Although I have purchased many books from Amazon for my beloved Kindle this is my first review.
Colleen Helme's first Shelby Nichols book, Carrots, took me less than two days to read! And I loved every moment of it! And it only took me two days to read it because I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion!
As a true Road Warrior - (I am a regional officer for a government, and I travel every other week 30 weeks of the year) When I buy a book, I need it to be absorbing, riveting, a fun read, a real page turner, a gripper - in short everything I know, like and trust a true escape novel will do for me.
I read when I am on planes - usually twice a week if not more - and when I am at the gym, too. I found myself getting bored with music and video, and by accident fell into reading my Kindle whilst on an exercise bike in Trinidad. That got me completely hooked on reading whilst I work out, and whilst on planes!
I got Carrots from Amazon when it was on special. I am not the greatest fan of mysteries, and was quite leery as a male that the misadventures of a kind of ditzy blonde were really going to do it for me; but boy, was I wrong. I was a little startled that I got hooked in Carrots so fast. From the moment of Shelby deciding to stop at the grocery store in the pouring rain - something I could totally relate to - to my discovery that our hero was a heroine in the following pages, Helme does such a fantastic job of realistic stream of thought writing that she had me sucked in. When Shelby starts reading minds - Well, I couldn't figure out what happened either until I skipped back a few pages and found that she WAS in fact reading "Dimples'" mind! That did it! Then I was hooked for good, and but bad! Being the parent of a teen, I could totally relate to her interactions with her kids, her mom, her spouse. So gents, don't be put off by a heroine. You will love this book!
Technically, and more to the point, Helme's characters are so well built, so well executed, so believable, that you are just completely caught up in the utterly consistent and believable story line, and sucked along on the roller coaster ride. I felt as if I'd been caught in a riptide - and loved every minute of it. In fact, I was in Rio whilst I read Carrots, and turned down a movie, shopping, and dinner in Copacabana and Ipanema to finish the book!
When I really think about what I enjoyed the most about the book, and why I was so compelled to keep turning the pages, I came up with several items:
- It is well written, and technically correct. NO typo's, NO grammar issues, NO spelling issues! YAY! What a nice, pleasant surprise!
- It has well put together, well edited, and superbly crafted BELIEVABLE and CONSISTENT characters.
- It has great action and plot flow - You are constantly pushed to keep reading simply because you have to find out what happens next: and you really want to know!
- It is written in such a relaxed, casual style, largely in the form of a stream of consciousness, or inner monologue, that it is utterly believable: you aren't being told what happens, you are experiencing from first person, as it happens. A phenomenal way to generate credibility and belief for the reader.
- It is very believable from a moral point of view - Shelby wants to do what's right - but sometimes, as she learns, you have to do something a little gray for the greater good. Her inner struggle is what we all go through. Brilliantly captured and executed!
- It is a really fun, fast paced, "suburban housewife turned secret agent" style book. And I found that I was so caught up in Shelby's life, I really needed to know what happened next!
You can guess that the minute I finished the book, I hit the Whispernet to see what else Collen had written, and I was absolutely elated to find the second Shelby Nichols book available. I hit buy instantly, and I figured I had better write this review before I start it, as I know I won't be back here before I finish it. Too bad work is going to get in the way of my reading schedule this week!
Yeah, I have no trouble walking out of a casino, but putting down a good book -- Well, I guess I have to sleep sometime!
Seriously, with a doctorate degree, and degrees in English from some of the top universities in the world, and as a professional writer myself, I am a hard man to impress.
I bought this book from the description of it. I was not sure if it was for me, but I decided to try it. If you are on the fence on this one, and not sure you'll like it - take the plunge! It's well worth the small price you will pay and then some, and you'll likely become a fan.
Colleen, if you read this, I just want to thank you for such excellent and entertaining writing, I hope that you will continue to write the Shelby Nichols series, and please know that you have earned another FFL (Fan For Life). Now I'm off to start Fast Money!
Dr. Jeff
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