The Knight's Pledge: An epic historical adventure novel in the Will Bowman saga, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Ben Hope series

by Scott Mariani

**Buy Die for a King, the latest thrilling novel in the Will Bowman series, out now!**

READERS LOVE SCOTT MARIANI's Will Bowman series
'Could not put it down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Can't wait for the next one' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Historical fiction at its best' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Totally hooked . . . Scott Mariani never fails' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1191.

Will Bowman, now fully entangled in Richard Lionheart's crusade, has reached the Holy Land. However, just as he and his crew are about to touch down in Acre, they are drawn into an intense battle at sea, where they are faced with the dreaded Byzantine Greek Fire.

Barely escaping with his life, Will gains the trust of Richard Lionheart, moving into his service. But as the siege of Acre continues, and Richard's campaign grows ever more brutal and barbaric, Will begins to wonder just how safe his new position is.

And when the King sends him on a seemingly doomed mission, Will must ask who exactly is he fighting for?

337 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2025

Reviews

[MR A J MAWSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping tale of honourable survival

A great story tied tightly to the actual record of the Third Crusade. This story cleverly added in a welcome layer of friendship, love and honour, giving.some relief from the otherwise excessively brutal reality.
A gripping tale that earned our hero and his close friends my loyalty and strong wishes to see them survive, prevail and prosper. Perhaps realistically, my wishes were not always met.

[Lawrence Plum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong storyline, strong lead character and stirring action - all at a good pace!

This second book develops the characters well and moves the storyline up a gear.
Exciting action sequences and well wrought predicaments for our band to overcome mean the pages turn easily. Some interesting and well researched elements to the historical storyline take the saga to areas other writers have omitted. All in all another good read and the third instalment iseagerly awaited.

[Neville Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventures of Will Bowman continue in this excellent series. This time he's with Richard the Lionheart who send him on a mission. The author draws a vivid picture as if you are there with Will. This book I found hard to put down there's plenty of action. Looking forward to the third instalment. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this review copy.

[Mick Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a fantastic book

Really enjoyed The Knights Pledge, what a fantastic read, can’t wait for the next book luckily it will be published very soon. Great Author, I have read all the Ben Hope books and didn’t know what to expect when I picked up the pilgrims Revenge, I was not disappointed, hope there will be more books about Will Bowman after book 3 👏👏👏👏

[Mel Horne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmmm ok but the echos of Ben Hope are clear in this character , the structure of the book is like a well known formula with few surprises. H aging said that it is a fun yarn , more of a good snack than a full meal but pleasant all the same.

[E C Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of history included

Good book, I enjoyed Wills continuing adventures with his friends. A little if history included which whilst valuable context some times left the story going slow. But I will be reading the next as to when he goes after Sophia and Constantinople...

[John Simcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strong follow-up to the first instalment. With the characters already well established, the story feels even richer and more immersive.

Scott has a way of ending chapters that makes it nearly impossible not to say “just one more,” right up until the book is finished.

Although it unfolds at a slower pace, the story gathers momentum in the latter half and concludes beautifully. I’m eager to start the final book when it’s released.

[Patricia Ann Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second Epic tale of Will Bowman

Great story and loads of historical facts. Will and his companions faced overwhelming odds and won. Onto their next adventure. Thoroughly recommend this series.

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tale from the late 12th century crusades, feels reasonably authentic, but lacks the tension of his previous Ben Hope series

[Murdoch Macleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read

Very good read indeed, I would encourage people to read first, but there individual books, love the history involved in it.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Another fantastic tale hard to put down two or three late nights and early mornings after opening the first page 📃

[Glenda Powell · Rating 1 out of 5]

A real struggle didn't finish in the end.

[Mrs A Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

Yet again a thrilling book for the historians. A great story line that you could envisage being there. Must read

[Ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rip snorting obvious tale but not for me. A book to be skim read at speed. Read the first sentence and skip the rest of the paragraph!

[Sarah Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crusades meets SAS

Love Scott's novel's . Brilliant research. Can't wait for book 3 to find out what is next in store for Will