Nite Fire: Smoke & Mirrors

By: C. L. Schneider

Narrated by: Cassandra L. King

Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Secrets are a dragon’s best friend. Deception is a close second. Both provide a sturdy armor, allowing half-dragon shape-shifter Dahlia Nite to live undetected among the humans. Walking in two worlds, belonging in neither, she wraps herself in a shroud of lies to hide in plain sight. But nothing stays hidden forever.

When dismembered bodies of multiple species are dumped on the riverbank, the case falls to Dahlia and Detective Alex Creed. Backed by Sentinel City’s new task force, the pair finds themselves urged along by clues that seem too good to be true. Bouncing from one crime scene to the next, they hunt for a clear motive in a murky sea of conflicting evidence. Already on edge from the recent string of unexplained crimes, the city begins to unravel.

Drowning in missing creatures, slaughtered remains, masked men - and the search for her sidekick’s missing sister - Dahlia burns the candle at both ends. Seeking answers, she employs her empathic abilities and uncovers something deeper and more sinister than a simple serial killer’s web. As the dots connect and worlds collide, she struggles to shields her friends from the truth. But secrets can be deadly. And Dahlia’s not the only one who keeps them.

Smoke & Mirrors is the third book in the Nite Fire series.

©2019 C. L. Schneider (P)2020 C. L. Schneider

I love this series

Dahlia is such a great character. Being a dragon shifter is just the coolest thing but when body parts start showing up around the city, Dahlia's secret identity is harder to hide. Alex Cross knows there is more to Dahlia than meets the eye but he can't know for sure so Dahlia keeps the truth from him. As she tries to solve the mystery of the body parts she also agrees to help her sidekick Evans to find his sister on Dramera. She will need all her skills to solve this one. Her plan to hide in plain sight among the humans will cause a lot of tension with her boss Alex & the Queen of Dramera. Dahlia's journey to solve this mystery will keep you turning the pages for sure. CL Schneider has earned a spot on my favorite authors list. Can't wait for more.

Intriguing Story Line

Nite Fire: Smoke and Mirrors is a fantasy book about Dahlia Nite, a half-dragon shapeshifter. Dahlia is now living amongst the humans, not really fitting in, however, she didn’t fit into her original world either. However, what she doesn’t realize is that these two worlds are about to collide. She works with the police department trying to engage in “normal” life, but to live this normal life also means she lives in lies and deception. One night, by the river, dismembered body parts were discovered and now Dahlia had to try and figure out this oddity. Luckily, the secrets that she holds helps her on this endeavor, however, she will have to explain and deceive her partner to get to the bottom (a partner who only knows enough about the world she came from, but not to the extent needed to keep everyone safe). This is my first book by this author and I thought CL Schneider provided a new outlook on the fantasy world. The story line was intriguing, however, there were a lot of characters I had to keep up with and what relation or world did they originate from. With that said, the characters she portrayed were different then in other fantasy books I have read, plus they were developed, complex, but also relatable.

awesome story

This is not my first audible by this author but it is one of my favorites yet. I enjoyed how the narrator brought the story to life using different tones of voices. They kept the story engaging and had me want to listen to more. It is a great story where the characters come to life with each word. It is a story that is full of action from shapeshifters to creatures that lay hidden in the night. Dahlia and Alex are great characters. Secrets and killings, Dahlia has her hands full. But what will happen when worlds collide and secrets struggle to stay hidden? I highly recommend this audible, you won’t regret picking it up.

Amazing

Nite Fire: Smoke & Mirrors
By C. L. Schneider
This book is amazing ... Murder mysteries are my kind of book and this one has you wondering what's going on the whole time... I listened to the audible book as well and it was really good. I enjoyed the voices, the narrator really did capture the book.
Reviewed by Erica B.

another great story in the series

Well, this chapter in the series was excellent and intense. The action was strong and gripping. I took my phone everywhere because I couldn't stop listening. The characters seem to be well-developed. I love the fact that audio gives them an extra layer of personality. Don't we all wear msdks while trying to solve problems? That seems so hard to hide who you are while going about daily life. I am a huge fan of this series. I definitely recommend this one to the sci-fi and fantasy lovers.

Well written fantasy novel!

This audiobook is a little on the long side (15 hours!) but don't let that scare you away from the incredible world that C.L. Schneider has created. The action is well written and easily visualized and the interpersonal relationships are wonderfully realistic and thoughtfully cultivated. I look forward to seeing where the characters end up in the next book and how it affects the professional, platonic, and romantic relationships of everyone involved.

Smoke and Mirrors

Loved every moment of this book. The twist and turns made the book exciting in every way.

CAN’T WAIT FOR BOOK 4

The Nite Fire Series has quickly become one of my top 10 favorite fantasy series! This third books was no exception. Filled with the usual bad*ssery we’ve seen from Dahlia Nite, we learn even more about the threats to the worlds. Though many questions were answered in this latest edition to the series, the epilogue - as usual - has us begging for the next installment!

As for the performance, what else can I say besides AMAZING. I love how the narrator gives us more than the usual voice over to a thrilling tale, but breathes life into the characters! It’s enough to ensure that I’ll be listening to Book 4 rather than reading it. CAN’T WAIT!!!

Paranormal Fantasy

Nite Fire:
Smoke & Mirrors
Book 3
AUDIO BOOK
By C. L. Schneider
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
This is a full length novel and a continuation of the Nite Fire Series. Here you will once again come face to face with dragons and shapeshifters. Oh wait, that would describe Dahlia Nite. Our main character she is a powerful detective and with her partner Alex Creed, they must stop whoever is leaving dismembered bodies all over the City. So combining two worlds and working among humans, Dahlia has her hands full. She also has secrets that could destroy who she is. The goal is to find the killer and stop the mayhem scattered about the City and to protect other species.

C.L. Schneider has continued to keep readers and listeners entertained with her Paranormal Fantasies. Her book is well written and flows smoothly. OK not so smoothly, as you are riding this fast paced rollercoaster. That changes with every corner. Shout Out to Cassandra King who Narrates Nite Fire. Between the author and narrator this book will continue to entertain its audience. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Well Done C.L. Schneider! Well Done! ! !

Devious Enemies & a Costume Ball

This series continues to be a lot of fun. In this book, we see our hero Dahlia struggling between all her different commitments – her old life versus her new life. She was once a monster that killed without questions or remorse but that was years ago. Yet she’s still struggling with a sense of guilt of her past evils. While I can appreciate how this shapes her character, sometimes I grew a little tired of Dahlia’s inner angst. However, that was a small part of the story. Overall, it was a lot of fun.

I like that Dahlia’s life is messy and that’s partly because she surrounds herself with people she doesn’t completely trust or open up to. As far as I can tell, she’s mostly worried about them judging her and not about them causing her trouble down the road or physically harming her. Yet her hidden side is driving her friends and coworkers crazy. They have questions and they’ve risked their jobs and safety on her say-so. Don’t they deserve answers? And there’s where Dahlia struggles. This angst was mixed in with all the action scenes so I never grew tired of it.

The main adventure in this book is tracking down and hopefully disassembling an exotic animal/people trade ring. Someone is bringing sentient peoples, and other stuff, through a gate and selling them on the black market. This is certainly upsetting and provides an exciting backdrop for the story.

Detective Alex Creed and Dahlia’s best friend Kacy Evans are like two ends of a barbell with Dahlia in the middle. One gives her trust and acts like a sidekick part of the time (Kacy) while the other treats her with open suspicion half the time while also having her back in the field (Creed). Creed and Kacy, along with the rest of the main characters, show Dahlia the different meanings of the word ‘trust’.

Toss in some disgusting and devious enemies plus a few solid rescues as well as a costume ball and you get something special. I loved that this story had like two or three small climaxes at the end, giving us a little more with each one, the surprises kept coming. By the end, Dahlia has made some serious choices about where to put her trust yet she’s also irrevocably forced into facing a whole new challenge – and I hope we get to see Dahlia kick some more butt in the next book. 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Cassandra King is always fun to listen to. I like her clear, strong voice for Dahlia. And her deep, gravelly, usually angry voice for Creed is perfect for his character. All the characters are easily distinguishable due to King’s variety of voices. The pacing was perfect and there were no tech issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by C.L. Schneider. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.