Top 5 romantic Scotland novels

Scotland has long been known internationally as a country of romance. From Sir Walter Scott to Robert Burns and into the present day, authors have been conjuring images of lochs and glens as a backdrop to smouldering passions.

If you're dreaming of soft Scottish light and mist-covered glens, why not give one of theses top 5 romantic Scottish novels a try, recommended by The Scottish Book Trust, Scotland's agency for reading and writing.

Return of John McNab – Andrew Greig

This book about a group of friends restaging the exploits of John Buchan's legendary poacher is a satisfying, modern take on the old-fashioned adventure story.

The friends' plans take an unexpected turn because of a young woman, whose curiosity lands her right in the middle of their scheme.

Game of Kings – Dorothy Dunnett

This novel follows Francis Crawford, Master of Lymond, who has been judged a traitor and disowned by his family and friends.

He sneaks back into Scotland to take control of his notorious band of mercenaries and pursue his own agenda across the taut political chessboard of the Scottish Borders.

The adventures of this brilliant, elegant and deeply flawed hero make for compulsive reading, as he plays a devastating game across the complex, and corrupt world of 16th century Scotland.

Calendar of Love – George McKay Brown

A Calendar of Love and Other Stories was George Mackay Brown's first collection published in 1967. The stories range in their setting across the centuries from the dark ages to the present.

They offer a series of impressions of the lives and loves of a closely knit community, in the landscape and seasonal changes of the Orkney Islands.

Gowk Storm – Nancy Brysson Morrison

This is the story of three close-knit sisters, the daughters of a minister, living in a remote parish on the fringes of the Highlands.

Narrated by Lisbet, the youngest sister, the novel is mainly written in English, but given a strong sense of place by the use of Scots words and some Scots dialogue.

Lisbet describes the love affairs of her older sisters, Julia and Emmy, each of whom falls in love with a man deemed an unacceptable match by their patriarchal, rigid and prejudiced society.

Trumpet – Jackie Kay

This is a story of love which transcends time, space and gender. It is described as one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking romances ever to be written.