I saw this meme on It’s All About Booksand thought, I like this!! So, I decided to do it once a month also. Many thanks to Yvonne for originally posting this!!
This post is what it says: Places I travel to in books each month. Books are wonderful and take you to places you would never get a chance to go. That includes places of fantasy too!!
So….enjoy!! Please let me know if you have read these books or traveled to these areas (other than the fantasy….lol).
United States:
New York (Brooklyn), Louisiana (New Orleans)
New York (New York City), Texas (College Station, Bryan), North Carolina (Raleigh), Washington D.C.,
California (Los Angeles)
Colorado
California(Orange County)
Georgia (Atlanta), Alabama (Birmingham)
Utah (Salt Lake City, Hill AFB), New York (Long Island, Manhattan, New York City), New Jersey (Glenn Rock), California (San Francisco, Lake Tahoe), Washington (Seattle), Missouri (Branson), Michigan (Detroit, Ann Arbor), Florida (Tampa), Ohio (Columbus), NewMexico (Albuquerque)
Alabama, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburg), New York (New York City), Washington (Seattle)
New York
New York (Long Island, Lake Ronkonkoma), New Mexico (Los Alamos)
North Carolina (Asheville)
California (Los Angeles), Georgia (Atlanta, Isle of Hope, Savannah, Beaufort)
New York (New York City, Manhattan)
California (Berkeley)
Vermont (Lake Salem), New Hampshire, Connecticut (Hartford, Mercy Hills)
Nevada (Las Vegas)
New York City, New York
New York (New York City), Wisconsin
The Netherlands
Rotterdam
France
Strasbourg, Southern France, Paris
Paris
Brazil
Brasília
Switzerland
Geneva, Zürich
Ireland
Dublin
Belgium
Brussels
Russia
St. Petersburg
Vladimir, Murimstevo Castle
Lake Chebarkul
Italy
Monferrato, Naples
Orvieto, Rome
Naples and Capri
Venice
Norway
Bergen, Borgefjell
Poland
Krakow
Canada
Syn Island
Prince Edward Island (Georgetown), Quebec
Japan
Tokyo, Mako Island, Tomo Island
Australia
Australian Coast, Lord Howe Island
Cairns
Melbourne
Uganda
Ignisia
Forest of Ghosts (Flamehaven),
Germany
Lindenmuhle
Spain
Granada, Carboneras, Barcelona, Cantabrian Mountains (Torre Cerredo), City of Lights (fictional)
THE LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL TO THE AMAZON BESTSELLER, CONTEMPT
He orchestrated a murder. Now he must defend the man charged with the crime.
Thane Banning is ready for a fresh start. He survived 5 years in Forsman Prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and now he’s started a law firm to defend the innocent. But the past won’t stay buried for long.
Kilo Miller, a violent felon who tried to kill Thane in prison, is charged with Joseph Crowell’s murder, and Thane agrees to take the case. Thane knows for certain that Kilo didn’t kill Crowell—because Thane knows who did. It’s a secret he must protect in order to keep his family safe, but LAPD’s top detective is getting closer to the truth.
When strong evidence surfaces implicating Kilo in the murder, Thane discovers that conspiracy runs deep in L.A.’s court system. But proving Kilo’s innocence could reveal Thane’s own dark history and send him back to death row.
With help from his colleagues Gideon and Kristen, Thane must uncover who is framing Kilo and targeting his associates before he loses the case—and even his freedom. His conviction to represent the innocent forces him to face the ultimate test:
Is he willing to let an innocent man go to prison to avoid his own life sentence?
First Line:
When the shiv plunged into his side, Thane didn’t even realize he’d been stabbed.
Conviction by Michael Cordell
When I read the blurb for Conviction, I was intrigued. While I read many books (and stress a lot), I rarely read legal thrillers. So, I accepted the invitation, and I am glad I did. This book is an important book to read.
Conviction is the second book in the Thane Banning series. Unlike most other books in other series, readers can read this one as a standalone. The author briefly explained what happened in book one and brought up other characters/events. But the book primarily focused the what Thane, Kristin, and Gideon were doing for their current clients.
The plot of Conviction was intriguing. Thane Banning is a lawyer who had spent five years on death row, convicted of a murder he didn’t do. After being released, he started a law firm to defend people falsely accused of crimes. Almost simultaneously, two cases come across his desk. One case involves Gideon’s nephew. Arrested after delivering a package to a house for a friend, Gus is held in prison. But a dirty cop threatens to send him to jail for a long time if he doesn’t tell him what he wants to hear. The other case involves the inmate who tried to kill Thane. He had been arrested for the murder of Thane’s mentor. Thane knows that he is innocent. Why? Because Thane knows who killed his mentor. As the lawyers work with their clients, they realize that the corruption of the police and DA’s office runs much deeper than they initially thought. Can they prove the innocence of their clients? Or will their clients go to jail on false charges?
Conviction takes place entirely in Los Angeles. The author didn’t bring Hollywood or the actors up. Instead, he focused on the everyday people that live there-the good, the bad, and the morally gray people. I enjoyed it.
The author amazingly wrote the main characters in Conviction. There was depth to them that I wasn’t expecting. And the secondary characters added an extra oomph to the storyline.
Thane: I enjoyed his character. He was as morally gray as a character could get. He understood what it was like inside prison. He also emphasized with the family members whose loved ones were falsely accused. I also liked his investigation style. It was a little unorthodox but never crossed the line where the evidence would be inadmissible in court.
Gideon: I enjoyed his scenes. I don’t know why he was in prison or how he got out (it was probablyexplained in book 1), but I do know, from what I read, that it was justified. Gideon had no issue using his size to intimidate people into giving him information (thinking of his nephew’s friends).
Kristin: I wouldn’t say I liked her character as much as the other two. She was almost too abrasive in some scenes and weak in others. She did hit her stride, though, during Kilo’s trial. Her takedown of that detective was muah (chef’s kiss).
Gus: I was enraged for him. He was done dirty by his friends (mostly Jamie but also Andre, to anextent). I couldn’t believe what I was reading when he was arrested and held in jail. He wasn’t even allowed a phone call, which ticked me off. And then to listen to the detective say what he did. My blood boiled. I know this is a reality of POC daily, and it sickens me.
Kilo: OK, so when Kilo was introduced, and Thane agreed to take his case, I had the same reaction as everyone else in the office. Why? But only some things are what it seems with Kilo, and I was surprised at what was revealed., and I was surprised at what was revealed. I loved how dedicated his wife was to him. I was rooting for him to be found not guilty.
The secondary characters, as I mentioned, were just as well-written as the main ones. I did have my favorites. I loved the saucy (and snarky) Letitia. She had me nodding my head during her scenes. So much of what she said is true. Cricket was my other favorite. She was a ten-year-old hacker Thane was representing for free and was terrific. She stole the scenes every time she appeared. I loved that she was repentant for what she did and told Thane that she would keep doing it. I hope she is made more of a main character in upcoming books.
Conviction fits very well into the thriller genre. I was kept on edge the entire time and didn’t know what would happen from one chapter to the next. That is the way someone should write a legal thriller. There was a point where I thought Kilo wouldn’t get off. I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to know what would happen.
The author amazingly wrote the main storyline. It was a twisty, turny storyline that (along with thethriller angle) kept me glued to the book. I had doubts that Thane could keep himself from being implicated in his mentor’s death, and the author did nothing to dissuade me from thinking about that.
The secondary storylines were just as good as the main one. They added additional information and background on several secondary characters and the main ones.
The end of Conviction was a nail-biter. As stated above, I worried for Kilo and Gus. But, after a major twist (I saw it coming and relished it), the author had an ending that I enjoyed and loved. I cannot wait to read book three when it comes out.
Three things I like about Conviction:
The characters (primary and secondary). They were believable and well-fleshed out.
The social justice issues that the author addressed.
The storylines. They were all well-written.
Three things I disliked about Conviction:
Detective Malone. He was as slimy as they come, and I hope he gets what is coming.
Stick (Andre’s brother). He was an evil man, and I hope he gets what is coming.
The ex-DA. He kept showing up on Thane’s runs. It gave me stalky vibes.
I would recommend Conviction to anyone over 21. There is moderate violence, language, and sexual situations. There is also a scene where Kristin is physically assaulted in her apartment.
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Personal:
Thursday: I took Vinnie in to get his microchip. The head vet of the shelter came out and apologized to me. She said she would make sure that it didn’t happen again. Vinnie was a little miffed at me for taking him, but he got over it.
Friday: I had a doctor’s appointment. I walked in thinking the worse thing that would happen to me would be a flu shot. I walked out with a referral for a mammogram, a pamphlet for a colonoscopy (bleh), and a referral for an MRI (I am having unexplained dizzy spells). Oh, and I got the flu shot, too…lol. Miss R had horseback riding, and she did very well. She was the only person in her lesson and got personalized attention from her instructor. It was dark when we were done, and we had to use flashlights to see the pasture we were turning the horse into.
Saturday and Sunday: Miss B had a sleepover with 6 people. I had 7 teenage girls stuffed into my tiny living room. It was cramped, but they all had a blast.
Monday: It was Halloween!! Also, Tony went to the vet to get his last kitten shots. Thank God that I don’t have to go back until next year. I think they were sick of my face. Miss B had 3 friends come over to trick or treating with us. Speaking of that, Mr. Z’s plague doctor costume was a huge hit. He was asked a few times for pictures. Miss R went as Samara from The Ring, but she refused to wear her wig (we got her a long hair, black one). Miss B was a greaser. Everyone got a ton of candy.
Tuesday: Miss R stayed home from school. She was complaining of a stomach ache and wasn’t feeling the best. Since she did so well on her report card (A honor roll), I let her.
I am killing it with my reading. I am almost done with my author/indie publisher requests for this month (I have 3 left). I am also a week ahead with my reviews. I am beginning to feel the way I did before Covid hit!!
My longest book this week was the Hell Hath No Fury Anthology. It took me from last Wednesday to Sunday night to read it.
My shortest book this week was Death in a Dark Alley. I read it in a couple of hours yesterday.
So that’s the essential things for this past week. How was your week?
As always, let me know if you have read or are planning to read any of these books!!
What I Recently Finished Reading:
I have two this week (since I finished both last night)
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Personal:
Thursday—nothing too spectacular happened. I did get a review written (Steel Fear) and continued my knocking out of my TBR list. Miss R also had an appointment in the morning.
Friday—No school for the kids because it was a teacher work day. Miss R had camp at the barn she rides at. I dropped her off at 9 am and picked her up at 330 pm. She had a blast. I also got to meet (and exchange numbers with) one of her friend’s mom’s. Miss R wants to play with her, and I was cool with that (even though the mom rubbed me the wrong way). I also think I convinced her to start riding at the barn….lol. I also got the review for Locklands written.
Saturday—Miss R attended a birthday party at our local science center. That is one of the cool things about our city. We have a little plaza with a library, a small aquarium, a planetarium, an art gallery, and a museum. The museum rents out classrooms for birthday parties. I did feel bad for the birthday boy, though. Out of 17 kids, only 3 showed up. I don’t think it mattered in the end because they all had a blast.
Saturday (cont)—-We almost took Tony (our youngest cat) to the emergency vet. BK left the silverware drawer open in the kitchen. Tony decided to squeeze behind it and explore the cabinets underneath. Unfortunately, behind the dishwasher, we have glue traps for mice (we have an issue in the fall/winter), and Tony stepped on them. He had one stuck to his chest and one on his front paw. Thankfully, olive oil dissolves the glue but try telling that to a very upset kitten. Tony also got a bath in with Blue Dawn. BK and I had a rather heated discussion about using glue traps again. Tony hasn’t suffered any ill effects from his adventure and was running around like a maniac the next day.
Sunday—Miss B had that stomach bug everyone in school was getting. So, she stayed in bed for most of the day. BK, Mr. Z, Miss R, and I decided to go on a day trip to a place called Murray’s Mill. It was not what I expected at all. We went because we had never been, but also, Miss R has a field trip there next week. They had some nice walking paths along a stream and an awesome general store. We got some homemade jam and these things called Cheese Tiddies. And yes, my 15-year-old had a blast with that. Everything was Tiddies for the rest of the day…lol.
Monday—Miss B had an eye Dr appointment. For some reason, I made this one super early in the morning (8:20). Anyway, she came out of that appointment thrilled. Why? Because she needs glasses. I swear she is the only person in the world who is happy to get them…lol. I dropped her off, came home, did my chores, and wrote a review for The Last Huntress.
Tuesday—-It was a busy day. First off, report cards went home. Miss R had straight A’s. She didn’t understand why she got S’s in PE, Art, and Music. She thought they needed A’s, too…lol. Mr. Z and Miss B had dentist appointments. Later on, that night was Mr. Z’s orchestra concert. They did fantastically. I also wrote a review for Alias Emma.
I am super ahead reading-wise. Looking at my calendar (as an aside, am I the only one who uses a wall calendar to keep track of reviews and ARCs?), I am 3 weeks ahead with my reading. I am also a week ahead with my reviews. I love being ahead of things. Of course, now that I said that, I will fall behind….lol.
The book that took me the longest to get through this week: A Broken Clock Never Boils. I could not get into it at first. It was a short read, but man, I dragged on it.
So that’s the essential things for this past week. How was your week?
As always, let me know if you have read or are planning to read any of these books!!
What I Recently Finished Reading:
Detective Wade’s search for her sister leads to an abandoned building and a man with two teens, a fierce battle where light poles bend like pipe cleaners, and twenty-six unmarked shallow graves.
A sibling addicted to extreme sports used to be her biggest challenge. Now fate has chosen to widen her horizons and test her unique psychic skill set. With her Bernese mountain dog by her side, they must fathom friend from foe while staying one step ahead of the organization responsible for kidnapping those with psychic abilities.
Parker Ratham’s goal of locating psychically talented teens and adults held prisoner takes him deep into the Connecticut forests. On a stormy night, he crosses paths not only with a serial killer, but also a young teen running from unknown assassins.
Each must learn to trust and work as a unit while staying ahead of those seeking to capture or kill.
What I am currently reading:
We will not be silent. We will not stand down. We are furious. We are the storm.
More than forty of your favorite authors have gotten together to create an anthology where 100% of the proceeds go toward charities fighting for our reproductive rights.
Bradley Pay is back with a jaw-dropping sequel to The Killings Begin! Travel across the world and dive into the complex hearts and minds of Tracey Lauch and a cast of unsuspecting new characters in Death in a Dark Alley. Boasting the Spectrum Series’ iconic fusion of contemporary romance and psychological suspense, Bradley Pay has created another tangled web of love, loss, and an insatiable desire to kill.
Tracey Lauch may be a murderer, but he is still a man. Although his childhood abandonment trauma began decades ago, now his compulsion to strangle women who resemble his mother has begun to evolve. Outrunning his past, embracing love in the present, and creating a future free of investigation proves increasingly complicated.
Isabelle’s life in Brazil is burdened with mistakes and abandonment, too – but not in the same way. She falls in love with all the wrong men at all the wrong times, and her best friend Frank shows his true colors when, over and over again, he is not there for her when she needs him most. Aside from the stark difference that Isabelle is not a murderer, she and Tracey both desire love, a life partner, and the warmth of a family.
But what does Isabelle’s story have to do with Tracey? How can an innocent trip to Strasbourg, France, become a heart-stopping event that changes their lives forever?
Peek behind the curtains of this cold-case investigation and catch an intimate glimpse inside the characters’ lives.
A 103-year-old murder mystery.
An amateur ghost sleuth.
Can a wrong be rectified in death?
Eight months ago, Simone experienced her first spectral encounter. It awakened a dormant second sight and opened a chasm to the afterlife. Now, another spirit from 1917 New Orleans has wandered through that passage, haunting her with an intoxicating jasmine fragrance and wicked antics.
To escape this mysterious ghost, Simone jumps at a seven-day complimentary Mardi Gras hotel package, unaware there might be an ancestral power behind her decision, an identity she grapples with.
Is the ghost’s name Bleu?
She’s a lady of the night who lived a dangerous life in the infamous Storyville. A place lined with mansion-like brothels on the edge of the French Quarter run by unscrupulous madams and frequented by dangerous criminals. WWI is on the horizon, jazz music is burgeoning, and Bleu’s life unravels.
Visions of her past and horrific death beset Simone as she explores present-day New Orleans with her three roommates.
But why are the images fragmented? Has Bleu forgotten what happened the stormy night she died? Can Simone uncover Bleu’s murderer and reunite her with her loved ones before it’s too late?
What books I think I’ll read next:
When Marchioness Lamberico fails to conceive a child, she solicits the help of Imelda, the village witch. Nine months later, she gives birth to a baby girl. Biancabella. Though perfect in every other way, the infant is born with a snake wrapped around her neck. To the relief of the marchioness, the creature vanishes at once and, in the joy of motherhood, is soon forgotten. When Biancabella is a young girl, the snake reappears and explains their uncommon sisterhood. Samaritana helps Biancabella unlock her magical gifts and asserts that so long as they are together, all will be well. Their close, though secret, relationship unites them above all others. Years pass, the sisters contented, until the day King Ferrandino of Naples arrives, seeking Biancabella’s hand in marriage. What follows shatters the sisters’ bond, leading to misfortune and betrayal, which forces them to grapple with not only the loss of their connection, but leaves each fighting for her life. Loosely based on the Italian fairy tale Biancabella and the Snake, the story explores how the love can transform from a domineering and covetous power to authenticity and, ultimately, redemption.
THE LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL TO THE AMAZON BESTSELLER, CONTEMPT
He orchestrated a murder. Now he must defend the man charged with the crime.
Thane Banning is ready for a fresh start. He survived 5 years in Forsman Prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and now he’s started a law firm to defend the innocent. But the past won’t stay buried for long.
Kilo Miller, a violent felon who tried to kill Thane in prison, is charged with Joseph Crowell’s murder, and Thane agrees to take the case. Thane knows for certain that Kilo didn’t kill Crowell—because Thane knows who did. It’s a secret he must protect in order to keep his family safe, but LAPD’s top detective is getting closer to the truth.
When strong evidence surfaces implicating Kilo in the murder, Thane discovers that conspiracy runs deep in L.A.’s court system. But proving Kilo’s innocence could reveal Thane’s own dark history and send him back to death row.
With help from his colleagues Gideon and Kristen, Thane must uncover who is framing Kilo and targeting his associates before he loses the case—and even his freedom. His conviction to represent the innocent forces him to face the ultimate test:
Is he willing to let an innocent man go to prison to avoid his own life sentence? (
I, Alex Harris, have run away from home.
I’m running from my problems, from my mistakes, and from myself.
I killed some people and I don’t think anyone is chasing me, but I can’t stop running, and as much as I miss the people I love. I feel like if I go home now, I’ll be going back empty-handed.
I have to find out more about this curse, where it comes from and what it really means to be a werewolf.
Because the truth is…
The truth is that when I stop and really look at myself. I’ve been running my whole life.
Maybe it’s time to stop.
If Janet Evanovich’s signature character were a single mom, she’d answer to the name Maggie Chessman. In Shampoo & Condition, Vivian, Maggie’s soon to be ex sister-in-law, drops dead in a beauty salon and Maggie’s brother becomes suspect number one – creating friction between our main character and her policeman boyfriend.
What can a girl do but pursue other suspects: Vivian’s shifty sisters, a smooth financial operator, and a secretive shampoo girl.
Meanwhile, Maggie’s best friend is matching corpses with missing persons on the Jane Doe website, eventually spotting a dead person in their midst.
