The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2026, Week 33’s New Books
My choices for this week include Historical Mystery, Paranormal Romances, Cozy Animal Mysteries, International Mystery, Sweet Romance, Heist Thriller, Contemporary Romances, Sweet Romantic Comedy, Psychological Thriller, Romantic Comedy, and Holiday Romance.
We are still plugging away on our reading goals here. I am trying to enjoy the nice weather and reading all while going to work. It’s hard. Some days I want to stay home and read. Oh well, it’s nice to come home, still be able to read, and cuddle with Bella.
Sadly, this week’s list is all for the adults. Some of the sweet romances, I believe, a young adult can read, so there’s that. Jen and I have found books off of this list that we have planned for reviews.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 33 of 2026!
A Betrothed’s Betrayal by Deb Marlowe
Lockstone Hollow Mysteries #1
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: Historical Mystery
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A Regency set cozy mystery featuring an intrepid heroine, a charming Cotswold village, a host of quirky characters, a handsome but reserved carpenter, an attractive but suspicious constable, and a baby goat or two!
Lady Lisette Birtwhistle is feeling bereft and very much alone after ending her betrothal, then losing her brother, the Duke of Winbury, to an unexpected illness. The duke knew his sister well, however, and has inexplicably left her the leases on nearly the entirety of Lockstone Hollow, a village near one of the ducal estates. Perplexed, but hopeful, Lisette travels to the small Cotswold village.
Her spirits lift a little when she finds a sleepy little spot in need of someone with her abilities in managing, organizing, and décor, but she is shocked to her core when a body is discovered in the village soon after her arrival—and it is her former fiancé.
With the help of some new friends, a cast of colorful local characters, a handsome but reserved carpenter, an attractive but suspicious constable, and a baby goat or two, Lisette must uncover secrets and expose lies in order to find the killer and clear her own name.
A Witch in Notting Hill by Alexandra Paige
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: Paranormal Romance
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Perfect for fans of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, this cozy and whimsical romance follows an accident-prone witch and a hot grumpy occult bookstore owner who doesn’t believe in magic as they travel across London to undo a spell gone awry.
When rising Hollywood actress and secret witch Willow James accidentally turns her manager into a cat while trying to escape her contract, she’s sure she’s hit her magical low point. Determined to fix her mistake, she journeys to London in search of a rare spell hidden within the famed occult bookstore, Coven & Codex. The last thing she expects? The shop’s brooding, handsome owner, Oliver Hadley, who’d rather avoid magic altogether.
Together—with a ragtag group of friends (both human and feline)—Willow and Oliver must scour every corner of the city, from museums to festivals to bustling street markets, to find the missing pieces of the spell. Along the way, Willow’s unpredictable magic and Oliver’s skeptical heart will face the one thing they can’t escape… love.
Filled with enchanting adventures, sparkling romance, and a dash of mischief, A Witch in Notting Hill is a sweet and spirited tale of discovering magic where you least expect it.
Casting Call 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton
Sophie Kimball Mystery #16
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
When a theater group’s murder mystery weekend turns deadly, the seniors of Sun City West take on a starring role in catching the killer . . .
The book club ladies of Sun City West love nothing more than poking their noses into murder investigations, so it’s the treat of a lifetime when they get to attend a murder mystery weekend at a sprawling Victorian mansion. They’ll be matching wits with other mystery aficionados trying to figure out whodunnit, and Sophie “Phee” Kimball is thrilled that for once her mother’s friends won’t be meddling in a real homicide. As the plot unfolds it’s mysterious fun for the actors and audience alike, until the dead body they discover is all too real.
Confident they can solve what’s turned into a real-life murder, the book club ladies hatch a plan and rope Phee into helping them. But as they step into their roles as amateur sleuths, what seems like play-acting is deadly serious to the killer. Soon Phee and the seniors want to rewrite the ending, because the murderer in their midst is dead-set on bringing the curtain down on all of them . . .
Death at a Scottish Halloween by Lucy Connelly
Scottish Isle Mystery #5
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: International Mystery
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When Dr. Emilia McRoy stumbles upon a dead body in a haunted house, she resolves to find the killer before another body can fall.
Halloween isn’t the only cause for fright in the fifth Scottish Isle mystery, perfect for fans of Paige Shelton and Connie Berry.
It’s the week of Halloween—or as they say in Scotland, All Hallows’ Eve—and the town of Sea Isle is full of spooky celebrations. Dr. Emilia McRoy loves being part of her new community and is eager to help out in any way she can. But the festivities are interrupted when she and her assistant, Abigail, find a dead body in a haunted house. A real one. They’re too late to save the victim, but they’ll do whatever it takes to find his killer.
There’s just one problem: There are too many suspects.
Constable Ewan would prefer the good doctor and her friends stay out of the investigations, but that isn’t how Dr. Em rolls. As she and her gang investigate, they realize the killer is searching for something—and has no problem murdering anyone who gets in the way of finding it.
Dr. Em must stay one step ahead if she’s to survive this Halloween season alive—either that or she might just end up the next victim.
Falling After All by Cece Louise
Happily Ever After #5
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: Sweet Romance
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I came back to write my next book. He thinks he can rewrite our past.
Penny
When I return to my hometown for some peace, inspiration, and cozy fall vibes, the last person I want to see is Camden Clarke. He’s the guy who stole my paper in high school and passed it off as his own—derailing my future and destroying the pathetic crush I had on him in one fell swoop.Unfortunately, it turns out he’s my landlord. And my neighbor. Oh, and the town loves him so much they elected him mayor.
He may have the rest of Halften fooled, but I know better. And no matter how many times he shows up with that easy smile and disarming charm, one thing is certain:
I’m not falling for it this time.
Camden
I made a big mistake in high school. One that cost Penelope Crowe more than I ever realized.Now she’s back in Halften, and somehow we keep crossing paths—including a very public “date” at the fall festival neither of us signed up for. She has every reason to hate me. And I have every reason to keep my distance.
But the more time I spend with her, the harder it is to ignore the way she surprises me, challenges me . . . and makes me want things I have no right wanting.
Because I don’t just want a chance to make things right—I want a second chance with her.
But after what I did, that might be the one thing I don’t deserve.
A sweet, swoony fall romance featuring:
✔ Enemies-to-lovers
✔ Former crush
✔ Small-town charm
✔ Dual POVs
✔ All the feels, zero spicePerfect for fans of Emma St. Clair and Cindy Steel!
The Enigma Challenge by S.C. Godfrey
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: Heist Thriller
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An action-packed novel following an unlikely duo as they race across Europe in a dangerously high-stakes competition worth millions
Zoe Wilder has the unflashy, solitary life of an academic, studying ciphers in literature at a California university. When her research takes her to a cryptology conference in Madrid, she’s not expecting to trigger the Enigma Challenge, a clandestine puzzle competition few dare to enter.
The Enigma Challenge is an infamous competition with impossibly high stakes: Lose, and your identity is wiped forever. It doesn’t take long for Zoe to realize that she’s in over her head. Enter Dane Seaver: the mysterious hacker who insists they team up. Dane knows the Enigma Challenge—its secrets, its players—and Zoe knows ciphers. For better or worse, they need each other.
Six days, five puzzles, three countries, and innumerable rivals. What’s more, the spark of attraction between them becomes harder to ignore, but distractions are dangerous. With twelve million dollars and multiple lives on the line, the Enigma Challenge is anyone’s game. Will Zoe and Dane come out unscathed against the other players—and each other?
The Magic We Made by Meg Cabot
Witches of West Harbor #2
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: Paranormal Romance
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She doesn’t believe in magic. He is magic. But when they meet, a spark is lit, and neither will ever be the same—in this charming new stand-alone in the Witches of West Harbor series from New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot.
Frankie
A trained therapist, Francesca Giovanni knows there’s a scientific explanation for everything. Unfortunately, she lives in West Harbor, CT, a town that’s recently exploded in popularity thanks to “witch tourism.” Suddenly, witches are everywhere, offering locals their psychic services. Frankie’s fine with this…until aspiring teenage witches begin to disappear, and strange things start happening in the lake house next door. Frankie suspects not all newcomers to West Harbor have the good of the community in mind—especially not her new neighbor, Ash Merit.
Ash
Ash Merit finds lost things—and people—for a living. All he wants is to help his clients, and maybe get to know the stunningly beautiful (and newly single) Dr. Frankie Giovanni a little better. But thanks to some troublesome young witches—not to mention his often faulty psychic “superpower”—everything goes wrong. If only Frankie wasn’t so distractingly attractive…and so unwilling to admit there might not be a logical reason for everything, including the flames that ignite whenever the two of them kiss. Ash hopes to change that, but first he and Frankie have to find the missing girls, as well as the truth about what’s happening in West Harbor…a truth that could change everything they thought they knew about themselves—and the magic of love.
The Matchmaker’s Cottage by Kat Sloane
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: Sweet Romance
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A cozy fall romance wrapped in small-town charm reunites the owner of a bed-and-breakfast with her childhood sweetheart for a celebrity matchmaking scheme which has them both seeing stars.
Julia Schaeffer might run the most romantic little bed-and-breakfast in Upstate New York, but as far as that infuriating Ethan Duchamp is concerned, this older, wiser Julia has a strict “no vacancy” policy. Sure, she’s teetering on the edge of a financial cliff, and his half-baked plan to pair up his celebrity clients at her inn will undoubtedly be good for business…but how much forced proximity with the man who abandoned her is she supposed to take?
Ethan needs this to work. The dreamy, autumnal—and blissfully secluded—cottage from his childhood summers is the ideal setting for playing matchmaker to Hollywood’s next power couple. It’s the only way to save his PR career from the tabloid toilet. He knew that the inn and Julia’s warm, comforting homemade touch would inspire real feelings—he just didn’t expect them to be his. Again.
But as old wounds reopen, and their connection rekindles, Julia and Ethan are forced to confront the truths they’ve both tried to bury. In a town where nothing stays hidden for long, they’ll have to decide if they can rebuild what was lost—or if their second chance will be derailed by scars that have yet to heal.
The Summer of Starting Over by Amy Sparling
Midlife Meet Cute Beach Reads #7
Publication Date: August 12, 2026
Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy
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Catie: At forty-three, I thought I had life figured out, until a surprise divorce left me with a quiet house, a daughter off at college, and no idea who I am without being someone’s wife or mother. On a whim, I’m renting a small beach cottage on Galveston Island for the summer, determined to prove I’m brave enough to try something new.
I do not expect to fall off a paddleboard on my very first morning of trying something new. And I definitely don’t expect the grumpy, yet steady man who fishes me out of the water to make my heart race.
Spencer: I’ve spent the last five years focused on two things: running my beachfront watersports shop and raising my teenage son after my wife walked away from both of us. I’ve learned not to expect people to stay. Life is simpler that way.
But Catie, with her nervous laughter, her determination to stand up after every fall, and her strength, makes me want to believe in something permanent again.
The only problem? Summer doesn’t last forever.
The Summer of Starting Over is a sweet, kisses-only later-in-life romance about healing, hope, and finding love when you least expect it, set against the sun-soaked shores of Galveston Island.
Halloween Town by Joss Wood
Halloween Town #2
Publication Date: August 13, 2026
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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It’s always spooky season here…
Poppy McMaster was supposed to be getting married, not climbing out of a bathroom window in her wedding dress…
She’s leaving her life behind and fleeing to the only place she’s ever truly felt like herself: the small town she grew up in, where Halloween lasts all year.
But home isn’t waiting for Poppy the way she imagined. Her grandparents’ beloved inn is now owned by Thom Sheffield, who just happens to be:
- Her childhood hero
- Her ex-fiancé’s brooding older brother
- The last man on earth she should be fantasizing about…
Because in a town full of pumpkins, cosy traditions, and Halloween magic, falling in love might be the scariest thing of all…
Murder’s the Word by Sue Minix
Bookstore Mystery #7
Publication Date: August 13, 2026
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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Bookstore owner and crime writer Jen is leaving her amateur sleuthing days behind her. She’s got a new novel to finish – if she could just figure out the final murderous twist. But, when the local high school Principal is murdered, Jen soon discovers that retiring is easier written than done.
The town is shocked when their beloved vet is named the prime suspect, but Jen knows he simply couldn’t have done it.
Now, it’s up to Jen to find the real killer, can she crack the case before they strike again?
No Charm Done by Emily Grimoire
Oak Haven Witches #3
Publication Date: August 13, 2026
Genre: Paranormal Romance
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Pre-order this small-town witchy romance now, perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and Rewitched
Being a receptionist at her family’s magical inn for witches is not Luna’s true calling. But she’s stuck doing her duty until she comes up with the perfect escape: a trip to rescue Elias, the magician who once saved her mother’s life.
However, it’s not long before Luna’s carefully laid plan falls apart. Elias is distractingly handsome, her usually brilliant magic skills are faltering and – oh yeah – they might have accidentally revealed the secret of magic to humans.
Luna and Elias will have to work together to undo the chaos they’ve caused. But can these two keep their eyes off each other long enough to save the magical world?
Perfect for fans of:
Witchy aesthetic 🔮✨
Cozy small town 🍂☕
Sisterhood and found family 👯
The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin
Publication Date: August 13, 2026
Genre: Romantic Comedy
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PRE-ORDER the brand-new hilarious bookish rom-com from the queen of escapist romance! Perfect for fans of Laurie Gilmore and Jo Thomas.
In a city full of stories, can she write her own…
Introvert and self-described whodunnit enthusiast Viviane has never much believed in living life outside of the pages of a book. But when her interfering mother insists that Viviane needs some friends who aren’t fictional, she decides to head into the beautiful bustling streets of Porto in search of her community.
What better place to start than by reading her favourite mystery in the corner of a little-known café? But when one, then two, and then outrageously six other people decide to join her silent book club Viviane realises that she is firmly out of her depth. There’s Thomas, a middle-aged man hiding his love for romance novels, Lucinda, a chic sixty-something with a penchant for Christie, and then there’s Tiago, the hot alpha male of every romance novelist’s dreams.
But when one of these newfound friends disappears from the book club without a word, will the community come together to find their fellow lost soul, and will Viviane find love along the way…?
Perfect for fans of:
🌴 Stunning settings
⛅ Black cat x golden retriever relationships
🫶🏻 Found family
📖 SERIOUS introvert representation
📚 Books, books, and more books …
🔍 A hint of mystery
The New Wife by Gemma Rogers
Publication Date: August 14, 2026
Genre: Psychological Thriller
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When the man you marry isn’t who he claims to be…
After a whirlwind romance and a dream beachside wedding, Lucy Brightman returns home brimming with hope for her future. But as the honeymoon glow fades, small cracks begin to show. Life quickly shifts into something far darker, and Lucy finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive marriage with her husband, David.
As the illusion of marital bliss crumbles, David tightens his grip using his wealth to control Lucy by funding the care of her critically ill mother, ensuring she cannot leave their marriage.
Then, one night, David fails to return home for an important dinner with a business partner – something utterly out of character. With his phone going straight to voicemail, Lucy reluctantly contacts his London workplace. What she learns shatters everything she thought she knew.
Was her marriage a lie from the very beginning?
Hope and Hot Chocolate on Mistletoe Lane by Victoria Walters
Birch Tree Farm #3
Publication Date: August 15, 2026
Genre: Holiday Romance
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A Christmas to remember…
… in a town she’d rather forget
Holly Wynter never planned to return to Birchbrook. But when an old friend calls with a festive job opportunity, it could be just what her fledgling events business needs. So reluctantly, she agrees to return to create the world’s best festive experience at Birch Tree Farm. Even though she hates Christmas with all her lonely heart.
Paul Ryan hasn’t seen Holly for ten years, ever since that fateful day she ran away. While she dreamed of a high-flying career in the city, he stayed in Birchbrook, helping his parents run the local café. Though these days he’s been wondering if he’s meant for something bigger.
As Christmas lights twinkle across the town, old memories resurface and long-buried feelings begin to stir. But Holly can’t stay in Birchbrook, even if it might hold the key to her happiness.
Could this holiday season be the chance to finally admit they want to be and maybe always have been – more than best friends?
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 33 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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