Big thank you to Orbit Books for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Megan Bannen delivers a sparkling, feel-good finale in The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam. This is a delightfully funny and deeply lovable romantic romp! Rosie and Adam are a combination of chaotic and charming whose chemistry bursts off the page through razor sharp banter and a soft undercurrent of vulnerability. Their relationship is not just built on tension and teasing, but also on an adorable affection that makes every moment feel genuine.

For those looking for more than just laugh out loud humor, this won't disappoint. Rosie and Adam is full of a warm and fuzzy exploration of what happens when two people challenge each other in all the right ways. Bannen cuts to the heart of emotional truths, while still making it feel light and irresistible.

As the final stop in this series’ journey, it’s the perfect farewell: bright, bold, and full of heart. It’s the kind of book that makes you grin long after you’ve finished.

Bannen knocks it out of the park again with an absolutely flawless finale to this trilogy. The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam is the perfect blend of romance, adventure, tragedy, and magical realism. The characters are fully formed and complex, with even the smallest side characters taking root in your heart. Rosie and Adam also represent the perfect balance, with abundant sarcasm and wit matching their excess of tenderness. In short, this third and final book in the Hart and Mercy universe was nothing shy of perfection.

4.5 - Another banger from Tanria!

I particularly loved the mystery in this one, though the romance was, of course, great as well.

Obsessed with the Zeddie and Duckers side story.

All around fantastic conclusion to the Hart and Mercy series!

Thanks to Orbit for providing an arc through NetGalley for me to review!

I could not have imagined an ending more fitting for one of my favorite fantasy trilogies. This book was filled with so many heartwarming (and humorous) moments, and I think Rosie Fox may be my favorite heroine of the series. To give y'all some context for this next part: my anxiety medication renders me unable to physically cry. Sometimes I feel like I will combust if I cannot cry and still can't. This novel was able to do what no man, novel, or sad commercial has been able to do since I started taking this medicine: I found myself tearing up (and sometimes outright crying) at so many places in this novel. Megan Bannen should take this as the highest honor that I could bestow her writing. The camaraderie between characters both old and new, the symbolism in the novel, the relationships of all shapes and sizes found within. I was emotionally overcome while reading it, and I honestly didn't want it to end.

This third novel centers on immortal demi-god Rosie Fox, who is unapologetically unashamed to "act first, think never". Rosie is a veteran Tanrian marshall who has seen many changes to the world during her 150+ years of life. After Rosie dies on the job (again...) when trying to help fix a wonky portal into Tanria, she wakes up to learn that the inventor of the portals, Adam Lee, will be arriving to help with the portal repairs. Rosie and Adam have had once chance meeting five years previously, and we quickly see the yearning and tension between them when they are reunited. Adam is the complete opposite of Rosie in every way: short where she is tall, reserved where she is outgoing, and a complete enigma of a person where Rosie is (mostly) an open book. When the evacuation of Tanria at the sign of failing portals goes sideways, stranding not only Rosie and her partner, the beloved Penrose Duckers, but also Adam Lee and Duckers' ex-boyfriend, Zeddie Birdsall inside Tanria, what follows is hilarious hijinks, tender moments, and SO. MUCH. sexual tension. With The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam, Megan Bannen reminds us why she is one of the exceptional storytellers of the fantasy genre.

While all of the women characters that Megan Bannen writes are bad ass, I think Rosie may be my favorite for the way that she does not apologize for the space she takes up (both literally, as she is 6'5'', and figuratively with her big personality). Her lack of filter and love of quality undergarments makes her relatable, even with her demi-god status and inability to die for good. I loved that in this final installment of this novel, we see closure to every single person that we've come to know and love in Eternity. This novel is full of heartwarming moments, made more poignant by the knowledge that we are saying goodbye to these characters in this novel as we read. The bonus of getting to see, not just a snippet of resolution to Duckers and Zeddie, but that they share a portion of the spotlight in this novel, is a wonderful bonus.

I'm so sad to say goodbye to so many characters I've come to love (even Saltlicker. Honestly, if that doesn't tell you the magic that Megan Bannen weaves in this novel, that she has made even the oneriest equimaris in all of the Federated Islands of Cadmus someone that you love and hate to say goodbye to.). I'm also so excited to see what kind of wild delights Megan's mind creates for her next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit books, and Megan Bannen for allowing me to read an eARC of this novel.

The world of Tanria was such an enjoyable, unique, and bizarre place to explore in this series. While I’m absolutely devestated that we won’t be getting a Duckers/Zeddie story, this felt like a completion of the characters worlds.
Rosie was absolutely relatable and endearing. Her life was so interesting and tragic, but also ended up being perfect.
Adam had to grow on me. I knew something was going to happen that would make me like him, but it took SO long!

Megan Bannen will be one of those “if she writes it, I’ll read it” authors. Never once, in any of these 3 books, did I find myself bored or wanting. Everything was perfectly paced and placed, and so neatly tied up at the end.

This was an absolutely magical end to a beautiful series that I imagine I'll be rereading for years to come.

The world of Hart and Mercy is a comfort place for me and I was a little startled by the time jump that occurs in this book. It makes sense to move things forward ten years so the partnership between Rosie and Duckers can be more established. Duckers is also a seasoned staff member now, not just a rookie. He dated Mercy's brother in the past, but they've broken up and Zeddy has gone on to become a well-respected chef.

When the portals between the "normal" world and Tanria have started to fail, they send for the engineer who created them, Adam Lee. Rosie and Adam met years ago during another round of portal maintenance and felt an attraction. Now, we see their relationship evolve as they are stuck in Tanria without portals along with Duckers and Zeddy.

I thought the twist about Adam's background was pretty obvious when the first hint appeared, but I still loved watching Rosie arrive at the conclusion. Rosie was somewhat undeveloped in the earlier books and she blooms into a likeable, interesting character in this story. Showing her loneliness in the early scenes was a crucial step in this, but it also meant I shed a few tears soon after I started reading! Those scenes also served as reminders of the traditions of this world. I usually reread previous books before going into a new one in a series, but I didn't feel like that was necessary here. The reminders put me right back into this world.

Duckers and Zeddy's storyline was significant and also had some nice moments of levity. We also got to see Hart and Mercy a few times throughout the story. Frank's little dragon friend had a larger role than he does, which was lovely.

I'll miss Tanria. There's a novella in an anthology that takes place in this world and I hope Megan Bannen takes us back to this wonderful place again.

oh wow.
I adored Hart and Mercy, and loved Twyla and Frank... by now, I know Megan Bannen is talented and her stories speak to me in a way few can.
Still, I wasn't expecting to be THAT moved with the third instalment of the series.
It starts out slowly but surely, like when you're getting on that ride at the amusement park: it's light, it's fun. You meet new characters but also old favorites. You laugh because Rosie, the demi-goddess is quite a character: unapologetic, dies repeatedly... She's like that friend who's clumsy and makes everyone laugh.

Then, the rides intensify: they are trapped in a world and are facing their mortality AND immortality. For reasons I can't seem to explain, the characters struggles reminded me of what we go through as patients suffering from rare diseases and chronic illnesses.You know, how time seems variable? it stretches out when you are suffering, it seems short when you're having a good day. I cried quite a few times because some scenes are just so beautiful. One page I was smiling or laughing, the next crying! That book definitely took me on a rollercoaster of emotions.
There were many elements that surprised me: without spoiling anything, there is a strong "fairy tale" theme throughout the story, with good people trying to save others, and vilains seeking redemption.
On par with the other books of the series, the love story was beautiful. This time, it definitely touched the topic of falling in love again after experiencing trauma.

I highly recommend this book if you like highly original stories that leaves you with a big smile on your face when you're closing the book.


*I'd like to thank Netgalley and Orbis for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Yeah I got a digital ARC but will definitely add the physical book to my collection when it is out.

First off, thank you for allowing me to read this ARC.
Secondly, curse you Megan Bannen for making me fall in love with more characters. This was SO very well written.
I loved catching up with past characters but also enjoyed getting the chance fall for new characters. No one will ever be Hart, but Adam really did pull through for me.

4 stars. I am so damn bummed that The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam is the last book in the Hart and Mercy Tanria series. But if Bannen was going to make us say goodbye to this world (I'm still holding off hope that it's not goodbye forever, and that maybe she'll move to different locations within the same world... one can home), at least we went out with a bang. First and foremost, one of the things that I absolutely loved about The Undercutting, is that we get a 2 for 1 romance. I'm not going to mention who the second couple is... but long-time fans of the series will rejoice. As far as Rosie and Adam are concerned, they were such an opposites attract type of couple. She's loud and showy and larger than life (literally), and he's quiet and cerebral and may or may not be able to fit in her pocket. Rosie is a demi-god/ long-time Tanria marshal. And when things start to go wonky with the portal that allows entry into Tanria, they call in the guy that created the portal in the first place-- Dr. Adam. The role of the gods played a bigger part in this story than it did the other 2, I think partly because Rosie is a demi-god. So because of that, it definitely had more a mythology type of vibe. As with all the books, the plot kept me as glued to the pages as the romance did. All in all, this is a fantastic addition and completion to the series (and yes, it can be read as a standalone, but all of the books are fantastic).

Thanks so much to Bannen, Orbit, and netgalley for the complimentary copy.

Thank you for this eARC! If you’ve been a fan of the Hart and Mercy series, this one will not disappoint. I loved this whole world and I adore not only Rosie and Adam but also the myths and lore that go along with their story.
If you’re disappointed this wasn’t about Zeddie and Duckers - don’t be - there’s a lot of their story too!
Sad to leave this world behind.

This book is as enjoyable as the rest of the series! It’s a delight to return to Tanria, catch up with old friends, and learn the stories of new ones. I do recommend reading the whole series - this one is just better that way!

Ultimately, this just felt a little too long and drawn out. I enjoyed her signature banter, and the romance itself was cute—I really did love how the love story played out. But the middle of the book dragged. They were stuck in one place for so long, and at a certain point I just wanted things to move on. The pacing really killed the momentum for me.

Thank you net galley. Love the conclusion to this world. This was so fun. I love how relatable the characters are and the banter.

I am a little bummed I didn’t like this more, I’ve found that it’s been difficult to re-capture the magic I felt reading The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy for the first time.

The plot was confusing at times, but I eventually got on board and enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I was far more invested in the Pen/Zeddie storyline than the main romance. I just didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters and it all felt a little forced.

I’d recommend this if you’ve loved the rest of the series and are looking for closure on some of the characters and this world, but otherwise this was a bit of a miss for me. Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook arc. While I see why this series is popular I’m afraid this book is just not for me. I just could not get into the book.

4.5 stars rounded up

I found this third and final installment in the Tanria world to be enjoyable and a fitting conclusion to the series. There was a lot of humor, mostly from Rosie and her banter with not only her crush Dr Adam Lee, the cool, aloof engineer but also her work partner Duckers. It has frank discussion on the downsides of immortality and the abandonment by a parent.

I like that these books take place over a longer timeline - Rosie met Adam five years before this book and has been secretly pining for him during that time much to her own denial. Rosie is still working with Duckers as a Marshall when Adam is brought in due to failures of the portals. Duckers ex-boyfriend Zeddie (Mercy’s brother) has returned to be a chef in Tanria. We get to revisit the dragons and see how the characters from the previous two books have fared in the interim.

The world building and mythology in this series is what kept me interested- the Old and New Gods, the Mist and portals, delivery nimilkin, equimares, autoducks, and dragons. The slow burn romances with just enough spice along with the atmosphere make this a fun series overall.

Thank you Orbit Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

What do you mean this is the last book of this series?? What do you mean no more of this wonderful and creative world?? I didn't realize this was the ending of the series so when I read that in the author's note I started crying to the point my partner had to ask if I was okay. I finished this book weeks before I'm writing this review because every time I went to start writing, I cried.

This is such a great mix between fantasy and rom-com with heart, silliness, and generally being like a warm hug. There was a great mix of tension, intrigue, and romance throughout with a splash of mystery to go alongside it. I thought this really tied the world together from the previous two (2) books in the series.

Rosie and Adam were both delightful — yes, it felt a bit instalove-y at times (even though they had met previously), but their relationship was one that I was rooting for the entire time. I was so enthralled in how they would end up together and was cheering on their relationship throughout. They brought out the best in each other and really that's all you can ask for in a relationship.

I appreciated their bond, their growth, and the way they supported each other through what they were dealing with. This book served as a reminder that our families are complex, our feelings can be big, and that life is worth living.

I did want a little more from the dialogue and conversations — I felt like there was a lot of repetition and overexplanations at some points. But Rosie was witty and funny, leading to me just being excited to continue reading.

Overall, this was a great conclusion to a series that I have enjoyed from start to finish. I think it is well worth picking up and reading the rest if you haven't yet!

Content Warning: gore, death, blood, vomit, excessive drinking, death of a parent, grief, anxiety

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Orbit and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion. Thank you for the opportunity to review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam might be my favorite book in the Hart and Mercy series. Rosie is an immortal demigod who feels stuck in her own life as she watches other people’s lives begin and end. When Dr. Adam Lee is summoned to fix one of the portals into Tanria, (that Rosie may or may not have broken) they end up trapped together on the Tanria side of the portal. Working together to solve the mystery of the thorny plant growth that only Rosie can see, uptight Dr. Lee starts to shed his stony exterior. But Adam seems to have secrets of his own, and he seems to know more than he’s letting on. Will they be able to fix the portals and save each other before their time runs out..forever?

I absolutely LOVED Rosie in this book. A 6ft5 immortal redhead? Sign me up. I also loved Adam’s dry and sarcastic exterior. I really think that they were such an amazing pair and the high stakes of trying to escape Tanria was such a fun storyline. I also loved that this book had so many features from the characters from previous books. This was such a beautiful ending to the series, even though I’m heartbroken that it is over.

🔥cozy romantasy
🔥 one dragon
🔥 grumpy meet grumpier
🔥 tall girl short boy
🔥rich world building

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have been waiting for this book and it did not disappoint! I have loved this world and it's quirky characters, and I am sad that the series is at its end.

If you like fantasy and rom-coms, you should definitely pick up this series. It is silly, it is cute, and it also has some great heart wrenching moments to wrap it all up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

The undercutting of Rosie & Adam was so much fun to read! I love how they all found their own families. I loved Rosie’s and Dunckers friendship. I couldn’t get enough from Adam and Rosie.