The Baroness’ Choices of New Books Publishing This Week
2024, Week 8’s New Books
My choices for this week include Cozy Historical Mysteries, Cozy Culinary Mysteries, MG Fantasies, Cozy Culinary Paranormal Mystery, Cozy Paranormal Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, and Romantic Comedy.
We are heading toward the end of February! Can you believe it’s almost March? At least we have one more day in February this year to soak up some more of this month.
Jen and I have or will be reviewing a few of these books. Keep your eyes out, as they may come after this post.
All of these covers look so gorgeous!
Here are my choices for New Books Publishing Week 8 of 2024!
Murder Under a Honey Moon by Abigail Keam
Mona Moon Mystery #12
Publication Date: February 19, 2024
Genre: Cozy Historical Mystery
Mona Moon and her new husband, Robert Farley, Duke of Brynelleth, are on their honeymoon at last. They have just boarded the RMS Majesty ocean liner. The couple are looking forward to visiting Robert’s ancestral English home, Brynelleth, and then off to Paris before winding up on the Italian Riviera. After a romantic evening of dancing until the wee hours of the night, Mona and Robert discover their suite has been ransacked and Mona’s jewelry, supposedly secured in their stateroom, has been stolen.
Mona is horrified, as some of the jewelry belongs to the Brynelleth Estate and were cherished pieces of Robert’s mother. The ship’s crew searches the ocean liner, and a gold brooch turns up in a bartender’s cabin. It is the same bartender who served Mona earlier in the evening. The only problem is the bartender has been murdered and the rest of the jewelry is still missing.
A Catered Quilting Bee by Isis Crawford
Mystery with Recipes #17
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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For sisters and business partners Bernie and Libby Simmons, catering a quilting showcase is about as tame as it gets—until murder put them in a bind!
Quilts, quiet, and delicious food. That’s exactly what Bernie and Libby expect as they build the menu for the Longely Sip and Sew Quilting Circle’s first-ever exhibition hosted at the local library. The eclectic ladies of the group couldn’t appear more harmlessly wholesome if they tried, especially mild-mannered kindergarten teacher Cecilia Larson, who hired A Little of Taste of Heaven to cater the event. So it’s a complete shock when disturbing news drops about member Ellen Fisher, found hanging from a plant hook in her otherwise pristine sewing room . . .
All are very quick to deem the tragic death a suicide. All except for Cecilia. She believes something else happened to her best friend—who was busy adding the finishing stitches on her greatest work yet in hopes of displaying it at the exhibition—and looks to Bernie and Libby to expose the truth . . . and the killer. As Ellen’s patchy past comes into focus along with a mysterious connection to a missing seven-hundred-year-old quilt fragment, can the sisters unravel the victim’s final thread before another turns up dead?
A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander
Bakeshop Mystery #18
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!
The mountains are calling in Ashland, Oregon, where pastry chef turned amateur sleuth, Jules Capshaw, is baking up a bevy of spiced curry buns and chai cookies for a moonlit snowshoe tour. Ramiro’s family is visiting from Spain and Jules can’t wait to take them up to her beloved Mount A with its charming and rustic lodge, backcountry trails, and star-filled skies that stretch for miles. Their winter wonderland adventure is nothing short of magical and the merry party opts to return to the slope the next day for the Downhill Dummy.
The annual competition is a favorite amongst snow lovers. Contestants strap makeshift dummies to skis and send them hurling down a death-defying ski jump in hopes of catching big air. The team at Torte is in the mix this year with their own replica of a tiered cake and a baker who closely resembles their fearless leader. It’s a fun and festive atmosphere as dummies sail past the crowd to huge cheers and applause. Until one of the dummies takes a deadly detour and lands atop Fitz Baskin.
Fitz is a guide on the mountain and his icy dealings have made for frosty relationships with everyone he encounters. Suddenly there are more suspects than snowdrifts as Jules dives into the investigation. She unearths a web of secrets and motives that threaten to shake the rustic mountain lodge to its core. Can she catch the killer before they strike again, or will the truth be buried forever under fluffy layers of fresh snow?
Bumps in the Night by Amalie Howard
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: MG Fantasy
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The creepy middle grade debut from USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard in which a girl stays with her grandmother in Trinidad for the summer and discovers that she comes from a long line of powerful witches.
Darika “Rika” Lovelace is in trouble. The kind of trouble that sends her to her grandmother’s estate in Trinidad for the whole summer. But something about the island feels…different. As soon as she steps off the plane, strange things start happening!
Rika meets a group of kids called Minders, who seem to have elemental powers. Even worse, she can sense jumbies lurking in the shadows. Needless to say, she wants a ticket home. But when the Minders let slip that her long-lost mom is in danger, she knows she can’t leave.
Thrust into a magical adventure involving bloodcurdling monsters, a supernatural silk cotton tree, and an endless maze, Rika must defeat the fearsome jumbie king to save her family and new friends. But unless she learns to believe in herself, she’ll never beat him or escape his twisted maze.
Crime and Cherry Pits by Amanda Flower
Farm to Table Mysteries #4
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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Head back to snowy Michigan just in time for the annual cherry pit spitting contest. It’s all fun and games until the local drama professor chokes on more than just his pride.
Shiloh Bellamy can hardly believe it—for the first time in her family farm’s seventy-year history, she has managed to score a highly-coveted booth at the Cherry Farm Market in Traverse City, Michigan. It’s a huge win in her master plan to bring the rundown farm back to life… and the fact that her coup has sent her next-door neighbor and organic farming competitor into fits of jealousy doesn’t hurt, either. But the festive atmosphere at the farm market takes a dark turn when a man entered in the famous cherry pit-spitting competition chokes and dies right in front of Shiloh, who is standing near the sidelines as a spectator.
When the death turns out to be more suspicious than a cherry pit down the wrong pipe, Shiloh finds herself under local law enforcement’s microscope—she has developed something of a reputation for being unwittingly involved in local murders. And when they discover her cousin Stacey had been secretly dating the man in question—and that he was married to someone else—Shiloh begins to worry that everything she has worked so hard to accomplish with her family’s farm is about to be taken away. It will take all her investigative skills, a tenuous friendship (or is it something more?) with the local sheriff, and some help from Shiloh’s trusty pug, Huckleberry, to prove the cops are barking up the wrong cherry tree and put the real killer behind bars for good.
Daughters of the Lamp by Nedda Lewers
Daughters of the Lamp #1
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: MG Fantasy
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Percy Jackson meets Arabian fairy tales in this stunning middle grade fantasy debut about a girl who becomes the guardian of Ali Baba’s legendary treasure.
Believe in fairy tales.
Sahara Rashad lives by logic. Loves science. And always has a plan. Except her dad just whisked her away to her uncle’s wedding in Egypt, upending every single plan she had for the summer.
In Cairo, Sahara’s days are filled with family—and mystery. First, Sahara’s cousins claim the pretentious bride-to-be is actually a witch. Then her late mother’s necklace starts glowing—and disappears.
Sahara’s attempts to recover the necklace lead her to the greatest mystery yet. Deep in an underground chamber lies Ali Baba’s magical treasure. Hidden from a line of sorcerers who threatened to use its powers for evil, the treasure was given to Sahara’s ancestor Morgana for safekeeping and passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Now only Sahara stands in the sorcerers’ way.
Can the girl who’s never believed in magic trust the unknown and claim her legacy as the treasure’s keeper?
Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton
Deputy Donut Mystery #8
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery
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The countdown is on as Deputy Donut Café owner Emily Westhill gets ready for married life. But before she takes the plunge, she’ll need to poke a hole in a deadly criminal’s plans . . .
When the Fallingbrook Arts Festival rolls into town weeks before she’s set to tie the knot, Emily expects talent and friendly competition at the week-long summer series to go together like coffee and double fudge. But the fun crumbles fast after a lively bagpiper takes first place on day one and turns heads for the wrong reasons—all before Emily and her tabby cat find him dead in a clear case of murder. Along with a distinctive weapon at the crime scene, several strategically placed items leave disturbing clues about the killer’s identity, including a broken piece of a Deputy Donut mug . . .
While detectives aren’t sure who silenced the bagpiper’s music, they don’t trust Emily or her family to tell the truth. With her nuptials and career on the line, Emily launches an unsettling investigation to save herself from trouble and bring a dangerous figure to justice. The search not only brings too many suspects into the picture, but also leads to a strange discovery on Deputy Donut’s rooftop. A discovery that tells Emily she better get cooking, because someone may be watching her every move . . . and carefully plotting to turn a wedding into a funeral!
Five Furry Familiars by Lynn Cahoon
Kitchen Witch Mysteries #5
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Paranormal Mystery
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In the latest enchanting mystery from the New York Times bestselling author, Mia Malone is working as a catering director at a ski lodge, but when her roommate’s ex checks in, everything starts going downhill . . .
To keep her cooking school and catering business, Mia’s Morsels, afloat, Mia’s handed off oversight to her boyfriend Trent’s mother while she focuses on earning a steady paycheck. Too bad her mean-spirited boss at the lodge keeps the misery flowing as steadily as the money. At least her roommate, Christina, is still dedicated to Mia’s Morsels—though she’s also distracted, thanks to her clingy mother’s constant demands. And the distraction only grows when Christina’s old flame shows up in Magic Springs, Idaho, in his Escalade, claiming out of the blue to be her fiancé.
The arrival of some homeless kittens, as well as Trent’s new familiar, a cute little Maltese, brings more chaos—as well as a strange spiritual energy that seems to emanate from the animals. But before Mia can figure out what kind of paranormal pets she has on her hands, she finds herself with a murder to solve—when a dead body is found in the lodge rental of Christina’s suddenly attentive ex . . .
Gone with the Witch by Angela M. Sanders
Witch Way Librarian Mysteries #5
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
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Mystery lovers with a taste for the witchy will be charmed by Angela M. Sanders’ spellbinding series featuring librarian witch Josie Way, her feline familiar, small town Oregon and, of course, murder! The perfect caper for fans of Bailey Cates, Adele Abbott, Juliet Blackwell, and “witchy library lore” (Kirkus Reviews)…
As the bones pile up in Wilfred, Oregon, librarian and apprentice witch Josie Way hits the books—and soon finds herself playing Dr. Watson to none other than Sherlock Holmes!
When human bones are discovered beneath an old outhouse covered in blackberry vines, no one knows who they once belonged to. But elderly Helen Garlington wants Sam the sheriff to test the remains, suspecting they may solve the mystery of her long-vanished husband. It’s not a match, and Helen takes it hard, drowning her disappointment in sherry at the tavern—where she sees a contestant on a game show who she swears is her missing spouse, Martin. To ease the woman’s mind, Josie contacts the show to track down the look-alike guest, who kindly agrees to travel to Wilfred—and is then found dead the next morning.
Horrified by this fatal turn of events, Josie asks the spellbound books for help, seeking the aid of Sherlock Holmes. But strange things continue to happen—frightening images flash on the screen of a long-abandoned movie theater and flocks of crows seem to appear wherever she goes. Is Josie about to meet her own Moriarty? It will take all her courage to untangle the twisted vines of this mystery before this chapter in the colorful story of Wilfred claims another life . . .
Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow
Magical Fortune Cookie #1
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Culinary Paranormal Mystery
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The first in the heart-warming and deliciously mysterious Magical Fortune Cookie series from Lefty Award-nominee Jennifer J. Chow.
Felicity Jin grew up literally hanging onto Mom’s apron strings in their magical bakery in the quaint town of Pixie, California. Her mother’s enchanted baked goods, including puffy pineapple buns and creamy egg tarts, bring instant joy to all who consume them. Felicity has always been hesitant in the kitchen herself after many failed attempts, but a takeout meal gone wrong inspires her to craft some handmade fortune cookies.
They become so popular that Felicity runs out of generic fortunes and starts making her own personalized predictions. When one customer’s ill-fated fortune results in his murder, Felicity’s suspiciously specific fortune has the police focusing on her as the main culprit. Now Felicity must find a way to turn her luck around and get cleared from suspicion.
Medusa by Katherine Marsh
Myth of Monsters #1
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: MG Fantasy
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From National Book Award finalist Katherine Marsh: Percy Jackson meets Wednesday Addams in this fantastical adventure about Ava, who attends a boarding school for the descendants of Greek monsters and uncovers a terrible secret that could change the world forever. One of Kirkus‘s most anticipated books of 2024!
Ava Baldwin has always tried to keep her anger in check, just like her mom taught her. But when know-it-all classmate Owen King tries to speak over her yet again, Ava explodes . . . and Owen freezes, becoming totally unresponsive.
Although Owen recovers, Ava’s parents whisk her off to her mother’s alma mater, the Accademia del Forte, a mysterious international boarding school in Venice. There, Ava and her brother, Jax, discover that the Olympian gods founded the Accademia to teach the descendants of mythological monsters how to control their emotions and their powers and become functioning, well-adjusted members of society.
But not everything at the Accademia is as it seems. After her friend Fia is almost expelled for challenging a teacher, Ava realizes the school is hiding a dangerous secret. To uncover the truth, Ava and her new friends embark on an adventure that could change the way they view history, mythology—and themselves—forever…or end their lives.
Mrs. Morris and the Mermaid by Traci Wilton
Salem Bed and Breakfast Mystery #8
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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B&B owner Charlene Morris expects Salem’s first annual mermaid parade will make quite a splash, until a high-profile murder threatens to sink the whole event . . .
Charlene and her handsome spectral friend, Dr. Jack Strathmore, are thrilled that their Salem, Massachusetts, B&B is overflowing with mermaids in advance of the town’s newest attraction—a mermaid parade! Retired Hollywood actress Trinity Powers has even agreed to appear on the lead float to commemorate her breakout role as the eponymous mermaid in the blockbuster cult classic, Sirena. The parade also features Trinity’s rival, an up-and-coming ingénue, who stars in the film’s recent (and somewhat controversial) reboot. Though their rabid fan clubs seem ready to tear each other—and the festivities—apart, the vying actresses are keeping it cool, for now . . .
But when Charlene discovers a mermaid murdered, she realizes a killer is out to steal the show. With the help of Jack and Detective Sam Holden, Charlene plunges into the case, determined to stop a killer from striking again . . .
Murder at an Irish Chipper by Carlene O’Connor
Irish Village Mystery #10
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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A belated honeymoon turns into a busman’s holiday when gardas Siobhán and Macdara Flannery find themselves investigating a dead body found in a fish and chips shop . . .
Siobhán’s brother Eoin’s new family restaurant, The O’Sullivan Six, is so close to opening—but waiting on the necessary permits plus the heat of July in the village of Kilbane in County Cork is driving everyone a bit mad. Macdara Flannery comes to the rescue with a plan—take a holiday by the sea and stuff themselves with fish and chips to support the struggling business of the aptly named Mrs. Chipper.
But when they arrive, a crowd is gathered in front of the closed shop: a local fisherman with a fresh cod delivery, a food critic, Mrs. Chipper’s ex-husband who’s opening a competing fish and chips shop directly across the street, and a repairman to fix the vent for the deep fryer. With Siobhán and Macdara as witnesses, a local handyman gets the locked door open, only to find the proprietor lying dead and covered in flour at the base of a ladder, its rungs coated in slippery fat. Clearly this was not an accidental tragedy . . .
Even as the local garda take over the murder investigation, Siobhán and Macdara can’t help themselves from placing their long-delayed honeymoon on hold—at least until they can help apprehend an elusive killer.
Once Upon a Murder by Samantha Larsen
Lady Librarian Mystery #2
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Historical Mystery
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Miss Tiffany Woodall must sleuth the slaying of a footman to clear her beloved’s name in the second Lady Librarian mystery, in the vein of Deanna Raybourn and perfect for fans of Bridgerton.
1784 England. Officially hired as the librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort, Miss Tiffany Woodall is through with masquerades and murders for good. That is, until she stumbles upon the frozen dead body of former footman Mr. Bernard Coram. The speed with which her peaceful new life is upended is one for the record books: the justice of the peace immediately declares her the primary suspect in the murder.
As Tiffany hunts for the truth to clear her name, she learns that Bernard got into a fight over a woman at the local pub the night of his death–but he was also overheard blackmailing Samir. The justice of the peace arrests Samir, and Tiffany realizes that her life may have more in common with a tragic play than a light-hearted romance.
With her love locked up in jail and her own reputation on the line, Tiffany must attempt to solve the murder before the book closes on her or Samir’s life.
Revved Up 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton
Sophie Kimball Mystery #12
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery
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When a corpse is discovered under a car at the local auto restoration garage, Sophie “Phee” Kimball gears up to investigate a crime that puts a whole new twist on the term “body shop” . . .
The seniors of Sun City West are celebrating again, this time over the news that Wayne from the pinochle club finally has a chance to restore his classic car. Phee goes along for the ride, but her thoughts are on her agency’s latest case—a priceless artifact that’s missing from the local museum. It’s an antique doll supposedly filled with treasure—but also carrying a curse for whoever possesses it. Then a dead body is found under Wayne’s car, along with signs of foul play, and Phee is coaxed into helping get him off the hook.
It’s clear to Phee that the victim was killed by sabotaged machinery, but the garage attracts so much foot traffic that narrowing down a list of suspects will be nearly impossible. Harder still will be keeping her mother’s gaggle of friends from meddling in the case, especially after they throw a wrench into the works by trying to locate the missing doll. Soon Phee and the whole group are careening toward a head-on collision with a thief, a killer, and a cursed doll, and she can only hope they don’t drive her insane—or worse—make her the next victim . . .
Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Romantic Comedy
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“Witty, warm, and charming…Fans of Emily Henry and Robinne Lee’s The Idea of You are going to go crazy for this one!” —Jennifer Close, author of Marrying the Ketchups
Culinary student Lexi Berman, 24, has one goal: to make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. And she isn’t going to let anything–or anyone–get in the way. But when she meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician who charms her with show tunes, she makes a rare exception to her no-dating rule. After a steamy weekend together, Jake leaves for L.A. to record his demo, and Lexi never expects to see him again. And she definitely doesn’t expect him to become an overnight celebrity, with a breakout single that’s almost certainly about her famous blueberry pancake recipe.
As Jake’s star rises and the world speculates about the subject of his song, Lexi keeps the affair to herself. After all, she’s finally found her footing at her new restaurant job, and even has a prospective romance with her coworker. But when a distraught Jake turns up on her doorstep late one night, her carefully-laid plans are thrown for a loop. Though she and Jake try to be friends, things between them soon reheat faster than a bowl of Lexi’s matzah ball soup. But a relationship with Jake means risking her face in tabloids, withstanding cruel internet comments, and worst of all, jeopardizing her career. As Jake’s upcoming tour approaches, and rumors swirl about him and another pop star, Lexi has to decide if holding onto her meticulously-planned future is worth walking away from what could be the perfect recipe for love.
Set both in the chaos of fame and the high stakes world of New York City restaurants, this novel sprinkles in a second chance at love and a dollop of celebrity drama to create a romantic romp that will make even the most jaded reader smile.
Well, that’s it for the New Books Releasing Week 8 of 2024
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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