The Quiet Hours

By Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

When I am at my darkest, you are my light.

There is no hiding in war, leaving hearts exposed to unfathomable dangers. Two English soldiers suffer such vulnerability as they attempt to survive this cataclysm. Having carried out a secret love affair before the Great War began, when reunited on the Western Front in 1916 France, both promise to protect each other so their hidden love affair may continue at war’s end. Yet as they set out to escape the carnage of battle, they find more reasons to survive.

After saving an autistic boy from the brutality of enemy snipers, he leads the soldiers to others like him who are also in need of their protection. Casting their fate with these young autistic boys, the soldiers devise a plan for all to escape together. The war proves relentless, though, in hindering their efforts. Only when the gunfire and bombs fall silent during the quiet hours, might they discover their means for escape.

READER ADVISORY: This book contains scenes of battlefield wartime violence.

PUBLISHER NOTE: M/M HISTORICAL ROMANCE. 12,300 words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luminosity Publishing LLP
• Release date: Feb 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005902773

Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

I was born on November 9, 1967 in Warren, Ohio and grew up in a country trailer park in Southington Ohio with my two brothers and parents.I currently live in Girard, Ohio with my wife and sons. After graduating from Chalker High School in 1986, I went on to attend Kent State University.Originally, I sought to pursue a degree in education, but changed degrees after a few years in school. After working my way through college for eight years, I graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations.Aside from writing, I also draw and paint. My other passion is soccer. I have proudly been a coach of a soccer team for autistic and special needs players.

Book preview

THE QUIET HOURS

Another Time – Book Two

JEFFERY MARTIN BOTZENHART

When I am at my darkest, you are my light.

There is no hiding in war, leaving hearts exposed to unfathomable dangers. Two English soldiers suffer such vulnerability as they attempt to survive this cataclysm. Having carried out a secret love affair before the Great War began, when reunited on the Western Front in 1916 France, both promise to protect each other so their hidden love affair may continue at war’s end. Yet as they set out to escape the carnage of battle, they find more reasons to survive.

After saving an autistic boy from the brutality of enemy snipers, he leads the soldiers to others like him who are also in need of their protection. Casting their fate with these young autistic boys, the soldiers devise a plan for all to escape together. The war proves relentless, though, in hindering their efforts. Only when the gunfire and bombs fall silent during the quiet hours, might they discover their means for escape.

READER ADVISORY: This book contains scenes of battlefield wartime violence.

PUBLISHER NOTE: M/M HISTORICAL ROMANCE. 12,300 words.

THE QUIET HOURS

Another Time – Book Two

JEFFERY MARTIN BOTZENHART

WWW.LUMINOSITYPUBLISHING.COM

LUMINOSITY PUBLISHING LLP

THE QUIET HOURS

Another Time – Book Two

Copyright © FEBRUARY 2021 JEFFERY MARTIN BOTZENHART

Cover Art by Poppy Designs

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this literary work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To all the brave soldiers who fought in the First World War. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.

JUNE 30, 1916

Resting his head back against the dirt trench, Andrew gazed at the last traces of gleaming sunlight over the battle-scarred French countryside. Unmoving, feathery wisps of clouds corrupted the brilliant, orange-colored heaven, reminding him of so many watched sunsets over the rolling hills near home in England. Here on the Western Front, home seemed too long ago to fathom—a cherished place being erased from his dreams by the carnage of war.

The time he dreaded most had arrived—the quiet hours. Hostilities ceased as the dead soldiers were reaped by the living from where they perished. An eerie stillness tainted the warm summer air, replacing the incessant gunfire and earth-shattering artillery explosions. Yet Andrew’s ears found no respite from their hauntings. The anguished cries of fallen soldiers resounded through the trenches even after the voices calling them were forever silenced. The resonance of hours-long tremoring blasts caused his head to throb from their intensity. This torment would be his constant companion as exhaustion would claim his weary mind for his imminent nightmares.

He took a deep breath, closing his heavy eyelids as his hand came to rest on his jacket. Inside the pocket, his palm pressed softly against, was the cherished remnants of a love letter he received just before leaving England in the winter. Having read the words so many times, he could recite with ease what was written to him. The parchment, though, failed to survive the drenching rains of the early spring, leaving only tattered, unrecognizable ink-bled fragments.

He heard the approach of voices, alerting him to the presence of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Holston. Andrew knew the words about to be spoken, having listened to them more times than he cared to. He peeked at the tall soldier standing with his