Release Day Review ~ Acting Up by John Inman
Title: Acting Up
Author: John Inman
Release Date: December 23, 2016
Category: Contemporary, Humor
Pages: 200
It’s not easy breaking into show biz. Especially when you aren’t exactly loaded with talent. But Malcolm Fox won’t let a little thing like that hold him back.
Actually, it isn’t the show-business part of his life that bothers him as much as the romantic part—or the lack thereof. At twenty-six, Malcolm has never been in love. He lives in San Diego with his roommate, Beth, another struggling actor, and each of them is just as unsuccessful as the other. While Malcolm toddles off to this audition and that, he ponders the lack of excitement in his life. The lack of purpose. The lack of a man.
Then Beth’s brother moves in.
Freshly imported from Missouri of all places, Cory Williams is a towering hunk of muscles and innocence, and Malcolm is gobsmacked by the sexiness of his new roomie from the start. When infatuation enters the picture, Malcolm knows he’s really in trouble. After all, Cory is straight!
At least, that’s the general consensus.
Then Beth’s brother moves in.
Freshly imported from Missouri of all places, Cory Williams is a towering hunk of muscles and innocence, and Malcolm is gobsmacked by the sexiness of his new roomie from the start. When infatuation enters the picture, Malcolm knows he’s really in trouble. After all, Cory is straight!
At least, that’s the general consensus.
4.5 Stars!
Funny, Silly and Sweet!
Malcolm is a struggling want-to-be-actor. A self-proclaimed slut, he's all about fun with men because at the end of the day, he's pretty sure he's unlovable. Things seem to change though when his roommate's brother Corey comes to live with them. Corey is the epitome of masculinity and Malcolm is sure he's straight. Over time, though, the two become best friends and Malcolm learns that Corey might not be so straight after all.
This is my second or third John Inman story and I'm starting to find his writing extremely entertaining. He has this wonderful way of speaking to the reader as if he's sitting right next to you telling you the story. It's as if you're pulled right in and are standing with the characters as they live their lives. I love it.
This story is super funny, Malcolm is a nut and is so absurd and ridiculous at times that I couldn't help but laugh at him while wondering how the other characters didn't strangle him. Corey was probably the only sane one in the story. He's sweet and a bit naive but very endearing.
Malcolm and Corey were great together. I always love the couple's that are different and quirky. This was definitely a case of opposites attract. The characters didn't get together right away, they had to get to know one another. They built a friendship and then it progressed from there, which was perfect for this story.
I would definitely recommend Acting Up. If you love to laugh and like snarky characters falling in love, this is a great choice.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
4.5 Stars!
This needed an epilogue to make it absolutely perfect (cos I'm greedy like that!), but I still loved it as it was.
As an intro to John Inman, I couldn't have asked for better. This tale had a great couple of leads, a brilliant sister/flatmate, a couple of pets, some really funny situations, snark, sass, lots of laughs, a great bonkers mother to one of the leads and a finale that I couldn't have predicted.
I couldn't have imagined these guys getting together - one an actor, out, loud and proud and willing to do almost anything for that elusive big break, and the other, a shy, quiet guy from Missouri, who'd just split up with his girlfriend and who'd arrived in town to start a new life. The guys became friends and roommates before anything else, and formed a solid, supportive friendship. I loved that neither the disillusioned actor not the newly-drifting type lost hope for a better future, and that they and the sister/flatmate were all there for each other and all looked out for each other. And that mother I mentioned? A bit of a lush, a bit of a golddigger type, a fortune-teller, a loving mum and an unashamed ogler of anything worth ogling, and such a hoot - made me wish mine was more like that!
The finale takes place in a 'show' that had me LOLing and turning the page ready for more, only to find that it ended a little abruptly for me, but, totally in keeping with the tale. I loved it and wished there had been more, but that's cos I'm a mega-romantic and wanted to see these guys settled and living their HEA. I know they did, but I'd have loved to have read it.
ARC courtesy of Dreamspinner Press and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.
As an intro to John Inman, I couldn't have asked for better. This tale had a great couple of leads, a brilliant sister/flatmate, a couple of pets, some really funny situations, snark, sass, lots of laughs, a great bonkers mother to one of the leads and a finale that I couldn't have predicted.
I couldn't have imagined these guys getting together - one an actor, out, loud and proud and willing to do almost anything for that elusive big break, and the other, a shy, quiet guy from Missouri, who'd just split up with his girlfriend and who'd arrived in town to start a new life. The guys became friends and roommates before anything else, and formed a solid, supportive friendship. I loved that neither the disillusioned actor not the newly-drifting type lost hope for a better future, and that they and the sister/flatmate were all there for each other and all looked out for each other. And that mother I mentioned? A bit of a lush, a bit of a golddigger type, a fortune-teller, a loving mum and an unashamed ogler of anything worth ogling, and such a hoot - made me wish mine was more like that!
The finale takes place in a 'show' that had me LOLing and turning the page ready for more, only to find that it ended a little abruptly for me, but, totally in keeping with the tale. I loved it and wished there had been more, but that's cos I'm a mega-romantic and wanted to see these guys settled and living their HEA. I know they did, but I'd have loved to have read it.
ARC courtesy of Dreamspinner Press and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.
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