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Shattered
It’s funny, isn’t it?
How things that are supposed to be inherently good can twist around to have the most devastating effects.
Like soulmates.
A perfect person, just for you—a destined match that will love you no matter what. Support you through all your endeavours. Humanities ultimate gift.
The perfect love.
And yet… It’s not.
Nothing is perfect.
Sage learnt that the hard way when his father died and his mother gave up on living. Drowning in pain until it became numbness, he tried to take his own life.
Ben prayed it wasn’t too late to save his soulmate when he felt the ghost pain of Sage’s slit wrist. That maybe, just maybe, he could hold on a little longer so he can help him find a reason to keep living.
~35,000 words. Warnings for depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, self harm. Includes one explicit scene. Happy ending.
How things that are supposed to be inherently good can twist around to have the most devastating effects.
Like soulmates.
A perfect person, just for you—a destined match that will love you no matter what. Support you through all your endeavours. Humanities ultimate gift.
The perfect love.
And yet… It’s not.
Nothing is perfect.
Sage learnt that the hard way when his father died and his mother gave up on living. Drowning in pain until it became numbness, he tried to take his own life.
Ben prayed it wasn’t too late to save his soulmate when he felt the ghost pain of Sage’s slit wrist. That maybe, just maybe, he could hold on a little longer so he can help him find a reason to keep living.
~35,000 words. Warnings for depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, self harm. Includes one explicit scene. Happy ending.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2018
17 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Delmire Hart
11 books100 followersDelmire Hart is a little ginger kiwi born in the peaceful country of New Zealand before she migrated to the wondrous crazy of Australia. Starting off as an avid fantasy reader and nerd extraordinaire, she was that one weird kid carting around brick-sized novels with glee. This closet romantic didn’t understand just what she was missing out on until she ventured into the depths of the internet seeking the perfect blend of erotic and romantic. Fantasy can be as sexy and sensual as you want it to be! Miss Hart now takes great pleasure mixing steamy gay romances with magical twists and intriguing dynamics. While always a sucker for a happy ending, she is a big believer that the journey to get there is the fun part and endeavours to create varied worlds for all to enjoy.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 25, 2018
3.5 Stars
Okay, I have a big problem with books under 200 pages/short stories/novellas and that is they’re rushed! Of course, some of them are really good and I quite enjoyed them but most of the time… This one started off really good, so emotional that made your heart broke, but then when Sage’s soulmate (Ben) came to the story I lost my connection to the story at some point! I expected they have more interaction with each other but the story was focused just on Sage and because of that at the end, I didn’t know anything about Ben! Told in dual POV, 3rd person. It’s a standalone novella. Overall, it was a good read and hope you enjoy it!
Okay, I have a big problem with books under 200 pages/short stories/novellas and that is they’re rushed! Of course, some of them are really good and I quite enjoyed them but most of the time… This one started off really good, so emotional that made your heart broke, but then when Sage’s soulmate (Ben) came to the story I lost my connection to the story at some point! I expected they have more interaction with each other but the story was focused just on Sage and because of that at the end, I didn’t know anything about Ben! Told in dual POV, 3rd person. It’s a standalone novella. Overall, it was a good read and hope you enjoy it!
September 10, 2018
4 Ugly Sobbing Stars
The first 20% of this book had me ugly sobbing. The premise is soulmates identified by tattoos on the body. The placement of the tattoos also show a significance. However, the question is...what happens if your soul mate is hurt, never found, or even dies? This book somehow felt incredibly familiar to me. I feel like I've read this exact premise, but I can't remember where. This definitely read more like a YA novel, and there is only one sex scene. However, this didn't detract from the story in my mind. I really loved it, and it really made me emotional. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but it was about overcoming incredible pain. I do believe it should come with trigger warnings. Anyone who is triggered by depression or suicide should be warned!! TBH, there are quite a few typos, misspelled words, and editing issues which is why I couldn't rate it higher. I rate it a 5 for how it made me feel. This is my first read by this author, but definitely not the last.
The first 20% of this book had me ugly sobbing. The premise is soulmates identified by tattoos on the body. The placement of the tattoos also show a significance. However, the question is...what happens if your soul mate is hurt, never found, or even dies? This book somehow felt incredibly familiar to me. I feel like I've read this exact premise, but I can't remember where. This definitely read more like a YA novel, and there is only one sex scene. However, this didn't detract from the story in my mind. I really loved it, and it really made me emotional. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but it was about overcoming incredible pain. I do believe it should come with trigger warnings. Anyone who is triggered by depression or suicide should be warned!! TBH, there are quite a few typos, misspelled words, and editing issues which is why I couldn't rate it higher. I rate it a 5 for how it made me feel. This is my first read by this author, but definitely not the last.
November 22, 2018
A cautionary tale about the downside of soulmates.
Shattered tells the story of Sage, a young man whose idyllic life is thrown off course after his father is killed...run over on his way home from work by a man maddened by the loss of his soulmate. Sage is with his mother and sees the moment it happens. The moment she loses her will to live. The moment her grief overwhelms her love for Sage. Abandoned by first his mother and then the system, he decides to end his life.
Ben has spent years looking for his soulmate...the perfect match who shares his vibrant dragon soulmate mark. He’s almost too late. He meets his other half in the hospital after a nearly successful suicide attempt. For Ben, the hardest part is yet to come. Ben must now help Sage overcome his trauma-induced fear of the soulmate bond and give him a reason to keep living.
A surprisingly good story exploring the dark side of soulmates...a favorite romance novel trope. In a world where people only have one soulmate, what happens when they never meet—or one dies? Great concept. Well executed. Kindle version needs some proofreading.
Shattered tells the story of Sage, a young man whose idyllic life is thrown off course after his father is killed...run over on his way home from work by a man maddened by the loss of his soulmate. Sage is with his mother and sees the moment it happens. The moment she loses her will to live. The moment her grief overwhelms her love for Sage. Abandoned by first his mother and then the system, he decides to end his life.
Ben has spent years looking for his soulmate...the perfect match who shares his vibrant dragon soulmate mark. He’s almost too late. He meets his other half in the hospital after a nearly successful suicide attempt. For Ben, the hardest part is yet to come. Ben must now help Sage overcome his trauma-induced fear of the soulmate bond and give him a reason to keep living.
A surprisingly good story exploring the dark side of soulmates...a favorite romance novel trope. In a world where people only have one soulmate, what happens when they never meet—or one dies? Great concept. Well executed. Kindle version needs some proofreading.
March 17, 2018
Great premise, Great story!
I love this premise: imagine an alternate Earth where everyone has a soulmate. One perfect partner. And all you have to do to find him or her is to match the tattoo, or mate mark that each of us is born with. Posting photos of your mate mark online and searching through vast databases for matches to your mate mark make finding your soulmate relatively easy. Sounds good, right? But what happens when someone dies? What happens to their soulmate?
Sage was a happy high school student with happy, loving parents. Until his father died in an accident, leaving his mother barely able to cope, and throwing Sage's life into a tailspin. Fortunately he receives help in the nick of time from his own soulmate, Ben.
This was a lovely and emotional story about overcoming tragedy, about rediscovering your strength, and ultimately about moving forward. Highly recommend!
I love this premise: imagine an alternate Earth where everyone has a soulmate. One perfect partner. And all you have to do to find him or her is to match the tattoo, or mate mark that each of us is born with. Posting photos of your mate mark online and searching through vast databases for matches to your mate mark make finding your soulmate relatively easy. Sounds good, right? But what happens when someone dies? What happens to their soulmate?
Sage was a happy high school student with happy, loving parents. Until his father died in an accident, leaving his mother barely able to cope, and throwing Sage's life into a tailspin. Fortunately he receives help in the nick of time from his own soulmate, Ben.
This was a lovely and emotional story about overcoming tragedy, about rediscovering your strength, and ultimately about moving forward. Highly recommend!
March 12, 2018
Wow, such a powerful book.
I'd like to real world to be able to change for the positive this (relatively) easy as well, but I'm really impressed with the way this book is written. There is a well thought-out storyline and it is relatively well developed. The ending was a bit rushed, but a nice build up to make it more relatable to the real world. I especially liked the way they explained how the main character got into a downward spiral, it was very real and showed how easy it can be to end up there.
A very impressive and emotional book overall. It read as very realistic in a different universe. The (main) characters had wonderful dept and although it was a book over suicide and recovering from those depts, it didn't fall into cliché territory.
I'd like to real world to be able to change for the positive this (relatively) easy as well, but I'm really impressed with the way this book is written. There is a well thought-out storyline and it is relatively well developed. The ending was a bit rushed, but a nice build up to make it more relatable to the real world. I especially liked the way they explained how the main character got into a downward spiral, it was very real and showed how easy it can be to end up there.
A very impressive and emotional book overall. It read as very realistic in a different universe. The (main) characters had wonderful dept and although it was a book over suicide and recovering from those depts, it didn't fall into cliché territory.
March 23, 2018
Excellent
This was just a great little morsel of a book. First book by this author and I must say nicely done. An alternative time where each of us have one soul mate. We get to see what happens when we lose our soul mates and how that loss can affect our families and others around. Sage felt lost, unwanted, broken and alone after his father died and his mother ran off. But he had a soul mate who was there to support him along with this friend and we were able to see him blossom! Beautiful story!!
This was just a great little morsel of a book. First book by this author and I must say nicely done. An alternative time where each of us have one soul mate. We get to see what happens when we lose our soul mates and how that loss can affect our families and others around. Sage felt lost, unwanted, broken and alone after his father died and his mother ran off. But he had a soul mate who was there to support him along with this friend and we were able to see him blossom! Beautiful story!!
July 30, 2020
Symptoms of reading this book: puffy eyes, sniffly nose, headache due to lack of sleep.
I did not expect this book to be so...powerful. I felt Sage's pain so deeply it was almost shocking. The author did a phenomenal job in portraying Sage's character.
I loved how the story stayed focused on Sage throughout, even though I'd have loved to know more about Ben. We didn't get many details or experiences of Ben's life, but otherwise this book was absolutely wow.
I did not expect this book to be so...powerful. I felt Sage's pain so deeply it was almost shocking. The author did a phenomenal job in portraying Sage's character.
I loved how the story stayed focused on Sage throughout, even though I'd have loved to know more about Ben. We didn't get many details or experiences of Ben's life, but otherwise this book was absolutely wow.
February 18, 2018
Absolutely beautiful
It isn't often that I find myself so caught up in the wellbeing of a character. I feel like my heart shattered with every bad experience and I found myself wanting to hug away his pain and fight his abusers. The story is beautiful, the main characters are beautiful, even the side characters were beautiful. Thank you for this lovely book.
It isn't often that I find myself so caught up in the wellbeing of a character. I feel like my heart shattered with every bad experience and I found myself wanting to hug away his pain and fight his abusers. The story is beautiful, the main characters are beautiful, even the side characters were beautiful. Thank you for this lovely book.
December 27, 2019
It’s quite sweet
Very sweet. It’s actually moving and the soulmate loss feels like it has parallels irl. I have a wall around my emotions so I don’t get effected easily but I felt a bit of emotion reading this. The story was written in a way that it felt relevant to myself and my struggles with trauma.
Very sweet. It’s actually moving and the soulmate loss feels like it has parallels irl. I have a wall around my emotions so I don’t get effected easily but I felt a bit of emotion reading this. The story was written in a way that it felt relevant to myself and my struggles with trauma.
November 3, 2025
Great short story but thisnone was tough to read. as someone thats dealt with depression and that feeling of loneliness its a gut punch to see a character fall to those same demons and then struggle to put themselves back together after their attempt fails. A great example of how love and support while sometimes is the only thing you can do, it is the best medicine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2018
DNF22%
I tried but couldn't get into this story. The preview didn't prepare me for what this book was really all about
I tried but couldn't get into this story. The preview didn't prepare me for what this book was really all about
July 16, 2018
Loved the different take on soulmates.
August 27, 2018
Bit too much crying for my liking
May 26, 2021
This story was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I might have had moisture in my eyes more than a few times reading this story.
June 2, 2020
Wonderful story
This story will take you on an emotional ride. It is well thought out and written. The main character starts as a lost soul and through the support of others grows into a strong person. The premise revolves around soulmates, which may sound a little quirky, but works well with the loss the characters deal with. It's a testament on how the human spirit will prevail and happiness can be achieved.
This story will take you on an emotional ride. It is well thought out and written. The main character starts as a lost soul and through the support of others grows into a strong person. The premise revolves around soulmates, which may sound a little quirky, but works well with the loss the characters deal with. It's a testament on how the human spirit will prevail and happiness can be achieved.
October 20, 2022
Wonderful
I read this in 3 hours. I could not put it down. There is so much emotion in it. You feel for all of the characters and relate to their struggles. In the end you will be happy and sad at the same time. This book is worth the read.
I read this in 3 hours. I could not put it down. There is so much emotion in it. You feel for all of the characters and relate to their struggles. In the end you will be happy and sad at the same time. This book is worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews