This starts a little slow, but it was so great to be back in this world! I love that the story opens a whole new part of the world to us, and there was a lot of smiles and joy in it, especially in the last half.

Oh my dragons. Don’t hold this against me for writing this late, I was in the hospital for awhile & gave birth to a tiny dragon earlier than expected. Megan Bannen sucked me in the first book, who knew I need a fantasy romantic comedy, with friends to lovers (which is really hard to write & entice readers) AND DRAGONS? This was very actioned packed & a beautiful setting. I can’t wait to see what else this author has to offer! Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, & everyone in between!

Ohmygod I loved this. The Undermining of Twyla and Frank (unsurprisingly) follows Twyla and Frank, two middle-aged neighbors turned best friends and their adventures patrolling the land of Tanria.

What it lacked emotional depth, it made up in fluffy vibes and adorable pink glitter spouting dragons. Twyla’s depiction as a mother and grandmother was much needed representation in the genre and something I didn’t realize I wanted more of. It was an enjoyable deviation from the ‘chosen one’ teenage heroine plotlines.

This book was so fun and I loved going back to Tanria. I hope Megan Bannen continues writing in this world. I will be first in line on release day!

This story was a little more chill than the first but the banter and silliness between the two MCs was a delight. It was nice to see Hart and Mercy again and the cozy fantasy vibes can’t be beat.

I loved Hart and Mercy so much, so I was THRILLED to see another book in the same universe! Megan Bannen doesn’t disappoint—I loved Twyla and Frank just like I knew I would after falling in love with Hart and Mercy in the first book.

With The Understanding of Hart and Mercy knocking it out of the park for me, I was so eager to dive into The Undermining of Twyla and Frank. I love that it was older characters that have gone through marriage and kids, I was just so interested to see how their story would play out. But it didn't quite pan out like I hoped it would, which made me so sad. I wanted to get to know Frank a little bit more and was wishing the whole time that we had his POV. And it felt like Twyla needed her own friend group and just other people she could turn to. She was going through a lot and it felt like it bordered on women's fiction, which would have been ok!

I found that I enjoyed the last half more than the first, the story was finally finding it's footing and I couldn't put it down. And we finally got the romance I was eager for.

I'm bummed it didn't quite work out for me like I hoped it would, but I'm excited for The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam.

This series is turning out to be a middle-of-the-road experience for me. There is a lot I like and a lot I don't. Something that I think Hart and Mercy did well was balance the romance with the plot. Here, the bones of a sweet romance are present, but you never get enough tension or angst to buy them as a couple. I felt like Twyla just decided to pick Frank because he was there. I did love that they were in their 50s and were just real people living a real life, albeit in a magical fantasy world with the cutest dragons and talking animals.

Thank you to Orbit Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was so cute, I loved that we got to see some characters from the first book and especially that we got to see Duckers a lot. I definitely felt for Twyla as she tried to maneuver through her wants and needs and let the people she loves know that she is a person who deserves to be thought of. The banter between Twyla and Frank was adorable you could really see the friendship they built through their interactions and how they fell in love. I did think that this book did start slower but it really picked up once we found out about the dragons, which were so cute. Overall I enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what's in store next. Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for our honest review.

A cute friends to lovers story with a cozy fantasy setting! The dragons were cute and the story was refreshingly unique.

A very cute story in the same world as The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. I really enjoyed this one as well and the addition of dragons was fun, I can't wait for the third book

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoyed The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. I think it is important to note, this book is similar vibes as far as supernatural and magic but definitely different plot and tropes. My favorite unexpected aspect was DRAGONS are prominent in this story and its honestly really fun. This is a romance with some steam on page but only a scene or two. The characters were older than I expected them to be, but despite the characters not being what I expected I still enjoyed their development and the overall vibe.

📢 Saying this louder for the people in the back: Not every book needs to have dragons. 📢

When this story started off by claiming dragons have been extinct in Tanria for thousands of years and then having the lead characters find said dragons in a matter of days, I almost closed the book entirely. All the post-Fourth Wing pandering to dragon tales has me rolling my eyes. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because it was actually quite charming!

Longtime friends and colleagues, Twyla and Frank, find themselves investigating a murder after their fellow marshal is killed, presumably by dragons. The dragons themselves, however, end up being more pets than killers, so what's really going on here? There's a loose mystery plot that comes together in a final crescendo at the end, but the story is more focused on Twyla and Frank themselves, reckoning with their mutual attraction and former marriages. It was refreshing to see an older couple with more life experience come together in a mature relationship—the challenges felt more substantial and less dramatic.

Did this book have some room for growth? Sure. Does Tanrian world building feel like it's still under construction? I'm wearing a hardhat while reading. But ultimately, the love story worked and I quite enjoyed it.

This was cuuuute! Once again, so creative and unique. But once again, I wish the world building was a bit stronger so I could picture everything better! Loved the dragons. Frank and Twyla were very sweet together, but given their ages/stages in life I wasn’t able to quite relate to them as much, and I liked the buildup of Hart and Mercy’s relationship better. This was a solid sequel! Will definitely come back for book 3!

3.5/5 stars

This was a book I was highly anticipating as the first book was just so good. But I feel like this one did what many sequels do in falling short.

I just wasn’t as into this one and it truly took me a while to finish. I will read more from the author as the writing style in book one was amazingly engaging and the plot of book one was good enough to make up for this read.

3 stars

Twyla and Frank return in the sequel from the first novel. I enjoyed this book and it is a fair bit different than the previous novel. You can read this as a stand alone if you like but there are returning characters.

I loved the dragon elements in it but I did find it a slower pace than the original. That being said this is still well worth the read!

Thanks to NetGalley and orbit books for this arc !

Not quite as good as book one, but I have a soft spot for that book so that could be why! I still really loved this one and I thought the characters were super endearing and they felt real! Def pick up for fall!

Hmm this wasn’t my favorite. I enjoyed the first book because the character were engaging and fun, however, with this one I was indifferent to the characters.

Twyla was so annoying and all she did was complain, if it was a little then that’s fine, but it just went on and on and it just took me out of story. She was also kind of awful? Maybe it’s just me but I really did not like her character.

Frank was way too good for Twyla, the man would literally do anything for her and it felt like she didn’t appreciate it enough.

The dragons were cute if not a little underwhelming but oh well.

Also, why was there a love triangle here? It made no sense.

Overall this was just not for me but I’m still going to continue with the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-Arc copy of The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen.

Thank you to Obrit, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f fantasy romance
-older MCs
-second chance at love
-friends to lovers
-cute dragons
-forced proximity
-single parent

I really enjoy the world Megan Bannen built in these stories. This was a softer story about finding love again after divorce or the death of your spouse. I especially adored Twyla as she found her independence and fought for what she wanted after the death of her not so great husband. Frank was such a softie, and we love a man who can't help but be kind to smoll dragons. A great audio read!

I’m always excited for a romance between “more mature” people, and I was rooting for Twyla to get her second chance at a happy ending. There were bumps along the way, but ultimately, I found myself enjoying the story.

Twyla is figuring out what she wants out of life after her husband dies and her children leave home. She has some of it worked out like her career, but she’s lacking romance. This is where we pick up the story.

Watching Twyla navigate all the changes to her family felt realistic. There was tension as she weighed her options and tried different paths while still trying to be a good mother. Some of the choices involved dating. There are parts of the romance that I really like, but I did get a little tired of the back and forth. I was happy with the romance in the end, but for me wasn’t the best part of the story.

My favorite part of the story is the creature that Frank finds. I love seeing how Twyla and Frank bond over caring for it, and the way they fight for it. This little creature stole my heart and this part of the story kept me engaged.

This book contains scattered strong language, innuendo, and explicit love scenes.

Duckers completely stole the show for me! I loved every scene he was in. He brought the funny and the joy while Twalya brought the reality and Frank was steadfast to the core.

I loved Hart and Mercy. Twalya and Frank didn’t give me the same emotional punch but the story is well crafted and executed. It was a bit too long for me and started to drag in the middle. The ending was great! My last critique is that it was repetitive. The amount of times this books said “best friend” was exhausting. We got it by chapter 3. It didn’t need to be repeated every page in every chapter.