Paranormal Romance Archives

Damned If I Do by Alexandria Bellefleur is a paranormal romance where a centuries-old demon discovers she is still technically married to the husband she left behind in sixteenth-century Scotland, which is a problem considering she’s now engaged to a prince from Hell. To fix it, Effie has to track down Finn, who has been reincarnated over and over again with no memory of their marriage, and convince him to renounce their vows. Except Finn takes one look at this strange woman who has walked into his bar and feels immediately, inexplicably drawn to her. Effie, meanwhile, has the slightly bigger problem of Finn looking exactly like the man she has spent centuries trying not to mourn.

Book cover for Damned If I Do by Alexandria Bellefleur.

Just like heartbreak was death by a thousand cuts, love was a million little moments that together made the feeling what it was.
Alexandria Bellefleur, Damned If I Do

This was such a fun, sexy read, but I think what I liked most was the melancholy underneath all of it. I have a soft spot for stories about the afterlife (especially ones that get into what it might actually mean to exist beyond the life you were supposed to have). Effie made a deal with the devil, and now she’s had centuries to live with that choice. She’s prickly, resigned, and fully avoiding her feelings about everything she lost to get where she is. As a result, she has this sad goth girl energy to her that’s actually perfect for a spooky season read.

Finn exudes his own version of that loneliness. He’s spent lifetime after lifetime searching for connection without ever understanding why nothing quite fits. His soul is tied to someone who isn’t even on the mortal plane, so of course he can travel and meet all kinds of people, yet still feel like he’s looking for something he can’t name. The book also contains an interlude chapter showing us more about his background, and I have to say I love the placement because it comes right when you think you know how all the pieces on this chessboard are arranged. We also find out just how desperately he’s sought connection all his life. We love a lover boy, but more importantly, we love a man who yearns, and Finn has apparently been yearning across multiple lifetimes.

Everyone talks about sparks, but he’s holding out for a love that sets his soul on fire.
Alexandria Bellefleur, Damned If I Do

That also made the way Effie and Finn are reluctantly pulled toward each other incredibly satisfying. On top of that, their chemistry and banter are great, the spicy scenes will have you melting because they’re so deliciously sexy, and it was just ridiculously easy to root for them. Also worth noting is that the book explicitly states Finn is bisexual! It comes up naturally through his history, but the book names it clearly rather than leaving his attraction to men somewhere in subtext, so I really appreciated the intentional bi visibility.

I also loved the small-town setting around Effie and Finn. There’s something weirdly charming about putting all the eternal bureaucracy, demons, soul bargains, and general badness of Hell next to a lovable little Georgia town (the Devil went down to Georgia, yall!). Somehow that combination gives the story an almost cozy quality despite, y’know, Hell. I also enjoyed that this story picks up from events at the end of The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur. You don’t need that story for this one to work, but it is a fun little Easter egg for anyone already familiar with this universe.

She’d hardly known she was starving until she wasn’t.
Alexandria Bellefleur, Damned If I Do

Mostly, I’m just very into what Bellefleur is doing with this world. Damned If I Do has soulmates, demons, small-town charm, some very delectable spice, and several centuries’ worth of unresolved romantic yearning. I don’t know about you, but that’s an extremely effective combination for me. Fingers crossed Bellefleur treats us to more stories from this universe. (I’d love to see one for Belphegor and the mess that he is…just saying!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for sharing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dearly Departed by Chip Pons is a gay reimagining of the Hades and Persephone myth, centered on Hayden, a former god of the underworld now working as a funeral director, and Levi, the sunny flower shop owner who ends up tangled in his carefully controlled life. It’s such a fun premise…and I really wanted to love it! And parts of the book do feel fresh, tender, and specific in a way I really appreciated. I especially loved the idea of turning Hades into someone who now tends to grief in such a practical, human way. I also adored the characters, which made it all the more frustrating that, for me, the execution didn’t fully live up to the premise.

Book cover for Dearly Departed by Chip Pons.

Maybe love isn’t about outrunning grief but learning to live beside it.
Chip Pons, Dearly Departed

The beginning was easily my favorite part of the novel. Hayden needs lilies for a funeral, but Levi delivers sunflowers instead. The playful back-and-forth that follows their meet-cute, where flowers essentially do all the talking, is incredibly charming and a perfect setup for this story. You’re reminded that the language of flowers applies to both their worlds, and that it’s not so far-fetched for these wildly different characters to be compatible. I just wish the novel had stayed in that courting stage a little longer. Their relationship turns physical and emotionally intense very quickly, and I don’t think the story fully ferries the reader from curious mutual attraction to you’re my whole universe. The leap in emotional intensity feels abrupt, especially given how little time the story spends developing that transition on the page.

Once the relationship moves forward, the romance starts to feel too one-note. Hayden and Levi have chemistry in theory, and I liked the basic shape of their grumpy-sunshine dynamic, but their conversations often felt repetitive. They would talk through fairly simple ideas, then react as if they had just uncovered some massive truth about life or love. The numerous sex scenes also didn’t always work for me, largely because I never felt a strong enough emotional foundation underneath them. Instead of deepening Hayden and Levi’s connection, many of the intimate scenes felt like a Mad Libs version of romance and spice, where a grab bag of genre tropes, dirty talk, and kinks were randomly dropped in without enough context to make them feel specific to these characters. And don’t even get me started on “Good boys get the helm,” where the helm of Hades randomly shows up for a spicy scene only to never be mentioned again. What was the reason?! So much felt driven by novelty, and I think we just needed more focus on what Hayden and Levi actually wanted or needed from each other during at least some of the intimate moments because I think the physical side of their relationship can be fun and sexy while also strengthening their emotional bond.

Holy shit. Am I Bella Swan? If anyone starts talking about ‘the cold ones,’ I’m packing my pothos and leaving town.
Chip Pons, Dearly Departed

Hayden’s work as a funeral director was the part of the book I found most compelling. A former god of the underworld choosing to stay close to death, not through power or mythology but through the practical care of grieving families, is such a thoughtful and fitting direction for a Hades retelling. Those scenes gave Hayden dimension beyond the familiar brooding love interest archetype and grounded the story in something tangible and emotionally resonant. I found myself wanting more of that side of him, more time in the funeral home, and more insight into how he approaches grief and the responsibility of helping people through loss. It felt like the place where Hayden’s past and present could have intersected most meaningfully, but the novel only briefly explores that potential. Beyond a few touching scenes, much of Hayden’s time at work is reduced to paperwork and brooding, instead of the emotional and thematic richness of his profession.

I also wanted more from the paranormal side of the story. The book gestures toward a much larger mythological framework, especially with the contract that stripped the gods of their powers, Hayden’s long and storied history, and the artifacts scattered throughout his apartment, but those pieces never fully come together. I didn’t need an exhaustive Greek mythology lesson, but I did want enough context for the world to feel more intentional. Hayden has lived through centuries, witnessed history, and carried the identity of Hades into a very different life, yet so much of that background stays just out of reach.

You showed me how to love the things I never thought I was allowed to. Even myself.
Chip Pons, Dearly Departed

The third-act breakup also felt unnecessary to me. By that point, the book already had plenty of tension to work with: Hayden’s guardedness, Levi’s vulnerability, the Greek mythology, and the question of what a relationship between them would actually look like beyond the initial rush of attraction. Instead, the conflict escalates for no real plotty reason, then resolves so quickly that it doesn’t add much to their development. The saving grace amid all the strife and drama is Levi’s best friends, Dominic and Elijah. They’re delightful, and everyone deserves a found family as supportive and loving as they are.

Even with my frustrations, I think Dearly Departed is worth checking out if the premise immediately grabs you, and particularly if you’re looking for a modern, gay mythological romance with plenty of spice. For me, though, the best ideas in the book needed more room to grow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for sharing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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