Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940152987492 |
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| Publisher: | Jess Haines |
| Publication date: | 04/30/2016 |
| Sold by: | Smashwords |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Sales rank: | 414,300 |
| File size: | 540 KB |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Smoke and Mirrors
4.6 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
7 reviews.
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This is the first book I've read by this author. I like the character development and the interaction between them. I will probably read more books by this author.
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n a world where mages and other magical and paranormal beings reside, the one thing you do not want to be is a sorceress, especially when you are a teen just trying to get through her last days of school unnoticed. Kimberley has a secret, although a diligent student at Blackhallow Academy for mages, she must hide the fact she is a sorceress or waking up dead one morning would not be out of the question. Although she is far more powerful and creative than her classmates, everything she does could be dangerous as all of the sorcerers were long though killed off in the belief they are evil and practice dark magic.
Like every student at the end of the year, there are finals, and Kim is told she will need to find a familiar to bond with, one more powerful than any other, a dragon. It isn’t like she can go to the school supply store and get one, nor can she conjure one, but she has a name, a contact who may just be able to do the impossible and get her a volunteer.
Enter Cormac, handsome, brash and a bit of a rogue, he is also her last hope to find a familiar. But Cormac has a secret, a very BIG secret and only when Kimberley is in danger does he give it up. But instead of being her hero, he discovers the wrath of a woman lied to and let’s just say, I fell in love with Kimberley’s character even more! Few have what it takes to stand up to Cormac, but kudos to Kimberley and kudos to Jess Haines for a fabulous tale that made me smirk, get angry and forget that it is all fantasy!
To say that Smoke and Mirrors is entertaining, filled with tense, tender and quirkily funny moments would be an understatement! Easy to read, easy to follow and completely engrossing, I loved every minute of the banter between Cormac and Kimberley, not to mention the amazing cast of characters that made them look even better! Guess it goes to show that even the big dog on the street is no match for a determined woman who knows her own mind and heart.
I received this copy from Jess Haines in exchange for my honest review.
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Smoke and mirrors was a fantastic story. I was given and ARC for an honest review. Kimberly is a sorceress going to a mage Academy. Her and her mother live together struggling to make ends meet. Kimberly works extremely hard to make a better life. In order to graduate one of the requirements is she needs to summon a familiar but being a sorcerer she is unable to complete that task. Her professor sends her to Corrmac to look for a dragon as her familiar. Kimberly definitely has some adventures navigating the underworld. I'm in love with Corrmac. At first I thought he was quite the jerk. However , being who he is , he's just very cautious.
Jess paints a great picture with her words. I truly enjoyed reading their Adventures and look forward to the next one.
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Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite
Smoke and Mirrors by Jess Haines is a breath of fresh air with the perfect blend of humor and magic. Dragons, mages, vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures are publicly known as Others and feared. Kimberly attends Blackhollow Academy with the dream that a coven will accept her, allowing her to move her and her mother out of poverty. She struggles daily to hide her gift of illusion from her human boss that hates all Others and the students at school that hate sorcerers. When her teacher suggests she finds a dragon for a familiar to pass her exams, she thinks the task is insane. She has nothing to offer a dragon, but fear of eviction makes her desperate. Her teacher sends her to the mysterious Cormac Hunter whose promises lead her to danger, love, and secrets.
Nothing’s modern about the world Jess Haines has created, but the oddities are part of the story’s charm. This novel is great for people who love urban fantasy and myth. Kimberly is stubborn and independent. She’s an easy protagonist to root for as she struggles to keep her job to pay rent and go to school to better her life. She’s relatable and likable. Haines creates a realistic world of supernatural beings. Her style is light, fast paced, with easily relatable characters. The characters are flawed and genuine. Even the most extravagant characters have human flaws. They’re quick to temper, ignorant, stubborn, proud, greedy, and possessive. Smoke and Mirrors is a wonderful blend of romance…danger…and fantasy. The world Haines crafts makes you want to jump into the pages and be a part of the magic.
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Kimberly is a sorcerer in a mages world. Sorcerers have been killed and supposed to not exist and Kimberly is trying her hardest to keep it that way. But she is poor and can’t really go anywhere until she graduates from Blackhollow Academy. For her final she needs to find a familiar. Unfortunately she is unable to summon or create one, she is going to have to find a powerful, supernatural creature and convince them to be bound to her. But who in their right mind would agree to that?
Enter Cormac. Kimberly is told to talk with him, he might be able to help her. The thing is Cormac is a dragon and not about to be bound. But the more they go through together, they seem to have a connection. But is that connection going to convince Cormac to be bound?
I love Jess Haines H&W Investigations series and when I learned that she wrote a new series I couldn’t be more excited to review Smoke and Mirrors. We are back in the Other world but not the same place. I liked both Kimberly and Cormac. Kimberly is tougher than she gives herself credit for. Cormac is an alpha male without those annoying caveman, possessive traits that are so irritating.
I loved the story. I admit that I would have liked a little more information about why sorcerers were killed earlier in the story. Plus I was irritated with Cormac in the last half of the book trying to apologize for not telling Kimberly sooner, but with that information falling into the wrong hands can you blame him? Suck it up man, you were trying to protect yourself. But beyond that I did really enjoy this book. I will definitely be looking for book two in this series.
I received Smoke and Mirrors for free from Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
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Truly magical!
Kimberly is a mage, but she has a great deal to prove. I really enjoyed this story because she was not perfect, and she had a lot to prove, not just to others, but to herself. From the beginning, she was accused of cheating. This is the first story by Haines that I've read, and I really liked it. Sometimes we all need something like a "dragon" to help us, especially when there is no Knight around to save us. Besides, who needs saving. I look forward to reading more from Haines. Highly recommended.
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Jumping at the chance to review an early free copy of Smoke and Mirrors Jess Haines’ new series Blackhollow Academy, I was gladly transported into her world with “Others”-supernatural and magical creatures. The story moves along quickly with good development. There is our heroine, Kimberly, who is strong, independent and funny; Cormac fits nicely into the role of mentor/protector and is way dreamy. There are plenty of new “Others” in this world to delight: dragons, wyverns, nagas, as well as new insights into sorcerer’s and their magic. I did not want to put this book down and am eagerly awaiting the next book in Kimberly’s story!
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