If you like romances with a time travel component, you’ll probably like….
— Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander
, the gold standard by which so many time travel novels are judged– and there are lots of sequels!
— Beatriz Williams’ Overseas
, which I can’t recommend highly enough– the only hitch is that it doesn’t come out until May 2012. So pre-order now!
— Susanna Kearsley’s The Rose Garden
, my new favorite Kearsley, which is saying rather a lot.
— Jude Deveraux’s A Knight in Shining Armor
, never a favorite for me, but THE book for so many, many people.
— Anya Seton’s Green Darkness
. Can I call this a time travel novel when there’s no actual physical traveling between times? Discuss.
— I couldn’t possibly leave out Mark Twain’s classic, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
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Which time travel novels would you recommend?
The Time Traveler’s Wife has always been one of my favorite books. Was thoroughly disappointed in her other book that I can’t remember the name of right now.
Can’t wait to read Overseas per your recommendation! Sounds like my kind of book!
Here are a few of my favorite time-travel romance to add to your list:
A Cottage By the Sea – Ciji Ware
Somewhere in Time – Richard Metheson (I actually love the movie with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeves, too!)
Susanna Kearsley’s Mariana (my fav) and also The Winter Sea.
Barbara Erskine also has a few very good historical time slip novels with a romance component: Lady of Hay, Child of the Phoenix, House of Echoes (spooky), Kingdom of Shadows, etc…
Daphne du Maurier’s House on the Strand is an old favorite.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is an amazing love story filled with historical references that introduces the concept of time travel towards the end of the book. The sequel, Shadow of Night, comes out July 2012, and will start in Elizabethean England, which is where the main characters travelled to at the end of the first book.
Green Darkness, hands down, is one of my top ten favs–that I occasionally reread to “visit” old friends! Not a classic time travel, but the reincarnation angle is the next best thing–so glad you included it!
Anything by Lynn Kurland. Her time travel romances are amazing!
I have really liked the Da Vinci Time Travel Series by Susan Squires. Great romance!
Time and Again by Jack Finney. It has some science fiction components and deals with the idea of changing the future, and the description of New York City in the 1880’s is really incredible. There’s also a sequel which deals with the Titanic, but the first book is better.
I love this post. I am a sucker for anything with a time travel premise (was a big fan of Quantum Leap – need I say more?) However, I’ve never read a well-written time travel romance. The typical t/t romance plot is a clumsy, jumbled mess & the time travel aspect is often used as a contrivance to get the protagonists to meet, instead of being a central story element. I will definitely check out some of the suggetions – maybe one will change my mind 😉
It’s not a romance per se, but a few years ago, I really loved Timeline, by Mickael Crichton. Read it a few times, the film wasn’t as good, even though Gerard Butler was among the casting!
I loved “The Time Traveler’s Wife”. Though I was broken hearted for days afterward. “Her Fearful Symmetry” freaked me out!
The early Lynn Kurland books are wonderful.
I just finished M. J. Putney’s Dark Mirror” a time travel paranormal. It was pretty good.
There’s series by Janet Chapman where a group of 14th century Highlanders get
transported to present day Maine.
Good paperback reading for the holidays.
Oh, and I forgot The Highlander series, by Karen Marie Moning… a must-read for any Fever series fan. Read them all, loved them all. 😀
My favourite time travel books:
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, for a laugh-out-loud comedy of manners, with romance, bulldogs, the Victorian era and time-lag (like jet-lag, but so much worse)
Doomsday Book, also by Connie Willis, for an exhaustively researched, heart-breaking, gorgeously written story about the Middle Ages and the Black Plague
Her newest duology, Blackout and All Clear, are also wonderful, and address WWII, but lack a bit of the tight focus of the older books. All have won Nebulas or Hugos, or both.
@Celine – Timeline is one of my favorite movies! Gerard is ohh-la-la. I liked the book although it is a little different than the movie. I also enjoyed ER Burroughs “John Carter of Mars” series but not sure if he was travelling in time…it’s too late in the day to get my thoughts in order.
I have to say, Time and Again…very romantic.
Kasey Michaels’ Maggie series is hilarious.
I love the time travel genre, all the above have great appeal, and many happy memories of the ones I’ve read.
I bet “Turnip in the 21st Century” would be a big hit…
AmyN: I’m glad I’m not the only one who has fallen in love with Gerard Butler!!! I liked the movie pretty much too, but I did indeed like the book better… Didn’t prevent me from watching again not that long ago… 🙂