🔊Song Pairing: Greek Tragedy - The Wombats

💭What I thought would happen:

I was super wrong on this one. I thought it would be like Anatomy - A Love Story. It was a fantasy and a Romance. Had no idea

📖What actually happens:

Hart is a Marshall, he captures zombie like dudes…basically if you die you do not want to die with your appendix…they desire they silly useless organ that gets too spicy and needs to be removed often at inconvenient times…

Mercy is the daughter of an undertaker in the family business even though it is called Birdsall & Son…too bad the son has a gag reflex of a kitten and a talent at making pie.

Hart brings his dead bodies to Mercy, like a bouquet of corpses. Too bad the 2 detest one another. Who says you can’t hate someone while simultaneously getting a constant erection in their presence?!

🗯Thoughts:

Have you ever been to a restaurant that has both foie gras and lime jello on the same menu? That’s kind of like this book, a real mish-mash of:

You’ve Got Mail retelling x Walking Dead Zombies x Dog the Bounty Hunter x enemies to lovers x intro to anatomy all set in an Olympus - Demi God world. Like what!!? *insert Jackie Chan confused face gesture meme*

Overall, I was quite intrigued in the middle but was kind of over it by 75%. Am I glad I read this? I think so? Not my usual I can say for certain

3.5
An undertaker and a demigod go from enemies to lovers is this compelling story involving zombie-like beings, gods, talking animals who enjoy bourbon, and a secret pen pal letters. I really appreciated the uniqueness of this plot, the role of a female undertaker, and how well the dual narrators/points of view of Hart and Mercy provide perspective to each side of the story and interacting with their different positions in regards to the "zombies".

I do wish that the transition from enemies to lovers was a bit more drawn out, it led a bit more towards insta love. Additionally, the world filled with creatures, gods, monsters, and the importance of undertakers was interesting, but I felt that a lot of what made it special- keys, portals, burial ships, etc...- was discussed but not fully immersed within the plot or explained as in-depth as I would of liked.

I really enjoyed the narrators of this audiobook and the book as a whole. If you enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope, misunderstandings, zombish monsters, and a bit of angst, grab this book.

First a foremost, thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advance copy of the audiobook! The narration of Hart & Mercy was wonderful! I felt both characters come alive and the ease of listening was perfect.

Hart & Mercy is a little bit You've Got Mail, old western, and zombie goodness all packed into an incredible love story. At first glance, none of those genres would go together but Megan will absolutely prove you wrong! Enemies to lovers is a favorite trope of mine and this book gets it right!

In addition to the MCs there is an incredible cast of side characters whose love for one another and witty banter will keep you laughing and rooting for them all the way through!

I have been in a place where I need some lighthearted, feel good reading and Hart & Mercy really hit the spot. Its a quick but worthwhile read and I highly recommend it! Another favorite of the year.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and both of the narrators were excellent choices. This was a fun story about enemies falling in love after being secret pen pals. I didn't go into this with any expectations of the story, but after seeing a lot of buzz pre-publication I wanted to give it a chance. I don't normally read books that are heavy on the romance, but this one was a lot of fun. A very inventive setting and good characters. Loved it.

My true rating for this book is a 4.5 because as much as I loved the way this book felt so new and unique, I have a couple of small quibbles that are probably based at least half on the mood that I was in when I read the book. Everything about The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy felt new aside from the You've Got Mail inspired trope. But the world-building? I mean, I know I don't read a ton of adult fantasy, but I've never encountered a world like this before and that was just so neat. I loved how Mercy was this fully-realized character who still needed to come into her own because of how much time she'd spent devoted to her family and how we got to see her push past her nerves and really open up to her family so they could better understand her. I loved how Hart really went through this character transformation from sad and lonely to slowly learning to let people in without ever really giving himself credit for that. I cannot even begin to describe the actual world to you because I'm still bewildered by the newness, not because it didn't make sense (it did), but because I am still wrapping my head around a lot of it.

My small quibbles with this book really centers around the fact that I think that the end felt too rushed for me in multiple ways. I think this book struggled somewhat with identifying what genre it wanted to be the primary, the fantasy or the romance, and I say that because there's this sort of mystery/question with two parts to it that gets revealed, but not like in a big OH MY GOSH kind of way. It just felt sort of crammed in there. And then with the romance, my personal opinion is that Mercy was the one who had sort of messed up and that she and Hart both were too hard on him. But that's just me and like I said, those are very small quibbles. I just think with some slight smoothing out, this book could have truly been perfect!

There were two narrators for this audiobook, one for Hart and one for Mercy and I think they both did a fantastic job. Michael Gallagher voiced Hart and I think his voice acting was really well done and thankfully he never made Mercy sound like a small child. And then Rachanee Lumayno voiced Mercy and she did a fantastic job as well! I really enjoyed listening to this book just as much as I enjoyed reading it with my eyeballs.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

I went into this book expecting a high fantasy read but was pleasantly surprised that - while definitely a unique fantasy - this book is primarily a romance novel. Hart and Mercy go from loathe to love through a series of written letters that they have no idea are being responded to by the other.

This fantasy world is unlike anything else and is woven into the romance story. I would not mind hearing other stories set in this world or finding out what happens in the future for this couple. The side character's (especially Mercy's family) were hilarious and the characters that Hart (reluctantly) begins to open up with were so enjoyable. I kept wondering how Hart and Mercy would react when they discovered the other's identity and was not disappointed by what transpired!

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy will be released August 23rd, and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for sharing an arc with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

I thought this was a cute story. I liked the enemies to lovers feel and the friction between Hart and Mercy. I did feel the story was a bit lagging at times, and there were a lot of characters to keep track of. Overall, this is a great one for readers of romance and fantasy.

I wasn’t a fan of the story. Unfortunately it didn’t catch my attention for very long.
The narrators, Michael Gallagher and Rachanee Lumayno had pleasant voices. But I just couldn’t connect with the characters.
If your a fan of enemies to lovers with a happily ever after then you will love this book. I just needed a bit more of supernatural element to draw me in and what was in the book wasn’t enough.
Story: 3.5 stars
Audiobook: 4 stars

This book was a pleasant change of books for me. It gives off that romcom vibe yet with a paranormal spin to it. I really enjoyed the story and liked the pacing of the book. This was the first book by Megan Bannen that I've ever read/listened to and I'll happily do so again.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. Its an enemies to lovers fantasy romcom with a morbid side and a healthy does of zombies. Hart is a Marshall patrolling a dangerous magical area inside of a portal and Mercy is an undertaker living in a border town, and they have hated each other from the moment they met, however, after unknowingly becoming pen pals, they start to reevaluate their first impressions. This book made me laugh and cry, and I was very invested in the two main characters and their romance.

The only real criticism I have is that there could have been more world building. There was some background throughout the book to explain the new gods and the old gods and how the religion works, but there wasn't alot of explanation for the technology, and I never really felt like there was a point in the book where I understood how this world works. It didn't really detract from the main plot, it just felt like there was no reason for why some modern things exist and others don't.

* I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen @MeganBannen
5⭐
Quick Summary: Two lonely souls find friendship in an anonymous pen pal correspondence. They each share their hopes and fears… and the frustration they have with “that one person” in their lives. Turns out, that person that infuriates them the most might have more to them then first impressions led them to believe. Set in an effortless fantasy world, with a cast of quirky characters, this enemies-to-lovers, adult fantasy romance balances complex emotions and whimsical fun.

Thoughts: I loved this story! The characters are endearing, the plot is engaging, the world development is fantastic, and the writing is captivating. I love that the main characters are in their 30’s and not an immortal dating a teenager. I love the emotional growth the characters go through. I love the side characters and their stories. I love the easy fantasy setting. I recommend this book to folks who like adult characters dealing with real-life problems (like paying the bills and thinking about what they’re doing with their life) but set in a fantasy world with an uptick in reanimated corpses causing problems.

Audiobook Narration: The audiobook is dual narration, with Rachanee Lumayno reading Mercy’s POV chapters and Michael Gallagher reading Hart’s chapters. The two voice actors in this production work wonderfully together in how they portray the characters with no confusion when switching points of view. Great casting for these two characters and good direction.

I got to listen to a review edition of this audiobook from @NetGalley and @HachetteAudio in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my how I loved this book. I literally couldn’t put it down.

It’s ‘You’ve Got Mail’ in a fantasy world with undertakers, demigods, monsters, and lost souls.

Amazing, well developed characters. Mercy & her family are so wonderful. And Hart has my heart.

Excellent audiobook with dual narrators. Very well done.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to listen to this advance copy.

The first chapter is very cozy and fun for me. I liked the banter between Hart and Mercy and their general interactions with each other. However, the worldbuilding is a bit confusing for me and add a lot of side characters and names to that. I also just don't care about the things outside Hart and Mercy's banters, letters, and relationship.

Let me say this first: I am not the biggest fan of Romantasy as a genre. Just not really my thing. But this one interested me and I had a few friends give it a good review so I decided I would try it.

And, as it turns out, I have conflicting opinions about this book. I give it 3 andd a half stars. If you're more into Romantasy than me, you will probably enjoy this a lot more.

Lets start with the good stuff:
While reading this, you can really get a feel for how frustrated Mercy is with her situation and her family. Speaking of that family, I really like them. The brother felt a bit flat once his storyline is over but otherwise they are really entertaining.
The relationship is also quite cute once it gets going, I skipped the sex-scenes, because sex scenes in audio form make me cringe way to hard. What I did get of them seemed fine. Hart and Mercy fit together really well. One small thing I really liked is him asking for consent before he kisses her (She doesn't ask him before she kisses him but she telegraphes her movements well and you get the feeling he knows was coming and is ok with it). I also like that he throughly apologizes for his behaviour,
The world and magic system are quite interesting as wel...in theory.

Now what I didn't like:
Hart constantly thinks about (Mercy's) boobs. And I mean constantly. It's one of the first things we see him think about, Got a letter from your (maybe) female pen-pal? Let's imagine her (surely giant) boobs. It's really annoying and uncomfortable. Especially since he and Mercy really hate each other in the beginning.
Next point: While Hart apologizes for his behaviour (which I liked), somehow the book still makes it clear that Mercy is also at fault for their fights. Which is not the case, HE is the one who was incredibly rude even the first time he met her, she was always just reacting. It's not really a 50/50 situation. Oh and the fact that he was so rude to her in the first place because she was hot and he didn't like how that made him feel was just horrible.
The actual plot, other than the emerging relationship, git way to little attention in my opinion. While the setting and magic system were really interesting they were also totally underused. Which in the end, made the book feel way to long, because nothing really happens until right at the end.

Like I said, if you like Romantasy this will definetely be an enjoyable read for you but it wasn't really my thing.

Thank you so much to Hatchette Audio for the chance to listen and review this audiobook prior to its release on August 23rd.

I saw many say this was a "You've Got Mail" spin-off and that really excited me, plus the whole synopsis sounded so unique and fun!

I was turned off by the "romance" though as it tried to be enemies to lovers....while he's obsessing over her body like a pervert,.. I don't know, it just gave me the creeps and not in the way the author intended.

As far as the audio goes, the narrator was interest and easy to listen to.

I still think this will be a hit with a lot of people even though it wasn't for me.

3.5/5 Stars

CW/TW : Death, Violence, Gore, Lying

This book does use an outdated term that is now an ableist word, Invalid. I personally as a disabled reviewer thought this wasn’t needed especially without it seeming to be historically accurate to the world.

I received a free Ebook and Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review from the publishers through Netgalley. Thank you Hachette Audio, Orbit Books, and Netgalley.

I went into this book with very little expectations and was very pleased by the book. I had some problems with it which I will go into later but overall it was a cute fantasy romance with a plus sized main character and a unique magic system.

Hart is a marshal, he patrols the outside world of Tanria to protect the city from the strange and unusual magics of Tanria. It isn’t a safe or pretty job but it is one that has to be done by someone. Mercy has been the main reason Birdsall & Son Undertakers hasn’t closed its doors, even if it means she has to deal with assholes like Hart. When a mysterious letter shows up in a time of need, Mercy starts responding and finds a new friend in a stranger. Hart, who didn’t mean to send a letter, is surprised when he gets an anonymous response back and finally has someone who understands him. When the magical world of Tanria starts to get worse, how will Hart and Mercy manage to keep their growing anonymous friendship or more growing while protecting others?

This was my second audiobook and I didn’t end up listening to most of it but I did learn I do not like male narrators especially when they have to voice female character’s lines. I couldn’t get past that part for every chapter in Hart’s perspective but I did enjoy the female narrator a lot and enjoyed her chapters.

My problems with this book were two major things. I realized 70% into the book, I had almost zero idea what the world was like, it seemed both slightly modern and historical but I had no full idea of what they had and did have. My other problem was while there was some plot, most of the book felt like just vibes no plot which did work for the story I just wasn’t expecting that with it being fantasy. I did also wish the magic system was a bit more fleshed out, it felt like things were just expected to be understood and it felt like it could have had a bit more.

I adored the dynamic between Hart and Mercy, it was one of my favorite dynamics I’ve read recently, while the progression didn’t fully feel realistic, it also didn’t bother me how they went from hating each other to romantic partners. I also adored the family dynamics Mercy had with her siblings and father, that felt very realistic and was super enjoyable to read about.

I highly recommend this book for those who are looking for a fun time with a little bit of magic, death, and romance.

I absolutely loved this! This is like You've Got Mail meets The Walking Dead meets Percy Jackson. It sounds insane, but it somehow works. The world was super interesting and very unique, unlike anything I've seen before. I loved that it had sort of a western feel, too. The chemistry between Mercy and Hart was very evident and real, and I loved seeing their relationship develop. It also touched on death and life in a thoughtful, poignant way that made me tear up several times. I would definitely recommend this to someone. Loved it!

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was a fun, lighthearted RomCom set in a world that has death gods, talking animal messengers, and roaming zombies. Both Hart and Mercy’s characters were well written and multidimensional. I found myself rooting for both of them throughout the story. I loved how much of a role good old fashioned letters play in the plot, and that both characters had unconventional occupations.

I listened to this book via audiobook. The narration was very well done. It features dual narrators, one male and one female. Their voices and inflections fit the characters perfectly, and helped to really bring them to life in my mind.

My only wish is that the world building was more frontloaded. It took me a while to really understand the structure of their world and their role in it, which made me feel disconnected to the story in the beginning.

Overall, a super fun light read! Just what I needed in between deep dark fantasy epics.

This was... underwhelming.

I requested it because I love fantasy, romance, grump/sunshine, epistolary romance, enemies-to-lovers, and You've Got Mail. So it really *should* have ticked ALL the boxes for me.

Instead I found myself feeling lukewarm about the characters at best and the story just didn't hold my interest. Also the whole dealing with zombies and dead bodies (with associated fluids and scrabbling through intestines for appendixes) thing was ... gross.

The first stumbling block for me was worldbuilding. A quarter of the way through the book I know very little about the world it takes place in. A few terms tossed in but never explained, a vague hand-wavey 'super complicated portals thing that no one understands except that one guy who invented them', references to old gods and new gods and demigods, and a brief 'lesson recitation' for background on the zombies themselves. (I forget the in-book term for them, which tells you a lot about how invested I am.)

I don't understand *why* everyone thinks Hart is such a jerk. I don't understand the beef he and Mercy have with each other. I don't understand... basically anything.

Also, the physical descriptions and fantasies Mercy and Hart (unknowingly) have about one another are far too graphic and lewd for my taste. And I'm still at the 'we can't stand each other' stage before they get physical. (disclaimer: I'm ace and very much don't like extended on-page sex. Yes, there technically hasn't been any yet but it's clear that there *will be* and based on the vibes I'm getting so far it will not be my cup of tea AT ALL.)

The story is also ... very much a You've Got Mail retelling with zombies. I knew there were similarities and that it was perhaps inspired by the movie but parts of it are way too close to the original for it to feel fresh or new or anything but heavily inspired (only grosser because that's apparently what the original needed?).

There *are* some things that the story does well. The day-to-day lives of Hart and Mercy and their relationships to their families / friends / coworkers are really well done. Hart's apprentice he's forced to take on is endearing and I like that he brings out the softer side of Hart. The animal couriers are amusing. Parts of it are really funny.

But. That's not enough to make up for the parts I found dull, boring, confusing, or distasteful. I feel like this will miss the mark for many fantasy and romance readers. For romance readers, the world is too confusing. For fantasy readers, there aren't enough details about the world and it's too romance-heavy.

The narration was all right. Nothing stood out, and a few of the voices used for the characters felt off to me. It certainly wasn't terrible, however, and if I'd liked the book more I would have found it to be perfectly fine. I'd definitely try a different book read by the same narrators.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Hachette Audio for providing an e-arc and audio arc for review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!!

This was so amazing!! I’m so happy I have physical copies of this also!! A book that’s simultaneously fun and emotional- and really makes you connect to the characters. They’re so human (even if one is actually Demi-god!).