The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2025, Week 45’s New Books
My choices for this week include Cozy Animal Mystery, Fantasy, Cozy Culinary Holiday Mystery, Middle Grade Fantasy, Young Adult Romantic Fantasies, Cozy Animal Culinary Holiday Mystery, Historical Mystery, Paranormal Mystery, Holiday Romantic Comedy, Cozy Animal Paranormal Holiday Mystery, and Sweet Romantic Comedy.
Have you taken down your Halloween decorations and put up Thanksgiving or Christmas ones? We are working on doing that both at home and at our office. Let me clarify that a bit, we are putting up Thanksgiving decorations. The day before and yesterday, we were hit by a lot of rain, which is good, as we needed it—the perfect weather to snuggle up with a blanket, hot chocolate, and a good book. That may be the one thing I miss from Montana.
I got another great lineup of books for all of you to take a look at. Jen and I both have some of these books on our list. I don’t know when we will get to them but they are on the lists.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 45 of 2025!
A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka
Inheritance of Magic #3
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Fantasy
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In a world where magic is controlled by wealthy families and vast corporations, one young man will need all the help he can get in this riveting contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.
Stephen Oakwood’s ambitions used to be simple. Pay his bills, track down his father, and take care of his cat. Maybe study a little magic after work, if he had time.
Now it’s a year later and he’s got everything he wanted. But it’s come with a price.
The Winged, a mysterious group involved with his father, have noticed Stephen, and they want him to join them or else. His career as a corporate locator has hit a dead end. And his new job as bodyguard to Calhoun Ashford is proving a lot more lethal than expected due to assassination attempts from outside the House, and possibly also from within.
To survive, Stephen’s going to need allies of his own. And along the way, he’s going to have to figure out the secret of his own gift, and what it means. The cults, Houses, and corporations of the magical world are locked in an endless battle for dominance, and Stephen is beginning to realize that he’s going to have to pick a side . . . before someone else picks it for him.
Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron
Vintage Cookbook Mysteries #4
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Cozy Culinary Holiday Mystery
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It’s Christmas. It’s cozy. It’s culinary. It’s chaos! It’s the fourth book in this fabulous mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron.
Have yourself a merry little . . . murder?
Ricki James-Diaz gets the best present ever when her parents arrive in New Orleans for the holidays. Not only is it a chance to catch up, it’s also an opportunity to jog her mom Josepha’s memory about Ricki’s adoption. The details have always been shrouded in mystery. And Ricki understands why when she learns her mother was blackmailed for years, simply for not wanting to lose her precious daughter.
But digging into the past soon lands the James-Diaz clan in water hotter than a big pot of gumbo! When the woman who extorted Ricki’s mom is found dead at her home, Josepha becomes the primary suspect. Now Ricki has another murder to solve, and tracking down a killer in Crescent City is going to take a miracle.
Luckily, ‘tis the season! And Ricki has all the staff at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum on hand to help. Can she prove her mother’s innocence and have the case wrapped up in time for Christmas?
Farrah Noorzad and the Realm of Nightmares by Deeba Zargarpur
Farrah Noorzad #2
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
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A half-human, half-jinn girl tries to save both her worlds from destruction in the second book of this richly imagined, action-packed fantasy series inspired by Persian mythology and Islamic lore.
On her twelfth birthday, Farrah Noorzad found out her father was one of the seven jinn kings. Now, one epic quest and a whole lot of adventure later, she hasn’t seen her father since she saved him from a cursed ring, and her place in the jinn world as a forbidden half-human is still more up in the air than a flying cloud. Not to mention that in the human world, she’s moved away from her best friend Arzu because her mother wanted them to have a fresh start.
So when she is summoned by the kings after months with no word from her father or her half-brother, Yaseen, she jumps at the chance to return to the floating jinn city and attend the glittering, magical Al Qalam Academy for the Exceptional while the kings make their final judgement. Farrah just has to prove she belongs at her father’s side, and maybe even help Idris finally uncover his missing memories along the way.
But all the while the fire jinn Azar continues to whisper in her ear, sowing doubt and fear about her true place and her true powers. And when the City of Jewels is threatened, fate steps in once again, with a prophecy that claims Farrah might be the one to save the jinn world…or destroy it.
Gilded in Vengeance by Lyssa Mia Smith
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy
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Revenge meets the Gilded Age in this thrilling YA fantasy set among the glittering magical elite of late-1800s New York society, from Revelle author Lyssa Mia Smith.
Two girls attended a magical ball, but one was never seen again.
At least that’s what those who betrayed her believed.
Two years after being framed for fraud by the Society of the Charmed, an exclusive club of New York’s wealthiest—and most magical—citizens, Emmy Vallillo wastes away in prison, utterly alone.
Until her cell door bursts open, revealing Jack Fontaine, one of the Society’s favorite sons, now imprisoned for a crime he swears he didn’t commit. They make a deal: He’ll help Emmy escape if she helps destroy those who’ve wronged them.
Together, the two break free and, using Emmy’s magic to transform their appearances, they soon become the Society’s new darlings. Now their enemies want to dine with them. Attend lavish balls with them. Marry them. But ruining lives requires Emmy to trust Jack with hers, despite his dark secrets—and the infuriating attraction between them.
When another betrayal brings their enemies to their doorstep, Emmy must choose: finish exacting revenge, or give up the money, the magic, and her safety in this cutthroat world for the most treacherous thing of all—love.
Merry Murder Season by Lynn Cahoon
Tourist Trap Mysteries #18
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Cozy Animal Culinary Holiday Mystery
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Jill Gardner—or as she’s now known, Jill King—is working to provide gifts for needy kids this Christmas. But someone’s about to puncture the holiday spirit . . .
Jill’s store, Coffee, Books, and More, is co-sponsoring a charity dart tournament on Thanksgiving weekend with Chip’s Bar, where toys and cash will be collected. She and her new husband, Greg, will be competing as well—that is, if Greg’s brother and his girlfriend don’t ruin the evening. But the event leads to something much worse than a family squabble when the bar owner is found dead the next morning after being used as a human dartboard . . .
Jill and her police-detective hubby both aim to find the killer—but scoring a bullseye will be hard since the place was packed with a rowdy crowd of locals and a platoon of stuffed-animal-toting, very competitive motorcyclists. And with the night’s big haul of cash donations left untouched, what could possibly be the motive for this murder?
Not Today, Satan by Samantha Joyce
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy
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Don’t miss out on the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run in the U.S. and Canada only, a must-have for any book lover.
I’m destined to rule the damned…not fall for one.
Think your life is hell?
Try being the Prince of Darkness’s only daughter―a seventeen-year-old born and raised in Hell, destined to inherit the throne, and constantly enduring the (literal) eternal moans and screams of souls who had it coming.
The only thing worse than ruling the Underworld is working here. Day after day, it’s me, a bunch of demons who are too intimidated by my dad to befriend me, and an endless lineup of sinners. Until Nathan Reynolds shows up, with a smile that could turn brimstone to butterflies, claiming he’s innocent.
I don’t question the system; it’s never wrong. But Nate’s pleading eyes have me doubting everything I’ve ever known.
So, I’m going to do the one thing I’m not supposed to do: I’m going to help him break out. Even if it means showing Nate exactly who I am. Metaphorical horns and all.
Because if we don’t make it out of here?
We’re not just damned. We’re doomed.
Seven Deadly Thorns by Amber Hamilton
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy
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The Cruel Prince meets Powerless in this dark academia romantasy that will tattoo itself onto your heart
In the cursed Kingdom of Aragoa, the punishment for magic is death.
Even the students at Vandenberghe Academy aren’t spared. When Viola Sinclair’s deadly shadow magic is discovered, the queen gives her assassin a new assignment and a new cursed tattoo: seven-thorned rose on his arm for the seven days he has to hunt Viola down and kill her. If he doesn’t, he will be the one to die.
The assassin is Roze Roquelart–entitled prince, arrogant fellow student, and the one person Viola hates more than anyone. Roze should revel in the chance to end her life, but he desperately needs something from Viola and her magic. And he’s willing to spare her life–and fake their engagement–to get it.
Forced to work together, Viola and Roze must contend with deadly threats, dangerous secrets, and an impossible attraction. Will they give in to their deepest desires, even if it means destroying Aragoa–and risking both their lives?
HER WORST ENEMY. HIS ONLY CHANCE.
Be swept away by the sizzling, irresistible enemies-to-lovers romantasy with magic more destructive than your darkest nightmares.
The Hidden City by Charles Finch
Charles Lenox Mysteries #15
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Historical Mystery
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Against the vividly drawn backdrop of Victorian London, amateur sleuth Charles Lenox must unlock a mystery concealed in the architecture of the city itself, in this new novel from acclaimed author Charles Finch.
It’s 1879, and Lenox is convalescing from the violent events of his last investigation. But a desperate letter from an old servant forces him to pick up the trail of a cold case: the murder of an apothecary seven years before, whose only clue is an odd emblem carved into the doorway of the building where the man was killed. When Lenox finds a similar mark at the site of another murder, he begins to piece together a hidden pattern which leads him into the corridors of Parliament, the slums of East London, and ultimately the very heart of the British upper class.At the same time, Lenox must contend with the complexities of his personal life: a surprising tension with his steadfast wife, Lady Jane, over her public support of the early movement for women’s suffrage; the arrival of Angela Lenox, a mysterious young cousin from India, with an unexpected companion; the dizzying ascent of his brother, Sir Edmund Lenox, to one of the highest political posts in the land; the growing family of his young partners in detection, Polly and Dallington; and the return of the problems that have long bedeviled one of his closest friends, the dashing Scottish physician Thomas McConnell.
Featuring a beloved cast of characters, a top-notch puzzle, and Finch’s trademark humor and richness of historical detail, The Hidden City is a novel by a master at the top of his form
The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy
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The “Queen of Fairytale Retellings” is back! #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer weaves the tale of Bluebeard as it’s never been told before. This is a thrilling romantasy and murder mystery, perfect for fans Meyer’s Cinder and Heartless.
Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.
Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir―otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu―who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien’s great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu’s ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.
But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation―and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.
But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest challenge: learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.
The Lady on Esplanade by Karen White
Royal Street #3
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
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People and secrets from the past threaten to disrupt Nola Trenholm’s new life in New Orleans in the third novel of the Royal Street series by New York Times bestselling author Karen White.
Nola is ready to focus on starting over in the Big Easy. She wants to get back to work on the renovations of her Creole cottage, and she is eager to launch a new murder-house-flipping business with contractor, closet psychic, and part-time nemesis Beau Ryan. After a near-death ghostly encounter and the return of Beau’s missing sister, they are confident that the ghost of his mother can finally rest.
Nola believes the shotgun house on famed Esplanade Avenue is a prime fixer-upper for her first project. It may have been the site of a woman’s murder and the disappearance of an entire family, but the house will be perfect for new-to-town Cooper Ravenel—who happens to have caused Nola’s first heartbreak.
That’s the least of Nola’s worries, though. In addition to the elusive spirit of an angry young woman who accompanied Cooper to New Orleans, the house on Esplanade has its own ghosts, including one that is becoming increasingly dangerous as he tries to hide his dark secrets. And the wet footprints from the spirit of Beau’s mother have returned to let them know there is still unfinished business before she can rest. Spectral danger is headed toward them, and it’s up to Nola to convince Beau to help before it’s too late. . . .
The Solstice Swap by Danielle Garrett
Solstice Swap Duology #1
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Holiday Romantic Comedy
The Holiday meets Practical Magic in this witchy winter rom-com.
After catching her food columnist boyfriend cheating, Andrea Wickham figured her Christmas was already ruined. But things go from bad to bah humbug when he publishes a vindictive review that throws her magical bakery’s busiest season into jeopardy. On top of that, she desperately needs to finish writing her third cookbook, and her creative muse has gone into early hibernation.
With her deadline looming, Andrea takes a chance on a house swap vacation to small-town Vermont, hoping the fresh air and snowy landscapes will cast a winter spell and coax the muse back into action.
The plan: hunker down in a cozy mountain hideaway, finish her enchanted cookbook, and absolutely, positively avoid all men.
The reality: the townhome next door is a full-on construction zone and the contractor is an infuriatingly handsome man with a dimpled grin that has Andrea’s thoughts firmly on the naughty list.
Now Andrea’s caught between two worlds—her glittering LA life and the quiet charm of Maple Crossing, where one cinnamon roll of a man makes her wonder if she’s been looking for love in all the wrong places.
Can a city witch trade her stilettos for snow boots and still live happily ever after?
The Ghost of Christmas Snark by Maggie March
Grumpy Ghost #4
Publication Date: November 6, 2025
Genre: Cozy Animal Paranormal Holiday Mystery
A ghostly romance, a cozy mystery, and enough holiday charm to make even Scrooge smile—if Anna can survive until Christmas morning.
Christmas in Lockwood Cove should be magical: twinkling lights, fake snow in the streets, and Anna McGuffin finally settling into life at the charming (and genuinely haunted) Lockwood Manor. She’s even developing feelings for Richard, the impossibly handsome Victorian ghost who comes with the property—though explaining that relationship status to her visiting college-age son might require spiking the eggnog.
But someone wants Anna gone, and they’re willing to manipulate Richard’s own descendant to make it happen. Worse, Richard is fading fast, losing his memories and his very existence to a Christmas curse seventy years in the making.
With carolers singing, cookies baking, and a vengeful spirit escalating attacks, Anna must unravel a decades-old embezzlement case before the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Eve. Between holiday parties, her terrible lying skills, one very determined ghost dachshund who thinks she’s a Rottweiler, and the challenge of keeping supernatural drama hidden from her son, Anna will discover that clearing an innocent man’s name might be the only way to save the infuriating ghost she’s falling for.
The Wild Card by Emma St. Clair
Love Stories in Sheet Cake #4
Publication Date: November 6, 2025
Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy
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Is twenty-three too old for running away? I sure hope not. Because, right now, that’s my current and only life plan.
Desperate to escape the dome of control my father has dropped over my life, I visit my brother in Texas–with no plans to use my return ticket home.
But after spending every cent of my savings to pay off my student loans, I need a job. Stat. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to ask my brother for help and admit how bad things have gotten at home.
So, when the production company I’m interviewing with in Sheet Cake, Texas wants proof that I’ve got long-term roots here, I invent a fake local boyfriend.
Which would have been fine had they not asked to meet him. Today.
I do what any woman in a desperate situation would do: I grab a man who’s giving off boyfriend vibes and ask to borrow him for an hour.
Too bad I didn’t recognize that man as Collin Graham, who just so happens to be the brother of my brother’s wife. (Confusing, I know–but the important part is that we are NOT related.)
When I finally realize who he is, two things are very clear: he knew it was me the whole time, and this fake boyfriend thing is going to be a lot more complicated now that I actually got the job.
On the plus side, fake dating serves Collin’s purposes as well. We’re both a little lost, both deep in life transition–and apparently both struggling with the fake part of the relationship.
I hadn’t planned on coming to Texas and falling in love, especially not when the name of the game is playing pretend. But would dating Collin for real be such a bad thing?
That depends–on how long it takes the reasons we started faking to begin with finally catch up to us both.
The Wild Card is a fake dating (and fake fake dating) closed door romantic comedy with all the sizzle but none of the spice. Set in the fictional town of Sheet Cake, Texas, this rom-comcan be read as a standalone but pairs best with the other books in the series.
A Past New Release
I just discovered this book while searching for new titles for this month.
Planted 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton
Sophie Kimball Mysteries #15
Publication Date: October 28, 2025
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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When the seniors of Sun City West take over a garden plot, they have no idea they’ll unearth a plot for murder . . .
At the urging of the guys in the pinochle club, the members of the Sun City West book club decide it’s time to grow their own vegetables and join the local agriculture club. But when tending to their plants turns up a skeletal hand, the gang begin to feel like they’re working in a graveyard instead of a garden. It’s clear that whoever the bones belong to was the victim of foul play, and soon the seniors are pleading with Sophie “Phee” Kimball to step in and help them weed out the killer.
As rumors and speculation flourish, Phee begins to grow suspicious of the other members of the community garden. Certain that one of them chopped up a body and scattered the parts, she has to deal with invasive insects, sabotaged crops and her mother’s hairbrained schemes as she digs for evidence. Her efforts are finally rewarded when a ring found on the skeletal hand yields a clue that will lead her straight to the culprit. The only problem is that the killer is one step ahead of her, and Phee discovers too late that she’s in for a hoe lot of trouble . . .
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 45 of 2025
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!
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