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Dearly Departed

by Chip Pons

A former god, a funeral home, and the florist next door

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Awards & Recognition

  • Bestseller

    Instant USA Today bestseller

    The metadata identifies Dearly Departed as an instant USA Today bestseller.

  • Critical praise

    Praise from Elena Armas

    Elena Armas praises the book’s heart, humor, and heat.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A former god, a funeral home, and the florist next door

Hayden Harlow’s life on Earth is shaped by the Immortal Retirement Act: once Hades, he now runs a funeral home while looking for a way back to his former existence. His plans meet an unexpected complication in Levi Wilder, a florist whose outlook sharply contrasts with Hayden’s. The setup brings mythic immortality into a contemporary romantic comedy, with funeral work and flowers placing loss, beauty, and the possibility of change in close company. As Hayden and Levi grow closer, the story’s central tension turns on whether Hayden can risk the future their connection opens up while still pursuing the past he resents losing.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in gay romance and romantic comedy.
  • Readers who enjoy contemporary stories with Hades-inspired mythology.
  • Readers drawn to romances built around contrasting personalities and a florist–funeral director pairing.

Themes

Immortality and identityGrief and beautyTrust and vulnerabilityChoosing between past and future

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

"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.
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