Swinging by Barrie Abalard

[reviews_and_ramblings]

It's 1975 and Kirk Bauer and Troy Camden are leading actors on the Hollywood scene. Both specialized in action hero movies or old western style, they met when they co-starred in the same movie, and now they are buddy friend. Kirk is older and just a star, while Troy is still struggling to have the big name on the credits.

In a world of easy sex and drugs, Kirk and Troy share everything, above all women. But during a swingers party, Kirk realizes that more than the woman he is screwing, he would like to have sex with Troy. And when he finds out that Troy is not against the idea, they start a secret affairs that could put in danger both their careers.

Troy is not new to gay relationship, but after a bad break-up and since he wants to become a leading he-man actor, he swore off men from his sexual life. But with Kirk is not only sex, and he discovers that he can't take of the mind from the man. But the Hollywood of 1975 is ready for a gay couple?

The story is really short, 40 pages, and starts with a swingers party where both the heroes are engaged in sex with other women. Then they start their relationship, but they don't stop to have sex with other people, both men than women... Plus Troy is an almost drugs addict, and both Troy than Kirk consider alcohol like a light beverage... Enough to give you an idea why I had the feeling that I was reading a porn rather than a romance... But once a friend of mine who was writing porn in the '70s told me that, to not be censorship, you need to have a plot inside your porn. And so is this story, there is a lot of sex but there is also a plot; I believe that in so few pages, and with all the sex they have during the story, Barrie Abalard makes almost an impossible deed in writing also a plot. What she described, even if in fast flash, probably is the true Hollywood of that period, where being faithful to a partner was not a common behavior, and drugs and alcohol flow free like water.

I liked also the typical Hollywood's happily ever after, and the glimpse in the future life of Kirk and Troy that the author gave at the end of the book.

Amazon Kindle: Swinging
Amazon Digital Services

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle