Review - Risk Takers by Nicky James

Harley and Denver are brothers, but they're polar opposites. Harley takes after their lithe blond mother, while Denver favors their darker, stockier father. Gay Denver is serious and responsible. Bi Harley likes to party. Older brother Denver tries to keep his younger brother out of trouble while they're at college. Harley thinks it's his responsibility to get his older brother to lighten up and enjoy life. To that end, he talks Denver into going to a party that promises booze, drugs, sex, and every other vice a college kid can think of. As the party progresses and both young men have more to drink than they probably should, Harley and Denver cross a line that probably shouldn't ever be crossed.

“Risk Takers” explores the ramifications of what happens when siblings enter into a sexual relationship. The story paints a relatively believable picture of how such a relationship could evolve from a drunken dare at a party to something more serious.

The story is told as a flashback twenty years before the present day. The present-day scenes that bookend the flashback effectively give away the plot of the sequel book, “Rule Breakers,” where it would seem that things get even more complicated for Harley and Denver.

Denver and Harley are interesting characters. The story would work almost as well, even if they weren't brothers. There's enough difference in their personalities that this is a good opposites-attract story without the taboo aspect. The narration of the flashback alternates between the two, so we get both sides of the story. The two young men are easy to understand and empathize with, even if we get very little background on their history before the flashback. Denver's wildness once he lets go is probably going to be as surprising to you as it is to Harley.

“Risk Takers” is available from Smashwords or Amazon (commissionable link).