the best time travel romance books

15 Fantastical Time Travel Romance Books

Last Updated on November 29, 2023 by Louisa

Time travel has always been something that’s both fascinated me and intrigued me. Paired with romance, and you’re on to a winning romance trope!

Time travel love stories can be truly enthralling as love is explored between characters across different periods and places. 

As readers, we have often been whisked away to faraway moments in history beyond our imagination and knowledge, whether in the past to 17th-century Scotland or the future when Martians have conquered the earth.

And this makes time travel romance books so gripping for me; it’s not just the romance story but what I learn about history and cultures in a time beyond the one I know.

If you’re looking for a special time travel romance book that combines creative imagination, history, and love, then you’re going to love these 15 books… 

Affiliate Disclosure : This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through any of these links. 

What To Expect From Time Travel Romance Books?

Time travel romance books are known to combine elements of science fiction, adventure, and romance.

What I love about this genre is there are no limits. You can soar into a dystopian future, or back in time to a regency period.

Wherever your time travel plot takes you, you can expect to be taken on an imaginative journey where love transcends time and space.

These books often feature strong-willed characters from different eras or dimensions, who find themselves drawn to each other even though they are separated by time or circumstance.

Being from different generations and time periods, there are often cultural clashes, and different opinions on values, morals, or ways of courtship.

The character dynamics are one of the biggest reasons to read a time travel romance book, and they will be sure to have you questioning your own values and morals in today’s world.

Best Time Travel Romance Books

Now you know a little bit about the main features of the genre, it’s time to show you my favorite fantastic time travel romance books to leave you wishing time travel was real. 

1. A Highlander For Hannah – Mary Warren 

A Highlander for Hannah is a warm and easy-going, time-travel book with a slow burn romance story.

As the title suggests, the story is about the heroine Hannah and her budding relationship with Graham. Graham is a Highlander from the 1700s. 

Hannah summons Graham with a love spell purchased at a Renaissance Fair. Eventually, Hannah has to listen to her heart and decide if she wants to send Graham back to his own time at the next equinox.

Many readers describe this book as charming. Where many time travel stories can be action-packed, this story is more light-hearted and a book to cozy up with. 

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2. The River of No Return – Bee Ridgway

The River of No Return is an action-packed read. The story tells of Nick Devanant, who was set to die during the Napoleonic Wars but finds himself in London in 2003.

He eventually settles down as a farmer in Vermont. 

Nick is also a part of a time-traveling organization that is involved in intrigue and spying across different eras.

Previously a Lord, Nick navigates his new life while shadowed by The Guild (a guild of time lords), who want him on an assignment in the past. 

Nick also meets Julia, a woman from a neighboring estate.

Their romance is explored through all the action and mystery of Nick’s life as a spy and time traveler for the Guild. The mystery and romance are sure to leave you curious. 

3. The Winter Sea – Susanna Kearsley 

The Winter Sea tells the story of Scottish author Carrie, who treads the fine line between fiction and reality.

As a writer, Carrie starts recounting memories of her characters’ lives. A more imaginative way to explore time travel, this book transports you back to 17th-century Scotland. 

The time travel is done as Carrie recollects vivid memories of her book’s fictional characters. However, the reader is left curious as to what memory is, what imagination is, and what reality is.

The book also explores a secretive and tense romance between Carrie and her landlord’s son, Graham.

A more unconventional way to explore time travel, this story jumps back and forth through the visions of the heroine. A book that will spark your curiosity and leave you guessing til the end. 

4. Beautiful Wreck – Larissa Brown

Beautiful Wreck is about a girl who travels back in time and falls in love. Though it’s not anything new in terms of plot, it has been well written and the world-building is excellent.

Ginn is a virtual reality designer who surprisingly finds herself in 10th-century Iceland. Ginn’s current reality is dull as she exists in a future that is desolate and void of the romance she is craving. 

The book tells the story of how Ginn surprisingly finds herself in Viking Iceland!

She starts to enjoy the simple and homely life of the village she finds herself in and meets and falls in love with a native Icelandic Viking named Heirik. 

Although she finally finds the romance she has always wanted, she learns that love is much more complicated than expected. Henrik is reserved and tormented by what he believes is a curse. 

Penetrating his heart and also fighting against forces that try to tear them apart, this time travel romance lives up to the name of its title, a beautiful wreck.

5. A Knight in Shining Armour – Jude Devereux

A Knight in Shining Armour is a classic time travel romance book by author Jude Devereux .

It tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a real knight from the Elizabethan age in England.

The book unpacks the love between the heroine Douglass, a young teacher, and a medieval knight, Nicholas.

Douglass is in a dating relationship with a doctor who treats her poorly, and only when meeting Nicholas can she experience true love. 

Although the book is about finding true love, it also shows that love between people from different decades can be challenging. Nicholas and Douglass are tested when they are separated from each other to go back to their times. 

This book will captivate your heart as you become invested in the fight for love between the two main characters.

They fight to discover why Nicholas has come to the current day and how to save his life in the past. 

This is a must-read for fans of time travel, romance and adventure genres, as it combines all three in an unforgettable story.

6. What the Wind Knows – Amy Harmon

What the Wind Knows follows the protagonist Anne as she surprisingly finds herself in Ireland in 1921.

The context is war, and we also glimpse Anne’s inner turmoil as she struggles with hurt and navigates the past.

You are introduced to the history of The Irish Revolution in the 1920s and also to a mysterious doctor named Thomas Smith.

The book explores Anne’s struggles as she begins to fall in love with a man who becomes involved in the war.

Readers are mesmerized by Amy Harmon’s poetic writing and ability to capture the love and heartbreak between Anne and Thomas. 

What the Wind Knows brilliantly weaves history, love, and social commentary into one book.

7. In A Holidaze – Christina Lauren

In A Holidaze is a different take on time travel where the main character Maelyn (Mae) is stuck in a time loop.

She travels back in time, but again and again. She is given a chance to re-live the past as she sees fit.

The book’s romance is not too heavy as it’s about Mae’s budding crush on her friend Andrew. Reliving the past gives her the courage to express how she feels about him finally. 

Set during the Christmas season, it is also festive. This is a friends to lovers romance book with a story that is great for a casual, fun, and upbeat read.

8. Before the Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi

This is a charming story about a coffee house in Tokyo that allows people to travel back in time.

It follows the story of four people who want to travel back in time.

Examining the reasons we love Before the Coffee Gets Cold provides insight into the motives behind love.

One story follows a wife as she travels to the past to meet her husband again and explores love with sincerity and honesty. 

Time travel in this book is not without its rules. Time travelers must return to the present in a stipulated time, and their journeys prove interesting. 

A moving and emotional read, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s novel is for those who want to dive deeper into time travel and deeper into love. 

9. Time and Again – Jack Finney

Time and Again is not only a love story between the main character Simon and Julia but a love story about New York…

The story tells of a 1970s man Simon traveling back to 1882 to solve a mystery plaguing his heart. 

This is one of the historical time travel love stories that is also an ode to the city in which it is set. New York is the third love in this book, with the author Jack Kinney capturing the city in its early years. 

His writing is gripping and makes it feel like you have been transported back to New York.

The romance is also a tale of choosing to follow the head or the heart, as Simon is torn between the present and the past.

10. Ruby Red – Kerstin Gier 

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier is a witty and lively story of young Gwen who lives in London but soon learns that she can time travel.

A time travel gene runs through her family, although she does not expect to be someone who can time travel.

Soon she is catapulted into time travel suddenly and an unexpected romance. To tell you who the romance is with would spoil the book. You would have to find out by yourself. 

The book is fun and an excellent read for younger readers.

The heroine is 16 years old, and we see the world through her eyes. Described as a clever story, Ruby Red is the easy-going read for your next pick-me-up book.

11. In Five Years – Rebecca Serle

In Five Years is a time-travel romance that fast-forwards to the future!

The main character Dannie finds herself 5 years in the future (through a vision, or is it a reality?), living a life she did not anticipate. She is living with a random man who is not her current fiance.

The book follows Dannie as she unpacks her life 5 years in the future.

A future she is not familiar with but one with desirable possibilities. In this book, time travel is a tool that helps her to ask, what does she want?

It leaves the reader also wondering, what if I could get a picture of my future? Would I change anything?

The author’s writing style is poetic and evocative, with descriptions that transport you to different times and dimensions.

12. Somewhere in Time – Richard Matheson

Somewhere in Time is a beautiful story of love that lasts the test of time and different periods.

It explores the complications that exist for a modern man as he falls in love with a famous actress in San Francisco in 1896.

The author, Richard Matheson, writes this book intricately and can describe the love between the two characters with warmth.

We learn about love at first sight and are taken away by the chemistry between the two main characters. 

The time travel aspect is a unique and interesting vehicle that drives the plot, but at its core the story is about love, sacrifice, and second chances.

This book is also excellent for anyone who loves reading books about historical America and San Francisco. 

13. More of Us to The West – Trinity Dunn

More of Us to The West tells of heroine Alaina’s budding romance with Jack as they are both stranded on an island after their plane crashes.

The only problem is that Alaina is already married to Chris. 

She struggles to make sense of her new romance and how Jack and she ended up stranded on an island, along with 11 other strangers.

The reader is torn between the past and the future as Alaina tries to make sense of her heart as she is torn between Chris and Jack. 

The book also lures you with a mystery you will be dying to solve, making it hard to put it down.  

14. Return Once More – Trisha Leigh

Return Once More tells of 16-year-old Kaia, part of a time-traveling group known as the Historians.

Set in the future where humans live on other planets, Kaia grows up quickly as she is taught to be a Historian.

She is tasked with going back in time to witness important events. 

Young and brave, Kaia is lucky enough to be told who her “True One” is. Learning that her true one is her soulmate, she is eager to meet him. 

This story explores Kaia’s relationship with her “True One,” Caesarion. Caesarion happens to be Cleopatra and Caesar’s son from the past! 

Expect nothing less than a creative and original narrative set in the future but also an exotic past.

This book does a great job of depicting a romance across two different cultures and timelines.

15. A Thousand Pieces of You – Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You joins heroine Marguerite as she travels through time and a different universe. Marguerite is on the hunt to solve a mystery close to her heart. 

Marguerite’s parents are the inventors of the Firebird, the machine that allows her to jump from one exciting universe to another.

While focused on her mission, she finds love along the way in the most unexpected places!

This book does a great job of exploring the heart of a young girl keen on an adventure but also open to love.

Part mystery, part romance, this book is a fast-paced and action-packed book that is great for younger readers. 

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Final Word on Time Travel Romance Books

So there you have it, those are the best time travel romance books. As you can see, there are a lot of great novels to choose from!

I hope you found something on this list that sparks your interest. If you have any more suggestions, let me know in the comments.

About Louisa Smith

Editor/Founder - Epic Book Society

Louisa is the Founder, Editor, and Head Honcho of Epic Book Society. She was born and raised in the United Kingdom and graduated from the University for the Creative Arts with a degree in Journalism. Louisa began her writing career at the age of 7 when her poetry was published in an anthology of poems to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. Upon graduating university, she spent several years working as a journalist writing about books before transitioning to become a Primary School Teacher. Louisa loves all genres of books, but her favorites are Sci-Fi, Romance, Fantasy, and Young Adult Fiction. Read more Louisa's story here .

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Beyond the Bookends

A Book Blog for Women and Moms who Love to Read

8 Tantalizing Time Travel Romance Books

Star-crossed lovers have nothing on these couples who are separated by time. Time travel romance books are really the epitome of fighting for the one you love. There is nothing more romantic than crossing the boundaries of time to find a way to be with the one you love.

These tantalizing love stories will make you swoon or at least they will make you look at love in a whole new way.

*Time Travel Romance books Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some Books have been gifted. All opinions are our own

Table of Contents

Best Time Travel Romance Books of 2023

The Seven-Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Clementine has had her heart broken one too many times. She has inherited her beloved aunt’s apartment and is constantly mourning her loss. When she comes home one day and finds a man sitting there, she realizes that he exists seven years in the past.

And, the more time they spend together, the more she realizes she is falling for him. But she can never figure out when their paths will collide! This is a fantastic pick if you are looking for romantic comedy books.

Dead Romantics ( GMA Book Club Pick July 2022 ) was one of my favorite books last year and this book did not disappoint! This is such an adorable time travel romance book and is perfect for our ultimate beach reads 2023. I needed to include it in our list of adult fantasy novels as well! And if you are not a fantasy lover, you can definitely call this a magical realism book!

The Deja Glitch by Holly James

Jack has been reliving the same day for months and believes the only way out of this circle is to get Gemma Peters to fall in love with him. The Problem? Gemma has a feeling of deja vu, but she cannot remember Jack and has made a vow not to date musicians again (after her last boyfriend used her).

I had high hopes for this time travel romance and it did not let me down. Do not be worried that you will have to read the same things over and over. This book has a refreshing spin that was utterly enjoyable. Thank you for my gifted copy of this book.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman has a place in our hearts with all of her books, including Practical Magic (one of our favorite series). So it is no surprise that her newest book is on our list of time travel romance books. This is the newest Alice Hoffman book and it is a book lover’s dream come true.

This fantasy is a story of love, heartbreak, and the magic of books. Mia Jacob is on the verge of sinking herself into a river when the book The Scarlet Letter saves her. The words seem to tell her story of growing up in an oppressive cult where contact with the outside world is forbidden and reading books is a heinous crime.

Even more daunting is the inscription on the inside of the book that is inscribed to her. This is a time travel romance book as only Hoffman could do it. I loved the audio version of the book- it brought life and depth to this story.

Best Time Travel Romance Books

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #1)

How do we love Outlander? We cannot count the ways. There is a reason this is one of my favorite books of all time .

This epic story begins in 1945 when Claire Randall and her husband take a second honeymoon to the Scottish Highlands to celebrate being reunited after the war. When Claire touches one of the standing stones, she is transported to 1743.

This is when the real story begins. In order to stay safe as an English woman in Scotland, she must depend on Jamie Frasier for protection. This book is definitely at the top of our list of best romance novels of all time but you will love it equally if you love historical fiction , magical realism , romance , or witches . This is one of the iconic and epic time travel romance books that has it all and is perfect for a list of books like A Discovery of Witches . It was easy to include this on the best fantasy books for adults as well.

The Time Traveler’s Wife By Audrey Niffenegger

Clare and Henry have an unusual love story. They’ve known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, but got married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry was thirty-one. You see, Henry is an adventurous librarian who inadvertently travels through time.  

Why We Love This Book : I adore how this story explores very real challenges that any couple faces. With the added time travel element, it becomes an unforgettable pick from our list of romance books. The way that they fight for their love gives this book its clear spot on our list of best romance novels of all time. But be warned, this book may emotionally wreck you. Find This Book in Best Time Travel Books Like the Time Traveler’s Wife / Time Travel Books /

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

I absolutely loved Casey’s first book and had very high hopes for this one.

August moves to NYC and into a house filled with weird roommates. When she meets Jane on the subway, sparks fly immediately, and riding the subway becomes the best part of her day. The twist? Jane is displaced from the 1970s and cannot get off the train. As paranormal romance books go, this one is not to be missed.

I enjoyed this book but, I felt that there were some parts that dragged on a bit. It is very hard to find new ways to talk about a relationship that can only take place on the train. I loved the premise of this time travel romance book.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Do you love Christmas movies? Are you obsessed with Christmas Romance books? Do you need to swoon? ⁣ If you answered yes to any of those questions, stop everything and order In a Holidaze. This is possibly my favorite Christmas novel of all time and was a must for best holiday books. ⁣

I adored Mae and Andrew’s love story. It’s set up like Groundhog’s Day with Mae repeating the same Christmas vacation until she gets it right. Time travel romance at its best. And man… does she get it right.⁣ Peppermint kisses, sexy sledding, snowball fights, Christmas Tree trimming… this book oozes cheer-filled holiday goodness with a few scenes that are steamier than a cup of cocoa.⁣

There is a reason this time travel book made our Best Books of 2020 list! This is an adorable magical realism book and a real must-read.

Some Like It Plaid by Angela Quarles

In this story, our hunky future chieftain leaves 1st century Scotland for 2019 San Francisco to catch himself a wifey, whom he promptly teleports back to Scotland (Druid magic IDK) and shenanigans ensue.

This book set in Scotland is funny, romantic, and totally cute. I loved it! This is one of the time travel romance novels you will want to read again and again.

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

I read this book set in Cornwall in only a few days because I loved it so much.  This is another book that I read this month that is the perfect pick for books like Outlander .

After Eva’s sister dies, she heads back to Cornwall England to find peace and rest.  What she discovers is more than she expects when she finds herself inexplicably back in time.  As her heart begins to feel again, can she find a way to heal her broken heart and find love? This is a wonderful time travel romance book that you will want to read again and again.

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux

This setup of this time travel romance is the same as Outlander but in reverse! In the first part of the book, Douglass accidentally summons an Earl from the 16th century to modern England!

Dougless vowels to help return Nicholas to his own time, but not before trying to help him figure out who framed him for treason in his own era. But when he’s sent back and nothing changes, Dougless needs to head back to his time and try to save his life.

The attention to detail in the 16th century was reminiscent of Diana Gabaldon’s work. It’s a total must-read for fans of Jamie and Claire’s love story. You can find this one on our list of Time Travel Romance Books as well as 29 Books like Outlander for Fans of the Hit Series .

A love story that spans time is an easy pick for the best romance novels of all time

What are your favorite Time Travel Romance Books?

For more books like these, check out our complete list of time travel books.

Ultimate List of Romances

If you love time travel romance books, then this is the list for you! We have this list carefully divided by sub-genre.

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The Best Time Travel Books That Are Dripping With Romance

Out of the many time travel books to choose from, time travel romance stories are some of the more popular examples.

Successful time travel romance stories are often emotional, beautiful, and incredibly moving.

Reading one of these books can whisk you away to an entirely different land, time, or even dimension.

These can vary from traveling back centuries back in time, or forward to a future dystopian landscape.

Many fans of the genre love these romance tales as they depict how love can beat adversity, along with time.

You may love reading about how two characters fall in love with each other, but it’s especially beautiful when they are both from completely different worlds.

If you’re interested in giving time travel romance novels a go, you’ll find some of the best examples of the genre below. These all touch on various themes, including science fiction, fantasy, and YA fiction.

If you’re ready to be whisked away into an entirely different world and explore some moving romantic stories, try one of these time travel romance novels on this list!

In Five Years By Rebecca Serle

This time-travel romance novel revolves around lawyer Dannie Kohan. At an interview, Dannie is asked where she sees and is prepared with a well-thought-out answer.

After acing her interview and accepting a marriage proposal, Dannie falls asleep and awakens five years in the future. Her apartment, ring, and man are all different from the ones she knew.

A memorable hour passes and Dannie wakes up back in the present. She tries to ignore the event and moves on with her life.

Four and a half years pass and Dannie comes into contact with the same man from her time travel experience.

This time travel romance novel is different from traditional ones as the time travel event only lasts for an hour.

The plot is full of fun moments and heartbreak, reminding readers about female friendships, loyalty, and the uncertainty of fate.

If you’re looking for a more modern time-travel romance story, you should give In Five Years a try.

• Time travel only lasts an hour, which makes for an interesting read
• Set in the modern era, differs from mainstream time travel romance novels
• Plot centers on friendship more than romance.

The Two Lives Of Lydia Bird By Josie Silver

This moving novel depicts grief, love, and overcoming adversity in an incredibly moving manner.

Lydia Bird and Freddie, her fiance, have been in love ever since they were teenagers. As adults, they are preparing for their wedding and to spend the rest of their lives with one another.

All of their dreams are shattered when Freddie dies in a car accident, leaving Lydia broken and alone. Lydia’s family tries to comfort her, but she struggles with day-to-day life.

Her bond with her oldest friend Jonah, who was also Freddies best friend, has also changed.

Jonah was in the accident with Freddie, so the survivors’ guilt, along with Lydia’s agony, is distressing for both characters.

Lydia starts taking pills to help her sleep, but they seem to transport her into a different universe where Freddie still lives.

Amazed at these transportive effects, Lydia starts to take the pills more often, escaping into a world with Freddie by her side.

Lydia soon finds out that things aren’t amazing in the ‘sleeping’ world.

People still experience loss here, and there are also delights to enjoy in the waking world, though it’s difficult to accept this following Freddie’s loss.

Silver’s novel is an incredible depiction of a flawed woman who after so much loss, is trying to find herself again.

The Two Lives Of Lydia Bird is a perfect book for those looking for a somber, yet poignant story.

• Depicts the devastation surrounding grief in a vivid, believable way
• All characters are developed well and add to the story
• Though the story is moving, some may find the plot predictable.

Charming The Highlander By Janet Chapman

The first book in Chapman’s Pine Creek Highlanders series is a unique and delightful tale.

The plot centers around Grace Stutter, a woman who, as her sister died, is responsible for delivering her sister’s baby to the father.

She waits several weeks before getting on a plane, with the belief that she’d be making a fresh start.

Grace’s plane then crashes on a glacial mountain in Maine, leaving her, the baby, and handsome fighter Greylen, as the sole survivors.

Greylen is a medieval warrior who has traveled through time to find the woman he’s destined to be with.

Pushed together to battle the dangerous, icy setting, neither Grace nor Greylen expect the deep passion that awakens within them.

Grace, with her logical scientist background, isn’t used to letting her heart rule, but Greylen is committed to doing whatever it takes to be with her forever.

Chapman draws readers in with classic romance elements, like passion, a feisty heroine, and devotion to love. The writing is very vivid, you’ll feel like you’re right there in the story!

If you’re after a time travel romance that’s simultaneously amusing and moving, Charming the Highlander is the book for you!

• An entertaining plot that keeps the reader engaged
• The connection between the two develops believably
• The story is far-fetched, though that is often the case with time-travel romance novels

A Knight In Shining Armor By Jude Deveraux

Known all over the globe as one of the best romance stories ever written, A Knight In Shining Armour fully deserves a place on this list.

The plot features Dougless Montgomery, a woman who has been left by her boyfriend and is crying on a tombstone for her savior.

The man from the tombstone, Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck, suddenly appears. However, his tombstone states that he died in 1564.

Dougless is amazed at Nicholas, someone who finds her as captivating and perfect just the way she is.

Unfortunately, Douglas is unprepared for the shackles that keep them in the past, or the eventful experiences that they are yet to discover.

Deveraux’s novel does a wonderful job of depicting the two characters’ connection, as well as how strange the modern world looks in Nicholas’ eyes.

Readers will note the air of desperation and tension with every page, understanding why Nicholas wants to go back to his time.

One of the most well-known time travel romance novels ever written, A Knight In Shining Armor is definitely worth a look.

• The historical setting is authentic and vivid
• Heroine grows a lot throughout the story
• Other than the heroine, female characters aren’t represented in a positive light.

Time After Time By Tamara Ireland Stone

Time After Time features a swoon-worthy romance, exotic travel destinations, and a beautiful and believable connection.

This is the second book in Stone’s series which delves into more of Bennett and Anna’s story.

The time distance between the central characters, Anna and Bennett, only spans 17 years. Anna is from 1995 Chicago, while Bennet time travels back from San Francisco in 2012.

The two weren’t supposed to fall in love, but they did, finding a way to be with each other despite everything. However, this relationship isn’t without its problems.

Bennet cannot stay in the past for long, so all visits are temporary. He misses large pieces of his present life to remain in Anna’s world.

Things change when Bennett is the eyewitness to an incident he wasn’t supposed to see. He has to work out if his choices from then on will create a future that he doesn’t want.

Bennett is the narrator, so we see more about his world in 2012. Stone does a great job of showcasing the difficulties he faced as he came to terms with his love for Anna.

The characters are also realistic, as they act maturely about the troubles their connection causes them.

Readers will certainly feel the love that Bennett and Anna share and will be rooting for the couple throughout this story.

• The author portrays the relationship between the couple well
• The plot wraps up nicely at the end
• Part of a series, so you’ll have to read the first story to understand the couple’s connection.

Anywhere You Are By Constance O’Day Flannery

This charming story is ideal for those looking for some light reading. Like a lot of time travel romance novels, the plot is far-fetched, but entertaining nonetheless.

The story starts with Mairie Callahan. She is skydiving and jumps out of her plane above Nevada, but has no idea that she’s about to land 122 years in the past.

The plot also features Jack Delaney, a man who in 1877, has returned home after fighting in the Civil War.

Jack takes on a vision quest with his adoptive Paiute Indian brothers in the hopes that he will discover peace, only to see a peculiar, yet beautiful woman falling from the heavens.

Jack finds Mairie’s ramblings about the future weird, but he still feels attracted to her. He’s never met a woman like her before.

As the plot unfolds, the two characters are trying to send Mairie back to her time, hoping to save her dying brother with an extinct plant that may heal him.

O’Day Flannery’s writing will make you feel that you’re right there with the characters, thanks to her descriptive and vivid prose.

You’ll be turning the pages to find out if Mairie can get back in time, if the two can fight the dangers that are before them, and whether their connection is something deeper than friendship.

Anywhere You Are is great for readers looking for a lighthearted, yet touching tale about a connection that defies time.

• The plot is easy to follow without being sluggish
• Characters and scenery are boldly descriptive
• The far-fetched plot, though the story is entertaining.

Outlander By Diana Gabaldon

We couldn’t put this list together without mentioning Outlander, a book that is arguably the most popular romance novel ever written.

This is the first of six books from Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The plot begins in 1945. Claire Randall has come back home from the war where she worked as a combat nurse.

She’s enjoying a second honeymoon with her husband when she walks through a monolith in one of the historical circles around the British Isles.

Unexpectedly, Claire finds herself in a Scotland affected by war and marauding border clans in 1743, almost two centuries in the past.

Thrown back in time, Claire is a Sassenach, or ‘outlander’ in this world. She’s thrust into the plots of spies and lords that put her life at risk, as well as her heart.

James Fraser, a courageous Scottish warrior, shows Claire a love so true that she becomes trapped between loyalty and desire.

Outlander is very well written. Gabaldon has done her research into 18th-century life, as you notice the details of castles and Scottish Highland estates.

Readers soon notice that the characters Claire and Jamie are meant to be together, as their friendship develops into something deeper.

The connection between the two sends life into every page, making it incredibly tough to put down.

This is the perfect book for anyone looking for a moving tale about a love that transcends time itself.

• The historic setting and details are vivid and realistic
• A mix of romance, history, and adventure
• The story does contain gory elements and vivid descriptions of violence.

For All Eternity By Linda Lael Miller

If you’re a fan of vampire stories, this is the book for you.

For All Eternity is Miller’s second book in her Vampire series. It does the job of mixing the thrilling aspects of time travel with the darker elements of supernatural romance .

The plot centers on Maeve Tremayne, a vampire who is struggling to deal with life after loss. Maeve uses her powers to go back in time to the American Civil War.

While she walks across the gloomy, bloody fields of battle, she uses her lethal bite to liberate dying soldiers from the anguish of war.

It’s here where Maeve meets the compassionate and human doctor, Calder Holbrook.

A greater war starts to form amongst the vampires and Maeve needs to fight her instincts as her thirst for the doctor grows.

For All Eternity’s story is very enthralling. Both Maeve and Calder care about humanity, which makes you root for their relationship throughout the book.

Miller’s writing makes you feel like you’re reading this book for the first time, no matter how many times you’ve read it before.

This is a great example of a vampire romance that’s sure to get you hooked on the Miller’s Vampire series!

• The second book in the series features an engaging plot
• The heroine is simultaneously powerful and realistically flawed
• Not the best tale for those that aren’t interested in vampire novels.

Transcendence By Shay Savage

Transcendence is certainly a love-hate book, but if you like it, it’s a great addition to a time-travel romance collection!

This prehistoric romance centers on Ehd, a caveman who lives alone in a rough wilderness.

Ehd is bright and strong but is lonely without anyone around him. Ehd finds a gorgeous young woman in his pit trap and believes that she is destined to be his mate.

The woman, Elizabeth, doesn’t understand where she is or how she got there. She’s perplexed and upset about her plight, and to top everything off, there’s a caveman carrying her back to his home.

Elizabeth isn’t interested in Ehd’s advances and struggles to communicate with this primitive, yet attractive man.

Soon, the winter months and dangers of the wild push the two together, as they have to rely on each other to survive.

Both Ehd and Elizabeth start to develop a connection and resolve their cultural differences. Even though the plot is far-fetched, the characters are innovative and refreshing.

Funny, warming, and certainly unique, Transcendence is certainly a time travel romance you won’t forget!

• Fun, lighthearted read
• The story becomes very engaging once the reader adapts to the narration style
• A love-hate tale, some may find the plot too contrived.

Silent Vows By Catherine Bybee

A blend between time travel romance and fantasy, this book has the protagonist traveling to the future.

Our heroine, Myra, is a medieval druidess from a powerful family. She has lived a sheltered life so far but finds herself in danger from a cursed witch.

Attempting to escape, she travels 500 years into the future but finds herself confronted by a skeptical, yet attractive 21st-century cop.

Officer Todd Blakely believes Myra is hiding something but is taken aback by her innocent allure.

Fate throws both characters into a mysterious and fascinating world. We’re left wondering whether Todd can be the savior Myra needs, or if the obstacle of time will keep them apart.

Both of the characters are believable. Myra is hardly a feisty heroine, but we admire her resilience to face a new world, despite her sheltered upbringing.

Todd’s hard exterior and fear of commitment are understandable when you read more about his past. It’s hard not to feel sorry for our hero in this story.

The pages in this story are dripping with tension and danger, which makes for a gripping read.

If you’re looking for a book that successfully interweaves the past with modern society, you can’t go wrong with Silent Vows.

• Suspense and tension keep the reader turning the pages
• The heroine is courageous, despite a sheltered past
• The second book in a series, some readers may want to read the first one to understand the characters in this novel.

The River Of No Return By Bee Ridgway

Ridgway’s debut novel features an imaginative plot and a romance that makes you root for the characters throughout.

The plot begins in 1815, as Julia Percy sits with her grandfather as he’s taking his final breaths. Julia thinks that her grandfather’s power to manipulate time has died with him.

The plot then jumps 200 years in the future, where Lord Nicholas Falcott, who was just about to die in battle, awakens in 21st-century London.

The Guild, a secret society of time travelers, tells Nick that he cannot return to the past, but Nick still longs for Julia who remains in 1815.

As destiny pulls Julia and Nick together, the two characters need to be smart and risk heartbreak as they fight the laws of time.

All of the characters in this story are fleshed out well. Each person has a life they left behind without being able to decide for themselves, which makes it easy to empathize with each character.

This book explores how our actions, no matter how insignificant they seem, can affect the future.

The River of No Return is an intriguing novel that will have you hooked on its pages, from beginning to end.

• The multi-layered story gives the book depth
• Thriller, adventure, and romance in one
• Stereotypical use of some female characters

The Time Traveler’s Wife By Audrey Niffenegger

A classic novel that cannot be left out of a time travel romance list, The Time Traveler’s Wife will have you enthralled in its story from the very beginning.

The plot covers the remarkable romance between Henry and Clare. They met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six but married when Henry was thirty and Clare was twenty-two.

This inconceivable reality is possible due to Henry’s rare condition. His genetic clock resets from time to time, pulling him into his future or his past.

Neither Clare nor Henry can prevent this force from occurring, which makes it difficult for the two characters to live regular lives.

Despite every obstacle they face, the deep love and passion the two feel for each other never dies.

This unique love story is incredibly captivating. Readers soon understand that Clare and Henry weren’t just compatible, they were real soulmates fated to be with each other.

If you haven’t read The Time Traveler’s Wife yet, this heartbreaking story should be the next one on your list.

• A strong visual tale helps the story seem more moving
• Told from two sides, helps the reader understand the couple’s predicament
• The concept of various time periods may feel too complex and confusing.

The Repeat Year By Andrea Lochen

Many of us have wished for a chance to travel back in time and undo things, which is what this novel explores.

Olive, our main character, awakens on New Year’s Day in 2011, but it should be New Year’s Day 2012. She is distressed by the thought of reliving a year full of rock-bottom events.

Olive soon finds out that she isn’t the only one who has gone back in time, as she meets Sherry Witan, a proficient ‘repeater’.

Olive discovers that she can rewrite her future, which means that she has to figure out what she really desires.

One of Olive’s many regrets is ending things with her partner, Phil.

Once Phil realizes why the 2012 breakup occurred in the first place, the question remains if Olive and Phil will be able to sustain their relationship once more.

Gifted with a miraculous opportunity, Olive needs to decide if she should make different decisions, or accept life as she once lived it, regardless of its pros and cons.

Lochen’s writing makes the characters leap to life with every page.

Readers will notice how much each character influences Olive’s life, as well as how each little decision, action, and choice changes the events of Olive’s year.

The Repeat Year will have you thinking about the ways a slight moment can change your destiny long after you read it, as well as whether or not you would want to experience a ‘repeat year’ for yourself.

• Set in the ‘modern’ world, makes it different from mainstream time travel romance novels
• The heroine is described vividly and comes to life on every page
• The book contains several storylines that may make the tale too complex

In A Holidaze By Christina Lauren

This contemporary romance has a festive feel, but you can read it throughout the year as Christmas isn’t the plot’s main focus.

Our protagonist Maelyn is visiting a cabin in Utah to celebrate the holidays with her friends and family.

To her dismay, she awakens the morning after Christmas having kissed her best friend, instead of his brother, the person she’s been crushing on since her teenage years.

As she drives away, Mae asks the universe to show her what will make her happy.

The sounds of metal and screeching metal ensue, which starts a Groundhog Day-reminiscent time loop.

Maelyn is stuck living the same holiday over and over again. However, this gives her the chance to change the past and tell her real true love how she feels, once and for all.

Full of holiday magic, a range of noteworthy characters, and romance galore, In A Holidaze will have you laughing out loud with every page you turn.

• A lighthearted tale that’s easy to read
• Amusing characters that add humor to the story
• The story may not interest you if you find ‘Groundhog Day’ style plots tedious

One Last Stop By Casey McQuiston

This charming LGBT love story will have you engrossed in its story from the first page!

We begin with August, a cynical young adult who has just moved to NYC. She isn’t interested in the magic of the big city and doesn’t believe that the love stories you see in the movies are real.

Everything changes when August sees a beautiful girl on the train. Jane is the epitome of rock n roll, but there’s a huge problem.

Jane is from the 1970s but has found herself lost in time in the future. August needs to start confronting the darker elements she left in her past to help Jane.

Time travel romance novels, for the most part, center on white, heterosexual stories.

It’s incredibly refreshing to find an example that has a queer storyline and an ethnic minority love interest.

One Last Stop is packed with the antics of young adulthood, authentic characters, and classic New York charm.

It’s the perfect read for anyone interested in a romance novel that explores deeper themes, like loneliness, queer identity, and the importance of friendship.

• LGBT storyline is a nice change from mainstream time travel novels
• Explores friendship, loneliness, and queer identity in addition to romance
• Secondary characters seem more vibrant than the main protagonist.

The Rose Garden By Susanna Kearsley

This novel blends romance, time travel, and historical fiction , along with a hint of the supernatural.

Our heroine, Eva, leaves California after her movie star sister passes. She heads back to Cornwall where the two enjoyed summer breaks in childhood.

Eva soon discovers that her childhood home isn’t just where her old friends live now, but people who lived there in the eighteenth century.

Eva figures out that she can move between different periods and communicate with people many years in the past.

She then meets and starts developing feelings for Daniel Butler, a man who lived hundreds of years before she was even born.

After laying her sister to rest, Eva starts to wonder whether she belongs in her time, as the one person she loved was no longer in her life.

The question remains, will Eva choose her life in the present or the past that she feels a deep connection with?

The time travel elements deliver enough tension and suspense to make this story an incredible read.

Readers are left wondering whether Eva can make her relationship with Daniel survive when she cannot control the time travel.

With fleshed-out characters, well-researched prose, and an incredibly moving story, The Rose Garden is a book that will speak to your heart each time you read it.

• Many surprises keep the reader invested
• The historical setting is vivid and authentic
• The story loses pace in the middle but does pick up again for an engaging end.

Trapped In Time By Denise Daye

Emma Washington is a Ph.D. student that has returned to her education after a tough start in life.

The day that she and her mother escaped the clutches of her brutal father, Emma decided that she would never let herself fall in love.

As Emma walks back home from a party, the lights of a car come speeding toward her. When she wakes, it isn’t in a modern-day hospital, but in London, England in 1881.

Everything Emma once held dear is considered witchcraft. Victorian London is a tough environment for women that don’t hold status or wealth.

Her only chance of surviving here involves the thing she never wanted to do – marry.

Emma needs to betroth herself to Lord William Blackwell, the influential duke of England. However, her heart wants a different man, Lord John Evergreen.

Can Emma find her way back home before she has to marry Lord Blackwell, and will she ever act on her feelings for John?

Trapped In Time contains all the elements of a fantastic time travel romance – emotions, history, and surprise events that keep the suspense running throughout the whole novel.

With drama, tension, and an undeniable chemistry between characters, you can’t go wrong with this historical romance .

• Entertaining story with a fast pace
• A well-written book that brings characters to life
• The depiction of 19th-century English dialogue isn’t very realistic.

What The Wind Knows By Amy Harmon

Anne Gallagher’s childhood years were spent listening to her grandfather’s delightful tales of Ireland. Broken after he passes away, Anne journeys to his family home to lay him to rest.

Overwhelmed by the memories of a man she loved so much, she finds herself transported to a different time.

Ireland in 1921, on the brink of war, is a dangerous place to find herself in.

Anne, injured and confused, finds herself under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith. Thomas is the guardian of a boy who is strangely peculiar.

People mistake Anne for the boy’s missing mother, which leads Anne to take on her identity, as she believes the woman’s disappearance is linked to her predicament.

Thomas becomes part of the fight for Ireland’s independence and Anne is pulled into the struggle with him.

Trapped between her feelings and history, Anne needs to choose between her life in the present for a connection she never believed she’d discover.

This beautiful story explores survival, love, and the magic of Ireland in an incredibly moving way. What the Wind Knows will tug at your heartstrings and will remain with you long after you read it.

• A great depiction of Ireland’s historical struggles
• The tale is romantic without including excessive emotional prose
• Some readers may find the novel’s historical elements tedious.

Voyager By Diana Gabaldon

Warning: Spoilers

This is the third book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, continuing the relationship between Claire and Jamie.

After Claire Randall traveled back in time to fall in love with Jamie Fraser, she returned to her own time to give birth to their child.

Claire believes that Jamie has died in the battle of Culloden, but she longs for him still, unable to get over her loss.

She then finds out Jamie survived. Claire has to choose between returning to the love of her life and staying in her own time with their daughter.

Voyager is one of the best books in the Outlander series as it fully depicts the love that Jamie and Claire have for each other.

With twists, turns, and suspense that electrifies every page, Voyager is a book that will find yourself losing track of time while you read it.

• Characters and historical events blend well into the plot
• The connection between the two characters is still dynamic from the last two books
• The third book in the series, readers will have to read the first two novels to understand the story.

Christmas Moon By Elizabeth Lane

Striking, riveting, and incredibly romantic, Christmas Moon explores the life of pregnant and unmarried history teacher, Emma Carlyle.

On Christmas Eve, Emma travels to Wyoming on an expedition for her thesis. The topic is the well-known legend, J.D. McNulty.

Her car is lost in a snowstorm as she tries to get back home, but this transports her back in time to 1870, when she goes into labor.

Trying to find help at a remote lodge, Emma finds J.D. himself answering the door. J.D. and Emma begin a burning romantic relationship, but as Emma is from the future, she knows a secret – J.D. is meant to die a few weeks down the line.

The setting and cold weather drive the two characters together, but readers soon discover that there is more between them than simply physical attraction.

Knowing that J.D. is meant to die will have you riveting through the pages to see if things work out for the couple.

With a fantastic blend of time travel, sensuality, and humor, Christmas Moon will have you falling in love with its very pages.

• The suspense keeps the reader turning the pages to reach the story’s conclusion
• The connection between characters becomes realistic and believable
• The plot is entertaining but contains a few holes.

The Sterkarm Handshake By Susan Price

This is the first book in the Sterkam series, a science fiction romance trilogy that will please fantasy fans and time travel enthusiasts alike.

When a 21st-century enterprise creates a Time Tube back to the 16th century, the CEO aims to exploit the tourism opportunities and minerals from the English-Scottish border.

His plans are obstructed by the Sterkams, a clan he believes is savage and primitive.

Anthropologist Andrea Mitchell is sent to live with the Sterkams to be an informant and translator.

She is subsequently shocked by the clansmen’s warm nature and even more astonished when she develops a connection with the allegedly barbarous man, Per.

Pressure rises on either side of the Time Tube, which puts Andrea in the center of the developing war.

Will she remain faithful to her employers and life in the present, or remain in the past to be with her archaic lover?

Price vividly depicts the conflict between different cultures in a believable and occasionally amusing way.

Other than the time travel elements, the plot, characters, and prose seem definitively real.

The impending war between each side has a sense of danger running through the book, which makes you wonder whether Andrea and Per will last until the end.

Overall, The Sterkarm Handshake is a great start to a series that will have you rushing to read the sequel.

• Full of danger and suspense to keep the reader invested
• Different mindsets of main characters help us understand the ‘villain’s’ point of view
• The female protagonist’s appearance and size are constantly referred to.

Buyers Guide: What To Look For In Time Travel Romance Books

Here are a few things to consider before choosing a time-travel romance novel:

Time Period

Time travel novels will have a plot that involves traveling to the future, traveling to the past or both.

Several examples also include the present-day period, though this setting may vary depending on when the novel was written.

If you are finding it difficult to choose a time travel romance novel, think about the time period which interests you.

For instance, would you prefer to read about an 18th-century historical romance or an imaginative vision of the future?

There are even books like The Repeat Year, which only travel forward a year in time.

If the idea of reading about women in corsets and petticoats fills your heart with dread, you may find a modern setting more appealing, and vice versa.

Sequel Or Standalone Novel

It’s also a good idea to think about whether your novel is part of a book series or a standalone book.

Consider the stories you currently like to read. Do you prefer when a story is wrapped up concisely at the end, or like reading a plot that spans a few books in length?

Novels like One Last Stop are great if you want a story that finishes in a single book.

If you’d like a few novels to whisk you away to a different world, the Outlander series may be more to your taste.

If you do prefer book series, remember to start with the beginning novel, as this prevents the time travel elements from being confusing!

Multiple Narration

Many time travel novels involve multiple perspectives. In the case of time travel romance novels, a couple’s story may be told in dual narration, depicting both sides of the relationship.

Multiple narrative books do have an advantage, as they help you get into the head of different characters.

This can help give you an unbiased view of the story, but keep in mind you may end up liking one point of view a lot more than the other.

If you find the idea of multiple narrations interesting, the Time Between Us series starts with Anna’s perspective in the first book, then switches to Bennetts in the second.

However, if you are prone to taking sides, you may want to stick to single-narration novels.

Multiple perspectives also give a story depth, but they can make a story too complex.

If you think that you may find it hard to navigate several points of view, there are lots of single-narrative novels from the genre to choose from.

Final Thoughts

Though there are some common themes between each story, you’ll find a range of enjoyable stories in the list above.

These gripping tales will take you to an entirely different world while you read them.

If you’ve never tried time travel romance novels before, try one of our recommendations out for yourself. Who knows, it may just become your new favorite book genre !

We hope you enjoy reading some of these enchanting time-travel romance novels!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the oldest story about time travel.

Edward Page Mitchell’s ‘The Clock That Went Backward’ is one of the first stories that involved time travel. The story was first published in 1881 in the New York Sun.

Is Time Travel A Paradox?

Time travel involves several paradoxes. One example is that If a person travels back in time, they will become a part of the past, and may end up causing the actions they wanted to prevent.

Who Is The Number 1 Romance Author?

Daniel Steel is a romance author that has sold nearly a billion copies of her work. Steel is also known as the no 4. best-selling fiction author of all time.

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Must-Read Time Travel Romance Books

Feature image @bookish.hayden

When it comes to love, crossing the boundaries of time matters very little. Time travel romance novels remind us of that very thing, as we witness characters who have fallen into the past or sprung forth into the future. No matter the case, true love shines through and conquers all. That said, check out these time travel romance reads that will have you falling in love with every generation.

Here’s our favorite romance novels where characters travel far and wide>>

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

Jack and Kate meet at a party, where they spend the entire time bonding over cereal and their favorite movies. Soon the two are in love, and Jack is over the moon—but then tragedy strikes, and Kate dies. Only instead of losing her, Jack is thrown back in time, back to the beginning where they first met, where Kate is whole and happy again. Is this a chance for Jack to save Kate, or will playing with fate and destiny cause Jack to put someone else’s life on the line?

One Last Stop   by Casey McQuiston

August doesn’t believe in magic and cinematic love stories. She’s a cynical twenty-three year old living in New York City, waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and living with too many weird roommates. But then, one day on her subway commute, she meets Jane, a charming old-school punk rocker. Now August has a subway crush that has become the best part of her day. There is only one problem that August soon learns: Jane isn’t just a mysterious girl who dresses from a different era, she was uprooted from the 1970s. Now August will do everything she can to save the girl lost in time.

Here are the best books for Casey McQuiston fans>>

Intersect   by Elle O’Roark

In this second installment of the parallel series, Nick and Quinn are working to piece together the truth about the life they once shared. At first, Nick feels like something is missing from his past, but he isn’t sure what until he meets Quinn for the first time—or so he thinks. Quinn has dreams and memories of a life she shared with Nick. But this time, in this new era, if she wants to prevent history from repeating itself, she’ll have to use her unusual gifts and come clean to Nick about everything.

The Portrait by B.D. Anderson

Marleigh Winters thought she’d be bored at another yard sale her mother dragged her to. Yet she is thoroughly surprised when she discovers a portrait of a soldier, Winston Spencer, for sale. The painting seems like it’s almost alive, and when Marleigh takes it home, she realizes that the man inside is very much trapped in another era under a spell from a witch. Now that she is the owner of the painting, she can communicate with Winston who enlists her to help him break the spell. The attraction Marleigh feels for him is instant—but is Winston only using her to free himself, or could this love truly be real?

Here’s our favorite steamy historical romances>>

Out of Time, Into You by Jay Bell

Reggie Valentine just graduated high school. But instead of celebrating, he’s thrown into a freak accident where he lands in the 1950s. There he meets Daniel Parker, a man his grandmother used to date. Daniel is secretly gay, but he’s in an era that wouldn’t allow him to date or marry another man. When Reggie and Daniel fall in love, Reggie soon forgets any plans he has of leaving this generation. But can their relationship handle the constant secrecy and the intensity of an era that despises them?

A Highlander for Hannah by Mary Warren

Hannah Glenn wants something different from her life. Breaking up with her boyfriend and moving into her family’s farm seems to do the trick. Listening to her best friend, Hannah finds herself buying a love potion and casting a spell in the middle of the night. When she wakes the next morning, to her surprise, an undeniably handsome Scotsman from 1745 has landed in her barn. Graham MacNeil fell asleep in his uncle’s stable and woke up two hundred years later in a strange land. At first the two are shocked beyond belief, but as time passes and they await their only chance to reverse the spell, their attraction grows until neither is sure they want the spring equinox to come.

Don’t miss these novels set in Scotland>>

Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson

Andre Cobb thought his new liver transplant would be the start of his life. Instead, when he wakes up, he finds himself in 1969. Once he gains his bearings, he meets the charming and magnetic Michael. Only just as soon as he gets to know him, Andre slips back into the future, present-day Boston. There the family of his new liver explains the side effects of the transplant: time travel. Now Andre has to learn how to use these gifts from Blake, his donor’s brother, while slipping back into the past where Michael is. When he begins to fall for them both, Andre must soon determine if the love he wants is in the future or the past.

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes

Luis Gonzalez just wants to spend his prom with his boyfriend. Yet his high school is still too progressive in thinking after an incident in the 80s with one Chaz Wilson. When a hit to the head knocks Luis back to that exact moment in 1985, he gets to meet Chaz and change history by giving Chaz his first kiss. But it turns out their conservative school isn’t the safest place for either boy, especially when Luis’s estranged and homophobic father rules the campus. Will Luis make it back to his era, or will his actions only make things worse?

Borrowed Time   by Russell Dean

Tom Jacob thinks life in England is too mundane. His job is boring, and his love life is nonexistent. Convinced to spend the night partying, Tom agrees, but when he wakes up in Wales in 1889, a century in the past, he regrets listening to his twin brother. Now stuck in Cwm Newydd, a small village near Aberystwyth, Tom must overcome a few things like the language barrier and the suspicion of the town’s people. As he tries to figure out a way to get home, Tom begins to form bonds with a few residents, including a young boy who becomes more than he expected.

Before Time Runs Out   by Amy Matayo

Bree Sanders is failing the last graduate class that she needs to graduate. To ace her dissertation, she creates a Ghost Club similar to the one Charles Dickens made centuries ago. When she finds the original copy of Dickens’ work and gets instantly transported into his actual ghost club in 1870 England, everything she knows changes. Women wearing jeans and t-shirts are forbidden, so she’s forced to hide—but soon she finds Theodore Keyes, who was also transported to this era from Dickens’ old book three months ago. Together they agree to search for the book that will take them home. Yet as their attraction for each other grows, they’ll have to decide to stay in England where their love is blooming or leave and never see each other again.

Don’t miss these must-read historical romance novels>>

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About the author: shavantay minnis.

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40 Best Time Travel Books To Read Right Now (2024)

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Travel back in time with the best time travel books, including engrossing thrillers, romance, contemporary lit, and mind-bending sci-fi.

Table of Contents

Best Time Travel Books

Books about time travel promise to not only transport you across time periods and space – Doctor Who-style – but also tesser you into new dimensions and around the world. Most readers already know about classics like The Time Traveler’s Wife , A Christmas Carol , and The Time Machine .

For romance time travel, grab In A Holidaze or One Last Stop . For contemporary and new time travel books, Haig’s The Midnight Library and Serle’s In Five Years captivated our hearts and minds.

Recursion re-kindled our love for science fiction, and Ruby Red transported us to 18th-century London. Books like Displacement promise intuitive and raw commentary about generational trauma and racism in graphic novel form.

Below, find the best time travel novels across genres for adults and teens, including history, romance, classics, sci-fi, YA, and thrilling fiction. Get ready to travel in the blink of an eye, and be sure to let us know your favorites in the comments. Let’s get started!

Contemporary & Literary Fiction

If you enjoy contemporary and literary fiction filled with strong main characters, these are some of the best books in the time travel genre. Uncover new releases as well as books on the bestseller lists. Of course, we’ll share a few lesser-known gems too.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Would your life change if you had one seemingly real dream or premonition? What if some key facts were missing but you had no idea? Can we change the future?

One of the best books about time travel and friendship, don’t skip In Five Years . In fact, we read this New York City-based novel in half a day. Have the tissue box ready.

Dannie nails an important job interview and is hoping to get engaged. Of course, this is all a part of her perfect 5-year plan. Dannie has arranged every minute of her life ever since her brother died in a drunk driving accident.

On the night of Dannie’s “scheduled” engagement, she falls asleep only to have a vision of herself 5 years into the future in the arms of another man. Did she just time travel or could this be a dream? When Dannie arrives back in 2020, her life goes back to normal. …That is until she meets the man from her dream.

We were expecting In Five Years to be a time travel romance story; however, this is a different type of love and one of the best books about strong friendships .

Read In Five Years : Amazon | Goodreads

Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot | We just love Japanese literature . One of the most debated time travel books among our readers – you’ll either love it or hate it – Before the coffee gets cold takes place at a cafe in Tokyo, Japan.

Along with coffee, this 140-year-old, back-alley cafe lets visitors travel back in time. Four visitors at the cafe are hoping to time travel to see someone for the last (or first) time. The way each patron views the cafe says a lot about them. The details and repetition are everything.

True to the title, visits may only last as long as it takes for the coffee to grow cold. If they don’t finish their coffee in time, there are ghostly consequences.

Before the coffee gets cold asks, who would you want to see one last time, and what issues you would confront?

Along with the many rules of time travel, these visitors are warned that the present will not change. Would you still travel back knowing this? Can something, anything, still change – even within you?

The story has a drop of humor with a beautiful message. We shed a tear or two. Discover even more terrific and thought-provoking Japanese fantasy novels here .

Read Before the coffee gets cold : Amazon | Goodreads

If you are looking for the most inspiring take on time travel in books, Haig’s The Midnight Library is it. This is one of those profound stories that make you think more deeply . TWs for pet death (early on) and suicide ideation.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Imagine if you could see your other possible lives and fix your regrets. Would that path be better? Would these changes make you happier?

Set in Bedford, England, and at a library , Nora answers these questions as she intentionally overdoses on pills. Caught in the Midnight Library – a purgatory of sorts – Nora explores books filled with the ways her life could have turned out. She tries on these alternative lives, pursuing different dreams, marrying different people, and realizing that some parts of her root life were not as they seemed on the surface.

Find hope and simplicity in one of the most authentic and heaviest time travel novels on this list. Haig addresses mental health through a new lens that is both beautiful and moving.

With a team full of avid readers and librarians, discover our top selections featuring more books about books .

Read The Midnight Library : Amazon | Goodreads

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

Some of the best time travel books are those with alternate realities, including The Two Lives of Lydia Bird . There are content warnings for prescription pill addiction and more.

Set in England, Lydia and Freddie are planning their marriage when the unthinkable happens. Freddie dies in a car accident on the way to Lydia’s birthday dinner. In a matter of seconds, Lydia’s world falls apart. She isn’t sure how she will survive. When Lydia starts taking magical pink sleeping pills, she enters an alternate universe where Freddie is alive and well.

Caught between her dream world and real life, Lydia must decide if she will give in to her addiction – living in a temporary fantasy world – or give it up completely.

While the repetitive and predictable plot drags a bit – slightly hurting the pacing – the overall story shows emotional growth and the nature of healing after loss. And, as Lydia soon learns via her dreams, no love is perfect. Maybe her future was destined to be different anyway, which is reminiscent of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library .

Read The Two Lives of Lydia Bird Jose Silver : Amazon | Goodreads

The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August by Claire North

If you are looking for more suspenseful books about time travel and like Groundhog Day , check out The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. However, this is not just one day on repeat; instead, this is a lifetime.

Harry August is repeatedly reborn into the same life, retaining his memories each time. No matter what Harry does or says, when he lands on his deathbed, he always returns back to his childhood, again and again. On the verge of his eleventh death, though, a girl changes the course of his life. He must use his accumulated wisdom to prevent catastrophe.

Read The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August : Amazon | Goodreads

An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim

When it comes to time travel books, An Ocean of Minutes is one of the most original takes about time travel’s effects on alternate history.

Polly and Frank are deeply in love in 1981 when a pandemic devastates the planet. By the end of 1981, time travel (invented in this alternate reality in 1993) has been made available.

Because of this invention, individuals can sign on to work for the TimeRaiser corporation in order to escape or save their loved ones in the present. Due to a flaw in the technology, though, they can only transport people for 12 years. This prevents them from stopping the pandemic by just 6 months.

When Frank gets ill, Polly signs up, both agreeing they will meet back up in 1993. Now alone in the future, Polly has to learn to navigate a world she has less than zero preparation for. In this world, she is a time refugee, bonded to TimeRaiser without a physical cent to her name.

Lim uses the time travel mechanic to cleverly explore the subject of immigration, forcing the reader to follow Polly blindly into a world they should know, but don’t. This is what makes An Ocean of Minutes one of the most unique time travel novels on this reading list.

Read An Ocean of Minutes : Amazon | Goodreads

Time Travel In Science Fiction

For fantasy and sci-fi lovers, take a quantum leap into fictional worlds, quantum physics, possible futures, black holes, and endless possibilities. See if you can tell the difference between the real world and new dimensions.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Recursion is one of our all-time favorite time travel books to gift to dads who love sci-fi. Can you tell what we gave our dad for Christmas one year?

In Recursion, no one actually physically time travels – well, sort of. Instead, memories become the time-traveling reality.

Detective Barry Sutton is investigating False Memory Syndrome. Neuroscientist Helena Smith might have the answers he needs. The disease drives people crazy – and to their deaths – by causing them to remember entire lives that aren’t theirs. Or are they!?

All goes to heck when the government gets its hands on this mind-blowing technology. Can Barry and Helena stop this endless loop?

Recursion is also a (2019) Goodreads Best Book for Science Fiction.

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This Is How You Lose The War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar 

A Goodreads runner-up for one of the best science fiction novels (of 2019) – and one of the shortest time travel novels on this list – This Is How You Lose The Time War follows two warring time-traveling agents falling in love through a letter exchange.

Red and Blue have nothing in common except that they travel across time and space and are alone. Their growing and forbidden love is punishable by death and their agencies might be onto them.

In a somewhat beautiful yet bizarre story, we watch as Red and Blue slowly fall for each other and confess their love. They engage in playful banter and nicknames. Every shade of red and blue reminds them of each other.

The first half of the novel is a bit abstract. You might wonder what the heck you’ve gotten yourself into. However, once you get your feet planted firmly on the ground of the plot, the story picks up and starts making more sense.

We can’t promise you’ll love or even understand This Is How You Lose The Time War – we aren’t sure we do. However, this is truly one of the most unique sci-fi and LGBTQ+ time travel romance books on this reading list – written by two authors. Also, maybe crack out the dictionary…

Explore even more of the best LGBTQ+ fantasy books to read next.

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All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

A debut novel, All Our Wrong Todays is both a humorous and entertaining time travel book that speaks to how we become who we are.

In 2016, technology perfected the world for Tom Barren. However, we all know that perfection doesn’t equate to happiness. Barren has lost his girlfriend, and he just happens to own a time machine… Now, Barren has to decide if he wants to keep his new, manipulated future or if he just wants to go back home to his depressing but normal life.

Read All Our Wrong Todays : Amazon | Goodreads

Here And Now And Then by Mike Chen

Imagine getting trapped in time and starting over. That’s exactly what happens to IT worker, Kin Stewart, in one of the bestselling science fiction time travel books, Here And Now And Then .

Stewart has two lives since he is a displaced time-traveling agent stuck in San Francisco in the 1990s. He has a family that knows nothing about his past; or, should we say future. When a rescue team arrives to take him back, Stewart has to decide what he is willing to risk for his new family.

Here And Now And Then is a time travel book filled with emotional depth surrounding themes of bonds, identity, and sacrifice. Find even more books set in San Francisco, California (and more!).

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How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe is one of the most unusual books about time travel out there.

Our protagonist Charles Yu lives in a world where time travel exists and is readily available to the average person. And yes, he is named after the author, and yes, it is as meta as it sounds; and yes, this is just the beginning of this speculative fiction time travel book.

Charles Yu’s day job is spent repairing time machines for Time Warner Time. But in his free time, he tries to help the people who use time travel to do so safely and to counsel them if things have gone wrong.

It’s no surprise that Charles’ entire life revolves around time travel since his father invented the technology many years ago. And then he disappeared. In fact, Charles is also trying to find out just what happened to his dad, and where – or when – he’s gone.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe won’t be for everyone, but it’s one of the best time travel books if you want delightfully meta, fantastically non-linear, and very very weird.

Read How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe : Amazon | Goodreads

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

For beautiful, lyrical time travel novels about found family and love, The Vanished Birds is a must-read.

Nia Imani exists outside of time and space. She travels in and out of the world through a pocket of time with her space crew. They emerge to trade or sell goods every eight months. But eight months for them is 15 years for everyone else.

She has lived this way for hundreds of years. Though she has her crew, and there are people she shares connections with sporadically throughout their lives, she is lonely. And although she barely ages, she watches friends and lovers grow old and die.

One such person is Kaeda, who meets Nia for the first time when he is 7. The next time he sees her, he has aged 15 years, while she is only months older. She continues to come every 15 years of his life, always looking the same.

Then one day a mysterious, mute boy falls from the sky into Nia’s life. His name is Ahro, and there’s something extra special about him. Something that could revolutionize space travel forever. And now there might be people after Ahro who won’t love him the way Nia does.

If you love a character-driven book with exquisite prose – and a few time warps – this is one of the best time travel books for you.

Read The Vanished Birds : Amazon | Goodreads

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

Night Watch is one of the most fun and thrilling books about time travel. It’s also a bit ridiculous and very very British.

Why can’t policing just be simple? All Sam Vimes wanted to do was capture and arrest a dangerous murderer. But thanks to those damned wizards and their experiments, he and the killer have both been accidentally thrown back in time thirty years.

And to top it off, the man who would have become a mentor to young Sam Vimes in the past has been killed in the process! How’s Vimes going to get this all sorted out?

The City Watch he’s spent years improving is just a bunch of semi-competent volunteers at this point. He’s got no money, no clothes, and no friends. But at least he’s making enemies fast. Can he catch the killer, stop history from not repeating itself, and get home to his family? Oh, and the city’s about to dissolve into civil war. Typical.

Night Watch is perfect if you prefer your time travel books to be fantasy-based.

P.S. There may be mild spoilers for previous books in the Discworld series, but this can be read as a standalone. And if you only ever read one Discworld novel, this is one of the best there is – and so far the only one of the Discworld books with time travel!

Read Night Watch : Amazon | Goodreads

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

The Future of Another Timeline is one of the few time travel books to explore history through a feminist lens.

In 1992, Beth – a high school senior – and her friends Heather, Lizzy, and Soojin attend a riot grrl concert with Heather’s boyfriend Scott. But afterward, one of Scott’s not-so-funny sexist jokes gets out of hand and Lizzy accidentally kills him. Now they’re on the run, and the bodies just keep piling up.

Meanwhile, in 2022, Tess is part of a group of women and non-binary people working together to change history. They have the use of five time devices which only allow them to travel backward and back to the present day – but never forwards.

Beth and Tess come from two wildly different times (1992, and 2022, respectively). But, while Beth is busy making history, Tess is quite literally trying to change it. However, both of them want the same thing: a better world. When their worlds collide, will they be able to save each other – and the world?

The Future of Another Timeline is a time travel fiction celebration of feminism and queerness with lots of sci-fi and punk rock thrown in. This is one of the best time travel novels for those who enjoy stellar women making history .

Read The Future of Another Timeline : Amazon | Goodreads

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley

The Kingdoms is wildly imaginative and sure to enchant fans of time travel books, alternative history stories, and tales about parallel universes.

In 1898 Joe Tournier steps off a train and suddenly can’t remember anything that comes before that moment. The world he now finds himself in is as foreign to him as it is to us: an alternate history/reality where the UK lost the Battle of Trafalgar and is now a French colony.

In this world, the British are kept as slaves. Napoleon is a popular name for pets, and tartan is outlawed. Since Joe arrives on a train from Glasgow speaking English and wearing tartan, there is some speculation he might be from The Saints, a terrorist group based in Edinburgh fighting for freedom.

But all Joe remembers is the fading image of a woman and the name Madeline. Although he is identified by his owner and brought “home,” Joe is determined to find this Madeline. And his resolve is only strengthened when he receives a postcard signed ‘– M’ and dated 90 years in the past.

Discover even more books about Scottish culture, history, and everyday life.

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The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

The Light Brigade is one of the best time travel stories for anyone who loves character-driven tales or books about war and conflict.

As war wages on Mars, the military has devised the perfect soldier to fight on the frontlines: being made of light. The Light Brigade, as they’re called back home, is made up of soldiers who have undergone a procedure that breaks them down into atoms capable of traveling at the speed of light. They are the perfect soldiers, but broken people.

The book follows one such soldier, Dietz, an eager new recruit who is experiencing battle out of sync with everyone else. Because of this, she – and we – see a different reality of the war than the one presented by the Corporate Corps. As Dietz becomes more and more unstuck in time, she becomes more and more unsure of her own sanity and the role she is playing in this war.

Read The Light Brigade : Amazon | Goodreads

The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way

You Look Like Death Volume 1 | Now a popular (and excellent) Netflix TV show, The Umbrella Academy is one of the best time travel books of all time.

One day, forty-seven children are suddenly and inexplicably born to women who were not previously pregnant. Eccentric millionaire Reginald Hargreeves goes around the world buying as many of the surviving children as he possibly can. He is able to get seven.

These children, it turns out, all have superpowers (except, it seems, for the unremarkable Number Seven aka Vanya). They become the crime-fighting group: The Umbrella Academy.

Fast forward several years, and Number Five, whose special power is that he can travel in time a few seconds or minutes per go, has mysteriously appeared after Hargreeves dies. And now he brings warning of an apocalypse – one which he insists none of his siblings will survive.

The Umbrella Academy series currently has three volumes, all packed with tales of time travel, parallel worlds, family drama, and lots of epic battles. We’ve absolutely loved this time travel book series so far; we can’t wait to see what Gerard Way does with future installments.

Discover even more great books with music, musicians, and bands.

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Historical Fiction

Travel back in time to witness wars and history. See what happens if you try to rewrite the future. Many of these historical fiction books with time travel promise to teach you more.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

We have a plethora of Agatha Christie fans amongst our Uncorked Readers , and Turton’s The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evenlyn Hardcastle is inspired by Christie.

Similar to Levithan’s Every Day , each day, Aiden wakes up in a different body from the guests of the Blackheath Manor. Trapped in a time loop, Aiden must solve Evelyn Hardcastle’s murder to escape. In the process, he navigates the tangled web of secrets, lies, and interconnected lives of the guests. Can he identify the killer and break the cycle?

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is an award-winning historical thriller and one of the best time travel novels if you enjoy Downton Abbey and Groundhog’s Day . Discover even more great books set at hotels, mansions, and more.

Read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle : Amazon | Goodreads

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Travel back in time to Scotland in one of the most well-known time travel book series (and now TV series) of all time. Outlander is a part of pop culture. A New York Times bestseller and one of the top 10 most loved books according to The Great America Read, get ready to enter Scotland in 1743.

Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, walks through an ancient circle of stones and is transported into a world of love, death, and war. This is a place of political intrigue, clan conflicts, and romantic entanglements. Claire must navigate the unfamiliar landscape while grappling with her feelings for the dashing Jamie Fraser.

Encounter even more cult-classic books from the ’90s like A Game Of Thrones , which is perfect for fantasy map lovers .

Read Outlander : Amazon | Goodreads

11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King

Written by bestselling author, Stephen King, 11/22/63 is one of the best award-winning time travel books for historical fiction lovers. Set in 1963 when President Kennedy is shot, 11/22/63 begs the question: what if you could go back in time and change history?

Enter Jake Epping in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  Epping asks his students to write about a time that altered the course of their lives. Inspired by one of those haunting essays, Epping enlists to prevent Kennedy’s assassination.  How is this time travel possible? With the discovery of a time portal in a local diner’s storeroom…

11/22/63 is one of the most thrilling and realistic books about time travel, according to both critics and readers.

Read 11/22/63 : Amazon | Goodreads

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

If you are looking for historical fiction novels about time travel that address slavery and racism, be sure to check out Butler’s Kindred. This is also one of the best books published in the 1970s .

One minute Dana is celebrating her birthday in modern-day California. The next, she finds herself in the Antebellum South on a Pre-Civil War Maryland plantation. Dana is expected to save the plantation owner’s son from drowning. Each time Dana finds herself back in this time period as well as the slave quarters, her stays grow longer and longer as well as more dangerous.

Examine the haunting legacy and trauma of slavery across time. For younger readers, there is also a graphic novel adaptation . Discover more books that will transport you to the South .

Read Kindred : Amazon | Goodreads

What The Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

A bestseller and Goodreads top choice book, if you devour historical Irish fiction, What The Wind Knows will transport you to Ireland in the 1920s.

Anne Gallagher heads to Ireland to spread her grandfather’s ashes. Devastated, her grief pulls her into another time. Ireland is on the verge of entering a war, and Anne embraces a case of mistaken identity. She finds herself pulled into Ireland’s fight for Independence at the risk of losing her future life. She also falls for another main character and doctor, Thomas Smith.

What The Wind Knows is one of the best time travel novels that both romance and fantasy readers can appreciate. Witness connections that transcend time.

Read What The Wind Knows : Amazon | Goodreads

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

Known for being one of the best time travel books for thriller lovers, The Shining Girls also has the reputation as the spookiest novel on this reading list.

Kirby Mazrachi is the last shining girl – a girl with a future and so much potential. Harper Curtis is a murderer from the past meant to kill Mazrachi. However, Kirby is not about to easily go out without a fight, leading her on one violent quantum leap through multiple decades.

As Kirby races against time to track down a serial killer and unravel the mysteries of the House, encounter themes of resilience, fate, and the shining spirit that can transcend even the darkest forces.

Read The Shining Girls : Amazon | Goodreads

Time Travel Romance Books

We love a good time-travel romance novel, but we also understand how hard it can be to hold onto love when time is so unstable. From queer love stories set on trains to holiday celebrations, fall in love across time with these books.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

From bestselling author, Casey McQuiston of Red, White, & Royal Blue – one of our favorite LGBTQ+ books for new adults – don’t miss the most-talked-about book (from 2021), One Last Stop.

Twenty-three-year-old August is quite the cynic and living in New York City. Up until now, August has jumped schools and towns as often as you change a pair of socks. August has also never been in a serious relationship and wants to find “her person.” August’s life suddenly changes, though, when she meets a beautiful and mysterious woman on the train.

Jane looks a little…out of date… and for good reason; she’s from the 1970s and trapped in the train’s energy. August wants nothing more than to help Jane leave the train, but does that mean leaving her too?

A feel-good, older coming-of-age story, laugh out loud and be utterly dazzled as you follow love across time and space. You’ll cozy (and drink) up in the parties and community surrounding August. One Last Stop is one of the all-time best LGBTQ+ time travel books – and perfect if you enjoy books that take place on trains .

Read One Last Stop : Amazon | Goodreads

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler’s Wife is one the top time travel romance novels – and not just because the story features a librarian . We are so biased.

Henry and Clare have loved each other pretty much forever. Unfortunately, Henry has Chrono-Displacement Disorder, sporadically misplacing him in time. Of course, this time-traveling dilemma makes Clare’s and Henry’s marriage and future together pretty darn interesting.

Grab some Kleenex as they attempt to live normal lives and survive impending devastation. The Time Traveler’s Wife has also been made into a romantic movie classic . Watch even more fantasy movies with romance .

Read The Time Traveler’s Wife : Amazon | Goodreads

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

If you are looking for a sweet and sexy holiday rom-com set in Utah, grab In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren.

Mae leaves her family and friend’s Christmas vacation home after drunkenly making out with an old childhood friend. Blame the spiked eggnog. Unfortunately, Mae’s secretly in love with her best friend’s brother, Andrew. On the ride to the airport, Mae wishes for happiness just as a truck hits her parent’s car. 

Mae lands in a time-travel loop where her dreams start coming true.  Is it too good to last?   What happens when she isn’t happy once again? Is she trapped?

For holiday books about time travel, this one is sure to put you in the Christmas spirit if you enjoy movies like Holidates  or  Groundhog’s Day . It’s light with a happy ending – typical of this author duo. We also recommend In A Holidaze if you are looking for Christmas family gathering books – a big request we see here at TUL.

P.S. Did you know that Christina Lauren is a pen name for a writing duo, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings? Christina Lauren also wrote The Unhoneymooners , which was also hilariously enjoyable and set on an island .

Read In A Holidaze : Amazon | Goodreads

A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux

For cozy time travel romance books and a feminist tale set abroad, try A Knight In Shining Armor .

Dougless Montgomery is weeping on top of a tombstone when Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck, appears. Although this armor-clad hunk allegedly died in 1564, he stands before her about to embark on a journey to clear his name. Convicted of treason, Montgomery vows to help her soon-to-be lover find his accuser and set the record straight.

Read A Knight In Shining Armor : Amazon | Goodreads

The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz

Set in South Carolina, if you love lighthouses and beach vibes, you’ll find something enjoyable in the time travel romance, The Night Mark .

After Faye’s husband dies, she cannot move on and recover. Accepting a photographer job in SC, Faye becomes obsessed with the local lighthouse’s myth, The Lady of the Light.

Back in 1921, the lighthouse keeper’s daughter mysteriously drowned. Faye is drawn into a love story that isn’t hers and becomes entangled in a passionate and forbidden love affair.

Read The Night Mark : Amazon | Goodreads

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Anyone who likes their time travel books to have a magical love story should pick up The Seven Year Slip for their next read. It’s one of our favorite magical realism novels .

When Clementine’s aunt dies, she inherits her fancy New York apartment on the Upper East Side. Although Clementine would really rather have her aunt back and can’t imagine living in her home, she eventually forces herself to move in and inhabit her aunt’s space.

And not long after, she wakes up to discover a strange man in her living room… except it’s not her living room, it’s her aunt’s… from seven years ago. Clementine’s aunt always said her apartment held a touch of magic; sometimes it created time slips that brought two people together when they were at a crossroads.

But what happens when you start to fall for someone stuck seven years in the past? Clementine knows there’s no future together, but she also can’t let go of this link to her aunt.

Like her previous speculative fiction romance, The Dead Romantics , Ashely Poston’s unique time travel tale is full of heartache and grief. However, it will also make you swoon. Basically, this one is a must if you are a fan of time travel romance books.

Read The Seven Year Slip : Amazon | Goodreads

Classic Books

No time travel reading list would be complete without the classics. Below, uncover just a few great time travel novels that started it all.

The End of Eternity by Issac Asimov

The End of Eternity is said to be one of Asimov’s science fiction masterpieces. This is also one of the most spellbinding books about time travel – although some criticize the story for its loopholes.

Harlan is a member of the elite future known as an Eternal. He lives and works in Eternity, which like any good time travel novel, is located separately from time and space.

Harlan makes small changes in the timeline in order to better history. Of course, altering the course of the world is dangerous and comes with repercussions, especially when Harlan falls in love.

Read The End of Eternity : Amazon | Goodreads

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

It goes without saying that Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is one of the most famous and best time travel books for classic lovers – and a literary canon-worthy Christmas novel.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a greedy, lonely, and cruel man who truly has no Christmas spirit. Haunted by the ghosts of the past, present, and future, Scrooge must find the ultimate redemption before it’s too late. Does he have a heart?

Find even more classic and contemporary ghost books , including a few unique takes on ghosts.

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Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five is a somewhat bizarre time travel book about finding meaning in our sometimes fractured and broken lives. It’s also one of the most popular books published in the ’60s .

Similar to The Time Traveler’s Wife, Billy Pilgrim is “unstuck” in time in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. Drafted into World War II, Pilgrim serves as a Chaplain’s assistant until he is captured by the Germans. He survives the bombing at Dresden and ultimately becomes a married optometrist. Things get a little wild…

Suffering from PTSD, Billy claims that he is kidnapped by aliens in a different dimension. Like most time travel novels, the story is out of order and Billy travels to different parts of his life.

Aliens come in all shapes and sizes; have more alien encounters with this reading list .

Read Slaughterhouse-Five : Amazon | Goodreads

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

First published in 1889, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is one of the most popular classic and satirical time travel novels that’s set close to our childhood home. Having grown up in CT close to the old Colt factory, this story makes us smile.

Hank Morgan supervises the gun factory and is knocked unconscious. Upon waking, he finds himself in Britain about to be executed by the Knights of King Arthur’s Round Table in Camelot.

Morgan uses his future knowledge to his advantage, making him a powerful and revered wizard, which unfortunately doesn’t quite save him as he hopes. Not to mention that Morgan tries to introduce modern-day conveniences and luxuries to a time period that isn’t quite ready for them.

Read A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court : Amazon | Goodreads

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Time Machine is one of the best frontrunner time travel books of all time. Published in 1895, the Time Traveler recalls his exhausting time travel adventures to incredulous believers. He even disappears in front of them.

Blended with fantasy and science fiction over the course of 800,000 years, the Time Traveler battles “bad guys.” He also loses his time machine, debatably falls in love, and meets the underground dwelling Morlocks.

Read The Time Machine : Amazon | Goodreads

Young Adults Books

For young adults and teens – plus adults who appreciate YA – read the best middle-grade and high school time travel books. We’ve included more time travel graphic novels and manga here too.

Displacement by Kiku Hughes

For historical YA graphic novels , Displacement is one of the must-read books about time travel that will teach young readers about generational trauma, racism, politics, and war.

Follow Kiku, who is displaced in time, back to the period of U.S. Japanese incarceration [internment] camps – essentially glorified prisons – during WW2. Kiku begins learning more about her deceased grandmother’s history, which mirrors the horrid actions under former President Donald Trump. How can Kiku help stop the past from repeating itself, and more so, how can we?

In a simplistic but powerful style of storytelling, Hughes’s emotional YA WW2 book is accessible to young readers. Displacement is also one of the shorter and quicker books with time travel on this list. Find even more LGBT+ graphic novels to read – one of our favorite genres.

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The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Changing the past can be pretty tempting. We’ve even seen that The Flash cannot resist. However, altering the course of history can be dangerous…

The first of two YA time travel books, Nix is the daughter of a time traveler. Her dad can sail anywhere on his ship, The Temptation. Her dad has his own temptation, though: to travel back to Honolulu in 1868, the year before her mom dies in childbirth. Nix’s father threatens to possibly erase her life and destroy a relationship with her only friend.

Discover even more great books about maps. Or, travel via armchair with these ship books.

Read The Girl From Everywhere : Amazon | Goodreads

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Translated by Anthea Bell | If you are looking for time travel in books and enjoy YA historical fiction, try Ruby Red , which is the first in the Ruby Red Trilogy.

Gwyneth Shepherd quickly learns that she can easily time travel, unlike her cousin who has been preparing her entire life for the feat. Gwyneth wants to know why such a secret was kept from her. There are so many lies. Gwyneth time travels with the handsome Gideon back and forth between modern-day and 18th-century London to uncover secrets from the past.

Back in our MLIS and library days, Ruby Red was one of our favorite YA time travel books to recommend since so few knew about the series. Just a small warning that this enemies-to-lovers trope is a tad sexist, though. Find books like Ruby Red on our books with red (and more colors) in the title reading list .

Read Ruby Red : Amazon | Goodreads

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A little creepier for young adult time travel novels, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is all about time loops. We’ve only read the first in this eerie series that mixes manipulated vintage photography with a suspenseful and chilling story.

Jacob discovers a decaying orphanage on a mysterious island off the coast of Wales. Known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, the building isn’t exactly abandoned… Jacob runs into peculiar children who might be more than just ghosts.

If you are looking for Kurt Vonnegut-esque time travel books for teenagers, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is for you. Find even more great adult and YA haunted house books to add to your reading list .

Read Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children : Amazon | Goodreads

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle

One of the most well-known books about time travel for families – made even more popular by Oprah and Mindy Kaling, A Wrinkle In Time , is the first book in The Time Quintet .

Although a time travel book series for elementary and middle-grade students – and also a 1963 Newbery Medal winner – adults will love the lessons and whimsical sci-fi quality of A Wrinkle In Time.

Meg Murray and her brother, Charles Wallace, go on an adventure in time to find and rescue their father. Their dad disappeared while working for the government on a mysterious tesseract project.

Watch this thrilling time travel adventure mixed with a coming-of-age story and a little girl power, too.

Read A Wrinkle in Time : Amazon | Goodreads

Orange by Ichigo Takano

Translated by Lasse Christian Christiansen and Amber Tamosaitis | This YA sci-fi romance manga is one of the most endearing time travel books you’ll ever read.

On the first day of 11th grade, Naho oversleeps for the first time ever. She also receives a letter that claims to be sent from herself 10 years in the future. The letter tells her both of the two big things that will happen to her that day as proof of sender: she will be late, and there will be a new kid in class named Naruse Kakeru from Tokyo who will sit next to her.

Naho is unsure if she trusts the letter, or whether or not she should heed its warnings – especially since it talks about past regrets and trying to undo them.

Orange is an adorable, but heartbreaking time travel manga that teaches us the meaning of friendship, love, regret, and so much more. If you’re looking for the best books about time travel for teens, Orange is the perfect option (and adults will love it too).

Read Orange : Amazon | Goodreads

If you devour the time travel genre, don’t miss these great movies…

If you enjoy books that take you back in time, you might also appreciate these top movies with time loops . Would you be able to fix past mistakes, fall in love, and you know, maybe not die this time? Find out if these protagonists succeed.

Travel Back In Time With These Reading Lists:

• Best ’90s Books
• Iconic ’80s Books
• Best WWII Historical Fiction

Christine Frascarelli

Dagney McKinney

45 Comments

Hi, nice list but just FYI you have one of the novels named incorrectly: it should be All Our Wrong Todays, not All Our Wrongs Today.

Thanks for letting us know! Every year, this list grows, and sometimes we miss a few mistakes.

The Things Are Bad Series by Paul L Giles is the funniest, most insightful time travel books I’ve ever read. It has everything!

Thanks so much for the review and rec!

Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain is an engrossing time travel book that I enjoyed immensely.

Our readers and contributors are big Diane Chamberlain fans. Thanks!

A huge time travel fan. A great list. Another time travel book recommendation: Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montemore. Wonderful story.

Thank you so much for the kind words and recommendation! We’ll have to check it out.

Great list, thanks. I also love seeing all the recommendations in the comments. I would add the Chronos Files series to your list. And, of course, the film ABOUT TIME, which is fantastic!

Thanks so much for the recommendations. We appreciate it!

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Top 12+ Time Travel Romance Books (2023) A Timeless Selection

Time travel has continuously been used to develop central themes for books or devise a story's plot. Books that are themed on time travel will focus on depicting the results of the character's time-travelling into the past or the future.

The principle presumption of time travel stories frequently involves changing past occurrences intentionally or accidentally and how alterations to the past change the future or the present upon the traveler’s return. Best time travel romance books will focus on romance as the main theme.

What Are The Top Time Travel Romance Books?

Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander is a historical fiction book by Diana Gabaldon, first published in 1991.

The story begins in 1945, when Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is on a second honeymoon with her husband Frank in Scotland. While visiting a standing stone circle, Claire is suddenly transported back in time to 1743. She finds herself in the midst of dangerous political and social upheaval in Scotland, where she is considered an outlander and is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a young Scottish warrior, to protect her from being arrested as a spy.

As Claire navigates her new life in the 18th century, she struggles to reconcile her feelings for Jamie with her love for Frank. She also becomes deeply involved in the Jacobite risings, a series of political events in Scotland that sought to restore the Stuart dynasty to the British throne.

Throughout the series, Claire and Jamie's relationship evolves as they face many challenges and adventures together. They also have to deal with the fact that Claire is from the future and Jamie's time is not her time, and the fact that Jamie is wanted by the Redcoats. The story is set in Scotland, France and America and covers a period of 20 years.

The series is known for its rich historical research and its blending of genres, including romance, historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction. The books have been adapted into a television series which has been highly successful.

Finding Lorena, by Michael Bartos

What would it be like to go back in time and live all over again, with what you learned and finding out what happened when you lived?

Connor Grace is hit by a car in Charleston and finds herself young again as a teenager in the late 80’s. In his young self, he finds the woman he is aware will become his lover and tries to correct his past wrongs. Miraculously, he is not the only one who has come back from 2018. He is also allowed to meet his mother, who died of cancer and his friend Oscar.

Connor was troubled by these deaths, and he is now allowed to keep away these premature deaths as he tries to understand the turbulent times he went through. What makes this time travel story unique is that Connor still has the memory of the life he had already lived. His knowledge appeals to other people, and his relationship with Lorena is honest and touching.

In this delightful read, time travel, charm, and a journey of self-discovery are unified into creating an adventurous, romantic story. Finding Lorena is an instant page-turner packed with twists. You will enjoy the characters used in developing impeccable storytelling.

Time Change, by Elyse Douglas

Time Change is the kind of book that will have you hooked right away. You will fall for the characters, and you will be compelled to follow them throughout the book in a quest to find out what happens to them in this captivating time travel romance story.

The year is 1948 when a celebrated actress, Rita Randal, comes across a strange man in her photographs. In 2019, Clint West, a writer, also comes across a strange woman in his photographs. The two occupy a beach house years apart, where they meet face to face in a very unusual moment.

Clint is trying to move on after his wife’s death, while Rita has left LA after a deadly confrontation. When they see each other in the photos, Rita is troubled, and Clint is bewildered. Clint delves into and finds out about time travel experiments performed in the 1940s. He meets with Oscar, who had previously been a time traveler and used time portals. Rita is wandering by the beach when a blue wave pivots and takes her to 2019(the future). She meets Clint, and their lives are incessantly changed.

Time After Time, by Lisa Grunwald

Who would not want to be transported to a different time when the world becomes too much? Even better, romantically. Time After Time is a magical romance story that will sweep any reader from the 1920s era into World War II and further. Influenced by Nora Lansing, a woman who vanishes from Grand Central Terminal, this one is a must-read.

Nora is a socialite and aspires to be an artist. When she meets with Joe, she appears to be out of place. He is captivated by her but is now hopeless when she disappears after trying to walk her home. His life and love’s focus now becomes finding her. Later, they form the “Terminal City”, where they create inexhaustible love and fully maximize the use of this space. When the construction of a different landmark impends their future, their love and freedom limits are tested.

Time After Time is an accurate illustration of historical fiction with a delightful twist. It is a blend of history, time travel, and a splendid romance not dependent on time.

Trapped in Time, by Denise Daye

What should a modern woman do the moment she finds herself trapped in the past without a prospective future? Find out from this tale of resilience, Trapped in Time .

Emma has sworn to never fall in love after she and her mother escape her brutal father. She has returned to school to further her studies in medicine, and she has better and bigger things to focus on. One day, heading home from a party and slightly drunk, a car’s shiny white light crashes towards her. She wakes up in 1881 Victorian London instead of a 21 st -century hospital and is now trapped in a time where anything she knew is thought of as witchcraft. It is a tough world for a woman who bears no status or riches. The bigger twist is that to survive, she must get married and marry well.

When the devised plan she had with her friend Lily does not go according to plan, she is caught up with John Evergreen and his family. She must marry the most powerful, feared and disgraceful England duke, William Blackwell. Being a modern woman, Emma comes up with tricks and uses her knowledge to remain ahead of society’s game. The twist is that what starts as a fight for her life may just become her opportunity to find true love.

This time travel romance book will keep your tension high from the developing twists. However, this is a story of the power of love and strength.

The Prophesy, by Kim Sakwa

If you love a time travel love story with staunch lovers and filled with hysterical humor, get yourself The Prophesy . The storyline employed will seamlessly carry you across centuries until fate unites the strong and likable characters. The creative plot connects Scotland’s 1500s with the 21 st century.

Gwendolyn Reynolds has a secure and stable career path being a well-established surgeon. She, however, feels very restless and is frequented by repetitive dreams. An inner urge leads her to leave her job and go on a soul-searching trip to Scotland’s coast. During a storm, she is forced off the road and violently enters the icy waters. When she resurfaces, she meets Greylen MacGreggor, a Scottish laird that she is destined to meet.

Greylen is waiting for an old prophecy in which he is to meet the woman he desires to come true. He could never have imagined or expected her to be from the 21 st century with an aggressive temper. The moment he touches Gwendolyn, he confirms that she is the one destined for him.

Sparks fly between them, and they find out that their fiery fate could be powerful and fatal. Is it possible for them to overcome time differences and find legitimate love?

When Lightning Strikes, by Kathryn Kaleigh

For lovers of historical time travel, this one is a must-read. When Lightning Strikes is an appealing time travel love story with a Cinderella twist. This book defies time and will alter your expectations as a reader regarding romance built upon time travel. The gripping and page-turning story will keep you yearning for more. It will make you believe that true love can conquer anything, even time.

When a modern girl goes back to her hometown, she is employed in a local historical house. The house has a lingering good-looking ghostly appearance haunted by a female ghost that the colonial man can only see.

The moment Hannah Sinclair is taken to her past, she finds out more details about her childhood other than the secrets. She realizes an overlooked time in a world with a homely sensation and a man who steals her heart with a kiss. What comes after? Find out in this intriguing story.

A Wagon Train Weekend, by Stephenia H. McGee

The characters in this time travel romance book are unintentionally sent on an adventure which will reveal their weaknesses and also assist them in growing their strengths. Collette Donaldson and Seth Stone had been in a relationship that was not working out well, and when they are transported back in time, they get to know each other and realize that they need God and one another.

Collette should never have introduced her boyfriend to her family nor taken him to her cousin’s wedding. After one terrible weekend, all Collette wants is to go home and work out her messed up relationship. They fight, have a flat tire, and are also inconvenienced by a storm, being forced to stay the night in a Victorian Bed and Breakfast inn. When Collette comes across her antique photo, the situation shifts from weird to unthinkable. Seth had been ready to propose, but now he is in great doubt.

They wake up in 1857 but are now stranded in a wagon train headed west on the Oregon Trail. Seth is hell-bent on getting home. However, they can only get out of their past by confronting the problems that are stealing and affecting their future. This is when they start getting to know each other better and rethinking their marriage plans.

Tangled in Time, by Barbara Longley

Regan MacCarthy inherited a gift from her Irish ancestors to see ghosts but wishes to give it back. As she attempts to return this power, she goes to Ireland to employ the ancient magic that pervades Newgrange, where a gorgeous warrior awaits her. He claims to be an old Celtic warrior and swears that he is not dead despite Regan believing he is a ghost.

Ahead of being cursed to a fae princess, Faelan was an elite Fionn MacCumhaill soldier. To free himself, he must fall deeply in love and sacrifice himself. The dilemma is, he is not recognized by many. Regan, however, is attracted to him and sees him, especially for his complexity. Faelan must work to persuade Regan to help him even as he falls for her. It is too late when he realizes that drawing her into the world endangers them both. This may lead to the destruction of his long-awaited happiness.

Time of the Rose, by Bonita Clifton

Madison Calloway’s life is filled with despair. She is downhearted following her divorce but has directed all her energy strength in her travel agency. She is from the 21 st century and is visiting Jackson Hole for business. Here, she meets a gunslinger at a shooting exhibition, and his skill captures her attention. He claims he is from 1878.

Colton Chase is pursuing his parents’ murderer. A mysterious flower takes him to more than a hundred years into the future. He is ready to explore his relationship with a good looking and feisty stranger.

They are drawn to each other, and Colton persuades Madison to spend a day with him. By accident, she returns to his time where he protects her, claiming to be his wife. Madison is reluctant about the whole situation, and Colton agrees to help her go back in her time, but he must first follow a lead for his revenge. As Madison tries to help him, she gets captured.

Will he be able to save her? and if so, can she choose to stay, or will she want to go back and leave him behind? Find out from Time of the Rose .

The Sunstone Brooch, by Katherine Lowry Logan

The Sunstone Brooch is an instalment of the incredible Celtic Brooches series. However, this one gets better and better. You will want to dive in as much as possible. The character development makes you feel like family with the adventure filled with much joy, love, and mystical mysteries. The dangerous adventure changes the characters’ lives risking the survival of the Celtic Brooches and the Clan.

Ensley Williams is getting ready for a dinner date with James Cullen Fraser and her cousin George Williams. As she goes through her jewelry box to choose a piece to add to her outfit, she picks a sunstone brooch that once belonged to her late mother.  Inside the brooch’s stone is an engraved inscription.

The moment she recites the words written in Celtic, she is taken into a scented fog and to the 1885 Dakota Badlands. There, she meets Teddy Roosevelt on his ranch. She is not in a hurry to return to the future as being on a ranch is her liking. James Cullen finds out that she has discovered and decides to keep his trip to find her from the family.

Ensley wants to go on a round-up while James visits the MacKlenna Farm to “borrow” gold. He ends up leaving Ensley with Roosevelt, and as she faces ranch struggles and challenges, he fights an evil force that throws him into a crucible that could bring the MacKlenna Clan down.

Falling through Time, by Nancy Scanlon

Since Fates determined that Reilly O’Malley would be the trainer and leader of a time-travelling clansmen group, he has been sure of everything. He has been to all physical and verbal battles, certain that he will emerge a victor. He lives up to all the titles given to him, confident that he will never die.

Since he met with Gwendolyn Allen many years ago, she has been in love with him. He is her best friend. However, her dreams are shattered when she accepts that Reilly may not reciprocate her love as he is focused on moving on, and somehow, he has.

Reilly is exhausted by living according to the Fates directives, and for weeks, he and Gwendolyn find themselves together. The Fates now choose to leave, and all that Reilly knows is strongly shaken. His other abilities begin to fall through time, and he may have to start trusting something else and not fate. Probably love.

Highlanders Captive, by Mariah Stone

This time travel romance book is for lovers of dauntless warriors, witty heroines, and appealing historical details. Amy MacDougall, a search and rescue officer from the future, has had several fears since her childhood and is lost in the past. She fears relationships, tiny and dark spaces.

When she is a chaperone for a school trip, she must face her fear of tiny spaces to save a student in a dungeon. A magical rock throws her in 1307 AD. There, she shockingly meets Craig Cambel, a powerful and attractive Scottish warrior. He declines to trust anybody; his sister having been kidnapped and abused by Amy’s clan. Cambel and his clan trusted Amy’s clan before. When he discovers her, he becomes established and locks her up to keep her away from warning his enemy. However, when Amy proves to be helpful to Craig and his people, his mistrust starts turning into desire.

Amy tries to find her way home, but her fear to commit is now vanishing, and she falls for Craig. Craig finds out about Amy, and his doubts are reignited.

Will, the disparity of centuries, break them apart, or will they concede to destiny and build themselves a happy future?

Final Thoughts on the best Time Travel Romances

Best time travel romance books are highly engaging and intriguing. Their explanations as time travels give an “imperative distancing effect “that metaphorically allows fiction to communicate present-day romances. This aspect and sometimes the paradoxes and opposite timeliness created are what makes these books enjoyable reads. Also if you are into historical fictions, check out our selection from 2020 and 2021 books.

My profession is online marketing and development (10+ years experience), check my latest mobile app called Upcoming or my Chrome extensions for ChatGPT. But my real passion is reading books both fiction and non-fiction. I have several favorite authors like James Redfield or Daniel Keyes . If I read a book I always want to find the best part of it, every book has its unique value.

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20 Must-Read Time Travel Books

Dana lives in East Haven, CT. She works for that Ivy League institution down the street and tries to read as many books as possible in her free time. Audiobooks and print books get equal love. Also, she unapologetically judges books by their covers and makes way too many playlists (c'mon, books need a soundtrack too!). Follow her on Twitter @lucyhenley115 .

View All posts by Dana Lee

Hear me out, there’s a sub-genre of sci-fi that that has a touch of anything you could ever want: time travel books. The best time travel books come in all packages: adventure, historical fiction, romance, social commentary, mystery, humor, poetry. It really has it all. So, if you can still recite the opening credits of Quantum Leap from memory, this list is for you. Enjoy these must-read time travel books.

Here and Now and Then  by Mike Chen

Kin is a time-traveling agent from the year 2142 who gets stuck in 1990s San Francisco after a botched mission, and his rescue team shows up 18 years too late after he’s already built a life for himself. Here and Now and Then has all those warm and fuzzy sci-fi feels with just the right amount of Doctor Who level angst . Kin dealing with the circumstances of time travel and the consequences it brings about is super compelling and emotional and so, so worthy of a Murray Gold score.

The Future of Another Timeline  by Annalee Newitz

In the world of Another Timeline , time travel has been around since forever in the form of a geologic phenomena known as the “Machines.” Tess belongs to a group called the Daughters of Harriett, determined to make the future better for women by editing the timeline at key moments in history. They run up against the misogynistic group called the Comstockers working towards the opposite goal. There’s time travel, murder, punk rock concerts, nerd references, and an edit war. As Newitz recently said in an extra of their podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct , history is a  “synthesis of good fuckery” and I can’t think of a better phrase to describe this book than that.

An Ocean of Minutes  by Thea Lim

There is a deadly flu pandemic in America. Polly’s boyfriend Frank gets sick and she signs up for a one-way ticket to the future to work off the cost of Frank’s cure. They agree to meet up in the future, but Polly is rerouted to a later time where America is divided and she has no connections and no money. This is a really gorgeously written and heart-wrenching story about time travel, dystopian society, the brutality of survival in an unfamiliar world, and a character study of a normal person dealing with it all.

Kindred  by Octavia Butler

Dana is an African American woman celebrating her birthday in 1976 California when she is pulled through time to Antebellum Maryland. She saves a young white boy named Rufus from drowning and finds herself staring down the barrel of his father’s rifle. She is pulled back to her present just in time to save her life, appearing back in her living room soaked and muddy. She is repeatedly pulled back to the past encountering the same young man.  Over the course of these harrowing episodes, Dana realizes her connection to Rufus and the challenge she is faced with. This is a brilliant, thought-provoking, and intense book that is required reading for so many reasons least of which is time travel.

Alice Payne Arrives  by Kate Heartfield

Alice Payne Arrives is a quick romp through time with some truly amazing female characters. Alice Payne is a half-black queer woman in 1788 England living in her father’s deteriorating mansion. She’s also a notorious masked highway robber and her partner is an inventor. Prudence is a professional time traveler from the 22nd century working fruitlessly to try and change one small event in 1884. The two women cross paths and work together to put Prudence’s plan to end time travel in motion. This novella packs a lot of action and time travel goodness and there’s a sequel called Alice Payne Rides . It also contains one of the realest lines of any of the time travel books I’ve read: “2016’s completely fucked.”

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe  by Charles Yu

Charles Yu is a time machine repairman searching for his missing father, “accompanied by TAMMY, an operating system with low self-esteem, and Ed, a nonexistent but ontologically valid dog.” He receives a book from his future self that could help him locate his father. The book is called How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe and he wrote it. Hi, this book is super cool, fun, clever, and weird in the best ways. It has the highest distinction I can give a sci-fi book and that is warm and fuzzy.

The Psychology of Time Travel  by Kate Mascarenhas

Four female scientists invent time travel in 1967. One of the scientists, Bee,  suffers a mental breakdown just before they’re about to go public with their findings. The other three exile Bee from the project to save face. Fifty years later time travel is a normal part of life and a huge business. It’s regulated by the Conclave, founded by three of the original scientists, which seeks to self govern all aspects of time travel. The Psychology of Time Travel  serves up time travel with a locked-door mystery and the payoff of alternating perspectives and timelines slowly coming together.

The River of No Return  by Bee Ridgeway

At the moment of his death on a Napoleonic battlefield, Lord Nicholas Falcott wakes up in the 21st century. He’s recruited by a time travel agency known as The Guild for training. Julia Percy lives in 1815 England and after the death of her grandfather seeks to find her place in a world where meddling with time is commonplace. There’s a whole lot going on here: romance, betrayal, double-agents, and drawing on emotion to facilitate time jumps, leading to my favorite line: “Though really they were probably both insane. Two grown men dressed up like Mr. Darcy, holding hands behind a tree, trying to pull themselves by the heart strings back to the long ago.”

This is How You Lose the Time War  by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Blue and Red are fighting on opposite sides of an endless time war. They begin to exchange letters on the battlefield, first as a boast, then as an exploration of friendship across enemy lines, and finally as a romance. I have previously described this as “poetic sci-fi realness.” I could be more professional and say that this is an epistolary work of rival agents forming a bond despite their opposition, but like I can’t okay. This book is so intricate and beautiful and the letters are not on paper, they could be in the dregs of a teacup or the rings of a tree, and I’m not crying you’re crying.

All Our Wrong Todays  by Elan Mastai

Tom is a misfit in a utopian world, and he goes back in time and accidentally screws up the future. This mishap leaves him stranded in our 2016, but what we think of as the real world is a dystopian wasteland to Tom. He eventually finds different versions of everything he knows and maybe even his soulmate. Tom has to decide whether to fix the timeline and bring back utopia or live in this new version of the world he’s created. Probably me as a time traveler, tbh.

The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde

The Fire Opal Mechanism  is technically a sequel to The Jewel and Her Lapidary , but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone. Ania is a librarian at the last university desperately trying to save as many books as she can. All the other universities have fallen to the Pressman, an extremist group bent on destroying all the world’s books and replacing them with a generic, self-updating compendium available to everyone regardless of economic class. Jorit, branded a thief, is on the run just trying to survive long enough to afford passage on a ship away from all these problems. They team up and inadvertently discover time travel, but will it help them fix the present? This is really beautifully written, especially the passages about books: “Touching a book, for Ania, was like touching a person’s fingertips across the years. She could feel a pulse, a passion for the knowledge the book contained.”

The Silver Wind  by Nina Allan

The Silver Wind  is a series of stories linked by the character Martin Newland. Each story is like an alternate universe brought about by time machines and time travel. As Allan describes on her website : “While the overarching theme of this book might properly be found in Martin’s struggle with infinity, its individual chapters deal with those small acts of creative defiance that determine our transcendence of ordinary mortality.” A thoroughly thought-provoking déjà vu experience.

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

Anne Gallagher travels to Ireland to scatter the ashes of her beloved grandfather. She is pulled back in time to the Ireland of 1921 and is mistaken as the long-lost mother of a young boy. She assumes this identity and is drawn into the lives of those around her and the political unrest of the time. It’s a historical romance perfect for fans of Outlander.

The Shining Girls  by Lauren Beukes

What if time travel fell into the hands of a criminal?  The Shining Girls  is the story of serial killer named Harper Curtis who stumbles upon an abandoned house in Depression-era Chicago that allows him to travel in time. He chooses his victims and visits them at different times of their lives before returning for the kill. Kirby survives Harper’s attack and, along with a former homicide reporter, tries to unravel the mystery before anyone else dies. This book is wild, W-I-L-D. There’s a lot of violence, so it might not be for everyone, but it’s such an interesting take on the time travel story.

Version Control  by Dexter Palmer

Set in the near-future, Rebecca works in the customer support department of the dating site where she met her husband Phillip. He is a scientist building a causality violation device (definitely not a time machine!). But Rebecca can’t help but feel that there’s something wrong with the present. So, this is kind of about living with technology and kind of about relationships and overcoming tragedy and also time travel. Intelligent and poignant but make it sci-fi.

How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler  by Ryan North

Starting out with an FAQ guide to your rented time machine, How to Invent Everything humorously goes through the history of well, everything. From how to determine what time period you have landed and are now stuck in to inventing language and electricity it’s a very Hitchhiker’s Guide -ish look at history presented as a guide for creating the things you’ll miss when you’re stranded in an earlier timeline than your own.

Time After Time  by Lisa Grunwald

It’s 1937 and Joe Reynolds is a hard-working railroad man at Grand Central Station. Nora Lansing is an aspiring artist and the last thing she remembers is her train crashing in 1925. They meet at the big clock and Joe walks Nora home, but she disappears in the street. She reappears one year later and meets Joe again. Realizing she’s jumping in time and trapped in Grand Central for mysterious reasons that might have something to do with Manhattanhenge, Nora and Joe try to unravel the mystery before she disappears again. For me this was a time travel books mashup of The Clock meets Kate & Leopold meets Gentleman in Moscow and I was very about it.

TimeKeeper  by Tara Sim

TimeKeeper takes place in an alternate Victorian world where time is controlled by clock towers. Danny is a young clock mechanic enamored with his new apprentice, who turns out to be the Enfield clock spirit, Colton. Bombings at other towers start to occur and broken clocks mean the towns they oversee will be frozen in time. The romance between Danny and Colton is very adorable and the race against literal time is an exciting backdrop. It’s the first in a trilogy.

Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick

If you’re a time travel fan then this sentence from the publisher’s summary is sure to get you excited, “World-renowned paleontologist Richard Leyster’s universe changed forever the day a stranger named Griffin walked into his office with a remarkable job offer…and an ice cooler containing the head of a freshly killed Stegosaurus.” Time travel allows a group of scientists to go back and study dinosaurs up close in their natural environment. If you are now humming the Jurassic Park theme, please know, So. Am. I.

Just One Damned Thing After Another (Chronicles of St. Mary’s) by Jodi Taylor

There is so much going on in this whirlwind adventure that if you blink you’ll miss a major plot point.  Just One Damned Thing After Another  is just the first book in a series of the adventures of St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research as they rattle around through time trying to answer history’s unanswered questions. There are currently 11 books published and forthcoming and a ton of short stories that fill in the blanks between adventures. Taylor also has a spinoff time travel series, The Time Police, with the first book just out called Doing Time .  It follows three hapless new time police recruits as they try to keep the timeline straight.

Looking for more of the best time travel books? Check out these timey-wimey posts:

Time Travel Romances

7 of the Best Alternate Timeline Books

The Lack of Black Characters in Time Travel Romance

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The 21 best books about time travel, from science fiction classics to time loop romances

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• Time travel is a popular subgenre amongst science fiction readers .
• Authors have used time travel to tell incredible stories, from romances to historic events.
• These are 21 of the best time travel books, from ' Outlander ' to Octavia Butler's ' Kindred .'

Science fiction is a broad and exciting genre with plenty of fun subgenres for readers to explore, such as space operas where readers travel across galaxies or dystopian novels that provide a glimpse at terrifying possible futures. 

One popular science fiction subgenre is time travel, where characters cross time and space using parallel universes, advanced technology, or simply unexplainable magic. Time travel novels let readers imagine the limitless pasts and futures where anything is possible. 

To gather these recommendations, we looked at bestseller lists and popular recommendations from Amazon , Bookshop , and Goodreads . From epic romances to genre-bending classics, here are the best time travel books to take you on a reading adventure through time. 

The best time travel books to read in 2022:

An epic time travel love story.

"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $9.19

In this series that inspired a beloved TV show of the same name, Claire Randall and her husband are enjoying a second honeymoon after she returns from serving as a combat nurse in WWII. Their celebration is cut short, however, when Claire suddenly finds herself thrust back through time to 1743 Scotland. An outlander in this strange time, Claire meets a young warrior named James Fraser, whose love tears her heart between two times.

A modern time travel classic

"The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.79

This contemporary time travel novel has quickly become a classic love story between Clare and Henry, who gravitate towards each other despite Henry's Chrono-Displacement Disorder, which causes him to be misplaced through time. Imaginative and original, " The Time Traveler's Wife " uses multiple points of view to tell an emotional story of love, friendship, and the effects of time on both.

A romantic time travel read

"This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.15

" This Is How You Lose the Time War " is a new, award-winning novel about rival agents Red and Blue who leave each other secret messages as they travel through time, altering history on behalf of their warring home empires. Though the messages begin as playful taunting, they soon become much more in this Queer, sci-fi romance .

A time travel novel from the king of horror

"11/22/63" by Stephen King, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $15

This nearly-1,000 page historical science fiction read is a gripping time travel thriller  — and one of the highest-reviewed Stephen King books . Jake Epping is a high school English teacher who discovers a secret portal to 1958 and is enlisted to go back in time and try to stop the Kennedy assassination, the effects of which can't be known until Jake either succeeds or fails.

A classic time travel tale

"Kindred" by Octavia E. Butler, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.39

When Dana, a young, Black writer, is inexplicably thrust backward in time from 1976 to a pre-Civil War Maryland plantation, she's met with the drowning of a young white boy, whom she tries but fails to save. As she continues to drift between the past and present, Dana is accused of murdering the child, meets her ancestors, and is forced into slavery, all while trying to find her way back to the present.

A journey to the Medieval times

"Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.27

Beginning in near-future London, time travel technology is used by universities to send historians back in time for research purposes. When Kivrin is sent to the past to experience a Medieval village, everything goes immediately wrong and Kivrin is stuck with no way to return home, a mysterious illness, and disaster coming her way in this page-turning novel that won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards in 1993.

An equally devastating and remarkable time travel novel

"Recursion" by Blake Crouch, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $11.99

When a technology emerges that allows humans to return and re-experience their most precious and emotional memories, the effects begin to devastate the world as parallel worlds collide, unraveling society and threatening humanity in its entirety. " Recursion " is one of my all-time favorite novels, an undeniable page-turner that completely engrossed countless readers with Blake Crouch's masterful writing.

A non-linear time travel classic

"Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.35

" Slaughterhouse-Five " is an American classic and considered one of the greatest novels of all time . First published in 1969, this science fiction novel follows Billy Pilgrim from childhood through his time as a soldier during World War II,] and beyond as he travels back and forth through time and tells his story with messages about war, post-traumatic stress, life, and love.

A time travel love story

"How to Stop Time" by Matt Haig, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $15.30

Tom Hazard has lived through many centuries but is ready to settle down as a high school history teacher and live a normal life. Because of his condition, he must not fall in love, but when the French teacher at school catches his eye, Tom flashes back through his many lives to help him figure out how to live in the present.

A time loop romance

"One Last Stop" by Casey McQuiston, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.25

When cynical August moves to New York City, she doesn't believe in magical love stories, until she meets Jane on the Q train. As August continues to ride the Q train as often as she can to spend time with Jane, the two realize Jane is stuck there on a strange time loop, displaced from the 1970s and in desperate need of August's help to get her unstuck.

An original time travel novel featuring magical realism

"Oona Out of Order" by Margarita Montimore, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $15.99

On New Year's Eve in 1982, Oona Lockhart is minutes away from turning 19 and has a life of opportunities ahead of her, until the clock strikes midnight and Oona wakes up on her 51st birthday. Destined to travel back and forth through time and live her life out of order, Oona must figure out how to navigate life, love, and everything in between.

A holiday-themed time travel read

"In a Holidaze" by Christina Lauren, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $11.59

This holiday read is a rom-com fan-favorite about Maelyn Jones, who is on her way to the airport after a final family vacation at their beloved Utah cabin when she sees a truck hurtling towards their car. Just before the truck can hit them, Mae wakes up on the airplane headed to the cabin, stuck in a cycle of reliving the trip over and over until she can discover what makes her happy.

A devastating middle-grade time travel read

"The Shape of Thunder" by Jasmine Warga, available at Amazon, $14.49

Cora and Quinn are next-door neighbors and best friends who haven't spoken to each other in a year since a tragedy changed both of their lives forever. When Quinn decides the only way to bridge the distance between them is by going back in time to stop that horrible day from ever happening, the two try to unravel the mysteries of time travel in this middle-grade novel about trauma, loss, and healing.

A time travel graphic novel about true events

"Displacement" by Kiku Hughes, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $16.55

This incredible graphic novel is about Kiku Hughes, who is on vacation in San Francisco when she's abruptly transported back in time to witness the internment camp into which her grandmother was forcibly relocated during World War II. Unsure how or if she will be able to return to the present, Kiku learns her grandmother's true history and begins to see the long-term effects her experiences had on their family and countless other Japanese Americans.

A young adult time loop fantasy novel

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.79

In this best-selling young adult fantasy book , Jacob Magellan Portman is taken to a remote island off the coast of Wales to deal with his trauma after a horrible family tragedy. Though the home is allegedly haunted by the inhabitants who died on September 3, 1940, Jacob discovers peculiar children stuck in a time loop, cared for by the equally peculiar Miss Peregrine.

A classic time travel story

"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $5.35

On a dark and stormy night, Meg Murry, along with her brother and her friend, set out on a dangerous but extraordinary adventure to rescue her father who mysteriously disappeared. With the help of supernatural friends, the group uses a tesseract to travel through space and time in this 1962 story of love, evil, and purpose.

A young adult novel about time travel and love

"Opposite of Always" by Justin A. Reynolds, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.99

Jack and Kate are immediately drawn to each other when they meet at a party and begin to fall in love in the weeks that follow. When Kate tragically dies from a genetic disease, Jack finds himself back at the moment they met, determined to do anything to prevent her death, even if it means hurting others in the process.

A magical time travel manga

"Tokyo Revengers" by Ken Wakui, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.99

Takemichi Hanagaki is stuck in his less-than-thrilling life when he learns his middle school girlfriend, Hinata, has been killed by a villainous gang. When an accident sends him 12 years back in time to middle school, Takemichi is determined to change his life and save Hinata in this time travel manga .

A time travel story of a father and son

"How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe" by Charles Yu, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $11.69

Charles Yu lives in a science fiction reality, working as a time machine repairman and searching for his father, who invented time travel and has since disappeared. In this heartfelt read , Charles must navigate the universe with his companions to find a moment where he and his father can meet in memory.

A feminist time travel novel

"The Future of Another Timeline" by Annalee Newitz, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $17.47

Told through alternating first-person narratives, this time travel story focuses on two main timelines as Beth finds herself in 1992 with a front-row seat to a murder while Tess is determined to use time travel to fight for a change in 2022. As the two stories intertwine across time, war threatens to destroy time travel in this smart, feminist read .

An irresistible time travel read

"Here and Now and Then" by Mike Chen, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.49

Kin Stewart may seem like an average man but has a secret: He's actually a time-traveling secret agent from the year 2142, stuck in the present ever since a mission failed 18 years ago. When his rescue team finally arrives, Kin is torn between his two families, trying to keep them both, until a risk to his daughter's existence stretches Kin's love across time to save her.

• Main content

The 35 Best Books About Time Travel

Here's what to read after you finish Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

Gabaldon first published Outlander —the book that would eventually inspire the television series starring Caitriona Balfe as Claire and Sam Heughan as Jamie —in 1991, and the ninth novel in the series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone , came out in November 2021.

Ahead of the seventh season of Outlander , now's the perfect time (ha) to dive into time travel books. From time traveling romance to alternate realities to murder mysteries, there's something for everyone here.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Any list about time travel books must begin with The Time Traveler's Wife , right? This bestselling novel tells the love story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who inadvertently travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Plot sound familiar? The book was adapted into a 2009 film starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, and a 2022 TV show starring Theo James and Rose Leslie .

Read more: 20 of the best Time Travel Films Ever Made

A Murder in Time

Kendra Donovan is a rising star at the FBI, until one disastrous raid when half her team is murdered and a mole in the FBI is uncovered. After she recovers from her wounds, she's determined to find the man responsible for the death of her team—yet upon her arrival in England, she stumbles back in time to 1815. Mistaken for a lady's maid, Kendra is forced to quickly adapt to the period as she figures out how to get back to her own timeline. There are five books in the Kendra Donovan series , so if you love a time travel mystery, don't miss these.

Author Octavia Butler is a queen of science fiction, and Kindred is her bestselling novel about time travel. In it, she tells the story of Dana, a Black woman, who is celebrating her 26th birthday in 1976. Abruptly, she's transported back to Maryland, circa 1815, where she's on a plantation and has to save Rufus, the white son of the plantation owner. It's not just a time travel book, but one that expertly weaves in narratives of enslaved people and explores the Antebellum South.

Faye, Faraway

Diana Gabaldon herself called Faye, Faraway "a lovely, deeply moving story of loss and love and memory made real , " so you know it's going to be good. The plot focuses on Faye, a mother of two, who lost her own mother, Jeanie, when she was just 8 years old. When Faye suddenly finds herself transported back in time, she befriends her mother—but doesn't let on who she really is. Eventually, she has to choose between her past and her future.

The Eyre Affair

In this version of Great Britain circa 1985, time travel is routine. Our protagonist is Thursday Next, a literary detective, who is placed on a case when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel.

Bonus: The Eyre Affair is the first in a seven book series following Thursday.

The River of No Return: A Novel

Lord Nicholas Davenant is about to die in the Napoleonic Wars in 1812, and wakes up 200 years later. But he longs to return back in time to his love, Julia. When he arrives in modern society, a mysterious organization called the Guild tells him "there is no return," until one day, they summon him to London and he learns it's possible to travel back through time. A spy thriller that's also historical romance that's also time travel... Say less.

One Last Stop

Casey McQuiston's second novel ( following Red, White, and Royal blue, which is going to be a major motion picture this summer ) is a queer time-loop romance set on the Q train in New York City, and it's riveting. August is 23, working at a 24-hour diner, and meets a gorgeous, charming girl on the train: Jane. But she can't seem to meet up with her off the Q train—until they figure out Jane is stuck in time from the 1970s. How did she travel through time? Can August get Jane unstuck? Will they live happily ever after!? The questions abound.

What the Wind Knows

Anne Gallagher grew up hearing her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. When she returns to the country to spread his ashes, she is transported back in time to 1921—and is drawn into the struggle for Irish independence. There, she meets Dr. Thomas Smith, and must decide whether or not she should return to her own timeline or stay in the past. As one reviewer wrote on Amazon, What the Wind Knows is a "spectacular time travel journey filled with love and loss."

The Midnight Library: A Novel

Imagine a library with an infinite number of books—each containing an alternate reality about your life. That's the plot of The Midnight Library , where our protagonist Nora Seed enters different versions of her life. She undoes old breakups, follows her dream of becoming a glaciologist, and so much more—but what happens to her original life?

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.: A Novel

In this novel from Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland, magic existed—until 1851. A secret government organization, the Department of Diachronic Operations (or D.O.D.O. for short), is dedicated to bringing magic back, and its members will travel through time to change history to do so. As Kirkus Reviews wrote , the novel "blend[s] time travel with Bourne-worthy skulduggery." It's a delight for any fans of science fiction, with a slow burn romance between military intelligence operator Tristan Lyons and linguist Melisande Stokes.

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, this epistolary romantic novel tells the story of two time-traveling rivals who fall in love. Agents Red and Blue travel back and forth throughout time, trying to alter universes on behalf of their warring empires—and start to leave each other messages. The messages begin taunting but soon turn flirtatious—and when Red's commander discovers her affection for Blue, they soon embark down a timeline they can't change.

The House on the Strand

Set at an ancient Cornish house called Kilmarth, where Daphne du Maurier lived from 1967, The House on the Strand story follows Dick Young, who has been offered use of Kilmarth by an old college friend, Magnus Lane. Magnus, a biophysicist, is developing a drug that enables people to travel back to the 14th century, and Dick reluctantly agrees to be a test subject. The catch: If you touch anyone, you're transported back to the present. As the story goes on, Dick's visits back to the 1300s become more frequent, and his life back in the modern world becomes unstable.

The Kingdoms

It’s 1898 and there’s a man named Joe, who lives in London, which is, in this alternate historical, a part of the French Empire as in this version of the past, Britain lost the Napoleonic Wars. Joe has gotten off a train from Scotland and cannot remember anything about who he is or where he’s from. He soon returns to his work, and after a few years, he is sent to repair a lighthouse in Eilean Mor in the Outer Hebrides. Joe then finds himself a century earlier, on a British boat with a mysterious captain, fighting the French and hoping for a future that is different than the one he came from. If you're into time travel and queer romance and alternate history, this is for you.

The Future of Another Timeline

In 1992, 17-year-old Beth agrees to help hide the dead body of her friend's abusive boyfriend. The murder sets Beth and her friends on "a path of escalating violence and vengeance" to protect other young women. In 2022, Tess decides to use time travel to fight for change around key moments in history. When Tess believes she's found a way to make an edit to history that actually sticks, she encounters a group of time travelers bent on stopping her at any cost. Tess and Beth's lives intertwine, and war breaks out across the timeline.

Shadow of Night

The sequel to A Discovery of Witches , the plot of Shadow of Night picks up right where the story left off: With Matthew, a vampire, and Diana, a witch, traveling back in time to Elizabethan London to search for an enchanted manuscript. You really need to read the first book before reading Shadow of Night , but the series by Deborah Harkness is a swoony magical romance.

And: It's now a TV show! ( Season one is streaming on Amazon Prime Video .)

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

In The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, the same day happens again and again. Each day, Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered at 11:00 p.m at Blackheath. And each day, our protagonist Aiden Bishop wakes up in the body of a different witness—and tries to solve her murder. He only has eight days, and it's a race against time to solve Evelyn's murder and to escape the time loop.

Recursion: A Novel

In 2018 New York City, detective Barry Sutton fails to talk Ann out of jumping off a building. But before Ann falls to her death, she tells him she is suffering from False Memory Syndrome—a new neurological disease where people are afflicted with memories of lives they never lived. The dissonance between their present and these memories drives them to death. This is best read unspoiled, but it's undoubtedly a time travel story you haven't read before.

On the eve of her wedding day, Shay Garrett looks into her grandmother's antique mirror and faints. When she wakes up, she's in the same house—but in the body of her grandmother, Brandy, as a young woman in 1900. And Brandy awakens in Shay's body in the present day in 1978. It's like Freaky Friday , but with time travel to the Victorian era.

Here and Now and Then

Kin Stewart is a time traveler from 2142, stuck in 1990s suburban San Francisco. A rescue team arrives to bring Kin back to his timeline—but 18 years too late. Does Kin stay with his "new" family, and the life he's built for himself in San Francisco, or does he return to his original timeline? He's stuck between two families—and ultimately, this is a time travel tale about fatherhood.

A Knight in Shining Armor

Originally published in 1989, this romance novel features a present-day heroine and a knight from the 16th century who fall in love. Per the book's description: "Abandoned by a cruel fate, lovely Dougless Montgomery lies weeping upon a cold tombstone in an English church. Suddenly, the most extraordinary man appears. It is Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck…and according to his tombstone he died in 1564. Drawn to his side by a bond so sudden and compelling it overshadows reason, Dougless knows that Nicholas is nothing less than a miracle: a man who does not seek to change her, who finds her perfect, fascinating, just as she is. What Dougless never imagined was how strong the chains are that tie them to the past…or the grand adventure that lay before them."

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram .

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8 Best Time Travel Romance Books of All Time

Our goal : Find the best Time Travel Romance books according to the internet (not just one random person's opinion).

• Type "best time travel romance books" into our search engine and study the top 5+ pages.
• Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
• Rank the results neatly for you here! 😊 (It was a lot of work. But hey! That's why we're here, right?)

(Updated 2024)

As an Amazon Associate, we earn money from purchases made through links in this page.

Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024

• Best Time Travel Romance Books

Outlander, Book 1

Diana Gabaldon

A Knight in Shining Armor

Montgomery/taggert, book 15.

Jude Deveraux

What the Wind Knows

The Time Traveler's Wife

Audrey Niffenegger

Beyond the Highland Mist

Highlander, book 1.

Karen Marie Moning

Ruby Red Trilogy, Book 1

Kerstin Gier

The Night Mark

Tiffany Reisz

Timeless Series, Book 1

Alexandra Monir

• The Ten Best Time Travel Romance Novels for Fans of Outlander - HobbyLark hobbylark.com
• 6 Best Time Travel Romance Books (2022) That You Must Read! www.ereads.com
• 30 Best Time Travel Books | The Uncorked Librarian www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com
• 10 Best Time Travel Romance Novels Beyond Outlander | Book Riot bookriot.com
• 14 Titillating Time Travel Romance Novels About Transcendent Love alovesotrue.com

How was this Time Travel Romance books list created?

We searched for 'best Time Travel Romance books', found the top 5 articles, took every book mentioned in 2+ articles, and averaged their rankings.

How many Time Travel Romance books are in this list?

There are 8 books in this list.

Why did you create this Time Travel Romance books list?

We wanted to gather the most accurate list of Time Travel Romance books on the internet.

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