The Scottish Borders. For many years they held little interest for me, my heart lay in the grandeur of the Highlands - a few hours further north. But then on my 3rd wedding anniversary, we travelled to the Borders and visited a beautiful castle ruin in Caerlaverock. It’s twin towers still stand and is surrounded by a moat. The day we visited there was a low lying fog and the crows cawing. It was ethereal. Northumberland is likewise sparsely populated and barren. But the history and the beauty of the moors are captivating to me. I love reading stories set here, and considering how long it takes you to travel to this area, it’s no surprise it’s lawlessness was common during an era where travel to the region would have been even more laborious.

This book is set during the reign of King Henry VIII. It’s not a time span I generally look for stories from, however I’m a fan of Julie Daines work, and the cover and title for this book are stunning. There were moments when I was struggling with the plot. There is so much repetition in the amount of revenge the heroine Margaret has planned, yet she rarely acts on the opportunities she is given. I wanted a strong female lead for the set she is placed in. The descriptiveness of the land, her home - the Pele tower, her ruthless neighbors. Then there’s Angus and Gillis, who appear like magic at all the right times. I love Hamish, he seems like a perfect companion for the setting. Osanna was another well written addition.

This isn’t my favourite but, I did appreciate and enjoy following the story in a place I would dearly love more historical fiction to be based.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley. I also bought my own paperback copy. This is my honest review.

I loved this story. Angus is a hero..braw but sweet. Margaret is filled with the need for revenge. There are extraordinary secondary characters that will captivate you. I won't give the plot away, but I promise you'll feel wonderful when you come to the end.

I love medieval stories. This one was one that I couldn't put down. I read parts of it and listened to parts of it because I was hooked. I've long been a fan of Julie Daines and was so excited to see she had a new book coming out. I loved the cover of this book and knew that it was one I was definitely going to read.

Lady Margaret is a spitfire of a character. She's had sorrow hit her life pretty hard. And with that sorrow, a curse. In the beginning of this book she is finally returning home to take revenge for the sorrows of her life. Her plans don't quite align as she had hoped. She happens to run into some bandits, and a couple brothers Angus and Gillis and their dog. From there her hopes to quietly seek out those she wishes to enact revenge upon has extra helpers. Although they don't quite know what her purpose is.

I enjoyed the cast of characters in this one. The unlikely friendships, the working together to help Lady Margaret, and of course a budding romance. Everything is not always what it seems and Margaret must work quickly if she wants to get her revenge, protect her heart and survive.

Without spoiling anything I will say that I really liked Margaret's curse. I liked how the author used it to help drive the story as well as create angst in the story. I loved the growing love and romance between Margaret and her beau. No spoiling. ;-) There were definitely some sad moments throughout this book. Sorrow and heartache. But throughout, I loved watching the characters find healing and closure to their sorrows and heartaches. There are a couple more characters that I haven't talked about. The dastardly villain and another great friendship. I loved all the dimensions that the different characters brought to this story.

Read it, listen to it, but however you choose to enjoy this one, I hope you take the chance and try it. My daughters weren't happy when they only were able to hear parts of the story since I was reading and listening to it. My oldest has it on her list to listen to through a subscription that I have.

Content: Clean. Some moments of peril. The villain is a creep and does not treat females well. He beats up Margaret a little but nothing more. Nothing more than kissing.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. As well as listening to a copy through my Deseret Bookshelf subscription. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

From Ash and Stone is a historical fiction novel set in the Medieval ages along the border of England and Scotland. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It brought tears to my eyes and had me laughing out loud a few times as well. The theme of forgiveness and mercy comes through clearly at the end of the book. It's a revenge story with a twist. I'm usually not a huge fan of paranormal happenings in my novels, but it worked for this book.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of From Ash and Stone via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I enjoyed this historical fiction that had a bit of fantasy element in it as the main character can sense emotions with touch. I appreciated the clean romance aspect of this book. This was an engaging read that had the power of forgiveness as a major theme.

From Ash and Stone by Julie Daines. Covenant Communications, 2018

From Ash and Stone is set in Northumbria in the mid 1540s, a time when reivers along both sides of the Scottish and English border preyed viciously and indiscriminately against their neighbours to survive and to profit. When border reivers murder her family and destroy her household, Margaret survives by slashing her attacker’s face with a knife. The story begins six years later when Margaret returns to search for her attacker, intent on revenge. Before she quite reaches her old home, she is captured and robbed by reivers, then rescued by Angus, heir of a neighbouring lord.

Margaret is an empath, a power she hides, uses when convenient and mostly considers to be a curse; this paranormal element supports rather than overwhelms the story. Margaret, Angus and other characters, particularly members of Angus’ family, are described so well they almost come alive.

Many Scottish historical romances set near the border around this period feature aspects of a predatory way of living; this book weaves the practice into an interesting and unusual story, explaining and describing border reiving in a meaningful way that I appreciate and had not previously encountered.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well written and very engaging book.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of From Ash and Stone via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

posted to amazon, link to follow.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting story, but as a student of history, I felt there were a lot of details missing for the time period to explain why there were Reivers and fighting between England and Scotland. It felt very light on real substance and the characters were lacking detail and a good fleshing out. A decent effort but lacking.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't blown away by this novel. I liked that the author stayed true to the historical time period but that's as interesting as this novel gets. Meg is on a mission to get revenge for her parents death and travels back to her childhood home to get answers. She meets Angus who is kind and protective of her but she rejects his generosity in fear of getting too close. She also has the ability to read people through touch and she avoids letting anyone near. I was a bit turned off by Megs stand-offish ways. She wallows in her misery and doesn't allow herself to build relationships. Just not my type of novel.

WOW! A very intriguing story!
This is a MUST-READ for sure!
I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Six years ago, Lady Margaret Grey had everything taken from her. On one dark night, her home was burned to the ground, her family was murdered by border reivers, and a mysterious curse was placed upon her that gives her unwanted perception and unbearable pain. After scraping by on the streets of sixteenth century London, Margaret has returned to what's left of her home, determined to discover the identity of the man who organized the raid and to execute vengeance on him no matter the cost.

When a sturdy laird saves Margaret from a band of ruffians, she refuses to tell him her name or where she hails from. But Angus Robson is nothing if not persistent. With the help of his mute brother Gillis, Angus provides food, shelter, and protection for Margaret. He draws the line at helping her exact vengeance, however, and Margaret becomes increasingly frustrated by his attempts to thwart her. She doesn't mind that she'll be hanged, drawn, and quartered after her plan succeeds, but it turns out that Angus minds that fact very much. When Margaret runs afoul of the crooked King's Warden, even Angus is hard pressed to save her, and it looks like her curse may remain unlifted as her quest goes unfinished. 

Set during the reign of Henry VIII, this book was a tumultuous ride along the wilds of the Scottish border. I have always been interested in the lawless reivers, pirates who preyed on the sheep and cattle of their neighbors, burning, raiding, and killing Scots and English indiscriminately. The fast pacing of this book showed the dangers of the period, although Margaret did seem to lead a charmed life that resulted in Angus happening by every time she got in over her head.

In this novel, Angus Robson is a man who cares for his own with fidelity and constancy, but he's also no milksop when it comes to a midnight melee. His father is a harsh man, blaming Angus for the death of Angus' older brother. But even as Angus tries to live up to his father's expectations, he also continues to have a soft heart toward the helpless. As a damsel in distress, Margaret's green eyes and long black hair draw Angus like a moth to a flame. But Margaret is consumed by her hatred, refusing to consider any thoughts of romance when her family still goes unavenged. In the end, she must break the vicious cycle of vengeance, learning that mercy is a gift more to herself than to her adversary.

Margaret's curse brings an element of the paranormal into the book. It added an interesting twist to the book, although it did seem a little too tidy the way that the curse was resolved. All in all, this was a good romance and a page-turning adventure making me interested to read more by Julie Daines.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was very intriguing with a great plot. It was suspenseful, action packed and romantic. I loved how the main character was greatly changed through the storyline. She started out with a stone heart and it gradually thawed. Definitely a great read!

A story of loss and vengeance that will take you through a turbulent period in history. Margaret lost her home and family one night by reivers and she was lucky to have escaped. But she did not get away unscathed. One of them bashed her in the head with a rock and it gave her an ability to sense the thoughts of someone when she touches them. It is really almost a curse so she stays away for several years and keeps herself apart.
Revenge. Now she is going back and is determined to find who killed her family and when he is dead, hopefully the curse will end. But the best laid plans so not always happen and when she runs into Scotsman, Angus Robson it seems she will never be alone. He constantly is there bringing her food and chipping away at the wall she has built against others.
Angus was such a good heart and he was determined to help Margaret. The author pulls you into the times with her descriptions and makes you feel invested in the characters. This was the first book I have read by her but it will not be the last!

Set in the turbulent times of Henry VIII’s rebellion against the Catholic Church, From Ash And Stone follows Margaret Grey, a young woman from the dangerous lands just south of the Scottish border. Reivers are a way of life in the borderlands, and England’s king is too busy to care, whereas Mary Queen of Scots is a babe in arms. The law in the borderlands is made by the strong, a lesson Margaret learns only too well when in the space of a single night her family and home are all destroyed. Six years later, older and wiser, she returns to her home with only one thing on her mind. Vengeance.

Margaret has a special skill, though, one she believes to be a curse. Her head was struck against a standing stone the night she lost her family, and she gained the uncanny ability to know another person’s thoughts at the touch of their skin.

Unfortunately, almost everyone really is out to get her in this story, and using her gift causes her pain, so she doesn’t realise until it’s almost too late that the one person she can trust is her Scottish neighbour, Angus Robson, and his mute brother Gillis. Angus is, frankly, adorable, even if he does keep thwarting Margaret’s chances for revenge. His acceptance of her ‘gift’ and of the girl Osanna she takes under her protection (who is definitely a witch) is heart-warming, and his brother Gillis is heart-breakingly sweet.

The sheer lawlessness of life in the borders at the time comes across very well in this novel, which was why I found one particular plot point so incredible; how did one young girl, friendless, alone and injured, make her way all the way to London and back again? And why would she even do so? It’s not as though she could appeal to the king, or had any family there to turn to. It made no sense to me for Margaret to go so far, and one other thing also got to me, the Almost But Not Quite trope. I honestly lost count of the number of times Margaret was Almost But Not Quite raped or killed, always saved just in the nick of time, either by her own wits (at least she didn’t always have to be rescued) or by the intervention of Angus. It got kind of predictable after a while.

The end of the story left me somewhat dissatisfied as well, since I’m afraid I like villains to get what’s coming to them and the Big Bad of this story just… didn’t. In terms of historical accuracy, this is superbly written, and the characters were very realistic, but there were a few too many things which just didn’t quite sit right for me. Three stars.

This was a great story, it was also a story with a lot of holes in it. Our heroine is so stubborn and hard headed it becomes hard to like her at times. We have our unbelievably patient hero who is rebuffed more times than I could count but keeps coming back for more rudeness and getting kicked out of her "home".

I have to admit up front that I am a total revenge junkie and this story led me on for about 240 pages and left me with little satisfaction, the romance was done well, the action was decent but the revenge left me like "What?? You gotta be kidding me!!"

I have to add this last note, price seldom comes into play in my reviews unless the price and the story/length/etc are far out of sync and this is where this book falls, 240 pages of a decent but not exceptional story for $11 ebook and $16 paperback is just not even close to fair pricing so you be the judge but also let me point out that my taste for revenge stories played a big part in my feelings about this story, yours may be very different as evidenced by the other reviews. So I give what I felt might have been a 3 Star rating a 4 Star for people who might be a bit less bloodthirsty than myself .

This was a wonderful story. It was a great weekend read. The characters were wonderful with growth throughout the story. The plot was even more exciting knowing that it was based off history. I did feel the ending was rushed a bit but that may have been due to my enjoyment of the story.

I am becoming a huge lover of Historical Fiction and From Ash and Stone has become one of my faves. This book made me cry, sigh, and smile. I truly loved the narration of this book. The characters, Angus was one of my favorite characters. I loved his personality. Margaret is such a strong woman. Hell-bent on finding out who killed her family.

The setting was so beautiful. I truly enjoyed reading this book.


I really loved the ending. A happily-ish ever after.

A revenge story with a twist. I'm usually not a huge fan of paranormal happenings in my novels, and I wasn't sure how they would impact the story. However, one scene involving the heroine Margaret, her unique ability, and another character brought tears to my eyes. I've read a few stories with border reivers in them; what a hard life it was for many. The hero, Angus was my favorite. He was intelligent, compassionate, and good thing for Margaret, he was a "sticky fly". Hamish the dog was pretty great, too. After everything that happened, realizing that vengeance can be a hollow victory at best, and the destruction of one's soul and life at worst, is thought-provoking indeed. This book is well-written and well-edited. Julie Daines is a gifted writer.

"From Ash and Stone" is a romance set in 1543 along the border of England and Scotland during the border wars. Margaret's family died in one of the raids common at that time, and she's left with the curse that every time she touches her bare skin to someone else's bare skin, she knows their thoughts but she's left with a bad headache. She wears gloves and avoids human touch, which has left her lonely and miserable. She decides to use the curse to discover who killed her family in the hopes that killing their murderer will lift the curse. And if she dies, at least she will be with her family again.

Two kind and caring neighbors, Angus Robson and his brother, help her with things like food and their watchful protection. She rejects their help and asks them to leave her alone, but their continued kindnesses slowly work on her heart. She cannot marry with her curse, so she's even more determined to get her revenge. Yet Angus repeatedly tries to stop her in order to save her life.

The characters were complex and likable, and I cared about what happened to them. The story was interesting and showed what life was like in the area at the time. The romance develops slowly. The two challenged each other to become better people and find healing from past hurts. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel.

Great story, set in the time of Henry VIII, Margaret Grey is the only survivor of a reiver raid on her home in the Border Marches. Her whole family was killed by fire and she was only saved because she had stolen away to meet a boy.

She was accosted by the leader of the revivers, he stuck her, and she fell against the standing stones and hit her head, now she cannot touch anyone skin to skin, as she can read their minds.

This and the tragic deaths of her family have cursed her, she doesn’t let herself get close to anyone. She escaped to London and has lived on the streets and then in a convent, biding her time and nursing thoughts of revenge. She has come to seek out this man, and to kill him, whatever the cost. She is content to die in the attempt.

On her way to the pele tower at Hartfell, that is all that is left of her family home, she is accosted by 3 reivers from the Hall clan, they are threatening her, when she is rescued by Angus Robson, second son of the Earl of Linkirk, and his mute younger brother. He asks her name and business, but she refuses to answer, and makes her way to the tower. He follows her, and she rebuffs him again, but he leaves her with his dog Hamish for protection, and some provisions, when she refuses his hospitality at his home. Angus and his family live in the Scottish Borders.

Margaret stars to make the tower habitable and slowly ventures to town to try and ask people for the identity of the revivers who torched her home. Anugus and his brother continue to help and look out for Margaret, even though she constantly says she does not want any friends, by bringing her furniture and food. Eventually she discovers that the English Warden, William Dacre, who is pledged to protect the people is the leader of the reviews she seeks. She starts to plot his downfall.

Margaret is badly injured when she rescues a young girl called Osanna from a group of young boys, she becomes delirious and Angus takes her to his home to heal. She becomes closer to Angus against her will, and returns to the tower, to put some distance between them and get back to her quest. She attempts to kill the warden, firstly to poison him, and then to shoot him, and is foiled both times by Angus.

Eventually the warden realises who she is and captures her and Osanna, Angus and his family raid the wardens keep to rescue her and Osanna, and they take them to the Scottish estate. When there Margaret realises her visions have stopped, and she relinquishes her desire for revenge, they finally confess their love for each other and get their HEA.

This was really well done, I loved Margaret’s independence and competence, I also loved how Angus did not try and dominate her, but supported her, and shielded her from folly when necessary. He was also able to be flexible and grow and adapt, as was she. The conflict and adventure in the story was very well handled, and kept me invested throughout, the paranormal element of her ability was handled well, and kept believable, and I enjoyed the secondary characters of Gillis and Osanna and Hamlisch the dof too. Recommended.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Also posted on goodreads

Lady Margaret Grey's family was killed by reivers, who looted and burned her family's home. Although Margaret escaped, one of the reivers smashed her head into a rock, in a special stone circle, and ever since, whenever Margaret touches someone, she can sense his or her thoughts. For six years, Margaret has kept apart from others, not touching anyone, and has managed to survive on the streets of London. Now, though, she is ready to seek revenge on those who killed her family and heads home to the borderlands. She hopes that is she can find the killer and kill him in return, she will be able to break her curse and finally be free from knowing others' thoughts. She is counting on running into a Scotsman, Angus Robson, who makes a nuisance of himself by constantly turning up at her home, bringing her food and thwarting her plans--both her plans to seek revenge and to keep the wall around her heart intact.

This book hooked me from the very beginning. I love Margaret; her need for revenge and the wall around her heart are so realistically portrayed. I also loved seeing the cracks in her wall and how she couldn't help but care about certain people. I also loved Angus; I loved seeing how determined he was to help Margaret even when she didn't want him to, and he also made me laugh. The setting was so interesting; I'd never heard of reiving before and appreciated learning more about that period of English/Scottish history. The plot was quick and moved along well. Really enjoyable!

I read an ARC via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.