APRIL RELEASES: 2023

Tracy Baines: A New Year for the Seaside Girls

Saga/ Historical
Boldwood
All formats
April 2023

Cleethorpes 1940
Years of struggle are over for Frances O’Leary when Johnny Randolph returns to make things right for her and their daughter. But their good fortune is fraught with complications when sister Ruby Randolph decides to have her last hurrah, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake.

Jill Barry: The Hungarian Boy

Historical Romance
Publisher
Self-published
e-book and paperback
30th March 2023

Romance blossoms when Bonnie meets Hungarian refugee Patrik. He juggles working on the Spanish Waltzer with moonlighting for Charlie, a resident at Bonnie’s mother’s guesthouse. Bonnie fears for Patrik’s safety. He saves a child’s life, but will he regain consciousness? And once the police arrest Charlie, will he incriminate Patrik?

Elizabeth Chadwick: The King’s Jewel

Historical fiction
LittleBrown
Hardcover/e-book/trade paperback/audio
13th April

Taken hostage when her father is slaughtered by the Normans, Nesta becomes the king’s unwilling concubine. Ambitious knight Gerald FitzWalter,is given Nesta’s hand in marriage, but the charismatic Owain of Powys tempts Nesta. When he offers her an escape, Nesta must choose between her duty and her desire.

Christina Courtenay: Promises Of The Runes

Time travel (Viking era – 9th century)
Headline Review
All formats
13th April 2023

As an archaeologist specialising in Viking times, Ivar Thoresson can’t miss the chance to travel back to the 9th century with the help of a magical object. While preparing to go, he uncovers an amulet which shows him a vision of a woman who is in distress, pleading for help. He steps back in time determined to follow his destiny – and find the woman who has called to his heart.

Liz Fielding: Murder Among the Roses

Cozy Crime
Joffe Books
Digital and paperback
18 April 2023

When Abby Finch discovers the bones of a baby, it sets in chain a series of events that lead to murder.

Lesley Field: My Beloved Captor.

Historical Romance
Independent, WildMoosePublications.
e-book and paperback
24th April 2023

A duel, two kidnappings, and now a plot to compromise him, had Miles, Earl of Stanford, in a fury. Lady Julia Ellington had thrown herself at him, at precisely the moment her brother appeared demanding he marry her, or pay to have the matter dismissed? Miles laughed at the suggestion, but she intrigued him, and he had stolen a kiss. So he called their bluff.Then the threats began. But who was the intended victim? A plan to catch the person responsible backfired, leaving both their lives in danger. Would either of them survive?

Kiltie Jackson: The Bay of Lost Souls

Contemporary Romance
WickedKilt Publishing (self-published)
E-book, Paperback, Kindle Unlimited
Thursday 6th April 2023

When good intentions quickly go awry, more than one innocent person stands to be hurt. How big does a secret need to be before it tears you apart?
An uplifting story of love, laughter and intrigue guaranteed to leave you smiling.

Caroline James: The Cruise

Romcom
One More Chapter for Harper Collins
Ebook
20th April 2023

When widowed Kath, unmarried Jane and almost-divorced Anne set off on a Caribbean cruise, their lives are about to change! They swap Christmas turkeys and BBC reruns for crystal waters and white sandy beaches. But will the friends find the comfort and joy they seek aboard the Diamond Star? A sparkling new novel by Caroline James.

Sally Jenkins: Little Museum of Hope

Women’s Commercial Fiction/Up Lit
Ruby Fiction/ChocLit)
EBook and Paperback
25.4.2023

A jar of mud, a photo album, a teddy, a book, a cassette tape and men’s slippers are all exhibits at the Little Museum of Hope. Vanessa, the founder of this sanctuary for broken hearts, offers tea, cake and sympathy. But does the bringer of Hope need help moving on herself?

Lizzie Lane: Shameful Secrets on Coronation Close

Historical Saga
Boldwood Books
All formats
20th April 2023

It’s a time of secrets – and also of lies. Someone is living a lie. Someone else is keeping a secret happening to themselves. Jenny finds herself in a quandary, Thelma afraid of what it’s in store. Shameful Secrets at Coronation Close, the second book in the series.

Jennifer Page: The Little Board Game Cafe

Contemporary romance
Aria
ebook and paperback
13th April

When Emily loses her job, house and fiancé within a matter of days, she decides to follow her dream of running a café. Her new business struggles but a chance meeting with local doctor and board games enthusiast Ludek gives her an idea. Can a playful twist, a homely welcome, and a sprinkle of love make Emily’s café the destination she’s always dreamed of?

Jessica Redland: Summer Nights at The Starfish Café

Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Boldwood Books
All Formats
6th April 2023

Welcome back to The Starfish Cafe for the third and final book. As her summer wedding to Jake approaches, Hollie is excited for their new beginning as a family. But when some unexpected news threatens the future she and Jake had hoped for, Hollie will need to find the strength to overcome heartache once more. In the meantime, her colleague Kerry has her own demons to face when someone from her past reappears.

Arabella Sheen: Forbidden Stowaway

Historical Romance
ebook
Evernight Publishing
April 2023

What was it Captain Crowe had said? ‘No woman could pack her trunks in time to sail on the morning tide.’ Well, she was about to prove him wrong. The Honorable Olivia Trevillion must choose between saving her brother and saving her good name, and there is no doubt in her mind about what she has to do … even if it means surrendering her innocence to Luke.
Is a journey of illicit discovery with Luke too much of a sacrifice to make for those she loves?

Alex Stone: The Good Patient

Psychological Thriller
Boldwood Books
All formats: Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook
Publication date 22nd March 2023

A woman with a turbulent past, a relationship where nothing is as it seems, and a heroic doctor with secrets of his own

Heidi Swain: The Book-Lovers’ Retreat

Commercial romantic fiction
Simon and Schuster
Paperback, E-book, audiobook
April 13th

Set in the stunning Lake District, we spend the summer with Emily, Rachel and Tori in a beautiful cottage which was used as a location in the film adaptation of their favourite book, Hope Falls. Their dream getaway results in exciting discoveries and life changing decisions for all of them.

Lydia Travers: The Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency

Cosy crime/romance
Bookouture
Ebook, paperback, audiobook
27th April 2023
Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre and her former lady’s maid, Daisy, open a detective agency, their first case takes them to a country house. Concerned that a notorious jewellery thief will target her weekend party, the Duchess employs the duo to go undercover. But when one guest is discovered dead, Maud and Daisy realise they’re hunting precious gems and a murderer.

Georgina Troy: Chasing Dreams on Sunshine Island

Contemporary Romance
Boldwood Books
E-book, paperback, hardback, and audio
17th April 2023

Book 3, Sunshine Island series
Jax Hudson reluctantly agrees to attend a Christmas Eve party and meets Phoebe Bishop, unaware she has a secret crush on him. When a blizzard hits the island, Phoebe helps drive guests home and they slowly realise they have more in common than either imagined… Could Christmas be magical after all?

Carol Townend: A Knight For A Defiant Lady.

Historical Romance
Harlequin Mills & Boon
Paperback and eBook
27th April, 2023

Convent Brides, Book 1
Sworn to protect her. But she’s threatening his guarded heart…
Retrieving Lady Allis from a convent isn’t easy—as mercenary knight Sir Leon soon discovers… Allis awakens emotions he’d thought long buried after losing his family.The gulf between them widens when Allis’s father demands she marry a nobleman. To Leon love is an illusion…but can he watch her marry another?

Adrienne Vaughan: Summer of Secrets

Romantic Suspense
The Paris Press
ebook and Paperback
20th April 2023

Mia Flanagan’s never been told who her father is. Now she keeps her own secrets. But when the movie she’s working on ends in disaster, ageing actor, Archie Fitzgerald invites her to stay at his fading mansion on Ireland’s ancient east coast. Making her wonder, is Archie her father after all?

Alan C Williams: Moonlight Rising

Romance Adventure
Ulverscroft-Linford Romance
Large Print paperback
1st April 2023

Jane has always loved the puzzles set by her ex-Bletchley Park code cracker aunt. But in 1963, amid the chaos following Kim Philby’s defection, is she ready to become a secret agent herself? Taking on the glamorous cover role of a casino croupier, she must not only resist her potentially lethal attraction to a fellow agent but also outwit the enemies her feisty spirit makes along the way…

Sheila Riley, the author of bestselling historical novels set in Liverpool, brings you New Releases every month. A member of the RNA since 2003, she began her writing journey in the NWS. You can follow her on her website, social media, or subscribe to her newsletter for all her latest news. Published by Boldwood Books, she is represented by the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. Her next Beamer Street novel is out on 1st September.