Caleb

Shadow Wranglers, Book 1

By: Sarah McCarty

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The loss of control. The fear of desire. Allie always thought that mysteriously sexy rancher Caleb Johnson wanted her as much as she wanted him. But since he never acted on it, she was ready to admit defeat. Until the night she was attacked by a vicious wolf, only to be rescued by another. In the triumphant, bloodied male, there was something Allie recognized - the baritone growl, the mesmerizing eyes, the inexplicable animal attraction. Her savior was Caleb.

A rogue vampire living with his three equally rogue brothers and the McClaren werewolf pack, Caleb never wanted to bring the woman he secretly desired into his dark and dangerous world. But when she's targeted by his enemies, his only choice is to protect her. But how can someone as alive, as vulnerable, as human as Allie survive in the shadows with him?

©2009 Sarah McCarty (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A fast-paced story with multifaceted characters, scorching sex, deadpan humor and a spunky heroine who's a perfect match for her alpha hero." ( Romantic Times)

Horrible Twilight Knockoff

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Maybe someone who hasn't read Twilight or soemone who hated Twilight and has no taste.

What was most disappointing about Sarah McCarty’s story?

It is a complete Twilight knockoff. The story line is so similar it's disgusting. She even uses some of the same names. It's such a bad knockoff that I honestly think Stephenie Meyer should sue. There is no way anyone who has read the Twilight series couldn't see how unoriginal this book is. This woman is not an author she is a copycat. I thought plagiarism was illegal.

Have you listened to any of Tavia Gilbert’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Tavia Gilbert is awesome and I have loved every other book I have listened to that she performed. The horror of this book was not her fault.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger and disappointment. And yes a little sadness. Anger on behalf of Stephenie Meyer and Twilight fans everywhere. Disappointment is this author for her unoriginality. Sadness that someone could do that to another person.

Who could like this?

The reviews were so positive! I was expecting something delicious. I agree that Sarah McCarty has talent, but this book's plot sinks into an unispired circle of Vampire cliches that bored me to distraction.
"I won't drink blood." "You MUST drink blood."
Thirty pages later, I couldn't care less. There has to be a difference between conflict and bickering, otherwise, I'm not on board.
Just bored.
Read Anne Stuart

Are you kidding?

What disappointed you about Caleb?

Now....I like a sensual love story like to next person, but this story is ridiculous

I won't buy

What was most disappointing about Sarah McCarty’s story?

too much sex.

Would you be willing to try another one of Tavia Gilbert’s performances?

heck no!!!!!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger, Disappointment. Very much so

Any additional comments?

I hope the author writes no more books.

Stupidest book ever!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Different Narrator and better story line. The Book jumped all over the place I had to keep checking as I thought I had accidentally forwarded the chapters. I just read th nighthuntress series and was looking for something similar...Thi was not it. I wish Icould get my money back

What could Sarah McCarty have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Write a more cohessive story

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I like the narrator in another series she has read but in this one her male voices and country accents are ridiculous

What character would you cut from Caleb?

----

Any additional comments?

Dont even bother starting ths series.

WHY!!!

I can’t describe how terrible this book is. The heroine is completely ridiculous. She plods through life bumbling into one hazardous situation after another. Most situations are manufactured by her. She cannot listen to any other opinion but her own. She supposedly has some instinct that will steer her in the right direction, but... There is so much wrong with this story.

Not worth a credit

What would have made Caleb better?

Idk.... maybe more of a storyline and plot.

What was most disappointing about Sarah McCarty’s story?

Shape-shifting werewolf/vampires --- Seriously?

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tavia Gilbert?

Tavia Gilbert wasn't bad... I think it was more the story that I didn't like, rather than the narration.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. I really wanted to like this book but it was just dull with no real plot.

Not worth buying!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The story itself!

What could Sarah McCarty have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The story was weird with the sexualness of sucking blood and..... just not good.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator did her job, read the book. Not her fault the story sucked.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

It was like "I'm already this far into the book, I want to know what happens" kind of reaction.

For once it wasn't the narrators fault!

First off Mrs. Gilbert...you did with it what you could! I have tried 4 times now to listen to this book...I just CAN'T! I'm not particularly into cowboys...but I do like vampires...I was hoping for a new vampire world to jump into what I got was just stupid with some sex thrown in. The hero of the story is alpha male one minute, leader of his brothers...and the next he is a simpering male who regrets turning his brothers, and would have not gone after the woman he wanted because...well because he was a big wuss is why!

So, if you are looking for a hot sexy book where the main characters don't even know why they are having sex and there is not really a plot...just a lot of confusion then look no further! If you want a book you can actually enjoy and get into a series go somewhere else...try Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR ward, or the Midnight Breed Series by Lara Adrian for your vampire action series!

Not Impressed

Tavia Gilbert did a good job. The voice for Caleb sounded a bit too old, but that was my only complaint about the performance. The story however was seriously lacking.

This was the first thing of Sarah McCarty's I read and I'm leery of trying anything else of hers. I don't mind indulgent paranormal romance stuff, but this was a struggle to finish. There were good moments, but the transitions were lacking and it all seemed very choppy. I had to keep checking and rewinding the audio book because I thought it was skipping around and that I'd missed something. Nope, that's just how it was written. Decent action, though hard to follow at times. A potentially interesting plot, but it fell flat in the hands of the author. Some scenes seemed dragged on while others seemed to be unnecessarily rushed. Definitely too much pointless sex; it just seemed to be thrown in there at frequent and random moments and didn't develop the plot or the relationship between the characters. Plus it was honestly kinda boring.

And the character development of the heroine, Allie, was just bad. She started off interesting, but devolved into a whiny, overly needy and uninteresting person. I hope things end well for these folks; I definitely will NOT be reading the rest of the series to find out.

Surprisingly Disappointed

I was excited to see a new vamp series, especially one with such great reviews, but I honestly was disappointed. Tavia Gilbert narrated, and as usual, was amazing, but it just wasn't enough for me. Some parts were dragged out unnecessarily and others, like some of the battle scenes, were run through so quickly it was over before I knew what was what.

This book might have been better if read, but as an audiobook, it didn't rock my socks.