Audio Book Review: Carrots

Carrots

By:  Colleen Helme

Publish Date:  February 23, 2011, Audiobook Release May 23, 2013

Format:  Audiobook - 8 hrs 39 mins
Narrated By:  Wendy Tremont King

Genre:  Thriller, Cozy Mystery

Series:  1st in Shelby Nichols Adventures series; Book 8 ~ Devious Minds

First Impression:  Shelby can now hear thoughts, and it gets her involved in more adventures than she ever imagined!

Synopsis:
Shelby Nichols is an average woman who is married to the only guy she ever fell for. Her life is organized and predictable, revolving around her husband and two children. All that changes the day she stops at the grocery store for some carrots. As the cashier rings up her purchases, a gunman is busy robbing the bank inside the store. When a customer grabs the robber's mask, he is shot and everyone runs for cover. Everyone except Shelby, who finds herself face to face with the killer. The next thing she knows, she's lying on the floor with a bullet wound to her head. Luckily, the bullet only grazes her scalp, and she doesn't suspect any lasting affects until later, when she suddenly 'hears' what people are thinking. With this uncanny ability, her life takes on a whole new dimension. Her kids think she's bossy and too old to understand them, but that's nothing compared to her husband. He says he loves her, but what is it about the redhead at work that he doesn't want her to know? As if that isn't enough, the gunman knows she can identify him, and he's 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.

First Sentence:
My life changed that day because I didn't have any carrots.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles  /  Book Depository

Audible

My Thoughts and Summary:
*I requested this book from the author or narrator for an honest review.

Stopping at the grocery store to pick up carrots for dinner, Shelby's world changes. A bank robbery is in process at the bank inside and when the guy turns, Shelby is standing there. She sees him fully, and he shots her. The graze of the bullet to her head leaves an affect that Shelby never expected. She can hear other people's thoughts. Everyone knows her name as the news put it and her picture in the paper. And the gunmen is still at large. When Shelby meets her husbands new co-worker, Shelby's determination to keep the woman away from Chris she makes a comment about Kate's Uncle Joey. This comment drags Shelby into a life of crime she doesn't want to be involved in.

Wendy has embodied Shelby to the fullest in her narration! I believe she is Shelby Nichols as she talks, sounding like she's living the moments. Wendy may not do completely different voices in pitch and sound, but she brings each characters personality to live in her voice and they do sound different. They do have different cadences to fit the moment and each individual. Listening to Wendy, I don't think there is anyone else that could bring Shelby to life as she does.

Hearing peoples thoughts. Could you handle it? And hearing what they really think of you? Shelby has that awakening in her. Now she worries about hearing what her husband thinks, especially since they hadn't been spending much time together with his work at the law firm. Is she boring? Then there's her kids, teenagers...

Oh the thoughts that Shelby hears from a few others. The ones on the young girl that's drooling over her husband... Yeah. I'd knock her out. Shelby is so well reserved to handle her. But I do worry about Shelby and Chris's relationship in this book. Not because of a possible other woman but because of the thought reading aspect. There is love between them but the thought reading is a lot to take in and know your wife could be reading your thoughts. Also, they sound a little strained as a couple with the long hours he works and her doing for the kids. At times I think this thought reading could help bring them closer again, but not sure. I even started hoping they could work through the changes in their lives because they have a true love to them.

How Shelby comes to meet Uncle Joey is a great tie-in here. Just the chances of it all. Someone in "Uncle Joey's" position would definitely be connected on all ends, including with a lawyer. And Shelby reading thoughts, well she's going to learn things she probably shouldn't know. lol.

Her life really does change. She offers to help her husband with his clients and cases. But also helps police with tips on another at station, that turn out well and Detective Harris (Dimples) asks her to help from time to time. But the biggest thing is working with Uncle Joey. All the new work as a consultant with her thought reading ability. We get the solution to the robbery/shooting but it brings Shelby into other issues to work through as well.

Is it terrible that I love the "hired" gun that is Uncle Joey's man? I really do. The more time Shelby spent with him, the more I liked him. And didn't think he'd kill her, well he would but really not want to.

Shelby is a fun person in her adventures. I will be continuing with the next books in the series!



**If you found my thoughts helpful, please click Yes at Amazon and/or Audible. Thank you!