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Somewhere in Between
An Intersex non-binary genderqueer Fantasy Romance.
For Yarden, who never seemed to fit in, life was never easy. Born with both male and female gender traits they never truly belonged to either sex, or wanted to conform just to be able to "fit in". Living and working as a travelling artist, Yarden tries to avoid the masses as much as possible.
One day, Jalmaz appears and the artists' world gets turned upside-down. Who is this mysterious, beautiful woman who, after entering the workshop, and soon Yarden's heart, buys a sculpture, but is never to be seen again?
And then, out of nowhere, Jolaz turns up, very similar to Jalmaz, though seems to be male . . .
Is he her twin? What has he done to Jalmaz and why?
Can Yarden, despite their own non-binary gender and fluid appearance, ever accept their strange new love interest, who they after all, have so much in common with?
Do we only allow ourselves to fall in love with someone because the gender is "suitable", or can we love someone romantically despite of it? Can we truly love someone for who they are, body and soul?
Read 'Somewhere in Between' an original genderbending story that will speak to most readers; straight, genderqueer, transgender, lesbian, gay, non-binary, pansexual and cisgender alike.
Free with Kindleunlimited
For Yarden, who never seemed to fit in, life was never easy. Born with both male and female gender traits they never truly belonged to either sex, or wanted to conform just to be able to "fit in". Living and working as a travelling artist, Yarden tries to avoid the masses as much as possible.
One day, Jalmaz appears and the artists' world gets turned upside-down. Who is this mysterious, beautiful woman who, after entering the workshop, and soon Yarden's heart, buys a sculpture, but is never to be seen again?
And then, out of nowhere, Jolaz turns up, very similar to Jalmaz, though seems to be male . . .
Is he her twin? What has he done to Jalmaz and why?
Can Yarden, despite their own non-binary gender and fluid appearance, ever accept their strange new love interest, who they after all, have so much in common with?
Do we only allow ourselves to fall in love with someone because the gender is "suitable", or can we love someone romantically despite of it? Can we truly love someone for who they are, body and soul?
Read 'Somewhere in Between' an original genderbending story that will speak to most readers; straight, genderqueer, transgender, lesbian, gay, non-binary, pansexual and cisgender alike.
Free with Kindleunlimited
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 30, 2018
10 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Natasja Hellenthal
17 books51 followersNatasja Hellenthal is a novelist, researcher, environmentalist, and nature and animal lover. Her interests include reading the best books, science and metaphysics, psychology, philosophy, and art. She lives on a Greek island with her rescued cats.
She writes witty, speculative fiction that entertains people but at the same time makes them think. Her work has been described as 'thought-provoking'. Her writing is about change, freedom, advocating for LGBT equality, and animal welfare.
In her novels, she also deals with big psychological, ethical themes and struggles of life such as love and loss, abuse, and the consequences of our actions. She tries to build strong characters as realistically as possible, for even though the genre is Fantasy she wants people to feel connected with her heroes and villains as they would with their real-life people.
'Her books are available for Kindle, free with KindleUnlimited, and in Paperback.
Natasja Hellenthal is influenced by writers such as Tanith Lee, Kahlil Gibran, Patricia McKillip, and Hermann Hesse.
Subscribe to her NEWSLETTER: https://mailchi.mp/e49f0616a6b1/httpe...
Please click on "follow" if you want to know when she releases a new book, like and share her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natasj..., or sign up to her weekly newsletter for the latest updates, free books, fun and interesting articles, and much more!
Follow her blog on http://natasjahellenthal.wordpress.com or Twitter on @natasjahellenth
Consider leaving an honest review and favorable rating if you enjoy her books.
Read less
She writes witty, speculative fiction that entertains people but at the same time makes them think. Her work has been described as 'thought-provoking'. Her writing is about change, freedom, advocating for LGBT equality, and animal welfare.
In her novels, she also deals with big psychological, ethical themes and struggles of life such as love and loss, abuse, and the consequences of our actions. She tries to build strong characters as realistically as possible, for even though the genre is Fantasy she wants people to feel connected with her heroes and villains as they would with their real-life people.
'Her books are available for Kindle, free with KindleUnlimited, and in Paperback.
Natasja Hellenthal is influenced by writers such as Tanith Lee, Kahlil Gibran, Patricia McKillip, and Hermann Hesse.
Subscribe to her NEWSLETTER: https://mailchi.mp/e49f0616a6b1/httpe...
Please click on "follow" if you want to know when she releases a new book, like and share her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natasj..., or sign up to her weekly newsletter for the latest updates, free books, fun and interesting articles, and much more!
Follow her blog on http://natasjahellenthal.wordpress.com or Twitter on @natasjahellenth
Consider leaving an honest review and favorable rating if you enjoy her books.
Read less
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 28, 2019
Bravo, Natasja!
December 4, 2018
The minute I saw the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. I've been largely immersed in the gender-segregated reading communities of MM and FF Romance, which more often than not means non-binary characters whose genitalia "matches" that of the cisgender love interest. So it is a rare and wonderful gem to find books which cannot be neatly slotted into MM or FF with readers allowed to simply imagine the genderqueer characters as aligning with their preferred category.
This short story delivers exceptionally well on that front. Yarden is intersex. Owing to a loving parent who sees no need to require them to choose, Yarden never does. It is in their point of view, and they are wonderful. Their description of their history and musing about gender and expression are refreshing to read. At no point did I feel as if Yarden had been shoved into a binary box, nor did I feel the need to do so myself.
Something I particularly appreciated was that the author also did not go to lengths to somehow "hide" Yarden's "true gender" (i.e., birth-assigned gender) from readers. We are fully aware that Yarden has physical traits of more than one sex and exactly what that has meant for them. We also get a picture of what it's like for a child to be raised in a loving home without being forced to choose. Yarden has distinct preferences for how they express; they are not a blank slate or even completely androgynous. I very much enjoyed getting to know them.
The rest of the story is short enough to be read on a cozy afternoon with a blanket and a cup of tea. I loved the growing affection (I won't say love quite yet--the story is far too brief) between Yarden and Jalmaz. Jalmaz herself is a fascinating character, one who I won't spoil for readers. It's important to see the story unfold for yourself. For me, Jalmaz was a lovely bit of reader wish-fulfillment, though I can't say why without spoilers.
I think the only thing I would say--and this is not really a criticism--is that it might be good for readers to know the first 20% or so is the author's explanation of intersex conditions and how this story came to be written. Personally, I enjoyed it, but I think some people might not be as enthusiastic. Also, there are parts of the story itself that feel just a shade on the "educational" side. Some readers won't mind; others might not enjoy it so much.
All in all, this is a lovely little story. It made me curious about Jalmaz's world. I believe this is a companion story to a series, though it stands alone just fine. I'm certainly intrigued enough to check out the other books.
For a terrific non-binary character, a gentle and understated romance, and a fascinating setting, this gets 4 stars.
This short story delivers exceptionally well on that front. Yarden is intersex. Owing to a loving parent who sees no need to require them to choose, Yarden never does. It is in their point of view, and they are wonderful. Their description of their history and musing about gender and expression are refreshing to read. At no point did I feel as if Yarden had been shoved into a binary box, nor did I feel the need to do so myself.
Something I particularly appreciated was that the author also did not go to lengths to somehow "hide" Yarden's "true gender" (i.e., birth-assigned gender) from readers. We are fully aware that Yarden has physical traits of more than one sex and exactly what that has meant for them. We also get a picture of what it's like for a child to be raised in a loving home without being forced to choose. Yarden has distinct preferences for how they express; they are not a blank slate or even completely androgynous. I very much enjoyed getting to know them.
The rest of the story is short enough to be read on a cozy afternoon with a blanket and a cup of tea. I loved the growing affection (I won't say love quite yet--the story is far too brief) between Yarden and Jalmaz. Jalmaz herself is a fascinating character, one who I won't spoil for readers. It's important to see the story unfold for yourself. For me, Jalmaz was a lovely bit of reader wish-fulfillment, though I can't say why without spoilers.
I think the only thing I would say--and this is not really a criticism--is that it might be good for readers to know the first 20% or so is the author's explanation of intersex conditions and how this story came to be written. Personally, I enjoyed it, but I think some people might not be as enthusiastic. Also, there are parts of the story itself that feel just a shade on the "educational" side. Some readers won't mind; others might not enjoy it so much.
All in all, this is a lovely little story. It made me curious about Jalmaz's world. I believe this is a companion story to a series, though it stands alone just fine. I'm certainly intrigued enough to check out the other books.
For a terrific non-binary character, a gentle and understated romance, and a fascinating setting, this gets 4 stars.
September 28, 2025
3/5
I found "Somewhere in Between" to be a good story! I've never actually read anything with an intersex main character, much less a romance with an intersex main character, so I really enjoyed reading something like this! I also genuinely appreciate the level of research that the author put into making Yarden intersex. I wish that part had taken up less of the book as this is a novella so the space for the story is already small (it was the first ~20% of the book and there was another ~40% at the end dedicated to her other books, so the story itself wasn't very long), but I still appreciate the author's research into the topic.
For the most part, I thought the story itself was good! I found the writing to be a bit awkward at times, but I was able to look past it due to how short the story was. I wish there was a little bit more context with the world because the shifter aspect seems to come out of nowhere (I know it's meant to tie to the author's other series, but still... a little context to read this as a standalone would have helped), but for the most part, it was a pretty standard story. The way both Yarden and Jolaz talk about their gender identities was something that I really liked, and I honestly wish this could have been longer so we could learn more about both of them!
As mentioned above, the actual story of "Somewhere in Between" is a very small part of the book, so there's not really a lot of time to develop strong feelings one way or another about the characters, but I still enjoyed reading this!
I found "Somewhere in Between" to be a good story! I've never actually read anything with an intersex main character, much less a romance with an intersex main character, so I really enjoyed reading something like this! I also genuinely appreciate the level of research that the author put into making Yarden intersex. I wish that part had taken up less of the book as this is a novella so the space for the story is already small (it was the first ~20% of the book and there was another ~40% at the end dedicated to her other books, so the story itself wasn't very long), but I still appreciate the author's research into the topic.
For the most part, I thought the story itself was good! I found the writing to be a bit awkward at times, but I was able to look past it due to how short the story was. I wish there was a little bit more context with the world because the shifter aspect seems to come out of nowhere (I know it's meant to tie to the author's other series, but still... a little context to read this as a standalone would have helped), but for the most part, it was a pretty standard story. The way both Yarden and Jolaz talk about their gender identities was something that I really liked, and I honestly wish this could have been longer so we could learn more about both of them!
As mentioned above, the actual story of "Somewhere in Between" is a very small part of the book, so there's not really a lot of time to develop strong feelings one way or another about the characters, but I still enjoyed reading this!
April 28, 2024
I wasn't sure what to expect of this story but I was actually surprised by the detailed foreword by the author that her decision to make Yarden intersex was not a spur-of-the-moment thing and included research beyond the wikipedia page. I can't say I agree with all of her choices (e.g. including the word hermaphrodite when it's her fantasy world, using s/he instead of asking for Jalmaz pronouns) but I can understand her reasoning.
Now, the story - does not feel like a typical fantasy novella. For one, the story is very minimal, the romantic connection feels rushed if genuine and the plot points are convenient at times. This feels more like a writing exercise where the author is trying to figure out how her world interacts with intersex people or anyone who does not present typically male or female, and less of a book. So Yarden and Jalmaz are more like mouthpieces to explain their gender feelings in great detail which felt really unnatural at times. I also did not like some of the assumptions they made about each other simply because they had some shared experiences.
Now, the story - does not feel like a typical fantasy novella. For one, the story is very minimal, the romantic connection feels rushed if genuine and the plot points are convenient at times. This feels more like a writing exercise where the author is trying to figure out how her world interacts with intersex people or anyone who does not present typically male or female, and less of a book. So Yarden and Jalmaz are more like mouthpieces to explain their gender feelings in great detail which felt really unnatural at times. I also did not like some of the assumptions they made about each other simply because they had some shared experiences.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews