3.5 ⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audiobook ARC! 💜

As with the previous two books in the series, my favorite thing about The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam was the world. I think Megan Bannen does a really good job of creating a fantasy world that feels well developed and interesting, and balancing cozy vibes with some light macabre elements. And in each book we get more of the world revealed which is great. I'd love to see more books set in this world!

I enjoyed the humor and fun writing style, and I think the audiobook narrator did a really great job with it.

Also loved the cat, needed more cat scenes.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the romance or the main characters in this book as much as the first book, Hart and Mercy remain my favorites. Rosie and Adam's relationship felt a bit instalove. The book, as with the other two, does a good job of having a plot that is not 100% about the romance, so while I didn't find their dynamic very interesting it didn't overwhelm the rest of the story too much. One thing that bugged me a little was the ending, it felt like the stakes were supposed to be high but at the same time you know what the ending is going to be so at least for me it felt a bit anticlimactic. And I do think it's a bit criminal that one of the background couples continues to be background for 3 books rather than actually having the book focus on them.

Reading this "The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam" was bittersweet experience. The book was so good, but we have to say goodbye to Tanria. 
The characters were so well written and lovable. I laughed and I cried. It was everything I wanted.
If you like cozy fantasy and found family you found the right book.
Kacie Rogers and Jim Frangione did amazing job.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the early audiobook.

The following review was posted to Goodreads on June 30, 2025:

“4 ⭐️

I was beyond excited to listen to this audiobook upon its projected release next month, so I feel beyond lucky and grateful to have been given the opportunity to listen to this before its release. I fell in love with the author’s (Megan Bannen) writing style in The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy and this third book in the series absolutely did not disappoint.

Bannen’s playful and witty writing style had me giggling throughout the book and it is just so easy to read/listen to. It’s set in the same world as the other two books in the series but the continued world-building isn’t overcomplicated or difficult to follow. Rosie is a character we’ve met in the previous books as well so I loved getting to learn more about her and for her to have her chance at love and the life she truly wanted. I also LOVED the continuation and satisfying conclusion of Penn’s story. I didn’t feel like I emotionally connected as much to Rosie and Adam as I did with Hart and Mercy but not for lack of great character development. There were also fabulous twists that I did not anticipate and the plot of this book was so unique and fun. There’s lots of mystery, complicated relational (family and romantic) dynamics, forced proximity, ghostly flora, a haunting history with an unknown future… oh, and a whole bunch of meddling Gods.

This book leans character & plot forward, with a couple sweet romances woven in. It was light-er on spice, in my opinion, as well with only a couple slightly graphic scenes making it a 1 🌶️ on my spicy scale. When I began to listen to this audiobook, I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be the end of the series, but the way this book ended was the most beautiful and satisfying way to complete the series. I enjoyed every minute of it! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Megan Bannen for the opportunity to listen to this ARC of The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam.”

This review can also be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7684021653

I adored this book! As a fan of the series already, this was definitely an anticipated read/listen and it did not disappoint. I will say that I didn’t love the narrator’s portrayal of Adam at times - it felt very one dimensional, and that made it hard for me to connect emotionally to his character. I do understand that, at the beginning of the book, he is supposed to be stoic and stony but that same stoicism continued past where he began to open up to Rosie and his friends. That’s really my only critique. I think the book itself was the perfect conclusion to this trilogy with a beautiful expansion of this fantasy world (and its deities) and I absolutely loved it. I also loved that Penn got his happy ending! That was one of my biggest points of frustration with the last book - that he was alone and it felt so unfinished and irritating. Now, for him to also have his happy ending makes my heart so full! Thank you again to both Netgalley and Megan Bannen for allowing me to listen to and review this ARC!

I knew I would devour this book in less than 24 hours. Megan Bannen has that effect on me, and I am not even sorry for staying home all day yesterday on a rare sunny day in the Netherlands just to go through this story.

This is the kind of book that wraps you in a cozy blanket of sharp banter, slow-burning tension, and just enough mystery to keep you page-turning like a maniac. It’s romantic without being romance-forward, fantasy without feeling too far removed from the world we know. It’s modern magic, and it works beautifully.

Immortal demigod Rosie Fox has been patrolling Tanria for decades, but after one hundred and fifty-seven years of being alive, everything is starting to lose its shine.
When she dies (again) by electrocution (again) while poking around a portal only she can see, it’s the beginning of something different. Something bigger. Something she was absolutely not prepared for.

Enter Dr. Adam Lee. Portal genius. Uptight scientist. Tall, dark, and brooding in bespoke menswear. Thanks to Rosie’s interference, Adam is forced to come repair the portal himself — but when things spiral and all the portals start failing, an emergency evacuation is declared. Rosie and Adam end up trapped in the Mist. Together.

And Adam knows a lot more than he’s letting on.

What follows is a truly unexpected journey. One part romantic tension, one part cozy fantasy, one part emotional unraveling. I loved that this story was unpredictable. Yes, we know where it’s going, this is opposites attract, after all, but the way it unfolds is quiet, tender, and had me grinning like an idiot.

I received the ALC and I have to say, the narration was fantastic. Great pacing, memorable voices, and perfect tone for the story. I’m very glad I got to experience it this way.

This was my third book by Megan Bannen and it confirmed once again that her writing is my comfort zone. If you’re looking for a book that blends fantasy with quiet romance and a touch of melancholy magic, The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam will stick with you.

Thank you to Hachette Audio, NetGalley, and Megan Bannen for sending me the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my goodness, but this was such a fun listen! I didn't realize it was Book 3 in a series until I received it - which was frustrating, as I couldn't get the audio versions of the first two books from my library without several months hold. I received the physical books and tried to read those, but was oddly surprised to find that I struggled to connect to the writing whereas I fell completely head-over-heels in love with the audio version of the later book...

So I decided to do something I NEVER do, and go out of order (gasp, shudder).

I am pleased to report that this worked out fine, and I never felt confused or lost or like I was missing something essential to the enjoyment of this book. I do realize that there's a lot of backstory that I missed, and have the earlier two books on audio hold to catch up, but don't be deterred if you find yourself with these out of order. True, you'll know a few things out of sequence, but they're cozies and it's no great surprise that things work out in the end - knowing that doesn't make the ride any less enjoyable, trust me.

Bannen's Tanria is magical and her characters are marvelous. She has a knack for snarky dialogue and quirky characters that you can't help but fall in love with - even if you, like me, aren't typically a romance reader. The world-building is excellent and even without the background that I'm sure the earlier books provide, I felt wholly immersed in her world from the opening pages with nary a moment of wondering what was going on or what something/someone meant. This was a delightful series and a wonderful find and I'm so eager for the other two books!

✨ ALC Review ✨

I would say we first fell in love with the world @meganbannen created with Tanria and its inhabitants, but boy howdy, did we fall in love with these couples! 😍 Hart & Mercy are outstanding and I’ll never forget their epistolary love story. Frank & Twyla are about my age in their book and I get them on a soul-deep level. Now we have Rosie & Adam. I’ve swooned so hard for Rosie, the 6 1/2 foot immortal demigod with garnet eyes and a predilection for quality undergarments.

Rosie is also a Tanrian marshal, protecting the residents of Bushong. Her partner is a firecracker named Duckers and if you don’t love him, you have no soul.

Because of her demigod existence, she can’t stay dead, but she has died a number of times including at the beginning of this book. Something is wrong with the portals allowing people to move between Bushong and Tanria. When the inventor of the portals, Dr. Adam Lee, comes to repair them, he orders an evacuation, but he and Rosie get stuck inside Tanria. And maybe he knows more about what’s going on with the portals than he’s letting on. And maybe he’s just as fascinated with Rosie as she is with him.

You really do have to have read the first two books before diving into this one. The world that’s built here is mesmerizing- somehow cozy while also being dangerous. And drily funny. So smart and utterly delightful.

This was perfectly narrated by #kacierogers (who also narrated one of my favorite books of last year, Sex, Lies, and Sensibility by @nikkipaynebooks, so you should listen to that too). Kacie brought the perfect tone for our sassy demigod, the gravitas of Adam Lee, and the absolute unseriousness of Duckers.

Highly recommended for lovers of fantastic world building, short kings, and La Perla!

I received this ALC via #netgalley and @hachetteaudio. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romancebooks #fantasybooks #fantasyromance #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #audiobooks #theundercuttingofrosieandadam #meganbannen #aicouldnever

Megan Bannen does it again and the narrator did an amazing job of bringing the world to life. I immersion read this book with the e-arc and audio arc. I am a big Megan Bannen fan and this story did not disappoint. I love that each story is in the same world, but with different characters and different problems. I have actually already pre-ordered the book and plan to meet Megan Bannen for a signing next weekend. I am very excited for this release and I recommend her books to anyone who needs cozy fantasy rom-coms that are witty and funny but not cheesy. Well done Ms. Bannen!

Marshal Rosie Fox is assigned to stay with Dr Adam Lee when he goes to fix Tanria's broken portals, but the portals prove more difficult to fix than expected, and Rosie and Adam end up stuck in Tanria along with Rosie's marshal partner Penrose Ducker and his ex, Zeddi.

I loved how much deeper this got into some of the lore with the new and old gods in this series. And I loved that the time jumps showed how much Tanria and the marshals have changed since the first book in this series. I thought the way the series touched on love and family and death and grief was beautiful.

I thought the narration was very good, and I enjoyed the additional narrator for the section of myths.

I absolutely adored the first two books in this series, so when I obtained an ALC for the third installment, I screamed. I knew that I would adore Megan’s writing, and I was so happy to see the return of some of my favorite characters. In this installment we are treated to much more world building and lore, which I didn’t feel was lacking in the previous entries, so it simply built upon the already solid foundation. This entry felt a lot more like a cozy mystery than anything else, and it is by far the coziest of the three. The pacing is slow, but it is consistent and fits the overall plot and character development well.

Rosie is a confident, independent, loyal and strong FMC with a heart of gold, and Adam is the rock she always needed in her life. I absolutely love this relationship dynamic, and mixed with forced proximity, it was truly the most perfect combination. The romance itself is very slow burn, and there is hardly any spice, which was a change from the previous two in the series, but not really missed by me personally. The side characters are loveable, hilarious, engaging and fun - I only wish we were getting a Duckers and Zettie book (I think I wished this when reading the last book too). They are so perfect, and definitely deserve their own book!
Overall, if you enjoyed the previous books in the series, I have no doubt that you’re going to love this one. If you haven’t had the chance to read the others and you enjoy slow burn fantasy romance with beautiful world building and hilarious banter - please add them to your TBR!

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for this ALC!

5 ⭐ 2 🌶️ 5 🎧

Excuse me while I bawl 😭 I think that was it, I think this was our last trip to Tanria, and I am un freaking well. Megan just wrapped this series up in the most beautiful bow and while I am devastated, I am also so thrilled because what a dang ride that was. I have loved every last trip to this wonderful world and I am grateful for every moment.

I absolutely adored Adam and Rosie. They were so different, but so perfect for each other and I loved watching them fall in love. The handkerchiefs 🥹 the secrets 😳 the undying love 😍 they were just everythinggggg and I couldn't get enough. There were so many little moments with these two...

The epilogues were beyond perfect. I teared up a bit out of sheer happiness that all of these characters I have loved so deeply these past few years were doing so amazingly well in the end.

And the audio was superb. Jim Frangione and Kacie Rogers did a wonderful job bringing these characters and this world to life and I'm so happy I got to listen to them tell this story.

Thank you so much to Orbit for the advanced copies.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the storyline and both main characters. The premise of getting stuck together is always a good one. Plus I love when one character has been enamored with the other for a long time. Also liked how both ended up becoming mortal together. Audiobook was fantastic. Both narrators did a wonderful job!

Well, as usual, I loved it. This book, like the others, is cozy, and sweet, and funny. It’s filled with adventure and also some love. I liked getting to know Rosie more. And see her journey with Adam, Duckers and Pen. See them struggle with being one side of the mist and piece together what has to happen to get back. I think the ending was a bit rushed and I would have loved to see it expanded. And I really hope we still have a book fully dedicated to Duckers. But all in all, super enjoyable.

Thank you Hachette Audio for the early audiobook.

This was my first read in the Hart and Mercy series, and while The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam can be read as a standalone, I could tell there were recurring characters from the earlier books. I think reading those first would have made this feel even more special, but even without that background, I found it incredibly enjoyable.

The book was hilarious in the best way and came at the perfect time for me. I loved diving into the relationships and the intricate mythology surrounding the gods. The world-building was fresh, fun, and layered, and the casual, conversational tone of the narrative made it an easy and delightful listen.

The narrator did a fantastic job capturing the humor and heart of the story. That said, I do wish there had been dual narration. A male voice would have added more depth to the listening experience.

I especially appreciated the role reversal between Rosie and Adam, which felt both intentional and empowering. And I absolutely cried while finishing this one. There was so much heart packed into the final chapters.

Every character had their moment to shine, including the side characters, something I always appreciate in a well-rounded story. And as someone who doesn’t usually read many books about gods, I found this aspect to be fresh and captivating. I’ll definitely be seeking out more mythology-inspired fantasy in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Orbit for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in advance. I’m excited to now go back and read The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy to get the full experience!

This was such a fun and different fantasy!
Pub Date: 7/8/25

You follow Rosie, a beautiful Amazon demigod, and Adam, a pocket king nerdy inventor, on their quest to fix their portals. Something is growing in the cogs of the portals, and only Rosie can see them, and Adam can fix them since he invented them.
You have fantastic side characters, Duckie and the Trickster!
It’s a pretty cozy fantasy, 1-2 peppers for spice. The story is easy to follow.
My only recommendation is to read Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and Undermining of Twyla and Frank first. The third book touches on these characters, and it would’ve been nice to know how they all got to know each other.
Kacie Rogers did a great job bringing the story to life. The extra detail of Jim Frangione sprinkled in the story was a fun treat!

Thank you, NetGalley, Megan Bannen, and Hachette Audio!

This is the third book in the series. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. We learn more about the characters from previous books while diving into a new adventure.

I love Rosie and relate to her personality and attitude a lot. Adam's character starts to make sense the more we get to know him. The twists and turns this story takes are subtle yet impactful. The humor and banter amongst the various pairings of character interactions had me laughing out loud a few times.

Having Hart and Mercy appear again after several years had passed was a nice touch. Readers get to see the after the happily ever after from the first book with new and old family members appearing and being mentioned.

This book really sums up what found family can look like, even with so much trauma in each family members lives. This is a series that I will always hold onto.

It was awesome to receive an advanced copy version of the audiobook as I love the narrator. Thanks to netgalley.

If you enjoy cozy fantasies like The Spellshop or Legends and Lattes, this book is for you. I’ll admit, I didn’t realize The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam is the 3rd book in a series. I wish I could have read the first two books first, but this can certainly be read as a standalone, so it’s not necessary. It was a super fun, cozy, fantasy novel and I appreciated that Rosie and Adam’s romance was a slower burn, and wasn’t the center of attention in the story. There was a good amount of world building, which was helpful since I didn’t read the first two books set in Tanria. Overall, I enjoyed Rosie and Adam’s story and would definitely recommend to other readers. Thank you to Netgalley, Orbit, and Hatchet Audio for the opportunity to read The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam in exchange for an honest review.

**ARC reader**
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an audiobook of this ARC.

I'm rating this a tentative 3 stars. I wanted so badly to love this, but I just never really got drawn into it. Many of the descriptions felt overly detailed for no good reason, and the pacing was so dragged out that I spent a good part of the book mostly bored. It did get better towards the second half, but I personally do not enjoy having to drag myself through +50% of a book to finally get sucked into the plot.

The books emotional core is clear - it's about healing, vulnerability, and choosing connection after heartbreak — but the delivery is rough, and I just couldn't bring myself to care enough about the characters to relate to their struggles.
While Rosie and Adam are clearly meant to be complex, wounded characters with a great deal of baggage, their journey together often feels dragged down by circular conversations and a lack of narrative momentum.
The side characters who are supposed to add charm instead feel underused and fall flat. I cannot remember any of Tuckers lines that didn't involve "fuck" or "WTF".
While the book is not without heart, it ultimately feels more like an extended epilogue than a fully realized novel in its own right.

The narration of this was a saving grace, in fact had the narration for the audiobook not been so good I might actually have DNF'd this one.

I really enjoyed the plot of this book - it had dragons, mystery, mythology, found family, and of course romance. I do feel the pacing was a bit slow, but I enjoyed the little twists of fate! TBH the romance aspect didn’t really do it for me - I’m just not a short king girlie and the way the author described Adam I just kept picturing him as a little old man 👴🏻 with tiny hands. Which was awkward when Rosie is a 7 foot tall Amazon. That being said, the plot of their romance was very cute. All in all I enjoyed the book. The narration was engaging and easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

3.5 ⭐️ as someone who’s read the entire series during each release week I am happy this one finally came out even though I was wishing book 3 was Zeddy and Duckers book but there’s always book 4 am I right!?

This one felt a bit like whiplash with the ultimate slow burn and minimal talking between Rosie and Adam and then all the sudden they were in love. So that part was hard to get behind.

But the storytelling and the magical world is just too cozy to not enjoy. I love the narrator, the covers, and all the vibes throughout this book and the entire series!

I really enjoyed the audible of this book. The narrator did a phenomenal job with all the characters but, Duckers really stood out to me. I've read book one in this series and the narrator portrayed Duckers EXACTLY how I imagined him!
He had me cracking up with his Pocket Man jokes!

I will definitely be going to purchase the audible for Frank and Twyla!