Happy April, friends!
We’re start this month off nice and slow. Mysteries dominate this week’s of releases, from cozy to historical to Gothic. There are also a couple romances, mainly of the contemporary variety.
What releases are on your TBR pile this week? Tell us in the comments!
-
The House on Biscayne Bay
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Released: April 2, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Gothic, Historical: American, Historical: Other, Mystery/ThrillerAs death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s atmospheric new novel.
With the Great War finally behind them, thousands of civilians and business moguls alike flock to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune. When wealthy industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build Marbrisa, a glamorous estate on Biscayne Bay, they become the toast of the newly burgeoning society. Anna and Robert appear to have it all, but in a town like Miami, appearances can be deceiving, and one scandal can change everything.
Years later following the tragic death of her parents in Havana, Carmen Acosta journeys to Marbrisa, the grand home of her estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband, Asher Wyatt. On the surface, the gilded estate looks like paradise, but Carmen quickly learns that nothing at Marbrisa is as it seems. The house has a treacherous legacy, and Carmen’s own life is soon in jeopardy . . . unless she can unravel the secrets buried beneath the mansion’s facade and stop history from repeating itself.
Elyse: A Gothic set in Miami rather than the English countryside.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
Just for the Summer
Author: Abby Jimenez
Released: April 2, 2024 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceJustin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.
Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
The newest Abby Jimenez has some forced proximity, no strings attached elements!
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
The Murder of Mr. Ma
Author: John Shen Yen Nee
Released: April 2, 2024 by Soho Crime
Genre: Historical: European, Mystery/ThrillerTwo unlikely allies race through the cobbled streets of 1920s London in search of a killer targeting Chinese immigrants.
London, 1924. When shy academic Lao She meets larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie, his quiet life abruptly turns from books and lectures to daring chases and narrow escapes. Dee has come to London to investigate the murder of a man he’d known during World War I when serving with the Chinese Labour Corps. No sooner has Dee interviewed the grieving widow than another dead body turns up. Then another. All stabbed to death with a butterfly sword. Will Dee and Lao be able to connect the threads of the murders—or are they next in line as victims?
Blending traditional gong’an crime fiction with the most iconic aspects of the Sherlock Holmes canon, Dee and Lao’s first adventure is as thrilling and visual as an action film, as imaginative and transportive as a timeless classic.
Sarah: This is pitched as Sherlock Holmes mixed with Gong’an crime fiction, set in 1920s London, and I have a review copy of the audiobook and I am SO EXCITED.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
Nosy Neighbors
Author: Freya Sampson
Released: April 2, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Mystery/ThrillerTwo neighbors-at-war band together to stop a dangerous criminal in their midst in this enthralling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Lost Ticket .
Twenty-five-year-old Kat Bennett has never felt at home anywhere, and especially not in crumbling Shelley House. According to her neighbors, she’s prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat is plagued by guilt from her past.
Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling is Shelley House’s longest resident, and if you believe the other tenants, she’s as cantankerous and vindictive as they come. Except there’s a good reason Dorothy spends her days spying on her neighbors—a closely guarded secret that no else knows and the reason Dorothy barely leaves her beloved home.
When their building faces demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy become unlikely allies in their quest to save their historic home. But when someone starts to play dirty and viciously targets one of the residents, Dorothy and Kat suspect foul play in their community. After the police close the investigation, it’s up to this improbable pair to bring a criminal to justice.
Sarah: I kept getting pitch email messages for this book, and would JUMP on the NetGalley link only to be told I had it already? I’m very excited to read this!
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
Old Flames and New Fortunes
Author: Sarah Hogle
Released: April 2, 2024 by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Moonville #1A steamy second-chance romance about a magical florist’s unexpected reunion with her high school sweetheart as she fake dates his soon-to-be stepbrother.
A small, magical town tucked away in rural Ohio, Moonville is the perfect place for flora fortunist Romina Tempest to expand her shop, where she uses the language of flowers to help the hopeful manifest their love lives. After giving up on her own big romance eleven years ago, at least she can bask in the promise of others’.
So, when the shop’s potential financier shares news of his wedding, Romina jumps on the opportunity to discuss buying the business. What better place to negotiate a deal than at a wedding, even if she has to fake-date her chaotic colleague Trevor to get an invitation? But all hell breaks loose when she discovers Trevor’s soon-to-be stepbrother is none other than Alex her high school sweetheart. Her greatest love. The boy who, eleven years ago, broke her heart, and who now thinks she and Trevor are dating.
What starts as an innocent misunderstanding becomes a week-long fake dating scheme, as Romina resolves to make Alex pay for breaking her heart. The only issue? She can’t deny their still-burning connection. Caught between proving to Alex what he lost, and coming clean and risking her business, Romina must decide whether giving Alex another chance means going back on herself, or finally releasing her hold on the past.
This is the newest series by Sarah Hogle, whose books have been enjoyed before on the site and in the comments.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
Only and Forever
Author: Chloe Liese
Released: April 2, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Bergman Brothers #7It’s a room-mance for the books in this tender, steamy story about unexpectedly finding love and being brave enough to let it revise life’s narrative in the final book in the beloved Bergman Brothers series.
Viggo Bergman, hopeless romantic, is thoroughly weary of waiting for his happily ever after. But between opening a romance bookstore, running a romance book club, coaching kids’ soccer, and adopting a household of pets—just maybe, he’s overcommitted himself?—Viggo’s chaotic life has made finding his forever love seem downright improbable.
Enter Tallulah Clarke, chilly cynic with a massive case of writer’s block. Tallulah needs help with her thriller’s romantic subplot. Viggo needs another pair of hands to keep his store afloat. So they agree to swap skills and cohabitate for convenience—his romance expertise to revive her book, her organizational prowess to salvage his store. They hardly get along, and they couldn’t be more different, but who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends?
As they share a home and life, Tallulah and Viggo discover a connection that challenges everything they believe about love, and reveals the plot twist they never saw happily ever after is here already, right under their roof.
Book seven in the popular Bergman Brothers series hits shelves!
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
Skip Beat #49 is out to day. Talk about a slow burn. It’s the only manga series I’m still invested in.
I’m generally not a fan of post-HEA stories that show us how MCs from an earlier book are now getting on together, but I might make an exception for AN UNRIVALED OFF-SEASON by Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James. The book is releasing today and is part of Kane’s & Morgan’s Hockey Ever After series of m/m hockey romances. In AN UNRIVALED OFF-SEASON, Grady & Max (MCs of the antagonists-to-lovers UNRIVALED from earlier in the series) must navigate a difficult situation when the team Max plays for gets into the championship playoffs and the team Grady plays for doesn’t.
Pride and Prejudice at The Cat Café is out:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a fortune should donate to a cat rescue.
Overworked PhD student Liz and her friend Jade visit the local cat café. Sparks fly between Jade and Carl, while *snark* flies between Liz and William. For their friends’ sakes, the two manage to get along – until Liz hears something horrible about William. But is she trusting the right person? Then the feisty kitten Lydia is stolen, and they have to overcome their differences in order to rescue her. This Pride and Prejudice modern adaptation, set at a cat café, features fresh twists to delight both fans and new readers.
In ebook at all major retailers for $4.99; also in print:
https://storyoriginapp.com/collections/6eb320a9-c5ab-45f9-ba44-46a902be614e
April 2nd is a mad release today. So many books! Bookapalooza! I’ve got my eye on the Jimenez and the Hogle, but there’s also:
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
Otherworldly by FT Lukens
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
Darker by Four by June CL Tan
Someone You Can Build a Nest in by John Wiswell
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
All on the TBR!
So excited for Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun!
I’m excited for Jennifer Bernard’s ICE FALLS, which kicks off a new series (Firelight Ridge) for her; Janna MacGregor’s A SIMPLE SEDUCTION, which kicks off her Millionaires of Mayfair; and Mari Carr’s STEADY AND STRONG, the next in her oh-so-hot Italian Stallions series.
Oh! A new-to-me author of romantic suspense. Thanks, flchen1.
@LML, she doesn’t have a new release this week, but if you haven’t read Kimberly Kincaid’s RS, please consider checking her out. She is excellent–her Intelligence Unit series was just the perfect balance of suspense and romance. I can’t say enough good things!
I’m so happy to see the next Chloe Liese book out, I just finished Book 6 with Ziggy yesterday and was coming to see how long I’d need to wait for the next one. The universe provides! I’ve enjoyed the whole series so far and keen to dive in.