Eight Acts

by A.L. Lester

It's the summer of 1967 and the Sexual Offences Act has just decriminalized consensual gay sex in private between two men over twenty-one. Percy Wright and his friend Les Barker have both taken temporary jobs teaching English as a foreign language in London during their long summer break from teaching at a rural boarding school near Oxford.

Thirty-three year old Percy is keen to soak up some theatre, music and general culture, whilst the younger Les is also keen to experience the varied gay social scene. When Les picks up a man called Phil at the box office of the Albert Hall when he goes to buy tickets to a Promenade Concert, Percy inadvertently gets thrown together with Adrian Framlingham, Phil’s friend.

Adrian is all the things Percy likes in a man…funny, kind and steady. When Les gets hurt, Percy turns to Adrian for support, but as the end of the summer looms it seems as if their affair will come to a natural end.

What will happen when Percy goes back to his everyday life as a house-master? Will he and Adrian stay in touch? Does he even want a long-distance relationship when arranging to meet someone for sex is still illegal, even if the act itself is not?

A 20k novella that’s set five years before Taking Stock. Stand alone.

Content Warning: secondary character suffers off-screen assault/implied rape

Genres: Historical, Romance, M M Romance, LGBT, Queer, Novella, Fiction

69 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2021

About the author

Hi! I write queer, paranormal, historical, romantic suspense, mostly, with some contemporary short stories and novellas thrown in. I live in the middle of nowhere in the south west of England with Mr AL, my family, various animals, a rewilding native woodland and a regenerating orchard. I like permaculture gardening but I don't really have time or energy these days. I'm not musical, I don’t much like telly, I like to read. I'm non-binary. I'm chronically disabled and have fibromyalgia and seizures. My pronouns are she/they.

Subscribe to my newsletter for monthly-ish updates and an exclusive story. Find my self-published stories on itch.io and my publisher-work at JMS Books. Find me on social media at BlueSky.

I also write higher-heat contemporary gay romance as Frances Fox.

Reviews

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars

The first half of A.L. Lester’s ‘Eight Acts’ is an absolutely charming story of two teachers at Baddersham, a private boarding school outside Oxford, who have chosen to enjoy a summer break in London and finance their trip by teaching at a language school in the city.

'Eight Acts' is set in the summer of 1967. The Sexual Offences Act has just decriminalized consensual gay sex in private between two men over the age of twenty-one. Lester does a masterful job of capturing the mood of the country and particularly the excitement of London at that time.

Leslie (Les) Baker, a music and math teacher at Baddersham, and Percy Wright, a 33 year old science teacher and Baddersham’s house-master, rent what is described as 'a tiny, slightly grotty flat’ in the Notting Hill section of London.

Both men are gay and both men are closeted at their school, but Les is much more open to public cruising than Percy. When Les goes to the Albert Hall to purchase concert tickets for the two of them, he is picked up by Phil, another gay man buying tickets for himself and his friend, Adrian Framlingham.

The night of the concert, the four men sit together and it’s clear that Percy and Adrian are drawn to one another. When Les and Phil head off together, Percy agrees to go home with Adrian. Adrian is a criminal defense solicitor who lives near Russell Square on ‘a street of glorious Georgian townhouses.’ I imagine Les’s Notting Hill flat and Adrian’s home looking something like this:

While Les and Phil engage in a one-night stand, Adrian and Percy continue to see each other. What began merely as friendship quickly develops into more. Together they visit one of London’s most well known gay bars, William IV and go to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see Mary Martin in Hello, Dolly!

The second half of ‘Eight Acts’ takes a much darker turn when Les is severely beaten and left for dead in a London park. When Les finally returns to his flat, Percy, understandably shaken, calls on Adrian for help.

Without having to add a spoiler alter, let me just note that Adrian’s 1967 Ford Cortina, his physician, Les’s mother, lots of tea, stops at taverns along the Cherwell River, and semi-detached row houses in Shepherd Bush, all play important parts in the final 'Acts' of the novella.

Be warned, ‘Eight Acts’ contains descriptions of violent homophobic assault and discussions of gay rape.

This book was provided by the author and IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.

[A. L. Lester]

Eight Acts is out tomorrow! Gay historical romance set in London in 1967.

[ButtonsMom2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling story.

This was a great story. It’s a short-ish novella but it really packed a punch. The writing flowed well for me and it really conveyed the anguish and fear that these gay men lived with. I enjoy reading books by UK authors that are set in the UK because I always end up learning new words (usually slang). This story had a few terms that weren’t found in the dictionary attached to my ereader but it was still pretty easy to tell the meaning when read in context with the story.

I was a bit too young during the time period of this story to have known what was going on in the world, let alone what it was like to be gay. Even when I got older, I still didn’t realize all of the things the gay community endured. I’ve been reading MM romance for several years now and this genre has really helped to educate me and make me a more compassionate person. That is why we need books like this, ones that portray how it was like in a realistic manner – the good and the bad.

While this novella contains a certain amount of anguish, and an off page horrifying act, it has an HEA and shows that love between same-sex couples was able to survive in an environment that was still not accepting of gay people. I’m still thinking about this story and it’s been a few days since I’ve read it. It’s going to stick with me for a while.

A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com*** (Posting on 3/20/21.)

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was lovely story and very sweet :)
It is not your usual historical or contemporary romance, since it is set in the 20th century, a time where such love was technically allowed, but still dangerous. Even though the law does not see it as illegal anymore, many people are still prejudiced and cruel, as we can see in Les's story. It was heartbreaking to see this vibrant young man introduced to the worst parts of humanity so cruelly, but through the story we see that it is possible to heal and not lose hope. That is what I would say this story is about - hope. Hope that people will accept them, hope that it is possible to overcome the worst life will throw at you and hope that even when everything else is uncertain, you will always have love and support from your friends and family. It was sweet and beautiful to read about Percy and Adrian falling in love. They were both still tentative and uncertain, not sure how to proceed in this new world. They were both still hesitant about the new rules of what is accepted, cautious of their new circumstances, but still willing to try and enjoy their life, unashamed of who they are. It was sweet to watch their unwavering support towards their friend, their careful but determined steps towards love and new opportunities. While I would have enjoyed more scenes of their interaction with each other, in some ways this short story was just enough to lift the spirits and touch the heart with both sorrow and love. There is hope for us all yet ;)

**I was provided an ARC of this book from the author for an honest review**

[Anabela.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.L. Lester's stories are a special treat for me, because they always leave me with a happy sigh and feeling wrapped in a warm blanket of emotions... Eight Acts was no different.

The narrator, Percy, was no-one extraordinary, nor was his love interest Adrian or his best friend Les. Simple men, gentle and kind, with simple lives and dreams. But, thanks to how vividly the author wrote them, helping me intimately know their simple lives, their fears and dreams, they became special and unique.

What made my heart ache was Percy's wonder at fully experiencing an encounter with another man, after years of hasty, fearful stolen moments. Things that have been prohibited like kissing, embracing, snuggling all night, he was now allowed to luxuriate in, and he lived all of them with Adrian. I simply adored how their relationship was written. There were no instant sparks, they weren't even supposed to last more than a few months. They just belonged together and they slowly, gently fell in love.

Eight Acts was short, yet incredibly feeling like a full lenght novel. It offered an all encompassing view of the historical period, with its good sides and bad, a romance I was completely immersed into and a beautiful, uplifting epilogue. Loved it!

[Isabelle Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's quite amazing how a story that touches on such a terrible and tragic issue can be so soft and hopeful. A short novella that shows a slice of life of two people who dare to seek happiness and belonging in a world that is grindingly slow to accept them.

[Ken Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this short novella. Set in London in 1967, two teachers at Yorkshire boarding school have come to teach English so as to earn extra while enjoying the culture. Perce and Les meet another friends couple at the Proms, and Adrian and Phil become guides in gay London. Lester sets the focus on the older pair, Percy and Ade, as they carefully step their way to a relationship. As a brief story, much detail is packed into the tale. The flashback to the beginning of the period when homosexuals were able to legally be together is well told, making this an important read.

[Juniper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Adrian and Percy, told in eight acts that begin in the summer of 1967, when the Sexual Offenses Act has decriminalized, at least in private, consensual sex between men over the age of 21. In this novella, we see that for Adrian and Percy this narrow window of legal permission has the power to change their lives and to start them on something they could never have imagined for themselves before. With space to be together safely, they have room for both emotional and physical intimacy to develop. Their connection, born of camaraderie and convenience, quickly, awkwardly, and sweetly grows into something transformative, and it’s beautiful. Their relationship unfolds against the countdown of Percy’s return to his out-of-town job after the summer, and alongside the bittersweet subplot of Les, Percy’s flatmate and friend, whose own experiences that summer reflect the harsh, interplant conditions that still shape the lives of gay men. Watching the two of them come together, against the odds, and build something lasting together, is just so deeply rewarding. Well worth the read.

*An ARC of this book was provided by the author and I have chosen to publish a fair & honest review.*

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - This was mostly a gentle little tale, though there is an off-page homophobic violent sexual assault of a secondary character that is described in that British euphemistic detail, so . . . just be aware. It’s the summer of 1967 when homosexuality was decriminalized in the UK, and two men meet by chance and keep seeing each other all summer. Not a full five stars like a similar novella (In the Privacy of Their Home by R. A. Padmos is * chef’s kiss *), but quite affecting.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the '60's in England and consensual gay sex has been decriminalized, the gay community may feel things are a little better for them law-wise, but not in the minds of some people. There's a trigger here as a vicious off page beating and rape of a young man is described. It's a sad and painful read as we see what it has done to Les, but there is also a sweet side to the story as we watch a budding romance as well. This is a touching tale, this author always gives us an enjoyable read.

[Maryann Kafka · Rating 4 out of 5]

London 1967 and the Sexual Offenses Act has just been decriminalized. But the reality of the decriminalization doesn’t necessarily make it safe for gay men.

Percy Wright and Les Barker are friends and have decided to take temporary teaching jobs in London for the summer. They share a flat for the new and experience from their teaching jobs near Oxford. Les is younger than Percy and he likes to meet new people for his own reasons, while Percy really tries to be more cautious. Percy is somewhat trapped into going to a concert that Les has already made arrangements for and to meet Les’ date, Phil, and his friend Adrian Framlingham.

As the evening wears on, Percy has an idea how the evening will go. Les and Phil leave together and Adrian and Percy are left on their own. Returning to Adrian’s flat things begin to develop, and little by little there’s a connection that grows between Adrian and Percy.

Percy still has concerns about Les’ “hook-ups” and Les finds himself in trouble. Percy becomes very worried about Les and when Les finally returns to the flat, Percy is beside himself and calls on Adrian for help. Adrian is a life saver and sticks by Percy’s side and helps with Les’ trauma.

AL Lester brings a wonderful, romantic short spin-off story from “Taking Stock” where Percy and Adrian first come into the picture. She made Adrian and Percy such interesting characters it lead to them getting their own story. There’s also a fair share of drama with Les and it brings concern and caring from those involved. I liked both the portrayal of two strong women in the story: Dr. Beverley Richards and Les’ mother Lucy Barker.

I like the way AL Lester wrote this story, as it’s not exactly an insta-love situation. Percy and Adrian make a great connection that’s not without their doubts. There’s a lot that goes on between Percy and Adrian that reflects in the story as their feelings grow.

Now, I have to wonder if AL Lester will give Leslie Barker his own story. I’m really liking this short, romantic, love story about Adrian and Percy who peaked my interest in “Taking Stock”. I hope to see more short stories from AL Lester!

[Ru · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this well-written and thoughtful story. It was especially good at capturing a sense of a specific time and place - namely that of 1960s London, just as homosexual relationships have been decriminalised, but while soliciting for gay sex remained a crime - and so subsequently the mixed feelings of joy and openness mixed with underlying fear and doubt.
The main characters, Percy and Adrian, will be familiar to reader's of A. Lester's book Taking Stock (and it was a delight to see Phil appear too!) but it is by no means necessary to have read the latter, as this is a prequel showing how they get together.
It was one of those books that I appreciate a lot at the moment, where almost everyone is a good person and there is little misunderstanding or unnecessary barriers pushed into the main relationship.
The general care and goodness of mist characters is perhaps made most apparent by the various reactions of the Dr, Des's mother and the neighbour, with the latter especially reinforcing the sense of how things are beginning to be more open, even as the events have still shown the danger that criminalisation enforces.

I would really like to read more in this time period, and very much enjoyed the way this story abx romance engaged itself with it.

CW a secondary character suffers an off page sexual assault and the aftermath is discussed in a non graphic manner

*I received a free ARC from the author in return for an honest review*

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this book I was reminded of the life of Alan Turning and his treatment in the UK. He 'was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexual acts; the Labouchere Amendment of 1885 had mandated that "gross indecency" was a criminal offence in the UK. He accepted chemical castration treatment, with DES, as an alternative to prison. Turing died in 1954, 16 days before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide poisoning. An inquest determined his death as a suicide, but it has been noted that the known evidence is also consistent with accidental poisoning.' (wikipedia)

A.L.'s story brought the movie, 'The Imitation Game,' starring Benedict Cumberbatch, to mind. It was emotionally impactful as was this book. I kept seeing the face of Mr. Cumberbatch as I read this story. Even though these men lived in 1967, there were so many similarities, it made the reading so much more impactful.

A.L. captured the fear while embracing the love. A simply wonderful job!

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, but how much I like Lester's books! This is a short novella, but it has so much packed into it...

The sense of place and time is wonderful, and we can 'live' this London, where the Sexual Offenses Act has just been decriminalized. But, of course, that doesn't mean that the world is now safe for gay men.

Adrian and Percy are great characters, and their story, even with quite a bit of anguish, and an off-page terrible act, it's a wonderful, realistic love story.

There is nothing rushed here, no instant commitment. Their relationship advances almost without their knowledge, while they are slowly falling in love. One of the things that captured my heart was the awe Percy felt at this. How he discovered that sex could be more than a stolen moment in the dark, always rushed, always in fear. I loved seeing him discovering that love can be slow and gentle :D

A lovely, lovely story!

[Susan Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of Eight Acts by A.L. Lester via‌ ‌IndiGo‌ ‌Marketing‌ ‌&‌ ‌Design‌ ‌in‌ ‌exchange‌ ‌for‌ ‌an‌ ‌honest‌ ‌review.‌ Eight Acts is at its core a very sweet tale of the freedom to love whom we choose some of us take for granted today. While the act passed in the summer of 1967 in England was restrictive, it nonetheless opened up a new world for Percy and his friends. The story is not all hearts and roses, but the grim reality of what today is called gay-bashing is handled with sensitivity. For those who have read Taking Stock, it is fun to see this early incarnation of Phil. Now I’m wondering what the future held for Les too.

[Justine Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight Acts is an enjoyable short emotional story. Percy and Les have taken temporary jobs teaching during the summer break. While out at a concert, Les had picked up tickets and Phil, Percy gets thrown together with Phil's friend Adrian. I love the connection between Percy and Adrian. A sweet love that grew. Though it's 1967 in London and the laws are changing for gay men, they still need to be careful out in public. On a night out Les finds himself in the wrong company and ends up extremely hurt. Percy asks Adrian for help and help is given. I felt so bad for Les but grateful he had good friends and family to help him.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Emma Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story, set just after legalisation of homosexuality in the UK. I remember that time well, my younger brother being gay. There was still immense fear, of violence, of exploitation, of police incrimination. This story reflects both the hopes and fears, including the risks and the aftermath of violent assault, but has a happy outcome. Most satisfactory, with well drawn characters and realistic plot and settings.
This was an advance reading copy, in return for an honest review, which this is. Recommended, particularly for the satisfactory ending!

[Brenda Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short fast paced story with strong characters and an emotional story line. Percy and Les take summer jobs for their holiday. Percy meets Adrian while Les just wants to play which leads him into a horrible experience. The author brings a slow burn romance for Percy and Adrian and deals with a brutal rape when Les is beaten and abused. She paints her scenes perfectly and brings all the emotions to life ,delivering a great read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.L. Lester creates a wonderful sense of time and place as Percy and Les, two boarding school teachers spend the summer in Swinging London in 1967, just after the legalisation of gay sex in private. The characters are strongly drawn as is the sense of freedon the new act has granted, which is sadly contrasted with the lack of change in social attitudes which impacts brutally on Les.

Beautifully written, vivid and sympathetic, this is a story of lives on the cusp of change embued with the promise of romance for some.

[Audrey Pott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreak and Triumph, a powerful punch. A compelling, sensitive storyline, a violent assault, sweet complex characters who share their fears, hopes and dreams, I fell in love with them. I loved AL’s emotive writing style drew me in from the beginning to the end. Heartwarming.

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book for my honest opinions of which I’m under no obligation to do so. I definitely recommend this book.

[Arllau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story. It really captures the time period of 1967 and the struggles, fears, violence and the new freedoms by gay men back then. This could easily be extended to a full size novel.
I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy.

[Kobie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. novella, but still a full story.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the build between them, the weaving in and out of history and the world around them. Very sweet and lovely and hopeful while painfully realistic.

[Jupiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid historical novella by A.L. Lester.

Set in 1967, right after the repeal of the laws making homosexual activity illegal in England, this story follows Percy and Adrian, who were mentioned in Lester's novel Taking Stock. Percy's a teacher at a boarding school who, with a friend of his, is taking opportunity of some summer teaching to live in London for a few weeks.

Anyway, neither Percy nor Adrian are looking for a serious relationship, but they end up falling into something like one in the few weeks they spend together. They're both at similar stages in their lives, and watching their surprise at discovering how compatible they are, during their first date and beyond, is sweet.

The plot of this novella also includes some homophobia and violence (though not involving the two main characters). It was an interesting window into England at this time, and you can tell it's been well-researched, despite the length restraints.

It's honestly difficult to get into any more detail than this without spoiling things, but I would really recommend this if you like historical M/M. Like all of Lester's other work, it's got a gentle quality to it; the romance is fairly low angst, and Percy and Adrian get along well from the start. The romance is sweet, but there isn't tons of will they-won't they, and the biggest barriers to a happy ending are societal rather than personal. But it's another lovely story populated by characters who are good human beings, and I would absolutely recommend it.