I’ve heard this novel described as Howl’s Moving Castle but for adults, and while I don’t totally agree with that statement, I still thought the story was whimsical and cute, and I really enjoyed it.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a hate-to-love romance with some fantasy elements. Mercy is an undertaker and Hart is a demigod marshal who brings her dead bodies to take care of. They hate each other but are forced to work together. One day, Hart writes a letter to no one about how lonely he is. He doesn’t expect it to get delivered to anyone, but it shows up at Mercy’s door, labeled as being from “a friend.” Mercy corresponds with this mysterious friend, confiding in him, neither of them knowing who is on the other end of the pen. I loved this idea because they fall in love with each other via handwritten letters while still hating each other in person. I’ve never seen that done before in a novel, but it was so much fun and had me giggling while I read because I knew more than the characters did about how they actually felt about each other.

Although this novel is marketed as a fantasy, I think it would appeal more to romance readers who also enjoy fantastical components because the focus of the book is on the relationship between Hart and Mercy with a secondary focus on Mercy’s family and undertaking adventures. The fantasy elements are visibly present but also primarily in the background of the story, so readers expecting an epic fantasy will be disappointed here. I love romantic fantasy novels, so I had a great time with this story.

I love that The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a standalone novel. As much as I love a long series, a good standalone that wraps up nicely at the end is so satisfying, and that’s how this book is. It has a nice conclusion and doesn’t leave any questions hanging open at the end.

I had a great time reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a cute and swoon-worthy fantasy romance novel.

With idyllic sleepy town vibes, this book has a perfectly unique fantasy setting.

This was the perfect enemies to lovers story with a spooky twist. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this, and thought that the audio captured the essence of the book perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is enemies to lovers done RIGHT! Hart is a marshal, Mercy is an undertaker and they hate each other with a passion. Through unforeseen circumstances they become penpals without knowing it. Telling they're deepest thoughts and secrets to each other under the guise of anonymity.

I liked the pacing of the story, the world building wasn't too difficult to follow. I loved the relationship between Hart and Mercy. I loved that the MCs were both in their thirties as well!

I will say my favourite characters are the Owl and the Rabbit, by far! I did think that Mercy's family were a bit ungrateful to her.

Chapter 17 was definitely a frustrating chapter! And I nearly cried at a point in the book. Its a cute, funny, enemies to lovers fantasy. What more could I want? I really, really enjoyed this! 4 stars!

I love love LOVED this book. Admittedly I went in with pretty high expectations because a fellow reviewer had such good things to say and I'm very happy to report I was not disappointed. This is truly the zombie retelling of pride and prejudice we were waiting for (at least that's the vibe I got). The world building was so great, with a whole new religion and the lore to back it up. Obviously there is a fantastic dog involved as well as funny side characters and suspense that kept up with the romance.
Luckily the well thought out storyline was complemented with a fantastic main cast. I went from feeling very meh about Hart (he does have a rather negative introduction) to absolutely adoring him. And Mercy... Dare I say legend. Their "you've got mail" correspondence was adorable and funny, their real life interactions even more so. I was really rooting for them all the way, as well as hoping they found their way individually.
The only tiny little note I would have is that Mercy's family was pretty sh*tty at some points. I really wish someone would have put Mercy's brother in his place. It's totally understandable that Mercy isn't happy with him lying about his career choices and not immediately being supportive, seeing as he wasted money and time the family didn't have. Also Mercy came around pretty soon and he was actually the unsupportive one. Ultimately he caused Mercy and the rest of the family nothing but trouble and then was belligerent and condescending when called out. I think he should have been knocked down a peg, but that might just be me.
Overall I will always always recommend this one! I listened to this on audiobook and thought it was very well done. The narrators tell the story beautifully and match the characters and vibes of the story so well. My only small gripe would be regarding Mercy's narrator. I'm not a big fan of audiobooks acting out characters laughing etc and it took me out of the flow of the story a little bit.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette audio for an ARC of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Lovely! The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is hard to put into a category, but if anything, I would go about describing it as a small-town romance set in a Western-adjacent fantasy world, where keeping the dead dead is a whole lot more difficult than in contemporary fiction. It's difficult to place into a time period, and I'm still failing to picture the kind of society this story is set in, but it was nice to discover a book outside of conventionel genres!

Grief and anxiety are two major themes of The Undertaking, but Bannen's writing is delightful and funny - there is surprisingly little of the macabre coming through, despite the female protagonist working in her father's undertaker business and the male protagonist being a zombie-hunting demigod marshal. Between hidden identities and the grumpy-and-sunshine dichotomy, the romance is pretty drama-less and cozy, mellow even.

I think that's where the last star in my rating wasn't reached. Low-stakes plots just aren't my jam. And if two people fall in love in the story, it better make me gasp. But I'll be returning to Miss Bannen's backlist, if she is continuously this creative. Bonus points for the amazing cover design!

I listened to the audiobook for a second read of this wonderfully fun book! My origianl review is included further down:

I first read The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy through NetGalley and was thrilled to learn Fairyloot picked it for their adult box subscription (pink) but I’d also preordered a paperback edition that came this week after its official publication in the US so now I have 2!

This was the perfect opportunity to reread it along with the audiobook narrated by Michael Gallagher and Rachanee Lumayno who do a fantastic job of bringing life to Hart and Mercy.

Did I enjoy it as much on the second read? Oh yes 🙌 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Did I still ugly cry through chapter 38? Oh yes indeed! I think even moreso ❤️❤️🥹😭
Thanks for that @meganbannen

Dear friend, read this book!💔😭🥰😊


Original review July 2022:

5 stars from me!
Oh to be a fly on the wall when Megan Bannen pitched this book! God bless her- it's glorious! Let's remix the classic Romcom "You've Got Mail" and set it in a world on the verge of a Zombie apocalypse where the family business the female main character (Mercy) wants to save is a mortuary and the guy (Hart) is a Zombie hunter who is also a Demigod! Sure there is a market for that, right?

I have to admit I was skeptical going into the story, but by chapter two when Hart writes his first letter I was hooked! It helps that "You've Got Mail" is one of my all time favorite movies certainly, but given my love for the movie, it could also have easily gone very very wrong. So why does it work so well?

I think the key here is Hart and Mercy's characters. Both have their own way of being tough on the outside while inside they are lonely and in need of human connection. How can we not root for them to find each other in the midst of hating each other knowing they are searching for the same thing?

But while the romance is building, so is the number of undead in the town of Tanrian. Before Hart can face what needs to be done to save the town, he has to come to terms with his past and what it means that he may or may not be immortal as a Demigod. Mercy too has to find a way to stop the crooked "big box" undertaker from creating a monopoly and driving her family out of business. It's all crazy fun that spans the gamut of emotions. This book may not be for everyone, but it sure was the perfect book for me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for granting me access to an eARC of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen and audiobook Narrated by Michael Gallagher; Rachanee Lumayno is a unique and entertaining novel that is equal parts romance and gothic fantasy.

This was an engaging, easily-flowing, and entertaining story. Mercy and Hart are fabulous characters and also fabulous together. In almost a Burton-esque feel, we follow along as these two unique characters experience human and earthly feelings of romance, frustration, challenges, family…all in an alternative and fantasy world.

The author does an excellent job of intertwining the two worlds…giving background information…but not too much as to bog down the reader. The chemistry was definitely there…opposites attract…and it was a great ride following along.

The audiobook was excellent and the narrators are quite talented.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Orbit/ Hachette Audio for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 8/23/22.

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I LOVED this story. I was immediately sucked into this fantasy world and I did not want to leave. Both Hart and Mercy were characters that just pulled you in and made you feel like you knew them. Their rivalry was fire. This was such a unique setting and I loved everything about it. The parts that talked about grief and death really spoke to me. The love and romance were beautiful. This was such a strange, wonderful and amazing book. The narrators truly brought it all together and made it come alive. Everyone should read or listen to this one-of-a-kind book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this amazing ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Audio review: I really liked the narrators for this book, particularly Hart - he definitely sounded like the demigod cowboy I was picturing. I think Mercy's narrator should have been someone with a slightly younger and less smooth voice, but she was still a great option. I'd definitely recommend this audiobook.

Book review: This book made me cry on an Amtrak. It's one of my favorite books I've read all year.

Hart is a marshal in a strange part of the world where corpses, if not properly buried, can become reanimated into drudges, which are essentially zombies. In order to prevent these corpses from becoming drudges, he's got to bring them to a funeral home to ensure their safe disposition. Mercy is the unofficial undertaker at her family's funeral home, and she and Hart are each other's least favorite people. But one night, Hart's feeling lonely and sends off a letter addressed to no one but "A Friend"... and several days later, that same letter shows up in Mercy's hands. The dangers of Tanria grow, as does their affection for their anonymous pen pal, but when everything boils over, Hart and Mercy might just find some common ground.

This is like the fantasy western folklore zombie cowboy mashup of my dreams, and I didn't even know I was in the market for one of those. The whole book is fun: Hart is a lovable grump with the gooiest of marshmallow centers, and Mercy is desperately trying to keep the wheels on the bus for her family. The two bring out the worst in each other in person, but in their letters and then when they realize who their correspondent is, gently tease out the best. It's tender and delicate and funny and sweet and such a joy to read.

Hart, in particular, is a real stand-out character here. He's dealing with personal loss and insecurity about his parentage and the last thing he wants is anyone paying attention to him, and then he gets Mercy and an apprentice, Duckers. Duckers is so key to Hart's growth without ever feeling like the wise assistant or anything, and also just a freaking delight.

There's a lot of death in this book (see above re: zombies), a lot of thinking about how we care for the dead and where the dead go in this world. I feel like I'm sensitive to that sort of discussion and I think all of it was really careful and well-done.

After I finished this book, I had to stop myself from starting the whole thing over immediately because I loved it so much. I'd read anything else in this world.

Thank you Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC!

Perfect.

I loved it. So much so I ordered my own copy because I know I want to reread this one again.

Exactly what I want in a fantasy romance. You've Got Mail is my favorite romcom, the enemies to lovers pen pals is just the best way for two people to fall for each other. Just two big ol hotties who are acquainted with death. I seriously loved that Hart and Mercy were both so tall.

Mercy's family dynamics were so believable and relatable to me. Since I am also that daughter who holds onto everyone's burdens until I snap at everyone. Hart's found family is also very believable and reminds me of people I have in my own life.

The characters, the setting, the humor, and adventure, all of it was Chef's Kiss for me.

Just the perfect amount of spice for me as well.

Voice acting performances were good, no complaints there.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

💀 BOOK REVIEW 💀

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy - @meganbannen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫

🖤Happy Release Day!!! 🖤

Preface: I was given this arc by NetGalley and Hachette Audio in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good book! I could not put it down! I absolutely love the world that the author built here. This book was very unique, I haven’t read anything like it. I love this great enemies to lovers trope, I’ll give it 2/5 🌶…just perfect for this sweet and steady story! This gave me the same calm and happy feelings (which seems weird given the subject matter of undertaking 😆) of House on the Cerulean Sea but with a little more spice 😉The ending had me melting.

Very happy with this read, which is officially out today!

Thank you @netgalley , @hachetteaudio , and @meganbannen for this opportunity!

#theundertakingofhartandmercy #arcreview #happyreleaseday #bookreview #fourandahalfstarread #bookstagram #meganbannen

Absolutely wonderful audiobook

Loved the grumpy sunshine/enemies to lovers plot

Definitely will be rereading

4/5 stars

Dear Friend,

What can I possibly say about Heartache and Merciless that hasn’t already been shared by countless reviewers already? The reviews don’t lie, this book is a phenomenal romantasy!

It is a quirky little zombie romance with a heck of a lot of heart (pun intended). Don’t let the zombie part throw you off. Hart is a marshal tasked with patrolling Tanria. Mercy is an undertaker at the family’s funeral home. The two are often forced to interact because of their jobs and due to a misunderstanding they are barely cordial, hence their rather punny and witty nicknames for one another. As always, there is a fine line between love and hate making for delightful sexual tension and banter between the two. (I feel like I need to assure those skeptical about the zombie part because I know I would be, that this really is a romance novel)

The setting allows for a really interesting and lighthearted approach to mortality and the afterlife. It is delivered in entirely unexpected ways. I never really knew where this story was going and I honestly don’t want to say much because I think it is better to just go in blind and enjoy the ride.

The audiobook narrators were perfectly chosen in my opinion. They really brought the story to life for me. I’ve never found an audiobook that I’ve wanted to listen to again until now.

Romance and Audiobook Gods (also known as publishers) if you are listening (looking?), please, the universe needs more Heartache and Merciless or just books by Megan Bannen!

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Orbit and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thank you to Orbit for providing me with an early e-copy and early audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I tried.... I tried and I just couldn't finish it.

I don't have much to say about the audiobook because Netgalley's app is horrible when it comes to listening to them, but what I could gather, I also didn't care for the narration from either of the actors.

Netgalley, please fix your app. I'm not sure why someone cannot listen to audiobooks past 1x-1.25x speed without the audiobook skipping and sounding robotic. I tried everything I could on my end for it to not be this way, but many of us only listen to books 2.5x-3x speed.

I just.... I straight up was not having a good time. So, I DNF'd and won't be trying to reread it in the future.

⭐️ DNF'd @ 63% ⭐️

I personally had a really hard time getting into the book and ended up DNFing it. I just could not get invested in the plot. It was so slow.

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio for the review copy.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was such a fun time. I don't usually read a lot of "cozy fantasy" books, but I was in the mood and You've Got Mail is one of my favorite movies, so this sounded perfect. I thought the audiobook was great! The narration was duel narration and I enjoyed both of their voices for the characters. Hart (break) and Mercy (less) were such fun characters and they had me equal parts laughing and frustrated with their antics.

I will say that at times the book followed a little too closely to You've Got Mail. There were scenes (especially the cafe) where I knew what was going to happen before it did because it was almost exactly what happened in the movie. I would've preferred a little more originality in those scenes. However the fantasy/magic element really added an extra layer that I enjoyed immensely. And Hart and Mercy's personalities were entirely their own. Oh, and I can't forget Bassareus, the talking bunny mailman.

If you are a fan of cozy fantasy, like The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, or Howl's Moving Castle, I think you will really love The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

First of all the cover is beautiful. I was really excited to read this book after reading the description. I personally had a really hard time getting into the book and ended up DNFing it. I just could not get invested in the plot. It was so slow. This is marketed a lot as a romantic fantasy and I just did not feel the romance. World development was just not that great. Maybe I am just not the best audience for this book. I also was not the biggest fan of the narrator.
*Thank you to netgalley for an arc of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (#partner @orbitbooks_us): @readingismagical told me about this book months ago, and said I HAD to read it, and she was right. It’s a sweet enemies to lovers romance wrapped up in a whimsical fantasy world with a bit of a mystery. I’m always a fan of cross-genre work, and it didn’t hurt that this book was just so damn readable. I was finding three minute spots in my day to sneak another chapter in, and I was so sad when I finished. I also loved peeking inside Hart and Mercy’s souls with their letters to each other — there’s something about people writing to anonymous friends that lays bare who they truly are, and it’s just so pure. I will say that usually I want to know every detail about fantasy worlds, but Bannen had a way of making things interesting and giving just enough info to keep me hooked without info dumping. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. Just delightful. I also had the audio downloaded, but I didn’t even get to it because I sped through the print copy so quickly! This one is out Tuesday — you don’t wanna miss it.

This is such a unique read. Equal parts fantasy world and contemporary romance. I listened to the audio book and the narration was top notch. Both Michael Gallagher and Rachanee Lumayno did a great job. The embodied the characters seamlessly and conveyed the subtleties of their emotions. The romance is an enemies to lover story, with a nod to You've Got Mail. The fantasy involves Zombie like creatures called Drudges and takes place in a world with Old and New Gods. Hart is a warden and must protect Tanria by killing the Drudges. When he has a body he takes it to Mercy's families business, Birdsall and Son Undertakers.

The book has a dual narration and when we follow Mercy we get her day to day life in the business, but also with her family. The family dynamics are real are give us a lot of insight into her and her family. During Hart's narration we get his inner thoughts as well as his loneliness.

Both Hart and Mercy reveal their inner selves as they write letters to each other. Of course, they don't know who they are writing to. The is a lovely build up in the book both with the romance and the action. This was a great read.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the audio book. This is my honest review..

To be honest, I wasn’t really interested in this book in the first place. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be for me, but I saw it on Netgalley as an audiobook arc – which always reads quickly – and I knew a few people who’d gotten it in the July Adult FairyLoot box, so I was curious and thought I might as well give it a try. In the end, it’s not really surprising that I wasn’t a fan, and maybe my opinion isn’t completely fair, so take this review for what it’s worth.

I’m not even sure what this book was trying to be, and I think that was part of the problem. Almost every aspect of it reads like a contemporary adult novel, but then it was also set on a sort of magical island with possession and gods and immortal creatures delivering the mail? So it was fantasy in a way? My issue was, that aspect was SO underwhelming. About 50% into the book, I realised the author was going to throw in some fantasy element to add a plot to the book, and I promise you I sighed so loudly. Plot is usually good, don’t get me wrong, but in this case it was unnecessary. I think I would’ve been more content with a fantasy setting that didn’t try to have a fantasy plot, just a cute little romance that happens to take place on a magical island. See what I mean?
And admittedly, it’s probably a bit my fault because I didn’t try really hard to understand the worldbuilding haha. But the whole thing about the souls of the dead being trapped was very out of the blue and kind of absurd. In theory, I like the idea of a fantasy world being the setting for a completely normal, non-magical romance story – it can be fun and quirky – or even having a single, random fantasy element in a contemporary story (kind of like what Ann Liang did with If you could see the sun, now THAT was done well). It just didn’t work in Hart & Mercy because the fantasy aspects actually became important to the story about halfway through, and it felt forced.

Other than that, it was just a very classic romance adult story. It wasn’t particularly ORIGINAL but I don’t think it was trying to be, and sure the relationship and situations were cliché and kind of cringe sometimes, but I thought it was cute and mostly liked it. I also really liked Mercy’s family and their dynamics, and her coming to terms with that fact that she does love her job and the family business. Seeing her fight for it and win against the big rotten corporation guys at the end was nice. The romance made me smile, especially the early stages, but it also had a few tropes I really can’t stand anymore.
The first one is the guy buying SO TALL. I swear I don’t remember the last time I read a romance novel where the male love interest wasn’t a fucking giant. I’m starting to get very, very tired of this (at least in this book, the female love interest was also big and tall). I also hate it when characters fight because person A didn’t tell person B something they really should’ve told them and then person B finds out another way. It’s such a lazy way to introduce a conflict in a relationship, it’s been done so many times, and it leads to the one trope everyone agrees sucks – miscommunication. And finally, I’m so over the “person A almost dies so person B forgets everything they were angry about and forgives them immediately and they never talk about their issues” trope. I guess in this case it was kind of fine because Mercy had already decided she wanted to forgive Hart before he got hurt… but still? Again, it just feels like a very lazy way to bring about a reunion and making-up scene.

In conclusion, I feel like this book wouldn’t be satisfying to read if you’re looking for fantasy, or even fantasy romance because again the fantasy aspect was super underwhelming. Maybe if you want romance, and you don’t mind a bit of non-sense, you could enjoy it.
TWs: loss of a loved one, gore, zombie attacks, fighting.