9 Willow Street #1
Summary:Heartbroken after the death of his beloved Nana, Hannes, the family outsider, finally allows himself to grieve. The legal battle over Nana’s quirky old house -- the only place he’s ever felt accepted and loved -- is over, and he moves in and finds a sense of peace.
... And a rabbit.
An adorable bunny with a huge personality moves in, too, and refuses to leave. Hannes instantly falls in love with the sweet animal who helps heal his heart. But one morning, Hannes’ view of the world changes when the rabbit transforms into a man. A man named Mattis.
After the initial shock, Hannes and Mattis discover a connection between them that runs deeper than it seems. Will their newfound feelings survive unraveling secrets and meddling families, and grow into something real? Something deep and everlasting?
And Then They Were Three #1.5
Summary:Hannes and Mattis have been happily married and heartbound for two years when a tiny, one-eared rabbit shifter kit hops into their lives and seems reluctant to leave ...
This free story is a short glimpse into Hannes and bunny shifter Mattis' happily ever after.
Original Review July 2019:
This is one of those stories that just kind of sneaks up on you. I imagine in the publishing world just about every animal has been told in shifter stories but I can honestly say I have never read a rabbit shifter tale. 9 Willow Street is a fun, romantic, and sexy quick read. By "quick" I don't mean it lacks substance, because this newest Nell Iris novella may be shorter than most shifter tales it is certainly not lacking in story.
One thing I want to point out that I loved was that Hannes is missing his great grandmother, very rarely do we see characters that even mention having a "great"-grandmother let alone a loving relationship with one. I realize that not everyone has the opportunity to get to know there great grandparents, I was lucky enough to know one of mine, not just know her but to have a relationship with her. I just turned 20 when my Great Grandmother Alta passed away in 1993, she was just shy of her 92nd birthday and I have always felt blessed to have known her. So that element in itself in 9 Willow Street made this novella special and really spoke to me.
As for Hannes, you just want to wrap him up and give him a giant Mama Bear Hug and tell him everything is going to be okay and then in hops a little white rabbit with odd markings and you almost feel as if his great grandmother sent the little guy. I won't say too much more, but Mio is a special little rabbit, not your typical garden variety that likes to eat your flowers, he's a cuddler and is exactly what Hannes needs.
That's all I'm going to say about the story other than, as it is a novella, 9 Willow Street may be short on quantity but it is long on quality and well worth the read. You will want to smack a couple of people but mostly you just want to smile, laugh, and believe. When I think of paranormal shifter tales, high drama and even violence tends to come to mind but you won't find that here. Oh, there is drama but not really angsty. What you do find is true joy, true love, that will entertain from beginning to end.
This is one of those stories that just kind of sneaks up on you. I imagine in the publishing world just about every animal has been told in shifter stories but I can honestly say I have never read a rabbit shifter tale. 9 Willow Street is a fun, romantic, and sexy quick read. By "quick" I don't mean it lacks substance, because this newest Nell Iris novella may be shorter than most shifter tales it is certainly not lacking in story.
One thing I want to point out that I loved was that Hannes is missing his great grandmother, very rarely do we see characters that even mention having a "great"-grandmother let alone a loving relationship with one. I realize that not everyone has the opportunity to get to know there great grandparents, I was lucky enough to know one of mine, not just know her but to have a relationship with her. I just turned 20 when my Great Grandmother Alta passed away in 1993, she was just shy of her 92nd birthday and I have always felt blessed to have known her. So that element in itself in 9 Willow Street made this novella special and really spoke to me.
As for Hannes, you just want to wrap him up and give him a giant Mama Bear Hug and tell him everything is going to be okay and then in hops a little white rabbit with odd markings and you almost feel as if his great grandmother sent the little guy. I won't say too much more, but Mio is a special little rabbit, not your typical garden variety that likes to eat your flowers, he's a cuddler and is exactly what Hannes needs.
That's all I'm going to say about the story other than, as it is a novella, 9 Willow Street may be short on quantity but it is long on quality and well worth the read. You will want to smack a couple of people but mostly you just want to smile, laugh, and believe. When I think of paranormal shifter tales, high drama and even violence tends to come to mind but you won't find that here. Oh, there is drama but not really angsty. What you do find is true joy, true love, that will entertain from beginning to end.
And Then They Were Three #1.5
Original Review April 2023:
How in the world it took me over 2 years to discover this free gem existed is beyond me because I absolutely adored the original 9 Willow Street. Well, find it I finally did and so glad too. And Then They Were Three is a short(very short some might even go as far to call it a long coda), sweet, and dare I say sexy entertaining read. I mention "dare I say sexy" because it's not overt but you can feel the chemistry between Hannes and Mattis jump off the page. Perhaps "sensual" is more appropriate but whatever word you choose, their passion for each other is undeniable.
You really do need to read 9 Willow Street first to fully appreciate this short. You won't be lost and certainly won't not enjoy this cute little looksee into Hannes and Mattis' life but your heart-filled connection to the men won't quite be the same in my opinion.
Such a delight that I may just find myself re-visiting this short every Easter.
9 Willow Street #1
Next morning, I wake up early. It’s still dark outside, and I’m not sure what woke me up -- a quick glance at the ancient mechanical clock radio on the bedside table tells me it’s almost two hours until my alarm will go off, so I close my eyes again, willing myself to go back to sleep.
My eyelids are heavy, and I melt into the mattress as my mind drifts. I must already be dreaming because I can smell coffee; strong and bitter and fruity, and it’s making my mouth water. The scent grows more intense and I hum. I’ve never had a dream this life-like before.
My eyes flutter open and I rub a palm over my face, but the coffee aroma doesn’t disappear even though I’m clearly awake. Knitting my eyebrows together, I turn on the light.
And there, on the bedside table, stands my favorite cup -- the one Nana hand-painted with my name and wood anemones, my favorite flower -- full of hot, steaming coffee.
“What the ...?” I push myself up to seated and stare at the thing as though it’s a huge disgusting cockroach.
... and from the corner of my eye, I notice someone sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall under the window.
I gasp, scrambling backward until I almost fall off the bed. When my feet hit the floor, I put as much distance between me and the stranger as I can. My legs wobble and my hands tingle as I press my back against the wardrobe door.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?” I say, voice breathy and hesitant. I wouldn’t scare a mouse in my state. My gaze flits between the intruder and the door.
Can I make a run for it?
My heart is galloping in my chest, and I shake my head, trying to clear it and make sure I’m properly awake, but he’s still there. He’s real, not a figment of my imagination.
As I look closer at the man, who’s not saying anything, just sits there as though he’s trying to be as unthreatening as possible, I realize he’s vaguely familiar.
I definitely recognize the Bob Dylan T-shirt he’s wearing. “Are you wearing my clothes?”
He nods, making his huge white-blond curls bounce around his head. The tip of his nose twitches and his forget-me-not colored eyes are big and guarded.
It’s the eyes that does it.
“Wait! You’re that guy. The one the Nymans were here looking for.” I bite my lip as I search my brain for the name of the missing man. “Mattis?”
“Yes.”
I jump when he speaks, making my head slam against the wardrobe, and I wince.
“Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you, I promise.”
I scowl at him, inching myself closer to the door, hoping he won’t try and stop me when I get close enough to bolt.
Why, oh why, did I make that stupid rule for myself to never bring my phone to bed? If I’d had it, I could’ve hidden in the closet and called 911.
“I made you coffee, Hannes. Please don’t run, I need to talk to you.”
“How do you know my name?” My voice is nowhere near as demanding as I want it to be. Instead, it sounds more like a plea and cracks.
Slowly, he rises to his feet in one fluid motion, keeping his gaze on me and his voice soft. “I know many things about you.”
“How?” I’m pretty close to the door now. Just a few steps and I’ll be out.
“Please don’t run. Sit, drink your coffee, and I’ll tell you.”
I shake my head. “Why should I? How do I know you’re not here to kill me or something?”
He cocks his head and his nose twitches faster. “’Don’t be afraid. I know I probably look big and scary to someone as small as you, but I promise I’m nice. I won’t hurt you.’”
I freeze as he quotes my own words back to me, the ones I said to Mio that day I found him in the kitchen. “How?” I whisper.
My eyelids are heavy, and I melt into the mattress as my mind drifts. I must already be dreaming because I can smell coffee; strong and bitter and fruity, and it’s making my mouth water. The scent grows more intense and I hum. I’ve never had a dream this life-like before.
My eyes flutter open and I rub a palm over my face, but the coffee aroma doesn’t disappear even though I’m clearly awake. Knitting my eyebrows together, I turn on the light.
And there, on the bedside table, stands my favorite cup -- the one Nana hand-painted with my name and wood anemones, my favorite flower -- full of hot, steaming coffee.
“What the ...?” I push myself up to seated and stare at the thing as though it’s a huge disgusting cockroach.
... and from the corner of my eye, I notice someone sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall under the window.
I gasp, scrambling backward until I almost fall off the bed. When my feet hit the floor, I put as much distance between me and the stranger as I can. My legs wobble and my hands tingle as I press my back against the wardrobe door.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?” I say, voice breathy and hesitant. I wouldn’t scare a mouse in my state. My gaze flits between the intruder and the door.
Can I make a run for it?
My heart is galloping in my chest, and I shake my head, trying to clear it and make sure I’m properly awake, but he’s still there. He’s real, not a figment of my imagination.
As I look closer at the man, who’s not saying anything, just sits there as though he’s trying to be as unthreatening as possible, I realize he’s vaguely familiar.
I definitely recognize the Bob Dylan T-shirt he’s wearing. “Are you wearing my clothes?”
He nods, making his huge white-blond curls bounce around his head. The tip of his nose twitches and his forget-me-not colored eyes are big and guarded.
It’s the eyes that does it.
“Wait! You’re that guy. The one the Nymans were here looking for.” I bite my lip as I search my brain for the name of the missing man. “Mattis?”
“Yes.”
I jump when he speaks, making my head slam against the wardrobe, and I wince.
“Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you, I promise.”
I scowl at him, inching myself closer to the door, hoping he won’t try and stop me when I get close enough to bolt.
Why, oh why, did I make that stupid rule for myself to never bring my phone to bed? If I’d had it, I could’ve hidden in the closet and called 911.
“I made you coffee, Hannes. Please don’t run, I need to talk to you.”
“How do you know my name?” My voice is nowhere near as demanding as I want it to be. Instead, it sounds more like a plea and cracks.
Slowly, he rises to his feet in one fluid motion, keeping his gaze on me and his voice soft. “I know many things about you.”
“How?” I’m pretty close to the door now. Just a few steps and I’ll be out.
“Please don’t run. Sit, drink your coffee, and I’ll tell you.”
I shake my head. “Why should I? How do I know you’re not here to kill me or something?”
He cocks his head and his nose twitches faster. “’Don’t be afraid. I know I probably look big and scary to someone as small as you, but I promise I’m nice. I won’t hurt you.’”
I freeze as he quotes my own words back to me, the ones I said to Mio that day I found him in the kitchen. “How?” I whisper.
And Then They Were Three #1.5
A twitch of the little rabbit's body catches my attention.
At first, Vidar ran and hid underneath a bush whenever either of us spoke to him, as though he expected to be chastised, or maybe worse. But gradually he's gotten used to us, and maybe learned to trust us a little, so these days we can talk to him without scaring him.
But I still gentle my voice and try to make myself smaller when I turn to him. "Hey there, kiddo. You know he's not actually mad at you, right?" I point my thumb at Mattis, give Vidar a warm smile, and waggle my eyebrows. When Vidar's nose twitches and his ear rises from his body the tiniest bit, my heart leaps in my chest. "He may be big and sound strict, but he's just a big ole softie who wants to show you the tastiest carrots."
Mattis pinches my butt hard, but out of the corner of my eye, I can see his encouraging smile.
Vidar's body relaxes a little.
"I would tell him to turn into a rabbit and show you where to find the best carrots, but he'd probably eat them all, and we don't want that, do we?"
The kit's chin raises a little until it's no longer plastered to the ground.
"But do you want to know a secret?" I loud-whisper.
The little nose stops, as though Vidar holds his breath, waiting for what I'm about to say.
"We grow enough carrots for both of you."
Vidar's ear springs up to full attention.
"Look over there." I lean forward and point to a random carrot. "That one's the best. I promise. Go on. Dig it up."
We both tense with anticipation as Vidar hops once and then pauses, eyes on me, waiting to see if I'm going to change my mind. When I don't, he sets off toward the vegetable I pointed out, hopping faster than I've ever seen him do before, and starts digging with abandon. Now and then he stops and looks in my direction, but when I nod and smile, he continues.
Mattis sighs. "And you call me a softie. You hardly let me touch your beloved carrots, and I'm your husband."
"What can I say, honey? I have a thing for cute, one-eared kits."
Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. She’s a bona fide bookworm (learned to read long before she started school), wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladies’ room), loves music (and singing along at the top of her voice but she’s no Celine Dion), and is a real Star Trek nerd (Make it so). She loves words, bullet journals, poetry, wine, coffee-flavored kisses, and fika (a Swedish cultural thing involving coffee and pastry!)
Nell believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful, place.
Nell is a bisexual Swedish woman married to the love of her life, a proud mama of a grown daughter, and is approaching 50 faster than she’d like. She lives in the south of Sweden where she spends her days thinking up stories about people falling in love. After dreaming about being a writer for most of her life, she finally was in a place where she could pursue her dream and released her first book in 2017.
Nell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angsty, short over long, and quirky characters over alpha males.
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EMAIL: contact@nelliris.com
9 Willow Street #1
And Then They Were Three #1.5
