Time travel, historical fiction and romance – what’s not to love about Outlander? Whether you’re a fan of the classic book by Diana Gabaldon or bingeing your way through the Starz adaptation, there’s a reason why fans obsess over this unique and heartwrenching love story. If you’re in need of more romantic time travel stories, these are 25 of the best books for fans of Outlander.
Smoke on the Wind by Kelli Estes
In the wake of tragedy, Keaka Denney takes her son Colin on a hike through the breathtaking Scottish Highlands before he goes off to college in Glasgow. What she doesn’t know is that centuries earlier, Sorcha Chisholm and her son took that same path, fleeing accusations of a murder she didn’t commit. These two women soon find themselves in an unlikely bond that defies rationality, but will this newfound connection protect them from even the most devastating obstacles?
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The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley
In the year 1613, King James sends his messenger Andrew Logan and the court scrivener on a sinister mission: frame the late Prince Henry’s trusted friend and advisor for his murder. As someone gifted with the Second Sight, Andrew is no stranger to secrets, but he refuses to condemn an innocent man. As he unravels the true purpose of his mission with the help of the scrivener’s exuberant daughter Phoebe, Andrew must decide how far he is willing to go in search of the truth.
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The Story Spinner by Barbara Erskine
In 382 AD, the Welsh princess Elen married a Roman general, determined to uphold her vows in spite of warnings that the marriage would end in heartache. Present-day writer Cadi discovers Elen’s story, and as she writes it down, the ghosts of Elen and the Romans come to life in the ancient meadow outside her cottage. Can Cadi uncover Elen’s entire story before it is buried forever?
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Weyward by Emilia Hart
Three young women, separated by centuries, grapple with their knowledge of witchcraft in a world that seeks to suppress it. Kate flees her abusive partner in London for a countryside cottage with connections to 17th-century witch hunts; Altha must fight for survival as she is put on trial for witchcraft; and Violet searches for the truth about her mother, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. All three women will discover that they are powerful, wild, and Weyward.
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Where Ivy Dares to Grow by Marielle Thompson
Saoirse Read’s fiancé’s family has never liked her, even though she traveled all the way to their ancestral home to keep her fiancé’s dying mother company. Even her fiancé’s feelings towards her seem to be souring, but perhaps that is only in her mind. While wandering the estate’s gardens, Saoirse travels back to 1818 and encounters Theo Page, a softer version of her fiancé—and his ancestor. As past and present collide and Langdon Hall’s fragile peace begins to unravel, Saoirse must confront her mental obstacles to distinguish dreams from reality.
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What Happens in the Highlands by Anna Bradley
Rumor has it that the MacLeod sisters are witches and sorceresses hiding treasure in their castle. But they do have unusual abilities, especially the oldest sister Catriona, who is a gifted healer and alchemist. When Hamish, the son of their late father’s business partner, comes in search of the treasure, Cat offers to help him decipher her father’s notes. Mutual attraction flares to life between Cat and Hamish, revealing something even better than gold and riches.
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The Bookseller of Inverness by S.G. MacLean
Iain MacGillivray barely survived the Battle of Culloden and now lives a quiet life as a bookseller. One day, a strange customer refuses to leave his shop until it closes, and Iain returns the next morning to find them dead, a weapon bearing the symbol of the Jacobites at their side. The killer is nowhere to be found, and in the search for the truth, Iain finds himself at the center of old grudges rising from the aftermath of war.
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When The Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer
Libby lives a double life as a public printer in 1774 Williamsburg and a wealthy lady in 1914 New York City. Each time she falls asleep, she wakes up in the other life. Both lives hold people and causes she cares deeply about, but on her 21st birthday, Libby must choose just one life and relinquish the other. But how can she choose just one life knowing that she will lose the other one forever?
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The Passage by Irina Shapiro
Reeling from a personal tragedy, location scout Neve Ashley visits Everly Manor, a Tudor mansion known for the legend of Hugo Everly, who disappeared 300 years ago. While exploring an ancient crypt, Neve opens a door into 1685 and comes face-to-face with Hugo himself. Hugo claims Neve is a spy takes her hostage, but a bond slowly grows between them as they travel through the English countryside. When Hugo’s enemies make their move, their bond will be tested, and Neve will be forced to weigh the risks of revealing her secret against her feelings for Hugo.
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What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
Devastated by her beloved grandfather’s death, Anne Gallagher travels back to his childhood home in Ireland to spread his ashes. While at his home, she is pulled through time to 1921 Ireland, where Dr. Thomas Smith helps her adjust to her unusual circumstances. As war brews and Thomas joins the fight for Ireland’s independence, Anne must choose whether to take a chance on an unexpected love or return to her own time.
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At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
Madeline and her husband Ellis have just made a huge mistake that has effectively cut them off from the family’s money. Trying to get back into his father’s good graces, Ellis, his friend Hank and Madeline travel to a remote village in the Scottish Highlands where they believe they will be able to track down the Loch Ness monster – a feat Ellis’s father was never able to accomplish.
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Transcription by Kate Atkinson
At only 18, Juliet Armstrong was thrown into the chaos of World War II. Assigned to a department of MI5, detailing the movements of British Fascist sympathizers, she sees a lot during her days of service. Ten years later, Juliet is sure that she can put her past behind her for good. But then another war begins and suddenly she’s confronted with the ghosts from her past.
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A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers
Helen Lambert has lived many lives and will continue to due to a curse accidentally put on her as a teenager. After a century of living different lives, she has reached the present day and with her own powers growing over the last 100 years, she may finally have the strength she needs to break the curse for good.
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Where or When by Anita Shreve
When Siân Richards receives a letter from her first love, she sees no harm in writing back – both are married and have growing families. But then the two meet again for the first time in 30 years and they find that the passion they had decades ago is still there, sending them into a frantic and dangerous romance that will put everything on the line.
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Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
In 1912, poet Elspeth has begun an intimate correspondence with a man, David, who loves her work. They write letters to each other and fall in love. But everything changes when World War I begins and David volunteers to be an ambulance driver, leaving Elspeth at home. Almost 30 years later during WWII, a bomb hits Elspeth’s house and she disappears, leaving her daughter behind. Without any answers for her disappearance, her daughter Margaret will have to use the letters from her mother’s past to track her down.
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The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway
Just as Lord Nicholas Falcott is about to die on a Napoleonic battlefield, he is transported to 21st-century London where he learns that he is now a part of a secret fraternity of time travelers called The Guild and he will never be able to return to the time he came from. But Nick can’t forget about the woman he left behind in 1815, Julia. Defining the rules of time, Nick and Julia will do whatever it takes to be together again.
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The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
Eva Ward has just lost her sister and leaves Los Angeles to return to the family’s old house in Cornwall, England. The house, filled with memories, also connects her to a man from another time. Confronted with the life she once had, she is stuck between wanting to live in the present day and remembering the past.
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Stars Over Clear Lake by Loretta Ellsworth
Lorraine Kindred will never forget the Surf Ballroom where she found her first true love before WWII. When she goes back to the ballroom decades later, Lorraine is forced to confront the secrets from those tragic years and rediscover herself. Set during both the 1940s and present day, Stars Over Clear Lake is a romance worth reading.
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A Twist in Time by Julie McElwain
Lady Dover is no stranger to secrets and her past continues to haunt those in the present. This is made even more evident when a new crime lord begins wreaking havoc in London, targeting Kendra’s lover Alec. If Kendra wants to save Alex from this dark force, she’ll have to dig up long-held secrets about Lady Dover.
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My One True Highlander by Suzanne Enoch
It’s 1812 and Graeme is a Highlander who has pledged himself to his country. But everything takes a dramatic turn when his younger brothers kidnap their enemy’s sister. Now put in a precarious situation, Graeme knows he can’t hand her over to his clan’s chief without getting her killed. Things get even more complicated when the two begin to fall for one another.
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The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
Set against the backdrop of ancient Scotland, the heroine Languoreth, a future queen, is set to marry Rhydderch, son of the High King. But Christianity is poised to become the religion of the country, and her twin brother, a warrior named Lailoken, is training to become the man history knows as Merlin. As Languoreth collides with the handsome Maelgwn, she must balance the needs of her people and her to duty to stand for the Old Way, while fighting for everything she loves.
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The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon
In her first-ever graphic novel, Diana Gabaldon gives a fresh spin on her original and beloved Outlander series. Gorgeously illustrated by Hoang Nguyen, this graphic novel tells Jamie Fraser’s side of the story. Experience Gabaldon’s magical storytelling like never before in The Exile!
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Rebel by Beverly Jenkins
First in the Women Who Dare series, Rebel is about a woman named Valinda Lacy who lives in New Orleans, her mission to help the newly emancipated community thrive. But when Valinda is targeted by thugs, she learns that freedom comes with its dangers. Fleeing for her life, she lands straight in the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq, a man with a personal interest in rebuilding the city. When Valinda’s father insists she returns home to marry a man she doesn’t love, her rebellion begins.
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My Lady’s Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris
Find your own happily ever after with this interactive romance novel that lets you choose your own path by following your heart. You are the heroine in this eighteen-century society, and it is the season of courtship. Will you find love with the bantering Sir Benedict Granville, the highlander Captain Angus McTaggart, or will you find love and adventure elsewhere? Read again and again, these intertwining storylines will keep you delightfully guessing.
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Kindred by Octavia Butler
If you love historical fiction with a side of time travel, Kindred is the heartfelt and harrowing tale you are looking for. It’s California in 1976 when 26-year-old Dana gets transported through time to Maryland, where she must rescue Rufus, heir to a slaveowner’s plantation, to ensure her own future existence. Dana fights to return to the present as she endures the cruelty of slavery, and the normalization of savagery.
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(Feature image sourced from Parade; designed by She Reads)
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