19 Mar Rosemary Hayes Code of Honour #NapoleonicWars #Spies #HistoricalAdventure #TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour @HayesRosemary @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: ROSEMARY HAYES

I’m delighted to welcome Rosemary Hayes again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between March 16th – 27th, 2026. Rosemary Hayes is the author of the Historical Adventure / Spy Fiction, Code of Honour (Soldier Spy Series, Book #3), published by Sharpe Books on February 2, 2026 ( (251 pages).

Below are highlights of Code of Honour, the author bio for Rosemary Hayes, and an excerpt from the book.

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/02/blog-tour-code-of-honour-by-rosemary-hayes.html

HIGHLIGHTS: CODE OF HONOUR

Code of Honour
(Soldier Spy Series, Book #3)
by Rosemary Hayes

Blurb:

1812

Britain’s war against Napoleon continues.

Will Fraser and Duncan Armstrong have served their country well as spies, exposing traitors and rescuing betrayed royalists.

Now they are asked to support military operations in the Peninsular War. The French are using a new code which is proving impossible to decipher. Will and Armstrong must work with Spanish guerrillas to intercept messages between French Commanders and pass them to Wellington’s codebreakers.

Will is reluctant, however. Portugal was where he was falsely accused of cowardice and desertion and forced to leave the army. And Captain Harcourt-Browne, the jealous and vengeful officer who caused his downfall, is still serving there.

But Will is given a compelling – and personal – reason to carry out the operation. If he does so, there’s a slim chance he could be reinstated.

Enemy agents are soon on their trail; agents who want them dead. Somehow Will and Armstrong must evade them and join the guerrillas in a daring attempt to uncover Napoleon’s battle plans.

But Will’s troubled past catches up with him. Four years ago he lied to protect the woman he loved.  Now he must own up to that lie to save himself.

Praise for Rosemary Hayes:

‘Rosemary Hayes’ Soldier Spy is a first-rate historical thriller, full of period detail, fascinating characters, unexpected twists, mystery, intrigue and action. It reminds me of Berrnard Cornwell’s brilliant, Regency-set Gallows Thief. I am pleased to see that it is the first of a trilogy and look forward to reading more about the dashing Will Fraser.’ ~ Peter Tonkin, author of The Richard Mariner thrillers

‘One of the very best historical novels I have ever read.’ ~ Sandra Robinson, Huguenot Ancestry Expert

‘An absorbing tale told with sensitivity. The forgotten struggles of Huguenot refugees come to moving, heartrending life.’~ Steven Veerapen, author of A Dangerous Trade

Any Triggers: Napoleonic Wars / Spying / Disgraced Soldier / Love story

Book Series:

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Links:

Book 1 – Traitor’s Game: https://books2read.com/u/bwwEee

Book 2 – The King’s Agent: https://books2read.com/u/bQLn8Z

Book 3 – Code of Honour: https://books2read.com/u/bQLnNZ

This series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

AUTHOR BIO: ROSEMARY HAYES

Rosemary Hayes has written many books for children in a variety of genre, from edgy teenage fiction, historical fiction and middle grade fantasy to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books.  Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.

Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well-known authors’ advisory service, runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults and reviews for historical publications.

Rosemary has now turned her hand to writing adult fiction. Her historical novel ‘The King’s Command’ is about the terror and tragedy suffered by a French Huguenot family during the reign of Louis XIV.

Traitor’s Game is the first book in the Soldier Spy trilogy, set during the Napoleonic Wars. The King’s Agent is the second and the third, Code of Honour, has recently been published.

Author Links:

Website: www.rosemaryhayes.co.uk

Twitter / X: https://x.com/HayesRosemary

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosemary.hayes.129

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosemary-Hayes/e/B00NAPAPZC

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/80106.Rosemary_Hayes

EXCERPT: CODE OF HONOUR

The two men immediately set off down the main street with all haste in the direction of the docks and Latimer followed slowly behind, still clutching his chin.

Armstrong stayed where he was, still as a statue, lost in thought.

At length he moved off, keeping well behind Latimer but having the two others still in his sights. Latimer seemed to be looking around for something and was moving more and more slowly but suddenly he appeared to have spied what he wanted and speeded up. He crossed the road to where there was a street hawker selling pease pudding. Now he had his back to Armstrong who took his chance and passed by on the other side, keeping always to the shadows. He could still see the other two men walking purposefully ahead of him. He was no stranger to stalking his prey and though, to all appearances, he was merely strolling nonchalantly in the direction of the sea, he never took his eyes from them.

Earlier it would have been a simple matter to meld into the crowd at the docks which had been ever present during the day but now that darkness had fallen there were less folk around. Armstrong spotted a man selling roast chestnuts and spent a few minutes warming himself at the brazier and speaking to him, buying a shovel full. Seeing Armstrong’s lack of an arm, the vendor cracked the chestnuts open for him. Armstrong acknowledged his help and nodded in response to his chatter but all the time he was watching Latimer’s two lackeys.

Hired thugs, no doubt. They’ll be anxious to earn their pay.

As he’d expected, the men were heading to the small packet boat lying near the entrance to the dock and dwarfed by the larger vessels. She was a mere 60 to 80 feet long and around 14 feet wide. Armstrong could see that someone was on board for there was a light in her cabin. He watched as the two men called across to her and at length a sailor emerged from the cabin carrying a lantern.

There seemed to be some sort of heated exchange going on between the sailor and the two men. Armstrong bid a quick farewell to the chestnut seller and moved swiftly in their direction. He found a hiding place squatting down behind a shed from where he was just able to overhear their conversation. Although he couldn’t make out every word, he got the gist of it and smiled grimly to himself.

That’s a mighty clever ruse. And if I don’t put a stop to it, we’ll not be going to the peninsular.

He stayed where he was, still watching the two men, pondering the best course of action. They were talking together in low voices.

No doubt planning their next move. ‘I’ll wager they’ll go to every ship docked here with the same story so that when they come to the cavalry ship…

‘They must not reach it,’ he muttered.

He waited until the men moved off.  Some of the gangplanks had been drawn up but a few were still down and he saw them hesitate and confer once more.

Don’t move my friends.

He unsheathed his dagger, came out of his hiding place and waited until their backs were turned to him then walked over to them very quietly, praying that in the darkness and dressed in his workman’s clothes, they would not immediately recognise him.

‘Night watchman! What is your business,’ he said loudly.

They both jumped at the sound of his voice. He gave them no chance to reply and waved his dagger in front of them.

‘Just as I thought. Up to no good. Shall I arrest you now or will you scarper back to whatever rat hole you came out of?’

‘We …’ began the braver of the two.

‘No excuses. I’m a gentle fellow myself but my colleague’s got a rare temper on him and he don’t like to see folk who shouldn’t be here lurking round the docks. He’s on his way to join me as we speak.’

The two men moved away.

‘Get off with you unless you fancy a night in the town jail. Move!’

They began to walk away.

‘Faster.’

They began to run then and soon were swallowed up in the darkness. Armstrong sheathed his dagger and walked slowly back to the cavalry ship.

Twitter: @cathiedunn
Instagram & Threads: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky: @cathiedunn.bsky.social