Dearly Departed
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jun 16, 2026
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
"Pons writes romance that burns with heart, humor, and spectacular heat. I’m obsessed with this!" —Elena Armas, New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception
"THE romance book of 2026." —Sara Cate, New York Times bestselling author of the Salacious Players' Club
For fans of MM romances like Heated Rivalry and The Entanglement of Rival Wizards, a sexy Hades-inspired gay rom-com, in which the former god of the Underworld turned grumpy funeral director must find a loophole in the Immortal Retirement Act that banished him to Earth, until the florist next door begins to unravel all his carefully laid plans.
Hope is a dangerous thing for gods. Even former ones.
Hayden Harlow, once the mighty Hades, has spent centuries quietly resenting his fall from immortality. Stripped of his godhood by the allegedly irreversible Immortal Retirement Act, he now runs Harlow and Sons Funeral Home—a front for his eternal sentencing among mortals, and a bleak reminder of the purpose he's lost. Still, he's determined to claw his way back...if only the Fates at City Hall would stop toying with him.
Enter Levi Wilder: a florist with an artist's heart, an infectious smile, and a gift for finding beauty in life's messiest moments. When Hayden storms into Levi's shop to complain about a bouquet of sunflowers—an offensive choice for a funeral, in his opinion—their worlds collide. Hayden is all restraint and shadows; Levi is all sunshine and charm. But beneath the clash lies an undeniable spark neither can ignore.
As their connection blossoms, Hayden finds himself caught between the life he once knew and the bright future Levi dares him to imagine. But trusting Levi means risking the walls he's kept in place all these years—and it's not just his heart on the line. Because in the threads of fate, one choice can change everything.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This steamy and (perhaps overly) sentimental gay romance from Pons (Winging It with You) follows an ancient Greek god living among the mortals of a small New Jersey town. Hayden Harlow, formerly Hades, is working as the local funeral director due to the "Immortal Retirement Act." He manages to keep a distance from the other the inhabitants of the town—until he meets florist Levi Wilder, whose unwavering positivity and determination to pull Hayden into the town's social scene charm the god. But to be together, Hayden must decide whether to trust in Levi and immerse himself in mortal life, while Levi must work on letting go of a long-held grief he has never dealt with. The premise is original and enjoyable—it's especially fun when Hayden's godly powers contribute to the passionate sex scenes—but Pons keeps the earnest moments of deep emotional connection coming at such a rapid clip they stop feeling earned. (" ‘No one's ever said what I've always felt out loud before,' I whisper. ‘Maybe no one's ever taken the time to really see you,' he replies matter-of-factly.") Readers will wish for a bit more levity to balance the schmaltz.
