A Code of Knights and Deception by Eliza Hampstead 💕 Behind the Scenes, New Release Tour, Freebie Offer and $10 Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Time-Travel Dark Fantasy Romance)

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Outlander meets Black Mirror in this sizzling dark time travel romance!

Outlander meets Black Mirror in this sizzling dark time travel romance.

She thought it was real. She was wrong.

When Sophia wakes up in 15th-century England, she expects hardship—but nothing prepares her for this brutal, unforgiving world. Lost, alone, and desperate to return to her husband and son, she vows to find a way home. But as the days turn into months, Sophia begins to build a new life, finding unexpected kinship and purpose in this strange land.

After a violent attack, she takes fate into her own hands, disguising herself as a man to train under Henry, the castle’s enigmatic master-at-arms. As steel clashes and their connection deepens, forbidden desire ignites.

Yet Henry is not who he claims to be. His real name is Ethan, and this is the least of the lies he tells her. Falling for Sophia was never part of the plan—but the closer they become, the more he realises how wrong it is to keep her in the dark.

As danger closes in and the lines between reality and deception blur, Sophia must uncover the truth about Henry—and herself—before she runs out of time.

*Warning: strong language, steamy scenes, and graphic violence inside. Mention/Description of, but not limited to, abduction, blood, death, amputation, childbirth, death, sexual assault, suicide, violence against children, rape, and torture.*

The book is the first in a duology and ends with a cliffhanger.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in A Code of Knights and Deception?

This story lives and breathes through its characters. At its centre is Sophia, a modern woman with a scientific background, a quick temper, and a deep yearning for truth. She’s a mother, a wife, a woman who has worked hard to build a life in the real world—so when she wakes up in a freezing stone chamber in medieval England, the experience is disorienting and terrifying. I loved writing Sophia because she reacts the way I would: she questions everything, resists every assumption, and tries to logic her way through chaos. But she’s also deeply human. She misses her son, she mourns the life she might never return to, and she struggles with how quickly her heart responds to a certain knight...Henry is a study in contradictions. As a knight, he’s bound by oaths and honour—but he also carries secrets that challenge everything he’s sworn to protect. He’s emotionally repressed, highly disciplined, and often infuriating, but he sees in Sophia something that unsettles and draws him in. Their dynamic is enemies-to-reluctant-allies to something much more, and every interaction between them is layered with tension, mistrust, and longing. He was probably the hardest character to write, because his layers only revealed themselves slowly.Then there’s Lady Elizabeth—Lizzi—who’s witty, fierce, and challenges every stereotype about medieval noblewomen. Her friendship with Sophia is one of the emotional cores of the story. Polly, the maid with sharp instincts, adds levity and insight, while characters like Lord Richard (who may or may not be as dangerous as he seems) build out the world’s politics and power structures.Each character has their own arc, and none of them exist solely to serve the romance. They all represent choices, values, and ideologies that Sophia has to confront. That’s what made this book so rewarding to write—building a cast that feels like real people, with lives that stretch beyond the page.

(Sophia wakes up in medieval England)

I had the strangest dream. Nothing unusual for me, but this one lingered in vivid detail, as if I’d truly been there—in a medieval castle, smoke and burning wood perfuming the air, stone walls looming around me. Azure blue eyes. I smiled at the memory, then made the mistake of swallowing and winced at the sharp, scratchy sensation in my throat. I reached for my phone on the nightstand, seeking comfort in the familiar routine of checking the time, but my hand met only empty space.

Confused, I squinted into the darkness. My surroundings looked much as it had last night: thick red bed curtains drawn nearly shut, letting in only a small beam. I shifted under the heavy covers, my feet touching the icy stone floor and sending shivers up my legs as I sat up in my underdress. A faint shaft of light crept in from a small window, softly hinting at dawn. It might have been around six.

Breathing out a small cloud, I rubbed my arms to coax some warmth back into them and took in the room's strangeness, feeling how truly alien this place was.

"Good mornin', my lady! How be ye feelin' today?" she chirped, her voice motherly and comforting in my panic. Her plain brown dress rustled as she moved about the room, efficient and unfazed.

"Toilet?" I croaked, my voice strained and hoarse from my sore throat.

Polly looked at me in confusion, observing me standing there with legs crossed.

"Ah, a privy ye seek." She nodded thoughtfully, then produced a chamber pot from under the bed, holding it out to me.

I reached for it, mortified. What was I supposed to do now?

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Swords of Time Duology, #2

Eliza Hampstead, a scientist by training, lives with her family in the UK. When she's not writing, she spends her time as a geek. Playing all sorts of games (board games, video games, RPGs) and being a big fan of medieval history are only a few of the many hobbies she has. Passionate about fantasy, she’s always planning her next adventure.