The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2023, Week 13’s New Books
My choices for this week include Cozy Animal Mysteries, Cozy Culinary Mysteries, Sweet Rom-Com, Cozy Mystery, Sweet Romance, Cozy Holiday Mystery, and Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery.
I can’t believe that it’s already the last week of March. There are so many books for not only this list but that Jen and I have read. Are there any books that aren’t on this list that you are looking forward to? Once again, Jen and I are also reviewing some of these, so be on the lookout for our reviews!
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 13 of 2023!
A Cowboy Worth Waiting For by Melinda Curtis
The Cowboy Academy #1
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Sweet Romance
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This cowboy’s done with love…
Or is he?
Former rodeo queen Ronnie Pickett has always had a talent for matchmaking—and now she’s going pro. Her first customer? None other than her friend and teen cowboy crush, Wade Keller. Of course, convincing the widowed bronc rider and single dad that it’s time to date again is gonna be a challenge. But no one warned Ronnie about the occupational hazard of falling for her very first cowboy client…
A Flicker of Doubt by Daryl Wood Gerber
Fairy Garden Mystery #4
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
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From Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber, the fourth in an enchantingly whimsical series featuring Courtney Kelly, the owner of a fairy-gardening and tea shop in Carmel, California. It’s a special place brimming with good vibes and the kind of magical assistance its proprietor will need to investigate a shocking murder at a prestigious art show!
Making fairy gardens, and teaching crafters how to do the same, keeps Carmel-by-the-Sea shop owner Courtney Kelly busy—but sometimes she has to make time for a wee bit of detective work . . .
With a theater foundation tea and an art show planned at Violet Vickers’s estate, Courtney is hired to create charming fairy gardens for the event. It’s not so charming, however, when her best friend Meaghan’s ex-boyfriend turns out to be Violet’s latest artistic protégé. Even worse, not long after Meaghan locks horns with him, his body is found in her yard, bludgeoned with an objet d’murder.
There’s a gallery of suspects, from an unstable former flame to an arts and crafts teacher with a sketchy past. But when the cops focus on Meaghan’s business partner, who’s like a protective older brother to her, and discover he also has a secret financial motive, Courtney decides to draw her own conclusions. Fearing they’re missing the forest for the trees, and with some help from Fiona the sleuthing fairy, she hopes to make them see the light . . .
Bells and Bombshells by Trixie Silvertale
Harper and Moon Investigations #1
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
A new series from the USA Today Bestselling author of the Mitzy Moon Mysteries!
A pattern of murder. A threadbare case. Can our psychic sleuth pick out the guilty before time spools out?
Mitzy Moon is finally tying the knot. And she’s loving the whole town’s excitement for their upcoming big day. But when their tailor is found buttons up behind a jazz lounge, the almost-newlyweds will have to hem in a murderer before their dreams rip apart at the seams.
Knowing they’ll get no help from the new sheriff in town, the couple embarks on a tightly woven undercover assignment. But Mitzy fails to heed ominous warnings from her mentor, Ghost-ma, and her entitled feline. When another body drops, she could be the next target erased by the mounting powers in the darkness…
Can Mitzy and Erick unravel the twisted clues, or will their wedding be eclipsed by a funeral?
Bells and Bombshells is the first book in a hilarious new paranormal cozy mystery series, Harper and Moon Investigations. If you like snarky heroines, supernatural intrigue, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s wedded whodunit.
Buy Bells and Bombshells to stitch up a killer today!
Curds of Prey by Korina Moss
Cheese Shop Mystery #3
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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In Korina Moss’s Curds of Prey, murder again comes to Yarrow Glen, and cheesemonger Willa Bauer must be the predator… before she becomes the prey.
Yarrow Glen’s favorite cheese shop, Curds & Whey, gets to be a part of the social event of the season: Summer Harrington’s wedding. Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is going all out for the wedding shower’s cheese bar. But the eagle-eyed Harrington family is proving to be a pain in her asiago. A last-minute tasting ends in disaster when one of Willa’s potential beaux, Roman, gets in a fight with the groom. Then the shower arrives, and while there’s anything but love in the air, there is plenty of cheese. Oh, and Roman… again. The day officially ends in disaster when Willa finds the groom―who also happens to be the mayor’s nephew―in the stable, dead as a dodo. At the mayor’s request, Willa must follow the trail of cheese curds to find a killer while continuing to walk a tightrope between two of Sonoma Valley’s most powerful families.
Four Charming Spells by Lynn Cahoon
Kitchen Witch Mysteries #4
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
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In this spellbinding continuation of the Kitchen Witch Mystery series by New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon, witchcraft trainee Mia Malone summons tasty dishes and unearthly murder suspects . . .
Before Mia Malone can sip tea at Time for a Cuppa, the charming new shop in Magic Springs, Idaho, her life changes course in downright supernatural ways. First her blossoming catering business and cooking school get a boost with the addition of an enchanting cake decorator. Then she catches the attention of the tea shop owner herself, local coven member Mahogany Medford, who’s set on immersing Mia in a twisted mystery that appears all but unsolvable without a special kind of help . . .
Still reeling from the recent loss of her mother and believing there was more to the abrupt death, Mahogany urges Mia to cast light on the truth. But old secrets might come back to haunt her in an investigation that demands conjuring up phantoms from the past on the property of Mia’s Morsels. Now, wearing Gran’s protective stone and empowered by a circle of trusted confidants, Mia must reveal who—or what—killed Ms. Medford as another deadly surprise brews!
Includes Recipes!
Four Parties and a Funeral by Maria DiRico
Catering Hall Mystery #4
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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Agatha Award-winning author Maria DiRico returns with the fourth book in the Catering Hall Mystery Series, starring Mia Carina who is coming to grips with being back in Astoria, Queens, and running her Italian-American family’s catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor but a TV casting call is about to put murder in the spotlight . . .
The June events schedule at Belle View is busting out all over—proms, graduations, and of course, weddings. There are unexpected bookings too, including a casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. But soon, Mia’s fears about the cheesy reality show are confirmed . . .
Belle View quickly becomes the site of a sea of wanna-be goombahs and phony girlfriends, and some of Mia’s friends insist on getting in on the action. The production company owner and his executive producer ex-wife—who’s also very minor British royalty—have assembled a motley crew that does as much infighting and backstabbing as the on-screen “talent.” Even so, it’s a shock when a dead body is found in the pool house of a local mansion rented by the show . . .
Murder might boost the ratings. But Mia intends to make sure the killer gets jail time, not airtime . . .
Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Thriller
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A defense attorney is prepared to play. But is she a pawn in a master’s deadly match? A twisting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.
Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.
Keera’s chance to play in the big leagues comes when she’s retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There’s little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple’s impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: Miller Ambrose, Keera’s former lover, who’s eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.
As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that’s more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family’s legacy, and her own future.
Murder in Postscript by Mary Winters
Lady of Letters Mystery #1
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Historical Mystery
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When one of her readers asks for advice following a suspected murder, Victorian countess Amelia Amesbury, who secretly pens the popular Lady Agony column, has no choice but to investigate in this first book in a charming new historical mystery series.
Amelia Amesbury—widow, mother, and countess—has a secret. Amelia writes for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners under the pen name Lady Agony. But when a lady’s maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her mistress has been murdered—and then ends up a victim herself—Amelia is determined to solve the case.
With the help of her best friend and a handsome marquis, Amelia begins to piece together the puzzle, but as each new thread of inquiry ends with a different suspect, the investigation grows ever more daunting. From London’s docks and ballrooms to grand country houses, Amelia tracks a killer, putting her reputation—and her life—on the line.
Riddle in the Review by Kathi Daley
The Inn at Holiday Bay #22
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.
After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.
In book 22 in the series, someone is going around town vandalizing merchants who have received a negative review on the new social media site everyone is talking about. Initially it seems like a mere annoyance, but things begin to escalate, and Colt fears that the trend will lead to someone’s death.
Meanwhile, Vaness Blackstone from Firehouse Books is heading out of town and leaves her spunky Aunt Lou in charge. When the bookstore becomes the most recent victim of the Holiday Bay Prankster, Lou joins Abby and Georgia in their quest to track the troublemaker down.
Surfboard Stabbing by Jasmine Webb
Charlotte Gibson Mysteries #7
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Humorous Mystery
When Maui’s biggest local surfing event of the year hits the island, Charlie plans on sticking to the sidelines, cheering for Zoe, safely away from the water. But on day one of the competition, a body washes up on shore, and it’s one of Vesper’s ex-boyfriends.
With Vesper quickly emerging as one of the prime suspects, Charlie, Dot and Rosie jump into action to clear the former surfer’s name and find the real killer. But Jake is in charge of the case, and their new relationship is about to be dealt a challenge as they decide to take different tracks.
Add to this the problem of the gangsters in Seattle, and Charlie has her hands full. Will she save her relationship with Jake and solve the case, saving Vesper’s freedom in the process? Or will the killer get to her first, causing Charlie to wipe out—permanently?
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Women’s Fiction
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An unforgettable pairing of a college dropout and an eighty-four-year-old woman on the run from the law in this story full of tremendous heart, humor, and wit from the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.
Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it.
One slip on the rug. That’s all it took for Louise Wilt’s daughter to demand that Louise have a full-time nanny living with her. Never mind that she can still walk fine, finish her daily crossword puzzle, and pour the two fingers of vodka she drinks every afternoon. Bottom line: Louise wants a caretaker even less than Tanner wants to be one.
The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice things—weird things. Like, why does Louise keep her garden shed locked up tighter than a prison? And why is the local news fixated on the suspect of one of the biggest jewelry heists in American history who looks eerily like Louise? And why does Louise suddenly appear in her room, with a packed bag at 1 a.m. insisting that they leave town immediately?
Thus begins the story of a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives.
Witch Way Out by Cate Conte
Full Moon Mystery #3
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
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CHARMED meets MURDER, SHE WROTE in Cate Conte’s latest Full Moon Mystery, as an unexpected death completely rocks the Spring Equinox Fair and it’s up to crystal shop owner Violet Mooney to uncover the truth to settle the mayhem.
When Violet Mooney’s coworker and fellow witch calls to say that their Connecticut crystals shop, The Full Moon, has been selected as a vendor at the Spring Equinox Fair, it’s welcome news. Ever since she learned about her magickal ancestry, Violet has been struggling to learn her craft while staying out of trouble. It’s no easy feat when her family seems to be the target of a power-grab within the realm, putting the entire magickal community on edge—and setting Violet on a mission . . .
With her investigation conjuring more questions than answers, Violet tries to focus on the Fair, which is being run by one of her personal heroes. Horatio Hale is a proponent of ethical crystal mining, but apparently not everyone is a fan. Violet is shocked when she goes to attend a meeting and finds Horatio dead—with an axe stuck in his chest. To uncover the motives behind the mayhem in both the mortal and magickal worlds, Violet is going to need more than a crystal ball. And it’ll take all the powers she’s been honing—plus some she didn’t know she had—to save herself . . .
You Wouldn’t Dare by Samantha Markum
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Comedy
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A rom com about trying to have the summer of your life before everything changes – only to realize change might be exactly what you need…
When Juniper Nash Abreheart kissed Graham Isham for the first time, she had no idea it would nearly be the end of their friendship.
More specifically, she had no idea that the terrible, unforgivable thing she did to keep their summer fling a secret wouldn’t just ruin their friendship, but also Graham’s entire life. Now, months since the fallout, Junie and Graham spend most of their time sidestepping conversational landmines on the journey back to normalcy.
Junie is sure the strangeness between her and Graham is her biggest problem – until her mom hires Tallulah, her boyfriend’s surly teenage daughter, to work at their family café, and then announces they’ll all be moving in together at the end of the summer. The only bright spot ahead is Junie’s dad’s upcoming visit, just in time for her community theater production. And then poor turnout soon threatens that.
But when Junie starts to realize the feelings she swore to take care of last summer have lingered, saving her production and managing her hostile relationship with Tallulah might be the least of her problems. Graham isn’t just off limits – their friendship has been mended to barely withstand a breeze, and the gale force of Junie’s feelings could be just what breaks them.
Samantha Markum’s You Wouldn’t Dare is about the risks and triumphs that come with being brave enough to take a chance at what you really want, including love.
The Turkey Burger Murder by Rosie A. Point
Sleepy Creek Cozy Mystery #4
Publication Date: March 30, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
What do burgers, a detective, and a vegan have in common? Murder…
Christie Watson, private investigator, has never been this busy. Pets keep going missing, the local police have asked her to find out who’s behind a series of… meat thefts, and her cousin, in what appears to be a fit of heat-induced insanity, has decided to open a competing private investigation firm.
Christie figures life can’t get any more complicated, and she’s fine with that.
Until a local vegan activist is murdered right in front of her best friend’s Burger Bar. And there’s only one suspect.
Christie’s ex-detective boyfriend who hasn’t got an alibi.
With the pressure mounting, Christie has to get to work and prove that her boyfriend didn’t do it even as the police tell her it’s time to stay out of it.
See if you can figure out whodunit before Christie does in the fourth installment of the Sleepy Creek Cozy Mystery series! Grab your copy today.
A Fudge Flavored Grudge by Rosie A. Point
Beach Bakery Cozy Mystery #2
Publication Date: March 31, 2023
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
There’s a body on the beach. Right in front of Elly Pickle’s bakery…
Nothing is worse for business than a corpse marring the lovely oceanfront view. A circus performer has been murdered, or so it seems, and the town is abuzz with the news and gossip.
But that’s not Elly’s problem. She’s got enough to deal with—her ex-husband causing trouble, the bakery needing a serious makeover, and the strange instances of disappearing fudge cupcakes.
Just when Elly thinks things can’t get any worse, the annoyingly handsome local detective breaks the news. The murder victim was found holding Elly’s driver’s license.
The same driver’s license she didn’t even know was missing from her purse.
Elly’s got to put her thinking cap on and prove her innocence before she’s locked up for a crime she didn’t commit.
Can Elly solve the case? Grab your copy of this page-turning cozy culinary mystery from USA Today bestselling author, Rosie A. Point and find out!
Dastardly Ducks by Mildred Abbott
Cozy Corgi Mysteries #29
Publication Date: March 31, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
Birthdays, fundraisers, and… murderous ducks?
Winifred Page-Lopez breathes a sigh of relief and shakes off any worry about a big splash for her forty-second birthday. Estes Park’s annual duck race fundraiser is sure to have tourists flocking to town and spending a fortune on raffle tickets—keeping everyone way too busy for a surprise party. But so many squeaking yellow duckies is enough to send her irascible chubby corgi, Watson, well… ducking for cover.
Another sort of surprise bubbles to the surface, however, as the winning ducks swim down the river. These bright rubber toys aren’t as wholesome as they appear, sending townspeople pecking at one another with rumor, gossip and outright physical altercations. And members of Fred’s beloved family are right in the middle of this puzzle.
The fallout from recent dangers gives Fred much to contemplate, but pleas from all sides pull her into solving this mystery. Fred knows she’ll have to ruffle some feathers to get answers, but following Watson’s nose may reveal more buried secrets…
(This culinary cozy mystery includes a recipe for luscious lemon poppyseed cake.)
The Banshee Detective by Kirsten Weiss
Midlife Magic Mystery
Publication Date: March 31, 2023
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Go back in time, to an early Riga adventure…
Riga’s engaged to the man of her dreams. But as the big day approaches, a cold case in an Irish pub is unearthing insecurities about her magic and upcoming marriage. Will this middle-aged metaphysical detective get cold feet?
And when a Celtic fairy gets involved, she must navigate between the demands of justice here and from the Otherworld. Riga’s going to have to dig deep into her bag of tricks to crack this case. But can she adapt before it’s too late?
This Riga Hayworth novella takes place between the events in The Shamanic Detective and The Infernal Detective. If you’re a fan of fast-paced urban fantasy, don’t miss this twisty paranormal mystery, because this complicated, 40-something heroine isn’t like the others…
Start reading now!
The Bark of Zorro by Kathleen Y’Barbo
Gone to the Dogs #4
Publication Date: April 1, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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Who Is Spray Painting the Dogs in Brenham, Texas?
Cozy up with your favorite pooch and unwind with a small-town mystery in book 4 of the Gone to the Dogs series.
Strange happenings are afoot in Brenham, Texas, as dogs start showing up at the Lone Star Veterinary Clinic with a Z spray painted on them. The cops blame pranksters, while pet owners are blaming each other. Receptionist Cassidy Carter uses her social media expertise to try to get the culprit caught on camera, but Texas game warden, Justin Cameron, thinks online media attention is the last thing this case needs. It’s bad enough he’s currently being followed around by reality TV cameras. When Cassidy’s post goes viral, more dogs are found painted and her new home gets marked with a big Z too. How could her good intentions have backfired so badly?
Hollow Beasts by Alisa Lynn Valder
Jodi Luna #1
Publication Date: April 1, 2023
Genre: Police Procedural Thriller
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dirty Girls Social Club comes a wilderness thriller featuring Jodi Luna, a rookie game warden who takes on a terrorist group in rugged New Mexico.
After a long stint in academia, Jodi Luna leaves Boston for the wilds of New Mexico to start a new life as a game warden. Jodi is no stranger to the wilderness; her family has lived here for generations. Determined to protect her homeland, she nabs a poacher in her first week on the job.
But when he retaliates by stalking Jodi and her teenage daughter, a cat and mouse game leads Jodi to a white supremacist group deep in the mountains. She learns that new recruits are kidnapping women of color to prove their mettle to the organization’s leader.
When the local sheriff refuses to assist, Jodi joins up with young deputy Ashley Romero. Together, they set out to take down a terrorist network that will test not just their skills as investigators but also their knowledge of the land and commitment to its people.
But will Jodi’s fierce resolve to protect the voiceless put her loved ones in harm’s way?
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 13 of 2023
Drop a comment if you like one of the books above or if you have one to recommend.
Thank you for stopping by,
Happy Reading!
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