Keith O’Leary is a struggling actor. He doesn’t have much experience, and his agent says that he’s too pretty to be offered a lot of traditional roles, so when an offer comes in from the cable drama “Forever Young,” Keith jumps on it. He’s a little leery about the fact that he must play a gay man, but he needs the money too much to refuse. Besides, he’s not gay – he has a live-in girlfriend. He’s not expecting the show to be quite so racy, however, and from the very first episode, he is expected to kiss his new co-worker and television love-interest, Carl Bronson. Lucky for Keith, Carl is as nice as he is attractive, and he’s not gay either.

As filming of the show progresses and the love scenes become increasingly torrid, Keith and Carl begin to realize that what they feel for each other is not simply friendship. Would mere friends thumb through each advance script hoping for more love-making and less dialogue? Suddenly, what’s happening on screen is not just acting – it’s real. Well, except for the sex part. Those scenes remain difficult, especially because it’s hard for a guy to hide being turned on by his costar when he’s completely nude.

Keith and Carl slip into a relationship outside of work that is passionate, loving and more than they had ever hoped for. They would be ecstatically happy if it weren’t for the necessity of keeping their love under wraps. While the director of “Forever Young” would love for them to come out as a gay couple, this could permanently mar their acting careers. As difficult as it is, Keith and Carl may have to keep their relationship secret from the outside world. That doesn’t keep them from acting naughty when they are alone, however.

Acting Naughty is the first installment in G.A. Hauser’s Action! series. In this book, she takes a look at the double standard in Hollywood, where homosexuality is generally accepted as long as one isn’t an actor or an actress looking for roles. In Keith and Carl, we have two irresistible and completely loveable characters who are surprised but thrilled at having found love together. These two are funny and very sweet in their interaction; however, they must make a choice about whether to come out and admit their feelings to the world as they would like to do or to hide their relationship due to the prejudice of the viewing public.

Fans of Ms. Hauser’s work will enjoy the way she has characters from her various novels interact with each other. Adam Lewis from When Adam Met Jack has a supporting role in this story, and Jack makes a very brief appearance. Undoubtedly, we will be seeing more of these two as well as their friends Mark and Steve as the series progresses.

Overall, Acting Naughty is an entertaining and well-written novel that will please Ms. Hauser’s readers and leave them eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.

Reviewed by: Whitney