All that eighteen-year old Oliva Magdalena Delgado ever wanted to do was to escape her impoverished childhood ,her abusive parents, and her Afro-Mexican, Spanish, and Indian ancestry. When Oliva gets involved with a one-night stand with her friend Pillar's brother and becomes pregnant, Oliva decides this is the perfect time to get out of Fresno, California and to the big city dreams of Los Angeles. Oliva quickly takes on a new identity and is on the hunt for a rich suitor that will give her the lap of luxury that she feels she deserves. Oliva, now Olivia Machado, is hired by property management tycoon Gino Valente. Gino is quickly smitten with Olivia. Gino and Olivia soon marry and have three daughters, Lourdes, and twins Sofia and Isabella. Olivia thinks that she finally has the life she's always dreamed of until Gino's brother becomes suspicious of Olivia's background. More than twenty-five years later, Olivia and Lourdes travel together around the world in search of wealthy men to keep up with their lavish lifestyle. Sofia is now a successful spa owner and is still reeling from a failed relationship until she meets sexy attorney Javier. Will Sofia give Javier a chance? Isabella would give anything to have a normal mother-daughter relationship with Olivia. She might get her chance when Olivia and Lourdes comes back in town for Isabella and Sophia's 25th birthday. But is Olivia and Lourdes coming back to town to reunite with their family or are they trying to get their hands on the twins multi-million dollar inheritance? All hell breaks loose when the secrets of Olivia's past finally come to light. Will she survive the fallout?
Blinding Mirror is an exceptional thriller by Shelley Halima. Halima expertly weaves a multi-generational, multi-ethnic tale of suspense and intrigue. This novel takes you on an emotional journey as you see how Olivia grows from an impoverished teen to a selfish, gold-digging socialite. Readers will see how Olivia's actions had a devastating effect on Lourdes, Sophia, and Isabella's lives. Halima does a wonderful job of exposing readers to Afro-Mexican, Spanish, Indian, Maltese, and Portuguese cultures something that's rarely found in today's fiction market. High family drama, self-hatred of one's culture, and detrimental lies makes Blinding Mirror a captivating read. This novel is a sensational start to the Mirror series.
