The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2026, Week 28’s New Books
My choices for this week include Romantic Fantasies, Sweet Holiday Romance, Traditional Mystery, Young Adult Romantic Fantasy, Time Travel Romance, Young Adult Romantic Fantasy Thriller, Romance, Middle Grade Fantasy, Fantasy, Sweet Historical Romance, Cozy Mystery, and Sweet Romance.
Yesterday was Independence Day for us Americans. I spent it having a relaxing day reading my books and cuddling with Bella. I hope your celebration was fun, filled with laughter, and enjoyable.
This week’s books have a bit of variety. Hopefully, you will find something to add to your TBR.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 28 of 2026!
The Cinnamon Spellbook Bakery by Ella Cook
Magic of Hudsbury #1
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
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A deliciously charming, magical, romantic read from Ella Cook
One bakery. A hint of magic. And sparks you can’t ignore.
Bad boy Aiden arrived in Hudsbury hoping for peace and quiet – but the sleepy little town has other ideas. Nestled among golden leaves, crisp fall air he’s drawn into a peculiar shop-filled with the scent of cinnamon and a hint of magic… and is convinced to become the town’s newest baker.
The residents, and especially a mysterious grey cat named Mist, seem to know more than they let on. Whispering trees, heart-soothing teas, and jack-o-lanterns offering playful romantic advice make Hudsbury a place where the ordinary and magical intertwine.
Then he meets Mia, the practical local nurse. One playful night grows into a friends with benefits arrangement-but under the glow of autumn leaves and cackling pumpkins, sparks are impossible to ignore, blurring the lines of their friendship. As Aiden’s magic grows wilder and long-held secrets from his past begin to surface, he realises that love-and a little enchantment-might be exactly what he and Mia need to finally open their hearts.
A heartwarming, magical tale of scones, spells, and second chances, The Cinnamon Spellbook Bakery is a cozy fantasy full of charm, emotion, and the healing power of love-with just a dash of chaos.
Candy Apple Kisses by Amy Clipston
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Sweet Holiday Romance
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This autumn, love is in the air.
Artist Emily Carmichael has always considered Splendid Lake her home, but she never imagined she would ever return. However, when she learns her childhood best friend, Jake Hughes, is struggling to save the beloved Hughes Family Orchard, she doesn’t hesitate to pack her bags and head back to the North Carolina mountains–even if it means battling a corporate giant and resisting the temptation of too many candy apples.
For Jake, the orchard is more than just a business; it’s a living legacy, a bond with his father and a promise to his family. As Jake and Emily work side-by-side to prepare for the orchard’s centennial anniversary, long-held feelings, once hidden beneath years of friendship, begin to surface. For Jake, Emily’s return illuminates what’s been missing in his life, and for Emily, being with Jake stirs long-dormant emotions she’s too scared to name. The air is crisp, the apples are sweet, and the sparks? They’re flying higher than a bonfire.
But with Jake’s ex-girlfriend’s dramatic reappearance and the mounting pressure to keep the orchard from failing, their budding romance is put to the test. Can these two best friends turn a season of chaos into a lifetime of love, or will their romance fall flat before the first frost?
First-run copies of this print edition come with an exclusive scratch and sniff apple-scented sticker–a little extra sweetness for the readers who were here from the beginning. Because some stories are meant to be felt with all your senses. Cozy up. Scratch. Sniff. Swoon.
Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch by David Rosenfelt
Andy Carpenter Mystery #33
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Traditional Mystery
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Bestselling author David Rosenfelt returns with Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch as Andy Carpenter investigates a wealthy dog lover’s unusual death.
It’s defense lawyer Andy Carpenter’s dream to retire. That goal is once again thwarted when he gets a call from Lou Campanelli, an old friend who he simply cannot refuse, asking for a favor. Lou runs a rehab center, and when one of his patients, a homeless veteran, is charged with first degree murder, he needs Andy’s help. And of course, Andy will also be called on to care for the accused’s dog, but that’s okay: What’s one more dog?The man that Jason Maddox is accused of stabbing to death is none other than billionaire Paul Vincent, an eccentric businessman and inventor. Bickert dedicated a great portion of his life to philanthropy, with a soft spot for dog-related causes. This led him to befriend Jason, a physicist and war hero, whose life fell apart to the point where he ended up on the streets with his dog, just trying to survive.
But why would Jason possibly have wanted to kill him? Well, for one thing, he was to receive a fortune in Vincent’s will. That, coupled with the fact that Jason was at the scene, his fingerprints were on the knife, and Vincent’s wallet was in his jacket, made it a slam dunk arrest.
Once again, Andy is enmeshed in a puzzling, twisty case. But in order to reunite a man and his dog, Andy will have to untangle it all.
Deathless by Julie Kagawa
Fateless #2
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy
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How does one kill the unkillable?
Sparrow and her companions have been left with an impossible task: slay the immortal Deathless King, whose magic siphons the very life of the world to sustain himself.
The answer may lie deep in the past, when those who would become Deathless Kings stormed the sanctuary of the goddess of Fate, in an attempt to remove their threads from the Weave and become immortal. They broke off a piece of the goddess’s loom and hurled it to the earth, where it still lies at the center of a dangerous wasteland called the World Scar.
For any chance against the Deathless King, Sparrow and her companions must brave the World Scar and reach the loom, which would grant the power of a goddess. But the journey is fraught with danger, and the powerful Deathless King determined to find them.
And if the loom is reached—what will the power of a goddess do to a mere mortal? Sparrow has no choice but to find out.
Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Time Travel Romance
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*LIMITED FIRST EDITION COMES WITH A STAMPED CASE AND ILLUSTRATED ENDPAPERS*
A new adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, in which a woman rediscovers the mythical island she stumbled upon as a child—and the man she once met who apparently hasn’t aged.
The night Clay Lockhart’s wife dies, a violent storm tears their home—and the eight hectares of land beneath it—away from the Scottish coast, sending it adrift into the Atlantic. Thirty years later, twelve-year-old Ellie Mills discovers the fabled floating island off the coast of Nova Scotia and finds Clay still living in the weatherworn farmhouse perched on its highest hill.
When the island vanishes overnight, Ellie is left questioning whether it ever existed at all. But decades later, the island resurfaces—and Ellie, now in her thirties, returns, determined to uncover the truth. What she finds is even stranger: Clay hasn’t aged a single day.
Faced with the impossible, Ellie learns that some mysteries aren’t meant to be solved—and that a life shaped by wonder may hold more promise than one bound by certainty.
With her signature atmospheric, lyrical prose, Shea Ernshaw offers us an original work of folklore with a masterful modern touch. A haunting tale, Habits of the Sea spans centuries and coastlines, journeys through time and memory, and redefines the very meaning of love itself.
Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy Thriller
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The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that’s House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance.
*This gorgeous hardcover edition features beautiful gold-patterned sprayed edges!*
Cicely is the black sheep daughter of the powerful Winter family, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for riches and ruthless magic. Soren is the boy her family banished to the underworld. Their fates intertwine when Cicely’s loathsome Uncle Dorian winds up dead at a masquerade ball.
Once overlooked for her lowly gift of discovering secrets, Cicely is now her family’s only chance at survival, tasked with finding the killer before he takes out every last Winter. With time running out, Cicely narrows her sights on Soren, who she suspects is back for vengeance.
Yet the more Cicely investigates Soren–and gets to know him–the more she begins to question how much family loyalty is worth. After all, when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both…
Seven Days on the Italian Island by Victoria Springfield
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Romance
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Escape to the Italian sunshine with a BRAND NEW romantic read from Victoria Springfield
A sun-kissed island, the sparkling turquoise sea and a love story waiting to be rediscovered…
In the summer of 1972, Tanya arrives on Capri ready for adventure. A chance moment sees her captured in a now-iconic fashion photograph, but it’s the island itself, and handsome sandal maker Enrico, who truly steal her heart. Then tragedy strikes, and Tanya leaves without saying goodbye.
More than fifty years later, the glamorous Tellini fashion house is returning to Capri for a glittering anniversary celebration – and they want the mysterious girl from that famous photograph as their guest of honour. Reluctantly, Tanya agrees to return to the island, accompanied by her daughter Hannah, who is nursing a broken heart of her own.
As both women are swept into the world of high fashion and creative craftsmanship, Capri begins to work its magic once more. Old feelings resurface, new romances spark, and the past refuses to stay buried.
Can the island offer them both a second chance at love?
Lush, romantic and full of secrets and sunshine, fans of Karen Swan and Carol Kirkwood will adore Victoria Springfield’s new novel.
The Farewitch of Foxe Holler by Ellen Pauley Goff
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
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Steel Magnolias meets Practical Magic in this charming contemporary fantasy about a thirty-something kitchen witch who is recruited to help a reclusive warlock and discovers love on the other side of the next bake.
Honey Frost is Foxe Holler’s dependable Farewitch. With a dash of flour and a pinch of charm, Honey carries on her family’s legacy for healing any ailment with the right recipe. She just didn’t expect to inherit the role twenty years early.
When the Holler’s reclusive Warlock suddenly requests a Farewitch to cure his mysterious illness, Honey’s ordered life turns upside down. Honey is reluctant to help—witches and warlocks do not get along. Then he tempts her with the one thing she can’t resist: access to his infamous library of spellbooks and kitchen grimoires.
Soon, Honey is the newest resident of his moody farmhouse, which has one gorgeous kitchen. And a Warlock that maybe…isn’t so frightful after all. Or old. Or bad looking.
Healing the Warlock would be simple if he weren’t hiding a web of secrets. As Honey works to unravel his illness, a darker threat looms: the Widow Witch, who steals a soul from Foxe Holler every year, is due—and this time, she wants the Warlock.
The Far-Finding Ring by A.M. Luzzader
Mermaid in Middle School #2
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
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A young mermaid. False accusations. A dreadful sea witch. Can Brynn Finley navigate stormy waters to win back her best friend?
Jade Sands has been Brynn Finley’s best friend since they were mer-babies. But when Jade’s mother believes Brynn has stolen her cherished pearls, she forbids the two mermaids from seeing each other. Determined to clear her name and save the friendship, Brynn sets out on a daring quest to find the powerful sea witch, Phaedra, and solve the mystery of the missing jewelry.
Along the way, Brynn makes new friends, learns new mer-magic, and discovers what it really means to be a friend!
Why readers love A Mermaid in Middle School:
- Perfect for kids ages 8–12 (and any readers who love imaginative children’s books)
- A middle grade fantasy adventure filled with mystery, forgiveness, and mermaid magic
- Explores themes of mindfulness, empathy, and friendship, all beneath the sea
- A heartwarming coming-of-age story about the power of kindness and second chances
- Makes a great gift for the little mermaid or ocean lover in your life
- Collect all six books in the series for a complete set of underwater adventures!
The Memory Bookshop by Song Yu-jeong
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Fantasy
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THE KOREAN SENSATION
For lovers of The Midnight Library and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, discover a spellbinding novel about a mysterious bookshop that exists outside of time and space, where the past is only a page away…
If you’re lost or grieving, you’ll find The Memory Bookshop, where the shelves are endless; the books, strangely familiar; and where memories are bound in pages.
Jiwon’s life has been slowly disintegrating since her mother died. Until one day, caught by a sudden downpour, she stumbles into a mysterious bookstore. Inside, she is met by Manager K and offered no explanation, only a mysterious hourglass and a rare opportunity: to travel back to three chapters of her life.
But returning to the past isn’t without risk. In exchange, Jiwon must give up time in her future.
As she wanders between the shelves, the bookshop humming with memories and regrets, she must ask herself: can the past truly be rewritten? Or does the real magic lie in the life she’s yet to live?
Warm, wise, and full of wonder, The Memory Bookshop is a story about the journey of grief and the power of books to carry us home.
Step inside the bookshop… Available to pre-order now.
Whispers of Treason by Sarah Lamb
Petticoats and Patriots #4
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Sweet Historical Romance
A traitor in the Continental Army. A raid that could end Virginia’s government. And one woman willing to risk everything for love.
Anna Randolph has always believed women are capable of more than society allows. The daughter of a prominent military supplier in Revolutionary Virginia, she manages her father’s correspondence and longs to contribute meaningfully to the cause of independence. When she meets Major James Coleman at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, she’s drawn to the self-made officer who sees her as an equal—but in the uncertain spring of 1781, with war raging through Virginia, falling in love feels like both a gift and a gamble.
Major James Coleman earned his rank through merit, not birth. A Scots-Irish officer from the Shenandoah Valley, he’s gathering intelligence for the Marquis de Lafayette while avoiding romantic entanglements—his dangerous work is no life for a family man. But Anna Randolph is unlike any woman he’s ever known: intelligent, passionate, and brave. For the first time, James allows himself to imagine a future beyond the war. Until a routine visit to the Albemarle Barracks uncovers a deadly conspiracy threatening both Jefferson and the cause itself.
When whispered treason reveals plans for a devastating raid on Charlottesville and James is left for dead by a jealous rival, Anna must become the courier he never meant to send into danger. Racing thirty miles through enemy territory to reach Lafayette’s camp, she carries intelligence that could save Jefferson and alter the course of the war. In a world where women are meant to wait and worry, Anna Randolph will ride into the heart of danger to prove that sometimes the most perilous mission requires not just courage, but love.
Courage built a nation. Love made it worth fighting for.
Throughout 250 years of American history, a well-loved locket finds its way into the hands of eight spirited heroines—each standing at the crossroads of love and destiny, and each inspired by a true patriot. As it journeys from one heart to the next, these stories unfold with sweet romance, unwavering hope, and a deep love of country, proving that even in uncertain times, love is always worth the risk. Start reading the Petticoats & Patriots series today!
You Had Me at Bigfoot by Nancy Campbell Allen
Daphne Drew Mystery #1
Publication Date: July 5, 2026
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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Rookie journalist Daphne and war photographer Clark investigate a missing maid and rumors of Bigfoot sightings—uncovering danger, buried lies, and unexpected romance deep in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.
Rookie investigative journalist Daphne Drew is finally on assignment—though it’s not exactly the hard-hitting story she imagined. Sent to cover a high-society wedding at an opulent Pacific Northwest lodge, Daphne expects floral arrangements and champagne flutes, not whispered rumors of a missing maid . . . or reports of Bigfoot sightings.
She’s not alone. Tagging along is Clark Finklestine-Henry, a decorated war photographer with a haunted past—and a camera sharp enough to catch more than just candid reception shots. Together with their loyal dogs, Daphne and Clark begin to suspect something much darker is lurking in the forested shadows of the hotel grounds.
As wedding guests arrive and tension simmers beneath the surface, Daphne and Clark uncover a tangled web of lies, legends, and lost fortune—one that ties the vanished maid, some returning friends, and the infamous DB Cooper together in a mystery that’s anything but folklore.
Second Chance Summer by Holly Kerr
Midlife Meet Cute Beach Reads #2
Publication Date: July 8, 2026
Genre: Sweet Romance
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He was her first love. She was his greatest regret.
Thirty years later, he’s finally come home.Tessa
He was my first everything… until he left without a goodbye.
Now Bran Rice is back—retired baseball legend, all charm and regret—and looking at me like I’m still the girl he never forgot.
But I’m not seventeen anymore. I don’t believe in forever. And I definitely don’t believe in second chances.
Even if my heart still remembers exactly how it felt to love him.
Bran
I left Tiny Beach chasing a dream—and walked away from the only girl I ever loved.
Thirty years later, I’ve had the career, the fame, and the life most people only dream about.
None of it mattered.
Now I’m back with one goal: convince Tessa Harrow that leaving her was the biggest mistake of my life.
Winning her back might be the toughest play of my life.
Because this time, I’m not walking away.
Second Chance Summer is a clean, small-town beach romance featuring a retired baseball hero, a first love that never faded, and the kind of second chance that might just last forever.
The Club for Rebellious Ladies by Siobhan Curham
Publication Date: July 8, 2026
Genre: Historical Romance
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Who wants to be taught to be a wallflower, existing only so a rich man can bag a meek trophy wife? Not us. In our secret club, we have our own dreams. One day, we’ll run away to Paris, make our own money and fall in love for real.
Provence, 1919. When Elodie Sinclair is sent from Boston to a glamorous finishing school for socialites in training, she is determined to do all she can to rebel. Setting up The Wildflowers Club with best friends Genevieve and Lucille, the women make secret plans to escape their insufferable conversation classes. But just weeks later, a terrible scandal leaves the women reeling. And Elodie Sinclair is presumed dead.
2025. Looking for a fresh start after her drawn-out divorce, Rae Morgan finds herself in a crumbling clifftop manor house in Provence. The mysterious elderly owner, Madame Devereaux, speaks of a glitzy charm school and the tragedy that closed its doors. Though she refuses to say any more… until Rae finds a slip of yellowed paper titled The Wildflowers Club Vows left with the keys. Intrigued, Rae knows there is more that Madame Devereaux wants her to uncover.
Elodie Sinclair’s diary is hidden somewhere within the walls of the tumbledown chateau. If Rae finds it, she’ll discover a devastating secret hidden for a generation, and a spirited woman desperate to escape…
A totally gripping, sweeping and heartbreaking romantic tale full of mystery, lost love and enduring female friendship. Fans of Kate Quinn, Marie Benedict and Evie Woods will adore it.
The Lighthouse Archive by Clara Whitford
Harbor Cove Bookstore Mysteries #3
Publication Date: July 9, 2026
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Maggie Sullivan thought Harbor Cove had finally settled back into its quiet rhythm.
Until a lighthouse record surfaces that shouldn’t exist.
When Maggie discovers a decades-old ledger from Harbor Cove’s lighthouse, one entry immediately stands out — signed years after its author was supposed to have left town for good.
At first, it looks like a simple clerical mistake.
But the more Maggie digs into Harbor Cove’s archives, the more inconsistencies appear.
Maintenance logs don’t match.
Town records conflict.
And certain documents may not have been preserved as carefully as everyone believed.As Maggie follows the paper trail from the bookstore to the lighthouse — and back through Harbor Cove’s history — she begins to uncover a story the town quietly rewrote long ago.
Because in Harbor Cove, the past isn’t forgotten.
It’s filed away.
And sometimes… misfiled on purpose.
The Lighthouse Archive is the third book in the Harbor Cove Bookstore Mysteries, a clean cozy mystery series featuring a small coastal town, a thoughtful amateur sleuth, and layered, puzzle-driven intrigue.
Perfect for readers who love:
• Small-town cozy mysteries
• Bookstore mysteries
• Clean amateur sleuths
• Slow-burn small-town secrets
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 28 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 with the cost of the website and a few giveaways.
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