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Us Again
When Alex gets a call in the middle of the night telling him his ex-boyfriend is in the hospital, he only hesitates for a second before rushing to Sammy’s side. But the Sammy in the hospital bed is fragile and not the same man who told Alex to leave seven months ago.
Alex wants to help Sammy get better and is desperate to find out what went wrong between them. Maybe he’ll even get a second chance with the man he hasn’t been able to get over.
But will Sammy let Alex back into his life?
Alex wants to help Sammy get better and is desperate to find out what went wrong between them. Maybe he’ll even get a second chance with the man he hasn’t been able to get over.
But will Sammy let Alex back into his life?
34 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2018
3 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Nell Iris
65 books97 followersNell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angsty, short over long, and quirky characters over alpha males. She published her first book in 2017.
Nell is an author with a day job that steals too much time from her writing, her reading, her gardening, and her crocheting. She’s an introverted tea drinker who loves her family, her books, and her home in the Swedish countryside.
Nell is an author with a day job that steals too much time from her writing, her reading, her gardening, and her crocheting. She’s an introverted tea drinker who loves her family, her books, and her home in the Swedish countryside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 10, 2018
This story, while sweet, resorted to telling versus showing. The entire relationship was summarized save for the meet-cute.
Even Sammy's confession was told in the third-person instead of being included as dialogue. It would have been so much more powerful narrated in Sammy's voice.
The way Sammy rubbed Alex's fur and called him Care Bear was adorable though. I liked the ending too.
Even Sammy's confession was told in the third-person instead of being included as dialogue. It would have been so much more powerful narrated in Sammy's voice.
The way Sammy rubbed Alex's fur and called him Care Bear was adorable though. I liked the ending too.
September 27, 2018
3.5*
That was short. Like 10 minutes to read it short, but that didn't stop it from being a delightful little peek into the lives of two cute guys.
I loved the whole premise of this story, we come into it after the relationship has ended but with the knowledge that something was off with the whole thing.
A big heart to heart on a hospital bed fills in the blanks and leads to a super sweet epilogue.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
That was short. Like 10 minutes to read it short, but that didn't stop it from being a delightful little peek into the lives of two cute guys.
I loved the whole premise of this story, we come into it after the relationship has ended but with the knowledge that something was off with the whole thing.
A big heart to heart on a hospital bed fills in the blanks and leads to a super sweet epilogue.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
October 5, 2018
This was a tender teeny tale about reconnecting.
I enjoy second chance stories and this was very well done.
Found myself drawn to both MC's.
A new-to-me author that I will certainly keep my eye out for more.
*3.5 lovely little stars*
I enjoy second chance stories and this was very well done.
Found myself drawn to both MC's.
A new-to-me author that I will certainly keep my eye out for more.
*3.5 lovely little stars*
October 6, 2018
I couldn’t help myself... I cried emotional tears... Throughout the whole story I felt my insides trembling of anticipation...
What a tremendous story!! I loved every word, every line from first to last!
Highly emotional and endearing. Constantly leveled on the upper side of awesomeness.
I just adore beautiful emotional love stories and the author excelled with this one.
A perfect short love story, a little bubble just enough developed to understand where it all comes from.
What a tremendous story!! I loved every word, every line from first to last!
Highly emotional and endearing. Constantly leveled on the upper side of awesomeness.
I just adore beautiful emotional love stories and the author excelled with this one.
A perfect short love story, a little bubble just enough developed to understand where it all comes from.
February 11, 2019
This short stories ticks a lot of boxes in 34 pages. While I would have loved a bit more page time for the relationship between Sammy and Alex, I loved what I got and the hurt/comfort, meet/cute, opposites attract tropes were all well represented with plenty of feels and "d'awwwww" moments.
October 16, 2018
You're so cuddly, Care Bear
... and so is this book.
Us Again is a sweet short story about that second chance. It's emotional at times, and other will have you smiling and sighing dreamily.
When Alex gets a phone call in the middle of the night he is far from happy. When the caller identifies himself as his ex's brother and asks him to come to the hospital Alex doesn't know what to think. On the one hand he's still in love with Sammy. On the other, Sammy made it abundantly clear that he didn't want Alex around. Unable to stay away Alex goes to the hospital to see the man he can't forget. Maybe, just maybe, things have changed from all those months ago.
I wish this story had been longer. I enjoyed reading about Alex and Sammy and would love to have seen much more of them. More of that first meet-cute, their path of falling in love. The feelings and connection were there throughout the book, but greedy me wants more. I wanted to explore more of Sammy and his issues, his road to recovery and not to forget their road back to each other. What we got of these guys were sweet and beautiful, just not enough.
This short little story about forgiveness and finding your way back to each other is a great read when you want something sweet, a little emotional, but don't have a lot of time. And when it ends you might find yourself wishing for your very own bear hug.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
October 20, 2018
Not proper fluff in the traditional sense, but it was reasonably fluffy (although also a bit angsty).
It would have been nice if it had been longer, but it was still good as it is!
It would have been nice if it had been longer, but it was still good as it is!
September 20, 2018
Cute story. It's short, that was why I was interested, I wanted something short. It is very, very,
very
sweet. It contains no sex, I tend to find that odd in a contemporary adult romance. I like MC intimate connection, particularly if there isn't anything else happening - like a mystery, suspense, procedural, or deeper psychology. The story behind Sam and Alex meeting up again at the hospital isn't quite strong enough to carry this short story without something else happening. Maybe highly sweet, no steam romance is the way this author writes usually, I don't know as it's the first time I've read something by them.
There's some emotion between the MCs, which helps to make the story somewhat better for it. It's not always easy to get that in short novellas.
“Don’t you see?” he whispers. “When you said you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, I got scared."
If you'd like a quick and extremely fluffy, very sweet romance with a dash of emotion, one with no steam, then this could be for you.
“Care Bear!” He leaps to his feet and throws himself into my arms when I’m close enough. I chuckle and hug him. Hard.
There's some emotion between the MCs, which helps to make the story somewhat better for it. It's not always easy to get that in short novellas.
“Don’t you see?” he whispers. “When you said you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, I got scared."
If you'd like a quick and extremely fluffy, very sweet romance with a dash of emotion, one with no steam, then this could be for you.
“Care Bear!” He leaps to his feet and throws himself into my arms when I’m close enough. I chuckle and hug him. Hard.
October 6, 2018
3,5*
J'aime beaucoup les écrits de Nell Iris et une fois de plus, j'ai passé un très joli moment en compagnie de ses héros. Us again est une histoire de seconde chance, douce et pleine d'espoir.
Malheureusement, nous ne passons qu'un moment de lecture éphémère en compagnie de Sammy et Alex puisqu'il s'agit d'une courte nouvelle d'une (petite) dizaines de pages. Je ne piperai mot sur la trame du récit pour cette raison.
L'auteure parvient dès les premiers mots à nous plonger au coeur de leur histoire et je me suis attachée à ces deux personnages dès les premiers instants, la force de leur connexion et de leur lien est comme une évidence et j'ai été émue par leur histoire.
Alex est un personnage solide et vulnérable à la fois, Sammy est terriblement touchant... ahlala j'avais envie de leur faire un énorme câlin ! J'ai particulièrement aimé le passage qui est évoqué par la couverture, c'était tellement mignon.
Une nouvelle parfaite pour les lecteurs qui éprouvent le besoin de recevoir une bouffée de douceur mais qui ne disposent que de quelques minutes pour s'évader !
J'aime beaucoup les écrits de Nell Iris et une fois de plus, j'ai passé un très joli moment en compagnie de ses héros. Us again est une histoire de seconde chance, douce et pleine d'espoir.
Malheureusement, nous ne passons qu'un moment de lecture éphémère en compagnie de Sammy et Alex puisqu'il s'agit d'une courte nouvelle d'une (petite) dizaines de pages. Je ne piperai mot sur la trame du récit pour cette raison.
L'auteure parvient dès les premiers mots à nous plonger au coeur de leur histoire et je me suis attachée à ces deux personnages dès les premiers instants, la force de leur connexion et de leur lien est comme une évidence et j'ai été émue par leur histoire.
Alex est un personnage solide et vulnérable à la fois, Sammy est terriblement touchant... ahlala j'avais envie de leur faire un énorme câlin ! J'ai particulièrement aimé le passage qui est évoqué par la couverture, c'était tellement mignon.
Une nouvelle parfaite pour les lecteurs qui éprouvent le besoin de recevoir une bouffée de douceur mais qui ne disposent que de quelques minutes pour s'évader !
October 6, 2018
What a delightful story this is. Sweet, lovely, beautifully written, and full of emotions. We come into the story after Alex and Sammy’s relationship has ended, but I sensed there was something off about their breakup, and I just knew it was a great misunderstanding. I felt the love between them was still very much alive. The way Alex came to Sammy was so heartbreaking I had tears in my eyes. It’s a short story, but this author only needs a few words to set the scene and pull you into a story, and you just can’t stop reading. Her characters are so full of life and so beautifully portrayed you’ll hold them in your heart. Slowly we learn what happened to Sammy, and my heart broke yet again. And sweet, sweet Care Bear can only cuddle his little monkey boy close and finally ask him that all-important question Sammy is now brave enough to answer.
October 6, 2018
I’ve found that short stories in the romance genre can be notoriously difficult to get right if they are written as a standalone, since the author needs to be able to convey a certain level of information about the characters and their situation to make the story satisfying on its own. Here in Us Again, the author did a spot-on job of making me care about the characters due to their heightened emotional states and overall situation; in the end though, I was still left wanting more.
It was very easy to sympathize with Alex once I heard his side of things, and how Sammy had left things when they broke up. Alex seemed so sweet and caring, and I really felt bad for him, especially since it was obvious that he still had strong feelings for Sammy. We don’t get to hear much about Sammy until after he wakes up, but once his side gets told those sympathetic feelings rise to the fore again. For me though, that only goes so far since his reasoning behind breaking up with Alex irked me (it’s one of my pet peeves in romance stories…sorry, can’t say more without spoilers). Alex and Sammy together does equal a sweet, adorable pairing though—that can’t be denied.
I think this story would have benefitted from a longer format so the events leading up to the breakup and both Alex and Sammy’s personal viewpoints could be expanded. This story was told only from Alex’s point of view, and I believe that limited some of the emotional impact was dampened by that fact. Us Again is still an interesting read, and at 34 pages most readers will probably finish in a half hour or so.
It was very easy to sympathize with Alex once I heard his side of things, and how Sammy had left things when they broke up. Alex seemed so sweet and caring, and I really felt bad for him, especially since it was obvious that he still had strong feelings for Sammy. We don’t get to hear much about Sammy until after he wakes up, but once his side gets told those sympathetic feelings rise to the fore again. For me though, that only goes so far since his reasoning behind breaking up with Alex irked me (it’s one of my pet peeves in romance stories…sorry, can’t say more without spoilers). Alex and Sammy together does equal a sweet, adorable pairing though—that can’t be denied.
I think this story would have benefitted from a longer format so the events leading up to the breakup and both Alex and Sammy’s personal viewpoints could be expanded. This story was told only from Alex’s point of view, and I believe that limited some of the emotional impact was dampened by that fact. Us Again is still an interesting read, and at 34 pages most readers will probably finish in a half hour or so.
March 27, 2021
*I read and reviewed this book back in October 2018 but forgot to add it to Goodreads*
A charming short story.
Us Again is a short story so I don't judge them quite the same way I would a full novel or even a novella. There is no time for character development but that doesn't mean it can't be a good story.
Alex loves Sammy but Sammy sends him away. When Sammy's brother calls to ask Alex to come see Sammy in the hospital Alex doesn't think that Sammy will want to see him. And he doesn't…or does he?
Sammy broke Alex's heart when he sent him away and now Alex hates seeing him emaciated with an IV bag pumping fuids into him. When Sammy sends him away again, he's crushed.
Nell Iris does an excellent job of giving us the bare bones details about Sammy and Alex. It's enough to paint a very vivid picture of how they met, why they broke up and how they get back together again. It's a very tender love story and I thought it was great.
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
A charming short story.
Us Again is a short story so I don't judge them quite the same way I would a full novel or even a novella. There is no time for character development but that doesn't mean it can't be a good story.
Alex loves Sammy but Sammy sends him away. When Sammy's brother calls to ask Alex to come see Sammy in the hospital Alex doesn't think that Sammy will want to see him. And he doesn't…or does he?
Sammy broke Alex's heart when he sent him away and now Alex hates seeing him emaciated with an IV bag pumping fuids into him. When Sammy sends him away again, he's crushed.
Nell Iris does an excellent job of giving us the bare bones details about Sammy and Alex. It's enough to paint a very vivid picture of how they met, why they broke up and how they get back together again. It's a very tender love story and I thought it was great.
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
October 9, 2018
A broken heart, a broken man, a second chance. We don't always get another shot at who we want most but Alex gets an unexpected phone call that gives him one. But the shadow of the man he loves resting on the hospital bed isn't going to make it easy. There's a lot of emotional depth introduced in this very short story. I don't feel it was long enough to do it justice, though, which is unfortunate. We also don't get to know the characters very well. Sure, we're tossed into the deep end of Sammy's past. Yes, we get the depth of Alex's feelings. But neither of those things actually connect us to them as individuals. What we feel instead of connection is sympathy, pity, sadness. A bit of hope is thrown in for sure, because the earnestness and yearning coming from Alex is palpable. I also really enjoyed their meet-cute quite a bit. As a whole, the story isn't bad, it's just not as effective as I was hoping.
October 8, 2018
Us Again, by Nell Iris is a sweet, second chance romance.
Sammy kicked Alex out of his life seven months ago. But when Alex gets a call that Sammy's in the hospital, Alex comes running. What Alex finds shakes me to the core, as Sammy is sick after not having taken care of himself.
The author does a great job of dealing with eating issues, without putting too much emphasis on the issue. This part of the story is not an easy read.
As for the main theme in this story, it's a classic, but it's well done. You can't love someone else unless you love yourself. Sammy's youth was sad and tragic, with him never experiences love. If he's going to let Alex back into his life, he needs to realize that he is worthy of love.
Overall, Us Again is a good second chance love story. Nell Iris keeps it short, sweet and with the right amount of angst.
Sammy kicked Alex out of his life seven months ago. But when Alex gets a call that Sammy's in the hospital, Alex comes running. What Alex finds shakes me to the core, as Sammy is sick after not having taken care of himself.
The author does a great job of dealing with eating issues, without putting too much emphasis on the issue. This part of the story is not an easy read.
As for the main theme in this story, it's a classic, but it's well done. You can't love someone else unless you love yourself. Sammy's youth was sad and tragic, with him never experiences love. If he's going to let Alex back into his life, he needs to realize that he is worthy of love.
Overall, Us Again is a good second chance love story. Nell Iris keeps it short, sweet and with the right amount of angst.
September 21, 2018
This short story is about second chances and forgiving someone for breaking your heart. Alex gets a call at 2 AM from the brother of his ex-boyfriend. Sammy, the man who Alex hasn't forgotten or the hurt from their breakup hadn't lessened since he kicked him out seven months previous. When Alex learns Sammy is in the hospital, he is torn between wanting to protect him and doing exactly as he asked when they broke up. Sammy is damaged by his father's death and his mother's treatment of him, and when he sees Alex again, he can't give him up, despite his long-held feelings that he is unloved. He tells Alex everything and they are soon on their way to rebuilding their relationship. A cute read!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2018
Heartfelt second chance romance that will make you happy. This is a sweet short story about learning to believe in yourself and love. My heart broke for both of these men as they talk about the past. I loved Alex's solid and gentle love, he is exactly what Sammy needs and deserves. The writing flowed beautiful and the story-line was complete and touching.
Sammy and Alex have an amazing connection and i loved how the epilogue gave them a really happy ever-after.
September 12, 2022
A very short but touching tale of love gone wrong. When a young man's perception of love and affection is based on his past experiences with his loose Mother things are bound to go wonky, much to the detriment of his health. Sweet but painful, his story hits your heart.
October 4, 2018
Well that was just lovely. Nell Iris writes such gorgeous low angst sweet stories, highly recommended.
October 14, 2018
3.5 stars
November 4, 2019
Lovely!
October 3, 2021
2.5 stars - Not my fave from this fluffy author. I like short works, but this needed more room to develop. Came off as overly dramatic bc we didn’t get much context.
August 12, 2023
3.5 stars
October 8, 2018
Us again is a short sweet story that called to me as soon as I read the synopsis.
Sammy is kind and despite his childhood, he is a beautiful soul that just wants to be loved.
Alex is a big bear of a man with a tender heart when it comes to Sammy and it made my heart hurt for the pain they were going through.
This is the first book from Nell Iris that I have had the pleasure of picking up and hopefully not the last.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Sammy is kind and despite his childhood, he is a beautiful soul that just wants to be loved.
Alex is a big bear of a man with a tender heart when it comes to Sammy and it made my heart hurt for the pain they were going through.
This is the first book from Nell Iris that I have had the pleasure of picking up and hopefully not the last.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
October 17, 2018
This is a very emotional and visceral short story. We are immediately thrown into the turmoil that Alex and Sammy are experiencing after their sudden break up and Sammy's admittance into the hospital. My heart broke for Alex as he tried to be there for his former love, even when he was unsure about the entire situation. The reason for the break up didn't quite measure up to the build up in my opinion, but I commend Nell Iris for writing such a heart wrenching story in under 10,000 words.
I received a copy of this book from the author and voluntarily provided my honest review.
For more m/m romance reviews, visit Slashsessed.
I received a copy of this book from the author and voluntarily provided my honest review.
For more m/m romance reviews, visit Slashsessed.
May 23, 2023
Talk about an emotional dramatic yet non-angsty sweet little gem. Those late night phone calls are never good news but maybe this one will lead to something positive for Alex and Sammy. Us Again is beautifully done with interesting characters that tug at your heart instantly. Could it have been even better with more backstory and follow to the future? Sure. Sometimes the pull-on-the-heartstrings isn't about the whole journey, about the getting there, about the where they end up but about the moment that it all comes together. Us Again is one of those stories that watches the characters discover "the moment", the point of no return, the do or die, the give it their all or go home. I know these are all cliches but they are cliches for a reason and Us Again may be the moment Alex and Sammy need to get it right but that doesn't make the story cliche. Oh no, this story will make you smile from ear to ear and entertain with every dimple that smile makes.
April 8, 2020
A lovely little gumdrop of a book. Very short but packs a hefty emotional punch. About two guys who've broken up. Something happens and they have to find their way back to each other. I love Nell Iris' emotion-packed books. She always makes you care about her MCs. This has the depth of feeling that you don't often see in full length novels, much less short stories. Nicely done! But too short!
January 10, 2021
3.75⭐, rounded off to 4
October 21, 2018
Reviewed by Kat
For such an incredibly short story this book was the full meal deal!
Alex gets a call from David, his ex’s older brother. His Sammy is in the hospital and David reassures Alex that he needs to be there. But can Alex take the chance to open himself up for more heartbreak that he can endure if Sammy throws him out again?
I wasn’t sure that you could get a story this good in so few pages but Nell Iris seems to have pulled off the impossible. She wove a complete story of two men who needed each other desperately but the one had no previous experience with love and relationships to draw from. And what I loved most was, despite the length, the author constructed a total and complete love story that left me not wanting at all. Many authors have not been able to accomplish this task in 300 pages! I would have never dreamed of finding a 5 Hearts story in only 34 pages but you know the old line “good things come in small packages!” I wholeheartedly recommend this short, sweet wonderful love story. It’s a perfect lunchtime read!
This book was provided for free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
For such an incredibly short story this book was the full meal deal!
Alex gets a call from David, his ex’s older brother. His Sammy is in the hospital and David reassures Alex that he needs to be there. But can Alex take the chance to open himself up for more heartbreak that he can endure if Sammy throws him out again?
I wasn’t sure that you could get a story this good in so few pages but Nell Iris seems to have pulled off the impossible. She wove a complete story of two men who needed each other desperately but the one had no previous experience with love and relationships to draw from. And what I loved most was, despite the length, the author constructed a total and complete love story that left me not wanting at all. Many authors have not been able to accomplish this task in 300 pages! I would have never dreamed of finding a 5 Hearts story in only 34 pages but you know the old line “good things come in small packages!” I wholeheartedly recommend this short, sweet wonderful love story. It’s a perfect lunchtime read!
This book was provided for free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
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November 24, 2018Short but cute.
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