What a cute book and fun plot! Loved both the main characters and their chemistry! I am not a big romance reader, and I picked this up strictly for it’s cover but found that I really enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"I suppose it puts things into perspective - or its more accurate to say that you put things in perspective for me - to gaze up at the night sky and feel a part of something bigger than myself..."

Megan Bannen, how dare you make me cry? I almost never cry when I read books. When I do though I know I'll be recommending the book for a long time.

I absolutely love this book and how different it is. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is an adult fantasy romance featuring the enemies to lovers trope, zombie-killing cowboys, and a fantastical world.

Mercy is an Undertaker who takes care of the bodies that come in to her family owned business. Hart is a Marshal who kills the drudges and brings bodies back to the Undertakers. Hart is still reeling from the death of a father figure from years ago. When he is feeling the need to talk to a friend, he decides to send out a letter to the universe. Not expecting a response he gets one from an unexpected "enemy": Mercy. Mercy and Hart begin to build a close friendship through letters spanning over a couple of months. One day Mercy decides its time to meet each other face to face but little do they realize who is on the other side...

Hart is a cinnamon roll who I want to hug so much and Mercy is a strong female protagonist I wish I was friends with. Their relationship is rocky in the beginning and super flippin sweet in the end. I love the banter, the steam of Chapters 22 to 24, and the emotional ride Megan Bannen put me through.

One of my favorite rom-coms is You've Got Mail so I loved the back and forth letters between Hart and Mercy. Of course I felt super anxious of when Mercy would find out about Hart and the letters. Their romance was so Hart-felt.

I also adore the friendship between Hart and Pen Duckers. Their partnership hit right in the feels.

I plan on taking a trip down Megan Bannen's backlog of books. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! Unaddressed letters that magically get directed to the right people? Amazing! The characters immediately got my interest and had me rooting for them. While I empathized with Mercy and all her issues with her family, I was really taken in by Hart who grows so much in self-awareness and emotional depth throughout the story. His developing relationship with Pen is also so great, so funny! Some interesting world building here. I hope the author plans another instalment!

3.5/5

I had a bit of an enemies to lovers relationship with this book myself but overall had fun reading it and would read more from the author in the future. Bonus points go to it for making me absolutely sob last night!

I enjoyed the world the author built. Most of the time they did a great job seed lore and allowing the reader to fill in the setting along the way. There were a few occasions where it was too much for me, either in density or overall concept. Felt a bit "everything and the kitchen sink". That being said I thought the world was a romp - it had the camp and fun Buffy the Vampire Slayer, drama of Six Feet Under, and an interesting kind of steampunk/western vibe. It was a lot, but I was engaged. Honestly, this would translate well as a graphic novel or animated series.

The characters here are fun, and they had some dimensionality to them. They read a bit like caricatures at times, but with the vibes being a bit camp in general I wasn't put off by it. There were times it felt a bit like the plot was leading the characters rather than they were driving the narrative.

On to my least favorite part of the book. This may sound petty, but I thought the names, especially the nicknames, of some characters and places were cringey. If I could change any one thing about this book it would be to take out the nicknames. This and some of the other puns, I thought, did a disservice to the story.

This book was a pleasure and I will probably recommend it to friends, especially anyone who I think would also enjoy Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It's in the running for my favorite book of 2022.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a fantasy romance with enemies to lovers, a bit of a mystery, secret penpal love notes, and zombie-killing cowboys?! I've never read anything like it, and I really enjoyed it. It was unique and funny and sweet. I totally cried at the end (and it's even a little spicy).

100% recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

(TW: The FMC is an undertaker so there is a loooot of death)

This book was *exactly* as advertised: zombies + You've Got Mail almost to a shockingly accurate degree. I think I underestimated how much of this would be directly pulled from You've Got Mail (there are genuine plot points that I think have to be intentionally pulled from the movie), so that felt a little bit tropey to me?

This is definitely a cozy fantasy romance, and the letter writing between our MCs was sweet, as was their developing romance. It wasn't instalove or fake enemies to lovers (but really we don't dislike each other). It was a gradual coming to understanding.

Overall, this is advertised well, and while I'm not certain yet that the cozy fantasy genre is entirely up my alley, I did enjoy it, and I know that people will *love* this book.

Thank you to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen is a low-fantasy novel that immerses us in a fantasy world without the constant battles and fighting of other books. The story revolves around Hart, who patrols the magical world of Tanria, and Mercy, an undertaker. When they start a correspondence through letters, unknowingly with each other, the pair embark on a friendship, and eventually, a romance. But what will happen when they realize that they're actually writing letters to each other?

Here is a cozy excerpt from Chapter 1, which introduces us to Hart:

"It was always a gamble, dropping off a body at Birdsall & Son, Undertakers, but this morning, the Bride of Fortune favored Hart Ralston.
Out of habit, he ducked his head as he stepped into the lobby so that he wouldn’t smack his forehead on the doorframe. Bold-colored paintings of the death gods—the Salt Sea, the Warden, and Grandfather Bones—decorated the walls in gold frames. Two green velvet armchairs sat in front of a walnut coffee table, their whimsical lines imbuing the room with an upbeat charm. Vintage coffee bean tins served as homes for pens and candy on a counter that was polished to a sheen. This was not the somber, staid lobby of a respectable place like Cunningham’s Funeral Services. This was the appalling warmth of an undertaker who welcomed other people’s deaths with open arms."

Overall, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a cozy fantasy novel that will appeal to fans of The Invisible LIfe of Addie Larue or Legends & Lattes. One highlight of this book is the idea of a fantasy romance that isn't the subplot to a main plot which involves villains and taking over the world. I think it's so refreshing to have a rom-com set in a fantasy world. I did take off 1 star, because of the multiple sex scenes, which were weirdly placed in the middle of the book. That wasn't a choice that I would have made. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of low fantasy books, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in August!

This is a great enemies to lovers story. It has a strong start with the whole "dropping off a body" thing, then straight into the hate. It's adorable, quirky, and sappy sweet. The story brings you to the edge of your seat, breaks you off, then tosses you back around. It holds no punches. I was enthralled and didn't want to put it down. It's almost like a hug like "the house on the cerulean sea", but with heat. I'm so proud of the language used in one of my favorite hot sauce scenes. It has a great moral story in the background. I won't divulge because of spoilers. Anyway if I had any criticism, it would go to world building. I would liked to have learned more about how the world works and what it consists of. It did not however take away from the story as I was never confused or lost. They gave you enough to understand what was happening in the moment. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I'm so excited I was able to read this and happy that it will be in a subscription box.

✨A wild and resounding yes but also a wild and resounding what just happened.✨

I feel like I need to reread in order to really process my thoughts because I really can’t articulate why it worked for me but it absolutely did. Helen Hoang said it was a romance and that’s basically all I needed to know. I don’t really think anything can adequately prepare you for all of the feelings you’re going to feel, so just go into this understanding you’re going to understand nothing until you understand everything.

The closest thing I can compare this to is The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels meets You’ve Got Mail. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy isn’t like The Wisteria Society at all but they’re also absolutely the same. Doesn’t make sense? Perfect. I want you confused, intrigued, and ready to risk it all for these two morbidly hot cinnamon rolls.

I laughed, I cried, I wondered aloud what I was reading several times, I blessed the rains down in Africa, I thanked the maker. Seriously, I really did cry. I did not think this book would make me cry. Oh how the turntables…

The romance hit me hard and Hart and Mercy really were the perfect enemies to lovers. There were talking animals, dead bodies (so many dead bodies), steamy scenes, and zombies. The world was both foreign, a bit dystopian, and definitely fantastical, but it also had enough snapshots of our normal life to ground my understanding. It was cool to see how both worldviews were entwined, as you’re kinda just dropped into the story without extensive worldbuilding. Again, you’ll be confused until you’re not.

Overall, I’ll definitely be reading the next book by the author and will be forever happy I most assuredly judged this book by its (lovely) cover. Give this a read if you want to explore a romance maybe a tad out of your comfort zone! I guarantee the hart (see what I did there?) of the book is rooted in a heartwarming romance between two lost souls, looking for love in all the wrong places.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶.75/5


Tropes:
- Found family
- Enemies to lovers
- Meet angry
- You’ve Got Mail esque pen pals
- Secondary romance
- Workplace romance
- He falls first
- Hero is a boob guy
- Grumpy/sunshine sidekick



Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley! All opinions are honest and my own.

Let's start with what I liked. I really liked Hart, Mercy, and their angsty dynamic. The sexual tension is thick because most of the romantic conflicts moments felt earned. Their mutual feelings of loneliness and career stress are expressed quite well, and it was very natural to support them and hope the best for them. I also enjoyed several of the side characters, particularly Horatio and Bassereus. Despite being slightly underdeveloped, they were all at least quite distinct from one another.

However. There's a line between paying homage to an inspiration and straight-up recycling someone else's work. After having exchanged several anonymous letters, Hart and Mercy agree to meet face to face. Hart has his apprentice case the cafe first, which is how he finds out his pen pal is Mercy. The scene plays out almost exactly like the one between Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox in the movie, down to the dialogue even, and I just found it weird. Fortunately, it only happens this one time.

I also struggled with the world, which I think is like an alternate contemporary setting. For some reason, I was thinking Victorian steampunk, but Mercy wears red sneakers and Hart's look is, like, Texas ranger. Words like 'equimare' and 'autoduck' are thrown in without any description (obviously, they're a horse and a car, but is this a real horse? A car that looks like a duck?). The patriarchy isn't a thing anymore yet male primogeniture applies to undertaking, at least. Is favoring men over women a wider societal thing that isn't considered patriarchal or is this just this particular family's thing? The details felt arbitrary and odd, but not in a good way ala Wonderland.

In sum, the romance worked for me, but the world-building wasn't entirely satisfying and only sufficed due to the strength of the romance.

Both beautiful and mesmerizing, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen is a welcome addition to the bookshelf of fantasy, action, and romance fandom alike! Within the first ten pages, a rich and full world has been opened with the introductions of occupationally-related frenemies Hart, a lawman tasked with hunting down and dispatching humans overtaken by rogue souls, and Mercy, the undertaker who gives the bodies a proper ceremony to ensure their original souls arrive at the afterlife. A epic mashup of tropemania guaranteed to satisfy all parties, populated by well-rounded and fully fleshed out characters, a finely paced plot and intoxicating world building, Bannen continually ups the ante on all fronts, culminating in a deeply fulfilling ending. Highly recommended!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I almost can’t believe how great this was! It’s You’ve Got Mail, but add in zombies and undertakers, and it was perfect. I adored Hart and Mercy. Their banter, the animosity, their letters, and then how great they were together. There was obviously the third act breakup with the letters reveal, and it just ripped my heart out. Honestly the last 15% had me crying buckets. But the resolution was completely perfect. (Also the spice was very nice).
The side characters were all so great too! Pen, the nimkilims, Mercy’s family, Alma and Diane. They all added so much to the story and I loved them.
Highly recommend, especially if you love You’ve Got Mail!

You've Got Mail meets Six Feet Under. What's not to love.

I read another review that noted it is actually a retelling of You've Got Mail, while reminiscent, I wasn't sure until a scene in the book plays out nearly exact to that of the movie, for better or worse.

Mercy Birdsall is the nearly singlehandedly running her Family's undertaking business, while butting heads with Marshall Hart, who she does business with from time to time.

However, little do the two of them know, they are writing each other as pen pals and are more alike than they would imagine.

I didn't love the fantasy world aspect, mainly because I could not really grasp the concept of the keys, grudges, etc, but otherwise, an enjoyable read.

4.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for granting me access to this book <3

*May have spoilers ahead*

I loved this book so much AHHHHHHHHH. It was so fun, whimsical, and made me cry. This also gave me some studio Ghibli vibes, specifically Howl's Moving Castle. I kept seeing Hart as Howl in my head and Mercy's dog , Leonard reminded me of the dog Heen in Howl's Moving Castle as well.
All of the characters are so fun and loving, the side characters such as Mercy's entire family, Penrose Duckers (what a cute last name honestly), the two nimkilim mail delivery...people...animals, Horatio the owl and Bassareus, the baritone oversized rabbit were two of my favorite side characters. The relationship between the family members made me feel like I was given a warm hug and a warm fuzzy hug from Bassareus. There were so many funny moments from the main characters and their banter, and banter with the side characters.

I will be honest and did not know what to make of this book at the beginning. I couldn't really wrap my head around what the synopsis was even about, but it all made sense (or made a bit more sense) once I just started reading the book. There are some steamy spicy moments in this book, but nothing extremely explicit, it was all very sweet. The later half of the book, maybe 70% ish into the book, it gave me a lot of Hart-ache (hah). I just wanted both Hart and Mercy to get back together and reconcile. I don't want to give too much away, but I absolutely LOVED how it ended, There were many moments where I was just tearing up because of what the characters were going through, and these moments gave me such happiness once the ending came around.

Highly recommend this book to fantasy readers and lovers of romance. Give this book a shot even if you can't make sense of the synopsis of the story!

One of the strangest, most delightful, most unclassifiable books I've read in a long time. I loved this book to pieces and I cannot wait for other people to read it. 

My short pitch is this: he's a zombie-fighting marshal with a secret soft heart, she's an undertaker trying to keep the family business afloat. Their lines of work bring them into constant low-grade bickering conflict but ... they're both lonely too, in their own ways. So when they accidentally enter into correspondence via a mis-delivered anonymous letter, they start to fall slowly, convincingly in love. It's a little bit You've Got Mail, a little bit Pushing Daisies, but also entirely unique to itself. It's got quirky sweetness with an emotional center of gravity, which it spins itself into a proper angst-fest by about 80%, followed by the most cathartic of HEAs. 

The long pitch? Well, there's a lot to say and I really don't know where to start. The world-building is extensive and intense. There are Old Gods and New Gods, and zombie-like creatures called drudges, and people ride all-terrain animals called equimares and drive around in autoducks. The mail is delivered by an uptight prissy owl and a foul-mouthed rabbit, who are on page for all of 10 minutes total and are somehow the best characters of the book. There's an entire mythology around death that is at once totally different from ours, and just familiar enough to be meaningful. It all starts off, to be honest, a bit confusing. The important stuff about death and gods and mortality and drudges gets explained - thoroughly and poignantly and at just the right times. Some of the smaller things like equimares and autoducks are literally never described, the same way a novel in a real-world setting wouldn't tell you what a horse or a car looks like. Readers' mileage may vary on this (and I still kinda want to know more about autoducks) but... through some kind of dark sorcery, it all totally worked. 

For me, the best part of this book though was the hero, Hart. He starts the story having just experienced a series of devastating losses: the death of his father figure and coworker Bill, the passing of his beloved dog, and a subsequent grief-fueled estrangement from his mentor Alma and her wife Diane, whose house is the only thing close to a home that he's known. He's adrift and lonely and intensely vulnerable, but it never feels like the book ... takes advantage of that? Or asks us to gawk at it? There's so much compassion for him, especially as we learn more about his past, it makes me a bit emotional thinking about it. 

The heroine Mercy is really lovely in her own right, though it was Hart, rather than Mercy, who felt like the moral and emotional center of the book. Still, the relationship felt balanced, as did her own journey involving her family and her love for her job and her desire to care for others while still getting her own needs met. And I really did believe and invest in Mercy and Hart through each of the iterations of their relationship: their (pretty low-key) rivalry, their soul-baring letters, their slow fall into love. 

For those who are curious, there are on-page, open-door sex scenes. It's a hard thing to evaluate but I thought they were ... fine? In no way the best-executed part of the book. In fact, I think if I had one complaint, it would be that moments of sexual attraction in the narrative were written in a way that felt unnecessarily objectifying? So many characters, out of nowhere and at inappropriate times, would suddenly start ogling each other's ass or tits in a way that just did not do it for me. And that felt completely out of character, especially for Hart. It probably bothered me the most in the context of the secondary romance between Duckers (Hart's apprentice) and Zeddie (Mercy's brother) though: two FANTASTIC characters in their own right, whose on-page relationship seemed to boil down to mutual ogling, a choice I was particularly displeased with when applied to one of only two queer couples in the book. 

(A side note of appreciation for Duckers, though, who outside of his thinly-written romantic relationship was one of the BEST characters I've read in ages. He's a delightfully eager and kind of hapless apprentice who looks up to Hart so much. And Hart wants no part of that kind of hero worship, except he never lets it turn into cruelty or neglect. Hart and Duckers's story is part friendship, part mentorship, sometimes almost parental, and one thousand percent one of the best parts of the book)

The last thing I can say is that... this is a book about death. Sometimes it's about death in a quirky, lighthearted (though never disrespectful) way, like when Hart is fighting zombies early on, or when Mercy is trying to corral her big chaotic family into managing a failing undertaking business. Sometimes it's about death in a philosophical way, as characters consider mortality and immortality, and the role of the gods in their lives. And sometimes it's about death in an utterly heart-wrenching, viscerally emotional, cry-your-eyes-out way. I found the combination of those three things to be incredibly well-done, and oddly restorative. It felt freeing to be handed the constraints of a fictional world in which to contemplate death -- like a kind of scaffolding that held up things that are sometimes too difficult or scary or emotional to bear, so I could tiptoe up to them safely. It's hard to talk about without getting too spoilery, but there are ways in which death feels both more just and more meaningful in this invented world than it does in ours. I found that deeply affirming and thoroughly compassionate, though I think it's fair to say that experience could vary. This is definitely a book to approach with care if that's a hard subject to read about right now. Though if you do pick it up, I think that care is met in equal measure by the author.

Whew. That was kind of a mess. So, I'll end succinctly (ha) by saying that if you know me, you'll know how much it means when I say: I cried so fuck*ing hard at the end of this book that I had to apply frozen makeup-removing pads to my eyes to make them presentable the next morning. And I loved it.

A grumpy marshal and a sunshiny undertaker who hate each other find themselves as unlikely anonymous pen pals... and discover that they just might not know so much about the other than they thought and that there just might be more there. Hart is a marshal in charge of patrolling the lands of Tanria for strange creatures. He is also a demigod... and ever since his only father figure died, he’s been distant, filled with guilt, and just an all around grumpy person closed off. Mercy is an undertaker, she loves her job because she gets to meet new people and help people move on. She’s positive and sweet, except when it comes to Hart, both of them have an instant dislike for each other when they first met and four years later the dislike is still strong. For the life of her she can’t figure out why he dislikes her. Mercy is single handedly taking care of her family business Birdsall & Son Undertakers as well as taking care of her father and trying to keep their business afloat. Hart has had a habit of writing letters to a nameless person just to get his feelings and emotions out.. and when one of those letters ends up in Mercy’s hands she think she’s made a new friend. Soon Mercy and Hart find themselves befriending one another sending each other letters without truly knowing who the other person at the end of the letter is. When more souls and dangers come into town as well the looming truth of who the person is at the other end of the letter feelings will explode, secrets will come out, and Hart and Mercy will have to re-evaluate everything they thought they knew about the other. Filled with romance, magic, and so much more this was a fantastic read. The letters between Mercy and Hart were absolutely sweet and so heart warming, their romance was so cute. I had a blast reading this book!

*Thanks Netgalley and Orbit Books, Orbit for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This delightfully weird fantasy rom-com just might be my favorite book of the year so far???

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is difficult to explain. I was gushing to my boyfriend about it once I finished and I could tell he was happy that I loved the book but was absolutely not following what I was saying. Western vibes, zombies that live in a former god prison, souls residing in appendixes, demigods, talking animal mail deliverers, found family, and an enemies-to-lovers blind pen pal relationship?? On paper it's frankly bizarre, but Megan Bannen wove these elements together in such a masterful way. I immediately knew that this book was something special and unique, and I was all in from the start.

I highly recommend this book! This was such a fun ride and I think it has a little something for everyone. I don't even typically like zombies and I fell absolutely in love with this book. Thank you Megan Bannen for putting this delightful story out into the world.

An absolutely lovely heartwarming story that pulls on all the heartstrings. This book has unseated the House on the Cerulean Sea as my favorite cozy fantasy book.

The characters, world building, and plot are all just the right amount of angsty and heartfelt culminating in a perfect ending. Although I wouldn't describe this book as light, it handles real emotions and lives in a way that leaves you hopeful. The dialog was witty and kept the tone up even when it felt like everything was going wrong. The vibes were very You've Got Mail - with excerpts of letters between the main two characters (gotta love an epistolary novel!), but put in new fantasy world (I loved learning about the Old Gods, New Gods, religion, and demigods!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: Fiction/romance/a little fantasy
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩: eARC

𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:
“Maybe there's a strange comfort in knowing that at least one person feels something for me, even if that feeling could best be described as hate.”

“Do you ever look up? I mean really look? I find myself staring at the stars more and more lately, wondering what exactly it is I'm doing here.”

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
Romance (think, You’ve Got Mail)
Enemies to lovers
Sunshine and grumpy
Quirky, whimsical, yet grueling world
Emotional and gut wrenching, but in the best way

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
I picked this book up since I knew it was coming in a book box subscription later this year. I wasn’t sure about it—generally I’m not a huge fan of zombies or the macabre, but I was intrigued by the You’ve Got Mail romance comparisons and the bright cover. And you guys… I absolutely LOVED it.

The first 25% of the book set up the enemies to lovers and the quirky, weird world that Mercy and Hart live in. I struggled a little bit with the world building, names, and general setting at first, but caught on more as the story progressed. There are twists on things from modern society, reimagined for the bizarre world of the Federated Islands (equimares/horses, autoduck/truck, etc). The ‘zombie’ aspect centers around lost souls who search for bodies to join with since they are trapped in Tanria, unable to pass through the locked door to the afterlife. Again, I’m not always a big zombie fan, but this didn’t really bother me because it centered around the journey of life and death.

As Hart and Mercy begin exchanging anonymous letters without realizing they are corresponding with their number one enemy, I was quickly sold on their sweet, honest romance. There are happy and hopeful moments, mixed with times where my heart absolutely broke for them both. Hart is 100% a prickly cinnamon roll who should be protected at all costs.

I stayed up until 1:30 am reading the majority of this book—I just couldn’t put it down! When I picked it back up to finish the next morning, I absolutely wanted to SOB my way through the last 20% of the book. All the whimsy and hope becomes grief and torture and it just RIPPED my heart out on, like, five separate scenes—but in the best way possible. I’m certain I’ll be thinking about this book for days and weeks to come, and can’t wait to read more from this author!

After my best friend sent me a link about this book, I went into this book knowing little to nothing about the premise of the story and I loved this so much I devoured it in one day. The banter between Hart and Mercy had me chuckling from the first pages and the feelings between them made me feel everything from happiness to sadness and all those feelings in between. Death is not a topic I like to think about much and I was worried this story might trigger my anxiety about it, but rather I felt like I could explore my feelings about mortality in a safe space within the pages of this book. Aside from the romance (of which I really enjoyed), my favorite parts of the story were about exploring philosophies on death and grief. It struck my heartstrings! I was very sad to not have a copy of the map in the ARC, but I know I will buy this book when it comes out so I can always go back to favorite passages. Thank you netgalley for an ARC!