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Pearly Gates

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Pearly Gates

By: Bonnie Solomon
Narrated by: Bonnie Solomon
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A dead drag queen. A cozy café. A shady deal—and an unexpected family.

Deceased drag queen Pearly Gates has the worst job in the afterlife: cosmic sanitation worker. When her soulmate leaves her, claiming she’s incapable of growth, Pearly hatches a plan to win him back. By striking an illicit deal to take over the caseload of a burnt-out spirit guide, she’ll prove she’s worthy of love—and redemption.

Her mission takes her to Thunderbolt Books & Coffee, a small-town Midwestern bookshop café haunted by a 1920s burlesque dancer. Tasked with guiding a grieving young widow, a terminally ill college graduate, and a trans woman searching for purpose, Pearly works her magic (and charm) to help them heal and connect. Then she discovers the café’s owner is her soulmate reincarnated.

As one of Pearly’s charges falls for the café owner, she faces a dilemma: be the good guide she promised to become or sabotage the relationship. Between saving the café, dodging afterlife detectives, and surviving a lip-sync battle with her own body double, Pearly must decide what matters most. At risk—her job, her soulmate, even her own soul.

Pearly Gates is an uplifting LGBTQ+ fantasy celebrating found family, self-discovery, and second chances—even after life’s final curtain call.

©2025 Bonnie Solomon (P)2025 Bonnie Solomon Fantasy Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Women's Fiction Feel-Good

Continue the series
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All stars
Most relevant
“Even the longest journey starts with a single step… or in this case, a strut in red stilettos”. Chapter 28
“It’ll be more secure than a pair of boobs in an iron corset” Pearly 29
“Pearly Gates does NOT get stage freight… then again, she’s never performed with her ass… check that… her soul, on the line.” -Chapter 40

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started Pearly Gates, but I’m so glad I stuck with it — I ended up loving it. It’s heartwarming, beautifully written, and I’ll definitely be reading it again. I’d place it alongside For Whom the Belle Tolls and The Library of the Unwritten on my bookshelf. I caught myself smiling more than once while reading. It’s a moving story about a soul, community, growth, and love. Highly recommend.
Update: I just finished re-reading this in prep of reading the second one and it is still amazing. Even though I’ve read this book before, it felt like exactly what I needed.

Must Read for Everyone!

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Pearly Gates centers around a cheeky drag queen of the same name who is also a multi-reincarnated soul. Unfortunately for Pearly, she is stuck in an unfulfilling afterlife career of waste management. In addition to her unpleasant career, Pearly is soon left by her soul mate Thunder after they designate her as being stagnant. Feeling down on her luck, Pearly heads to the local dive bar to drown her sorrows when she encounters an overworked spirit guide in need of a vacation. Pearly quickly conjures up a scheme to get her out of her slump in life, while also giving her “new friend” the vacation they so desperately need. Will she kill two birds with one stone or get busted trying?

I thought this cozy fantasy of queer fiction to be delightful, heartwarming, and at just the right moments even funny. FMC, Pearly was fun, fiercely sassy and while she may have been a spirit, she was equally as flawed as her human charges. While teaching her charges lessons she was learning lessons as well, which I found to be admirable. The secondary characters were equally as fun from her sidekick truck Seraphina to her human charges, and even a 1920’s era burlesque ghost who hasn’t quite moved on. Overall, a refreshing read and an unexpectedly sweet shakeup from the norm. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy quirky, touching, and LGBTQIA+ friendly stories.

I loved that the author narrated her own words in her own voice as it added to the authenticity of the story, and it added a little extra fun to it!

Delightful queer cozy fantasy!

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