Review: Dangerous Calling by A.J. Larrieu (Shadowminds #2)

Dangerous Calling (The Shadowminds #2)
A.J. Larrieu
Published: Aug. 18, 2014 (Carina Press)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for honest review

Reviewed by: Amanda

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it may make references to previous books in the series. If you haven’t started yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Twisted Miracles.

A few months have passed since the end of Twisted Miracles, and Cass has settled into life in New Orleans. She’s living with Shane and helping out at Lionel’s B & B while she searches for a job at one of the local engineering firms. She’s embracing her gift for the first time in years, and but for a few hiccups, she’s pretty happy.

One phone call changes all that. A woman calling herself Diana asks to meet her in not quite the middle of nowhere in the dead of night. Diana shows for all of five minutes and sets off a chain of events that changes the course of Cass’s future.

Overall, I enjoyed Dangerous Calling. Cass and Shane’s relationship has settled into something warm and comfortable—and that’s not a bad thing. Cass needed the stability and comfort he offers, and I loved seeing her take advantage of it. Shane keeps her steady and allows her to explore the depths of her gift. He knows what she’s capable of, and it doesn’t scare him. In fact, it makes him even more determined to be with her.

As a puller, Cass can siphon energy from any object that has it: human, animal, elemental, or plant. What Diana needs from her, though, forces her to pull more and more, and the struggle to contain her craving grows harder and fiercer as the story unfolds. Addiction’s never pretty, and Cass’s desire for more energy definitely has its ugly parts.

With Diana, we get to explore a different facet of the Shadowmind, and it’s pretty damn cool. There’s a new guardian for the city of Baton Rouge (hiiiiii Ian) and the way Larrieu hides the motivation for Diana’s reason for contacting Cass in the first place was a smart and well-played move.

I had a problem with Annette, though. She’s the woman Diana’s trying to get away from, and she’s a manipulative, selfish bitch. That’s not the problem, though. It lies in what she is. When Cass and Shane find out, I groaned. Literally. Out loud. It felt like a bit of a cop out, even more so because up until that point, there’d been no hint there were other supernatural creatures in the Shadowmind world. To me, there’s plenty to explore just within the boundaries she’d created in Twisted Miracles without needing to add to it, at least right away.

The ending ties things up a little too neatly, but it’s kind of hard to begrudge Cass her happiness. After everything she’s gone through, even in just the last few months, she deserves it. Plus, Ian. Move over, Shane, I like my men with wings. If you liked Twisted Miracles, Dangerous Calling is absolutely worth the read, and I’m looking forward to more adventures with Cass.

Sexual content: sex