The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2023, Week 31’s New Books
My choices for this week include Paranormal Mystery, Cozy Mysteries, Magical Realism Fantasy, MG Horror, Romantic Suspense, Romance, MG Fantasy, and Action and Adventure Mystery.
It’s almost August, which means it’s almost back to school time for kids, college students, and teachers. Are you excited? I always loved a new school year with new classes, clothes, school supplies, and getting to see my friends every day. It makes me think of apples, autumn, and that Halloween is coming up.
Are you ready for back to school? Or do you want summer to keep going?
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 31 of 2023!
Genesis by Nita DeBorde
Orphan Chronicles #1
Publication Date: July 30, 2023
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
In a secret research facility 200 feet below the ocean’s surface, an extraordinary experiment is taking place…
Ananya Patel is one of twelve orphans who have been raised at The Institute—a secret, underwater research facility funded and operated by billionaire philanthropist Gregory Cornelius.
While at The Institute, Ananya and the other orphans have been given regular doses of a formula that exponentially enhances a person’s natural skills and abilities. Cornelius’s vision is for the ability-enhanced orphans to be educated and trained at the Institute so they can one day “exert a virtuous and constructive influence on the world around them.”
Ananya has worked hard over the last eight years to develop her enhanced abilities so she can fulfill her part in Mr. Cornelius’s vision. Having been raised in a brothel in India, she knows what life would have held for her if she hadn’t been brought to The Institute, and she’s never taken the incredible opportunity for granted. Now, with only one year left before she and the other two orphans in her age group graduate out of the program, the stakes have never been higher. When Ananya begins receiving mysterious messages that indicate Mr. Cornelius may not be the altruistic benefactor they’ve all believed him to be, she becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about Mr. Cornelius’s past, though the consequences of this pursuit could be devastating—for Ananya personally and for everyone else at The Institute as well.
During these same critical months, a series of glitches and strange occurrences plague The Institute, eventually culminating in the death of one of the younger orphans. It becomes clear there is a saboteur at work. Is someone simply trying to undermine the program, or is something more sinister at play? And what might this mean for the future of the program and the orphans who have been brought to live at the Institute?
When the saboteur’s identity is discovered, secrets from Mr. Cornelius’s past come to light, setting in motion a series of events that threaten to destroy the Institute and everything Ananya holds dear.
Dead End Donation by Kirsten Weiss
Paranormal Museum Cozy Mystery #8
Publication Date: July 31, 2023
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
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Maddie has finally found her groove as curator of the San Benedetto Paranormal Museum. The museum’s fun. It’s quirky. And it’s all hers. But a murder and a surprise donation—an entire paranormal collection—could change the course of her small-town museum forever.
When a valuable object from the collection is stolen, Maddie suspects it may be connected to the murder of a local PhD student. Will this creeptastic collection be more trouble than it’s worth? Because as the body count rises, she must race against time to catch a killer.
You’ll love this whodunit, because of its witty heroine, twisty mystery, and touch of the paranormal. And it wasn’t written by AI. Get it now!
A Deadly Dedication by Margaret Loudon
Open Book Mysteries #4
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Nook | BAM
When murder taints writer-in-residence Penelope Parish’s charming British bookshop, she must follow the clues to catch a killer before tempers boil over.
Penelope Parish thought she’d turned the page on her amateur sleuthing days but when the owner of Upper Chumley-on-Stokes’ proposed first high-end gourmet shop is poisoned, the American novelist starts to wonder if she and her quaint British town are in for another rewrite. It turns out that not everyone was a fan of Simeon Foster’s farm-sourced charcuterie and imported pastries—many of the locals were outraged by the potential new competition.
With a full menu of suspects on her hands, this just might be Penelope’s toughest case yet. Luckily, her friends at the Open Book are there to help with every twist of the poisoned pen.
A Troubling Tail by Laurie Cass
Bookmobile Cat Mystery #11
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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When the owner of a local candy store is murdered, librarian Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat, Eddie, prepare to find the sweet spot to solve a crime.
The charming town of Chilson, Michigan, is beautiful in the spring, and the bookmobile is delivering great reads far and wide on one of the first warm days of the year. But a chill sweeps through when they discover that one of their favorite patrons, the owner of Henika’s Candy Emporium, has been found murdered. Although Minnie can’t understand who could have had a motive to murder such a kind man, she decides that the sticky problem isn’t hers to solve.
However, when rumors start flying around town and the police have no leads, Minnie decides to throw her investigative hat into the ring. The more Minnie investigates, the less certain she is that the victim’s past is as wholesome as his reputation. But Minnie has plenty of experience unearthing inconvenient truths, and she and Eddie won’t rest until they determine how the victim met his bitter end.
All the Faire’s a Stage by Nova Nelson
Magical Renaissance Faire Mystery #7
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
How many magical actors will die before the final bow?
While the heavenly knight Olivia Swift puts on quite the show in the jousting arena, she’s never harbored thespian aspirations. But when one of Elbion’s favorite theatrical attractions ends in murder, this angel has no choice but to enter stage left to set things right. With help from her criminally minded dove familiar, Olivia suspects that all the faire might be the stage for this crime, and all the magical beings merely players…
With no clear suspect in sight, Olivia searches for the truth at the heart of the murder. When the investigation takes an unexpected turn, this angel wonders if anything at the Renaissance Faire is as it seems.
Can Olivia find the fiend before the curtain falls on another life?
All the Faire’s a Stage is the seventh book in the humorous paranormal cozy series, Magical Renaissance Faire Mysteries. If you like courageous heroines, snarky animals, and a sprinkle of mayhem, then you’ll love Nova Nelson’s delightful tale.
Buy All the Faire’s a Stage to solve a murder most foul today!
At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Magical Realism Fantasy
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From the USA Today bestselling author of In the Middle of Hickory Lane comes Heather Webber’s next enchanting novel, At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities!
A mysterious letter. An offer taken. And the chance to move forward.
When Ava Harrison receives a letter containing an unusual job listing one month after the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, she thinks she’s being haunted. The listing―a job as a live-in caretaker for a peculiar old man and his cranky cat in Driftwood, Alabama―is the perfect chance to start a new life. A normal life. Ava has always been too fearful to even travel, so no one’s more surprised than she is when she throws caution to the wind and drives to the distant beachside town.
On the surface, Maggie Mae Brightwell is a bundle of energy as she runs Magpie’s, Driftwood’s coffee and curiosity shop, where there’s magic to be found in pairing the old with the new. But lurking under her cheerful exterior is a painful truth―keeping busy is the best way to distract herself from the lingering loss of her mama and her worries about her aging father. No one knows better than she does that you can’t pour from an empty cup, but holding on to the past is the only thing keeping the hope alive that her mama will return home one day.
Ava and Maggie soon find they’re kindred spirits, as they’re both haunted―not by spirits, but by regret. Both must learn to let go of the past to move on―because sometimes the waves of change bring you to the place where you most belong.
Birder, She Wrote by Donna Andrews
Meg Lanslow Mysteries #33
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery
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Meg is relaxing in the hammock, taste-testing Michael’s latest batch of Arnold Palmers and watching the hummingbirds at their feeders when her hopes for a relaxing early summer morning are dashed.
First her father recruits her to help him install a new batch of bees in the hive in her backyard. Then Mayor Shiffley recruits her to placate the NIMBYs (Not in my backyard), as she calls them – a group of newcomers to Caerphilly who have built McMansions next door to working farms and then do their best to make life miserable for the farmers. And finally Meg’s grandmother, shows up, trailed by a nosy reporter who is writing a feature on her for a genteel Southern ladies’ magazine.
Cordelia drafts Meg to accompany her and Deacon Washington of the New Life Baptist Church – and the reporter, alas – in their search for a long-lost African-American cemetery. Unfortunately what they discover is not an ancient cemetery but a fresh corpse. Can Meg protect her grandmother – and Caerphilly – from the reporter who seems to see the worst in everything . . . and help crack the case before the killer finds another victim?
Field of Screams by Wendy Parris
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: MG Horror
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A new pulse-pounding supernatural mystery about twelve-year-old Rebecca, who has always wanted to hunt ghosts . . . until she meets one.
Paranormal enthusiast Rebecca Graff isn’t happy about being dragged to Iowa to spend the summer with family she barely knows. But when she tracks a ghostly presence to an abandoned farmhouse, she starts to think the summer won’t be a total lost cause!
The trouble is no one believes her. Then Rebecca finds a note stashed in a comic belonging to her late father—a note that proves the same spirit haunted him when he was twelve. Suddenly she feels a connection to the dad she pretends not to miss, and she is determined to uncover the story behind the haunting.
But the more Rebecca discovers, the scarier the ghost becomes. Soon she is in a race to piece together the puzzle and recover a family legacy before it is lost forever and a horrible tragedy repeats itself.
Murder in the Genes by J.M. Roberts
Peggy Rector Mystery #3
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Writer and amateur sleuth Peggy Rector returns home to a full plate following a star-studded vacation in the English countryside. She needs to finish her latest book and plan her wedding to the hunky Jess Carson, all while her children plot to convert her rambling Victorian house into a B&B.
When Velma Whittaker, a local genealogist, dies under mysterious circumstances, Peggy must puzzle out who wanted Velma dead and why? Was it her multi-million-dollar lottery win or something more? A search for Velma’s will turns up a cryptic clue left for her heirs, but are they up to the challenge?
Peggy and her gang, members of the Stinky Springs Ladies Social Club, are on the trail. They must outfox a crafty killer while dodging Velma’s hapless relatives, who are determined to get their hands on her money.
Never Letting Go by Stacy Claflin
Ariana Jones #4
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon | Nook
A destination wedding is the idyllic escape. Except when there’s a murderer on the loose.
Ariana and Damon are thrilled for a getaway weekend to celebrate their friends’ new life together. Everything is smooth sailing until strange things start happening… Unexplained noises. People feeling watchful eyes when alone. Mysterious threats.
Then a member of the wedding party goes missing.
Everybody must work together to find their friend. But who can they trust? Any of them could be behind the disappearance… or it could be someone who came without an invitation. Either way, they’re dealing with a desperate person who will stop at nothing to end the marriage before it even begins.
Ariana is determined to find answers before anyone else vanishes…
Seduction on Wheels by Barbara Barrett
Matchmaking Motor Coach #2
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Romance
When her ex-husband calls her frigid, Jenna DiFranco takes some incredible risks to prove her sexuality, including picking up men in bars. Realizing her behavior is unsafe and irrational and finding herself facing several days on the road alone with Gray McKenna, she makes him promise not to respond to her overtures.
Years ago, Gray swore off serious relationships with women, but that hasn’t stopped him from casual hook-ups. From the moment he meets her, he recognizes Jenna as trouble, the kind of woman who wants permanence in a relationship. The kind of woman to avoid.
But the promise and Gray’s resolve don’t stand a chance when close confinement, personal revelations and Jenna’s need to prove she still has it ignite their mutual attraction.
Tessa Miyata Is No Hero by Julie Abe
Tessa Miyata #1
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: MG Fantasy
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A thrilling and charming middle grade fantasy steeped in Japanese lore and mythology, perfect for fans of the Zachary Ying series.
Tessa Miyata has never fit in. When she and her two sisters are told they will be staying at their grandparents in Japan, Tessa is thrilled. A summer in Japan could be her chance to go on an adventure worthy of impressing her classmates back home.
Her hopes are quickly dashed when, all too soon, she realizes that life in Japan is just like being in her sisters are old enough to go into Tokyo, while she can’t even go to the corner store by herself. Plus, her grandparents want her to stay home with the neighbor kid, thirteen-year-old Jin Uehara, who’s made it clear he’s too cool to spend time with a weirdo like her.
When Tessa is finally allowed to go to Tokyo, it’s only to join her grandpa’s retiree aerobic class with none other than Jin. Their disastrous forced hang out comes crashing to a halt when Tessa and Jin break the Miyata family’s precious heirloom—accidentally releasing the malicious samurai god Taira Masakado and discovering a hidden part of the city where gods and mythological creatures walk among humans—including their new companion, a mythical nine-tailed fox who may be more trouble than he is help.
Despite doing everything to avoid spending another minute together, Tessa and Jin must now work together to stop Taira Masakado before he traps them—and the rest of Tokyo—under his command, forever.
Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Graci Kim, this brand new fantasy adventure will grip readers from the very first page and never let go.
The Flying Z by Leo W. Banks
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre: Action and Adventure Mystery
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An action-packed, contemporary western crime novel by Leo W. Banks, the critically acclaimed, multiple Spur-Award winning author of DOUBLE WIDE and CHAMPAGNE COWBOYS.
Will Zachary and his dementia-stricken uncle lead an isolated existence running The Flying Z, a struggling, southern Arizona ranch on the Mexican border. Their ordered life dramatically changes when Merry O’Hara, heading cross-country on her way to grad school at Stanford, drives into a ditch on their land…and right into the middle of the war they’re waging against a vicious cartel smuggling drugs across the ranch. Against all odds, Will and Merry are drawn to each other, at the same time they’re desperately fighting, out-manned and out-gunned, to protect the ranch and their lives.
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 31 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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