Review: Holding on to Hope
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 17, 2014
Brad is twenty years old and he has been saving himself for “the one”. He has always wanted Mr. Right, not Mr. Right Now, and on Valentine’s Day he seems to have found him. I say seems to have found him, because Brad can only remember bits and pieces of his first night with his lover. That’s right; he can’t remember his name, face or even where they “did the deed”. If it weren’t for small snippets of memory, or the pain he has going on down south, Brad might be convinced that he had dreamed the whole thing.Enlisting the help of his best friend Leslie, they go in search of Brad’s mysterious lover. They start with Ian, a friend and fellow student, since he had hosted the party at the club where Brad met Mr. Mysterious. Brad describes what he can remember to Ian, even the weird pendant that Brad remembers the man wearing, but their hopes are dashed when Ian reveals his own pendant, and they realize they are no closer to finding the man than when they started.Ian, Brad and Leslie decide to head out for coffee before going back to the club to see if anyone can point Brad in the right direction. Instead of finding answers, Brad finds himself deeply embedded in a battle that he knew nothing about. It will take the help of Leslie, Ian and Mr. Mysterious, to get Brad out of the mess he has been dragged into.When Brad goes missing, a battle that has been brewing for a long time will finally be fought, and the outcome will determine Brad’s future—whether he is aware of it or not. When we finally meets Mr. Mysterious, there are some shocking revelations that could make or break any chance for their happiness.I was quickly enthralled by this story. I was happily shocked as the story developed, and by the secret of who Brad’s lover was. I can’t say too much in this review because I don’t want to give away the storyline, but Sid Love did a good job of exposing the twist. There were some hints given, and I wasn’t totally shocked when the twist was revealed, but then there was a pretty cool twist inside the twist, and I loved it. With this being the author’s first published story, I thought it was wonderful. I would love to see more from him, especially if it was more of Brad and his Mr. Mysterious. I would highly recommend this short story, and I am looking forward to whatever comes next. - Jackie