brother is in town and Ramos is sure it's just plain trouble. He doesn't want to ask Shelby for help but she gets involved anyway. :)

I love all the characters from the good guys (Shelby, her family, the police) to the not so good guys (Uncle Joey, Ramos, etc) although it's hard to not let Uncle Joey and especially Ramos to grow on you...lol.

Great book, fantastic series and if you haven't tried it you should!!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wendy Tremont King was awesome!

What did you love best about Laced in Lies?

Meeting New Family in NYC, Miguel's audition for Aladdin.

What did you like best about this story?

I love that when people meet Shelby, like big Kahuna, they like her and do not want to hurt her.

Which character – as performed by Wendy Tremont King – was your favorite?

Shelby - Wendy is a true Shelby!

Any additional comments?

Miguel's audition for Aladdin - wish we could here the singing in an audible book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good Read

It's such a great book. Shelby is so loveable. I can't wait for the next book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful