Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books for this advanced readers copy. I absolutely LOVED The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy so when I was able to get my hands on a copy of the sequel I was ecstatic! This was an absolutely adorable story of friends become lovers WITH DRAGONS!!! Twyla and Frank are neighbors who then start working together, patrolling the strange land of Tanria. There over the course of 8 years, they become the best of friends. When a baby dragon imprints on Frank, their usually calm job, becomes a little more exciting. And when another man comes into the picture asking Twyla out, will Frank and Twyla finally realize they are more than just best friends, but really soul mates and meant to be? I love this world and the characters Megan Bannen has created within it.

I didn't like this one and I think that it was the older age romance. I don't understand this world either. I just had a really hard time with it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Brief synopsis: In the town of Eternity, a widowed Twyla and divorced Frank have been long time friends and coworkers. The two work as Marshals patrolling the land of Tanria, home to a former prison of the Old Gods. What seems to be a tedious job turns into high stakes when they discover a glittery mess and a baby dragon with an attachment to Frank. Amidst it all they also deal with their own family drama, a scientist in town with the hots for Twyla and of course the two friends denying their long-term friendship may actually be more.

Thoughts: marketed as a twist on When Harry Met Sally but with dragons. The similarities are there but it is also uniquely different. Frank and Twyla are both in their fifties with adult children. Twyla is even a grandma. Honestly, I wish I could read more about older couples than the constant stream of 19-year-old mortals who fall into magical realms. I loved these two so much! The villain in the story along with the purpose was strange and did give me Zootopia vibes. Aside from that I enjoyed it.

I will say if you are looking to read something more high fantasy with serious plot, you won’t find it here.

BUT! If you want something lighthearted, quirky, with lots of comedy this one is for you! Like the Undermining of Hart and Mercy, it is different from your typical romantasy. Perhaps Romantasy Comedy would best describe it?

Overall, a cute comedic story with all characters having a wonderful time and simply meshing well together.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was one of my 2022 favorites, so I have been eagerly awaiting this sequel! Finding out that it was another rom-com with a fantasy setting, this time with protagonists in their fifties was such a delight. This book was cozy, romantic, and also really delivered on the fantasy plot lines. Bannen's take on dragons is my new favorite and I would happily return to this world over and over again. I'll just be here with my fingers crossed hoping that a certain somewhere gets his own book!

Fantasy rom com friends to lovers single point of view with some action and spice. This is open door but the spice is not predominant and sweet rather than raunchy. I enjoyed the world building and watching the main leads' relationship change and progress. I would have loved more of Frank's point of view and some bits dragged a bit for me. Overall, a fun read and I hope there are more books in this series (this is the second book - you should read the first one if you haven't).

No one is more disappointed than me. Why was I listening to a 50+ year old mother and grandmother have the same issues as a YA or NA FMC?!?! Twyla was in her head A LOT. Frank's POV would have helped. Unfortunately the book was very minimal on the dragons.

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the ARC.

First let me say that I really loved having a couple of middle-aged main characters. It was such a unique reading experience compared to what we usually see. If you read The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and enjoyed the fantasy world, Duckers, and the mystery-solving aspects, the good news is that all of those things are present and just as lovely in this installment. And there are cute, sparkly, pink dragons!

While the writing was captivating and the world is fun, I just really found the romance aspect lacking. H&M was dual POV so that was what I was expecting, and this was not...and Twyla's POV was painful at times. She holds a lot of resentment surrounding marriage and motherhood, which is entirely valid, but as a wife and mother myself I got a little tired of reading about it. Maybe it's just me!

Overall, it was enjoyable and I will definitely read more books in this world in the future, but this one was not my favorite. There are plenty of things to love about it, but the romance and FMC missed the mark for me.

An absolutely stunning book. I am just so in awe of the writing, SECOND CHANCE!! my favourite trope this was absolutely written for me,

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I tried to continue with this book at least four times, and could never get past the first few chapters. Which was a shame, as I really enjoyed the first novel written in the same universe, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

Lots of slow story and difficulty connecting back to this world.

4.5

Gosh, I loved this one. The relationship between Twyla and Frank was so sweet. I like how they supported each other through the years.

The case they deal with as Tarian Marshalls is fun and exciting. And it involves dragons!

I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from previous books back, especially Duckers. Seeing him progress as a marshall himself, and his reactions/responses were very funny.

This book was cozy and fun and felt like a warm hug. Very very enjoyable.

Thx Orbit Books for an early copy.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was one of my favorite reads of last year so I was so excited to see there was going to be another book in that world! I was so excited to pick it up and wow what an absolutely let down it was in the end.

I mostly picked this up because I wanted the romance as that was what I had loved about Hart and Mercy. However, the ball was totally dropped on the romance for me in this one. Friends to lovers is hard and the hardest part is answering the question of "why now" in regards to the relationship shifting from platonic to romantic and funnily enough I actually think that's the one part of the romance that Bannen did well. The why now of Twyla and Frank was clear and I think made total sense. However, it was the rest of their romance that fell short. I really felt a lack of romantic or sexual tension between them the whole time. In addition the first half of this book focused on Twyla dating a different character (whom she was not dating prior to the start of the book) and while I can definitely appreciate the purpose that served in Twyla's personal journey in this book, it just totally lost my interest in reading because I knew it was only going to be fleeting as the title itself tell the reader who the actual love interest is going to be. If a book is going to introduce a fake love interest (I wouldn't go as far as to call this one a love triangle) it's not going to work for me if I know that fake interest isn't potentially end game because I won't care. I do really wish we had gotten Frank's POV during this book because I think this could have improved some of this by just reading his thoughts about how he felt about Twyla just in general but also definitely during this first half when presumably he was feeling jealous.

One thing I did like in the book was the dragons. I thought they were a fun little world addition. And I did like the personal journey that Twyla went on during this book as well.

I LOVED The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. I also love that this is a stand aloneish book where it doesn't follow the same characters.

I enjoyed this book, there is definately more world building and explaining of the gods/world since it had to drastically change due to how book one ended.

However, where book one was a little more crass and heartfelt, this one is sweet and silly. I would file this under a cozy fantasy read.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit books for allowing me to.read this in advance for my honest review.

I loved the first book and I love this book. It was so great to be back and reading about characters we met in the first book. I enjoyed that Frank and Twyla are older and have so much history. I'll need to add this one to my shelf as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.


(I won’t spoil the book’s ending but I will spoil other major developments so reader beware.)


Like Hart and Mercy, this book is probably more of a 3.5. I gave Hart and Mercy a 3.5 because I thought the world-building could’ve used a lot of work, but couldn’t stop thinking about how cute the love story part was so I rounded up. For this book, the world-building was slightly better but I wasn’t as enthralled with this love story as much as the previous one. But part of that is due to personal reasons, which are unfair to the author, so I rounded up again.

Let’s get the messy part out of the way.

What I didn’t like:
The whodunnit reveal. Without giving away spoilers, it’s quite possibly the dumbest whodunnit the author could’ve picked. It honestly just did not work for me. Which is too bad because there was one other character it absolutely could have been—it would’ve been the obvious solution, which some might’ve criticized for being too obvious or tropey—but it would have made WAY more sense than the actual bad guy.

What I am on the fence about:
Basically all of Twyla’s inner thoughts about being a chair (being there to support others but never getting support herself) and having to be the one who takes care of everything and thinking that she’s not allowed to want anything for herself, especially as an older lady. That hit a little too close to home lol so it’s hard to be objective about that but props for being realistic, I guess!

What I liked:
1. I was on the fence about this originally, but I think it was ultimately a good writing choice—having the whole book be from Twyla’s pov. If we’d gotten Frank’s pov, I think it would’ve spoiled a lot of the “will they or won’t they” tension the book provided with just the one pov.

2. Hart and Mercy get married!!! I’m a little miffed we didn’t get to see the proposal but the wedding was so cute.

3. The more realistic development of Zeddie and Duckers’ relationship. Despite the fact that the book ends with them broken up, I am crossing my fingers that the book the author is currently writing is book 3 in this series and features a second chance romance between the two.

3.5 We got more Duckers in general in this book, which is always a good thing.

4. The epilogue was great. A satisfying conclusion to the whole dragon part of the plot. I liked how the dragons were portrayed in the book too. It was a different kind of twist to the usual.

**

Side note: I asked the author on Instagram who she pictured as the characters. She didn’t have anybody specifically fancasted but said a friend of hers thought Jeffrey Dean Morgan would make a good Frank, but personally I pictured Dermot Mulroney. Make of that what you will lol.

This book was delightful. I loved the introduction of a new breed of "monsters" that we didn't see in the previous book. Frank and Twyla are so adorable and I couldn't wait to read more about the progression of their relationship. The supporting characters also liven the series up!

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit books for allowing me to read a copy of this book early in return for a honest review.

I loved the first book in this series, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, so when I found out that there was going to be a sequel, I was elated. Then, when I found out that I might have a chance to read an advanced copy of it, I was ecstatic. When I got approved to read it, I ran out of words to describe the feelings that I was experiencing around this book. Now, you might be worried with all this hype that I've built up in my brain around this book that I might have ruined it for myself. But I did not. This book blew every expectation that I had for it out of the water in the best way popular. To put it simply, I love this book so stinkin' much.

This book follows two characters who were introduced in the first book in the series. Twyla and Frank are Tanrain Marshals. They've been partners for 8 years, and neighbours even longer. Both of them are getting ready for retirement and are starting to make plans to open a small Bed and Breakfast and Ranch. Everything has been quiet since Hart and Mercy rid the town and Tanrain of the undead. Being a marshal has been pretty boring, only getting to bust the occasional smuggler. This all changes when they find one of their fellow marshals murdered, get saddled with his partner Duckers, and have to solve a mystery.

The thing that I loved most about this book was that both of the main characters were middle-aged. It brought so much more to them, and Bannen did a wonderful job at giving them such great chemistry to really make you feel that they've known each other for a decade. The slow burn romance was perfect. There was a great mix of jealousy in there too. I loved the focus on female pleasure, and how we shouldn't be embarrassed about it. Bannen also does a wonderful job discussing the challenges of marriage throughout the book. Twyla is widowed, and Frank is divorced, so home life does take centre stage quite often.

The end reveal of the villain was wonderfully executed. There were enough hits to get you there without making it too obvious. It was also hilarious.

I loved everything about this book. I cannot wait to buy it on release day!

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank was one of the books I was really looking forward to reading after finishing the first book in the series and unfortunately I was left quite disappointed.

While this could be read as a standalone it is part of a series, so I would recommend just reading the first book for better context and backstory.

It’s in the heroine, Twyla Banneker’s, POV only which was a bit unfortunate because having the hero, Frank Ellis, POV could have definitely helped the story more in my opinion.

There were some great tropes though like friends to lovers, mature characters in their 50s, close proximity and a workplace romance.

Overall, I was quite underwhelmed with the story, characters and romance. The story seemed to have focused more on Twyla’s struggles and journey with learning to come into her own instead of the investigation/mystery of the dragons. So this definitely felt more like a women’s fiction with some fantasy elements sprinkled throughout.

This was also marketed to have the vibes and elements of When Harry Met Sally, which I can say that it is not. There’s really nothing that even relates to it.

The fantasy elements were enjoyable though. There were dragons, a murder mystery and some funny and charming side characters.

I will say that Twyla’s journey and rediscovery of her wants throughout the story was well written. I liked the discussions regarding motherhood and marriage as well.

The romance unfortunately was the biggest letdown for me though. There just wasn’t enough romantic development, communication or moments between them to feel the shift from friends to lovers. I honestly just didn’t feel their connection or love while reading, which was quite disheartening.

Another issue for me was that Twyla dates and sleeps with someone else and is with that person for a big chunk of the story. So Twyla and Frank’s relationship was very much a slow-burn one.

The last few chapters were definitely my favorite. There were some amusing, entertaining and heartwarming moments.

Overall, I think I was just expecting something different from the story but it was still a decent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

To be completely honest here... I LOVED The Undertaking of Heart and Mercy. One of my favorite books I have ever read and was expecting the same from this one...

But the characters are in their 50s with grown kids of their own and grandchildren. I cannot relate to this book in any way like I did with the first one. I am not ok with reading a romance about my parents ages.

This one, unfortunately was just not for me.

The voice is solidly fine, and it feels like book one. I did stop after chapter 1 (4%) but fans of book one will definitely be pleased and I’d see it being a solid 4 to 5 stars for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC.

I really enjoyed going back into the world of Tanria and going more into how the friendship of Twyla and Frank started and how they would eventually realising their feelings. I can’t wait to see what the authors next Tanria story will be