The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2025, Week 7’s New Books
My choices for this week include Cozy Holiday Mysteries, Middle-Grade Fantasies, Cozy Paranormal Mysteries, Romantic Comedies, Sweet Romantic Comedies, Domestic Thrillers, Cozy Animal Mysteries, Culinary Mysteries, Young Adult Thrillers, and Young Adult Fairytales and Folklore.
Any plans for Valentine’s Day? We don’t over here. Well, except for reading, which is always in the books. 🙂
So many good books are coming out. Jen has two books on this list to read.
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 7 of 2025!
A Victim at Valentine’s by Ellie Alexander
Secret Bookcase Mystery #5
Publication Date: February 10, 2025
Genre: Cozy Holiday Mystery
Goodreads | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
In the cozy town of Redwood Grove, Annie Murray’s Valentine’s Day plans take a sinister turn when a beloved pillar of the local community is found dead at her Agatha Christie-inspired bookshop.
As Annie assists the lead detective in unraveling the mystery, she quickly identifies a host of likely suspects – from an oddball psychic, to a professional matchmaker, to a rival bookseller – each with a worryingly plausible motive.
With her keen eye for detail, soon Annie suspects there may be connections to the decade-old tragedy of her best friend’s death, which still haunts her. Putting her own Valentine’s Day plans with the irresistible Liam on hold, Annie must solve the crime – before she ends up on a hot date with a killer.
This charming and utterly addictive cozy mystery will keep you guessing until the very end. Fans of Tonya Kappes, Lauren Elliott and Ellery Adams will love this murder mystery with a dash of romance.
After Ever After by Alex London
Princess Protection Program #2
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
What happens when a princess accidentally fractures her fairy tale by fleeing to the real world? Bestselling author Alex London turns classic fairy tales on their heads in this fast-paced, funny fantasy about friendship and facing your fears. For fans of The School for Good and Evil and the Never Afters series.
Princess Rana loves her friends (all fellow fairy tale escapees), loves her school (the HEA, an academy for fairy tale royalty), and loves punk rock (the best music genre). But she does not love frogs . . . especially demanding frog princes who follow her home. Rana fled her story because of one frog prince in particular, and she has no plans of ever going back to that stuffy place full of rules. But then her frog prince shows up at the academy’s gate. And he’s not alone. Dozens of duplicate frog princes have followed him to the real world. Worse still, a shadowy monster is in hot pursuit, one that dissolves fairy tale characters into nothing, erasing their stories. To save everyone she cares about, Rana will have to do the one thing she vowed she’d never to do—return to her Once Upon Time.
Acclaimed and bestselling author Alex London weaves together several beloved fairy tales in this fast-paced, funny, and slyly subversive adventure about figuring out who you want to be. The daring escapes, sinister monsters, familiar friends, and surprise twists will keep even reluctant readers glued to the pages. The Princess Protection Program is for fans of the Never Afters and the Descendants series, The School for Good and Evil, and the Fairly True Tales series.
Candle With Care by Valona Jones
Magic Candle Shop Mystery #4
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Goodreads | Amazon | Jen’s Book Review
Amateur sleuth and candle maker Tabby Winslow and her twin sister, Sage, are finally making a go of The Book and Candle Shop. It seems like the only heat they’ll feel this June is from the strong sunshine in Savannah, Georgia. Then their acquaintance Detective Sharmila Belfor is gravely injured in a vehicular assault and is in a coma. Cops turn the city upside down searching for the offender, keying in on the detective’s boyfriend Herbert R Ellis, her felon cousin, and her case files.
Fearing the police are looking at the wrong people, Herbert begs Tabby to investigate. He knows what most don’t, that Tabby has psychic abilities that allow her to home in on emotions and motives. Since he’s a lifelong friend of Dr. Quig Quigsly, Tabby’s fiancé, she agrees. But before she finds answers, Sage’s former coworker is murdered, and her twin pleads with Tabby to find the killer. With dead ends at every turn, Tabby fears the city’s troubles are paranormal in origin. By investigating the crimes, she risks exposure of the way her family manipulates energy and uses other psychic talents. Keeping a low profile is essential.
Meanwhile, Quig’s parents are throwing them a black-tie engagement party in two weeks, and Tabby is burning the candle at both ends. Can Tabby end the crime wave and protect her loved ones before she is quenched?
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Heartstrings #1
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle–inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.
Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.
Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she believed. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending…even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final decision between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.
Get Lost with You by Sophie Sullivan
Rock Bottom Love #2
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy
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A second chance at love, small-town romance that’s all sweet with just a hint of heat from the “queen of sweet romance” (Falon Ballard) Sophie Sullivan.
Jillian Keller took the long route to her best life, but is now happily settled in her hometown of Smile, raising her little girl alone while helping her brother run Get Lost Lodge. A lover of structure and routine, she doesn’t need anyone disrupting her carefully curated life.
After chasing and achieving his culinary dreams, Levi Bright realizes he’s still missing something he can’t find in a big city. Returning home to Smile, he intends to build a different future for himself, including reconnecting with family and friends, and creating elevated comfort food for a town he loves.
When Levi and Jilly run into each other, past feelings that never had a chance to bloom flare between them… but she’s been hurt before, and falling for her older brother’s best friend seems like a recipe for drama. But sometimes, a second chance at love leads you right where you’re meant to be.
Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
Propelled on a cross-country chase, devoted parents become desperate fugitives in a heart-racing novel of suspense by the author of Family Money and All He Has Left.
Thirteen years ago, Cole and Lisa Shipley were fostering an infant with hopes of adopting her. Overnight everything was turned upside down, when the child’s mother bled to death on their front doorstep. Her last words: He’s coming here…for her! Save her. Afraid, bewildered, and with a baby in their arms, they fled. The longer they hid, the guiltier they looked.
Now in a small Colorado town under assumed identities, they’ve been seemingly safe. But when a tip exposes them and Cole is framed for another murder, they take it on the run again, barreling across the western US―this time with a confused and resistant teenage girl awakening to a terrifying new reality. In the rearview is the relentless FBI agent who has never given up the hunt. And he’s not the only one.
Every frightening mile brings a family closer to the truth about that fateful night thirteen years ago. And to a killer who’s determined to finish what he started.
Shelf Life by Elizabeth Spann Craig
Village Library Mysteries #12
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
Every secret has its shelf life…
Ann finds her quiet existence disrupted when the town’s newspaper editor and publisher, Grayson, reveals a chilling discovery. Dawson Blake, a retired journalist whose bylines once graced the front pages, has met an untimely end under mysterious circumstances. Known for his tenacious reporting, Dawson had helped Grayson find his footing in Whitby years ago. Now, it seems he was onto a story that someone wanted shelved permanently.
Ann and Grayson must read between the lines to prevent another chapter of tragedy from being written. Can they close the books on this case before the due date for justice expires, or will the truth remain checked out indefinitely?
Smoked by Scotch by Lucy Lakestone
Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries #8
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Culinary Mystery
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon | Jen’s Book Review
Hijinks in the heather…
Mixologist Pepper Revelle is excited about the latest Bohemia Bartenders gig, but she’s even more thrilled about where it is—Scotland! She and fellow bartender Neil are finally a thing, they and their friends (and frenemies) are traveling in style, and making cocktails for an iconoclastic scotch distiller’s big launch is the glitzy garnish.
Bonus: She gets to work with the sizzling hot Scottish celebrity and TV star who’s the front man for the brand—at least until a shocking incident puts her on alert that there’s trouble under all that plaid. Could their adorable spokesman’s stalkers have leveled up to violence?
The team’s job gets thornier than a thistle when they realize the Bartenders’ clients have a lot more enemies than they’ve let on. From the enchanting streets of Edinburgh to the mystical vistas of the Orkney Islands, Pepper finds so many suspects, she’s starting to wish a stone circle would whisk her back to Bohemia. As tensions mount, who will get kilt next? And can Pepper and her friends figure out the mystery before they’re burned like a chunk of Scottish peat?
Smoked by Scotch is the eighth book in the Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries, funny whodunits with a dash of romance set in a convivial collective of cocktail lovers, eccentrics and mixologists. These quasi-cozy culinary comedies contain a hint of heat, a splash of cursing and shots of laughter, served over hand-carved ice.
The Labyrinth of Souls by Leslie Vedder
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
A darkly inventive fantasy for fans of Tim Burton about a girl who can see Nightmare creatures from the forbidden Labyrinth of Souls.
In the Kingdom of Spinar, there are seven rules for safeguarding your soul from the Sorrows and Nightmare creatures—most importantly: never, ever enter the Labyrinth of Souls.
Ix Tatterfall has always been an outcast with big secrets: She can cross into the Labyrinth, home to the powerful Sorrows, and she can see strange Nightmare beasts when no one else can. Some, like the shadowy Inklings or bothersome Stubbed Toads, are merely a nuisance. Many more—like the Jimber-Jawed Hounds—are dangerous. Even deadly.
But something is very wrong in the Labyrinth. A terrible new Nightmare—a raggedy scarecrow called Jack—has been ravaging the misty maze, gobbling up wraiths and lost souls and allowing Nightmares to seep into the Waking World.
On one forbidden trip, Ix comes face to face with Jack. Worse, she’s apprehended by Candle Corps, an elite magical group that protects the kingdom against Nightmares. Instead of exile, Ix is allowed to enter the mysterious Candle Corps Academy. For the first time, she’s surrounded by others who can see what she sees: Morrigan Bea, a hot-tempered girl who might be a monster; Ollie Pembrooke, a shy boy who loves books and Dreamchaser dogs; and Hanky the Inkling, Ix’s faithful Nightmare companion.
But more and more Nightmares are bleeding into Spinar. Raggedy Jack is on the hunt for something—someone—from the Waking World.
Ix Tatterfall herself.
Wicked Darlings by Jordyn Taylor
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Goodreads | Bookhype | BookBub | StoryGraph | Amazon
From the author of The Revenge Game comes a twisty YA thriller about the underbelly of Manhattan’s high society, where nothing is off-limits—not even murder.
Aspiring journalist Noa has a secret she’s been keeping. Ever since her sister’s tragic death, she’s felt almost…relieved. Noa and Leah had been locked in competition with one another since childhood, and things came to a head when her sister scored a glitzy internship at a New York society newspaper. Noa can’t help but revel in her new found autonomy.
But when she gets a lead about the sketchy circumstances surrounding her sister’s untimely death, she knows she needs to investigate−she owes it to Leah.
Noa sets out to infiltrate the seedy underbelly of Manhattan high society to investigate her sister’s final days. Along the way she finds herself entangled with the glamorous Avalons and their close-knit circle of friends and frienemies. But will Noa be able to resist the allure of the Avalons’ world and uncover a shocking scandal. Or will she find herself in over her head…like Leah?
Poisoned at Dawn by Leialoha Humpherys
Incandescent Kingdoms #8
Publication Date: February 14, 2025
Genre: Young Adult Fairytales and Folklore
She’s fighting for her kingdom. He’s protecting her heart. With danger closing in, will they have the strength to save each other?
Princess Yesenia has just inherited the throne after her father’s untimely death. Evidence points to her stepmother’s hand in the poisoning, but now someone is targeting Yesenia. As the new queen of Fireblaze Kingdom, she must unmask the culprit while proving her worth as a leader. But to do so, she’ll need the help of the one man she promised herself she’d never rely on again: Santiago.
Santiago’s only dream is to rise as a general, yet his loyalty to the crown keeps him by Yesenia’s side—even as old feelings resurface. With a foreign prince vying for Yesenia’s hand and tensions rising within the kingdom, Santiago is caught between duty and the ache of longing for what can never be.
When Yesenia’s trusted maid is poisoned and clues point to a conspiracy greater than anyone imagined, she must seek aid from allies in other kingdoms—though their presence only stirs memories of broken promises and fractured alliances. Torn between her responsibilities as queen and her desperate need to uncover the truth, Yesenia finds herself walking a fine line between triumph and ruin.
Can she untangle the web of betrayal threatening her kingdom before it’s too late? Or will her reign end before it truly begins?
“Poisoned at Dawn” is a thrilling retelling of the timeless fairy tale, “Snow White,” and the eighth and final book in the Incandescent Kingdoms series. With themes of redemption, second-chance romance, and forbidden longing, this clean, swoony tale is perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings and slow-burn intrigue. Each book in the series can be enjoyed as a standalone or in order.
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 7 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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