By I have not read a ton of books in this genre yet but I love what I have read. The cozy fantasy genre looks at the small scale, these characters just want to live their lives in simple wholesome ways and when they fight they are fighting for their own lives. Don’t get me wrong, I love epic fantasy and dark fantasy where the fate of the kingdom or a world or a whole way of life is at stake and I will continue to read them. However, it gets exhausting, sometimes lower stakes is nice.
Some Cozy Fantasy to get you started:
Note: Many of these books contain romance but it is very low on the spicy scale – typically limited to just kissing. Some are also LGBT romances.
Synopsis: After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.
But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.
Note: This is book 2 of 2. The other books in the series in a prequel that was published after this one.
Synopsis: All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters… all complemented by love and good company. Thing is, Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives isn’t so easy.
But after an assassin takes Reyna hostage, she decides she’s thoroughly done risking her life for a self-centered queen. Meanwhile, Kianthe has been waiting for a chance to flee responsibility–all the better that her girlfriend is on board. Together, they settle in Tawney, a town that boasts more dragons than people, and open the shop of their dreams.
What follows is a cozy tale of mishaps, mysteries, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. In a story brimming with hurt/comfort and quiet fireside conversations, these two women will discover just what they mean to each other… and the world.
Note: This is book 1 in a 4 book series. Yes, I want to read the others because well the story and because dragons.
Synopsis: Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.
When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.
In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.
But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.
Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.
Yes, these books have similar themes but when you want comfort reads that’s okay. One of the books on my TBR is another in this sub-genre: Bookshops & Bonedust. It is the prequel to Legends & Lattes. Seriously, all these books make me want to do is curl up with a book and some tea (or coffee) and read more. I hope that you find the books that speak to you. Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments. Happy reading!
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McGee Travel Tales 
Fascinating genre. I’ve not read fantasy but can’t help think it could be interesting.
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This might be a good introduction into the fantasy elements without the super high stakes and complicated storylines of more traditional fantasy.
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Good point, I get lost in the movies, I can’t imagine trying to keep the thread going in a book! 😉
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