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The Hero No One Came For
They branded him a hero. Then left him to die.
The city adored him. Until it didn’t.
After years of rooftop battles and near-misses, the villain finally captures the golden boy of the city—the beloved hero everyone counted on. Shackled in a hidden lair, waiting for rescue, the hero is certain help will come.
But no one does.
Hours turn to days. The villain stops gloating. The hero stops pretending he doesn’t notice. What begins as triumph unravels into something far more personal—two men forced to confront what’s left when the world moves on without them.
One is supposed to be a symbol of hope. The other, a harbinger of ruin. But when the masks fall and the silence stretches, what remains isn’t a war—it’s a question:
If the world never really cared… who are you without it?
--
The Hero No One Came For is a dark, emotional slow-burn about identity, abandonment, and reluctant connection between enemies who may not be as different as they think. For fans of villain redemption arcs, psychological tension, and M/M stories with no easy answers.
The city adored him. Until it didn’t.
After years of rooftop battles and near-misses, the villain finally captures the golden boy of the city—the beloved hero everyone counted on. Shackled in a hidden lair, waiting for rescue, the hero is certain help will come.
But no one does.
Hours turn to days. The villain stops gloating. The hero stops pretending he doesn’t notice. What begins as triumph unravels into something far more personal—two men forced to confront what’s left when the world moves on without them.
One is supposed to be a symbol of hope. The other, a harbinger of ruin. But when the masks fall and the silence stretches, what remains isn’t a war—it’s a question:
If the world never really cared… who are you without it?
--
The Hero No One Came For is a dark, emotional slow-burn about identity, abandonment, and reluctant connection between enemies who may not be as different as they think. For fans of villain redemption arcs, psychological tension, and M/M stories with no easy answers.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Zarlina Josefsson
13 books28 followersM/M books
Slow burn, big feelings, messy love.
Writing something soft in a coffee shop right now.
Slow burn, big feelings, messy love.
Writing something soft in a coffee shop right now.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 15, 2025
I want to say I read this book but in reallity I 'inhaled' it in one sitting.
The story is short, however it took me through so many of the emotional cycles that all great books do. To mention a few reasons why everyone should be reading this: there's revenge as well as sympathy, there's proper representation of a villain who is also a human being living in modern times, there's compassion, the need of the MC to be humane and just even with that one person he hated the most, there's that sharp feeling you get in your chest when you put yourself in one of the character's place, there's that moment when you go 'aw, my heart' but also the one where you go 'oh, s***t'; there's pride represented as core principles instead of simple stubbornness and there is that ending that you know fits so well with the story but that you wish wasn't the end because you want to keep reading.
I'm so glad that this isn't the only book the author has published, because it will leave you wanting more.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The story is short, however it took me through so many of the emotional cycles that all great books do. To mention a few reasons why everyone should be reading this: there's revenge as well as sympathy, there's proper representation of a villain who is also a human being living in modern times, there's compassion, the need of the MC to be humane and just even with that one person he hated the most, there's that sharp feeling you get in your chest when you put yourself in one of the character's place, there's that moment when you go 'aw, my heart' but also the one where you go 'oh, s***t'; there's pride represented as core principles instead of simple stubbornness and there is that ending that you know fits so well with the story but that you wish wasn't the end because you want to keep reading.
I'm so glad that this isn't the only book the author has published, because it will leave you wanting more.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 22, 2025
So glad that i was able to read this. It was so good. A well build story with so many emotions. Every time you think to know where the story is going to, it just takes another turn.
To be able to write such an emotional story in such a short book, that is an art.
To be able to write such an emotional story in such a short book, that is an art.
August 28, 2025
I'll start with an admission: superhero/villain stories aren't my thing. When other boys were reading Superman or Spiderman comics, I went for Donald Duck. I'm so glad I decided to read this ARC copy, which isn't comic book level at all.
And I'll tell you something else: this isn't the last you're going to hear of Zarlina. There's talent here. I rounded up from 4.5 to 5, but I'm betting on the future. Anyone who could reimagine a hero/villain story and take us into a psychological maze like this, has chutzpah. To do so as well as she does, takes talent.
This is exactly why we all need to support independent authors. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
And I'll tell you something else: this isn't the last you're going to hear of Zarlina. There's talent here. I rounded up from 4.5 to 5, but I'm betting on the future. Anyone who could reimagine a hero/villain story and take us into a psychological maze like this, has chutzpah. To do so as well as she does, takes talent.
This is exactly why we all need to support independent authors. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 28, 2025
And despite dreaming of this day for a year, there’s no real satisfaction in watching a god fall apart.
I have a lot of love for that little story. While short (novella size), it's so impactful that I had to take breaks during it, to digest and unpack what I was feeling. I don't usually review books I read, I'm really bad at that, so bear with me for a minute because I think it's the kind of stories we all need right now. (Am I gonna do it justice? Probably not. But I'm gonna try.)
This is a mostly psychological intrigue, but while you're not getting a flashy, jam-packed with action kind of plot, it doesn't feel missing. It's very character-based, and said characters are the heart of the story; they're confused, they're trying, and they are messy and flawed. Like hurt feral animals. They're very... Human, in a way. This whole story feels very human.
It's a story who doesn't just merely entertains you, but who asks you who's important. And why.
And I think that's a very interesting question, in these current times.
It feels like a therapy session, just cheaper.
Also, the dog doesn't die in this one. Or in any by this author, really, because she's a big softie for dogs. So you're safe on that front. (Not on the emotional damage front tho.)
(The author is my friend so I got an ARC. Not reviewing this to be polite but just because I think it's a story that would be very beneficial to a lot of people if they read it. It was for me, at least)
I have a lot of love for that little story. While short (novella size), it's so impactful that I had to take breaks during it, to digest and unpack what I was feeling. I don't usually review books I read, I'm really bad at that, so bear with me for a minute because I think it's the kind of stories we all need right now. (Am I gonna do it justice? Probably not. But I'm gonna try.)
This is a mostly psychological intrigue, but while you're not getting a flashy, jam-packed with action kind of plot, it doesn't feel missing. It's very character-based, and said characters are the heart of the story; they're confused, they're trying, and they are messy and flawed. Like hurt feral animals. They're very... Human, in a way. This whole story feels very human.
It's a story who doesn't just merely entertains you, but who asks you who's important. And why.
And I think that's a very interesting question, in these current times.
It feels like a therapy session, just cheaper.
Also, the dog doesn't die in this one. Or in any by this author, really, because she's a big softie for dogs. So you're safe on that front. (Not on the emotional damage front tho.)
(The author is my friend so I got an ARC. Not reviewing this to be polite but just because I think it's a story that would be very beneficial to a lot of people if they read it. It was for me, at least)
August 30, 2025
I usually don’t leave reviews or go out of my way to do so but since i was chosen to be an ARC reader then it’s the least i can do.
The POV going from the hero to the villain you feel the despair and the hurt, the agony, the kindness…
This book is sad, not cry your eyes out side but i did cry my eyes out in some scenes “I have a dog.” Completely broke me.
Saying that i love this book is a lie to be honest because i adored it. Had to pause sometimes because the thought that someone can be forgotten like that is heartbreaking.
I have signed up to be an Arc reader for this book, and i have discovered that I do not do well with deadlines, it not like i never new that i was a procrastinator but i regret not reading it as soon as i got it so don’t do my mistake and read it as soon as you get it because it really is worth it.
The POV going from the hero to the villain you feel the despair and the hurt, the agony, the kindness…
This book is sad, not cry your eyes out side but i did cry my eyes out in some scenes “I have a dog.” Completely broke me.
Saying that i love this book is a lie to be honest because i adored it. Had to pause sometimes because the thought that someone can be forgotten like that is heartbreaking.
I have signed up to be an Arc reader for this book, and i have discovered that I do not do well with deadlines, it not like i never new that i was a procrastinator but i regret not reading it as soon as i got it so don’t do my mistake and read it as soon as you get it because it really is worth it.
August 27, 2025
This novella is short but has an emotional impact. I enjoyed reading it and want more. This felt like a taste, a hint of something more. It’s not a romance, like some might think with “M/M” and “slow-burn” in the description. It is those things but this feels like a start, a beginning to something that could be great. The origin story of how the Hero and Villain became friends and maybe more in the future. I want more with them, even though their relationship as anything would be super angsty and full of all the things I typically avoid.
There are some things with timeline that don’t quite feel right, but they are something my brain always notices.
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
There are some things with timeline that don’t quite feel right, but they are something my brain always notices.
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
August 28, 2025
I really really, from the bottom of my heart, wanted to scream during the whole book. but in a good way? or sad way? Idk. I just know that I was left needing to know more, flipping every page like my life was depending on it, seeing how it would go. It was SO hard to put away. Like. Each word felt like a stab to my chest but yet I didn't ever want it to stop.
I'm a fan of superheroes, and this…. Well, this was not what I saw coming at all! Superheroes and villains and feelings and the fucked up world we live in. All of that can be found in this book. And it's captivatingly beautiful. You've never interacted with hero/villain like this before!
I got a copy for free as an ARC reader and this review is100% honest and 100% written while trying not to throw my phone away
I'm a fan of superheroes, and this…. Well, this was not what I saw coming at all! Superheroes and villains and feelings and the fucked up world we live in. All of that can be found in this book. And it's captivatingly beautiful. You've never interacted with hero/villain like this before!
I got a copy for free as an ARC reader and this review is100% honest and 100% written while trying not to throw my phone away
September 18, 2025
What an incredible twist from the classic hero/villain dynamic. The author doesn’t just color outside the lines, she throws out the whole page and builds something raw, personal, and entirely her own. The story is short, but it doesn’t feel light. There’s real emotional weight ....quiet devastation, slow-burn tension, and the start of something messy and magnetic between two characters who shouldn’t fit, but absolutely do.
I love that the author took chances, both in structure and in tone and not playing it safe, and I’m here for it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.
August 23, 2025
I really enjoyed this book and the emotonal rolercoster that came with it.
Honestly i had to take a cuple breaks cuse i balled my eyes out at several points.
I really enjoyed the story and how the characters where built.
I liked that it wasnt to many characters to follow so it made it easier to know who is who.
This is definitely a book i can recomend with my whole heart!
Honestly i had to take a cuple breaks cuse i balled my eyes out at several points.
I really enjoyed the story and how the characters where built.
I liked that it wasnt to many characters to follow so it made it easier to know who is who.
This is definitely a book i can recomend with my whole heart!
October 26, 2025
Sometimes the loneliest place can be at the top. This is a heart-wrenching book about finding out who you are and someone who fits into that mold
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 2, 2025
Absolute perfection ! Everything about this piece makes my insides feel so much better.
October 8, 2025
They branded him a hero. Then left him to die.
He was their shining symbol. Until the day he vanished, and no one came looking.
Captured by the very villain he once chased, the city’s beloved hero waits for a rescue that never comes. But as the silence stretches and the mask slips, the lines between enemy and ally begin to blur.
Because maybe they were never that different.
And maybe, just maybe—they were both left behind.
The Hero No One Came For was the first story I finished writing after a long writer's block. It's not the kind of story I would usually write, but I ended up very happy with it. I loved every second of this one, and I hope you will love it, too.
He was their shining symbol. Until the day he vanished, and no one came looking.
Captured by the very villain he once chased, the city’s beloved hero waits for a rescue that never comes. But as the silence stretches and the mask slips, the lines between enemy and ally begin to blur.
Because maybe they were never that different.
And maybe, just maybe—they were both left behind.
The Hero No One Came For was the first story I finished writing after a long writer's block. It's not the kind of story I would usually write, but I ended up very happy with it. I loved every second of this one, and I hope you will love it, too.
October 13, 2025
This book, even though it is short, did sort of have everything you need in a book. There was some plot, character development and a lot of emotion. This is a perfect opportunity to overthink and overanalyse yourself as a reader. And the biggest question this book made me ask myself is does what I'm doing benefit me in any way? I think that is the intention of this book: to make the reader sad and question life. I do not recommend reading this if sad books are not your thing but if it is, this one is a must.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews