Book Blast, Giveaway, Review: When The Band Came To Town by H. Lewis-Foster

Author Name: H. Lewis-Foster

Book Name: When The Band Came To Town

Release Date: April 8, 2015

Blurb:

In the swinging Sixties, life gets rockin’ for Jeff McInnery when a new band plays at the local pub. Caught up in lead singer Danny Speed’s cool, Jeff sneaks a kiss. But being found out as homosexual could stop Danny’s hot career fast, and even land him in jail. With harsh words, Danny leaves to head for fame and fortune while Jeff starts university. On campus, Jeff meets Archie Ballatine, a history student living as openly as possible. It’s an exciting new world of sex and friendship for Jeff, but then the band comes back to town.

30,000 words

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

My Review:

About the book:
Written in Jeff’s POV, we get a glimpse of gay life in the Sixties. Jeff is a waiter in a pub where Danny’s band plays. He meets the singer after the show and kisses him. But Danny rejects him, calling him vile words.
Jeff is afraid he’ll be outed to his family and friends now, and counts the days until he can leave for collage. There he meets Archie, a fellow student. They start having sex regularly, although it’s more like friends with benefits than being lovers.
The story unfolds, Jeff meets Danny again, but he needs to be Danny’s little secret if he wants to keep seeing him. Being outed as gay wouldn’t only destroy Danny’s career, it’d bring both of them to jail.
Jeff has to decide. He can’t be Danny’s boyfriend. And to stay in the shadows, always hide, always deny who he is? Can he do that? Does he want to do that?
And then there’s another man, someone who’s been there for him.

My Thoughts: This is a sweet story from the Sixties. I like H.’s writing style, and the story has a twist I hadn’t anticipated. H. met me in a pub in the Sixties and took me for a ride through the time. Jeff is just like the boy next door, Archie is as flamboyant as possible, and Danny-well, Rockstars are Rockstars.

The only thing I would’ve wished for was a longer story with more character development, but that can just be a personal preference.

In other words, a good read, I liked it.

4 **** of 5 stars

*I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review*

Excerpt:

“So what’ll you be studying?”

Jeff prepared for the usual perplexed reaction when he gave his answer. “Philosophy, would you believe? God knows what I’ll do with my degree when I’ve finished.”

“You’ll fathom the secrets of the universe, Jeff.” Danny sounded utterly serious as he stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray. Then he broke into a grin. “Now come and have a dance.”

“What?” Jeff was sure Danny must be taking the piss.

“You heard me.” Danny stepped onto the dance floor and was soon moving to the music. His hips were twisting, his knees bending, and his backside gyrating in an unbearably provocative way. “Or do philosophers not lower themselves to such things?”

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press

About the author:

H. Lewis-Foster lives in the north of England and has always worked with books in one form or another. As a keen reader of gay fiction, she decided to try writing herself and is now the proud author of several short stories and a debut novel ‘Burning Ashes’.
H. likes to create characters that are talented, funny and quite often gorgeous, but who all have their faults and vulnerable sides, and she hopes that you’ll enjoy reading their stories as much as she loves writing them. H. has also ventured into playwriting and was thrilled to see her first play performed at the Southend Playwriting Festival.

Where to find the author:

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/HLewisFoster

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HLewisFoster

Website: http://hlewisfoster.wix.com/books

Goodreads Link

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Bree Archer