Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Undermining of Twyla and Frank.

Megan Bannen does it again! This was absolutely adorable. I think I liked Hart and Mercy just a little bit more but I rated them both 4 stars.

There was a lot to love about this story. It's the definition of cozy fantasy. I liked that the relationship wasn't the normal protagonists of a fantasy romance. I loved the dragons because it was something I've never seen before. Tanria was just as cool in this book. And I loved the little look back into Hart and Mercy's relationship.

I had two complaints. One was with Zeddie and Duckers. I felt like that whole plot line was sad and I'm not sure why they couldn't just have a happy story. I was hoping that maybe it would set them up for their own book but I didn't see anything else in the works. Fingers crossed that this is just a lead up to their happy ending in a next book! The other was the world building. I don't 100% think the whole new gods/old gods thing was explored enough. I know that it's more of a cozy story with fantasy elements but it just felt like you could skip those paragraphs and it wouldn't effect the story at all.

But overall, I was kicking my feet just about every chapter and I was cheering for Frank and Twyla the whole time. If you like a SLOW burn romance, read The Undermining of Twyla and Frank!!!

Well…let me start by saying I enjoyed the first book in this series and I was super excited about this one.

It does have some cute parts and I do like older characters that have a chance of love BUT…it felt super immature at times and if I had to read the word “ope” one more time I think I would have lost it!!!

Twyla is only 53! That’s not too old. I wish she could have been more confident and had less crying. She’s a marshal, she hunts down the bad guys, she can handle a weapon so let’s act like it! I just didn’t like the romance in this one. Frank and Twyla had so much more potential and I wanted it to be just MORE! Overall three stars for me.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

This series is just the cutest cozy fantasy. There are irreverent bits, dragons, middle age 2nd chances, what is not LOVE?
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Twyla and Frank are middle aged, one’s divorced, the other widowed. The two have been best friends for the past eight years, basically life partners without the romance. The two maneuvering their feelings throughout the book but it really starts to pick up when Twyla finds herself dating another man. - I loved everything about this. I love reading characters who are mature and have gone through so many stages of life. Twyla is so real, describing her life in ways I’m sure so many can relate to.

Twyla’s chair metaphor I STILL think about a week later. It was so empowering to have read as a woman, even if not necessarily in my relationship but in life there have been times where I felt what she felt.

The dragons are the real stars of this book. Mary Georgina made me want a dragon to imprint me as their mother and then to learn that they have dog like tendencies?! what’s not to love.

I liked the chapter with Hart and Mercy’s wedding, it was sweet, but the real cameo I was most excited for was Duckers. That man has me laughing with everything he does. I really hope the next book is his.

Also, for any of those who made it this far, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE VILLAIN?! I was NOT expecting that.

This is definitely becoming a comfort series for me.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4 i guess? | 😘=5 | 🤬=5 | ⚔️=3 | 😭=1 | 18+

summary: Twyla and Frank (longtime besties of 20+ years, coworkers of 8ish years) are marshals overseeing this magical wasteland place (kind of?? i honestly don't get it) and there’s a thing where they accidentally stumble upon dragons and there’s a posh dracologist and honestly the plot is so nothing and this is really a friends to lovers romance with well developed themes about motherhood and second chances.

thoughts: the contrast between tissue paper-thin plot and tender friends-to-lovers romance is frankly (ha!) bizarre here. there’s so many gorgeous character moments and lines of dialogue, and then there will be a super weird and not at all foreshadowed villain monologue with the lamest motivation on the planet interrupting a genuinely beautiful relationship. so weird. whiplash. the pace is ever-so-slightly slow at the beginning (due to plot nothingness), but I still finished this within 24 hours of starting it because I fell in love with the characters so much!! in my opinion, a well-executed friends to lovers is always infinitely more impressive than any iteration of enemies to lovers, and this friends to lovers is so!! good!!!! the 20+ year slow burn (so nice to see a central love story with protagonists older than, like, 35), the yearning, the themes (motherhood, marriage, the kind of love that everyone deserves but not everyone gets, second chances in every way). and Mary Georgina’s symbolic role in Frank’s character development is so special!!

again: biggest critique is the extremely thin plot, but depending on what you’re looking for that’s kind of okay because that’s not what this story is about. it’s about Frank and Twyla, Twyla and Frank. and it’s so good. so delightful. you might cry—like, in the best way. and also the plot makes no sense.

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank is a delightful book with lots of whimsy and magic, and just the right amount of adventure.

I loved The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, so this book high
Up on my anticipated reads list, and it didn’t disappoint. Cute dragons, Duckers, and finding love?! Sign me the heck up!

Read this book if you love
💕 Older MCs (early 50s) finding love
💕 dragons, but cute
💕 laugh-out-loud characters
💕 low-stakes family drama
💕 fun adventures

My review will be posted to Instagram in the two weeks leading up to publication, and to Amazon on publication day.

2.5⭐️

Ughhh I'm so sad with this one. Hart and Mercy had me in an absolute choke hold from the beginning. I had such big hopes for this one, but it fell so flat.

A second chance romance with dragons but it was still so boring 🥱.

I will continue to read from this author as from Hart and Mercy is one of my all time faves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for this advanced reader copy. My review voluntarily my own.

If you loved Hart and Mercy you will adore Frank and Twyla. This was everything I hoped it would be and more. It’s a rare thing to find romantasy with middle age people and I’m so glad the genre has this gem of a couple finding a second chance at love later in life. There’s also DRAGONS. Thank you Megan Bannen, Orbit and Netgalley for this opportunity to read one of my most anticipated. I love this unique world so much.

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank is a beautiful, cozy romantasy that will have readers kicking their feet with glee as beloved characters take them back to Tanria. The drudges that plagued society in the first book are gone, thanks to Hart and Mercy in that first book. Now, partners Twyla and Frank are helping the Tanrian Marshals stay relevant with patrols to find poachers and illegal miners in the magical realm (and some community outreach on the side). They stumble upon a dead marshal and evidence of dragons in Tanria and we're off on a delightful adventure as a baby dragon imprints on Frank after hatching. There are stakes here - the illegal mining is an overarching threat, but the dragon aspect of the story is fun and provides a lot of humorous scenes.

Twyla and Frank were secondary characters who appeared briefly in the first book and we get their full back story in this one. They're neighbors who became best friends when Twyla's husband died and Frank's wife left him. Frank recruited Twyla to the marshal service when she was worried about making ends meet without her husband. Their partnership is charming and you can't help but root for them as they stumble towards each other. The best part: they're in their fifties! As someone who is closer in age to Twyla and Frank than to the heroes in most fantasy stories, seeing two 50-somethings in action and falling in love was incredibly satisfying.

No worries about second book syndrome here. There's also a tiny set up for a third book at the end. I can't wait to see what's next.

The follow-up to The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy follows Twyla and Frank, Tanria marshals who have been friends and partners forever. This is a friends to lovers rom com with a fantasy twist (in this one, it's dragons!) that is inspired by When Harry Met Sally. Although it doesn't *really* follow the same plot, especially compared to You've Got Mail and The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

This one was...okay? The dragons were cool, and I love the route Bannen took with them. Throwing up glitter was a hilarious choice. But there was just so much that didn't work for me. Twyla complains a LOT about being "old" and "average" to the point that it was annoying. We get it--you're feeling some type of way about being in your 50s, but you have GOT to have more to your personality! The book was honestly less about the relationship between Frank and Twyla and more so about Twyla coming into her own as an individual person rather than being "just" a mom/wife/widow. It didn't feel like a rom com to me at all--it definitely felt like a book about a middle-aged woman coming into her own again after having children and being relegated to being seen only as a mother/motherly figure. Which is great if that's the story you want to tell! But that's not what this has been marketed as, nor was that what I was looking to read here.

There were large swatches of the book that seemed really repetitive and didn't add much to the story (I don't even want to talk about how many times we discussed dragon poop. It's....a lot), and I think if we eliminated those sections and added Frank's POV it would have been a much better rom com versus a book about individual growth. Frank is just kind of......there for most of the book, and it's almost like he and their romance is an after-thought. Bannen does a great job convincing us of Frank and Twyla's friendship, which is notoriously difficult to do well in friends to lovers relationships, but the transition to lovers just felt lack luster to me. I definitely think having Frank's POV would have helped there.

Maybe this just wasn't for me as I'm not a mother, nor am I in the same age bracket. But it unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. Except Duckers. He was the saving grace of this book (along with baby dragons).

☆This book was too cute, I love the friendship of Twyla and Frank. I love that you can read this as a stand-alone, but I'm definitely going to be picking up a copy of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy now. I feel like there were definitely some easter eggs from the first book that I didn't quite understand, so maybe reading Hart and Mercy's book will be fun, connecting those dots. I am obsessed with Frank, and I love the "realness" of their relationship. It felt so authentic and warm.

☆Also, love love loveeedddd, Duckers. He was so funny, and I feel like he had a great storyline along with theirs. I'd love to see if Megan Bannen creates a story with another set of characters. I personally would love to see a story about Duckers or Rosie Fox.

☆I love Twyla's growth throughout the story, as a person, a partner, and a mom. I felt like she really shined as that "mom" character, and I could see a lot of parents relating to her.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, as anybody in my life can tell you that I yap about Hart & Mercy any chance that I get. This book delivered on everything that I needed it too. I was so happy to be back in this world and to see more of the love of my life, Penrose Duckers. The only reason that this book is not a full 5 stars is that I struggled with Twyla at times. I definitely recommend picking this book up if you loved The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy like I did.

Also the plot twist at the end had me GAGGED I can’t lie

The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy is one of my favourite comfort reads to return to, so I jumped at the chance to receive an advance copy of The Undermining of Twyla & Frank!

This book is everything I hoped it would be - heartwarming, kitschy, and loveable (and dragons!!).
Is it a little silly? Yes. But that's what makes it fun and lighthearted, amidst some very real emotions. Megan Bannen writes like no one else. She's crafted a world that's upbeat and humorous, with characters that are enjoyable to read about, even when they make you cringe or want to shake them, mixed with angst, pining, and the all to realistic inability to express emotions at crucial moments.

These kind of books (cute, not too serious, romcom) are not my usual genre but I will never pass up one from this series. Megan never fails to crack an emotion or two out of me, which is a mark of success in my mind!

I was so excited to be selected for this ARC, but I won’t lie. I was so hesitant to start The Undermining of Twyla and Frank, because book one nearly did me in. I would call Bannen’s series cozy fantasy, but The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy destroyed me in all the best, not so cozy ways. I don’t know that I have ever cried that hard while reading. I was straight up heartbroken. Bannen came through with a HEA, but it was a journey to get there. So going into Twyla and Frank, I felt like I needed to suit up in armor. But, to my pleasant surprise, there was no need. I loved this story. I read book one seven months ago. I was able to slip right into Bannen’s world, with no problems. A few things I needed to stop and think about in her world, but I wasn’t spending pages and pages just lost. That didn’t happen.
I love that we got a middle age love story. All the accuracies of aging and finding a second love later in life while also in a fantasy world. So beautifully done. The banter, my gosh, the banter. So good. I was giggling like a schoolgirl.
I hope we get a book with Duckers, because he’s hilarious. I also liked his little story arc with Zeddie. An important growth point, we don’t always stay with our first love.
What can I say, this book hit every point of cozy fantasy. I loved it with my whole heart and can’t wait to recommend it to friends and anyone I come across while browsing the bookstore. I’m so hopeful for a book three!

I adored this book, and if you're in the mood for a cozy, quirky, low-stakes fantasy with romance, you'll adore it, too! I think it's especially perfect for fans of books like Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries or The Absinthe Underground.

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank is a heart hug in book form. Twyla and Frank are Tanrian Marshals tasked with patrolling the quirky and somewhat magical land of the Old Gods. While on patrol, they stumble across a group of poachers, and they end up accidentally uncovering the existence of a species of creature the world considered long extinct.

The overall vibe of the book is quirky, light fantasy. There are adventures and a mystery, but overall the plot feels very low-stakes, so it's not the kind of book that's going to keep you on the edge of your seat with twists and turns. The real appeal of this story is in the characters.

Twyla is a 53-year-old widow and mom of three who is navigating the complexities of changing relationships with her grown children, the changes in her body, and the prospect of dating in her stage of life. She has a deep and meaningful friendship with her work partner Frank, but their relationship begins to shift when Twyla meets someone who expresses a romantic interest in her.

Twyla is such a real character. I'm only 37, but I related to her so much more than I relate to new adult fantasy stories about women conquering the world at 19. I want more stories like this.

If you are looking for a light-hearted fantasy with a tender, friends-to-lovers romance, then The Undermining of Twyla and Frank is 100% for you. Thank you so much to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this book for my review.

“Best way to go. Act first. Think never. Always works for me.”

Excellent book! Twyla is awesome - a self-deprecating but also strangely badass mid-life mom who has spent her life taking care of others, but is now trying to figure out how to take care of herself. She may be one of my favorite characters ever!

I loved the relationship between Twyla and Frank from the very beginning and enjoyed seeing Duckers again. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was one of my favorite books last year so I was really looking forward to this one and I enjoyed it even more than the first!

It was great visiting this world again, catching up with the characters I loved from the earlier book, and getting a brand new adventure with lovable new characters.

This is a classic friends to lovers story set in a unique fantasy world with a Nikilim postal delivery hedgehog, adorable baby dragons, and a couple of fun mysteries.

Marshals Twyla and Frank are a little bit bored patrolling the-used-to-be-dangerous Tanria, until they find a corpse mysteriously covered in glitter. Could dragons long thought extinct be back in Tanria?

A sweet, cozy read with great banter, loads of humor, and quite a bit of weirdness. If you like T. Kingfisher’s White Rat books, you might like this one. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Bannen, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

4.75 stars

I loved this book so much! It was good to be back in this unique world again. The romance in this book was so good. I adored the fact that the love interests were both in their 50s. I know at least the FMC was. We don’t get enough over 40 romances. I hope there is going to be another book in this world because it felt like there were some loose ends. I can’t forget about the dragons!! Adorable baby dragons!

I highly recommend it!

It’s been a year since Tanria was cleared of the undead, and life as a marshal has gotten dull.
In their 50’s, you’d think partners Twyla and Frank would be relieved with the last few years before retirement much safer, but they miss the excitement that’s been replaced with community events.
That all changes with a mysterious death and a dragon sighting (especially surprising because they were largely thought to not exist)

These two have the slowest of burns as decades of friendship finally turns to more. There’s worry about ruining the friendship (of course), some jealousy, and top notch pining. The payoff for them is worth the wait. (And that epilogue was perfect!)

It was great to see characters from the first book again. Relationships that are thriving, ones suffering. I think there was a lot more to do with the gods this time around, or maybe it felt different in how they fit into their lives now that every day isn’t survival mode? Twyla struggling with patriarchy nonsense was frustrating relatable at times. Okay, all the time. And I don’t even have kids adding to it.

Seeing someone on the other side of my age having the big adventures - and saving the day in spectacular fashion - is beyond refreshing. Enough so that, as much as I liked the first book, you can almost double it for this one.

Plus, when you have dragons spouting glitter everywhere?
There’s no way I wasn’t going to be entertained!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC!

The Undertaking of Heart and Mercy is one of my favorite books. I've read it several times and my expectations were through the roof because of how much I loved the first book.

This book is a very different vibe than Undertaking. The subject matter is a lot heavier and there isn't as much humor or charm. This book will appeal to a very different audience than Undertaking and will open up the world to a group of people who maybe wouldn't be interested in a silly sexy rom com.

As someone who absolutely LOVED (and was DESTROYED) by The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy I was so excited to be able to read an ARC of this book. We meet Twyla and Frank in “Undertaking” and I was really interested in their story even with them only making a brief appearance. Duckers is back, we get to see Hart and Mercy’s wedding, and see what the Marshalls are working on now that the drudge issue is nonexistent. While “Undertaking” is a story about enemies to lovers, “Undermining” is friends to lovers in all the right ways. Twyla and Frank are neighbors who became best friends and coworkers after Twyla’s husband died and Frank’s wife left him years earlier. Everyone always assumes they are a couple- which they are both quick to deny. When Twyla agrees to go on a date with an advising colleague, their friendship quickly becomes strained. I really loved watching them navigate their changing dynamic in a way we don’t often see because of their age. Bannen has such a great writing style that is filled equally with humor and heart that I have completely fallen in love with. I loved this book and was so happy to return to this unique world.