Loved it, couldn't put it down. Jess Haines new series, Blackhollow Academy, takes place in the same world as her H&W Investigations series. We do get to hear about and see some characters, but the Blackhollow Academy series has characters and a storyline of its own.

I was completely enthralled with the story in SMOKE AND MIRRORS. I found the main heroine Kimberly to be extremely hard working and down to earth. It was very easy to tap into Kimberly's emotions which made the story that much more enjoyable as the trials and tribulations she went through came to pass. Even though she has not lived an easy life and doesn't have much herself, she was very willing to help others in need. I just really liked her and can't wait to see how her life will continue to unfold in the next book. There is romance in SMOKE AND MIRRORS. It's slow and a bit turbulent, but it was also real and well played out. The development of said relationship is another thing I'm looking forward to in book two.

My only complaint about SMOKE AND MIRRORS is that sometimes it read like a YA novel and sometimes like an adult novel and to this day I'm not quite sure where it should land. As I said already, I'm looking forward to reading book two and I keep checking the authors pages to see when it might be planned.

* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. ( )