by: Margaret Izard
Series: Stones of Iona
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: February 9, 2026
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Bound by destiny, torn by fate—their love stood unbroken, victorious over all.
Kat MacArthur still feels the loss of her brother to another time. Seeking solace, she stumbles upon Ceallach, a Fae warrior, she’s had feelings for ever since she met him. The emotion grows stronger whenever they are together. Yet he warns her to stay away from the upcoming gathering for the Iona Stones. Kat refuses—she needs to be there to help her family and Ceallach.
Ceallach is torn between duty, magic, and the ache for mortal love. His Fae soul is sworn to protect the Iona Stones during the Gathering, but his heart is lost to Kat. With the prophecy looming, he cannot promise her forever—no matter how much he longs to. The maiden of the Iona Stones now faces sacrifice, and he fears if his beloved gets too close, he cannot save her.
When dark forces rise to take the Iona Stones along with their powers, Ceallach is forced into an impossible decision—to defy destiny or surrender to love?
Honestly, today I’m ill (Texas hay fever, here today, gone tomorrow with the pollen), but here for you guys. Writing is something I love, and being able to discuss this with readers fuels my soul.
I COMPLETLY understand Texas weather. I’m probably around an hour and a half from you. I have to be honest, when I sat down to think of interview questions for you and Stone of Destiny, I kept drawing blanks. You have been on the blog twice previously and given amazingly detailed answers.
Readers can click here to learn about the world you’ve created for the Stone of Iona series and learn more about the characters found in the first five books of the series.
When Stone of Faith, book six, came out, you did an incredible interview with me, where you talked about plotting out the series and the research you did. Readers can find that interview here.
Thank you! I love that you have included previous blog posts. I work hard on each answer.
I can definitely tell! Tell me about the main characters in Stone of Destiny.
Stone of Destiny centers on Kat MacArthur and Ceallach, a couple whose connection has lingered beneath the surface of the series for years. Kat carries the weight of loss and refuses to accept that fate gets to claim everything she loves. When prophecy tightens its grip, she pushes forward instead of stepping aside. Ceallach, cousin to Aodhán from Stone of Doubt, book 5 Stones of Iona, stands bound by duty as a Fae warrior sworn to protect the Iona Stones. He loves Kat deeply, yet believes restraint will keep her safe, even at his own expense.
As the final book in the Stones of Iona series, their story unfolds during the Gathering of the Iona Stones, which draws every major character from previous books back into the narrative. Long-running consequences collide, relationships resurface, and the full cast returns to close the arc they all helped build, giving Kat and Ceallach’s love story both intimacy and epic weight.
This sounds like a great conclusion to the series. What can readers expect from the book?
Readers can expect Stone of Destiny to deliver emotional payoff on every level. This book closes a seven-book arc built on prophecy, consequence, and love under pressure, so nothing drifts or resolves easily. The story brings Kat and Ceallach to the center at last, forcing them to confront everything they avoided—duty, timing, sacrifice, and the cost of choosing one another when fate tightens its grip.
As the final book, Stone of Destiny honors the journey that began in Stone of Love, book 1 Stones of Iona, and delivers a true ending rather than a convenient pause. Readers will find resolution, emotional reckoning, and a sense of earned closure—along with the spark that ignites what comes next. The series ends where it always meant to, and the wider Iona Megaverse opens its doors from there.
For Stone of Destiny, what was your favorite part of the book to write?
Great question. I loved writing many parts of Stone of Destiny, but the ending stands above everything else. From the moment I wrote the first book in the series, Stone of Love, I knew exactly where this series would end. I understood the final emotional destination and the cost it would demand, and for more than six years I wrote each Stones of Iona Series book with that conclusion in mind.
During the final edits, my editor took a fall, and we handled the last round verbally over the phone. She asked if there was any part of the book I wouldn’t want changed. I always listen to my editor and welcome revisions, but my answer came without hesitation—the ending. We talked it through at length because that moment carries the weight of nine books and every promise made along the way.
I can’t spoil it, but the ending lands exactly where I always intended it to. Writing that arc remains my proudest moment in the series and my greatest writing achievement so far.
As already mentioned, Stone of Destiny is the last and final book in the Stone of Iona series. Do you remember how you felt writing the final word, editing the book for the final time?
Oh yes—absolutely. I feel it every time I think about that moment. Writing the final word and completing the last edit hit me straight in the chest. The journey, the ending, what it means to me and to these characters—it all floods back at once. When I started Stone of Love, I never imagined I’d reach the second book, Stone of Fear, let alone make it through the last book, Stone of Destiny, and see the entire Stones of Iona published and complete.
Writing Stone of Destiny felt epic and terrifying in equal measure. This was the moment every thread tightened, every arc converged, every choice I’d placed on the page finally demanded its due. I didn’t approach the ending lightly—I approached it with reverence, gratitude, and a fair amount of tears. Finishing this book, this series stands as one of the proudest achievements of my life, not just as a writer, but as someone who dared to believe the story deserved to be told all the way to the end.
Looking back on the series, is there anything you wish you had written, done, or changed?
No—and I say that with complete certainty. I placed every story arc, plot line, and breadcrumb with intention. Each choice serves a purpose, whether it paid off immediately or waited several books to come due. Changing anything now would weaken the emotional integrity of the journey and the trust I built with readers who followed the series from the beginning.
This series didn’t just tell seven love stories—it laid the foundation for the entire world that follows. The Stones of Iona opened the door to the Iona Megaverse, and so much more still waits beyond it. I didn’t close the story because I ran out of ideas. I closed it because this arc reached its natural, earned end—and now the world gets to expand in new, exciting ways.
We’ve talked about this previously. But what’s next for you?
What comes next grows straight out of the story readers already know. I’m moving fully into the Dragons of Tantallon, which expands the Iona Megaverse through Fae dragon shifters—ancient, oath-bound, and anything but extinct. The dragons didn’t appear out of nowhere. I introduced them quietly in Stone of Love, book 1 Stones of Iona, planting the seed long before their stories stepped into the light. Fun note, I’ve written these books alongside the Stones of Iona Series.
This new series pulls the veil back on their hidden lineage and explores what happens after destiny cracks open. Each book follows a Fae marked by legacy, loss, and curse, and the fated mate who challenges their control, vows, and understanding of love. The emotional intensity and mythic weight remain, but the world widens, the magic sharpens, and the past refuses to stay buried. The Stones of Iona reached its earned conclusion—and the Dragons of Tantallon rise from what that ending awakened.
Margaret, thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on the release of Stone Destiny.
Thank you!
Still wearing a grin, he strode forward with confidence, and a sensuality Kat had not forgotten. The man still took her breath away with one look. Ceallach arrived before her, a smile playing on his lips. As his eyes swept across her face, the expression faltered. His brows knitted together in a frown, shadowing the sudden tension in his gaze. Reaching with his finger, he lifted a tear from her cheek, gripped his fist hard, and when opened, a small, clear teardrop-shaped gemstone sat in his palm.
“Dry yer tears, sweet Kat. Yer face is much prettier without them.” He took her hand and, with his other placed the gemstone in her palm. “When ye hold the gem, yer tears will fade, and happy thoughts shall fill yer heart.” When the stone touched her skin, her mind cleared, and a sense of ease washed over her.
Ceallach released her hand and strode past her to the doors.
Kat turned, calling after him. “Wait, why are ye here?”
The attractive Fae stopped and turned. “Dagda sent me. I’ve come to meet with the guardian of the stones. All the stones have returned. The gathering and battle of good vs evil is upon us. The gods have called, and we must answer.”
He opened the heavy oak doors without effort and strode through. The doors weight closed them, leaving Kat in the shadows again. She blinked, almost not believing her eyes and the truth before her. Her secret love had just casually strolled back into her life. Gripping the gem, he’d shaped from her tears, warmth washed over her. Ceallach was here. A smile crossed her face.
Ceallach was here.
“Dry yer tears, sweet Kat. Yer face is much prettier without them.” He took her hand and, with his other placed the gemstone in her palm. “When ye hold the gem, yer tears will fade, and happy thoughts shall fill yer heart.” When the stone touched her skin, her mind cleared, and a sense of ease washed over her.
Ceallach released her hand and strode past her to the doors.
Kat turned, calling after him. “Wait, why are ye here?”
The attractive Fae stopped and turned. “Dagda sent me. I’ve come to meet with the guardian of the stones. All the stones have returned. The gathering and battle of good vs evil is upon us. The gods have called, and we must answer.”
He opened the heavy oak doors without effort and strode through. The doors weight closed them, leaving Kat in the shadows again. She blinked, almost not believing her eyes and the truth before her. Her secret love had just casually strolled back into her life. Gripping the gem, he’d shaped from her tears, warmth washed over her. Ceallach was here. A smile crossed her face.
Ceallach was here.
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