The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2026, Week 20’s New Books
My choices for this week include Romantic Comedy, Cozy Culinary Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Young Adult Romantic Comedies, Young Adult Romantic Mysteries, Young Adult Romance, Psychological Thriller, Legal Thriller, and Police Procedural Mystery.
Happy Mother’s Day! I hope all the mothers in the world are having a great day today!
The list I got together for this week happens all on one day, and most of them seem like they would work well for a late Mother’s Day gift. Or just a thinking-of-you gift or whatever.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 20 of 2026!
First and Forever by Lynn Painter
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Romance Romantic Comedy
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
This deluxe, first-edition trade paperback of First and Forever will feature gorgeous stenciled edges.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter comes an utterly irresistible romantic comedy about a football star and his team’s die-hard fan who find themselves entangled in a PR stunt that only one of them knows is fake.Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyote football. So after she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain following an awful encounter with the team’s beloved mascot, she is disgruntled, to put it mildly. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.
When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of a PR nightmare, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, a strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. But he quickly discovers being with Duffy is much easier than he anticipated, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. This secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.
Oozing with chemistry that feels like fireworks and banter that makes you swoon, Lynn Painter delivers her signature blend of heart and humor in this love story that you won’t soon forget.
Hot Wings and Homicide by Carmela Dutra
Food Truck Mysteries #2
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
Twins Beth and Seth Lloyd are on the chopping block in the follow-up to A Murder Most Fowl, where a perfect recipe for murder is stirred up.
Business at Kluckin’ Good is smoking hot. To keep momentum going, Beth and her twin brother, Seth, just scored a prime spot at the Flavors of the Bay Food Festival. For three and a half days, food lovers will flock to the Bay Area’s biggest culinary event to enjoy gourmet food trucks, cook-offs, and live music, but this recipe for success is also the perfect setup for murder.
When the infamous food critic Brad Dawson—also Beth’s ex—turns up dead, the only clue at the scene of the crime is a Kluckin’ Good tumbler mug. The timing couldn’t be worse. Beth and Brad were seen in a heated altercation, and days prior, witnesses saw Seth punch Brad. Suspicion naturally falls on the twins. With the cops hot on their trail, Beth will have to avoid the flames to clear their names and save her food truck’s reputation.
But the chickens are out of the coop, and as Beth digs into Brad’s final hours, she will uncover rivalries, grudges, and a different side of Brad she never knew. If she doesn’t crack the case soon, she might be the next one to get cooked. Best of cluck!
A mouthwatering mystery for fans of Joanne Fluke that will leave you peckish for more.
Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early
Murder, She Wrote #63
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | Amazon
The newest delightful entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series, featuring mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher.
Jessica Fletcher and friends Seth Hazlitt and Maureen and Mort Metzger team up for pub trivia and crush the competition, then are stunned to learn that the prize is a chance to appear in a five-day trivia tournament filming in LA.
No one expects life-or-death stakes! But on day one of the tournament, a crew member is murdered. Who would benefit from derailing the show? Jessica has to come up with the ultimate answer.
In a metafictional twist, the investigation takes Jessica and the gang to the filming locations of their favorite mystery shows, where they discuss how Columbo, Monk, or Jim Rockford might go about solving the case.
Royal Summer by Kass Morgan
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Comedy
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
The perfect summer romance has arrived! Jenny Han meets The Royal We in this YA romcom about an American girl who finds herself falling for the Prince of England during a whirlwind summer in Scotland. Perfect for fans of Harry and Megan, Will and Kate, and love that breaks all the rules.
Aspiring writer Hannah has scored the opportunity of a lifetime—escaping her sleepy Midwestern town for the summer to intern in Scotland for her favorite author. But her plan to spend the next few months being the best assistant ever is derailed when her idol suddenly decides to abscond to Japan with her boyfriend.
So it almost seems too good to be true when a mysterious stranger—a tall, obnoxiously cute stranger—she meets at the pub one night gets her job at the royal family’s castle in Inveresk. It’s only when she shows up to her first day of work that she realizes the stranger is Finnian, the prince of England.
Finn is confined at Inveresk as punishment for his party boy antics, and clearly just wants Hannah around for his own amusement. But the more she gets to know him, the more she wonders if this is just a fling or if she’s found herself in a star-crossed summer romance that she never could have imagined…
What to expect:
- Royal Romance: American Hannah finds love where she least expects—in Scotland with the prince of England.
- Summer Abroad: Scotland isn’t the worst place to be stuck for the summer, especially when there’s a cute Prince next door.
- Forced Proximity: Prince Finn conveniently finds Hannah a job—at the castle where he’s spending his summer.
- Found Family: While falling in love with Finn, Hannah bonds with her coworkers and new Scottish friends.
Seconds to Spare by Rachel Reiss
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Mystery
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
Buckle up for a wild ride with this airborne locked-door thriller. Previously a Wattpad WEBTOON Watty Award winning story.
Eighteen-year-old Evelyn Werth is trapped in what feels like a never-ending nightmare. She’s the only person onboard Aloha Airways Flight 1333 who’s stuck in a 28-minute time loop, one that repeats over and over again. During each loop, four things always happen:1. The Internet goes out and the pilot warns of upcoming turbulence.
2. There are five minutes of moderate shaking.
3. A woman in the very last row collapses.
4. The plane tilts forward and begins to nosedive.When Orion James –the cute boy who’s been asleep the entirety of each cycle– wakes, it triggers an alarming change in the events Evelyn has come to count on. As the two grow closer and learn to trust each other, they discover there’s more to the loop than they initially realized. They must find the hidden clues, piece together the moving puzzle, and save everyone onboard –before it’s too late.
Sparks Fly by Hazel Henry
Holliday Girls #1
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Comedy
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
Three girls, one summer—and the perfect beach read for fans of Gilmore Girls, Jenny Han, and Elin Hilderbrand!
Georgia is bummed to be spending the summer away from her boyfriend, until a local boy catches her eye… Daisy kissed her best friend Owen right before she left for the lake. Does that mean she shouldn’t be hanging out with Mateo, the hot older guy who drives her around? Eden is spending her summer in the woods doing a survival course, which was bad enough before she found out that her ex-boyfriend would be there.
- Sizzling summer romance: On a sun-drenched dock or in a car with the windows down, anything can happen.
- Cozy sisterly love: By the last chapter, you’ll feel like a fourth Holliday girl. After all, boys come and go, but sisters are forever.
- Small town setting: Spend the summer at Laurel Lake, where everybody knows each other and you can bike from one end to the other in an afternoon.
- More to come: Follow the Holliday girls into the Christmas season with the bright wintery romance SANTA MAYBE!
Stars, Stripes, and Summer Nights by Celeste Dador
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
A swoony, patriotic romance with Gilmore Girls charm—follow First Daughter Abby as she dives into a summer of surprises, small-town magic, and sparks with the boy who shakes up her world.
What if the person who turns your world upside down is exactly who you’re meant to find?
All First Daughter Abby Alzona wanted was one normal night. But one impulsive pizza order later, she’s front-page news—and officially exiled to a Wi-Fi-free country inn for the summer, along with her little sister Elle.
The inn belongs to Gabriel Calabrese’s family: he’s sarcastic, camera-obsessed, and definitely not dazzled by presidential perks (also, kind of the reason for the whole pizza fiasco). But Abby’s determined to make the most of her time away from the White House—with a summer bucket list full of things real teens get to do. Pool parties. Picnics. Maybe even a first kiss.
As she and Elle dive into small-town life, Abby starts to see what makes Gabriel tick. And maybe, just maybe, she’s falling for him. . . .
The Anniversary by Alex Finlay
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
From the national bestselling author of Parents Weekend, comes one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year.
Every May 1st, a serial killer stalks a small town. Every year he comes for them . . .
On May 1, 1992, Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley hardly know each other.
Jules is high school queen bee in a small Midwestern town when she survives a brutal attack by the elusive May Day Killer―a predator who strikes every May 1st and then vanishes without a trace. Quinn, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, is arrested the same night after trying to break up a fight and nearly killing someone.
By morning, their lives are forever connected.
A year later, Jules is haunted by trauma and guilt, tormented by one question: Why was she spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to devastating news―the unsolved murder of his mother.
Over the next decade, their lives are revisited on a single day each year: May 1st.
As the years pass, secrets surface, lies unravel, and the paths of Jules and Quinn draw closer together. Two mysteries edge toward the truth―what really happened the night Jules was attacked, and who murdered Quinn’s mother? All the while, the May Day Killer is still out there.
And the clock is racing toward another anniversary.
Twisty, high-concept, and emotionally charged, The Anniversary is an addictive murder mystery and nail-biting thriller―but it’s also a tender, heartrending story about fate, innocence lost, and two people bound by a single day. With its masterful structure and propulsive tension, The Anniversary reaffirms Alex Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.
The Mediator by Robert Bailey
Max Ringo #1
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Legal Thriller
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Rich Justice and The Boomerang comes a gripping thriller about a disgraced lawyer facing the legal battle of her life as she tries to redeem herself―and save her son.
Max Ringo was once a courtroom star at an elite law firm. Then a car accident left her addicted to painkillers, and her life dissolved into shambles. Now fresh out of rehab and making a comeback as a mediator, she gets her shot at redemption when she is appointed to handle a high-stakes divorce.
But as Max begins negotiations between the two notorious power players, the trap is already sprung. The husband kidnaps her teenage son, Nathan, and gives her a chilling ultimatum: settle the case on his terms…or the boy dies.
Over three relentless days, Max must resolve a cutthroat legal battle while pursuing a covert mission to rescue Nathan. She’ll risk everything―her career, her freedom, her life―to beat a ruthless adversary at his own game. Even when a shadowy syndicate enters the fray and bodies start to drop, only one thing matters. She must bring her son home, whatever the cost.
You Can Tell Me by Melinda Leigh
Olivia Cruz #1
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Police Procedural Mystery
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
Crime writer Olivia Cruz is drawn into the dark secrets of a missing friend in a terrifying novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.
On the three-year anniversary of true crime writer Olivia Cruz’s horrific kidnapping, she’s scheduled to walk her podcaster friend Zoe March through the crime scene, but Zoe fails to show. Olivia knows Zoe would never stand her up―not today.
Zoe’s husband, who claims she never came home the night before, has reported her missing. But marital conflicts make the police suspect she has left him. Olivia thinks otherwise. The police aren’t looking for Zoe, so Olivia begins her own investigation. Retracing her friend’s last steps, she finds Zoe’s phone and a text with one chilling word: Run.
It soon becomes apparent that Zoe has been keeping secrets, and with her true crime podcast, there’s no telling what she has unearthed. To find her, Olivia must dig into her friend’s past. Did Zoe vanish to escape a killer, and is Olivia walking into a deadly trap?
You’re Dead to Me, Reed Walker by Gwenyth Reitz
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romantic Mystery
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
A swoonworthy YA supernatural romcom where two academic rivals are trapped as ghosts to haunt the same house.
They’d kill each other…if they weren’t already dead.
Tessa Sinclair is a winner. Winner of spelling bees, science fairs, and scholarships. So when she finds herself unexpectedly dead after a graduation party in an abandoned mansion, she’s none too pleased. What’s worse, her Harvard-bound, Mr. Perfect academic rival, Reed Walker, is there too―deceased, smug, and annoying as hell.
Being a ghost is hard enough, but it’s a thousand times worse having to haunt the same house as your nemesis. But as Tessa and Reed retreat to RIP in their respective corners of the mansion, a mystery unfurls about the exact cause of their deaths.
Though they’d rather die (again) than work together, they’ll need to overcome their differences to hunt down a murderer on the loose. And should they happen to fall for each other along the way…Who ever said you can’t find love after death?
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 20 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, meaning that if you click the link and purchase something, this blog gets a tiny percentage back. Mainly, this helps cover the website costs and a few giveaways.
Leave a Reply