April 2025 Book Releases:
Your Ultimate Guide For The Final Week’s Must-Reads
27th April – 30th April: The final week of April features some exciting new stories as part of the 2025 book releases.
This Week’s April 2025 Book Releases
Discover my top 12 picks from this week’s exciting new book releases! In this lineup, I’ll share the captivating synopses and discuss which books will resonate with each reader. Kicking off the fantasy romance genre, we have a thrilling Viking-inspired tale brimming with a unique magic system and political intrigue, alongside a mesmerizing dark academia fantasy meets twisted Hades and Persephone romance.
For readers of pure fiction, we have two new additions from a beautifully written journey of vulnerability and the profound beauty of opening up to others that unfolds completely through letters sent and received by its main character to a warm-hearted and comic novel about endearing characters and their road trip together to help an old man reunite with his high school crush.
If you prefer your fiction books to be more grounded, you will be excited about the two new historical fiction additions. The first is a debut novel about the rise of three secretaries at an agency in 1960s Hollywood that explores their friendship, and the second is a Western homage to True Grit about a young woman who makes a perilous journey in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father.
For the romantic at heart and fans of spicy romantic books, three new additions will catch your interest: The second instalment in the Web We Weave series and the return of an ex-grifter whose new life and love are threatened by the arrival of her mother, to a Ghanain American heiress forced with the dilemma of choosing between her culture and a love connection, and the fifth instalment in the Kings of Sin series about a scarred billionaire who has eyes for a woman who is marrying his oldest friend, he is torn between his loyalty and desire.
Last but not least for the mystery lovers, not two but three new thriller and mystery books wrap up this week’s 2025 book releases: A sharply funny and moving debut about a young woman who accepts a mysterious job that introduces her to a world of greed, betrayal, and stolen jewels. The second instalment in the Castle Knoll Files series and the return of an idyllic English village with layers of secrets. To a fun murder mystery full of red herrings, amateur sleuths, and a cast of likeable and eccentric characters.
Genre – Fantasy Romance Books
Title: Broken Souls and Bones
Series: Stonegate Series
Author: L.J. Andrews
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 480
A new romantasy series from USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation LJ Andrews. This Viking mythology-inspired narrative, with its dual POV, enemies-to-lovers trope, unique magic system, and political intrigue, is an ideal read for fantasy romance fans.
The book’s synopsis;
Lyra Bien intended to live a quiet life to avoid the attention of the magic-obsessed king in the fortress of Stonegate. Until Roark Ashwood—the prince’s silent guard and rumoured killer for the crown—invades her village and uncovers the truth behind the silver scars in her eyes. To save her best friend from death, she’s forced to reveal her abilities and is immediately claimed by the crown as the next melder.
To be the King’s melder is to be revered and feared in equal measures, but above all, it is a slow death sentence. Lyra is determined to find a way to free herself and her friends from bondage. But first, she must get more information from the silent, brooding sentry who first took her captive: Roark.
As Lyra gets closer to Roark, she soon learns he’s nothing like she assumed—and in fact everything she needs. The more they work as allies, the harder it becomes to ignore the growing passion between them. After a sinister truth is revealed, Roark and Lyra must choose to stand against all they know or accept their dark destiny.
Title: Enigma
Author: RuNyx
Publisher: Bramble
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 463
From New York Times bestselling author RuNyx comes Enigma, a twisted Hades and Persephone meets scorching dark academia romance. It is a tale of forbidden love and obsession between two rivals, an ideal read for fans of steamy suspense and secret societies.
The book’s synopsis;
There are secrets she must uncover.
There are secrets he must keep.
Salem Salazar is fascinated with death. The black sheep of her scandal-ridden, wealthy family, she arrives at Mortimer University as a legacy on the hunt for answers about what happened to her perfect, older sister. There, she discovers that her sister is far from the only girl to have gone missing at Mortimer. Salem will do anything to discover what dark forces are killing Mortimer’s students…even if it means using herself as bait.
And Cazimir van der Waal has caught her scent. The mysterious artist and teaching assistant has a dark past, a hidden agenda, and a ravenous appetite for a beautiful, golden-eyed girl who seems determined to risk her life.
Where she is ice, he is fire. Where she is organisation, he is chaos. Where she is precision, he is passion. Together, they are explosive–their fates linked as secret societies, and death stalks them both.
Genre – Fiction Books
Title: The Correspondent
Author: Virginia Evans
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 304
A narrative that unfolds completely through letters sent and received by its main character. Author Virginia Evans’ latest novel is a beautifully written and heartwarming tale of how one person might leave a mark on their world long after they are gone, and the power of forgiving others and ourselves.
The book’s synopsis;
Throughout her life, Sybil Van Antwerp has used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings around half past ten Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has. A mother, grandmother, wife, divorcée, and distinguished lawyer, she has lived a full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realises the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.
Title: The Road to Tender Hearts
Author: Annie Hartnett
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 384
From the beloved author of Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals comes a darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush. It’s an ideal read for fans of well-written and engaging characters, road trips, and second chances.
The book’s synopsis;
At sixty-three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren’t for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn’t have much time left—he’s had three heart attacks already.
But when PJ reads an obituary of his old romantic rival, he realises his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he’s going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win Michelle back.
Before PJ can hit the road, tragedy strikes Pondville, leaving PJ the sudden guardian of his estranged brother’s grandchildren. Anyone else would be deterred from the planned trip, but PJ figures the orphaned kids might benefit from getting out of town. PJ also figures he can ask Sophie, his adult daughter, adrift in her 20s, to come along to babysit. And there’s one more surprise addition to the roster: Pancakes, a former nursing home therapy cat with a knack for predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ’s home.
This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for—a second shot at love and parenting—but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It’s very possible his heart can’t take it.
Genre – Historical Fiction Books
Title: Climbing in Heels
Author: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 384
Jennifer Lopez’s BFF, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, has released her debut novel, a fictional tale of the rise of three secretaries at the hottest agency in 1980s Hollywood. It is a story of friendship, betrayal, survival, standing up when they pass you by, and saying I won’t go when they want you gone. It is an ideal read for fans of what women had to endure to climb a ladder that men predominantly controlled.
The book’s synopsis;
Meet Beanie Rosen, the fast-talking and even faster-thinking Valley girl who knows where she wants to go, and doesn’t care if she doesn’t look the part.
Mercedes Baxter, who learned early on how to leverage the monied friends of her monied friends’ parents, until she found a foothold in Hollywood.
And Ella Gaddy, a sexy free-spirit anti-debutante from a white-glove Kentucky home, who shakes up any room she walks into.
Watch these women meet, meld, fight, strategise and climb their way into your heart.
A rollicking tale of sex, drugs, and power – in heels.
Title: Tough Luck
Author: Sandra Dallas
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 288
Award-winning author Sandra Dallas releases her latest western novel, Tough Luck. It is an homage to True Grit about a young woman who makes a perilous journey west in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father. The book is ideal for fans of vivid period detail, colourful characters, youth’s tenacity and the heart’s persistence in the great American West.
The book’s synopsis;
After their mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are put to work in an orphanage. Their father left four years earlier to find a gold mine in Colorado Territory, and since then, he’s sent only three letters. Still, Haidie is certain that he is alive, has struck gold, and will soon send for them.
But patience is not one of Haidie’s virtues, and soon she and her brother make a break for it. Boots and Haidie, disguised as a boy, embark on a dangerous journey deep into Western territory. Along the way, Haidie learns fast not only how to handle mules, oxen, and greedy men, but also that you are better off in a community. Hers includes a card shark, independent “spinster” sisters, and a very fierce dog. Once she arrives in Colorado and finds out the truth about her father, Haidie will need all her new friends for a get-even plot worthy of The Sting.
Genre – Romance Books
Title: Destructively Mine
Series: Webs We Weave Series
Author: Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 512
From New York Times bestselling authors of the Addicted series comes their second instalment in their Webs We Weave series, where the main character and Ex-grifter Phoebe Graves’ new life threatens to come crashing down around her with the arrival of her mother—an ideal read for fans of complicated family dynamics with con artist elements.
The book’s synopsis;
As the daughter of a con artist, Phoebe Graves only knew a life of swindling the rich until her best friend and fellow grifter, Hailey Tinrock, proposed an idea to start a new, honest life in a wealthy college town in Connecticut. Once there, they decided to leave behind their deceitful tricks and be truthful for once. But you know what they say about best intentions. . . .
While Phoebe is fake-dating Jake Waterford, the third-born son to an uber-wealthy and influential family, she’s actually dating and falling deeper in love with Brayden “Rocky” Tinrock—Hailey’s older brother. To make matters more complicated, Phoebe’s mother shows up out of the blue with conniving match-making designs of her own.
Her mother’s arrival threatens to unravel Phoebe’s plans. To keep her love, her friends, and her newfound happiness, Phoebe will have to return to her old games… and win.
Title: Gold Coast Dilemma
Author: Nana Malone
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 384
From USA Today bestselling author Nana Malone, a romance about a Ghanaian American heiress faced the dilemma of choosing between culture and a love connection. An ideal read for fans of romances that navigate the delicate balance between love, tradition, and self-discovery.
The book’s synopsis;
During an opulent publishing party, Ofosua Addo crosses paths with Cole Drake for the first time. Their flirtatiously witty exchange culminates in a kiss that etches a permanent mark on both their hearts.
But Ofosua’s identity as a Ghanaian heiress comes before Cole. She loves the vibrant traditions of Ghana’s Gold Coast, and her hand is already promised to a man that even her overbearing mother loves. Yet, when her big Ghanaian wedding transforms from a fairy tale into a spectacle, she’s thrust into a whirlwind of heartbreak and self-discovery.
In the midst of it all, Cole enters her life once again, under circumstances far different from their magical first encounter. Can Ofosua and Cole’s rediscovered spark overcome the weight of tradition?
Title: King of Envy
Series: Kings of Sin Series
Author: Ana Huang
Publisher: Piatkus
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 528
New York Times bestselling author Ana Huang returns with her fifth instalment of the Kings of Sin series. Her latest novel is a morally grey approach to a dark romance full of unexpected twists and tension. It is an ideal read for fans of dark romances, with strong characters and themes of raging envy and jealousy.
The book’s synopsis;
He had everything he could’ve wanted…except her.
Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive.
Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.
His only exception? Her. The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.
He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.
She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her.
Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.
To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.
What people don’t know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.
Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.
Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in…
Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.
Genre – Thriller And Mystery Books
Title: Bearer of Bad News
Author: Elisabeth Dini
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 352
A sharply funny and moving debut novel that is a blend of The Maid meets Where’d You Go, Bernadette. A young woman accepts a mysterious job that throws her into an international mystery far greater—and more personal—than she could have ever expected. It is an ideal read for fans of stories that explore the weight of secrets, the power of friendship, and how healing the wounds of the past can help build a brighter tomorrow.
The book’s synopsis;
For someone who hates secrets, Las Vegas hairdresser Lucy Rey is about to be faced with a whole bunch of them. After discovering that her fiancé has been cheating on her with someone from his improv class, Lucy finds herself short on funds and desperate for a change of scenery. Enter a most unusual job: a Bearer of Bad News.
Sure, it’s a little weird, but Lucy’s employer is wealthy beyond compare, so who can blame her for wanting to outsource? Even if the job description is short on details and the bad news sounds more like a vaguely worded threat, Lucy can’t say no to the all-expenses-paid trip to the Italian Dolomites plus a generous bonus if she proves she’s found her client’s sister and delivered the message. Then she learns that her mission is just the tip of the iceberg.
Launched into a world of betrayal and greed involving eighty-year-old secrets, stolen jewels, and a World War II-era mystery, Lucy is in way over her head. And she’s connected to this story in ways she never could have imagined.
Title: How to Seal Your Own Fate
Series: Castle Knoll Files Series
Author: Kristen Perrin
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 320
Author Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Returning readers to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets, the main character, Annie Adams, is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades. This book is an absolute treat for mystery lovers.
The book’s synopsis;
Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realises that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.
1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford’s family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound.
The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?
Title: Murder Runs in the Family
Author: Tamara Berry
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: 29th of April, 2025
Pages: 256
Author Tamara Berry releases a cosy and fun murder mystery with lots of red herrings, amateur sleuths, a cast of likeable and eccentric characters, and a well-developed plot that will keep readers guessing and wanting more. Perfect for light reading.
The book’s synopsis;
Amber Winslow’s life has taken a serious turn for the worse. When an impulsive decision forces her to flee her former life carrying nothing but the clothes on her back, she heads to the sunny state of Arizona and the luxury accommodations of her grandmother’s retirement community. Never mind that Amber’s never actually met her estranged and eccentric grandmother.
As soon as she sneaks her things into Seven Ponds (a place she technically doesn’t qualify for and definitely can’t afford), she’s shocked to learn that George Vincent, a.k.a. the Admiral, was found dead the very night of her arrival. Much to Amber’s dismay, no one seems particularly distraught over the news of the Admiral’s death or the disappearance of his prize pet tortoise. All anyone can talk about is a missing Vincent family heirloom, and they’re quick to blame Jade for both the Admiral’s murder and the theft of the priceless ring.
Amber doesn’t want to admit that the woman she’s just met—and who accepted her without question—could be a villain, and she’s determined to clear her grandmother’s name no matter the cost.
Conclusion
The final week of April features twelve exciting new book releases featuring mythology-inspired and dark academic fantasy romances, elderly main character narratives about their journey of vulnerability and second chances, and historical periods about women and their survival in hostile environments and their strength to persevere.
Rounding out the list are the romance genre with friends-to-lovers tropes, tales of love, tradition, self-discovery, and raging envy and desire, and the mysteries genre with its betrayals, stolen jewels, buried secrets, family history, red herrings, amateur sleuths, and eccentric characters.
Stay tuned, as I will post my following articles next week about the latest 2025 book releases for the first week of May’s monthly line-up. Additionally, if you are interested in more book-related articles, check out my book section page for reviews, recommendations, details and discussions.
