With season 7 of Outlander swiftly coming to an end, many may find themselves in that oh-so melancholic state of wallowing and internally screaming “What do I do with my life now?!”
Well dinna fash!
I scoured the internet and found 9 swoon-worthy timeslip romances to help fill that Outlander-sized hole.
I have to say, author Diana Gabaldon really set the tone with this legendary series, because most of the time-traveling romances you’ll find are Scotland-based. But I tried to curate a more diverse collection here.
So dive on in and find your next Claire and Jamie-level romance!
Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson
There are plenty of ways one can fall through time — a set of stones, an eerie doorway, a painting. But the last thing Andre Cobb expected after his liver transplant was to wake up in 1969, let alone learn from his donor’s family that they know the secrets of how to use this unexpected gift. Bouncing back and forth from past and present Boston, Andre is torn between two boys — the magnetic Michael, who’s everything Andre wishes he could be, and Blake, still reeling from the death of his brother, Andre’s donor. Andre has to figure out where he belongs — and quickly, before the consequences of time jumping catch up to him.
Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki
With its mixture of Scottish and Japanese culture, this romance is perhaps my most anticipated release of the year! Described as Outlander meets Shōgun, this story follows the young Isla Mackenzie after a typhoon sends her back in time to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion, where she meets her ancestors as well as a charismatic samurai, Kei. As romance blossoms, Isla begins to wonder if she has found her true home — but she knows the fate that looms ahead for the samurai rebellion. Should she attempt to change history and save Kei, or is she meant to return to the life she knew before? Only time will tell…
The Passage by Irina Shapiro
After a personal tragedy, location scout Neve Ashley visits historic Everly Manor, where she’s enraptured by the mansion’s beauty and intrigued by the local legend — and mystery — of Lord Hugo Everly. While exploring a mysterious passageway on the estate, she emerges to find herself in 1685 — and directly in the path of Hugo’s galloping horse. Seized as a spy by the angry and terrifying Hugo, Neve’s hopes of returning home are slim to none. But what begins as a contentious relationship between jailer and prisoner quickly turns into something else as the two travel across the English countryside. Irina Shapiro is well known for her timeslip romances — and this isn’t her only series!
Transcendence by Shay Savage
They say men and women speak two different languages — and that’s kind of the case here, except the man doesn’t speak at all. Ehd’s a caveman surviving on his own in the harsh wilderness when he finds a young woman in his pit trap. Surely she’s meant to be his mate! He doesn’t know where she came from, she’s wearing some pretty odd clothing, and she makes a lot of noises with her mouth that give him a headache. Still, he’s determined to fulfill his purpose in life — provide for her, protect her, and put a baby in her. The story is giving Ice Planet Barbarians, but with less blue people.
The Art of Time by Quinn Jamison
It’s 1989 and 19-year-old amateur painter Lavinia Melrose takes the vacation of a lifetime to Rome, where she quickly becomes enamored with a painting of a young man in her favorite museum. When she touches the painting, she’s thrust 150 years into the past and comes face to face with the painting’s subject, a young aristocrat named Armond. What ensues is a fairytale romance between an independent, modern woman and a knight-to-be with a dimpled smile that will melt your heart. As Lavinia and Armond fall in love, the two must tackle outside forces that threaten to break them apart — even time itself. Check out my review here.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I’ve included this classic just in case you forgot about it — or its 2009 movie adaptation starring Rachel McAdams. This timeless love story follows Henry, a dashing, adventuresome librarian with a genetic disorder that causes him to travel unpredictably and involuntarily through time. When Henry meets Clare, an artist whose life follows a natural sequential order, the two begin a passionate love affair that endures across a sea of time and tests the strength of fate. The story’s unconventional chronology makes it a unique read and the romance has captured readers’ hearts for years.
A Highlander for Hannah by Mary Warren
I promised myself I wouldn’t include a Scottish-based novel but … I mean, look at this cover! Imagine instead of Claire, it’s Jamie who slips through time — and he ain’t too happy about it. It starts when Hannah Glenn quits her job, breaks up with her boyfriend, and moves back to her family farm — and, just for the hell of it, performs a love spell. She doesn’t expect it to work, much less hurl Graham MacNeil, a brutish, 18th-century Scotsman, into her barn. Now the two will have to survive each other until the spring equinox, when they can reverse the spell. It’s only a few months — what could happen?
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Etta Spencer is a teenage violin prodigy about to deliver a solo concert in New York City. But instead, she unexpectedly hurdles through time to 1776 and lands on the ship of Captain Nicholas Carter. Free from servitude under the Ironwoods, a powerful family in the colonies, Nick is content with his life at sea. But his strange new passenger brings with her the past he can’t escape. Together, Etta and Nick set out on a perilous adventure across the globe, and across centuries, to find a powerful object before the Ironwoods can find it — or them. Check out the BookTrib review here.
Time of the Rose by Bonita Clifton
Madison Calloway is in Jackson Hole on business when she meets a rugged old cowboy, Colton Chase, claiming to have catapulted through time when a violent thunderstorm tore through his ranch land. She rightfully suspects he’s delusional, but his mannerisms, speech and clothing have certainly sparked her interest. When another storm comes through, Madison makes the fateful decision to follow Colt — and wakes up in 1878 to find the aged cowboy replaced by a handsome, spirited young rancher fighting to survive in the lawless West. Shadows loom over their budding love as Madison and Colt navigate the challenges of his world — will their love be enough to defy destiny?
