I loved the Undermining of Hart and Mercy, so I already knew that I’d love this world, but from the moment I met Twyla, I knew this would be even better for me.

Twyla and Frank are partners in the Tanrian Marshals. They’ve raised their families, lost and divorced spouses, and have turned a friendship into a work partnership. Their banter is so silly and light hearted and full of understanding, that it was clear from the jump that these two have such a special bond. They’re out on assignment when one day they find the body of their colleague covered in a strange pink glitter goo.

Frank, Twyla, and their colleague’s old partner (and Zeddy Birdsal’s boyfriend) Pen Duckers then make the discovery of a century: an animal they’d thought long desceased, which immediately imprints onto Frank.

Through it all, Twyla wrestles with her experience of feeling like a “chair,” to her loved ones: useful when they need her but not really seen as having needs herself. She harbors a lot of resentment about the way her marriage devolved, and how her grown sons parent; and she’s been incredibly guarded against ever feeling like she’s *just* useful ever again.

I found Twyla to be so endearing at every turn— her friendship and goals of starting a farm with Frank, her good natured ribbing of Duckers, her navigation of her relationship with her adult daughter, her exploration of dating a not-quite-right guy and her frustration with that guy’s insistence on being too affectionate while she’s working, and her realization that she actually can allow herself to want what she herself wants. She’s sublimated her own needs for decades and it’s lovely watching her shed those layers.

On top of it, Tanria and its inhabitants are just the most endearing. Even the villain and its motive is aggressively cute.

I highly recommend this book for fans of T. Kingfisher’s Paladin series and Swordheart; for folks who like an aged up romance, for anyone needing a light hearted found family vibe with a side of twee. Honestly I think Swordheart by T. Kingfisher is the best comp I’ve read.

I was delighted to get to read this one, so an enormous thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an advance copy. Can’t wait to buy a hard copy for my shelves and revisit these charming characters.

DNF at 50%

I was pretty disappointed with this one. I thought the idea of a middle-age romance in this world sounded great, but then disliked how age was so centered in such a dull way. I liked Duckers in the previous book, but he was so annoying here. There was too much of him, he's best in small doses. I also just kind of didn't get what the story was about and I simply ran out of patience, especially since the romance was way too slow. I may return to this later, but for now, I have to move on. Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I really enjoyed going back into this world and totally fell in love with Frank and Twyla! Also, what's better than baby dragons?!?!?

Thank you so much NetGalley and Orbit books for the chance to read this eARC.

This was a heartwarming and cozy read following Twyla and Frank on their quest to solving the new mysteries of Tanria while their friendship is tested to new limits.

I was so excited to dive back into this world and get a glimpse of the characters I loved in the Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. If you love a friends to lovers, family banter, mystical adventure, and hedgehogs with squeaky boots then this one might be for you.

Thank you Orbit books and NetGalley for the arc!

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Undermining of Twyla and Frank on July 2, 2024.

Megan Bannen never misses. This was an absolutely delightful standalone companion to The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, with the same imaginative world, dynamic characters, and sizzling romance. I loved the older romance rep -- two protagonists over 50? Yes, please. Real-life struggles moms and dads could relate to? Sign me up. Friends to lovers has been hitting more for me recently, and I think Bannen executed it phenomenally.

That being said -- I wish the big romantic moment when they turned from friends to lovers had happened WAY sooner in the book. It felt like we got so little time for Frank and Twyla to actually BE together romantically. The few moments we did have? Exquisite. Was the lead up great? Absolutely. But it could've been trimmed down or sped up a tiny bit.

All in all, a fantastic second entry in this universe. Who will the next book be about, I wonder?!

My actual rating is 3.5 This was a bit of a difficult book for me to rate. The title may say “Twyla and Frank” but this is first and foremost Twyla’s book. And it was a bit harder for me to connect with Twyla than it was with either Mercy or Hart. I cannot emphasize enough how much I think this book needed Frank’s POV. I fell in love with both Mercy AND Hart after getting to know them in their own POVs. Despite Twyla’s alleged longtime friendship with and deep understanding of Frank, he feels held at arm’s length by the narrative. I really really would’ve liked to get to know him better, and then maybe there would’ve been less repition to Twyla’s viewpoint as well.
That all being said, there were things I enjoyed about this book. I will never say no to dragons, even weird glittery ones (even if its mentioned how much they poop FAR too often). I enjoyed getting to spend some more time in Tanria. And I of course really enjoyed getting to spend more time with Duckers, who was honestly the real star of this book.
I will definitely be keeping up with future books in this series, but I am fervently hoping that they will go back to being dual POV.

Rating: 3.5 / 1 spice

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank takes place a year after the Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and follows Twyla and Frank. It is a best friends to lovers, slow burn, cozy fantasy. One of my favorite parts of this was Megan's ability to make the reader understand Twyla and Frank even if there was a huge age gap between the reader and the characters themselves.

This was my first foray into reading a love story about characters in their 50's and I think this definitely gave me a new perspective into what its like to be a mother and the pressures of society. Megan does a fantastic job of conveying the expectations of a women even once their children have grown and how at the end of the day we're all just still trying to figure life out.

Twyla and Frank had the most adorable relationship! I was obsessed with this nickname of Darlin' and watching their relationship bloom was so sweet. Also, I could not get over the dragons in this book!!! Like Mary Georgina kept me coming back to be honest.

If you love:
- Friends to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Dragons
- Cozy Fantasy
- Self Growth
- Women's Fiction

✨How could a book with pink sparkly dragons that spit glitter be this long and ~frankly~ boring???✨

*minor spoilers below (nothing major or in detail)*

I love pink and I love sparkles and I love that the dragons gave me Jurassic Park vibes but MAN I didn’t love the love triangle and slooooowest friends to lovers burn ever.

Plus if you’re going to market this as When Harry and Sally—which it really wasn’t—you’ve GOT to have the secondary relationship. Here, she broke UP a secondary relationship instead and then added a love triangle???? Excuse me??? I rely on the secondary relationship to fuel me during WHMS books since the payoff takes so long. The You’ve Got Mail influence of book one was so strong and delightful, but this one fell pretty flat.

The world was still enjoyable and duh DRAGONS, but that only went so far. Literally, there were not enough dragons and the end was rushed with the whole villain thing and I was just frustrated all around. Like talk about a disappointing villain reveal…and WHAT KIND OF MOTIVE WAS THAT??? The whole crime plot line just felt entirely half baked. Like the bombs were so random??? Fireworks??? The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy literally wrecked my soul, only for this one to be almost farcical at the end??? Like it wasn’t the endearing kind of screwball at the end. It was the “what do you MEAN I just read 500 pages for that reveal???” kind. Like ditch the crime plot altogether and give me more dragons!!!

I do also enjoy Bannen’s writing, but man there was a lot of repetition and some scenes were just way too long. Whereas those two did NOT bang long enough. As a Minnesotan, end I think Twyla said “ope!” just too much. The frequency may work in actual real life, but when you’re reading, it’s just soooo noticeable that she’s always saying it.

I think I wanted Frank to give me a bit more personality? This is definitely a Twyla book. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was dual POV I believe, but this one was just single and I did feel like I was needing more from Frank to keep me invested in the romance. It was obvious how he felt from the beginning, so there was nothing let to surprise me or excite me really. I was highly anticipating their love scene and while I understand why Twyla needed to take…I really wanted to see Frank GIVE. I mean we kinda did, but I wanted his penis to send her into orbit. Like the reward for waiting 80% of a nearly 500 page book was just not big enough.

But on the topic of Twyla taking, I did really enjoy her POV, as both her and Frank were 50+ years old and had children and past marriages. It definitely a book less about dragons and more about being a wife and a mother and how she gave SO MUCH of herself with little return until she’s finally had enough. Great message, but I do agree with some other reviewers that it was a bit heavy handed and repetitive. I do love the double meaning behind “undermining” in the title though, like that’s so clever. I also loved her mom shaming one of the henchmen at the end; the “what would your mom think if she could see you right now?” of it all.

Overall, I’m just very disappointed. The book tried to go in several directions and never had me fully with any of them. It was fun and readable, but maybe my expectations were just too high. There wasn’t a not about a third book, but I do hope we get one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️.75/5


I received an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

This was an awesome adventure/romance story featuring older main characters! SO NICE reading about actual adults and not 16-year-olds trying to save the world haha. I loved falling in love with Twyla and Frank. The book started a little slow, and then BAM punched you in the face with action, plot twists and relationship developments. I do wish it had been a bit more fast-paced, it felt hard to get into, but once I got there, I had a great time! Stick with it, the characters were fun to follow and I definitely laughed out loud at some parts, yay to Duckers for his irreverence and perfect comic relief!

I fell in love with this book, the main character is very relatable to be as an older woman. I loved the whole setting and the dragons! Mary Georgina is my favorite.

I am soo glad I was able to snag this ARC from Net Galley. This was such a cozy quick read that I know Twyla will resonate with so many readers. It was fun trip back to Tanria. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to visit again with a certain sidekick...Give me more DUCKERS!

A Fantastical tale of magic, romance, and being a parent. it's crazy trying to date as an older woman with fully grown children. it's even crazier trying to date when you are pretending your not in love with your best friend, all the while traveling into a land where natural laws are nonexistent, and nothing makes sense. now she has to figure out her feelings, all the while helping her best friend, and her new... boyfriend? get along... oh, and did i mention the dragon? a poor, tiny, orphaned dragon... that's not supposed to exist.

This book was a little slow for me to start with, but it's really worth the read, especially if your craving older protagonists. this is definitely fantasy with a fantastical twist. there's terrible jokes, pink dragons that spit glitter, a mystery to solve, and of course, matters of the heart are always a challenging thing to handle, especially when you haven't been on a date in like twenty years. it made me laugh, it made me cringe, it made me want to take the main characters, slam their heads together and tell them to JUST KISS ALREADY! all in all, fantastic time.

Much like The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, The Undermining of Twyla and Frank gets a 10/10 as far as humor goes! Bannen truly knows how to make me laugh (and cry). I never thought I’d relate to a 53-year-old mother of 3 but here we are!! Twyla spending her life doing for others while ignoring her own needs is truly me I fear and I loved seeing her grow and finally take as much as she gave. It’s never too late to change how you live your life ‘cause even at my age, I sometimes feel like I’m in a rut so Twyla’s character was incredibly validating.

LOVED the Hart and Mercy crumbs 😩. AND THEIR WEDDING WAS SO CUTE OMG. Plus we got so much from Duckers (my fave) and his humor would have tears streaming down my face I love him so bad.

While I did enjoy this a great deal, it was missing that unnamable UMPH that would’ve made it a 5 star read. I also would’ve loved it more if we got Frank’s pov sometimes 😪. It didn’t give me that same feeling as when I read Hart and Mercy but this was still a cute, comfy read nonetheless.

I hope Megan plans to continue this series with another book or two because I’m very interested in Rosie’s character!! This world is so unique and I’m not ready to leave it yet.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for a review!

This is such a cute, low-stakes fantasy series to follow. I mean, Frank becomes a foster dragon daddy, need I say more??

Twyla and Frank were so funny in the first book so I love diving into their story in this one. I was skeptical at first about reading an older middle aged couple and not necessarily relating, but my gosh I loved it. Their banter, vulnerability, and friendship are everything.

Their story is about finding your second chance in love and life. It's also a heart warming friends to lovers. Overall this story is funny, heartwarming, and a good time!

4 stars!

This book was so cute and fun, I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, and we get to return to the incredible fantasy world of Eternity and Tanria in this sequel. I absolutely love the world building in this series; its such a fun but modern take on a fantasy world with a rich theological system and fun modern inventions like toasters and automobiles that can also drive on water. I loved reading this friends-to-lovers story about two middle-aged characters who have been best friends and colleagues for years. It was really heartwarming to read about these two characters and their growth together, all while discovering and bonding with dragons. The story explores Twyla's maternal instincts, how these are only one of her many strengths, and how people often underestimate her or have certain expectations for her based on them. For Frank, we get to see his fear over being a bad father due to his marriage failing, and its really rewarding when he bonds with and raises a baby dragon. The dragons in this story were SO cute and original (a mix of reptiles and pet mammal) and I want to befriend and pet one really badly. Overall, this was a very heartwarming and fun read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've been counting the days so I could read Frank and Twyla's story from the moment I ended The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. I loved this world and it's characters, so when I was given the opportunity by Netgalley and Orbit books to have an ARC I was over the moon (and it took me a while to get my feet back on Earth)!
This story introduce us to two characters who are in their fifties, and are living their daily life as best they can. They are parents, and grandparents, have full time jobs (as Tamria marshals) and have each other as best friends! Their relationship is easy, lovable and priceless.
In this book we have the story told in Twyla's perspective only (and in my opinion I believe Frank's POV would add so much.. I wanted to read his thoughs also. To know what the grumpy guy was thinking would have been priceless)!
In this book we can see how sometimes being a mom, a grandmother and wife translated for Twyla as being on the shelf an secondary. Through the book she was reminded that she was not also those things but she rediscovered herself. She found out what it was not only to live for other people but also for herself.
It was a slow burn but when they ignite it all burns!
In between our romance we have some very cute Dragons!
I missed a little bit of the dark humor we saw in Hart's and Mercy's story, but it doesn't changes the fact that it's a pretty good book.
I hope this world continues to grow!

being a fan of the other book by this author, I was so excited to get the chance to read this! it was such a fun and immersive read and I enjoyed the characters so much

I guess I should start off with saying I won’t hype it up to much considering it doesn’t come out til July but…add to your tbr asap! I haven’t read The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (they can be read as standalone) but it’s definitely been added to my list! It’s truly just that enjoyable!

Frank is my absolute favorite. Duckers was amazing as usual. I love love loved the Hart & Mercy parts.

Thank you to Orbitbooks and NetGalley for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons 😍

I absolutely adored The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, so I was thrilled to find out that we were getting a sequel featuring our Tanrian Marshall friends!

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank is such a fresh take on fantasy romance while still maintaining everything I loved about Hart + Mercy. It’s whimsy, charming, witty, and so heartwarming.

This second chance romance for a couple of coworkers and best friends in their fifties was executed so well. The banter between them is chef’s kiss! Frank + Twyla also have real life problems, children, grandchildren, and responsibilities to worry about, all while trying to navigate their own feelings.

Oh yeah, did I mention there are dragons?!

Megan Bannen has once again given me a perfect form of escapism with lots of laughs! I highly recommend this book and series to anyone looking for a fun, cozy romantasy!