Acting Up

More Adventures of a Hollywood Dog Walker, LA Lights Romantic Comedy Series, Book 3

Fiction - Animals
283 Pages
Reviewed on 09/11/2016
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Acting Up: More Adventures of a Hollywood Dog Walker: LA Lights Romantic Comedy Series, Book 3 is a contemporary romance novel written by Di Jones. While this is the third book in the series, Jones gives enough background information to allow it to be read as a standalone novel. Tessa has gotten herself happily involved in the LA lifestyle. An aspiring actor, she has the perfect agent who pushes her to do both the commercials she'd rather not bother with as well as the auditions for series' pilots. Tessa walks dogs to supplement her acting income, and this new profession has helped her make human friends as well as the canine companions she walks daily. One of her favorite charges is Max, a Schnauzer pup, who belongs to Mo. Mo's asked Tessa for a big favor -- he'll be headed back to the East Coast for several weeks or so to visit an ailing relative. Tessa loves Max and has no qualms about dog sitting for Mo. When Max is abducted from a dog park, however, Tessa is sick at heart wondering how she'll ever tell Mo his baby is gone.

Di Jones's contemporary animal novel, Acting Up: More Adventures of a Hollywood Dog Walker: LA Lights Romantic Comedy Series, Book 3 is an entertaining and, at times, suspenseful story about the nightmare most dog walkers have spent a sleepless night over at some time in their careers -- losing a client's pet. Tessa is a strong and often funny main character whose commitment to her acting career has cost her a boyfriend in the past, and may be jeopardizing her current relationship with Ryan. Her life's a whirlwind of dog walking, auditions, and parties where she hopes to be seen by the right people. Her network of friends is diverse and filled with authentic and interesting characters, people from all walks of life drawn together by their love of animals. Acting Up is a fast-paced and humorous read that's filled with California sunshine, dogs and the camaraderie of good friends. It's highly recommended.

Jane Finch

Acting Up: More Adventures of a Hollywood Dog Walker (LA Lights Romantic Comedy Series Book 3) by Di Jones tells the story of Tessa Taylor, a would-be actress and dog walker, trying to live the Hollywood Dream as a successful actress. She subsidises her income with dog walking and ends up embroiled in a dognapping ring, as well as uncovering an unsavoury group of criminals with dogs as their targets. Tessa struggles with her acting, her dog-handling abilities, her love life, and her future as her life catapults out of control. She finds herself moving in elite Hollywood circles, which has its benefits, but also its downside as at one stage she finds herself in the county jail.

This is the first book I have read in this series (Book 3) and author Di Jones does a good job of telling a fast-paced, action-filled and at times amusing story of her multi-faceted life in Hollywood. There’s a touch of humour, a sense of tension, a little sadness, a struggling romance, and a satisfying ending which all work together to make a great story. Tessa is a great protagonist and her dogs and their varying characters are appealing and believable. The story gathers pace as it progresses, with the result that it is compulsive reading as it reaches its climax. I can certainly see how this book and its characters can be part of a series and I will definitely seek out this author and other books in the series. A really enjoyable read.

Lisa McCombs

Tessa is your average, Academy Award role seeking actress living in Glam Land. She has a fun roommate and a handsome boyfriend. Her ambitions are high and her friends are many, especially those she knows from her side-job. Tessa moonlights as a dog walker, where her furry pals are numerous and have the loyalty that only pets understand. When her current charge disappears, Tessa must go above and beyond the responsibilities of her job description to rescue Max from the hands of some very dangerous people. While Tessa devotes all of her free time to Max’s rescue, romance takes a back seat to her task, and she juggles her desire to act with a need to uphold her responsibilities as a canine care-giver. In the end, Tessa has an important decision to make, but her heart stays strong in what she must do.

Acting Up: More Adventures of a Hollywood Dog Walker by Di Jones is a fun reading romp that could adequately serve as a beach read or an experience in light-hearted fiction. I really enjoyed Di Jones’ dialogue and character involvement. With dogs as main characters, the interaction between said animals and their human counterparts contributed a realistic take on this tale with which pet owners will certainly identify. I recognize a writing style similar to Janet Evanovich that brings the characters into the reader’s home as welcome family members. I really enjoyed getting to know Tessa and her rather “motley” assortment of friends. This is a fun read.

Patricia Reding

Di Jones delights readers who also happen to be pet lovers in Acting Up, part of her L.A. Lights Series, in which Tessa Taylor, a young actress seeking to get her career off to a good start, takes up dog walking and sitting to support herself. Things get interesting when Tessa sets out to walk Max, a Schnauzer pup left in her care. Meeting her dog-walking friends in Brentwood Dog Park, she is suddenly faced with a crisis: Max has gone missing. Worried when she learns of a gang of dog-nappers in the area, Tessa searches, then discovers Max in a car. Assuming someone put him there for safekeeping, she breaks in to retrieve the pet. But before long, the police find and question her. They intend to keep an eye on Tessa, thinking she may be a dog-napper. Their concerns relate to another missing Schnauzer, Zoe, owned by the well-known Hollywood personality, Zack Davis, who has offered a huge reward for her return. Things get really interesting when it becomes known that Tessa had been sitting a male pup, but that she now has a female pup in her possession. Before long, she and her gang of friends get together in an effort to find the real dog-nappers responsible for the mayhem.

Acting Up offers those who like tales of Hollywood stars a fun read with a list of characters complete with Alice, a longtime Hollywood legend, and her Great Dane, Twinkletoes; Ryan, Tessa’s current love interest who is the son of Hollywood stars and an entrepreneur; and a variety of Tessa’s dog-walking friends. The cover is delightful as is the use of the dog logo at the outset of each chapter. But the best part of Acting Up is that Di Jones adds authenticity to her tale with amusing stories of the canine characters she introduces within its pages. As a pet owner and parent to a child who is deep in the world of dog training, I found the stories fun and authentic. Acting Up is a light read that offers readers a bit of a mystery, along with a bit of romance, all surrounded by an amusing cast of canine characters.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Acting Up: More Adventures of a Hollywood Dog Walker by Di Jones is book three in the LA Lights Romantic Comedy Series. Tessa Taylor has everything, or so it would seem. She has the growing acting career, a wonderful relationship with Ryan, and a dog-walking business that is turning a nice profit. Add to that the amazing friends she has and Tessa should be deliriously happy. But she’s not. Her auditions are not going well and Ryan is showing no support of her career at all. So when Ash Adams, a sexy rocker, walks into her life, Tessa can’t help wondering if Ryan is really right for her or if it should be Ash instead. At the same time, she is running into trouble with her dog-walking business when she ends up playing a key part in breaking a ring of dog-nappers. With everything whirling around her, can Tessa really find the happiness she deserves?

Acting Up: More Adventures of a Hollywood Dog Walker (LA Lights Romantic Comedy Series Book 3) by Di Jones is a great read. Even though I didn’t read the first full-length book, I feel that there was sufficient information in this one so that I could keep up with what had gone on before. However, anyone who wants a bit more in-depth information on the main characters should perhaps consider reading the preceding books. The story flows well, follows a natural course, and doesn’t leave a reader hanging with dead ends, wondering what’s going on. It’s a fun story, with lots of ups and downs, and plenty of adventure to keep you reading - a mixture of mystery, romance, humor, and a little suspense. Great story for anyone who likes a light, romantic read with a bit of laugh-out-loud humor thrown in for good measure.