This is the third of Bannen's Tanria books, and these are a perfect way to scratch the itch for a cozy romantacy. I know that sounds like a lot of things mixed together, but these books do it so well. The world that Bannen has created is just so warm, inviting, and kind. I mean, there are dragons that are empaths who sneeze out glitter rather than fire - I don't know how you could get more cozy than that. These books center around a small group of friends and their misadventures in Tanria, former prison of the gods. I love how interconnected these stories are and that I am basically guaranteed to see a character that I loved from a previous book when I dive into one of these. The plot of this one was particularly fun, as it dealt with issues of immortality and what that does to the human soul. I just cannot recommend these books enough if you are looking for a heart warming, cozy fantasy romance.

Megan Bannen delivers another charming fantasy rom-com set in the cozy, donut-and-dragon-filled world of Tanria. Immortal demigod Rosie Fox's existential crisis feels surprisingly relatable, while her opposites-attract chemistry with uptight inventor Adam Lee provides plenty of entertaining friction when they're trapped together in the mysterious Mist.

The world-building remains consistent and delightful, with satisfying cameos from Hart and Mercy characters that enhance rather than overwhelm the story. Bannen's signature humor hits throughout, though it occasionally disrupts the romantic tension. The portal mystery keeps things moving, even if the resolution feels slightly rushed.

The voice acting really made this story. Kacie Rogers added depth, and gave Rosie the voice I imagined. Highly recommend this book on audio!

✨ALC & ARC Review✨

For some context, I have been a big fan of this series so far with the first two books, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and The Undermining of Twyla and Frank. Those two both got solid 4/4.5 star reviews from me. Somehow I managed to like The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam the most.

It isn't often for me that the first book of a series isn't my favorite book, but here we are. We had the opportunity to get to know Rosie throughout the previous books. This fiery, careless, death-prone immortal demi-god with stunning red eyes. It was so fun to get to dive into her character, learn who her dad was, and how she internalized her immortality. Watching her fall in love with a character with such depth was beautiful.

Adam is a selfless brainiac who created the portals that linked Tanria and the remainder of the world. His aloofness drew Rosie in and every little bit of himself that he shared with her had her drooling for more.

The whole connection of who Adam is, who Rosie's dad is and how Rosie and Adam's lives have been forcefully intertwined for a looooong was a true surprise. I did not see it coming but it created such a beautiful and devastating love story. Megan Bannen really had me on the edge of my seat wondering whether or not the two of them would make it to the end of the book alive.

The audiobook was phenomenal, just like the other two. The narrators, Jim Frangione and Kacie Rogers, did such a great job bringing these characters to life. I especially loved Kacie's Duckers voice. It may have been my favorite thus far.

Big thanks to NetGalley for both the ARC (Orbit) and ALC (Hatchette Audio) for this book. I loved having the opportunity to experience both. I honestly don't know which one I'd push on my friends. It was an easy read or listen.

I really do hope one day that we can get a book or novella about Duckers and Zeddy.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Hachette Audio for the audiobook ARC.

This was a cozy, adventure-filled addition to the series. I was soooo happy to get more of Duckers and I honestly was hoping book 3 would have been about him and Zeddy, but they were featured pretty heavily in this one at least. Maybe at some point there will be a novella for them but I did enjoy the pieces of their story we got in this installation.

I loved that we had a tall queen x short king situation because it is not a traditional pairing in romance/romantasy novels so it was unique. My only complaint is it felt like the build of their relationship was an afterthought to the main plot. Which, normally I would be ok with but the first two books were so focused on building and blending the relationship between the MCs that this one felt like it was rushed. And not as much like a slow burn but almost like there were cute interactions and then they suddenly were in love.

I enjoyed the lore of the world and the gods and how the world transformed through the books and that was continued here.

I highly recommend the audiobook, as the narration was excellent.

Megan Bannen has done it again! The third installment of this wonderful series was excellent. I couldn’t help but love the FMC, Rosie, who is an immortal that faces the daunting task of outliving all the people she loves. We are reunited with several characters from previous books and we get to root for Rosie as she looks for the meaning of life and finds someone to share it with. I loved this book and highly recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio | Orbit for the free alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I am loving this cozy romance series. The first book remains my absolute favourite and need a trophy for my shelf. It's like a warm hug on a cool day. I don't remember the previous book so need to go back and read it soon.

Suggest giving it a try.

4.5/5☆

5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a series that is best enjoyed as an audiobook. I found the plot a little slow moving at times but didn’t really mind because Kacie Roger’s narration was perfection, she perfectly captured Rosie’s sassy and funny personality in her inner monologues and honestly I think I could listen to Kacie read take-out menus and still enjoy it.

The story itself was great, I was excited to be back in Tanria, Megan Bannen has created such a cool urban fantasy setting.

What I loved in particular:
- I loved the partnership between Duckers and Ro-Fo, they were so funny together and so supportive too.
- I loved Adam and Rosie as a couple, it was such a good example of opposites attract making sense.
- I loved spending time in Rosie’s mind, she’s delightfully funny and sweary. Like her, I tend to like people who cuss!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC.

*♡Thank you to to Megan Bannen and Hatchette Audio for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion♡*
This is now my favourite book of the series!! First of all, massive props to Kacie Rogers for bringing all of the characters to life. She did an amazing job at narrating the book and helped to hook me from the very start.
The world building that Megan does is remarkable and so much fun to read. The slow burn between Rosie and Adam is romantasy gold, as well as the rekindling of Duckers and Zeddies relationship. I absolutely adore everything about Duckers!!! The dynamic between him and Rosie is beautiful and they are the ultimate friendship goals ♡

Thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC!

4.75/5 stars

Wow, this was adorable and spicy and heart-wrenching and just everything I wanted it to be! I loved this as much as I loved the first book in the series, and slightly more than the 2nd - I'm so sad this trilogy is over!

This book was clever, well written, and absolutely refreshing. It mixed trauma, love, family expectations, and grief, all into a beautiful story with unexpected humor that was full of lessons about life, loss, and death. The characters were so unique but well rounded; the lore and worldbuilding intriguing; and the story so captivating that I simply couldn't put it down. I had high expectations for this one, and it met them!

This is definitely a comfort read for the future and I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone that loves a good story, some awesome fantasy, and a bit of spice.

Rosie Fox is beging to chafe against her decades long job patrolling Tanria for the Marshall's service. While checking the portals Rosie dies (again), which is fine because she is an immortal demigod, she notices shadowy vines and thorns are beginning to take over. Rosie is the only one that is able to see what is happening. Dr. Adam Lee is called in as the inventor of the portals to try to repair the damage. Rosie, Adam, Duckers and Zeddie Bridsall end up trapped on the other side of the portal. They must find their way home before time runs out. But while trapped feelings between both couples quickly become apparent.

I would give this more than five stars if I could. It is hard to say exactly how much I have loved this series and the final book was such a lovely send off. Megan Bannen has created a fascinating world populated with some of the best characters I have come across in books. Rosie Fox and Dr. Adam Lee are another great pair. We need more stories where ultra tall babes and short kings get together. Their love story was sweet and funny. They had incredible chemistry and were willing to do anything for the other person. They each had their own interesting backstories happening through the book as well. I'm so glad we got the outcome to the series long will they won't they between Zeddie and Duckers. Those two hold such a special place in my heart. We also got to catch up with our previous couples Hart and Mercy & Twyla and Frank. This will be a series I revisit frequently. I can't wait to see what Megan does next. I had already read the ARC of this when I saw the ALC was available. I was so excited to be approved for it because I was so excited to do an audio reread. Kacie Rogers did a wonderful job with the main narration of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. Rosie was such a funny MC and the narrator brought her to life. The entire story was so sweet and perfect and the love story with Adam was amazing. This entire series has been perfection and I truly hope that the author puts out more books. If this book is the end of the series, it was a perfect conclusion to a spectacular series.

The world that Megan Bannen has created is fun, quirky, and magical - I never want to leave! If you loved the first two installments, then “The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam” is a must read. Rosie is an immortal demigod. Living and loving is hard when you have to watch everyone die while you live on forever. There is one man whom she met 5 years ago that she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about. The inventor, Adam, must visit the border of Tania when a portal stops working. This adventure involves being stuck in Tanria, a mysterious vine, dragons, and beloved side characters.

For those who love:
🌹 Romantic Fantasy
🌹 Unique World-building
🌹 Slow Burn
🌹 Adventurous, High-Stakes Plot
🌹 Dragons
🌹 She’s a Tall Queen

The audiobook format is a great way to read this story.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This series has been such a comfort read for me and while I didn't really buy the romance element of this new addition to the series: the worldbuilding, characters and the journey were amazing.

DNF at 25%.
I really didn’t like the FMC. She was incredibly immature, for starters. Don’t even get me started on what she named her cat (Blammo Tinky Fartface, for those curious –which she was very proud of). Secondly, the MMC wasn’t introduced until way too far into the book. Before he was introduced, we had a bunch of uninteresting side plots that didn’t seem to have a real purpose to the overall plot—like a visit from the FMC’s dad and a funeral of a side character’s ex-boyfriend’s dad. I really wanted to like this book but in summary I didn’t enjoy it. Thank you to Netgalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was another fun addition into this world Bannen has created. The narrator did a great job as I flew through this in 2 days. I loved coming back to Tanria and seeing all the familiar faces from the previous 2 books. This time we follow Rosie Fox; Tanrian Marshall who's also a demigod with a tendency to die on the job. Rosie as been partnered with Penrose Duckers and I loved seeing him older and more grown up since he was following around Frank and Twyla after Hart retired. Duckers has always been a favorite so getting more of him was great. Our POV character is Rosie though. The 2 are at the middle of an investigation surrounding the portals into Tanria malfunctioning because Rosie sees something inside one before it blows up in her face and she dies. Again. The illusive inventor of the portals, Adam Lee, is called in when the engineers cannot fix this issues.

Rosie has been holding a secret flame for Adam since she last saw him 5 years ago when he last came to work on the portals. The 2 are drawn to each other the entire time they're around each other while trying to fix the portals, failing, and then getting trapped in Tanria with Duckers' ex-boyfriend Zeddy as well. The 4 get up to some hi-jinx, have some emotional moments together, and also work through some issues together while opening up to each other. Despite the mutual pinning situation between Rosie and Adam, I felt like they caught feelings for each other way too fast. The first half of the book kind of dragged on but it was still enjoyable. The second half flew by much faster and a lot of portal jumping occurred which got slightly confusing before it made a lot of sense.

The way the epilogue ended makes it seem like this is the last book in this world which I'll be sad about because it means we don't get a Duckers/Zeddy book. But maybe that's okay. Everyone ended up where they needed to be in the end. I enjoyed this one more than Twyla and Frank, but nothing will ever be better than Mercy and Hart in book 1.

𝐀𝐋𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘮 by Megan Bannen

Now 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 is the cozy fantasy I’ve been waiting for.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘮 is witty, heartfelt, and quietly poignant. The world of Tanria is simple in structure but rich in lore—a perfect between-heavy-reads palate cleanser. I jumped into this one straight off a 10-chapter-long Epic Final Battle™️, and it was such a breath of fresh air.

Bannen writes real, human adults so well. Immortal or not, you can feel that these characters have truly 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥. Rosie and Adam both have so many layers, and their growth felt realistic and fully earned.

I don’t always love a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, but here it felt more nuanced than usual. However spirited and optimistic Rosie is, her loneliness early on aches right off the page. And while Adam is withdrawn and gruff, his softness shines through in the quiet ways he cares for Rosie.

𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨:

⌛ There’s real depth under the cozy: mortality, complicated parental relationships, and grief woven into the lightheartedness

🩷 Even on a compressed timeline, this felt like a proper slow burn—each small step toward connection hit just right

👑 Short kings deserve their crown. Adam’s height is just a detail, but it’s handled so nicely

🔒 Forced proximity galore—both trapped together 𝘢𝘯𝘥 racing the clock
🧡 Duckers and Zeddie were hilarious and so sweet, both together and in their moments with Rosie

🍃 No shocking twists, but this isn’t a story that needs them to satisfy

I started with Tanria’s third chapter because I’d heard these were interconnected standalones, and I didn’t feel like I missed a beat. The world-building gives you just enough, and side characters still pop even without backstory context. I’m excited to go back to the earlier books when I need another cozy escape.

🎧 On the audio: While there are two narrators listed, this is 95% Rosie’s story, and Kacie Rogers 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 it. Her (nearly) one woman show was a tour de force. She nailed distinct voices for a big ensemble cast (essential for keeping banter clear!) and brought real emotional depth to every character’s journey. I particularly thought she showcased such amazing range for Rosie—from her aching and sadness, to her excitement, to her frustration. I’ll definitely be looking for more of her work.

📌 Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC!

𝐓𝐋;𝐃𝐑: A cozy fantasy that hits all the right notes—warm, witty, and layered beneath the charm. Rosie and Adam’s dynamic is tender, nuanced, and full of heart. The perfect between-heavy-reads escape, with a fantastic audio performance that brings every character to life.

Thank you to Megan, Hachette Audio (Nita) and NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook!

How do I describe this book? My god.

The book:

It’s apparently the third and final book in a series, but I had never heard of it prior to receiving the ARC. When I tell you I got 20 minutes in and RAN to audible to purchase the rest of the series. The writing and the characters are fantastic. It’s light, it’s hilarious, the banter is bantering, the characters are SO GOOD! It's pure fun, entertainment, and tugs at your heart strings when it needs to and does it spectacularly.

You do NOT need to read the earlier books to understand, but I feel it would definitely help. It did not take away from my enjoyment however.

Rosie is so genuinely funny while interacting with her friends and the world. The way the group will be in the middle of the scene and the chapter just ends with some out of pocket antic and Rosie going “make that # times this week that I have died”. ✨c i n e m a✨

Such an incredible job on the setting, the description, and the balance between all that and the romance. There's a bit of explicit content but it didn't take away from the story. It was a joy to listen to.

Narrator and Production:

Every single person absolutely nailed it with this audiobook. One of my all time favourites. The narrators were fantastic, but a special shout out to Kacie for the different inflections, voices, accents and complete changes she gave depending on which character was speaking. An incredible job. It was such a fun listen thanks to everyone's efforts. I've been finding books have been lacking the humour and over-the-topness mixed with genuine emotions and lightheartedness. This was so much more than I was expecting. Kacie took Rosie and really amplified her by 1000. The speed was perfect. A wonderful narration experience!

Top 10 reads of the year easily. I am so grateful to have received the ARC because I don’t think I would have picked it up if I didn’t, and now Im on FL preordering all the SE books and buying audiobooks to stay in this world. If I could give it more stars I would. It’s just such a FUN time! I have not loved a cast of characters this fiercely in what feels like far too long. I will be recommending this series to everyone who will listen from now on.

If you showed me this cover and told me the story within would have me crying over a well developed and beautiful fantasy romance, I'd say you were wrong. But gosh did this get me. Megan Bannen has created one of the best romantasy series out there. The dialogue and banter are hilarious, the world building is fascinating, and dragons.... need I say more?

This was an absolute delight and made even more fun as an audiobook. It was perfect.

Having loved both Hart & Mercy and Frank & Twyla, I myself felt as if I was being choked by invisible thorns waiting for this book to publish. So when given a change to review it for Net Galley, I could not believe my good luck. Jumping right back in to this world is like slipping into a warm bath. its just right. I missed the weird quirks of Tanria and its purse dragons. This book is weird and tender and funny in all the ways I wanted it to be. Rosie’s immortal boredom is absolutely smacks of midlife crisis, and Adam secretive and emotionally stymied but kind and sweet. The world is wild, the banter is razor-sharp, and under it all is a quiet ache about purpose, connection, and what it means to actually live. If The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was your thing, this one delivers too—but with considerably more thorns.

The performance is spectacular. The narrator really blew me away.

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam was a nice conclusion to the Hart & Mercy series. Just a unique read with an enjoyable premise and quirky characters. While this can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the prior books first for a better understanding of the world.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic and definitely made the story more engaging. It is in the heroine’s POV with only one chapter in the hero’s.

There were some great tropes as well like opposite attracts, forced proximity, an age-gap, grumpy-sunshine, and a slow burn and fantasy romance.

This book was filled with a lot of magical moments, adventure, friendships and love. While the pacing of the story was quite slow, the writing was easy to follow. The fantasy element felt very whimsical as well, as there were dragons, gods and magical portals. I will say though, there were parts that seemed to drag and I did struggle with the first half of the story.

In regard to the romance I was a bit more invested in the secondary characters relationship, as their story and romance had been introduced in the previous books. While the main characters did have a heartwarming relationship, their romantic development was very slow. I did enjoy their banter and friendship though.

Overall, not my favorite book in the series but still a heartfelt conclusion to this world and characters.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.