“It takes bigger stones than Auld Clootie (the devil) to take on a Highlander.” “To be with your Gran, I crossed an ocean. I gave up kin and country and all I held dear. And I never once regretted it…If you’re ever lucky enough to find a love like that, let nothin’ stand in your way. Nothin’.”

Post WW II, Granda and his friends had immigrated to a small town near Detroit. “...but the way they talked, you’d have thought they…had fought in the battle of Culloden…”. Granda’s tavern, the Caledonia Club, was in danger of folding. All granddaughter Fiona Buchanan ever wanted to do was to run the Caledonia Club. Perhaps a younger crowd, the introduction of craft beer. The plan would have to wait. Fiona’s bestie, Sean, had invited her to an all expenses paid trip to Scotland.

A ren-fair at a castle! Sean planned to confess his love. He provided Fiona with medieval attire which included a white linen dress, a green wool over garment and funky shoes. The castle was full of secret passages…underground tunnels…a rectangular stone called The Stone of Destiny where kings were crowned. Under this stone was a portal. Sean and Fiona were pushed through the time -portal into the 14th Century.

Once in the pine forest of Caledonia, in the year 1396, Sean described his secret mission. He had been sent as a time soldier, using a form of alternate warfare, to change the past. “Simulations…suggest our plan to bring an end to the Stewart line will work. James VI won’t inherit the English throne, and Scotland and England will remain independent nations.” Knowing this information made Fiona a liability. She must be eliminated.

Bandits in the forest were looking for gold. With Sean as a decoy, Fiona sprinted for cover. Shot in the thigh by an arrow, a dark haired stranger named Henry carried her to his stone cottage where she was tended to by a crusty old woman named Mairi. “The arrow has to come out…Ye’ll endure it, and when it’s done, ye’ll take that pain and make it your strength.” Fiona to herself, ” I didn’t choose to come here, or to be chased, or shot, but what came next was up to me…”.

“A shadow of a nightmare…everything was coming back…Sean…the bandit…the little old lady…the dark haired man. And pain…I looked at my leg. The thought of facing my new reality overwhelmed me.” Mairi felt that God had delivered the gift of a girl to help her. Henry insisted that she could not stay. His bark matched Mairi’s in its ferocity. According to Mairi, “if I didna ken any better I’d say that lass has ye afeard.” Fiona, for her part, was afraid of being used as a pawn in the “medieval dating game”, however she needed a place to live. Perhaps she could convince Mairi of her usefulness.

Mairi handed Fiona a sewing basket. “I looked from the needle in my left hand to the thread in my right. ‘All right, you little bitch. This time you’re going through. What I wouldn’t give for five minutes’ access to YouTube.”

“How had I not noticed how massive (Henry) was? He had biceps like boulders. Why was he glowering? He was looking at me the way I looked at a sink full of dirty dishes…But…the dude was a badass. Even Granda would have been impressed…”. Henry asked, “Who are ye? You seem to be a pampered princess who canna ken how to do the simplest tasks. You don’t have to be afraid. As long as you are here you are under my protection.”

“Mairi’s goal was to find me a goodman. A goodman would not be able to cast me out despite my “domestic shortcomings”...I didn’t want to be some man’s wife. I could be an alewife…Maybe one day own my own tavern. I could still have my dream, even if it came six hundred years ahead of schedule…Maybe time soldiers would come…maybe I’d get a papercut and die because I didn’t have Neosporin…I had no control over that. The only choice I had was how to live.”

“Beneath the Destiny Stone” by Sarah Charles is one of my favorite reads of 2025. The multi-layered adventure, set in medieval times, had an Outlander vibe, with of course, a brooding, sexy blacksmith. Yes, he had his reasons. There was no doubt that Mairi ruled the roost at the stone cottage. Then, along came this twenty something woman, from Detroit, with peculiar ideas and a raunchy manner of expression. The read was an absolute delight!

Highly recommended.

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story was a lot of fun I really enjoyed the mix of pop culture humor with mid 14th century Scottish brogue. Our secondary characters were fantastic! This was really easy to get into and keep reading I think I finished this in about 48 hours.

I wish the author had spent more time giving context to the historical nature of Scotland at that time. I had general knowledge going into this about the clan wars which helped a lot. Knowing that before hand or explaining it more in depth in the novel would be super helpful. But I understand there isn't time for everything as this book is already pushing 400 pages.

The author did a fantastic job of tying up all the loose threads by the end of the story. I loved our main characters Fiona and Henry, they had such great chemistry. I appreciated that this was more of a historical fantasy with romance while the romance played a big part, Fiona stood on her own. I want us to get a sequel just about Gavin! Loved him so much.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me a free ebook in exchange for this honest review.

A very good read about time travel that could have detailed other aspects of life in the 1300's. The writing is exemplary and flows naturally to a conclusion that is wistful and heartening.