An absolutely delightful and sexy fantasy rom-com, with fantastic worldbuilding and a cast of characters I would die to be friends with! I'm already planning to get copies for everyone I know

"You once told me that I had a rapier for a heart and a depressing novel lodged in my appendix, but the truth is that, if anyone bothered to scratch my brittle, craggy surface, they would find that my heart and soul belong entirely and completely to Mercy Birdsall, the best human being whose surface I have ever had the privilege of scratching"

Mercy works relentlessly to keep the family business Birdsall & Son Undertakers successful. Nothing about this is easy and she has her work cut out for her. From her siblings who can't seem to be less interested, her father who is close to retirement, and Hart, the grumpy marshal that gets under her skin.

Nothing about Hart's like has been easy for him lately. The drudges in Tanria are becoming a bigger problem than anyone is prepared for, and Hart is still dealing with the pain after losing his mentor, Bill. To top it all off, Hart's job as a marshal puts him in contact with Mercy Birdsall, the undertaker that drives him insane, and that he can't stop noticing. To take his mind off it all, Hart writes a letter addressed to "a friend", but what he doesn't know is that the person responding to these is none other than Mercy.

I LOVE MY HART-ACHE AND MERCILESS.
These two are perfect for each other, and watching them go from hating each other to realizing there's so much more than meets the eye had me gushing over them. Hart and Mercy are such complex characters. Hart has so much grief to deal with, and Mercy has to learn to speak up for what she wants. I wasn't only rooting for them as a couple, but as individual characters.

This book is so unexpected, and I mean that in the absolute best way. Everything about it stole my heart. The world Bannen created is so whimsical, I could not stop picturing it as a world like Coraline. If someone told me a week ago that I would fall in love with a book that's You've Got Mail inspired, with a zombie twist I have been extremely skeptical. This book is that and so much more. Bannen has gay/lesbian representation in this book and it is done so well. I absolutely fell in love with every character in this little world. Every secret and mystery unfolded so perfectly, and I would love nothing more than the chance to revisit Tanria if Bannen ever decided to bring us back to this world. I laughed, I smiled, and I sobbed through this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Megan Bannen for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

↠ 5 stars

This was one of my most anticipated reads for summer, and I squealed when I got an eARC from NetGalley. However, now that I've read it, I'm having a really hard time deciding what to rate this book. So let's make a pro/con list:

Pros:
- The story: I thought this story idea was very unique and intriguing. And while I felt like I had to suspend my disbelief at some points, overall, I couldn't put this book down.
- The cover: The cover was absolutely gorgeous, and the main reason I felt myself drawn to the book. I haven't read anything else by the author (both of her previous books are YA, so I might not).
- The vibes: I really liked the vibes of the book. It was quirky and fun. I especially liked Mercy's approach to death and the fact that she wore bright colors and was, in fact, herself color personified. Hart was also an interesting character too, though his character arc wasn't as convincing.

Cons:
- The execution: More details are provided below, but I felt that this story premise was super strong and intriguing, but the execution overall fell flat, mostly due to the world-building and writing style, but also because the characters (especially the side characters) didn't feel fleshed out enough. Also, there were quite a few "big reveals" later in the book (I won't give anything away here) -- while I didn't see them coming (maybe the one about Hart), the reveals themselves were a little lackluster and I ultimately found myself not caring that much.
- The characters: The characters overall felt bland and one-dimensional. There wasn't too much depth to them, which was a shame. Ultimately, I liked the premise of the characters over the characters themselves.
- The world-building: It was oftentimes too vague, and there were too many instances of info-dumping. I think the world was really cool and definitely fit the *weird/quirky* vibe, which was the goal, but it felt flat in execution.
- The writing style: The writing style felt clunky and awkward. It was most apparent when there was any dialogue, which felt stilted throughout. It was oftentimes repetitive. Also minor, but "alluded" was used for "eluded" at one point. Since this is an ARC, I'm not sure how much will be changed before the final copy. Ultimately, this is what detracted from my overall enjoyment from the book.
- The rivalry/romance: I understood the reasons behind the rivalry between Hart and Mercy, however, the quick way that both characters get over this rivalry into "oh-I-think-I'm-in-love-with-this-person" was waaaay too abrupt. SPOILERS AHEAD!! After Hart learned Mercy was his penpal, within a week in isolation, he was like "oh wait, huh, Mercy is actually kinda cool." Mercy's transition was a lot quicker, and I understand why she changed, but I think the author could have expanded and built up the tension, even strengthened her inner monologue, to make the shift more believable.
- The letters: Ultimately, the part of the book that had the potential to be the most interesting, was possibly the most disappointing (well, second most disappointing, right behind the dialogue). They were just so bland, and really, not that insightful.

Ultimately, as much as it pains me, I have to give this book 3.25/5 stars. While the premise and overall story was interesting, and I found that I was unable to put the book down at times, I was still disappointed in the writing style (especially the dialogue) and overall blandness of the world, characters, and letters, which detracted from the story significantly.

5/5 Stars

Love, love this book! Fantasy, romance, my favorite genres. Love the wild, carefully constructed universe, love the MC’s macabre jobs. I had no idea what to expect from this book, but it delivered on everything I could want to keep me turning the pages and needing more.

I’ve never read anything by Megan Bannen before and I vow to remedy that asap. And now I must buy the physical edition because, c’mon, that cover - I need it! If you are fan of fantasy and/or romance, do yourself a favor and read this sometimes sad, sometimes happy, completely entertaining book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books and #MeganBannen for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 stars

This was so cute! It had everything I loved. Family (found and otherwise), banter (so fun!), death (in abundance), awkward love interests, fluff, AND BROTHERS WHO COOK WELL AND DO SO WITHOUT COMPLAINING. :elmofire: Not to mention the courier service had my most favorite side characters in fantasy. Perhaps ever.

Needless to say, I liked this book very much. After Soulswift, I was wondering if me loving a Bannen book once was just a fluke. I’m glad I was proven wrong. This may be very different from her debut book - and my fave of faves - The Bird and the Blade. But I would read more books like this one in a heartbeat.

Would recommend!!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This is by far my favorite book of the year! 5 out of 5 stars and I wish I could give it more.

From the magical world to the magical creatures I was hooked from the first chapter!

The enemies to lovers is so different from any I’ve read so it was like a breath of fresh air.

This story follows Hart and Mercy as the go from enemies, to pen pals to more.

Megan Bannen’s Soulswift was one of my favorite reads last year, so naturally I was dying to read her next book! When I saw that it was a fantasy romance, I was even more excited to read it. Full of heart and charm, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy follows a marshal and an undertaker who strike an unlikely friendship as anonymous pen pals—even though they hate each other in real life.

Hart is a marshal who patrols a magical land called Tanria where the Old Gods used to exist and souls are free to roam. He’s tasked with training Pen Duckers, a new recruit. Mercy is an undertaker who’s struggling to hold her father’s business together, especially after her younger brother Zeddie, who was supposed to take over, reveals that he’s been lying for the past three years about his major at school. Hart hates having to take bodies to Mercy because the two of them have a hostile relationship. However, they’re both incredibly lonely. One day, Hart sends an anonymous letter to “A Friend” and it miraculously arrives at Mercy’s doorstep. From there, they strike up a friendship even while hating each other in real life.

The concept of this book was unique, in my opinion. Obviously, You’ve Got Mail has been done a lot, but it was interesting to read within a fantasy novel like this. I’m usually not too big a fan of You’ve Got Mail retellings (for lack of a better word), but I enjoyed this book.

The worldbuilding in this book was really interesting! Mercy lives in a border town next to Tanria, a magical land. Hart patrols Tanria because poachers and smugglers sneak in to take magical resources that only exist there. He’s not only tasked with upholding the law but also with escorting any dead bodies out of this land, as corpses become drudges, or vessels for the vengeful souls that can only possess a body inside of Tanria. There are also the New Gods, with demigods existing peacefully in this world, including Hart.

Both Hart and Mercy have great character arcs. Hart is a gruff, lonely man who slowly opens up to other people throughout the story, including Mercy and his new recruit Pen. Mercy is very close to her family and is used to taking care of them; however, she has to learn that she can’t do everything by herself and has to let others take care of her as well. It was interesting to see how their characters help each other bring out the best in the other too.

The romance is a grumpy and sunshine romance, and I thought it was very sweet. I especially thought it was funny seeing Pen tease Hart about liking Mercy. There’s also on-page sex; fantasy romance is relatively rarer to see nowadays, and this really read like a romance novel.

I will say though that the development of the romance was my biggest issue with this book. I just didn’t think they exchanged enough letters, which were fairly short in my opinion, to fall in love so fast. Then they get together in real life more quickly than I thought they were going to too. I think this really was an issue with the pacing, which had me putting down the book almost every chapter because it would progress quickly then slow down considerably constantly.

Overall, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was a unique fantasy romance read. I liked the worldbuilding and the characters, especially Hart’s mentor relationship with Pen and Mercy and her family. If you’re on the look-out for fantasy romance and/or enjoy whimsical romances, you should check out The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy!

Everyone needs to read this book!

I'm having a hard time during my reading experience with Faithful and Fallen series, it's such a well-written series, I'm just afraid I won't enjoy the ending and I'm scared to finish the series. Since then, my reading mood is all over the place.

Then, I came across this book on Netgalley and I couldn't help but request this book and I'm glad I can get this book and read it. It's worth reading.

It's a romance story in a fantasy world about our male main character, Hart, marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria, and Mercy, the daughter of local Undertaker who single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers. They hate each other but also attracted to each other. They're both (actually) lonely and one letter leads to another and they never know the person who they've been baring their souls to the person who infuriate them the most.


If you like The House in The Cerulean Sea, you're going to like this book.

Thank you to Orbit Books, NetGalley, and Megan Banner for an advanced reader’s copy of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

This book read like a steampunk-Zombieland version of Howls Moving Castle (the book!) which I absolutely unexpectedly adored. I was also caught off guard by the humour and how light-hearted the novel was which I think suited it perfectly as I originally expected something dark.

Continuing, I found that the world-building was incredible and loved the setting. I really liked how creative the author was with how zombies operated in this world and found it really interesting. However, though the world-building is done quite well, I wish we saw the characters interact with it a bit more — for example, I wish the demigod/god aspect was explored a bit more.

In addition, I loved all the characters and their distinct voices. The pacing of the main relationship was done really well including their angst.

Overall, I think this is a unique sub-genre of adult fantasy that is written quite well which makes it worth picking up the book.

Enemies to lovers AND hidden identities? AND set in a fantasy world with demigods, zombies, and talking animals? I thought I was going to love this.

It started off really well. Megan Bannen did a great job of immediately drawing you into the world. It had all the parts of a great story, but it just wasn't quite there. The world-building was easy to follow and so imaginative and unique, and I loved Hart and Mercy when they were first introduced. You could really feel their hatred for each other, so I was gearing up for great banter and enemies-to-lovers angst. But the more I read, the more I felt like their hatred didn't make much sense, so even though the set up was great, the execution fell flat for me. Hart and Mercy started feeling really immature, and the letters between them, which was one of the aspects I was most excited for, read as cheesy and generic.

It wasn't until 45% into the book where I was really drawn in to the story. Once they got over what felt like a really immature grudge on both their parts and transitioned from the enemies stage to the lovers stage, I was all for it. Megan Bannen wrote their chemistry and the sex scenes really well, and I thought their interactions when they finally got together were so adorable. But part of the appeal of the enemies to lovers trope is reveling in the angst during the enemies stage, and I feel like we didn't get that here.

Then the last 30% of the book was just okay and also a little cheesy. It felt like this charming and imaginative world was just a framework for the romance, and I was much more interested in the fantasy aspect.

For those of us that love a unique fantasy in the summer, this rom-com is a warm treat. With the comedic mixture of the gothic world of Beetlejuice and the fantasy rom-com of the Princess Bride, Megan Bannen spins traditional rom-com banter and places it into a secondary wild-west coded fantasy world. Fans of the ‘80s American comedy Beetlejuice will find that blend of fantasy, dead people, and contemporary relationships familiar. Originally home to the Old Gods, humans pick at Tanria's portals for treasure, causing a zombie problem. Irascible demi-god, Hart Ralston, patrols the portals, and brings the dead to funeral parlors. Hart's hatred for mom-and-pop undertakers starts the beginning of Mercy Bridsall and Hart Ralston's long-standing rivalry. His aching loneliness starts getting to him, inspiring him to send an anonymous letter out into the world. In a baffling twist, it ends up delivered to his rival. Starting an epistolary romance, they share their tender, true feelings. Neither ever dreams the kind, loving letters could be from their rival. Bannen charmed me with a disgruntled goth demigod and a bubbly mortician. With green velvet chairs, paintings of dead gods, and gooey cinnamon rolls, Bannen shows how a secondary world where polar opposites fall in love can mimic some of pop culture's favorite films. A crispy, hot-fried, pastel-dipped piece of delicious fantasy fiction wrapped up in a ravenous rom-com. Salt Fucking Sea, this is a unique read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: death of a loved one (past), grief, parental abandonment

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f fantasy romance
-frenemies to lovers
-epistolary
-opposites attract
-I hate how attracted I am to you

Thank you to Sil for hyping this book. somehow this was a soft, soft romance that also dealt with death and immortality. The world building was effortless, immediately pulled you in and never let you go. I adored everything about this. The nicknames, the epistolary, how awkward they were with each other because they couldn't deal with their feelings, how they trusted the other so much.

Hart and Mercy just fit each other in the best ways. There were such thoughtful twists and turns, just the right amount of angst, and some zombies. These two accidentally falling in love, figuring it out, and just being the other's soft spot, just soft tenderness and I need more immediately. Cannot wait to read what is coming next from this author.

Steam: 3

Amazing. I love this book so much. Mercy and Hart's story was a comforting hopeful read and I wish I could have a million more chapters of them.

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and words are my own.

This book gives off very “what did I just read” vibes in the BEST way. A blend of sci fi, fantasy, and romance-Undertaking is just a bizarre breathe of fresh air. The world reminds me a bit of Annihilation mixed with Stargate mixed with a dash of post apocalypse? I’m not doing it justice in a review so you should def pick it up. Also BONUS since it’s dual POV we get an even deeper dive into the world than if it had been single POV. All in all an amazing setting.

I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and toss in that Hart’s freaking smitten asap and anyone who picks this up is a GONER. The both have really cool professions in that Mercy parallels to a funeral home director and Hart is in a dangerous *swoon* patrolman position. Add in the letters that the pen pals are writing to each other and it’s a gorgeous development of feelings and a blooming relationship. There’s an HEA but lemme tell ya Megan makes you WORK for it. Cannot wait to see more things from her!

A demigod marshal of the undead + a mortal undertaker wannabe = the cutest, weirdest, most wonderful gaddam love story in existence.

Going into this I was AFEARED, friends. Given Megan Bannen’s knack for smashing my heart into a billion devastated pieces, even despite her insistence that Hart & Mercy would be different, I went in prepared to be hurt. And I won’t say I wasn’t hurt, but my hurt was assuaged by the whimsy and the wonder and the many “WAWWW” moments that made up this story.

Look — take rival enemies to lovers, add in a secret penpal relationship, sprinkle in a dash of poignant philosophy on life and death and loneliness and love, accidentally tip the whole jar of Strange Angst™️ into the mix, and voila!

There was nothing not to love, honestly. Between grumbly Hart’s penchant for the proper use of “whom,” Mercy’s quirk sense of fashion, the foul-mouthed animal messengers playing secret matchmaker, Pop’s childish hankerings, and Ducker & Zeddie’s cuteness, I am fully in love with this book.

Unlike many of Megan Bannen’s characters, I (at least with this book) got my HEA.

If anyone would've told me I'd be reading a You've Got Mail retelling but with zombies, I'd think they were joking and laugh in their face in disbelief. Well, I guess the joke's on me because that's exactly what The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

I've been in a book slump for weeks now, with no book holding my interest-- until this one. I'm still amazed at how much I enjoyed this. Did it help that You've Got Mail is one of my favorite movies of all time? Yes. Do I like westerns? No. Do I enjoy reading about zombies? Heavens, NO. Did I still adore this? YES.

You can't help but be pulled into this story. The world building is unique and inspired, and so creative. A marshal and an undertaker? Exchanging letters? Falling in love? Two cinnamon rolls you just want to protect forever and ever? This book had me smiling from ear to ear, and will definitely go down as one of my favorite reads of 2022.

And remember that book slump? Ended. And all I can say to this book is.... I'm so glad it was you.

Content Notes: [parent recovering from heart attack; parental death (cancer); violence; gore (hide spoiler)]

Since people keep asking me this question: YES, this is a Genre Romance Novel with a central romantic arc and HEA (happily-ever-after). There is on-page sex. I wouldn't lie to you!

***

This is very weird and morbid and funny… I don’t know how to describe what I just read, sorry. 😅 The book defies categorization (I say this as a compliment). I wouldn’t do justice to the worldbuilding if I attempted to clumsily explain it, so I’ll spare us all. I was very confused about what the hell was going on for the first twenty percent, but then something clicked and everything made perfect sense going forward. So if you’re struggling in the first few chapters, hang on and give it a chance.

Overall: a very innovative You’ve Got Mail retelling in a Shrekian (read: secondary world with contemporary references/objects) fantasy romance. Recommended for fans of The Princess Bride, Pushing Daisies, and Galavant.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.