Hi,
A very warm welcome to my guest, the wonderful Nell Iris, with her new novella Regaining Trust… š
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RELEASE BLITZ
Book Title: Regaining Trust
Author: Nell Iris
Publisher: JMS Books
Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs
Release Date: September 30, 2020
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Trope: Second chances
Themes: Established couple, infidelity, learning to trust again
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 31 306 words
It is a standalone story.
Buy Links
JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Kobo | Apple books | B&N | Google Play
Can trust once broken be rebuilt?
Blurb
When workaholic Lawrence Weller walks in on the aftermath of his fiancĆ© Frankie cheating on him, his world shatters. Frankieās the love of his life, the only person heās ever trusted, and the betrayal leaves him devastated.
Franklin Ennis makes a huge mistake he regrets deeply before itās even over. He pleads for a second chance, willing to do whatever it takes to save their relationship.
A love that deep doesnāt just stop, so Lawrence agrees to try. But mistakes donāt happen in a vacuum. Are they both willing to own up to their part? Will their love be enough to repair what was crushed? Can trust once broken be rebuilt?

Excerpt
You never told me you were lonely,ā I say.
āI did!ā His protest is loud and takes some of the defeat from his body. āIāve told you a thousand times. How I miss you when youāre always working late and wish we could do more stuff together.ā
I knit my eyebrows together, trying to think back and remember. Heās right. He always hugs me tightly and tells me how much heāll miss me when he knows Iāll work late. Or how he wishes we could do something together, even if itās only watching a show while cuddling on the couch.
āI thought that was your way of showing me how you feel about me. You being sweet and caring. NotĀ onceĀ did I think it meant āIām so fucking lonely Iāll suck someone elseās dick.ā Was it even your first time?ā The question is a pained scream, hurting my throat, my head, my soul. I donāt like yelling, so I take a deep breath and start counting to ten in my head to calm down, but Iām interrupted before even reaching three.
āOf course, it was the first time,ā he roars. āIām not a cheater.ā
His words are a thundercrack in an otherwise dead silent apartment, and I rear back, scramble off the couch, and turn to leave.
āNo. Please.ā Heās pleading now, voice cracked and bleeding out on the floor. āPlease donāt leave me, Lawrence. Iāll do anything. I love you so much, donāt leave me.ā
Iām frozen on the spot. Undecided. The hurt, overly-dramatic part of me wants to storm off in a huff, throw some stuff in a bag, and retreat somewhere to lick my wounds, and rage and scream and curse the treachery, while wailing out my broken heart. But the other, more rational part of me wonāt let me move, the part that still remembers how much I love him, still remembers his loving kisses, his devotion. His passion.
So I sink back down on the couch. Rub my palms over my face and swallow. āI donāt know what to do here, Frankie. Iām hurt and betrayed, but at the same time I just canāt turn off my feelings for you. But how can I be with you if I canāt trust you?ā
āYou can trust me. YouĀ can.ā Heās so sincere, so heartfelt, leaning forward — hands twitching so he shoves them between his knees — begging,Ā willingĀ me to believe him. And I want to. I really do.
āHow?ā
āIāveĀ neverĀ done anything like this before, never kissed anyone, hardly ever looked at anyone like that. It was aĀ hugeĀ mistake and I regret it. So, so much. I know I canāt prove it, but I was going to tell you. Thatās what I was worried about when you walked in. How I would tell you. How youād react. If youād hate me.ā
I must look skeptical because he hurries to continue. āI know. Itās easy toĀ sayĀ when thereās no way of proving intent. But Iām not a liar. You know Iām not.ā
āDo I?ā I push out the question around the lump in my throat.
He slides to his knees on the floor in front of me, sits back on his heels, and tries to catch my gaze. I give in to his silent pleas and meet his eyes.
āYou know me, Lawrence. You know you do. You know what kind of person I am. Iām only human and make mistakes like everyone. This one was huge and more stupid than most, I know that. Iām not perfect, but Iām not a liar. Iām not disloyal. And I own my mistakes.ā His face is open. He blinks away tears, but his gaze never falters. His hands rest on his knees, palms open and turned up, and everything about him invites me to see the honesty in his heart.
And maybe IĀ canĀ see it. The slight tremble of his hand and the pulse fluttering visibly in his neck betrays his anxiousness, but he doesnāt move. Doesnāt squirm or fidget, doesnāt look away from me. Nothing indicates that heās lying.
Thereās no way heās that skilled a liar. Heās always been open and honest and prone to blurting his emotions as soon as he experiences them. That thought deflates me and I fall back against the couch.
āYeah, I know. I believe you.ā And I do. At least my head knows. Iām not sure about my heart. Or my gut, rather.
His eyes well up and a tremble racks his body, but itās the sight of his wobbly chin that finally cracks me. I hold out my hand, unable to not touch him anymore. āCome here.ā
About the Author
Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. Sheās a bona fide bookworm (learned to read long before she started school), wouldnāt dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladiesā room), loves music (and singing along at the top of her voice but sheās 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 sheād 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.

Author Links
Blog/Website | Facebook Author Page | Facebook Profile
Twitter: @nellirisauthor | Instagram: @nell_iris | Goodreads
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