Gabriel

Shifter Football League, Book 1

By: Becca Fanning

Narrated by: Meghan Kelly

Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Gabe Randall's whole life fell apart, then he met the mate who was destined to put him back together.

Gabe Randall was at the peak of his college football game when bureaucrats stole his future. Shifters were no longer allowed to compete in human sporting events, so his only hope was a new football league just for them. Just as he's getting ready to join a new team in this league, his whole world comes crashing down when tragedy strikes his family. Without hope or direction, he turns to alcohol. He finds comfort in the arms of a woman who he felt a real connection to, but he left before he could drag her down.

Carolyn knew how these one night stands worked, but it still hurt when Gabe walked out of her life. Just as she was about to get things back on track, she finds out she's pregnant. Will she ever even see Gabe again, and can she even be sure that he is the father to her unborn child?

Fate isn't done with these two....

This full-length bear shifter paranormal romance novel has all the action, steam, and true love that only a Fated Mates story can deliver!

©2017 Becca Fanning (P)2018 Becca Fanning

Book 1

I really appreciate how the author addressed death and the pitfalls that those left behind have to face emotionally along with ways to bring someone out of the hole; with this alone she gets 5 Stars. No glossing over. I liked that the book made the shifters more human without the genre’s normally included tropes of gated mates or insta love. You’ll want to shake the characters or yell at them periodically. However, these two definitely won’t make a happily forever couple with anger & lying in their relationship only a happy for now. The narrator did a nice job. I received a free copy of this audiobook and have voluntarily left this review.

Carolyn & Gabe

Gabe is happy his life is going according to plan, he's playing in the semi pro league when the rules change and it is decided that Shifters will not be allowed to play in human teams because of the unfair advantages they have because of increased stamina and strength.

Gabe thinks that all is lost but he gets a call from his old coach to say the Shifters are forming their own league and that Gabe is invited to the try outs. Gabe gets accepted and is so happy about it. His brother Austin says they should go celebrate but the tryouts have taken their toll on Gabe so he says no and goes home to sleep. Austin goes out without him and is attacked and knifed in a bar. He subsequently dies. Gabe is deversated but holds things together until the night of the funeral when he goes to a bar and drinks far too much.

Enter Carolyn, she gives him her number and says to call her when he feels better. He doesn't call her, he goes home and spirals down into a pit of depression. But when he reaches rock bottom and is contemplating suicide it's her he calls and she comes, she talks him down and they end up spending the night together. He then decides that life is worth living and goes back to training for his place as the QB for his football team.

Carolyn is married but separated from her drunk of a husband - she has asked for a divorce but Sam is refusing to sign the paperwork. She has the one night stand with Gabe and leaves in the morning leaving a note with her number on for him to call. He doesn't and a couple of weeks later she has another one night stand with another guy and finds out that she is pregnant. She is not sure which one is the father and decides to tell neither.

She and Gabe bump into each other and he sees that she's pregnant and she lets him think he's the father. They move in together and start to plan for the birth of their baby.

At this point I have to say I did not really like Carolyn, she didn't tell Gabe she was married, she didn't tell him she wasn't sure the baby was his. She didn't tell the other guy he could be a father - need I go on?

Things don't go as smoothly as planned but the storyline was well done and the drama and suspense were kept up to the end of the book. Gabe I loved, Carolyn not so much. Will things work out for these two? Will she get her divorce? Is the baby Gabe's? Can they stay together if Gabe's not the father?

All in all a very good storyline which kept me listening to to very end. The narration by Meghan Kelly was excellent and made this a very easy enjoyable book to listen to.

I was given this book as a gift and am voluntarily writing my review.

Fabulous!

Segregation between pro football and shifter pro-football. This is a unique twist on shifter romance books This is a magnificently written storyline. I think this was a fabulous book that had me from the beginning. It’s also a very sweet romance.
I love listening to this narrator ( Meghan Kelly). She does an amazing job with the characters and voices of each character which makes it easy to distinguish between the characters and voices of each character. She does a fantastic job with male and female voices. She has a way of telling the story that has you so engrossed with the story.
I definitely recommend this book!

Gabriel!

Wow, that kept me on edge until the end. I really enjoyed this series. Most shifter books has the shifters not known to the rest of the world but this one was centered around them knowing of them which was a different take on it. I enjoyed it alot. Things turned out the way they were supposed to and I look forward to reading more as the series continues. Meghan Kelly did a great job.

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

Gabriel review

This story is very entreating. It covers a wide range of emotions in the characters. Compassion, love, betrayal, support, fear, and understanding. Main characters have to go thru many bumps on the way to get to their “happy ending”. The changes that they have to go through sometimes felt like riding a roller coaster: happy, sad, heart, happy, etc., just have to keep up with them.

The narrator was wonderful; she was always able to portray the emotions of the character in all situations and had a great change in voice for male and female characters.

Well, that was a bit unexpected

Normally I love Becca Fanning's book, but this one was not a book I'd like to listen to again, in fact I only finished because I wanted to post a review for it, and I don't review books I don't finish.

It was a mixed experience, the narration was excellent, the character voices were well done and the overall delivery was really well done.

The story however... it's well written, the characters are well developed and the setting is really well done. Based on that you're probably wondering, why the 2 stars right? That's because the relationship in this book is abusive in my opinion. Gabriel thinks at one point that he's angry enough to hit her and although he doesn't this is disturbing. Add to that some of the things he says to her 'the only thing you're good for is spreading your legs' and other degrading comments and I don't see how this could be seen as anything other than emotional abuse.

Not really a fan of Carolyn either, she kept way too many secrets, the things that she omitted meant that she might as well have lied and at times she did outright lie, and not about small things either.

The relationship was toxic from both sides, there was nothing romantic about it.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

If you found this review helpful would you please take a moment to click yes below.

Bear-ific!

I'm not big on shifter romances but I highly enjoyed this one. So many emotions from happiness to pain to frustration, anger and happiness again. It's great! Gabriel and Carolyn's love story is one that you don't know if it will survive or not and it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out. Highly recommended

Gabriel

Amazing narration to this book! The book itself is great. It seems so fast your life can change from good to bad and back again. Their relationship is definitely bumpy but I was glad to see that they got their happy ending in the end. Definitely a book worth reading!

Gabriel

loved this book! the chemistry between gabe and carolyn is hot! they both have issues with their pasts and as hes in the dark she brings him light! fate has dealt him a hard life especially a family tradegy. but fate also brought him a soulmate! i was given a copy of this audiobook for free by my request and voluntarily left this review!

Loved this shifter story

I enjoyed listening to this book and listening to the narrator. I was given this book for my honest review. I will buy more stories from this author and this narrator I will look up to get more books read by narrator