Bookish Travels—February 2024 Destinations

I saw this meme on It’s All About Books and thought, I like this!! So, I decided to do it once a month also. Many thanks to Yvonne for initially posting this!!

This post is what it says: Places I travel to in books each month. Books are lovely and take you to places you would never get to. That includes places of fantasy, too!!

Bon Voyage!!

Please let me know if you have read these books or traveled to these areas.

Countries I visited the most:  United States, Canada, France

States I visited the most: New York, Pennsylvania, California, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oregon

Cities I visited the most: New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Paris


United States

Ohio (Valentine)
New York (New York City), Massachusetts (Nantucket)
Illinois (Liberty)
New York (Gouverneur, Syracuse, Dunkirk), Pennsylvania (Centralia)
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), New Jersey (Blackwood, Camden)
California (Arcata)
Missouri (St. Louis), Kentucky (Lexington)
New York (New York City, Athens)
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), New York (New York City), Mississippi (Jackson, Natchez)
New York (New York City)
California (Pixie, Fresno)
Arizona (Tucson), California (Los Angeles), Oregon
Louisiana (New Orleans)
Mississippi (Cottonbloom), Louisiana (Cottonbloom), Washington (Seattle)
Washington D.C., New York (New York City)
Oregon (Ashland)
California (Los Angeles, West Hollywood, San Francisco), New York (New York City)

Canada

Nova Scotia (Halifax)
Ontario

Belgium

Passchendaele Ridge, Flanders, Brandhoek, Popringe

England

Liverpool, London

France

Deauville, Calais, Couthove
Paris
Paris

Seven Kingdoms of Heaven


Hell


Scotland

Markham

Skaland

Selvegr, Halsar, Grindill

Argentina

Buenos Aires

Feburary 2024 Wrap Up

Here is what I read, posted, won, received, and bought in February.

As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.


Books I Read:


Books Reviewed:

Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings—review here

The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi—review here

The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden—review here

The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman—review here

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett—review here

Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada—review here

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jennifer Hollander—review here

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden—review here

The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond—review here

Not Your Crush’s Cauldron by April Asher—review here

Acts of Forgiveness by Maura Cheeks—review here

The Guest by B.A. Paris—review here

The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman—review here

Nowhere Like Home by Sara Shepard—review here

Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow—review here


Books I got from NetGalley:


Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:


Giveaway Winners


Books I bought:

Hers, Untamed by Anna Adler

Prince Prelude by Claudy Conn

Aaibhe-Shee Queen by Claudy Conn

Prince in the Mist by Claudy Conn

Shielding Gillian by Susan Stoker

Mr. Right is a Myth by Melina Druga

The Bakery on the Cove by Eliza Ester

Death is in the Details by Heather Sunseri

The Trouble with Witches by Kristen Painter

Body Shot by Kelly Jamieson

Love Me Today by A.L. Jackson

Escorting the Billionaire by Leigh James

Liability by Renee Dahlia

My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dad by Sofia T. Summers

Take Two by Libby Waterford

Ruthless Reign by Aleatha Romig

Virgin and the Bratva by Sylvie Haas

Brutal Billionaire by Laurelin Paige

Seven Perfect Days by Francesca Vespa

Pretty Remarkable by Lacey Black

Life Among the Tombstones by H.R. Boldwood

Fashion and Passion by Michelle McCraw

Acts of Forgiveness by Maura Cheeks

Publisher: Random House Publishing Book – Ballantine, Ballantine Books

Date of publication: February 13th, 2024

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Adult Fiction, Race, Family, Adult, Historical Fiction, Literature

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this stirring, tender-hearted debut about ambition and inheritance, a family grapples with how much of their lineage they’re willing to unearth in order to participate in the nation’s first federal reparations program.

Every American waits with bated breath to see whether or not the country’s first female president will pass the Forgiveness Act. The bill would allow Black families to claim up to $175,000 if they can prove they are the descendants of slaves and for ambitious single mother Willie Revel the bill could be a long-awaited form of redemption. A decade ago, Willie gave up her burgeoning journalism career to help run her father’s struggling construction company in Philadelphia and she has reluctantly put family first without being able to forget who she might have become. Now, she’s back living with her parents and her young daughter while trying to keep her family from going into bankruptcy. Could the Forgiveness Act uncover her forgotten roots while also helping save their beloved home and her father’s life work?

In order to qualify, she must first prove that the Revels are descended from slaves, but the rest of the family isn’t as eager to dig up the past. Her mother is adopted; her father doesn’t trust the government and believes working with a morally corrupt employer is the better way to save their business; and her daughter is just trying to make it through the fifth grade at her elite private school without attracting unwanted attention. It’s up to Willie to verify their ancestry and save her family—but as she delves into their history, Willie begins to learn just how complicated family and forgiveness can be.

With powerful insight and moving prose, Acts of Forgiveness asks how history shapes who we become and to consider the weight of success when it is achieved despite incredible odds—and ultimately what leaving behind a legacy truly means.


First Line:

Marcus Revel was willing to trade the illusion of his sanity to keep his home.

Acts of Forgiveness by Maura Cheeks

Important things you need to know about Acts of Forgiveness:

Pace: Medium

POV: 3rd person (Willie and Paloma).

Trigger Warnings: Acts of Forgiveness contains racism, medical content, classism, alcoholism, infidelity, rape, slavery, abandonment, and violence. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book.

Language: There is moderate swearing in Acts of Forgiveness. There is also language used that might offend some people.

Setting: Acts of Forgiveness is set in Philadelphia and New York City. A few chapters are set in Mississippi when Willie researches her family’s past.


Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Struggling to keep her family’s business afloat and to keep her father from doing business with a morally corrupt company, Willie Revel is looking for a miracle. And she might have found it with the Forgiveness Act. This bill will allow African American families, who can prove they are descended from enslaved people, to claim up to $175,000 per household. Willie could use that money to keep the business from going under. Using the skills she honed in journalism college, Willie starts researching her history.

Meanwhile, her daughter, Paloma, struggles to stay under the radar at her elite private school. As one of the only African American children there, she is singled out by students and teachers alike. Can Willie trace her heritage back to slavery? Can Paloma keep herself under the radar? Will the backlash from the Forgiveness Act die down?


My review:

Acts of Forgiveness was one of the most challenging books I have read this year. I wasn’t surprised by what I read; I had expected the content from the blurb. But it still packed a punch. I found myself tearing up in parts and, in other parts, being unbelievably angry over what Willie found out and what she had to endure growing up. The casual racism shown throughout the book sickened me, but it was true. People still act like this (especially in the South, where I live).

Acts of Forgiveness’s main storyline centers around Willie, Paloma, and the Forgiveness Act. Willie wasn’t likable, but I stress she was shaped that way. The shaping began when her parents moved into an all-white neighborhood. So, I didn’t let her grouchiness get to me or affect my enjoyment of the book. On the other hand, Paloma was the sweetest thing. Reading what happened with the Forgiveness Act and its backlash from a child’s POV was interesting.

The main storyline itself was well-written. It was jumpy (going from past to present), but considering how unstable everything was, it fit in with the book. The backlash to the Forgiveness Act was what I expected, unfortunately. It was something I could see happening in real-time (not that the bill would be passed with the current people serving in both the Senate and the House).

Willie’s backstory and her search into her family’s background were a considerable part of the main storyline. The author detailed Willie’s life from when her family moved into that neighborhood to today. Willie did spend most of the book pining for what she once had. But, her research into her history and what she learned about her roots made her rethink how she lived her life. The Willie at the end of the book is different from Willie at the beginning of the book. It showed how much she grew throughout the book.

Several secondary storylines were exciting, and they did bolster the main storyline. I was happy to see Paloma finally getting the praise she deserved and needed (that play was terrific). I was also pleased that Willie came to terms with several things in her life.

Secondary characters also added to the storyline and strengthened it. All of Willie’s family (her mother, brother, and father), her best friend, her mentor, and even Paloma’s father added depth.

I loved the end of Acts of Forgiveness. I won’t get too much into it, but it was what Willie and Paloma deserved. I was happy that Paloma grew up to do what she loved. I also liked that Willie finally got some peace with everything.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and Maura Cheeks for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Acts of Forgiveness. All opinions stated in this review are mine.


If you enjoy reading books similar to Acts of Forgiveness, then you will enjoy these books:

WWW Wednesday: February 7th, 2024

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!!


What I am currently reading:

Family is not what it seems in this raw, edgy thriller that New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline says “you won’t be able to put down.”

When a mutilated body is found hanging in a seedy motel in Philadelphia, forensics specialist Liam Dwyer assumes the crime scene will be business as usual. Instead, the victim turns out to be a woman he’d had an affair with before breaking it off to save his marriage. But there’s a bigger problem: Liam has no memory of where he was or what he did on the night of the murder.

Panicked, Liam turns to his brother, Sean, a homicide detective. Sean has his back, but incriminating evidence keeps piling up. From fingerprints to DNA, everything points to Liam, who must race against time and his department to uncover the truth – even if that truth is his own guilt. Yet as he digs deeper, dark secrets come to light, and Liam begins to suspect the killer might actually be Sean …

When the smoke clears in this harrowing family drama, who will be left standing?


What I recently finished reading:

Some people are cursed. Or in Meg’s case, damned.

Meg is on the run, harboring a deadly secret.

Sparrow knows she’s hiding something. Something more important than the handfuls of feathers he shoving in his pockets. He’s not impressed with the stories of the sins she’s been committing her whole life. Like what really happened the day she killed those seven men.


What I think I will read next:

A magically gifted con artist must gather her estranged mother’s old crew for a once-in-a-lifetime heist, from the New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Suspicious Minds.

Dani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world’s most famous art thief, as well as being an expert forger in her own right. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. Dani’s mother possesses the power of persuasion, able to bend people to her will, whereas Dani has the ability to make any forgery she undertakes feel like the genuine article.

At seventeen, concerned about the corrupting influence of her mother’s shadowy partner, Archer, Dani impulsively sold her mother out to the FBI—an act she has always regretted. Ten years later, Archer seeks her out, asking her to steal a particular painting for him, since her mother’s still in jail. In return, he will reconcile her with her mother and reunite her with her mother’s old gang—including her former best friend, Mia, and Elliott, the love of her life.

The problem is, it’s a nearly impossible job—even with the magical talents of the people she once considered family backing her up. The painting is in the never-before-viewed private collection of deceased billionaire William Hackworth—otherwise known as the Fortress of Art. It’s a job that needs a year to plan, and Dani has just over one week. Worse, she’s not exactly gotten a warm welcome from her former colleagues—especially not from Elliott, who has grown from a weedy teen to a smoking-hot adult. And then there is the biggest puzzle of why Archer wants her to steal a portrait of himself, which clearly dates from the 1890s, instead of the much more valuable works by Vermeer or Rothko. Who is her mother’s partner, really, and what does he want?

The more Dani learns, the more she understands she may be in way over her head—and that there is far more at stake in this job than she ever realized.

In April Asher’s new Supernatural Singles novel, a witch takes a stroll on the wild-ish side, sparking an alert that saddles her with her very own Guardian Angel…who happens to be her secret crush―and new roommate.

Olive Maxwell much prefers teaching about the supernatural world to taking part in it and leaves the magical shenanigans to her two sisters―the Prima-Apparent and Bounty Hunter-In-Training. But after assigning her college students a project designed to nudge them outside their comfort zones, Olive realizes that she’s never once stepped a toe over her own…and it’s about time that changed. Her first
trip into the unknown? Moving in with her long-time crush―and friend…tattooed, motorcycle-riding, and pleasantly pierced, Baxter Donovan.

Bax Donovan, Guardian Angel not-so-extraordinaire, has acquired so many black marks on his record it looked like a scantron sheet. He’s given one last chance to keep his Guardian wings intact, a high-profile Assignment he knows all too well. Olive is usually as low-risk as it got. Hell, she wrote the safety manual. But something landed her on the Guardian Affairs radar and his guess was it had something to do with the heart-pounding stunts she’s determined to check off her Dare I Docket list.

Keeping Olive out of trouble is about to be his toughest assignment yet, and not because he’s forced to shake the dust off his feathers and embrace his inner aerialist. He’s at real risk of shattering the only Guardian Angel Code of Conduct Rule he’s yet to Don’t fall in love with your Assignment. And he isn’t so sure that’s a bad thing.

If love didn’t play by the rules, why should they?

In this stirring, tender-hearted debut about ambition and inheritance, a family grapples with how much of their lineage they’re willing to unearth in order to participate in the nation’s first federal reparations program.

Every American waits with bated breath to see whether or not the country’s first female president will pass the Forgiveness Act. The bill would allow Black families to claim up to $175,000 if they can prove they are the descendants of slaves and for ambitious single mother Willie Revel the bill could be a long-awaited form of redemption. A decade ago, Willie gave up her burgeoning journalism career to help run her father’s struggling construction company in Philadelphia and she has reluctantly put family first without being able to forget who she might have become. Now, she’s back living with her parents and her young daughter while trying to keep her family from going into bankruptcy. Could the Forgiveness Act uncover her forgotten roots while also helping save their beloved home and her father’s life work?

In order to qualify, she must first prove that the Revels are descended from slaves, but the rest of the family isn’t as eager to dig up the past. Her mother is adopted; her father doesn’t trust the government and believes working with a morally corrupt employer is the better way to save their business; and her daughter is just trying to make it through the fifth grade at her elite private school without attracting unwanted attention. It’s up to Willie to verify their ancestry and save her family—but as she delves into their history, Willie begins to learn just how complicated family and forgiveness can be.

With powerful insight and moving prose, Acts of Forgiveness asks how history shapes who we become and to consider the weight of success when it is achieved despite incredible odds—and ultimately what leaving behind a legacy truly means.

New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris captivated psychological thriller readers everywhere with Behind Closed Doors. Now she invites you into another heart-pounding home full of secrets, in The Guest.

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all: a beautiful home in the British countryside, a daughter happily working in Greece, and good friends Laure and Pierre from Paris, who they often vacation with. But when a young man has a tragic accident in a nearby quarry, Gabriel is the one to find him and hear his final words, leaving Gabriel with a guilty burden.

As Iris tries to help ease her husband’s trauma, they acquire an unexpected house guest. Laure has seemingly moved in after her husband’s revelation that he has had a child with another woman. Iris and Gabriel insist Laure stay as long as she needs. But Laure keeps wearing Iris’s clothes, following her every move, and asking her about the recent death of the young man.

Their only respite from the increasingly tense atmosphere in their own home comes from a couple new to town and expecting their first child. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past.

With fractured relationships and secrets piling up around them, can Iris and Gabriel’s marriage survive?

Feburary 2024 TBR

NetGalley:


Indie Authors/Publishers

November 2023 Wrap-Up

Here is what I read/posted/won/received/bought in November.

As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.


Books I Read:


Books Reviewed:

Friends Don’t Fall in Love by Erin Hahn—review here (4 stars)

Heir of Broken Fate by Mads Rafferty—review here (4 stars)

The Arcannen Chronicles: Magicom by Adam Joseph—review here (4 stars)

Perfect in Death by Reily Garrett—review here (4 stars)

What Doesn’t Kill You by Ken Brosky—review here (4 stars)

Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect—review here (4 stars)

Secondhand Daylight by Eugen Bacon and Andrew Hook—review here (3 stars)

People to Follow by Olivia Worley—review here (4 stars)

When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey—review here (4 stars)

The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu—review here (4 stars)

No One Left But You by Tash McAdam—review here (4 stars)

Betrayal by Phillip Margolin—review here (4 stars)

Search History by Amy Taylor—review here (4 stars)

The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy—review here (4 stars)

Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virginia Heath—review here (4 stars)

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez—review here (4 stars)

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally—review here (4 stars)


Books I got from NetGalley:


Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:


Giveaway Winners


Books I bought:

Worth the Risk by Evey Lyon

Between Takes by Morgana Bevan

A Lighthouse Cafe Christmas by Jennifer Faye

Harleigh Sinclair and the Raiders of the Lost Ankh by Tamara Grantham

What He Wants by Tawny Taylor

Silent as the Grave by Cheryl Bradshaw

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Finding Grace by B.E. Baker

One Cruel Night by K.A. Linde

Cruel Money by K.A. Linde

Cruel Promise by K.A. Linde

Cruel Kiss by K.A. Linde

My Legacy by Samantha Skye

Rivalry Gone Wrong by L.C. Turner

Club X by Lauren Landish and Willow Winters

Deal With the Devil by Vivian Wood

Find Her, Keep Her by Z.L. Arkadie

He’s So Bad by Z.L. Arkadie

No Ordinary Love by Ann Christopher

Sing Me a Song by C.A. Rene

Steal the Light by Lexi Blake

A Kiss Beneath the Stars by S.L. Sterling

Photo Bombed by Daria White

The Widow of Fallbrooke Court by Kasey Stockton

Wounded Kiss by Willow Winters

A Grave Error by Michele Pariza Wacek

Invitation to Murder by Delta James

Our Daughter’s Bones by Ruhi Choudhary

Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase

Night in His Eyes by Alisyn Fae and Emma Alisyn

Bad Blood by Bella Jacobs

Mystery on Hidden Lane by Clare Chase

Swept Away by Susan Kiernan-Lewis