Tinseltown Blues #1 – All That Glitters

Title: Tinseltown Blues #1 – All That Glitters 
Author: Acer Adamson
Publisher: M&V Tailz
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length: short story 5800 words
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Summary Review: An interesting quandary between brothers who want the same thing but conscience and desire hold equal sway.

THE BLURB

For actor Harley Sheffield, the stress of stardom and the constant flashes of media cameras are made bearable by only one thing—his older brother, Trey. Trey, however, becomes increasingly uncomfortable over time with their illicit affair and leaves town to search his soul for answers.

Six months later, Trey returns home and is faced with a difficult decision regarding what means more to him—avoiding the cold glare of Hollywood, or returning to the warmth and intimacy of his brother’s passionate love.

THE REVIEW

 As most of you know I love twincest which is one of my kinks, but this story is about incest between brothers who are not twins. If you find this theme offensive there are other books that have recently been reviewed here that you might like.

Movie star Harley Sheffield was celebrating his 25th birthday at a big party given by the studio brass, but instead of having the time of his life Harley was depressed and getting drunker by the minute. His problem? He missed his brother Trey who had left home 6 months ago without a word because he was weighed down with guilt about their sexual relationship. Trey was also concerned that if they were exposed Harley’s movie career could be over. Harley on the other hand had made peace with his conscience and all he wanted was his big bother to come home so that they could take up where they left off. An added complication that evening was that Harley was trying not to get back with his friend and former lover Jake who was now married but who clearly still wanted him. He didn’t want to cause a rift  between Jake and his wife who was aware of their youthful dalliance but who obviously would not be forgiving if her husband had an affair with Harley.

After Jake took Harley home he was even more morose and kept thinking about whether he would ever see Trey again. But when he came out of the shower Trey was waiting for him, however apparently Trey wasn’t there to make up but to reinforce his arguments about why what they were doing was wrong. Harley who had already been through his own fire, made it clear to Trey that as far as he was concerned there was only one path now, regardless of the consequences.

For such a short story there was a great deal of angst and rationalizing about the pros and cons of a sexual relationship between brothers and it was good to hear from Trey about why it was such a difficult decision for him. He was articulate in laying out his fears and the issues that were heavy on his conscience, especially since Harley was younger, as he felt somewhat responsible for their situation. As he put it, he wished he knew why it was so easy for Harley to justify their relationship but so difficult for him. Harley’s response:

“I had a moment of truth, I guess you could say, about a year after we started sleeping together. A moment of reckoning, when I knew I had to make a choice. Live with you in the worst possible kind of sinful situation, or live without you and be miserable for the rest of my life.” Harley dropped the smile, his vision blurring. “You’re not the only one with morals and a guilt complex, Trey. I simply decided I care more about you than I do about anyone or anything else. That made everything a hell of a lot easier for me. You have to decide which is more important to you: what you’re worried other people might think or how you feel about me. Pick me.”

What I loved about Tinseltown Blues #1 – All That Glitters was that despite the Hollywood atmosphere there was quite a bit of realism about two brothers who loved each other but realized that the world and its ethics did influence how they would live in future, should Trey stifle his conscience and stay. I really admired how Acer Adamson advanced both sides of the argument of brothers sleeping together, without seeming to impose any moral judgement either way and as usual the prose and dialogue were exceptional. I thought that for such a short book it packed quite a punch. It will be interesting to see how the differing viewpoints play out in Tinseltown Blues #2 – Hot Like Me which I’ll be reviewing later this week and also how Trey will deal with his brother and his conscience..

Recommended.