Carrots

Shelby Nichols Adventures, Book 1

By: Colleen Helme

Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

A mind-reader, a mob-boss, and a hit-man. What could go wrong? More fun than you can imagine!

"One of the best and rarest gems of the indie book market." (Matthew LeDrew)

Stopping at the grocery store for carrots shouldn't be dangerous, but for Shelby Nichols, it changes her life forever. During a bank robbery, she is caught in the cross-fire and grazed by a bullet to the head, leaving her with the ability to read minds.

Not only is she hearing what everyone thinks about her, but the gunman who shot her is out to silence her forever. In her fight to stay alive she is saved from certain death by a handsome hit-man with ties to organized crime.

This pulls Shelby even deeper into danger, where knowing someone's thoughts can not only hurt her feelings, but get her killed.

USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling author Colleen Helme offers a clever mix of mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and pause-resisting adventure in the highly acclaimed Shelby Nichols Adventure Series.

©2011 Colleen Helme (P)2013 Colleen Helme

I loved every aspect of it!

A housewife with 2 children ages 12 and 14 and a lawyer husband decides to stop by the grocery store in a rainstorm to pick up carrots. While waiting in the checkout line she hears a gunshot and she freezes. The bank in the store is being robbed and the gunman who has already shot a man shoots at her grazing her scalp taking some skin. The woman, Shelby Nichols, is taken to the emergency room for stitches. She soon realizes she can hear what other people are thinking.

Shelby's new talent gets her into a lot of trouble/interesting situations. This delightful police procedural is not realistic, but it is interesting and fun I enjoyed every minute of this novel and I highly recommend it. It is the first novel by Colleen Helme to which I have listened; it will not be the last. It is also the first time I've heard Wendy Tremont King narrate; she is outstanding.

Absurd. Unintelligent protagonist.

it was really difficult to believe that someone armed with so much additional information could continuously make poor decisions and exhibit a total lack of self-control

A Bunch if Carrots to Change your life!

I loved this story right out of the gate! The fact that it was an audio, that much better. Shelby is a fun character, that many of us could call a friend! Loved that she enjoyed diet coke versus the usual coffee drinkers!

The supporting characters, Ramos, Chris, Uncle Joey, And even Kate, were fun characters.

Colleen did a wonderful job, developing these characters, and the story was interesting and filled with action to keep the reader reading, or listening in my case!

I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series to see what trouble Shelby can get into next!

Definitely recommend! I received this audio book as a gift from attending the Facebook party of the 12 Days of Christmas which Colleen Helme is participating in!

Great start to a promising series

This is a really interesting read, I was not one hundred percent sure about it at first. I went into it a little blind, thinking it looked like an intriguing mystery with a slight twist. Shelby is kind of a stay at home mom version of Stephanie Plum or Kathleen Turner. She is the least likely detective candidate, a touch naive and quirky.

After an accident gives her the ability to read minds she gets into all sorts of trouble. She does tend to speak before thinking, which enables her to fall into bad situations. She is generally very likable and in a stable relationship with a really understanding husband. I had concerns about her lack of sharing with him, open communication would have gone along way in avoiding much of the trouble. But then there would be no real book, so it did serve a purpose.

The story is not overly complicated, I caught on to who-dun-it pretty quickly. While it was a touch predictable it was still an enjoyable read.

The whole book is from Shelby's POV, which is slightly limited, except for the times she used her gift. This really opens up the other characters, it gives insights into their motivations. The mind reading is a clever device, not an ability I would want, she definitely needs to work on those shields. It would help with her marriage, hubby is not loving the intrusion.

It is refreshing to see a married couple who really is in love, no cheating or faking affection. You get a real sense that Chris and Shelby are truly in love, after 14 years of marriage that is great to read. I was thrilled to see the author did not make it one of those books where the woman finds out her personal life is a wreck.

The pace of the story steady, not a fast paced read but not a drag either. The narrator for the audiobook, Wendy Tremont King does a great job of keeping the story moving. She has a really appealing tone that instills energy into the story. Her voice makes Shelby seem real and less of a flake, she manages to make her sincere and sweet. While her male voices are not very deep, they are distinct and separate from the females. It is also easy to tell the difference when she is thinking and speaking. The narrator also has an added challenge of making it clear when she is hearing thoughts rather than people speaking to her. Ms King is a real compliment to the book, I am not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I were reading it on my own.

I was kind of put off with the very end of the book. I suspect the choices she made will come back to bit her in the butt. Time will only tell, I a can not wait to jump into the next book. Both the author and the narrator are new to me, and I am eager to see more of both.

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

3 and a half stars - Total cotton candy

What did you like best about Carrots? What did you like least?

If books were food, this one is cotton candy. It's easy to read, enjoyable, forgettable and completely devoid of any healthy calories (keeping with the analogy).

Definitely has a female target audience but I zipped through it and didn't mind it. I don't regret the read but I won't be reading book 2.

I am loving this character..

I accidentally read the 16th book in this series and wanted to go back to the beginning and start it from book 1.. so far so good book 2 here I come.. !

Beach Read

Not as funny as Scarecrow and Mrs. King, not as clever as Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando in The Freshman. Still not badly written, just kind of silly. Narrator did a great job.

To Carrot or Not to Carrot

This was such a fun book to listen to. The characters are all very vivid and well spoken. You can’t help but like every single character that comes along in this book the fun part is you have more than one mystery to solve, and it was fun doing it. Enjoy.

Narrator too whiny... slow and meek.

What did you like best about Carrots? What did you like least?

The story is a light, but good read. The narrator pulled it down... it could have been a lot better listen.

Would you be willing to try another book from Colleen Helme? Why or why not?

Yes

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Wendy Tremont King?

Lorelei King, Therese Plummer... someone with more pep, and a difference in men and women voices.

Did Carrots inspire you to do anything?

maybe pay more attention to body language

Light and entertaining

What did you like best about Carrots? What did you like least?

It was light, easy to follow, uncomplicated. It didn't require too much from the listener/reader. This is the perfect book to listen to when you need a break from more intense reading material.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, I think if this were a movie, they'd have to make more oriented towards young adults, like a spin off of "Veronica Mars".