Cozy Horror Book Suggestions in Time for Spooky Season
- Laura Eckert
- Oct 7
- 5 min read
I'll admit it. I want to read hardcore horror books, but I'm a scaredy cat. I'm the one who reads a scary story, then can't sleep because every random noise is obviously something coming to get me. So cozy horror is perfect for me - a bit of the scary but with cozy vibes to keep it from being too scary.
Cozy horror combines elements of traditional horror with more traditional cozy genres, such as mystery or suspense. Cozy horror stories typically feature a small-town setting, a cast of relatable characters, and a mystery that the characters must solve. However, there's often a supernatural element to the story, which adds a touch of horror.
Cozy horror stories are often described as being “comfortably scary.” They provide readers with the thrill of a good horror story without being too graphic or disturbing.
Cozy Horror Book Suggestions
After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper, she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by High Place’s terrifying yet seductive world, may soon find it impossible ever to leave this enigmatic house behind.
Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and engaged in meaningful work.
Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town.
Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed. Gone is the bold, courageous surgeon, and in his place is a terrified, overly suspicious man–one who cannot tell reality from nightmare, and fears Jane is an apparition, come to haunt him.
By morning, Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall, and with the man she has so hastily bound her safety to.
When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.
Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success.
Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.
But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…
“Mom seems off.”
Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.
She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.
But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.
To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.
All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start.
She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.
Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives.
Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her.
And like, okay–there are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?
When legendary horror author Mortimer Queen passes, a group of authors find themselves invited to the last will and testament reading, expecting a piece of his massive fortune for themselves.
Each have their own unique connection to the literary icon, some known, some soon to be discovered, and they've been waiting for their chance to step into the great author's shoes for some time. They enter the manor and wait for their prize. Instead, they are invited to play a game.
The rules are simple: solve the riddle and progress to the next room. If you don't, someone dies. Because each of these authors has something to hide, and Mortimer, even from the grave, always delivers the best story.
Only this time, his manor will help. You see, the Queen estate was built on the bones of the family, and the house is still very, very hungry.
More Book Suggestions
Enjoy snuggling up with a comfortably scary cozy horror book!
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