Dearly Departed

I’ve been really into paranormal romances lately, particularly ones with demons, ghosts, or other spooky vibes. This week Chip Pons released his second novel, Dearly Departed, about a funeral director (and former God of the Underworld) and the cheerful florist who’s caught his eye. Hayden and Levi couldn’t be more different on the surface, but as they start to get to know each other, neither can deny their growing interest in pursuing something more. They might both be able to finally let down their walls for each other. But is a lasting future possible for them?

What I Liked:

Grumpy/sunshine. Hayden, formerly known as Hades, has spent centuries as an immortal human, and decades as a funeral home director. He’s closed off, particular, and generally a little grouchy. Then there’s Levi: a florist who’s always smiling and friendly with everyone. Hayden and Levi are complete opposites, and yet they’re drawn together like magnets. Ultimately, they balance each other out really well.
Greek mythology in a modern New Jersey town. Hades, the three Fates, gods like Zeus and Poseidon—all are living amongst humans, just acting normal despite their immortality. Some work at city hall and others serve as mayor for the town they live in. Only Hayden seems determined to find the hidden loophole in the contract so he can go back to his life as a god.
Depictions of grief. To be honest, going into this book, I wasn’t expecting it to get heavy. Though with Hayden being the literal God of the Underworld and now a funeral home director, themes around death were bound to be included. Levi suffered a terrible loss when he was young, and this unprocessed grief still weighs him down. There’s a certain scene later on that brought tears to my eyes. As someone who has also lost family members, this rang true for me and was handled with care.

Final Thoughts

Dearly Departed is a captivating blend of emotional and spicy, and I ending up loving both Hayden and Levi. This is a paranormal romance worth reading! I look forward to more from Chip Pons, starting with his previous novel, Winging It with You.

Special thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Dearly Departed here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Dearly Departed by Chip Pons
Audience	Adult
Genre	Paranormal Romance
Setting	New Jersey
Number of Pages	400
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	June 16, 2026
Publisher	G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Official Summary

“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.

About the Author

Chip Pons grew up in a small lake town in Northern Michigan, where he discovered the kind of stories that make you believe in magic, love, and second chances. Now based in Washington, DC with his dream of a husband and their pup, Margot, he writes romances rooted in queer joy and the belief that everyone deserves their happily ever after. When he isn’t writing, Chip can be found wandering through bookstores, daydreaming about new characters, or shouting about his favorite reads on Bookstagram. And snacking, like, all the time.