Almost cozy fantasy romance
Almost cozy fantasy romance
By Emily Jane Buehler
After creating the list "Cozy fantasy romance," I wanted a place to track books that almost fit for me, but not quite. I know different readers will have different ideas about what fits and what feels cozy. So I've gathered more books here and noted why I didn't include them on the other list, so you can decide for yourself if they're right for you.
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter
Alexis Hall
$17.00 $15.81Some non-cozy stuff happens but it’s all filtered through the narrator, who would never write anything to upset the reader! It’s not a romance.
In Charm's Way
Lana Harper
$17.00 $15.81Not a fantasy world, but set in a highly magical town. Some monsters attack and some injuries happen, but without long-lasting effects.
The Splintered Crown: A Tankards and Heroes Novel
Larry N. Martin
$14.99 $13.94Not a romance at all, and it has some fighting, but I found the quest framework to be very cozy.
Dragon Bound
Thea Harrison
$7.99There’s some high-stakes drama, but the main focus is on the romance, and nothing too graphic happens.
Woodwalker: Creatures of Light, Book 1
Emily B. Martin
$8.99 $8.36Most of the book is the protagonist guiding some folks through the woods as they learn about each other; toward the end, things get more stressful to the point it no longer felt cozy.
The Door Into Fire: The Tale of the Five, Volume One
Diane Duane
$14.99What makes this cozy is the tone that it’s written in, more than the things that happen. I never felt super nervous, even when the protagonist is attacked by a horrible monster. The least cozy parts were when the characters argue or hurt each other emotionally.
The Dragon's Bride: Special Edition
Katee Robert
$15.99 $14.87The heroine has a traumatic history that comes up over and over in the story and leads her to feel fear, even though nothing bad happens to her in the demon realm.
The League of Gentlewomen Witches
India Holton
$19.00 $17.67This is set in historical England, not a fantasy world, but has lighthearted magic and romance.
Stargazy Pie
Victoria Goddard
$19.99 $18.59This is a cozy mystery in a fantasy world, but has no romance. Members of a dark cult sacrifice a cow in one scene.
Lord of the Castle: An Adult Fairy Tale Fantasy Romance
Angela J. Ford
$10.24There is a sinister evil that lurks but doesn't feel too threatening, and one fight scene at the end.
A Matter of Magic: Mairelon and the Magician's Ward
Patricia C. Wrede
$20.99 $19.52It's set in England (not a fantasy world) and there's barely a romance (it reads more like a mystery), but nothing bad happens for very long.
Heart of the Raven Prince: A Cinderella Retelling
Tessonja Odette
$18.99The heroine lacks agency in the beginning of the story, and upsetting things happen to her up to a point that I couldn't consider this 100% cozy.
Anhaga
Lisa Henry
$11.24One character is heading for a terrible fate for the entire book, but I always felt sure he would avoid it. I couldn't decide if the book counted as "almost cozy" but decided to include it because the ending was so perfectly cozy.
Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Robin McKinley
$7.99 $7.43I didn't consider this cozy when I read it, but someone suggested it recently, and I cannot remember why I didn't think it was cozy. I'm not sure if it was an oversight or if I'm forgetting something stressful about it!
Silver in the Wood
Emily Tesh
$12.99 $12.08I was torn about where to place this book. It's cozy with dark undercurrents. But there's one scene where my stomach dropped out and the tension lasted a while, so I decided it was "almost cozy."
Drowned Country
Emily Tesh
$13.99 $13.01I was torn about where to place this book. It's cozy with dark undercurrents.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Becky Chambers
$19.99 $18.59I love this book! But it is sci-fi and doesn't have a central romance. There is some violence and trauma, but each time there is, it gets resolved fairly quickly.
Uprooted
Naomi Novik
$18.99 $17.66Someone suggested this book as cozy fantasy romance, and I wish I could include it because of how much I loved it, but there is a lot of violence and trauma in it.
The Goblin Emperor
Katherine Addison
$10.99 $10.22This story is very different, with the protagonist emperor solving problems by being honest and nice, which I love. It's not a romance, and even though it is not violent, I felt a lot of stress reading it because the emperor is not able to take care of himself (like, he can never be alone to meditate or have a moment to relax).
Stardust
Neil Gaiman
$18.99 $17.66Someone recommended this and I wasn't sure... I remember it being violent, but it's been years since I read it so I may need to reconsider.
Paladin's Grace
T. Kingfisher
$19.95This starts off cozy and I wanted to include it so badly, but there's some gory violence and then a drawn-out plot-line where a character is in peril with no agency, and I became so stressed I had to skim it.
Other books I'd like to add, that are not yet available here:
Radiance by Grace Draven (the ending is super violent!)
The Kingpin of Camelot by Cassandra Gannon (lots of violence, but a lighthearted tone)
Song Against Shadow by Anne E. G. Nydam (not a romance)
Kissed by Magic by Erica Ridley
Brought to Light by Eliot Grayson