I loved this book and I was so glad to be back in the world of Hart & Mercy. This is a five star series for me.

This follows Twyla who is in her 50’s and a widow. Frank is divorced. They are very likeable characters and the plot of the story was great. When I read this I didn’t realize it’s the second book in a series. I have not read the first book, but still understood what was going on and really liked it.

READ IF YOU LIKE:
unique quirky weird charming absurd cozy fantasy worlds, friends to lovers, slow burn, dragons, “it’s always been you” vibes, main characters in their early 50s, heartwarming stories, family dynamics

This is set in the same world as THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY.

Thoughts:
I ADORE the world that Bannen has built! It’s one of the most unique and quirky fantasy worlds I’ve encountered. You get whisked away into a whimsical charming cozy, but oh so weird and absurd world. It’s as if Alice in Wonderland was set in the Wild West with dragons, demigods and other magical creatures.

Alongside all the hilarity, whimsy and absurdity, Bannen tackles important topics like identity, self-worth, marriage, parenthood, family dynamics, aging and finding love in your 50s.

The banter is perfect and there are so many laugh-out-loud moments. The characters are so lovable. This book was so much fun, heartwarming and a much needed escape from the real world.

Bannen just recently announced the next book to be set in this world, THE UNDERCUTTING OF ROSIE AND ADAM, coming out July 2025. Can’t wait!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC copy!

Though this book is a lot different than the first it was no less entertaining and I loved every minute of it. I was not expecting a middle aged couple but I loved watching their friendship bloom in such a fun world. Then you throw in the dragons and it made this one of my favorite cozy books of the year.

This was a very fun return to the Undertaking world! I read this right after a re-read of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, which I'm really glad I did. Twyla and Frank were a very unique couple to focus on (as an older couple in their 60s or so), which I LOVED. Twyla was an awesome main character and I loved seeing her character grow. And the additional magic elements (baby dragons!) were super fun and goofy. I do think the beginning of this book dragged on a bit, but once we got more action I really enjoyed the story!

🌈Queer rep: Secondary MM relationship, secondary queer male characters, FF relationship, queer female characters.

I love this series. It’s quirky and fun. The world is so interesting. I also love that the couple is middle aged, it’s so refreshing to read about love this way. And then I also love the dragons !

While I enjoyed Hart and Mercy, I think I might have liked this one, even more.

While I could have done with less I'm-old-and-unattractive from the MFC (we're better than that, Twy) I loved the mid-life-friends-to-lovers storyline. The dragon plot was super-enjoyable, and I'm glad Twyla's tit of a son came around at the end.

I'm excited to see the third announced, and I can't wait to learn more about some of the secondary characters. I'm lookin' at you, Roxy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this ARC.

Wow! A second chance at love couldn’t be more entertaining than in this unique, adventurous fantasy universe of Twyla and Frank, the sequel we’ve been eagerly anticipating after the unputdownable, heart-throbbing adventure and epic love story of Hart and Mercy!

I was highly anticipating this book, and it did not disappoint! I loved this world and these characters so much. I loved the first book, Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, but I loved this one a bit more. I buddy read this with Julie (1bookmore), and we both loved it.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the dragons. Bannen created an interesting world, and I love how she used the dragons. It took me a little bit to understand how she would utilize them in the story, but it was worth it. I have been loving all the dragon stories lately!

Another thing I enjoyed was the ages of Twyla and Frank. It was refreshing to see their perspectives when their kids are grown, about to retire, and just in the middle of life. Twyla is a wonderful mother, but the kids took too much from her. The way her kids treated her for most of the book drove me nuts. There needed to be more respect because they used her as a babysitter for most of their adult lives.

The relationship between Twyla and Frank was just too sweet and pure. I loved seeing how their friendship came about. Their commitment to each other was inspiring. They had some deep bonds, and it took them so long to see what was going on. Their friendship alone was just so beautiful to see. I loved how gentle and forgiving they were with each other.

Many of the characters were great in this one. I was glad to see Duckers, and I'm sure it won't be the last of him. He likes to add dramatic flair. haha. I loved the baby dragon, Mary Georgina! She was a great addition, and I loved her bond with Frank.

Overall, this was a great addition to the series. I loved so much about this one! I think that Bannen had the pacing and world-building down in this book. Twyla and Frank were just too sweet! We also get a little glimpse at our original characters from the first book! I thought this was very charming, heart-warming, and fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a wonderful sequel! I really enjoyed this novel and found myself unable to put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC

I cannot get enough of this series. The world building and the characters are top notch and I dare to say maybe even more flushed out than the first. I was soooo happy to see Hart and Mercy make appearances in this one. And DRAGONS?? That spit glitter. Oh my. As a newly divorced almost 40 yr old I really found purchase to connect to Twyla and her story. I know what it's like to be a chair. There were times that I laughed with her and i did also tear up with her thinking about my own children that in 13 years will be about the same age as her children. I loved the relationship between her and Frank. How he loved her in his own way with his own restraint until he just couldn't. Do i wish she would have had her epiphany sooner? of course but that would have ruined the story. I didn't think that this book would hit me as hard as it did but it was perfect. This is quickly moving up the ranks of my favorite series of all time.

Included as a top pick in weekly July New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

This little beauty was just what I needed to bring some calm to my hectic last few weeks. I love the weird little world this author has built, and I thought she did such a great job moving on from the events in book 1 to develop book 2, and the addition of dragons was *chef’s kiss.* I was also super excited to have an older couple falling in love cause you just don’t see it that as much, and it allowed for a super sweet backstory. It explored the ways these characters had lives and relationships outside of each other, and how they have been affected by all of this. Really enjoyable, and the audiobook was perfectly done — thanks to @librofm for the free ALC!

Author Megan Bannen returns to the town of Eternity but focuses on two other characters this time. We meet middle-aged Twlya Banneker and her neighbour and best friend Frank Ellis. They're both Tanrian Marshals, and though this was seen as an unexpected job choice for Twyla after her husband's death years earlier, she and Frank have successfully patrolled Tanria for years, dealing successfully with drudges.

After Hart's actions (in book one), drudges are no longer an issue, making the Marshals' jobs much easier. But things are not quiet in Tanria. There is word of smuggling of a precious substance out of the land, and more intriguingly and frighteningly, evidence of a massive creature found near the body of one of their fellow marshals.

And then they find a baby dragon, who imprints on Frank, and even while this causes some havoc and hijinks, Twyla, Frank and Duckers (book one's Mercy's younger brother's lover) are revealing more dragons, and Twyla's long dormant romantic feelings come to the fore when a dracologist arrives to study not only the baby dragon, but others who are starting to appear in Tanria.

The dracologist's presence prompts both Frank and Twyla to examine their feelings for one other, causing disruption to their working relationship and their harmonious personal lives. Is it too late for the two to confront their unresolved feelings and acknowledge what everyone else already knows about the pair?

I totally and utterly loved this second story set in the magical world created by this author. The story is full of humour, heart, and danger, and is a totally satisfying story of two friends who discover just how much they really love one another, and how their lives, and their families' lives, are immeasurably better together. And it's got lots and lots of dragons, including the utterly adorable baby dragon, the ebullient Duckers, and a small appearance by Mercy and Hart. All in all, a terrific second book in a charming series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I did not realize this was the second part of a series when I requested to read this book, so I made sure to read The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy right before starting this one. I'm so glad I did, because I really enjoyed the first novel and I also feel like it gave me a great opportunity to compare and contrast the stories, which are quite different from one another. You don't need to have read Hart and Mercy to enjoy The Undermining of Twyla and Frank (the main characters are mostly different in each installment); however, if you at all think that you might want to read both books, then I highly encourage starting with Hart and Mercy, because it does provide backstories for a lot of side characters and settings... plus, the ending of Hart and Mercy will be spoiled if you read Twyla and Frank first.

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank follows two marshals a year after the events from Hart and Mercy. Twyla and Frank have been neighbors for decades, and they became best friends after Twyla's husband died and Frank's wife left him over ten years ago. One day, a mysterious event leads to a death and the discovery of dragons in Tanria. Twyla and Frank team up with Hart's old apprentice, Duckers, to investigate the dragons and learn why they've suddenly emerged. Along the way, Twyla finds herself navigating her own feelings about motherhood, aging, dating as a 53 year-old woman, and even Frank. It's a quirky, lighthearted novel featuring romance, self-reflection, and pink dragons who spit glitter.

I really enjoyed reading this novel! It's so fun and cozy. It's a much fluffier read than The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. The stakes are lower, and even when a couple dangerous things happen to the characters, the tone is still whimsical and almost tongue in cheek. I like cozy fantasy, so I was fine with that direction in the novel. There are so many wholesome moments between all of the characters. And the dragons are simply delightful!

Like the first book, the characters are well-written and feel like real people. Twyla is a mother and a grandmother who is used to giving her all to everyone around her. She's compelling, because you can tell she cares so much about everyone, yet is still learning to prioritize her own self. Frank is funny and charismatic, with a bit of a hard edge. He's so supportive of Twyla, which makes their friends-to-lovers relationship believable. I'm not always a fan of books with dual perspectives, but I really wish we'd gotten chapters from Frank's point of view. I had a decent grasp on his character from Twyla, but there were so many missed opportunities to see his perspective (especially because he was the one so attached to the baby dragon). Duckers is lovely, as usual. I liked all of the side characters, except I could never get invested in Twyla's family. They seemed realistic and I understand that they were important to Twyla's development, but I always got a bit bored during their scenes.

I will say that I was fairly confident I would be rating this five stars throughout the first half of the book, only to be a little less satisfied with the second half. The story starts off strong - Twyla and Frank's friendship is cute, the discovery of the dragons is interesting, and I loved all of the time they were spending in Tanria with Duckers. I didn't even mind the awkward love triangle, because it was sweet to see Twyla open herself back up to the dating world. However, the second half starts to get repetitive, and the love story is such a slow burn. Twyla spends too much time in her own head, which is tiring after a while. I was interested in the themes of motherhood, aging, and how draining societal expectations of women can be, but it kind of felt like I was getting hit over the head with the same exact messages over and over, when they would have been more effective had they been a tad subtler. The book is around 450 pages long; had about 100 of those pages been trimmed down, this might have been a five star read for me.

The author did a slightly better job at worldbuilding in this installment of the series. I appreciated that specific items and creatures were explained more thoroughly. However, I still feel like the world itself is a bit vague, so I wish there had been a few more descriptive scenes as the story progressed. Otherwise, the writing was smooth and immersive.

Overall, I had a great time reading this story! I am not sure everyone who liked the first installment in the series will love this one as much, because it is so much lighter and focused on older characters. However, if you're looking for a cozy romance set in an eccentric fantasy world, I definitely suggest giving this a try. I'm fascinated by Megan Bannen's world, and I'm definitely planning on reading the third book whenever it is released.

4 stars out of 5 stars.

Thank you Orbit for approving my request for this!
I am loving this series more and more with each book! This one is so different. The Undermining of Twyla and Frank follows Twyla, a middle-aged widow navigating her life as a Tanrian Marshal and her life with her best friend, Frank.

It was such a fun and quirky second chance, friends to lovers romance. I love that each book can be read as a standalone. It was so cute to see bits and pieces of Hart and Mercy though! Frank may be a middle aged man but damn does that man have some great swoony lines.

Twyla’s story is such a relieving one. I’m not a mother myself but I can only imagine how invisible and thankless being a mother can be sometimes. It immediately made me want to go home and hug my own mom. Twyla also goes through a lot of self discovery. Learning that she is allows to do the things she wants and how she wants. That her life didn’t need to be about taking care of others.

As usual, Duckers is our little humorous weirdo. He’s rambunctious and never knows when to shut up and it’s GREAT.

I honestly thought it was such a cozy read despite everything!

This book series really is the perfect combination of heartwarming, funny, quirky, romantic, and compelling. I loved The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, and this one didn’t disappoint in any way.

Twyla and Frank are partners as Marshals of Tanria, and have spent years comfortably by each other’s sides. Twyla is widowed, Frank is divorced, and both have grown children. When together they discover dragons - long since thought to be extinct - roaming about, they stumble into an even bigger web of intrigue that endangers both of their lives. As Twyla also begins to realize that she is not only the “mom” of the town, and starts to come into her own, she is forced to confront her feelings for Frank, and his for her.

This book is full of laugh out loud moments, mystery, a friends to lovers romance between two 50-somethings, dragons, a lot of glitter, and some of the best side characters I’ve ever read. I cannot wait for the next one!

Oh my goodness I loved this book. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was such a great book, and this book built upon that world perfectly. I love that it answered questions raised in the first book (namely, are there dragons?) and gave us even more Tanrian adventures. Twyla and Frank are Tanrian marshalls whose jobs have gotten more boring after the events of the first book. They’re partners and best friends, but of course there’s more than meets the eye. I love that they’re middle aged with grown children, and Frank’s adoration of Twyla is so heartwarming. I’m also glad Duckers is bad and I’m hoping the next book is about him. And I cried at Hart and Mercy’s wedding. Of course the relationship between Frank and Mary Georgina was adorable too. This book was nearly perfect!

From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy comes a heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist--When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.

This is even better than The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. I loved the characters and the world-building and the snappy prose. I will definitely be recommending this one!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

When I first put in for this ARC, I didn't realize it was book 2 of a series. I went back and read the first installment (worth the read!) but you could read this one as a standalone aside from missing out on some backstories.

The author does a great job of world building and character development. The last book involved "zombies" which is no longer a problem...and now our Tanrian Marshals are getting bored...until the discovery of dragons!

I adored the fact that our new main couple is middle aged, best friends, partners and neighbors who have supported each other for years. They both have realistic backstories and real 50 something characteristics that was so refreshing!!
I always enjoy friends with hidden depths and feelings and this plotline did not disappoint in this book. Twyla and Frank easily fit together in work and life...until things become complicated with the unveiling of un-platonic feelings! Oh, the angst and agony of facing truths and risking the heart.
The romance was great (though I didn't need all the spice) just the pure honesty throughout as Twyla and Frank transitioned from friendship to something more. There is also mystery, suspense, emotional family dynamics, a baby dragon! So much to love...

I think Frank has officially become my first middle aged book boyfriend...YOU ARE NOT A CHAIR! Sweet swoons and sentimental sighs.

Looking forward to book 3!

4.5 stars