{Review} Twisted Miracles (The Shadowminds #1) by A.J. Larrieu

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: April 7th, 2014
Finished Date: July 31st, 2014

Publishers: Carina Press
Genre: Urban Fantasy  
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: Unknown

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Cass Weatherfield’s powers come with a deadly price.

Cass knows it was her telekinetic gift that killed a college classmate five years back, even if no one else believes her. She’s lived in hiding from her fellow shadowminds ever since, plagued by guilt and suppressing her abilities with sedatives. Until the night her past walks back into her life in the form of sexy Shane Tanner, the ex-boyfriend who trained her…and the one she left without saying goodbye.

When Shane tells her that his twin sister, Mina—Cass’s childhood friend—is missing, Cass vows to help, which means returning to New Orleans to use her dangerous skills in the search. But finding Mina only leads to darker questions. As Cass and Shane race to learn who is targeting shadowminds, they find themselves drawn to each other, body and soul. Just as their powerful intimacy reignites, events take a terrifying turn, and Cass realizes that to save the people she loves, she must embrace the powers that ruined her life.

The Review: 4.5 flowers! 

I really enjoyed Twisted Miracles, the first book in ‘The Shadowminds’ series, it is very different from what’s around at the moment and that really added to its appeal. I found it really easy to become involved in Cass’s world and her relationship with Shane. When we first meet her she is controlling her gift with medication and failing that –drink- but that is quite understandable when we find out what she is trying to control. She ran from the only family she had ever known, which included her boyfriend and her best friend (his sister) after an incident 5 years previous that she caused. When we find out what that is, it really gives a good feel of who Cass is and what she is about. I loved the way Shane came back into her life, yeah the circumstances weren’t great but it opened up an opportunity to let him back into her life and you could definitely feel the connection & love between the pair from the start. I liked how Shane was with her, so patient and understanding but also determined to have her back and I thought the mind-sharing was a great way to show trust, openness & honesty in a relationship situation plus is was definitely handy in the intimacy department. I loved the sense of family they all shared, even with others who shared their gift, like it was a community of its own and it was lovely how they all welcomed Cass back into the fold unquestionably.
The storyline was a good old whodunit and was a great introduction into the ‘shadowminds’ world. The idea of their powers is that they are all telepathic and can read peoples’ thoughts, but it goes further and certain people can do more, like healers and telekinesis for example but Cass is different and that is the main point of the book. It starts when Mina (Cass’s BFF) is stripped of her powers -which has never been known- and when they delve into her mind and see a man, the investigation begins but in order to do that Cass must unleash & control her powers, something she hasn’t been doing without medication. As she follow the clues, she makes some startling discoveries which challenges what she knew of the world of the Shadowminds and even challenges what she knows about herself. As always with people with any sort of power, you have those who will use it for good or those who will abuse it for their own gains so we get a balanced insight into these unusual people. The story itself was very intriguing and I really liked the way the telepathic gifts were used throughout and how even now, some things are still being discovered. It was a great introduction to this world and I really enjoyed it and will definitely be looking out for book 2. 

Thank you to Carina Press and A.J Larrieu for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.