Autumn Romance Books to Curl Up With: Five Scottish Romances for Cosy Autumn Reading

There’s something about autumn that makes me want to read romance even more than usual (which, let's face it, is a lot).

Maybe it’s the changing colours, cooler evenings, wild weather, cosy interiors and the excuse to curl up somewhere warm with a book.

I’ve written quite a few romances that have an autumn feel to them, from the windswept Isle of Mull to the fictional Highland town of Glenbriar. Some feature autumn festivals, storms and woodland light shows. Others are set in cosy hotels, campervans and small-town communities.

And while all of these books can be enjoyed at any time of year, these are the five I’d particularly recommend if you’re looking for an autumn romance book set in Scotland.

What makes a good autumn romance?

For me, an autumn romance isn't simply a book where someone mentions pumpkin spice or puts on a jumper.

I want atmosphere.

I want changing seasons, dramatic skies, rain, cosy places, walks through woodland, festivals, and firesides.

I also want characters who are going through some kind of change themselves.

Perhaps they're returning home after years away. Maybe they're starting again after disappointment. They might be questioning the life they've built or discovering that the person they thought they wanted isn't necessarily the person they need.

That combination of romance, emotional change and a strong sense of place is what makes these books particularly autumnal to me.

So, if you're looking for cosy Scottish romance books to read this autumn, here are five places you can escape to.

1. An Autumn Hideaway

The perfect autumn island romance

If I had to choose one book that feels like the ultimate autumn island escape, it would probably be An Autumn Hideaway.

In fact, I love rereading this one myself every year.

Autumn Elworthy is a chirpy city girl whose life hasn't gone quite according to plan. After a string of disappointments, discovering that her notoriously unstable mother has disappeared again is the final straw.

When Autumn discovers that her mother's last known whereabouts was a remote Scottish island, she makes a rash decision.

She's going to find her.

That takes her to the Isle of Mull, where she encounters taciturn islander Richard Linden.

Richard has deliberately chosen the remote island as his home. He has his reasons for keeping people at a distance, and he certainly isn't looking for complications.

Then he meets Autumn.

Autumn gradually chips away at Richard's reserve, while Richard finds himself increasingly drawn to the woman who was only supposed to be a passing visitor.

But Autumn doesn't plan to stay on Mull.

Richard doesn't plan to leave.

And both of them have to work out whether what they've been searching for is actually what they've been missing.

Why read An Autumn Hideaway in autumn?

This is the book I'd choose if you want a Scottish island romance with atmosphere, emotional depth and a little mystery.

The Isle of Mull setting is a huge part of the story, and the changing season adds to the feeling of escape. Autumn herself is also a character going through a period of change, making the season an especially good fit for her story.

Readers have described the book as having gorgeous characters, beautiful romance and vivid descriptions, while one reader particularly loved the opening scene of Autumn arriving on the remote island.

Another reader described Richard as having 'the grump of Mr Darcy and the heart of a giant lion crossed with a teddy bear'.

I'm not going to argue with that.

Tropes and themes include:

• Age Gap

• Fish Out of Water

• Grumpy Sunshine

• Physically Very Different

• Questionable Choices

• Road Trip

• Soulmates

• Strangers to Lovers

If you like romance where the setting is almost as important as the characters, this is a particularly good autumn read.

2. Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel

A Scottish Highlands romance with an American hero

If you want to move from the wild coast of Mull into the Scottish Highlands, start here.

Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel is Book 1 of my Glenbriar Series and introduces readers to the fictional Highland town of Glenbriar.

Briony Dalgleish is the optimistic owner of the beautiful Loch View Hotel, but her dreams of making it a success have been disappearing. Her only realistic option may be to sell.

Then an American businessman becomes involved.

Unfortunately, the man sent to represent him is someone Briony would rather forget.

Zach Somerton is an American sci-fi geek who has come to Scotland on a last-chance mission to redeem himself after an epic business failure.

He isn't expecting the locals and the legends.

And he certainly isn't expecting Briony.

When Zach is ordered not to reveal the real reason he's at the hotel, the two are forced to work together while investigating the hotel's mysterious past.

And the closer they get, the harder it becomes to keep secrets.

Why is Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel a good autumn romance?

This is a great choice if you like cosy small-town romance with a Scottish setting, secrets, mystery and a little spice.

It also has a fish-out-of-water element because Zach is an American finding his way in a fictional Highland community that is very different from what he's used to.

And if you're looking for an autumn romance series rather than a single book, this is where I'd begin.

The Glenbriar Series currently contains 20 books, with each story focusing on a different couple. The books can be read as standalones, but recurring characters and places connect the stories, so readers who enjoy becoming part of a fictional community can follow Glenbriar from one romance to the next.

Tropes include:

• Second chance romance

• Age-gap romance

• Grumpy sunshine

• Fish out of water

• Past fling

• Secrets and mysteries

• Beta hero

• A lovable but naughty dog

Readers have described the book as an 'absolutely fabulous' romance, praised the chemistry between Zach and Briony, and highlighted the Scottish myths, legends and magic woven through the story.

3. Two's Company at the Forest Light Show

A workplace romance with a very unexpected fling

If autumn for you means dark evenings, woodland walks and dramatic light displays, this one might be your perfect match.

Cha Gilchrist is a vivacious forestry worker who doesn't usually have flings with buttoned-up men who dress like her old geography teacher!

But she makes one exception.

After all, she'll never see the man again.

Except she does.

Nick Harkness is reserved, buttoned-up and very good at keeping people out of his life. So he's rather surprised when the blue-haired woman he had an uncharacteristic fling with turns up in his office and gives the perfect interview for a woodland management job.

Now he's her boss.

And they're about to spend months working together on the Glenbriar Forest Light Show.

As they uncover corruption within the organising committee, their professional relationship becomes increasingly complicated by the attraction neither of them can ignore.

Why read Two's Company at the Forest Light Show in autumn?

Because this book has one of my favourite combinations: a forest, an autumn light show, opposites attract and two people who really shouldn't be falling for each other.

Cha and Nick are also two of my favourite characters I've ever written.

Their personalities couldn't be much more different. Cha is vibrant, daring and completely unapologetic. Nick is reserved and determined to keep his carefully constructed life intact.

Their chemistry begins with that unexpected fling and develops into something much more complicated.

Tropes include:

• One-night stand

• Fling

• Boss and employee

• Opposites attract

• Workplace romance

• Strangers to lovers

• Dark secret

• Road trip

• Destined to be together

One reader particularly loved the contrast between 'that buttoned-up professor type' and the 'blue-haired beauty' and praised the banter and chemistry between them.

Another described the story as having passion, humour, intrigue, angst and a much-deserved happy ending.

4. Love Match on the Road Home

A second-chance romance, an ex's brother and an autumn road trip

Sometimes autumn is about going home.

That's exactly what happens to Georgie Porter.

After retiring from professional tennis at just 31, Georgie buys a campervan and returns to her hometown of Glenbriar.

She's hoping to make amends with the man whose heart she broke years ago.

There's just one problem.

She doesn't find him.

She finds his younger brother instead.

Kerr Halley has always secretly carried a torch for Georgie, but she's his brother's ex. There are rules about that sort of thing.

Unfortunately, those rules become increasingly difficult to follow when Georgie and Kerr are thrown together to help raise funds for a local sports project.

Then there's a campervan.

A storm.

Rain.

Landslides.

A wedding.

And a whole lot of unresolved history!

Why read Love Match on the Road Home in autumn?

This is the Glenbriar book I'd recommend if you're looking for an autumn romance with a road-trip feel and plenty of seasonal atmosphere.

Georgie's return to Glenbriar is also about more than romance. She's figuring out what she wants now that her professional tennis career has ended.

She's coming home, confronting her past and discovering that the person who sees her most clearly might be the person she never expected to fall for.

Tropes include:

• Brother's ex

• Ex's brother

• Return to hometown

• Celebrity athlete

• Road trip

• Shared pasts

• Family conflict

• Stranded

One reader described the book as 'fun, fresh and engaging' and loved returning to Glenbriar and catching up with familiar characters.

Another reader enjoyed it so much that she abandoned her planned run and read the book instead.

5. Love Song at the Music Festival

A grumpy sunshine romance, an autumn music festival and a local band

If your perfect autumn romance involves live music, cosy festivals, a small-town community and a gorgeous grumpy hero, this is the one I'd pick.

Mirren Elphinstone is a young music teacher whose entitled boyfriend has just dumped her.

Unfortunately, he hasn't just broken her heart.

He's also walked out on the local band Tavrach and taken their music with him.

So Mirren decides to get revenge.

She auditions for the vacant lead singer position.

Adam Cormac is Tavrach's enigmatic frontman. He's also a music lecturer, a single dad and a man who has been hurt badly enough in the past that he isn't keen to risk his heart again.

When Mirren walks into the audition, he has no idea that she's the ex of the man who betrayed the band.

He only knows that she can sing.

And then the attraction begins.

As the band prepares for the Autumn Gold Festival, music brings Mirren and Adam closer together. They begin writing and creating together, while both try to work out whether they can trust love again.

Why is Love Song at the Music Festival an autumn romance?

The clue is in the title.

The story takes place in the 'ber' months and builds towards the Autumn Gold Festival, with music, rehearsals, performances and the atmosphere of a local autumn festival throughout the book.

There are also forests, folklore, family, friendship and the sense of being part of a close-knit community.

And yes, Adam is a rock-star-looking single dad with long hair and tattoos who is actually a responsible, caring father - and readers love him.

'Oh Adam, you beautiful man!' is just one quote!

Tropes include:

• Grumpy sunshine

• Revenge

• Rock star

• Single dad

• Age gap

• Match my freak

• Workplace romance

• Partners

• Soulmates

• Competency is attractive

• Music and creative connection

One reader said it was a 'perfect grumpy sunshine romance' and loved the way the music brought Adam and Mirren together.

Another described the festival and forest concert as particularly atmospheric and said she wished the songs existed in real life.

And one of my favourite comments from a reader was that she has reached the point where she feels Glenbriar is a real place and the characters are real people.

Which Scottish autumn romance should you read?

If you're trying to decide which book to pick, here's a quick guide:

Want a windswept Scottish island escape?

Start with An Autumn Hideaway.

Want a cosy Scottish Highlands small-town romance?

Start with Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel.

Want an autumn forest, workplace romance and an unexpected fling?

Try Two's Company at the Forest Light Show.

Want an autumn road trip and an ex's brother?

Pick Love Match on the Road Home.

Want music, an autumn festival, grumpy sunshine and a single dad?

Choose Love Song at the Music Festival.

And if what you're really looking for is a fictional Scottish community you can keep coming back to, visit Glenbriar.

The beauty of the Glenbriar books is that you don't have to start at any particular point. Each book tells a complete romance, but familiar characters and places appear throughout the series, so the more you read, the more the town begins to feel like somewhere you know.

You might even start wishing you could move there.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Why Scottish romance is perfect for autumn reading

There is something particularly satisfying about combining romance with the Scottish landscape.

You get dramatic scenery, unpredictable weather, old stories and legends, close-knit communities and plenty of opportunities for characters to be thrown together somewhere they can't easily escape from.

Add a love story, a few secrets, some banter and a guaranteed happy ending, and you've got exactly the sort of escapism I want from an autumn romance.

So make yourself a hot drink, find somewhere cosy and choose your Scottish escape.

The only remaining question is: which one are you reading first?

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About the Author

Margaret Amatt is a Scottish romance author writing cosy contemporary romance set in Scotland. Her books take readers from fictional Highland towns and small communities to the beautiful Scottish islands, with plenty of romance, friendship, humour, new beginnings and guaranteed happy endings.

She is the author of the Glenbriar Series, Scottish Island Escapes and Love on the Edge – Barra, creating interconnected worlds filled with memorable characters and places readers can return to again and again.

When she's not writing romance, Margaret can usually be found dreaming up new stories, exploring Scotland or wondering how on earth her fictional characters have managed to create yet another plot problem for her to solve.

If you love Scottish romance, cosy small-town romance and stories with a strong sense of place, you can discover more about Margaret and her books at www.margaretamatt.com.