Desert Heat & Native Tongue

Desert Heat & Native Tongue

Genre

M/M Military Erotic Romance

Blurb

Desert Heat:

Their love is forbidden by rules, religion and risk. Yet still they can’t resist.

Captain Hugh Wilkes is on his last tour of duty in Afghanistan. The British Army is withdrawing, and Wilkes expects his posting to be event-free. That is, until he meets his Afghan interpreter, Rustam Balkhi, who awakens desires in Wilkes that he’d almost forgotten about, and that won’t be ignored.

Native Tongue:

They may be back on British soil, but the battle isn’t over.

When Captain Hugh Wilkes fell for his Afghan interpreter, Rustam Balkhi, he always knew things would never be easy. After months of complete secrecy, their return to England should have spelt an end to the sneaking around and the insane risks. But it seems there are many obstacles for them to overcome before they can truly be happy together. Can they get past those obstacles, or is this one battle too many for their fledgling relationship?

Word count: 51,709

Excerpt

Click for excerpt »

Captain Hugh Wilkes sucked in a deep breath, steeling himself for the heat he was about to be subjected to, though he already knew all the deep breaths in the world wouldn’t help. Darkness had fallen on Camp Bastion, in the notorious Helmand Province of Afghanistan, but there would still be residual warmth left to seep away throughout the small hours. Then the sun would rise, and it would start all over again. It was a damn desert, after all. But, all being well, it would be his last ever tour of the godforsaken place. The British Army was already preparing to pull out. The manpower had been reduced drastically over the previous months. It was time to leave the Afghans to get on with it. They weren’t being abandoned—far from it—they would still receive aid, training and money for years to come. But the British Army was no longer needed, apparently. It was still a volatile place, which would no doubt be monitored very closely, in case strategies needed to be reconsidered.

None of that was down to Wilkes, though. He was here with his platoon for six months, doing whatever they were ordered to do by their Company Commander, Major Hunter. It was unlikely they’d be doing any fighting—they weren’t here for offensive operations. More probably they’d be accompanying their vehicles, weapons and ammunition across the country as it was transported to the air base to be sent back home, or patrolling towns and villages as a show of presence, to reassure and protect the inhabitants.

There was only one way to find out. Grabbing his kit, he headed toward the ramp of the huge C17 aircraft with his colleagues, and followed them out onto the airstrip. Immediately, he was hit by the overwhelming smell of aviation fuel. As he moved away from the airplane this was replaced by the dry atmosphere.

Wilkes imagined he could feel the grains of sand coating his throat and tongue. He’d soon get used to it—he always did. Plus, on the bright side, he’d end up with a nice tan at the end of his deployment. Mentally, he crossed his fingers for a nice, event-free tour of duty. Letting his guard down wasn’t going to happen, naturally, he just hoped it wasn’t necessary. Hoped the insurgents would play nicely. The country was completely different to how it had been when Allied forces had gone in after 9/11. Some fantastic progress had been made, but it still wasn’t completely safe. But then, where was? People died in picturesque villages in the English countryside—though generally not courtesy of IEDs, AK-47s or suicide bombers.

Available from:

eBook:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon AU
Amazon CA
Amazon DE
Barnes & Noble
Google Books
iBooks UK
iBooks US
Kobo
Smashwords

Print:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Createspace

Audio:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Audible UK
Audible US
iTunes UK
iTunes US

Also available in French language via Juno Publishing!

Amazon FR
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon AU
Amazon CA
Juno Publishing
7switch
iBooks

Reviews

“I really enjoyed both books and her writing style. This is a sweet love story, to be enjoyed in one evening, that boasts two very likeable characters who bring out the best in each other.” The Novel Approach Reviews

Desert Heat:

“I enjoyed this story. The build up of the sexual tension between Wilkes and Balkhi had me at the edge of my seat up until the explosive moment when it came to a head. Another great novella, a quick and enjoyable read and easy to recommend.” 4 out of 5, Love Bites and Silk Ties

“What a great start to the story this was! I absolutely enjoyed this story. One thing I loved about this book was the quality of the detail. The descriptive is brilliant and it allowed me to submerge in the place and the characters. Thank You Lucy for allowing to read this instalment. Have read the sequel so watch this space!” 4 out of 5, Jo&Isalovebooks

Native Tongue:

“All in all, this is a fantastic story that brings the story of these two characters to a wonderful happy ever after. For sure, this is my favourite book from this author.” 5 out of 5, Love Bites and Silk Ties

“Native Tongue is the perfect, sweet ending to Hugh and Rustam’s story. One that starts off with a lot of stress, hardship and hiding. Now they can be together and there for each other in the open, with support and no fear. Perfect!” 3 Chicks After Dark

“…manages to be both sweet and sexy and is a great read. Both Hugh and Rustam are utterly adorable, you can’t help but fall in love with them. This is a great short read that gets five stars.” 5 out of 5, JJ’s Kinky Books

“I liked how this story really is these two getting to know themselves outside of a warzone. This story made me smile and want more of these two, they are an adorable couple who have a lot to overcome, but they have proven to be strong enough to do it.” 4 out of 5, Redz World Reviews

“Another formidable book. It was perfectly written and it ticked all the boxes to make it a great M/M romance story. The characters are well portrayed and the chemistry is off the charts!” 4 out of 5, Jo&Isalovebooks

“Lucy Felthouse has done an amazing job building on the foundations of Book 1, ‘Desert Heat’… The way Ms. Felthouse brings to light the very real situations many face in their everyday lives in the pages of this book is commendable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the sheet burning love scenes kept me turning the pages. The way these two men discover each others bodies and hearts was at times touching, times hilarious and most time spine tingling. A well-defined story and a great read, one I will be suggesting to friends.” GGR-Review

Audiobook reviews:

“I really enjoyed these books and would look for more from this author in the future. I found the look at the British army as well as the conundrum for the interpreters to be fascinating. Joel Leslie did a SUPERB job with his narration. He gave Hugh and all the various folks from the UK unique and believable accents as well as Balkhi’s more stilted English. I really enjoyed listening to this and found it made me feel more immersed in the story.” 4.75 out of 5, Open Skye Book Reviews

“The story had a lovely plot and a few super sexy parts. I love the way Lucy Felthouse writes her stories. They are so easy to sink into and fall in love with. The narrator did a great job adding to the story and making it even more interesting than the written story would’ve been.” 5 out of 5, Inked Rainbow Reads

“Overall I really enjoyed both stories. I liked the characters and the unique plot. I listened to this on audio and I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. He did both of the main characters well and I never had a difficult time telling them apart.” 4 out of 5, Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

“I really enjoyed both stories and the narrator really made the scenes between Hugh and Rustam hot hot hot! I didn’t think there was that much sex in this story, but it seemed like more in the audiobook. Regardless, this is a surprisingly sweet love story of two likeable characters who bring out the best in each other, which was definitely enhanced by this narrator who has quickly become a favorite!” The Novel Approach

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Barnes and Noble
BookStrand
Evernight Publishing
Google Books
iBooks UK
iBooks US
Kobo
Pride Publishing
Resplendence Publishing
Smashwords
Tirgearr Publishing
Totally Bound Publishing

Editing Stately Pleasures (page count)

106/176 words