A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: Stone of Doubt by Margaret Izard

Monday, March 24, 2025

Stone of Doubt by Margaret Izard

In the absence of doubt, only faith is found.

Stone of Doubt

Stones of Iona Book 5

by Margaret Izard

Genre: Time Travel, Paranormal Romance

A human with Fae powers living like an oddball has its ups and downs until Evie MacDougall’s dream Fae boy pops back into her life after she thought another was “the one.” One dark and devilish, the other her long-lost love. Evil forces trap her for a magic Fae stone, but which man can she trust?

As a teen prophesied to be Fae king, Aodhán viewed the girl of his dreams through an Eye of Ra. Once, he risked all to help Evie MacDougall find a magic Fae stone, only to end up imprisoned. Kept from his true love for years, he finds her at risk from an evil Fae hunting a magic stone.

Is a single vow strong enough to save true love, to save the human and Fae realms?

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Evie threw open Kat’s door, allowing it to bang against the wall.

Kat rolled over. “Kind of early, even for ye, Evie.”

Evie strode to Kat’s closet, flipping through each item. She didn’t say a word, fearful she’d give away something, anything that told her best friend she’d visited the Fae realm.

Kat sat up. “What are ye wearing? Yer hair’s lighter. I like it!”

Evie glanced down, forgetting the Fae gown, and shrugged. “Something for a play.” She cringed inside at lying to her friend but couldn’t tell anyone she was the one the Fae fable referred to. Not yet, at least.

Evie flipped back and forth between a crop top and a skirt. Kat’s chest was like her ma’s, larger than Evie’s, but Evie’s hips were bigger. Her clothes had to fit. Evie didn’t have time to go shopping. She wasn’t ready for the idea of selecting new clothing that she’d never bothered to glance at, let alone try on.

Grabbing the pink crop top and gray pencil skirt, Evie felt comfortable with it being long enough to cover her knees. She had to start somewhere. If she wore a miniskirt to work, ha! Evie envisioned falling, carrying ale, and flashing her personals to all of Maggie’s Bar. That’d be a hoot.

As Kat called after her, she strode from the room. “Sure, ye can borrow some of my clothes. Thanks for asking!”

In her room, Evie stripped the Fae gown and hung it, carefully placing it in the back of her closet. She slipped on a bra and undies and donned the crop top lifting her arms to ensure her boobs stayed covered. With the skirt on, she examined herself in the mirror.

“Nice. Not yer usual colors.” Kat leaned on the frame, yawning. “The form-fitting cotton looks good.”

Evie turned right, then left, checking her reflection. It needed something more. She moved to her closet, examining her belts. The skinny suspenders, that’s what it needed. Attaching those, she turned before the mirror and nodded.

As she sat to put on her black boots, Kat collapsed on her bed. “Why the change?” She rolled over. “Not that I’m complaining, but pink with light gray and form-fitting cotton isn’t yer norm.”

Kat sat up. “Manix! It has to be. Ye have the hots for Manix!”

Evie shrugged as she brushed her long hair out. This was good. If they thought she spent her time with Manix, they wouldn’t figure out she’d spent most of the evening in the Fae realm with Aodhán.

She placed her hair in pigtails and began braiding each one. She had to keep her hair up for her waitressing, but after work, when she went out with Manix, the braids would make her hair wavy when she let it out. Perfect.

Speaking of Fae realms, “Where’s Ewan and Doug?”

Kat stood and went to the door. “In bed as usual. They come back later and later each trip.” She sighed. “They should be careful.”

Evie checked the clock. Dash, it’s almost eleven am. Her shift started at noon, and Manix said he’d pick her up at nine when her shift ended.

She grabbed her leather jacket and went past Kat, who held her arm. “Do ye know what ye are doing with Manix? Ewan mentioned that some say he has a temper he can’t control.”

Evie pulled her arm away. “It’s nothing. I’m sure exaggeration.”

Evie ran to the door as Kat called after her, “Sure, don’t mind me, yer BFF. I only just arrived, and ye are off every evening with a man.” She sighed dramatically. “I’ll stay in with a movie again.”

Evie stopped at the opened door. “Soon, ye and I will go bar hopping. Introduce ye around.”

Kat chuckled, “Hold ye to it.”

Evie wasn’t certain what this day held. She’d not dated many men as none seemed to appeal to her. Ewan said it was because she compared them all to her Fae boy, and maybe she had. A human could never beat out the attraction a Fae held. It wasn’t a mere myth but the total truth.

**Don’t miss the other books in the series!**

Previous books in the series, Stone of Love, book 1, Brielle and Colin’s 18^th century Scottish story. Stone of Fear, Book 2, Marie and John’s 13^th century Scottish story. Stone of Lust, Book 3, Ainslie and Rannick’s Viking tale. Thistle in the Mistletoe featuring a couple in the past from Stone of Love.

Next in the series: Holly and Ivy, a Christmas companion book. Stone of Faith, book 6. Stone of Destiny, book 7. Evergreen Evermore, a Christmas companion book.

This series leads into another connected series, Dragons of Tantallon, a dragon-shapeshifter series revolving around the magic Iona Stones.

Find them HERE!

Margaret Izard is a multi-award-winning author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. 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 passion 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 and loves to hear from readers.

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