A Closed Door by Andrew Q. Gordon

914pLsUeYYL._SL1500_Title: A Closed Door
Series: Love, Loss, Laughter & Lust Anthology
Author: Andrew Q. Gordon
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (58 Pages)
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing (October 8, 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4.5 Hearts
Blurb: Outed at thirteen, Orin Merritt left home after high school hoping to escape the hell his life had become. Ten years later when a tornado destroys his childhood home and kills his parents, Orin finds himself in an entirely new nightmare. One he can’t run away from.

Blaming himself for failing the two people who always loved and supported him, he returns home and confronts his past in the person of his one-time best friend, Thomas Kennett. Thomas not only rejected him when Orin came out, he led the group that tormented Orin into leaving.

As he struggles to deal with his grief, Orin also labors to fulfill the pledge he made to his parents before their death. In the process, Orin learns that sometimes when you go away to find yourself, you leave the answers you’re looking for behind.

ISBN: 978-1-92522-207-4

Product Link: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/a-closed-door-by-andrew-q-gordon-2/

Reviewer: Lisa

Review: This is part of the anthology called Love, Lost, Laughter llll-andrew-q-gordonand Lust. It is probably the best one I have read about in a while. I am not much for short stories or anthologies but this story comes really close to being perfect.

This story is one of those types that will tear at your heart-strings because it is a story that could be real. So many stories that you hear about best friends and their reactions to what happens when you tell them something they don’t like or don’t agree with. For a short story it has a lot of details and heart in it.

Orin’s best friend Thomas had asked him when they were kids if he was gay. He had told him yes, thinking that his best friend would always be there for him. What he had not told him was that he loved him. However Thomas had reacted in fear and hate. He had managed to tear Orin’s heart out. He bullied him through middle school and high school. He had made his life a living hell.

After graduation he managed to escape and make a life for himself. He had never intended to go back, but a tornado had changed his mind. It had killed his parents and destroyed his child hood home. When he came home to fix it all, Thomas was there.
Thomas was a deputy for the sheriff’s department and had always regretted what he had done to Orin. He had been a coward and feared the reactions he would get if it came out that he was gay also. He knew he had to make things right. He had to show Orin that he was in love with him and would fix it all.

This is a story that you could believe was actually happening in front of you. At first I thought it would be the type where the parents were the cruel ones and in a way I went to the bully part. However it still didn’t take away from the fact that as soon as I started reading it I could not put it down. It turned out so much better than what I had thought. The parents had been loving and cherished their son. They had loved him unconditionally. It was the best friend that had betrayed him, and the best friend who needed to prove himself ten years later.

I had a blast with this and look forward to reading more by this author. It was the first book that I have read by Andrew and I was quite impressed. It was well told with a lot of heart in it. I would definitely recommend this book to others. Trust me this is a story that you should read.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *