Being the start of a new week, Monday's are also a good time to take a look at some of the different stories that can be found on Gay Authors. With so many great works, it can be easy to overlook one and Monday's provide an opportunity for us to help make one of them stand out and maybe catch your interest. Today, we're bringing you a review by Timothy M. of BigAKHorton's story "Misunderstandings." Enjoy!

Reviewer: Timothy M.
Status: Complete
Word Count: 43,061
Misunderstandings by BigAKHorton is a story I return to whenever I want to feel good about life. I forget how I came across it, but whenever I think about the main characters, Davis and Luis, I get this warm, cuddly feeling inside. It’s one of those ‘Complete’ stories where I keep hoping the author adds another chapter, just so I can spend some more time in the company of its heroes. I also wish AK would post more stories, because this one is wonderful.

The slightly scary title and the short description (‘It was just a one-night-stand. Wasn't it?’) hide an unusually sweet story in spite of the almost trite theme of two guys who are attracted to each other but assume the other man isn’t interested. The main theme is explored in the first chapter which is the same length as the two subsequent chapters combined. But each chapter contains several important issues which Davis and Luis must deal with in order to find their happiness.

The odds are stacked against them, mainly due to Davis being a lot older than Luis, but also because of how people perceive the big guy. If anyone deserves the epithet Gentle Giant it’s Davis. I love the way AK describes him and how Davis deals with being lonely and desperate for a relationship. He likes himself and has plenty of humor and a dignity and honesty which are beautiful to witness. He has his faults too, one of which has me laughing like mad: he absolutely cannot wake up in the morning. Naturally, Luis is the opposite and jumps out of bed wide awake. It’s hilarious and cute to watch those scenes unfold.

It’s hard to say what I like most about this story, which is a wonderful mixture of funny scenes, like the one where Luis tries to explain ‘bear culture’ to his co-worker Shelley, and of tender and sometimes sad moments when Davis and Luis try to work past the misunderstandings and define their relationship.
There are some truly breath-taking romantic moments in there, and they are even more awesome for being unexpected, unsentimental, and utterly sweet. Especially the kissing. Oh, and then there are the delightful descriptions of ‘meet-the-friends’ (ch 2) and ‘meet-the-parents’ (ch 3), where Shelley, who is a genuinely nice girl, once again plays a crucial role.

I could go on and on, but you should go and experience the story yourself. ‘Misunderstandings’ is truly one of the hidden gems on GA, and it deserves more readers, likes and reviews. Hopefully, acknowledgement of his talent might spur the author to share more stories with us.