This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Margaret Izard will be awarding a Highlander's Holly & Ivy swag box* ($100 value) to a randomly drawn winner *US Only*. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
*Inside the box: Kissletoe Holiday Crystal Ornament, signed copy of book, Highlander’s Holly & Ivy book bag, Insulated wine glass with Highlander’s Holly & Ivy logo, Dublin shot glass with etched Highlander’s Holly & Ivy logo, Highlander’s Holly & Ivy bookmark, Highlander’s Holly & Ivy recipe card, Wild Rose Press (publisher) 2026 calendar delivered in custom printed Margaret Izard Author Book Swag Box.
Blurb:
A Christmas Companion book to the Stones of Iona Series.
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.
Can two hearts bound by fate be enough to stave off an evil Fae intent on destroying the MacDougall Clan, or will Alex lose all he loves?
Purchase Highlander's Holly & Ivy Here
Read an Excerpt
Iris clipped her reply. “What of my accent?”
Laurel groaned. “It’s English, very English. Ye’ll stand out like a sair thumb among all the Gaels.”
She wrapped the plaid, no arisaid tighter around her. “Sair, you mean sore?” She kept walking. “I am dressed like you. I can walk like you. I’ve un-styled my hair.”
Laurel barked a laugh. “Ye walk like royalty, and no matter how much Gaelic ye learn, ye still sound like the Queen of England.”
Iris stopped and turned to her maid. “I want to meet your people. Not because of the novelty.” Laurel rolled her eyes, making Iris smile. “Well, aye, the novelty, but I want to learn the culture, about yer people.”
Laurel’s eyes crinkled. “Ye really want this lass?” Iris nodded. Laurel took her arm in hers as they continued at a slower pace. “Then we need a plan, a canny one at that.” She breathed. “Ye’ll be my cousin. Ye wear the Comyn plaid, so ye’ll be a Comyn. Stay beside me, and for all that is holy, don’t speak. We’ll say ye have a throat injury, so ye can’t talk.”
Iris stopped. “But what if I have a question or something to say?”
Laurel pulled her along the lane. “Ye don’t have anything to say, and questions are for later. Just watch and listen. No talking.” They came up to the bridge—many had already gathered as the slaughterhouse's smell blew their way. Iris held her wrap to her nose, wondering how they tolerated the stink.
A woman approached and took Laurel into a hug. “So glad I am to see ye today.” Laurel hugged her back. “Mabina, glad I am to be here.” She waved to Iris. “My cousin, who is mmmm…”
Iris’ eyes went wide. She didn’t want to use her real name and be found out before it was all over. She panicked and glanced around. The pub beside the bridge already had decorations for the holiday season, and holly and ivy graced the doorway.
She pointed to the ivy, and Laurel grinned. “Ivy. Ivy Comyn.” She leaned over, whispering to Mabina, “She doesn’t talk, an old injury from a redcoat who tried to have his way with her. Her throat don’t work no more.”
The woman tsked, “Sorry I am to hear it, Ivy.” Iris nodded as the plaid fell away from her head.
Mabina smiled. “Ye are a pretty thing, though.”
Interview with Margaret Izard
What is your favorite part of the book?
What I loved writing most was giving Alex and Iris a world that wasn’t just full of candlelight and tartan—but steeped in culture-war, shifting loyalties, and magical stakes. Their love must navigate not only desire and destiny, but the weight of history and the burden of clan vs. crown. That dual struggle—love against change—is where everything felt electric for me.
So, the romance blossoms naturally, but the landscape isn’t peaceful. Politics, pride, and myth swirl together, and the reader senses both the pull of hope and the danger of what the lovers must abandon or fight for. That interplay—where holding on means risking everything and surrendering means choosing a new future—is what I think makes the book truly special.
Does your book have a lesson? Moral?
Yes—Highlander’s Holly & Ivy carries a quiet but powerful lesson. At its heart, the book is about choosing which traditions define us and which ones we outgrow.
Alex and Iris come from opposite worlds—Scottish and English, Highland and Lowland, duty and independence—yet they’re forced to navigate a landscape shaped by suspicion, divided loyalties, and the heartbreak left after Culloden.
The moral woven through their love story is this: love survives when people are brave enough to challenge the expectations they were raised with.
You can honor your heritage without being imprisoned by it. You can build a future that isn’t dictated by politics, fear, or the past. And sometimes the traditions worth keeping aren’t the ones you’re born into—they’re the ones you choose together.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
My characters are a blend of historical truth and imagination. Alex MacDougall comes from a long line of real historical figures—his ancestors, Mary Comyn and Roderick MacDougall, are rooted in documented Scottish clans and events. Their legacy shaped who Alex needed to be: a man standing at the crossroads of duty, identity, and a changing Scotland.
But the real spark for Highlander’s Holly & Ivy came from a tiny wedding announcement I found buried in an old Scottish newspaper—just a single line about a Highland solicitor marrying an “English rose.” That little clipping told me everything I needed to know about the tension and tenderness of a cross-cultural marriage in the years after Culloden. It inspired the dynamic between Alex and Iris, and what their relationship would have meant at that time in history—hope, unity, and the quiet courage of loving across a divide.
Iris herself is entirely fictional. I created her to embody the “English rose” mentioned in that announcement, shaped to contrast and complement Alex’s world. She isn’t based on a real woman, but she represents what such a woman might have faced stepping into the Highlands after the rebellion.
So, while the foundation is historical, the heart of the story—the love, the conflict, the courage—comes from imagination.
Of all the characters you have created, which is your favorite and why?
Of all the characters I’ve created, the Fae are my absolute favorites. They’re my greatest creative outlet—playful, mischievous, breathtakingly magical, and sometimes delightfully devilish. Writing them gives me complete freedom. I can throw them into impossible odds, twist their destinies, test their loyalties, and they always rise in the most astounding ways.
The good Fae are full of wonder and heart; the dark ones are wicked in all the ways a writer secretly loves. They let me explore extremes—beauty, danger, temptation, power—while still anchoring everything in emotion and story.
No matter which book I’m writing, the Fae are the characters who surprise me the most. They breathe life into the world, sharpen every conflict, and make the magic feel inevitable. They’re not just part of my stories—they’re the heartbeat of my entire romantasy universe.
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
The character from Highlander’s Holly & Ivy I’m least likely to get along with is Lieutenant Patrick Tytler of the Queen’s army and the fifty-sixth brigade. He’s a man who constantly oversteps his authority, fueled by personal vengeance against the Scottish rather than any sense of justice or duty. He represents the worst kind of power—petty, vindictive, and eager to use his position to settle old grudges.
That said… I thoroughly enjoyed writing his earned ending. There’s a special kind of satisfaction in giving a character like him exactly what he deserves.
What would the main character in your book have to say about you?
Alex MacDougall’s response:
“She gave me a harder road than I would have chosen, but she understood me—my duty, my grief, my loyalty to my clan and my country. She didn’t make anything easy, yet she gave me the one thing I never expected after Culloden: a future worth fighting for. I might grumble about the trials she threw at me, but I’d thank her for Iris every single time.”
Iris Erskine’s response:
“She saw my heart before I ever stepped onto the page. She let me be curious, stubborn, and brave in a world where I was never meant to belong. She gave me a place in the Highlands—and a man who challenged every expectation I had of love. If I could say one thing to her, it would be thank you… for letting an English rose take root in Scottish soil.”
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I definitely write every book so it can stand on its own—you can pick up any title and enjoy the romance, the magic, and the adventure without reading the others first. But behind the scenes, I’m absolutely building a much larger interconnected world. I call it my Stones of Iona megaverse.
All the books—whether they’re set in the historical Highlands, the modern world, or the Fae realms—tie into the same mythology, the same ancient magic, and the same shifting balance between the Good Fae, the Tuatha Dé Dannan, and the evil Fae, the Formoire. Characters reappear across timelines, legacies echo through generations, and choices made in one book ripple into another.
Readers who follow the whole megaverse get to see how everything weaves together: the Stones, the clans, the dragons, the curses; even the tiny details hidden in earlier books that bloom into major revelations later.
So yes—each book stands alone, but they also connect into a sweeping, layered tapestry. The Stones of Iona world is always expanding, and I love giving readers that sense of discovery as the pieces click together across the entire megaverse.
About the Author:
Margaret Izard is an award-winning author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. Her latest awards are 2024 Reader’s Favorite Honorable Mention for Stone of Love and 2024 Spring BookFest Silver Award for the same title. She spent her early years through college to adulthood dedicated to dance, theater, and performing. Over the years, she developed a love for great storytelling in different mediums. She does not waste a good story, be it movement, the spoken, or the written word. She discovered historical romance novels in middle school, which combined her desire for romance, drama, and fantasy. She writes exciting plot lines, steamy love scenes and always falls for a strong male with a soft heart. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and adult triplets.
Connect with Margaret Izard
Giveaway:
$25 Amazon/BN GC
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