The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2026, Week 2’s New Books
My choices for this week include Middle Grade Fantasies, Young Adult Mystery, Cozy Paranormal Mystery, Historical Romance, Cozy Animal Mystery, Paranormal Romantic Suspense, and Psychological Thriller.
It’s a New Year! How was your New Year’s Eve and Day? Over here, it was nice. We read and just enjoyed each other’s company. Work is starting to slow down somewhat, which is nice. We should be busy next week, though.
This week’s list has a bit of everyone, from middle graders in your life to young adults to adults. Hopefully, there is something on this list for what you are looking for. Jen and I have some of these books on our list.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 2 of 2026!
Alice with a Why by Anna James
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
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Alice’s granddaughter finds herself tumbling down the rabbit hole in this magical modern retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chronicles of Whetherwhy and Pages & Co. series.
Journey back to Wonderland . . .
England, 1919. Alyce—with a Y—is sent to live with her grandmother, the original Alice, after having lost her father in war. When a mysterious invitation to a tea party hits her square in the face, Alyce realizes that her grandmother’s strange stories of a place called Wonderland might have some truth to them after all.
Soon Alyce is tumbling down into Wonderland herself, but the place she finds is not the colorful world she’s heard stories of, but a world trapped in its own war. The Sun King and the Queen of the Moon are fighting over a stolen hour, and soon Alyce is tasked with setting it right. With the help of the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a Sailor Fox, Alyce will have to solve Wonderland’s problems and, eventually, find her way back home.
An enchanting adventure through Wonderland, Alice with a Why is both a celebration of Lewis Carroll’s beloved original story and a modern masterpiece.
Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
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Beth March’s sisters will stop at nothing to track down her killer—until they begin to suspect each other—in this “brilliantly snappy…electrifying” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) debut thriller that’s also a bold, contemporary reimagining of the beloved classic Little Women.
When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer.
Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not one but two of the girls. Meg’s manipulative best friend. Amy’s flirtatious mentor. And Beth’s lionhearted first love. But it doesn’t take the surviving sisters much digging to uncover motives each one of the March girls had for doing the unthinkable.
Jo, an aspiring author with a huge following on social media, would do anything to hook readers. Would she kill her sister for the story? Amy dreams of studying art in Europe, but she’ll need money from her aunt—money that’s always been earmarked for Beth. And Meg wouldn’t dream of hurting her sister…but her boyfriend might have, and she’ll protect him at all costs.
Despite the growing suspicion within the family, it’s hard to know for sure if the crime was committed by someone close to home. After all, the March sisters were dragged into the spotlight months ago when their father published a controversial bestseller about his own daughters. Beth could have been killed by anyone.
Beth’s perspective told in flashback unfolds next to Meg, Jo, and Amy’s increasingly fraught investigation as the tragedy threatens to rip the Marches apart.
From Fear to Eternity by Amanda M Lee
Moonstone Bay Mysteries #17
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Hadley Hunter is living a great life with her fiancé and friends on a magical tropical island with all the crab legs and frozen margaritas in the world. Their only worry is a foul-mouthed parrot who seems to be stalking them. Then the unthinkable happens.
Her grandfather disappears from his ranch, and the only clue is a symbol burned into one of the fields. While searching for him, Hadley is accidentally transported to a different plane … and her life is cast into upheaval.
Not only is there a killer on the loose on that plane – one who wants Hadley’s magic to mount an escape so he can destroy what she holds most dear – but she’s also brought face to face with a ghost who looks exactly like her mother. The ghost asks the right questions and seems to know who she is but Hadley is suspicious … even as part of her doesn’t’ want to be.
Upon making it home, it becomes obvious that the shadowy killer is trying to make his way to Moonstone Bay. He has a past there … and it’s not a nice one.
It’s going to take all of Hadley’s efforts — as well as those of her friends – to solve this one. Who is the shadow on the other plane? Why does he want to come back? More importantly, who is that ghost with Hadley’s mother’s face?
Things are about to get crazy on Moonstone Bay. This time, when the dust settles, things will never be the same.
Meticulous Jones and the Shadow Compass by Philippa Leathley
Inkbound #2
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
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Return to the world of Indie Next Pick Inkbound in this exciting sequel that finds Meticulous “Metty” Jones in a race against time to save her family from a mysterious blackmailer. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The Swifts.
Meticulous Jones knows the power of her name. Descended from the great Joneses, including the cofounder of New London, Majestic Jones, Metty also inherited the abilities that give them power over life and death.
When she is recruited to enlist in the mysterious League of Shadows, a secret society for others with impressive abilities, she’s hesitant. After all, why should she join another group that seemingly wants to use her for her powers, especially after her Aunt Mag all but forbids her? Then a blackmailer threatens to reveal Aunt Mag’s most dangerous secret—related to her adopted charge, Sundar—and Metty sees the League as her only chance to save him. She becomes determined to complete the three initiation tasks required to join in order to gain their protection.
But as the clock winds down, Metty is forced to come to terms with the consequences of magic and the limits of her powers.
Remember That Day by Mary Balogh
Ravenswood #5
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Historical Romance
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A soldier and a pacifist make the unlikeliest of pairs, but when passion sparks, there’s nothing that can prevent their love from igniting.
Winifred Cunningham, the adopted daughter of a portrait painter, hopes that her new close friend, Owen Ware, will soon ask for her hand in marriage. But when Owen introduces Winifred to his elder brother Nicholas, the late Earl of Stratton’s second son, the slow burn between them begins.
Nicholas is a cavalry colonel—a hardened soldier whom Winifred at first despises. She finds him intimidating and cruel-looking, while he finds her strange and startlingly forthright. During a summer at Ravenswood, however, Nicholas and Winifred are unwillingly thrown together on several occasions, until they realize the passion that drives their disagreements is not due to dislike—it is because of attraction.
Winifred still awaits Owen’s proposal, and Nicholas has made his intention to marry his commanding officer’s daughter quite clear. With allegiances to other marriage prospects and brotherly bonds at risk, not to mention the age difference between them, Nicholas and Winifred know it would be wholly improper to pursue a romance…
And yet, romance is irresistible. Perhaps even inevitable.
The Devil in the Details by Vicki Delany
Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries #11
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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The game is once again afoot in Vicki Delany’s eleventh Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery, when birthday festivities end in freezing-cold murder.
Gemma Doyle is excited about celebrating Jayne Wilson’s big day. It’s supposed to mark not only the birthday of Jayne, her partner in crime, but also that of the Great Detective himself. Following the festivities at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, Gemma heads for the Blue Water Café, the site of Jayne’s party. To make things even better, Jayne’s wedding is only a week away.
But the much-anticipated affair quickly turns to disaster with the presence of the bride and groom’s respective exes in attendance and other unruly guests. With drama at every corner, Gemma and Jayne take a break on the chilly deck overlooking the ocean when they spot the body of a party attendee floating in the water below.
As Detective Ryan Ashburton takes a closer look at the guest list, Jayne’s wedding is in peril, especially when it is revealed that her fiancé, Andy, is a prime suspect. With the police closing in and more lives on the line, it’s up to Gemma to keep Andy from prison and save Jayne’s wedding day from ruin.
The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
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New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz dives into an enthralling new romantic suspense novel filled with deeply entrenched grudges, psychic dangers, and a conspiracy that threatens not only two families but also the entire paranormal community.
The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret.
Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and his uncle have been sleeping together—and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the last traces of them are at the scene of a murder soaked in negative paranormal energy. Clearly, someone is willing to kill to obtain the secret their families have been charged with protecting. Despite their mutual distrust, which, as far as Sophy is concerned extends to Luke’s hellhound of a dog, they both know that the terms of the pact must be honored.
Their investigation uncovers a psychic trail leading to a bizarre desert art colony where nothing is as it seems. But Luke and Sophy are concealing a few secrets, too. By a strange twist of fate, a Harper and a Wells have no choice but to trust each other and the fierce attraction that is binding them as surely as the pact between the families.
The Trip by Audrey J. Cole
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Psychological Thriller
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From USA Today bestselling author Audrey J. Cole comes a locked-room thriller at sea about image and influence, guilty secrets that won’t sink, and the lies we cling to in the storm.
A luxury sailing trip is the perfect escape from Palmer’s shattered marriage. Until the Pacific Coast cruise―a chance for old friends to mend old wounds―descends into a harrowing fight for their lives.
Twenty years ago, the five of them were inseparable. But after a rafting accident their senior year, only four of them returned. Volleyball captain Courtney’s body was never found. And their lives were never the same.
Now Palmer, her ride-or-die Beth, and home renovator Emma are on an all-expenses-paid trip with mega-influencer Gigi. But a mysterious note and a violent storm soon push them dangerously off course. The radio’s down, the captain’s missing, and the first officer’s woefully inexperienced. And in a chilling echo of the past, Gigi gets swept away. Perhaps on purpose.
Someone doesn’t want them to make it back. Palmer’s not sure who to trust, but she knows the truth lies in the murky depths of what really happened that day on the river.
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 2 of 2026
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, which means that if you click the link and make a purchase, this blog gets a tiny percentage back. Mainly, this helps cover the website costs and a few giveaways.
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