I've been meaning to pick up this series, and when this book crossed my path I was glad to pick it up. Obviously I haven't read any other books in the series now, but now I am more curious. As far as the characters and location go, the author did a pretty good job of catching up new readers, though I am curious where she got the ideas for the mythology. The funeral service was kind of distractingly Christian, but since it was the only thing that pulled me out of the story I didn't mind too much.

Thank you to @HachetteAudio and NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a charming standalone in an interconnected series. Ideally, you'd read the first two books to fully appreciate the world-building—but I didn’t, and honestly, this story held its own. I never felt lost or like I was missing key context.

I loved Rosie! She’s such a fun character—witty, sassy, and unapologetically herself. Adorable. Adam was a sweet addition and an unlikely match for her, yet somehow, they made perfect sense together. I also appreciated the creative curse words—they actually added to the characters' charm.

The story was fast-paced and enchanting. I need to visit Tanria in my dreams someday. And the narration brought the characters to life so well!

Goodreads rating: 3.5 stars

I almost read book 3 before book 2 because I didn't know there was another in the series already out! Had to make a quick detour....

Book 2 was so hilarious; I was a bit disappointed in book 3 for not being as funny and absurd.
This was a good book though. There were multiple layered mysteries which were interesting. As always, the world of Tanria is fascinating. I liked learning more of the lore which I will not spoil here.

(I honestly don't know how to spell any names because I listen to the books and most characters aren't mentioned in the blurbs.) Penrose Duckers is a prominent side character in all 3 books! It occasionally felt like the stories could have been told through his pov instead. It feels wrong that he isn't mentioned in the blurbs!

I liked the atypical bodies of the MCs. Tall girl, short guy!

5⭐️ series!
5⭐️ Book
5⭐️ Narration
Narrated by Kacie Rogers and Jim Frangione
Like Hart and Mercy and Twyla and Frank before, The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam was a heartwarming and funny fantasy romance with a smidge of mystery. I really enjoyed being back in Tanria, meeting the newbies, and catching up with beloved characters.
Rogers' performance captured Rosie's sass, humor, and confidence perfectly (as well as the extended cast).
Such a bittersweet ending to a cozy series.
While you can technically read Rosie and Adam as a stand-alone, you would be missing out on some fun full-circle moments, so I highly recommend reading the entire series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Orbit for the advanced audiobook!

Book: The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam by Megan Bannen
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars!
Audiobook Narration: 5 stars!
Series: Hart and Mercy Book 3, but can be read as a standalone

Extra tall and a little demi-god-touched Rosie has a complicated relationship with her immortality. She's tired of it! She's also tired of her deadbeat God-dad showing up when he fancies and disappearing again. She makes the most of this life, but has begun to feel a strong sense of disillusionment towards the idea of living on forever while those she loves does not. After a brush with non-death (or, rather, dying and coming back), she meets “pocket-sized” Adam - 5’3 or 5’5 WITH SHOES - and finds herself feeling a little intrigued and lusty over this no nonsense man.
I loved both Rosie and Adam. In their quest to repair the portals that allow humans (and demi-gods) access to another plane, Rosie, Adam, and friends find themselves trapped on the other side and unable to make it home.
Expect to see some of the characters from previous books, but do know this can easily be read as a standalone. Megan gives you enough context that you won't be lost going into this story. I have not read book 2, but read book 1, and feel like no previous knowledge of the series is needed to fully grasp this story.
This isn't technically tagged a cozy fantasy in Goodreads, but I'm sorry, it just FEELS SO COZY. Sometimes the stakes are high, but they never feel too high, if you know what I mean. This is a fun, easy read if you want a dose of unique, fun, and funny romantic fantasy.
I really loved Rosie's happy, energetic attitude, especially when paired with Adam's more reserved personality.

Also, I know this is the end of the series, but can we get a novella with Duckers? Please? He is one of the best characters!

Regarding the audiobook narration, it was wonderful. The character did such a great job conveying the emotions of all of the characters. Each character had a distinct voice, the energy was there, and it overall made this book an even better experience.

3.5 - I’m honestly a bit sad to leave the world of Tanria & Eternity behind since this is the third book in the trilogy.

•tall FMC x short MMC
•massive age gap
•single third person POV (except one chapter)
•more dragons & donuts

The first book is far and away the best! This was still a fun time, but for a book about Rosie & Adam, there sure was A LOT of time spent on Z & Duckers and I kinda wish the whole thing was about them instead.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t think I’ll ever get over how unique and amazing this world is. With every book in this series I fall more in love with its whimsy and charm.

Rosie has such a unique personality as she’s been alive for over 150 years and is unable to die. She loves what she loves and puts a brave face on everyday knowing she’ll have to watch those she loves leave her one day. For a girl with such a big personality to watch her interact with Adam who is dry and quiet is one of my favorite dynamics.

The lore we find out about the gods and the history of their world in this book is amazing and getting to see the passage of time with all our favorites from the past books too.

Glad I got the audio arc of this in exchange for a review

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook!

As a big fan of the Hart & Mercy series, I was SO excited for this book. Overall, it’s my least favorite of the 3, but it’s still excellent. So this book gets a 4/5, while the first two were an easy 5/5.

The good:
- World-building: As with the other 2 books, Megan Bannen knows how to build a world and take you there. Everything is so vivid, and you really feel like you’re in it with the characters.
- Very feminist: easily avoids all of the icky and/or sexist tropes you see in a lot of books. For example, instead of the centuries old man + the teenage woman, we have a 200 year old woman and a thousand year old man (still an age gap, but once you’ve lived over 50 years, does it really matter?). We also have a woman who’s taller than the man, and I love that she’s not conventionally attractive.

The not as good:
- The beginning was a bit rough. It kinda throws you into everything, and not in a good way.
- The romance was not very developed. In the last 2 books, I remember being giddy for the two main characters to finally get together. In this book it just sort of felt like the relationship was built off page.


In terms of the narration: I went back and forth on whether my opinions on it. As someone who listens to A LOT of audiobooks, I might have been judging it a bit too harshly (this is also my first audiobook ARC, so I am putting more thought into it than usual). Overall, I think I would give it a 3.75/5. There were some tone and pacing issues— for example, it was often difficult to tell when the words were meant to be something the main character was thinking or something she was saying out loud, and there were a few times where it wasn’t clear that a different character had started speaking. There was also the voice of Duckers, being someone who listened to the audiobooks for the first 2 books in the series, the voice she chose for him really threw me off at first and made him feel like a different character. It is also possible that this change was needed though, given that Duckers is 10 years older than he was in book 2. Outside of that, the narration was great!

Overall though, a very lovely read!

Thank you so much Hachette Audio and Netgalley for an ALC! ✨💌

First and foremost, I must say that I didn't know that The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam was a part of a series until I was halfway through. If I had a cent every time this happened, I'd have 3 cents so far lol. But nonetheless I had fun with it.

Now, it does say it can be read as a standalone, but I would suggest otherwise because I was hella confused and felt like there was context missing, worldbuilding wise. So be smart (unlike me) and start from the first one. From what I could grasp, the story is set in a unique an peculiar world. I might be wrong, but it loosely reminded me of Greek mythology as well.

With that being said, the heart of the story is the family drama between Rosie, our protagonist, and the Trickster, a god and her father. In my opinion, this storyline was more prominent than the love story, and definitely more complex and elaborate.

The love story between Rosie and Adam however bloomed from nowhere and they honestly didn't really have chemistry. It was all a bit insta-lovey and it kind of got overwhelming by the end. I did like them togehter, but I feel like I needed their relationship to be more developed before I-love-yous.

However I did love the way their destinies were intertwined without them even knowing and how the story wrapped up. Adam's backstory was such and interesting and tragic one, it felt very fairytale-like.

Narrator did an amazing job and I loved how she conveyed Rosie's sass and quirk and her fun character in general. She was also pretty great with male voices and her portrayal of Adam and his quiet and withdrawn self was on point.

I'll definitely be checking out the first two books, the glimpses of previous stories in this one caught my attention. ✨

Okay, let’s talk about this floral feud because… WOW. This book is pure chaos in the best way. Rosie and Adam are rival florists who will stop at NOTHING to sabotage each other—petty pranks, dramatic meltdowns, and the kind of banter that makes you grin like an idiot. And of course, all that tension? Yeah… it turns into something else real quick. Enemies-to-lovers fans, you’re eating GOOD here.

The audiobook narrators absolutely nailed it. Dual narration that makes the characters pop, with all the sass, sarcasm, and those little vulnerable moments that sneak up on you. Honestly, it felt like listening to a rom-com unfold in real time—fun, witty, and super easy to binge.

Now, why 4 stars instead of 5? The middle dragged a bit for me, and some of the petty antics felt a little extra after a while (like… guys, take a breath). But overall? It’s funny, chaotic, romantic, and had me giggling through traffic. A perfect pick if you love workplace rivals, over-the-top drama, and a slow-burn payoff that’s worth it.

4.5 shiny stars! A delightfully weird, wildly charming fantasy rom-com that proves once again that opposites definitely attract—especially in Tanria, where the undead are a nuisance and love stories are always a little unhinged.

Rosie is a chaotic queen of oversharing, while Adam is a walking mystery wrapped in broody silence—and together? They are adorable! The banter and the unexpected swooniness had me grinning like a soft cantaloupe (if you know, you know 🍈😂).

The world is as quirky and well-built as ever—easy to follow, yet totally unique. I laughed out loud, cheered at the return of the legendary Mary Georgina 🐉 (icon), and fully embraced the plot weirdness because, let’s be real, that’s part of the Tanria charm.

Also: the audiobook narration was so good. I’d listen to these characters argue or flirt any day of the week. Honestly, this might just be my favorite of the three!

Another enjoyable book in this fun series! Megan Bannen has a knack for creating a quirky and vibrant world filled with exciting and foul mouthed characters. The story of Rosie and Adam was super weird in the best of ways. I loved how Adam's character was slowly revealed and how strong and open Rosie was. Their relationship was slow burn wonderfulness. I especially loved the presence of the gods in this book, it added a new layer and was really intriguing. Ducker is a delight and the bond he and Rosie share was so sweet and hilarious. I definitely recommend this one, the narrator was terrific.

waiiit... this was so much fun!

this is my first time reading a fantasy book with a comedic humor in it. and to be honest, i was laughing the whole time (especially penrose and rosie). aside from that, i was awe at the setting (not to mention the dragons were so cute)

but i'm struggling with the time jumps. but since this the first book i've read from this author, i've want to continue reading the first two books to better understand. also, there's a lot of gen-z slang that i cannot handle. but i understand that since it's their humor even though they're in a fantasy setting

for the audiobook, the narration was great. i love how the female narrator saying these lines in an sassy way. but i'm sad for the male narrator because he got one part. but nonetheless, it was well-narrated

It was so good to be back in Tanria!! I listened to the audiobook which did such a good job bringing Rosie, Adam, and all of the other characters to life brilliantly! I loved every minute of Rosie and Adam's - sometimes terrifying - adventures and having Duckers and Zeddie along for the ride made it even more enjoyable!! I'm sad to see this series end but I've loved every minute of it!!

Sad it’s the end of the series.
Wonderful world building, quirky characters with heartwarming and often humorous romance in a fantasy setting.
I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next

I can't not express how much I loved this book. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful trilogy and the narrators did a fantastic job to bring these characters to life.

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam is a true gem. Megan Bannen does it again, as this book goes perfectly with the prior two in the series and I loved it. The premise of the story kept me interested the whole time and was a great continuation of the previous books. I found Rosie to be absolutely adorable and I loved that she had no filter. Adam will for sure grow on you and you will love him as well. I love Duckers and Z and was happily surprised that they were such a big part of this book. The ending was pure perfection. These books are such a feel good series. I listened to the audiobook and both of the narrators did a great job. 🧡💜

I would like to thank Hachette Audio and NetGalley for giving me an ARC (which did not sway my opinions or review).

I just adore this series.

What I liked:

I freaking love Rosie. A high energy, strong cowgirl to offset the restrained, mysterious doctor.

This has the perfect blend of humor and action. I was laughing in one scene and gasping in another. This is an audiobook that I did not want to put down.

I love the supporting characters - Zeddy and Duckers, Harr and Mercy, the Trickster, and of course, the dragons.

What didn’t work for me:

Nothing major.

While I love this series, this one has to be my least favorite. I know we are focusing on wrapping stuff up, but it seemed like a lot was shoved into the book to "get it over with." Rosie is an absolute delight. I really enjoyed her character and character arc. However, Adam was as stale as they come. Rosie actually pokes fun at this fact, so it definitely seemed intentional. Rosie's attraction to that didn't help me to like him any better though. As stated previously (in many other reviews), I will always dislike friends to lovers a little bit. Now, this wasn't quite as bad as Twyla and Frank. They didn't spend every day around one another leading up to them getting together, but it lacked the tension I prefer in an etl romance. Overall, I have really enjoyed this series though and I love the tie ins to the previous books. I had fun.

~3.5, rounded up~
RECAP: After 157 years, immortal demigod Rosie Fox is tired of life—and dying, again, in a shadowy portal doesn’t help. Her actions force the portal’s creator, the secretive Dr. Adam Lee, to step in, but when all portals fail, the two end up trapped together in the Mist. As Rosie digs into Adam’s guarded past, she realizes their thorny histories may hold the key to saving each other—if they can escape before time runs out.

REVIEW: I wouldn't say this was my favorite of the Hart & Mercy series, but I still enjoyed it & found it cute! Nice ending to the overall series as well - unless Megan Bannen has another book for us up her sleeve... ? With that said, I loved seeing how everything turned out for the characters from the earlier books. This is a great read for anyone who wants a heartfelt story set in a magical world with low stakes. I will say that there was definitely an 'insta-love' aspect to it, but I didn't mind it so much, given what the 2 characters had been through / were going through.