Review - Nothing Left to Lose by N.R. Walker

Brody and Miller have been best friends since high school. They remained so even after Miller came out. The two are often so close that people mistake them for boyfriends even though Brody is straight. The problem is that Miller has been in love with Brody almost since they met, and it has become torture to be around him. Sensing the distance Miller has started to put between them, Brody enters them in a contest for newlyweds, partly as a joke. The joke may be on Brody when they win the contest and have to spend a weekend in Las Vegas pretending to be a real gay couple. Will what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas?

This short novelette covers just one long weekend in Las Vegas, when longtime friends find there’s more between them than mere friendship. The basic premise is believable. Unrequited love is a classic theme in many romances. It seems quite natural that close friendships might develop into more romantic feelings, at least for one of the people.

The narration alternates between Miller and Brody, so we get to know what each of them is feeling. Miller is quite easy to understand. Brody is perhaps more of a stretch. It can be hard to believe, but there are probably a lot of people like Brody who default to straight without really thinking about it. Perhaps it's possible most people are really demisexual without the confines of society's expectations.