The Baroness’ Choices for Upcoming Releases for December 2020
Hey!
So, Thanksgiving is over, maybe not the turkey leftovers, though. Christmas is coming fast. So many web sites have specials on everything, especially books. Since Covid started ebooks, have been the best, but I still love a good hardcover or paperback. Whichever way you prefer, books make excellent gifts. Perhaps some of the ones below will pique your interest. There are so many, but the release dates aren’t as set in stone this year, so please forgive me if I have used the wrong date.
The Books
December’s choices include romances, cozy mysteries, thriller, cozy paranormal mysteries, holiday romances, a historical novel, a PI Mystery, and a middle school book. What books are you planning on reading in December?
(Drum roll) Here are my choices for Upcoming Releases for December 2020. I will be reviewing some of these books so, please, look for them if you have time.
A Christmas Proposal by Linda Warren
Texas Rebels #10
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet
A child’s Christmas wish…
Gives love a second chance
Becky Tullous has never forgiven boy-next-door Bo Goodnight for breaking her teenage heart. Now the SWAT sergeant is back in Horseshoe, Texas, and getting far too attached to her three-year-old daughter. Becky never wanted Bo in Luci’s life, but her developmentally delayed little girl is making great progress with him around. Will Bo prove he’s worth a second chance this Christmas?
A Whisker of a Doubt by Cate Conte
A Cat Café Mystery #4
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
It’s promising to be a picture-purrfect Christmas at New England’s favorite cat cafe . . . but instead of jolly old St. Nick, residents are being visited by murder. The fourth in a mystery series from author Cate Conte, A Whisker of a Doubt is filled with felines and crime.
The holiday season on Daybreak Island is a mixed bag for Maddie James. On the one hand, her Christmas spirit is in the doghouse after a break-up. On the other, she’s busy enough that she doesn’t have to pretend to be merry. Business at her cat café is booming, and Maddie’s care-taking of a feral cat colony in one of the area’s wealthiest communities only helps her bottom line.
But tensions between the homeowners and animal activists are escalating to catastrophic levels. . .and before long a body is found dead in a snowbank. To prove that her accused friend is innocent of the crime, Maddie will have to prowl the island for clues to the real killer before everyone on the island goes completely hiss-terical―and more than nine lives are lost.
Christmas on the Ranch by Julianna Morris
Hearts of Big Sky #2
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet, Western
Can the warmth of Christmas…
Melt his frozen heart?
Alaina Wright is finally following her dream of becoming a wildlife photographer. And Gideon Carmichael’s Montana ranch on the edge of Yellowstone is the perfect home base. After losing the love of her life two years earlier, Alaina isn’t looking for romance. But there’s something about the gruff, wounded rancher that makes her wonder…could they both get a second chance at happily-ever-after this Christmas?
Erin’s Children by Eileen O’Finlan
Kelegeen #2
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Historical Irish Fiction
In 1851 Irish Famine survivor, Meg O’Connor, buys passage to America for her younger sister, Kathleen, and arranges employment for her as a maid. Kathleen’s feisty spirit soon puts her at odds with her employers, the bigoted and predatory Pratts. Driven from their home, Kathleen ends up on a wild adventure taking her to places she could never have imagined.
As a domestic servant in the Worcester, Massachusetts home of the kindly Claprood family, Meg enjoys a life beyond her wildest imaginings. Yet she must keep her marriage to Rory Quinn a secret. Rory, still in Ireland, eagerly awaits the day he will join her. But as the only jobs open to Irish men pay poorly, Rory’s imminent arrival threatens to plunge her back into dire poverty.
On the eve of the Civil War, while America is being rent asunder by the fight over slavery, Irish Catholics wage their own war with the growing anti-immigrant Know Nothing party. Through grave doubts, dangers, and turmoil, Meg and Kathleen must rely on their faith and the resilient bonds of sisterhood to survive and claim their destinies in a new and often hostile land.
Every Last Secret by A. R. Torre
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Welcome to the neighborhood. Watch your husband, watch your friends, and watch your back.
Cat Winthorpe has worked hard to get what she has: a gorgeous home; social standing; and William, her successful, handsome husband. Then a friendly new couple moves into the estate next door. While cautious, a good neighbor like Cat greets them with open arms and warm hospitality.
Neena Ryder isn’t a fellow lady of leisure. A life coach with off-the-rack dresses, personal issues, and a husband who hasn’t delivered, she’s anxious to move up in the world. This beautiful new town is a step in the right direction. It’s also making Neena aware of what she doesn’t have. Namely, William. When Neena’s infatuation escalates into obsession, it’s just a matter of eliminating a few obstacles to get the life she wants. The life next door.
As Neena’s secret fixation grows, so does her friendship with Cat. But beneath their cordial interactions is a wealth of temptations, secrets, and toxic jealousy. For both women, the desire for a perfect life can turn perfectly dangerous.
Fairytale Christmas with the Millionaire by Jennifer Faye
Once Upon a Fairytale #3
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet
He thinks he has it all…
…until he meets his spirited Cinderella!
Under threat of eviction, Alina Martin finds herself making a deal with infamous CEO Graham Toliver. He may be used to getting what he wants, but Alina’s not going to back down. Yet as Alina gets to know Graham, she realizes that there is more to the charming CEO than she initially thought—could their arrangement lead to her happily-ever-after in time for Christmas?
Meet You Under the Stars by Traci Borum
Morgan Grove #2
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet
Chaynie Mayfield is the absolute last person who should be heading up the Morgan’s Grove library Valentine’s event. Ever since her boyfriend dumped her last year—on Valentine’s Day—she’s had a hard time believing in love.
When Greg Peterson, handsome architect and former schoolmate, is commissioned to oversee the library’s renovations, Chaynie’s spirits are instantly lifted. Greg helps her brainstorm, and they create an “Under the Stars” theme that promises to deliver a magical night for the entire town.
The longer Chaynie and Greg work together on the romantic project, the deeper their attraction grows. But when her dream job comes calling, Chaynie must decide whether her future aspirations are worth the price of leaving a town, a family, a library she adores, and a love she’s not sure she can live without.
Montana Wedding by Cari Lynn Webb
The Blackwell Sisters #5
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet
Can a fake date
Become the real deal?Triplet Georgie Harrison will do anything to keep her family—including her newfound Blackwell relatives—from worrying about her. Which is exactly why she’s enlisted way-too-charming rodeo cowboy Zach Evans to be her fake boyfriend for her sister’s Montana ranch wedding. The problem is that Georgie’s not just tempted to fall for her own ruse…she’s also falling hard for the roguish cowboy she can never have.
Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy by Melissa de la Cruz
The Chronicles of Never After #1
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Genre: Children’s Fantasy and Magic
Real life and fairy tales collide in Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy, book one in the new middle-grade Never After series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Descendants series, Melissa de la Cruz.
Nothing ever happens in Filomena Jefferson-Cho’s sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green, and while her progressive school swears there’s no such thing as bullying, she still feels bummed out. But one day, when Filomena is walking home on her own, something strange happens.
Filomena is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming, or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent―he’s real, the stories are real, and Filomena must come with him at once!
Soon, Filomena is thrust into the world of evil fairies and beautiful princesses, sorcerers and slayers, where an evil queen drives her ruthless armies to destroy what is left of the Fairy tribes. To save herself and the kingdom of Westphalia, Filomena must find the truth behind the fairytales and set the world back to rights before the cycle of sleep and destruction begins once more.
Aunt Ivy’s Cottage by Kristin Harper
Publication Date: December 7, 2020
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sister’s Fiction
Clearing out the attic, Zoey opens the carved trunk and smiles as she picks up the small, leather-bound diary hiding inside. Curious, she leafs through the pages, and realises this will change everything…
All Zoey’s happiest childhood memories are of her great-aunt Ivy’s rickety cottage on Dune Island, snuggling up with hot chocolate and hearing Ivy’s stories about being married to a sea captain. Now, heartbroken from a breakup, Zoey escapes back to the island, but is shocked to find her elderly aunt’s spark fading. Worse, her cousin—next in line to inherit the house—is pushing Ivy to move into a nursing home.
With the family clashing over what’s best for Ivy, Zoey is surprised when Nick, a local carpenter and Ivy’s neighbor, takes her side. As Zoey finds comfort in his sea-blue eyes and warm laugh, the two grow close. Together, they make a discovery in the attic that links the family to the mysterious and reclusive local lighthouse keeper…
Now Zoey has a heartbreaking choice to make. Nick’s urging her to share the discovery, which could keep Ivy in the house she’s loved her whole life… but when Zoey learns that Nick and her cousin go way back, she questions if the man she‘s starting to have feelings for really has Ivy’s best interests at heart. Will dredging up this old secret destroy the peace and happiness of Ivy’s final years—and tear this family apart for good?
A Merry Christmas Anniversary Mystery by Anna Celeste Burke
Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #9
Publication Date: December 15, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Holiday
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon #KindleUnlimited
When Georgie Shaw met Detective Jack Wheeler it was love and murder at first sight.
In the year since they were married, they’ve solved lots of mysteries, but nothing has prepared them for what they face in A Merry Christmas Anniversary Mystery. Georgie’s boss, “Mad” Max Marley, insists that she and Jack start their anniversary celebration in New Arcadia where they were married the year before.
Only days until Christmas, the weather in North Palm Springs is perfect. The music and decorations make it a merry place to be at the happiest time of the year. Max even keeps his promise not to disturb them. Suddenly, their celebration goes up in smoke and no one can locate the maniacal genius behind the multibillion-dollar entertainment empire.
Where in the world is Max Marley? Grab your copy of book 9 in this enjoyable cozy mystery series by USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Anna Celeste Burke. Join Georgie, Jack, and their Siamese cats as they solve this gripping mystery as they celebrate their first anniversary. It’s going to be a blast!
Tasty recipes included.
His Christmas Baby Bonus by Jennifer Faye and Donna Alward
Publication Date: December 15, 2020
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Clean & Wholesome, Sweet
Just what he wants this Christmas
The Cowboy’s Christmas Family by Donna Alward
Madison Wallace is determined to make this Christmas extra special for her twin boys. Money is tight, so the part-time job at Cole Hudson’s ranch is a perfect solution, and kind, sexy Cole is darn near perfect, too. Unfortunately, Maddy can’t trust her heart—or a man—ever again. The moment Maddy and her boys arrive at his ranch, they capture Cole’s heart. But convincing Maddy to give him a chance won’t be easy.
Her Festive Baby Bombshell by Jennifer Faye
Since their spontaneous and magical night together, Holly Abrams has avoided her boss, CEO Finn Lockwood. But now they’re thrown together on a charity project aboard Finn’s luxury yacht, and the tension between them skyrockets. When Holly starts to feel unwell, she puts it down to seasickness. Until the doctor confirms that Holly and Finn can expect two unplanned gifts this Christmas—Holly is pregnant with twins!
Ropes, Riddles, and Robberies by Tonya Kappes
A Camper and Criminals Mystery #15
Publication Date: December 17, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon #KindleUnlimited
Welcome to Normal, Kentucky~ where nothing is normal. A Campers and Criminal Mystery Series is another brainchild of USA Today Bestselling Author Tonya Kappes. If you love her quirky southern characters and small town charm with a mystery to solve, you’re going to love her new cozy mystery series!
Death by Fountain by Jennifer S. Alderson
A Traveler Cozy Mystery #5
Publication Date: December 18, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon #KindleUnlimited
Rome – the city of churches, marble, … and murder? For one American tourist, a famous fountain will become her final resting place.
Wedding bells are ringing, and Lana Hansen could not be happier! Wanderlust Tours guide Randy Wright and his Italian girlfriend are tying the knot in Tuscany, right after he and Lana finish leading a Christmas-themed tour around Rome.
Unfortunately for Randy, his ex-girlfriend is still convinced they are meant to be together. When she tracks him down in Saint Peter’s Square, they have a nasty fight, and Randy threatens to harm her if she doesn’t leave him be.
After her body is found in the Trevi Fountain, Randy is immediately arrested. Lana is convinced he didn’t do it, yet none of her other guests seemed to have wished the young women ill.
With a shortage of suspects, Lana must dig deep in order to sleuth out who really killed Randy’s ex-girlfriend—before his visit to the Eternal City becomes permanent.
Yuletide Cast of the Iron Skillet by Jodi Rath
Cast Iron Skillet Mysteries #5.5
Publication Date: December 18, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Culinary
Welcome to Leavensport, OH, where DEATH takes a DELICIOUS turn!
Holiday folly—LITERALLY! Alongside a murder comes another new little addition to the human race in Leavensport, Ohio. Not to mention a broken-off engagement, a double wedding, and buried bones in the village chapel cellar. The Martinez family is back in town to observe Nochebuena with Ava as the Tucker family gears up for their Christmas feast. Leavensport community center is abuzz with preparations for the village multi-cultural shindig until the discovery of an old unresolved crime casts a dark shadow over the town. Will Jolie and Ava solve their first cold case in time to save the holiday celebrations—and will they both survive it?
Snowed In With You by Sophie-Leigh Robbins
Publication Date: December 21, 2020
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Holiday, Sweet
Molly
Why, Santa, why? I’ve been so good this year and yet here I am, snowed in with the most grumpy, gloomy – and admittedly, gorgeous – man I’ve ever met. Instead of blissfully sledding down an Alaskan mountain during my work trip, I have to listen to the guy complain about how much he hates Christmas. Not to mention the fact that he’s in the running for the same writing award as me. Too bad throwing someone out into the snow isn’t considered very Christmassy or it would’ve been good riddance for sure.Derek
Carolers, gingerbread, hot cocoa, tinsel, mistletoe… The list of Christmas torture goes on and on. And as if it’s not bad enough that I have to endure this holiday cheer for a work trip, I’m now stuck at The Royal Reindeer with a true Christmas freak. I’d love for her to back off, but I can’t exactly tell her why I hate the holidays this much. My best bet is to avoid her altogether, which is quite the challenge when you’re forced to share a cabin.But if I don’t want to be around her, then why am I doused in glitter, helping her make Christmas cards?
Bait and Witch by Angela M. Sanders
A Witch Way Librarian Mystery #1
Publication Date: December 29, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Librarian Josie Way moved to small-town Oregon to lay low. Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities—and a killer on the loose—she’s leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble . . .
Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .
Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life. . .
Chilled to the Cone by Ellie Alexander
A Bakeshop Mystery #12
Publication Date: December 29, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Culinary
Pastry chef and amateur sleuth Juliet Capshaw finds herself on thin ice as she attempts to solve her latest case of small-town murder in Ellie Alexander’s Chilled to the Cone: A Bakeshop Mystery.
The deep freeze has thawed in Ashland, Oregon and Torte is gearing up for a busy spring. When a surprise opportunity to launch a pop-up ice cream shop comes her way, Jules jumps at the chance to showcase Torte’s signature iced drinks and cold custards. But selling the desserts of her dreams comes at a price. . .and, before she knows it, Jules’s life swirls into a nightmare. One of the town’s most colorful characters, a street performer known for wearing capes and a cone-shaped hat, turns up dead just as Torte 2.0 is set to open its doors. Can Jules get the scoop on what happened to “The Wizard” of Ashland before her new business venture reaches a chilling conclusion?
Murder Can Haunt Your Handiwork by Rose Pressey
A Haunted Craft Fair Mystery #3
Publication Date: December 29, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Crafts
In Rose Pressey’s third Haunted Craft Fair Mystery, a Gilded Age ghost helps psychic painter Celeste Cabot catch a killer during the Biltmore Estate’s annual craft fair in North Carolina…
Rising up against the beautiful backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Biltmore Estate is a magnificent mansion in Asheville, North Carolina, built as a summer home for George Washington Vanderbilt II–yes, of those Vanderbilts–during the Gilded Age. Nowadays, it’s the site of an annual craft fair. Unfortunately, it’s also about to become a crime scene…
Celeste is hard to miss as she pulls up with her pink and white Shasta trailer and adorable Chihuahua, Van Gogh–Van for short. But before she can show off her artwork at the fair, a tour guide is found strangled by a velvet rope barrier and a valuable painting goes missing. With a rogues’ gallery of sketchy suspects, Celeste welcomes the help of a pair of handsome detectives–and a ghost with a special interest in the case…
Wedding Bear Blues by Meg Macy
A Teddy Bear Mystery #4
Publication Date: December 29, 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
In the fourth shamelessly adorable Teddy Bear Mystery, teddy bear shop manager and amateur sleuth Sasha Silverman vows to find out who killed the best man in a Valentine’s Day wedding when a heartless, ice-pick wielding killer ruins the big day…
Always a bridesmaid, never a killer…
At the Silver Bear Shop and Factory, Sasha will be selling plenty of bride and groom teddy bears come springtime. But this Valentine’s Day weekend, she’d take any of those silent, stuffed couples over the real thing. Sasha and her sister Maddie are bridesmaids at Cissy Davison’s upcoming wedding in Silver Hollow. Cissy is fuming over the worst choice of best man–the jerk who broke her sister Debbie’s heart–and the groom-to-be won’t budge in his decision. At the rehearsal dinner you could cut the tension with a wedding cake knife.
That is, until best man Dylan is found dead, impaled with an ice pick. Although jilted Debbie is the most likely suspect–the blood on her dress doesn’t help her case–the bride begs Sasha to prove her sister’s innocence. If anyone’s going to walk down the aisle, Sasha will first need to find the cold-hearted killer who iced Dylan…
Deadly Bond by Gemma Halliday
Series #1
Publication Date: December 31, 2020
Genre: Private Detective Mystery
Her name is Bond. Jamie Bond. And her life has never been more dangerous…
Clients are usually beating down LA private investigator Jamie Bond’s door, looking to hire her and her crew of Bond Girls. But lately business has been slow, causing Jamie to take on some unusual clients. Case in point: the aging rock star who is sure his young alien-enthusiast wife is cheating on him. While Jamie has a feeling three decades of rock ‘n’ roll may have clouded his vision, she takes the case anyway—hey, money is money, right?
Only when her client ends up dead under suspicious circumstances, Jamie is rethinking her career choices. Especially when a second band member hires her, this time to put to rest an argument over the rights to the band’s one hit song, “Hot Waitress.” The song was mildly popular in the eighties, and after being recently used in a millennial-aimed TV commercial it’s started generating big royalties—possibly big enough to kill over? Did the drummer with a temper finally snuff out his bandmate? Or was it the guitarist with a secret? The keyboard player with a decades-long grudge? Or did the younger wife simply decide she’d make out better as a widow than a divorcee? Between more suspects than she can trail, a side case involving frisky senior citizens, and two hot men both vying for her attention and demanding a decision, Jamie has more than she can handle. Can she make it out alive? Or will this be the case that finally breaks her?
Well, that’s it for the Upcoming Releases for December 2020
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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