Thank you to NetGalley for granting this ARC, super cute and fast read. The couples were adorable and the story was cute.

I absolutely loved this book!! I could not put down. Which always seems the case whenever I read Mia Pride. Whether she writes Historical or Contemporary Romance you have a great book.

I dnf't this book at 54‰. Ever since I requested and got this arc I have found out that I don't really like reading historical romances as an ebook, I prefer audiobooks. I think thats what slowed me down and at this point I just didn't want to read it anymore. I got really bored but I do think this is from the format I consumed it. I think I would have liked the book more if I had the audiobook.

Loved this book and the characters in it. The story is strong and ties up loose ends from the other books in this series. I really enjoyed the characters and the main two are strong and independent. Neither are looking for love and fight it along the way. I like the way this book ties up the story line. Worth the time and money

Maid for the Knight by Mia Pride is Book Three in the Irvines of Drum and features the romance (or not) of Matilda Keith and Reginald Irvine. The story opens at Drum Castle where Tilda is helping Elizabeth, the laird's wife and her sister take care of their young son, Alexander. Lurking in the background is Reginald, Elizabeth's brother-in-law and Tilda's good friend. Also there is Marjorie Douglas who is fostering with Elizabeth and chasing Reginald. She hopes her will marry her. Tilda has been getting letters from someone in the Douglas clan, which is not positive. She never answers them and she never shares them. Also at issue is the way Reginald has been treating her, following her around, displaying small fits of jealousy, but never willing to commit to anything. It is driving her crazy. She finally shares with Elizabeth the contents of the letters and after a scene with the young man who is the courier, is forced to share the contents with Laird Robert and the others. It is a precarious situation.

Tilda is fierce and independent. She is a well-written, compelling character. Sometimes you kind of want to slap her for being to sensible, but it is who she is. Reginald is a rake. He is determined never to marry; doesn't feel it fits his lifestyle to be leaving his wife all the time and possibly ending up dead in battle, leaving her with children to raise alone. He has an eye for the ladies and his eye has landed on Tilda, although her knows he cannot love (bed) her and leave her as he usually does. It is quite the conundrum. As he and Marjorie and Matilda travel to the keep of James Douglas, Marjorie's uncle, things come to a head. There are plots twists aplenty in this novel although most of them are quite believable. It was a violent and lawless time and that is surely apparent in this story. It is a good read. I recommend it.

I was invited to read an ARC of Maid for the Knight by Dragonblade, through Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #maidfortheknight

This is book 3 in this series, but I found it okay as a stand alone. It would probably be better to read these in order since there's a bit of backstory and the characters from previous books are in there. I would think that Matilda and Reginald were mentioned in the previous books as well probably building their characters. That said though, you won't be confused or feeling you are missing anything by picking up this book first.

Matilda is an orphan. She was brought to the doorstep of the Keiths as an infant, her only identity tied to a necklace she has had since her arrival. She has been working to find out who she is, but when she gets answers she feels she must keep it all a secret.

Reginald has worked as a traveling knight his whole life, always making time to appreciate the lasses. Given orders to find out what Matilda is hiding, he makes it his goal to shadow her at every turn.

Give this book a try if you like
-class differences – though, it's not a huge part, it's mentioned many times that Matilda is a servant in the Keith house and eats and sleeps with the servants.
-Fake relationship – Matilda and Reginald pretend to be married on part of their journey
-Highlander fun with rival clans and plenty of secrets and revenge
-Not super steamy – one kiss and one full scene (I believe)
-friends to lovers - this couple has known each other for years and have schemed together during their free time in the castle

I found parts of this book refreshing. Especially in the fact that Matilda and Reginald always seemed ready to talk about their feelings for each other. There never seemed to be any risk of a big miscommunication going to happen. Reginald is very against marriage, so they have that struggle. The beginning was fun with some nice tension building.

But I found the book tapered off for me around halfway. My interest waned as lots of family and clan intrigue started happening and the main focus wasn't the relationship anymore. There wasn't a lot here that stood out to me against the many other highlander books I've read to make it unique.

I give 3 stars.

A Dangerous Secret

Matilda has a secret, and it has to do with who abandoned her as a child. She cannot face the peril alone. Will she trust the people who have loved and protected her?

Reginald is a wandering soldier who has no intentions of getting married. When danger threatens the woman he loves, he must reexamine his priorities. Can Matilda and Reginald survive the danger? Will they be able to acknowledge what is in their hearts? If you enjoy Scottish historical romance with intrigue, you might like this story.

Drum Castle, Scotland 1413
A time when Scotland's King was held captive by the English and the countries were in turmoil. A dangerous time and Matilda "held secrets, dark ones that had plagued her for over a year, ones she could never tell a living soul lest she fear becoming outcast by the ones she considered her kin. " She had been left as a babe at Drum Castle and grown up with the Laird and his family.
Mia Pride has visually pulled us into this time in history with her vivid descriptions and historical knowledge and brought the wonderful characters alive.
Matilda had to face revealing her secret that will change her life and those around her. Reginald, brother of the Laird had been her friend for the past few years and he tried to hold back on his feelings for her but as danger knocks on the door, Reg and Matilda will fight their way to love.
Such a truly wonderful, intriguing tale that did not let me go until I turned the last page. Sigh...

Matilda Keith was left as an infant at the gates of Clan Keith. Her only clue to her identity was a pendant left in her basket. Matilda was lovingly raised in the Keith Clan, but Matilda always wondered who she was.
When Matilda started receiving mysterious messages from the Douglas Clan, Laird Robert Irvine asked his brother, Reginald, to find out who was sending the missives, and to be a constant guard for Matilda.
I enjoyed the interaction between Matilda and Reginald. Neither wanted to marry, but they only had eyes for each other.
This is the third book in the Irvines of Drum Series, but is a stand alone story. Characters from the first two books do appear in this story. If you haven't done so, I encourage you to read them as well. Outstanding series!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story so verra, verra much!
Two people vowed to never marry, never have children.
Secrets, lies, deceit and pain is all Matilda knew. She covered her medallion like a deep dark secret, a secret she didn’t know would come in the presence of her most hated enemy.
Reginald only knows one thing, protect his Laird and the people in the surrounding area. Until the day he had to protect her, the one person he couldn’t think of anything else but her.
There are some quirkiness, I laughed, awed, and just felt so involved I didn’t want to put it down until the verra, verra ending.
I didn’t see any errors, very well choreographed and just loved the characters and how it ended. It was also a plus to see the previous characters in this story as well.
Thank you so much!!

On a bleak night, a person in a dark cloak, placed a basket with a small babe inside outside the gates of the Keith Clan. No one inside knew who this child was or why it was left with them. The child only had a necklace, with a strange clan emblem that no one recognized, for identification. She was named Matilda for the wife of the Laird. Years went by, and the child grew into a lovely woman that felt that she must work as a maid and be companion to Elizabeth their daughter. After all she was not a real member of the clan; but that did not matter to the Keith’s. Suddenly, strange missives began to arrive for Matilda, as she kept the messages secret and told no one of the content. Reginald Irvine, a traveling knight, was given the responsibility of finding out who was sending her missives and what they contained. The characters in this book are created in a way that makes you continue to read to discover who and why someone is after Matilda. Of course, Reginald helps her in this cause hoping they do fail in their quest.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
💋💋

Hands up everyone who’s been waiting for Matilda Keith and Reginald Irvine to finally get their Story 🙋🏼‍♀️.

Reg is a Ladies man and Tilda’s best friend/partner in crime , call it what you will.
They match perfectly,
But as much as she has feelings for him he seems not to see her in that way.
It’s hard to watch him with different women , Tilda's heart breaks every time.

Reg is a Knight and has a strong honour ethic.
He’s a third son , so his living is to fight and protect, not to settle down with a family and spouse.
Much as he adores Tilda he has nothing to offer, not even time, so they will never be anything other than friends.

Then Matilda receives letters from her father and if they are true then both she and her clan are in trouble.
Her real family is alive and her horrible father is now wanting her to help him destroy her adopted family.
Will Tilda do as her real father says?
Can Reg ,her protector, finally see that she’s all he’s ever going to need?

So much going on in this book, Mia is a wizard at her writing and in her story development, every page hold so much information and the story moves steadily.
Another wonderful and enjoyable reading experience.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

Maid for the Knight by Mia Pride

Secrets, Evil Machinations and political intrigue makes this book an interesting read. However, the downfall is there are so many clan names that you are trying to separate who belongs to what clan with what character and the book would have flowed more cohesively if there had been a better way to describe the tie in with the different clans. I think that how the clans were tied together and something was off that made it hard to put each character to what clan they were in.
Tilda was abandoned as an infant and was raised by Clan Keith. She was given the same education as the Lairds children, but Tilda refused to take advantage of that situation and decided that she would be the Lairds daughters maid. She felt that she was a servant and not a person of equal rights as the Lairds children because she has no clue where she came from.
This book is about Archibald “Black “ Douglass and his bid to be the King of Scotland. During the time of King Henry’s death and when King James of Scotland was being held as ransom in the England Tower. He is an evil man that uses whatever means and whoever he can even family to get his desires no matter the cost even death to others.
The book comes together when Tilda figures out who her parents are and that she is in love with her best friend from childhood. The adventure to figuring out who she is and then to stopping her family member from trying to utilize her in harming her family that raised her from infancy.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and I am willingly giving my thoughts and opinions.

Abandoned and orphaned as a baby Matilda has spent her entire life pondering her identity. Now after all these years someone from the Douglas Clan has been sending her private notes. Reginald Irvine lives and breathes Scotland, he travels for the king and his clan. For the last three years he’s admired Matilda from afar after she arrived with his brother’s bride from the Keith Clan, he’s not quite ready to settle down. Matilda has had crush on the ruggedly handsome Reginald, but he’s always seen her as a sister. His brother the Laird of Clan Irving orders him to find out Matilda’s secrets and keep her safe from harm. Matilda soon realizes her secret is placing everyone in danger and Reginald tries to keep her and his clan safe. This is a great story as Reginald and Matilda grow closer as he feeling take over as he tries to keep her safe from danger. They set out to trap for the Douglas Clan one to keep everyone safe from harm. An excellent story I voluntarily read and wrote this review.

Set in an uncertain period of history, one is struck by the thought that despite wars and rumours of wars, life still goes on. In the midst of it all, Matilda follows her own rhythm, serving the family that took her in when she was left at their gates as a newborn baby. The pendant she wears around her neck hints at her identity, but those closest to her keep her secrets to the extent that even she is unaware of her heritage. When a contrived meeting brings her face to face with her adoptive clans enemy, Matilda's peace is shattered. Through it all there is one person who can bring a smile to her face, but Matilda knows that Reginald is not for her, given that he has regularly and loudly proclaimed that he never has any intention of getting married. As the threats against Matilda increase, she becomes part of the solution to exposing the enemy and it is Reginald who becomes her guardian, vowing to keep her safe. I found myself engrossed in this medieval romance, as plans are made to bring down an enemy of Scotland. This novel is well written, fast-paced, and exciting. I could only admire Matilda and her concern for those who have been the only family she knows. Reginald makes an exciting protector, although one would have liked to shake him for being so obtuse. This is the first book I have read in this series and I can see that it would have been beneficial to read the previous two books to fill the gaps. Nevertheless, it is a standalone and comes to a hopeful and happy conclusion. I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Matilda Keith was abandoned as an infant at the gate of Clan Keith. Considering herself only a castle maid, her life changes when threatening letters reveal her true identity. The one warrior she wants is the man sworn to protect her. An evil clan chief, lies, deception, clan conflict and ransom
to pay to a king are all in the story. The best parts are the interactions between Matilda and Reginald. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Matilda was left as an infant on the doorstep of a local clan.
Matilda is raised with the family and served as a companion of sorts. Matilda is a likable character. Reginald makes you want to shake him.
Romance, family, and secrets.
Previous characters were mentioned ofter

Imagine being given away at just a couple of days old and spending the next 20 years not knowing who you really are and who you belonged to. Such is Matilda's life and when she does finally find out who she is, it's not good. Feeling betrayed by her true father, she agrees to a plan that will end in his capture. While all of this is happening, the feelings she has for Reginald come to the forefront and heartbreak is surely only a breath away.

Reginald has known Matilda for years and although his feelings for her have turned into love, he has vowed never to marry and to just continue being a knight for Scotland and traveling wherever he's needed. Being part of the plans to capture her father, danger abounds and he soon realizes he can't live without her!

I really enjoyed this story and it was also a treat to visit with some of the characters from the previous books in this series. One can tell Mia Pride does her research well and it makes her stories that much more interesting.

I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is my fair and honest review, voluntarily give and in my own words, for this ARC. I finished the book, which sometimes does not happen, but it was not an easy task. The story could have been excellent but it was pretty lacklustre in my opinion. There were way too many things repeated when not necessary. Almost as though they were just filler words to up the page count.

Will she give free reign to her feelings when he is always holding back ...

This a moving read and outside the background political plot, it is about what one’s can expect from love.

« I was too afraid to kiss ye once and never kiss ye again. »

Matilda and Reginald share their feelings about one another quite early in the story but it does not solve their predicament as they have different view from love, Reginald seing it as a leash and Matilda thinking it is to be feasted what ever its term.
And while the story with its many dents and holes is on its way, they explore their relationship, doubting their feelings, denying them until they accept them but from there, where to go, move on or give it a chance.
It is no smooth tale, they face treachery, deceit and betrayal but also loyalty, integrity and allegiance.
4.5 stars

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Dragonblade Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.