Have you been swept away by the Outlander series, the epic time travel romance spanning eight books (and counting) by Diana Gabaldon? If you’ve made it through the entire series to date and still want more high-stakes historical adventure, passionate romance, and time-traveling twists, don’t worry—we have some great recommendations for you. While nothing can quite match up to the magic of Claire and Jamie’s love story, these audiobooks like Outlander will capture your imagination and your heart!
Save this list to your Library Collections now.
Into the Dim Duology by Janet B. Taylor
After a tragic earthquake overseas, Hope Walton thought her mother was lost to her forever. But when she arrives in Scotland for the summer, she discovers the shocking truth: her mother was a time traveler, and she’s stranded in the 13th century. Now, her only hope for rescue is in Hope, who has mere days to travel back in time and find her mother, and then figure out a way back home. Yet, slipping into the past is much more terrifying than Hope could have ever imagined, and it will take all of her wits and courage to survive. This excellent YA duology will appeal to listeners who love the Scottish setting of Outlander, mother-daughter relationships, and, of course, time travel. The books are available exclusively from Audible, and narrated by the incomparable Amanda Ronconi.
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Dana is a 20-something Black woman living with her white husband in 1970s California, when one day, she is yanked back into the past—to antebellum Maryland. She barely has a chance to gather her wits when she saves a white boy from drowning...and then finds herself back in her own time. But this is just the beginning of Dana's troubles. Again and again she's continually transported to the past with no warning, seemingly whenever the same white boy finds his life in peril. And unfortunately for Dana, her stay in the past becomes longer and longer with each journey, meaning she has to keep her head down and survive as a slave— no easy feat for an outspoken contemporary Black woman. This is an incredible novel that doesn’t shy away from the brutality of slavery or the complexities of America’s racial history, all while offering an intriguing time travel mystery. Kim Staunton narrates this audiobook, which will have you on edge trying to figure out Dana’s connection to the past.
Oxford Time Travel series by Connie Willis
For epic journeys into the past, definitely pick up this award-winning series by Connie Willis. In the first book, Doomsday Book, Kivrin is an Oxford student who is thrilled at the opportunity to travel back in time to the 14th century and study history up close, by living it. For her, this is the culmination of years of study. Kivrin’s mentor, however, doesn’t share her enthusiasm; instead, Professor Dunworthy is worried about all the things that could go wrong. When an accident leaves Kivrin stranded in the past, Dunworthy desperately tries to rescue her. Separated by centuries, the two find themselves connected in a struggle for survival. The Doomsday Book received both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. You can follow it up with further adventures of the Oxford time traveling department in To Say Nothing of the Dog, Blackout, and All Clear, performed by Hall of Fame narrator Katherine Kellgren.
Slains series by Susanna Kearsley
While this series isn’t about time travel per se, it is about contemporary women with strong connections to the past—so strong, in fact, that their ancestral memories and supernatural connections to history have a direct impact on their lives. In The Winter Sea, the Jacobite Rebellion intensifies as Scottish soldiers try to help James Stewart reclaim his crown. In the present day, Carrie is a novelist living in the shadows of the Slains Castle ruins, hoping to write about the rebellion from the point of view of one of her ancestors. But as she writes, the story takes on a different shape than what she planned—and different from what history has told her. What is her subconscious telling her? Does Carrie somehow know the truth about the past—a truth that never made it into any historical record? In The Firebird, Anna has the ability to touch an object and know who owned it in the past. When a small carving arrives in her art gallery, she becomes desperate to know about its namesake, the mythological firebird, leading her on a journey through the past. The incredibly talented Rosalyn Landor and Katherine Kellgren narrate.
Rebellion by Nora Roberts
In this standalone romance in her MacGregors series, Nora Roberts takes listeners to 1745 Scotland, where Serena MacGregor fosters hatred in her heart for the English after they attacked her mother. When her brother’s friend, Englishman Brigham Langston, comes along, Serena thinks he’s no different, despite his loyalty to Scottish causes. But Brigham is enchanted by Serena and wants to prove himself worthy of her family’s respect—and her love. This is one of the entries in Nora Roberts’s long-running series about the MacGregor family and their lives and loves throughout history.
Kendra Donovan series by Julie McElwain
If you love books about strong heroines who inadvertently find themselves slipping through time, then pick up A Murder in Time, the first book in the Kendra Donovan series. It follows an FBI agent whose career has hit a speed bump after a mole exposed her team and killed half of her fellow agents. She goes rogue and pursues the assassin in England, where she finds herself running for her life. Darting into an old castle for safety, she slips down a dark passageway and right into 1815. But there’s a good reason that Kendra has arrived in the past—mysteries and murderers abound, and she must use all of her wits to unmask the criminals. Lucy Rayner narrates this four-book series, which combines the drama and time travel of Outlander with the intrigue of murder mysteries. (Look for the fifth book later this year!)
The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn
Rachel is a doctor in the not-so-distant future, where war and environmental disaster have wreaked havoc on the Earth, and the wealthy have become obsessed with Britain of old. When time travel is perfected, Rachel applies to be one of the travelers to the past. Teamed up with an actor, Liam, she is sent to 1815 London to befriend Henry Austen with the intent of securing an introduction to his sister, Jane. Their ultimate goal is to secure Jane’s trust and steal her unpublished manuscript, The Watsons, along with her letters to her sister. Posing as sister and brother, Rachel and Liam slowly make headway with their mission—but can they really betray their literary icon? And can Rachel resist the temptation to cure a mysterious illness that will claim Jane’s life within a year? This is an excellent, immersive time travel mystery with both a great romance and big philosophical questions, all narrated impeccably by Saskia Maarleveld.
The Highland Grooms series by Julia London
If you love Outlander for the passionate romance, then you need to check out The Highland Grooms, a six-book series starring Scottish men who nearly put Jamie to shame! Start with Wild Wicked Scot, about an Englishwoman, Margot. Wed off to Arran McKenzie in a marriage of convenience, Margot spent a short time in a foreign and rugged world before fleeing back to England. But now, as relations between England and Scotland deteriorate, Margot must return to her husband in an attempt to discover his treachery and thwart his nefarious plots. What complicates matters: Margot finds that her husband is far more alluring than she remembered. Derek Perkins narrates all six books in this series, each of which star a different couple set against the beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
Ruby Red series by Kerstin Gier
The ability to time travel runs in Gwyneth’s family, but she has grown up knowing that the gift skipped her and went to her older cousin, Charlotte. And it’s just as well, since Charlotte is far more beautiful and accomplished, and has spent her entire life preparing. But when Gwyneth accidentally falls through time, she learns that she actually has inherited the time travel gene. Before long, she’s teaming up with another time traveler, Gideon, to navigate shifting time periods and figure out why her mother lied about her birth date—and what danger could’ve possibly induced her to mislead her. Marisa Carlin narrates this fun and romantic YA trilogy, translated from German.
The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz
After her husband dies, Faye is unable to find solace or comfort in her tremendous grief. She takes a job photographing the South Carolina shore because photography is the only thing she has left, and she needs the money. Faye becomes intrigued with the local lore surrounding a lighthouse. One night, she gets too close to the waves and is swept away—to 1921. In a time so different from her own, she inhabits the body of another young woman and finds that the past holds all she has been looking for. For a romantic and emotional time travel story set in the 20th century, this is an excellent pick, narrated by Teri Schnaubelt.
Tirzah Price is a librarian, writer, and contributing editor at Book Riot. If she’s not reading, she’s usually knitting and listening to an audiobook.
