New Books Publishing Week 26 of 2025

The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week

2025, Week 26’s New Books

My choices for this week include Cozy Culinary Mystery, Historical Mysteries, Cozy Animal Mysteries, Romantic Suspense, Young Adult Fantasy, Historical Thriller, Cozy Paranormal Mystery, Historical Romance, and Cozy Mystery.

It’s the last whole week of June! How did that happen? June flew by fast, I feel like. Books are chugging along, and we are enjoying the warmth. There is nothing like a summer evening on the patio with a cool drink and a fantastic book.

This last week of June, I have a mystery-filled one with some romance and fantasy sprinkled in. Both Jen and I have a couple of books on our TBR list. Hopefully, you will see the reviews soon.

Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 26 of 2025!

A Catered Bake-Off by Isis Crawford

Mystery With Recipes #19

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery

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When sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons bring their culinary prowess from A Little Taste of Heaven catering company to a baking competition in Upstate New York, it’s murder that takes the cake . . .

What’s the worst that could happen on a reality show bake-off filmed at a picturesque estate? As it turns out, a whole lot. Thrown into the fray against four seasoned competitors, the Simmons sisters face more than just cameras broadcasting their frosting mishaps on local TV. Right from the get-go, their small screen debut sours with suspicious ingredients and malfunctioning appliances. Then there’s the inexplicable invasion of goats that sends the entire production into a tailspin, followed by a flurry of ominous notes delivered anonymously to the cast and crew.

Tensions really reach a boiling point when one of the judges meets a grisly end—death by exploding espresso machine! With a dangerous mystery solidifying, Bernie and Libby whisk through the vast property on a mission to uncover who could have taken down the show’s discerning food critic. But when the bake-off serves another victim, the sleuthing siblings find themselves racing to catch a mixed-up killer before the final timer dings . . .

Includes Original Recipes for You to Try!

A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman

Countess of Harliegh Mystery #8

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Historical Mystery

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In the latest USA Today bestselling, Victorian Era-set Countess of Harleigh Mystery from multi-award winning author Dianne Freeman, Frances Hazelton and her husband, George, uncover the secrets of backstage Paris to find out who’s acting the role of a killer to chilling perfection…

Frances and George are enjoying some well-deserved leisure time in Paris when an old acquaintance from London, Alicia Stoke-Whitney, seeks Frances’s help to investigate a personal matter. Alicia’s daughter is being courted by Carlson Deaver, a wealthy American shadowed by a very suspicious tragedy.

Less than a year ago, Carlson’s wife, a former actress, was murdered, her body discovered in one of the more dubious quartiers in Paris. Though authorities guess it was a robbery gone wrong, no one was ever brought to justice. Until Daniel Cadieux, Inspector for the Sûreté, follows a startling new lead. None other Sarah Bernhardt, legendary icon of the Paris stage, receives a piece of jewelry stolen from the victim, along with an incriminating note: I know what you did.

It opens a new door for the Hazeltons’ investigation, as well. But not a soul believes that the Divine Sarah would become entangled in something so disreputable as murder—even if she and the late Mrs. Deaver did have a history of theatrical clashes. Amid questions of revenge, blackmail, scandals, and secrets, more poisoned pen letters follow, and suspects abound. Now it’s up to Francis and George to infiltrate the most elite social circles of Paris, and find a culprit before another victim faces their final act.

A Purrfect Date by Alex Erickson

Cat Yoga Mystery #2

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery

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Up-and-comer Ashley Branson usually aims to keep both feet placed firmly on the ground—unless she’s instructing a class at her trendy cat yoga studio. But she soon finds herself caught in a downward spiral when a stretch beyond her comfort zone leads to murder . . .

Ashley Branson is sure of one thing after experiencing a disastrous blind date—she would much rather enjoy the single life and hang out with playful felines at her studio, A Purrfect Pose, than ever compromise her inner peace like that again. When the mysterious guy makes a late arrival then has the nerve to dine and dash, it’s embarrassing. But when he winds up dead in his apartment that same night? Ash suddenly finds herself thrust into a twisted murder investigation and questioning if she might be shaping up to be the suspect . . . or the next victim.

Ash races to claw through a web of lies, hidden identities, and love lives even more complicated than her own to uncover the truth. Adding to the chaos, she believes her shifty neighbor—covered in unexplained injuries and rumored to harbor a crush on her—could be connected to the crime. Now, with more leads than she needs, Ash must take a deep breath, pull on her big-girl leggings, and move faster than the cunning killer who wants to put her in corpse pose for good . . .

A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber

Lady Darby Mystery #13

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Historical Mystery

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Lady Kiera Darby had planned to spend the winter practicing her painting, but instead, she must find the flaw in a killer’s masterpiece when an art auction results in one participant’s final bid.…

March 1833. Kiera and her husband, Sebastian Gage, have decided to settle in Edinburgh for the winter with their infant daughter. This also allows Kiera to enjoy long hours painting in her studio, making progress on the portraits she soon hopes to unveil in her own exhibit. She’s thrilled when she receives an invitation to the auction of the late Lord Eldin’s coveted art collection, and she and Gage eagerly accept. When the floor collapses beneath the gathering, killing one of their fellow bidders, Kiera and Gage are lucky to escape with their lives.

Within days it becomes apparent that what at first seemed to be a terrible accident is actually something far more nefarious. Someone deliberately compromised the integrity of the structure, though the police are unsure of the culprit’s aim. Sergeant Maclean requests Kiera and Gage’s assistance in figuring out who would wish to harm the bidders. As they dig deeper, it becomes increasingly apparent that the victim was not the killer’s intended target . . . and that Kiera was lured to the auction deliberately. Kiera and Gage must utilize all their resources to unveil a monster willing to risk the lives of dozens of bystanders to achieve their ends. But they’re on the verge of making a dire miscalculation. For one of the cleverest tricks in a painter’s repertoire is the art of misdirection, and their eyes have been drawn far from the gravest danger.

An Amateur Sleuth’s Guide to Murder by Lynn Cahoon

Bainbridge Island Mystery #1

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery

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New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon makes her hardcover debut with an irresistible new meta-mystery series about an amateur sleuth who doesn’t just solve crimes, she writes about how to do it . . .

TIP #1: WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU COUNTS AS WORK EXPERIENCE
Meg Gates could use a guidebook for life. Indeed, she’s faced some challenges. She dropped out of college to work for a tech startup that failed—and her fiancé just took her bridesmaid to Italy on what was supposed to be Meg’s honeymoon.

Now, at twenty-six, Meg has taken the ferry ride of shame from Seattle back to Bainbridge Island to live with her family. At least she has her rescue cocker spaniel, Watson, by her side. But it’s Meg who could use a rescue—and she’s hoping it will come in the form of a part-time gig doing research for a bestselling mystery writer.

TIP #2: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW – OR WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW
That’s when the lightbulb goes on: Meg will write her own guidebook—a manual on criminal investigation. But before she can impress her new boss with her pet project, the author’s manager is found dead on the rocks beneath the author’s Gothic mansion.

Now it’s time to put her guide to the test, as Meg sets out to clear her employer of suspicion and solve the crime. But there’s one important caveat she’ll have to add to her guide—

TIP #3: BEWARE OF UNKNOWN DANGERS

Buried by Anna J. Stewart

Circle of the Red Lily #3

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Romantic Suspense

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Solving her biggest case means facing her greatest fear.

Trust can kill.

Forensic specialist Dr. Cassia Davis learned that lesson when she placed her faith—and her life—in the hands of the man she loved. Four years later, despite debilitating agoraphobia and PTSS, she lives a virtual life teaching and consulting online, locked away from the world she’s come to fear. Her expertise and guidance helped to uncover a mass burial site in the Hollywood Hills, the biggest case of her career, but her inability to actively work the scene calls her competence into question. Work is all she has left. If she’s going to remain in charge, she’s going to need someone on the ground. Someone who understands how she thinks and what she can do. Someone willing to do anything to make up for the past.

Some mistakes can’t be forgotten. Or forgiven.

FBI Special Investigator Mitchell Keaton’s lapse in judgement nearly cost Cass her life. It did cost him her love. Every case he’s worked since has been an exercise in redemption. Becoming Cass’s eyes and hands out in the field means reconnecting to her in ways that reignites old desires. Despite his unforgivable betrayal, Mitch can’t help but feel there may be hope for them after all.

But the deeper they dig into the burial site, the further into danger they fall. Invisible enemies determined to stay in the shadows have plans to stop them. Plans that begin with exploiting the one thing Mitch and Cass have no defense against: the past.

Tempest by K. Ibura

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

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In this lyrical and epic contemporary novel with magical fantasy elements, a girl must learn to master her powers over the wind before a sinister secret organization finds her. Perfect for fans of Legendborn,  A Song Below Water, and Vespertine.

After Veronique’s parents died, her grandmother raised her on a farm in rural Louisiana. For sixteen years, it’s just been Veronique, MawMaw, and an ocean of trees. That’s because Veronique has a secret—one MawMaw has warned her she must always keep safe.

Veronique has the power to control the wind.

But when MawMaw falls ill, Veronique is forced to move to New Orleans to live with family she never knew she had. New Orleans is a far cry from her old quiet life, but Veronique finally gets her chance for a normal life—one with school, friends, and even love. But when her new life threatens her ability to control her powers, she quickly learns that the world is bigger and more dangerous than she’d ever imagined. Veronique must uncover what MawMaw was trying to protect her from before it’s too late.

The Colony of Lost Souls by Kelsey James

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Historical Thriller

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A young woman searching for her missing sister in 1930s California is drawn into a dark and dangerous cult in this intoxicating binge of sacrifice and obsession, strange rituals, alluring promises, and a beautiful prison for readers of Silvia Moreno Garcia, Nicola Harrison, Laura Purcell, California Golden by Melanie Benjamin, and Emma Cline’s The Girls.

Born a year apart, May and June Anderson were once as close as twins. Time and a loveless marriage changed the once vibrant May into June’s timid counterpart. Now, two years after June abruptly disappeared, May receives a letter from her sister, inviting her to visit a mysterious colony in southern California. Eager to match June’s boldness for once, May doesn’t hesitate.

The Colony is located in a magnificent Spanish Revival-style mansion perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, and is presided over by the group’s charismatic leader, Rex. Colony members believe in an afterlife where departed souls mingle, and that the truly enlightened can even summon back the spirits of lost loved ones. May is told that June has recently left on a mission, and she’s intrigued enough to accept Rex’s invitation to stay until her sister’s return.

Drawn deeper into the group, and under Rex’s seductive spell, May undergoes their initiation ceremony. Yet her questions grow more urgent with June’s continued absence—and the warnings of a presumptuous but charming undercover investigator. May has longed for the daring, adventurous life her sister pursued, but her arrival has sparked a dangerous unraveling within the Colony, where nothing and no one is quite as it seems.

Gripping and atmospheric, The Colony of Lost Souls immerses readers in a world of secrets, deception, and unexpected redemption.

There’ll Be Shell to Pay by Molly MacRae

Haunted Shell Shop Mystery #2

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery

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When she’s not selling seashells by the North Carolina seashore from her shell shop, Maureen Nash is a crime-solving sleuth with a ghost pirate for a supernatural sidekick . . .

Maureen is still getting used to life on Ocracoke Island, learning how to play the “shell game” of her business—and ghost whispering with the spirit of Emrys Lloyd, the eighteenth-century Welsh pirate who haunts her shop, The Moon Shell. The spectral buccaneer has unburied a treasure hidden in the shop’s attic that turns out to be antique shell art stolen from Maureen’s late husband’s family years ago.

Victor “Shelly” Sullivan and his wife Lenrose visit the shop and specifically inquire about these rare items. Not only is it suspicious that this shell collector should arrive around the time Maureen found the art, but Emrys insists that Sullivan’s wife is an imposter because Lenrose is dead. A woman’s corpse the police have been unable to identify was discovered by the Fig Ladies, a group who formed an online fig appreciation society. They’re meeting on Ocracoke for the first time in person and count Lenrose among their number, so the woman can’t possibly be dead.

But Lenrose’s behavior doesn’t quite match the person the Fig Ladies interacted with online. Now, Maureen and Emrys—with assistance from the Fig Ladies—must prove the real Lenrose is dead and unmask her mysterious pretender before a desperate murderer strikes again . . .

What Happens in the Highlands by Anna Bradley

Cairncross Castle #1

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Genre: Historical Romance

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Three unusually gifted sisters in Georgian Scotland must protect their family fortress from those who would steal its rumored treasures—and their hearts—in this sweeping, adventure-filled, new historical romance series for readers of India Holton, Lex Crocher, Manda Collins, and Evie Dunmore.

In the months since their father, Rory, died, the MacLeod sisters have had to contend with bands of smugglers convinced he left a treasure buried within the walls of their home at Castle Cairncross. Only the most mystifying occurrences have foiled the thieves—stirring whispers that the sisters are sorceresses. Yet, they have no treasure, nor are they witches. However, each inexplicably possesses a unique ability. The eldest, Catriona, is a brilliant healer and alchemist—a skill she is about to put to unforeseen use . . .

Hamish Muir, the charismatic Marquess of Ballantyne and son of Rory’s business partner, has come to claim his share of the treasure. When he spies fiery-haired Cat in the village, he follows her. But the tables turn, and Hamish finds himself at Castle Cairncross—emerging from a daze . . .

Persuaded the castle harbors no treasure, Hamish remains certain Rory hid it somewhere. Cat offers a proposal: She will help Hamish decipher her father’s notes if he takes her on the treasure hunt with him—and her sisters are not left alone. Reluctantly, Hamish summons two Lairds to the castle. But as he and Cat set off to navigate a maze of maps and danger, a mutual respect—and attraction—ignites between them. Perhaps the real treasure isn’t gold after all . . .

Strike the Death Note by Rebecca McKinnon

Octavia Fields Mysteries #2

Publication Date: June 26, 2025

Genre: Cozy Mystery

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With just two weeks left of the summer at Aerie Pines, music shop owner Octavia Fields should be getting ready to head back to the nomadic life she lives most of the year—but the season is set to end in a minor key for her little shop.

Octavia’s determined to do everything she can to increase sales so her employees won’t have to bow out for the next season. If she’d known it would involve coming across a body with a conductor’s baton sticking out of its chest, she might not have been so eager.

While Octavia is trying to focus on her shop’s problem, music students who know she played a part in catching the last killer keep telling her what they know about the victim. She wants to pass the information on to the detective, but when one of her employees becomes a suspect, Octavia has no choice but to become the conductor of her own investigation.

Trying to save her shop, solve a murder, handle threats, and deal with her growing feelings for the lead detective is keeping Octavia’s score full—but she needs to find the sour note before someone else plays their finale!

Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 26 of 2025

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!

Baroness’ Book Trove is an Amazon affiliate, meaning that if you click the link and purchase something, this blog gets a tiny percentage back. Mainly, this helps with the cost of the website and a few giveaways.

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