The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2023, Week 16’s New Books
My choices for this week include Middle Grade Action and Adventure, Cozy Animal Mysteries, International Mystery, and Young Adult Fairy Tales and Folklore Fantasy.
I can’t believe that April is almost over with already! Time is flying by this month. Once again, some of these books have such tempting plot summaries, and book covers this time around. Did you find any books that you think I should have put on this list?
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 16 of 2023!
Audrey Covington Breaks the Rules by Karina Evans
Publication Date: April 18, 2023
Genre: Middle Grade Action and Adventure
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A grandmother-granddaughter duo set off on the Hollywood adventure of a lifetime in this funny middle-grade novel about breaking rules, growing up, and finding yourself—perfect for fans of Wendy Mass and Booki Vivat.
Audrey Covington’s parents are the textbook definition of strict—they don’t let Audrey stay up late or watch scary movies, and they definitely don’t let her go anywhere unsupervised. Audrey knows it’s best to just accept the way it is. But her friends decide her parents’ rules are getting in the way of all their fun and unceremoniously disinvite her from their annual start-of-summer slumber party so they aren’t tied down by boring Audrey.
Now Audrey is stuck helping her parents move her former-movie-star grandmother into a luxury retirement community. When she finally manages to sneak off to her parents’ car to check her phone, her grandmother climbs into the driver’s seat and speeds off—not realizing Audrey is still in the back seat! After startling each other, they come to a deal: Audrey promises not to tell her parents where her grandma is if Audrey can join in on one last grand adventure—no rules allowed. But as the two make their way across Hollywood, they realize that the life they think they want might not be what they need.
Brushed Up on Murder by Ruth J. Hartman
Mobile Cat Groomer Mystery #1
Publication Date: April 18, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
The life of a cat groomer isn’t just pampering purring felines, it’s murder.
Mobile Cat Groomer Molly Stewart loves her job. Until she finds the dead body of one of her pet parents stabbed with a garden implement in his back yard. When Molly’s uncle Russ becomes the prime suspect in the murder and the sheriff won’t consider anyone else, Molly claws through obstacles as she prowls for clues.
With help from handsome veterinarian Hank Chenowith and Molly’s two cats, Percival and Jasper, will Molly succeed in proving her uncle’s innocence before the real murderer pounces on her?
Murder in Merrywell by Jane Bettany
Violet Brewster Mystery #1
Publication Date: April 18, 2023
Genre: International Mystery
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Amateur sleuth Violet Brewster wants to embrace the quiet village life, but a decades-old mystery threatens to disrupt the peace of her new hometown…
Ex-journalist Violet Brewster is keen to make a good first impression in her new community, having just moved to the small village of Merrywell. When Violet hears about the mystery of Helen Slingsby, who disappeared from the village forty years earlier, she decides to help uncover what happened. But despite Violet’s best efforts, she can find no trace of the missing woman.
As Violet talks to the other residents, it becomes apparent that something sinister is lurking beneath the village’s idyllic exterior.
When a villager is found dead in their home, Violet becomes convinced that the murder is connected to Helen. Did Helen ever really leave Merrywell? Who in the village is hiding something? And can Violet finally solve this forty-year-old mystery before someone else gets hurt?
An utterly gripping and page-turning English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Clare Chase, Frances Evesham and Betty Rowlands.
Snow and Poison by Melissa de la Cruz
Cinder and Glass #2
Publication Date: April 18, 2023
Genre: Young Adult Fairy Tales and Folklore Fantasy
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Love is stronger than poison in this lush retelling of “Snow White” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.
Known as Snow White, Lady Sophie has led a sheltered life in the mountains of Bavaria. Until now. Her father, the widowed Duke Maximilian, is at last remarrying, and on the day of his historic wedding, Sophie is making her high-society debut.
At the ball, Sophie charms the dashing Prince Philip, heir to the Spanish throne. But as Philip and Sophie start falling deeply in love, the king of Spain loses his temper. His wish is that Philip would marry a princess. And now, his command is Sophie’s death.
In a quest for survival, Sophie seeks refuge in the home of seven orphans, the counsel of a witch, and the safety of her blade. With the looming threat of war upon her duchy, Sophie must ponder: Can she do right by her home and honor her heart’s desire?
Time will Tell by Kathi Daley
Cottage on Gooseberry Bay #12
Publication Date: April 18, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
USA Today Bestselling author Kathi Daley brings you a heartwarming mystery series about finding answers and fostering hope while building friendships and embracing the magic of life by the sea and small town holidays.
Ainsley Holloway had come to Gooseberry Bay to find answers about her past. She’d come to find an explanation for the dreams that haunted her after the death of the cop who’d both rescued and raised her. And she’d come to identify the family she couldn’t remember but knew in her heart she’d once belonged to.
Ainsley hoped that by finding these answers, she’d also find healing. She hoped that once she’d resurrected the memories buried deep in her mind, she’d find peace.
The Cottage at Gooseberry Bay is a series about, not only finding answers, but finding hope.
It’s a series about family and friendship.
It’s a series about shared holidays, festivals, and celebrations.
It’s a series about shared heartbreak and hardship.
And it’s a series about the bond that can be forged amongst strangers when tragedy binds two or more individuals with a common goal.
In book 12 in the series, Ainsley is hired to help solve a cold case after her client buys the contents of a storage garage during the annual auction and finds a hidden clue to a long cold mystery.
A Whisker of Danger by Eryn Scott
Whiskers and Words Mystery #6
Publication Date: April 21, 2023
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
Finding a body in your garden center is kind of a big dill.
It’s grand opening time for Willow’s nursery. Louisa’s best friend is brimming with nerves, sure something’s going to go wrong. It doesn’t help that her beloved pygmy goat, Steve, has recently gone missing. To make matters worse, on the morning of her first day of business, Willow shows up to find her front gate wide open. She should be worried if anything has been stolen, but she’s more concerned with the body lying cold in the middle of the succulents.
When the victim is identified as an auditor for the department of agriculture with documentation showing Willow was in possession of plants prohibited for sale in the state, the local police look at her as their prime suspect. Willow, distraught, swears the auditor was mistaken. With a little digging, Lou discovers that Willow wasn’t the only one to have issues with the deceased man. It looks like they’ll have to venture into Brine, the pickle-themed town next door, to find allies if they have any hope of proving her innocence.
Dear reader, if you love rescue cats, goats who wear pajamas, and a cozy bookstore, you’re going to love this series by Eryn Scott. Hold on to your hats. The town of Button is as cute as they come, but that doesn’t mean it’s free of murder. These books are clean with no foul language or gore. Each book and mystery stands alone. Curl up under a cozy blanket, cuddle with a cat (or two), and come join Lou as she solves mysteries in the town of Button.
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 16 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!
Thank you for including Murder in Merrywell 😀