Highlander's Holly and Ivy

           Bound by prophecy, yet torn by loyalty, love becomes a spark that could protect Scotland’s destiny or reduce it to ruins.

In Margaret Izard’s Highlander’s Holly and Ivy, the latest in the Stones of Iona series, a forbidden love between a Highlander and an English lady becomes intertwined with magic, betrayal, and the fate of a nation while both fight to unite their worlds and reclaim Scotland’s legacy.

About the Book: In a land torn by politics and heritage, Alex MacDougall—Scotland’s Lord Justice Clerk—balances loyalty to the British crown and his secret role in preserving outlawed Scottish traditions. When tasked with retrieving a mystical stone tied to Scotland’s destiny, he crosses paths with Lady Iris Erskine, an Englishwoman captivated by Scottish culture. Disguised as Ivy, Iris masquerades as a highland lassie to be close to the dashing highlander.

Love blossoms between Alex and Ivy as tensions simmer between the English and Scots. While Iris vexes over revealing the truth to her handsome Scot, Alex grapples with his family’s secret duty to protect magic Fae stones. With his beloved targeted and hidden truths emerging, the world he once knew dissolves before his eyes.

 Two hearts, bound by fate, must stave off an evil Fae intent on destroying the MacDougall Clan before both lose all they love.

Our Review: Readers have been entertained for years by the entire Stones of Iona series, yet Highlander’s Holly and Ivy takes things one step further. The author’s talents are many. This story shines in three important areas: her mastery of dialogue, paying close attention to dialects for each specific character’s place in society; detailed descriptions of the centuries long turbulence between England and Scotland and the long-term effects on both cultures; and creating bad guys—Fae and human—terribly vile and thoroughly delicious.

Based on a scale of 1-5, Highlander’s Holly and Ivy merits a 7.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews