As a big fan of Megan Bannen’s Tanria series, I was excited to return to this world, but The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam didn’t quite hit the same high notes as the first two books for me.

It took a while for the story to find its rhythm. Rosie’s weariness with her immortal life was well drawn, and Adam’s guarded nature added intrigue, especially as his mysterious past slowly came to light. The gradual reveal of his backstory was one of the book’s strongest elements.

While I appreciated the emotional payoff and felt the ending was exactly what Rosie needed, I wanted more build-up in the romance. The connection between Rosie and Adam had potential, but it didn’t always feel fully developed.

Still, there’s warmth, wit, and heart here, along with a meaningful message about finding purpose even after a lifetime of feeling stuck. A solid addition to the series, though not my favorite. Would recommend to fans, especially for Rosie’s well-earned happy ending.

Thank you Hachette Audio for my ALC!

This installment yet again is a pure delight to read, I have loved this series from the get go and I have to say this one might be a strong competitor for Hart and Mercy. We return once again to dreamy yet chaotic Tanria this time to dive deep into the story of the immortal demigod Rosie and the super genius Adam who is an adorable grump to Rosie's eternal sunshine.

When the several portals around Tanria start to malfunction, Adam Lee, the inventor is called to find a probable cause and a solution to fix them. However, a mishap traps Adam, Rosie, Duckers and Zeddy on the other side of portal forcing them to work together for the common cause. Sparks fly literally and figuratively resulting in yet another magical, heartwarming, romantic, cozily mysterious adventure that felt like a hug overall. The little found family and an occasionally cameo of beloved characters from the previous installments made it all the more fun.

Audio Specific Notes:
I have said it in the past and I will say it again, this series has one of the best audio productions. I read the entire series on audio and I wholeheartedly say that my enjoyment is doubled because I chose the audio version for this series. The narrator did a fantastic job in this installment as well by giving each character a unique voice while keeping the ambiance and spirit of Tanria intact. The audio narration truly transports you to this charming little world with such meaningful stories embedded in them.

I would give this talented narrator 5 stars. She had a task to make a cast of mainly male voices distinct and not in a laughable over the top way. The contents of the book however I would give 3 stars. Sadly this novel in the series felt more like it was written for a younger audience. Rosie who is 157? Acts like a teen goofball through most of the story and couldn't grow up and just talk to her dad even once through all those years. The twist of the Briar Thief could truly be seen a mile away. But still I will always enjoy this world with glitter barfing dragons and demigods.

This book is the find of sweet that hurts your heart. The appreciation for a time for life and a time for death. The yearning of a love you would be willing to lay down everything for including your life. The kind of love that lasts a lifespan.

The plot of the story is encapsulating, the growth of the characters emotional and far immense.

I could read it again, and I would still cry with the sorrow and sadness that this book encompasses.

I did not finished.
Rosie instantly turned me off. She was very immature. Her cat had “fartface” in their name.
It’s unfortunate because I enjoyed the narrators voice.
I rated this as a 1 because NetGalley requires a star rating but I won’t be adding a star rating on other platforms.

I love this quirky and at times super deep cast of characters! a refreshing fantasy novel with original lore, that doesn't feel like an epic slog through 1000s of new words. places etc.
the audio version was fantastic!
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this arc.

Having enjoyed the first two books in this series I knew I would definitely be picking up this one as well and it did not disappoint.

Megan Bannen writes such interesting plots and I really enjoyed learning more about the gods and the lore behind the world.

The way Kacie narrated the book was exactly how I would picture it based on the characters and previous books in the series and she did a great job conveying the characters emotions.

Overall a very enjoyable time and I would recommend.

I didn't expect to love it so much because I have had so many misses in cozy fantasies because at times it turned out to be repetitive and boring tbh. But I loved this one. All I can think of is the pink dragons with meep sounds. Omg I love them.
This is nothing like what i usually love, it doesn't have much banter, the romance plot is not prominent, but I lived this one
Age gap 😅
Gods, Demi gods, human
Sunshiney, no filter demi god FMC
grumpy and mysterious like an old man MMC
Amazing, funny, found family side characters
Dragons, did I mention cutie patootie but enormous dragons?
There is a mystery element, and a whole history behind it. I was intrigued from the beginning. Adam Lee, is the softest, gentlest old man I have ever met. But don't be put out by "old man", there is a lot going on here in terms of timelines and ages, you will understand once you read.
Just because I don't want to start every line with 'i loved', I am changing the rest of my review here. 😅
The found family dynamics, the side characters from previous books whom I know only through the titles of the books, everything is perfect.

I loved their pair to bits. This was a wonderful read.

Thank you NetGalley for an ALC of The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam in exchange of my honest opinion.

With this last installment, Megan Bannen closed the series with an adorable tale in the world of Tanria.

I love that Megan does not shy away from playing with main characters that are different than the conventional stereotype for the romantasy (and even cozy fantasy) genre. Here we have a female demigod that is tall, impulsive and, as usual, funny! In contrast, we have a short king (seriously, the first book I even read that the male main character was just as tall or shorter than the female main character, and I was here for it!).

Overall, this was a good read with the same complex characters and funny situations that Bannen usually offers; however, I feel that the romance was slightly toned down on the angst and intimate (not sex) moments. Although the Undermining of Twyla and Frank was by far my favorite, I still had a great time with this book.
The narration also did a great job in bringing these characters to life and especially with the delivery of funny moments. It's not easy to make some dialogue sound funny.

I loved this series and I'm sorry to see it end! This was a lovely conclusion, and I am such a fan of the way Megan Bannen writes in tall heroines, us tall girls need love too! The audio production was also lovely, and the narrators do a wonderful job!

Another fun addition to the world of Tanria! I love that these books can be standalones but also give a glimpse of characters we know and love. The return of Penrose Duckers and Zetty Birsdsall made me very happy (although I'm still holding out for a book about them). I enjoyed the audiobook version with Kacie Rogers primarily voicing the cast. The world of Tanria and especially the dragons were brought to life while creating nuanced character voices. Each book in this series builds the lore of the world in a way that isn't too taxing on the reader. I'll always pick up a Megan Bannen read and look forward to this book coming out July 8, 2025.

This was, unfortunately, a soft DNF for me, and I say soft because I am open to reading the previous books in the series for any missed context and re-attempting this read in the future. But I did enjoy elements of what I listened to, so it still gets a 2.5/5 for me <3

The narrations were wonderful, and Kacie Rogers was my biggest reason for pushing through as far as I did. I wasn't vibing with Rosie as a character, but how she was narrated was excellent. I loved her sense of humour and comedic timing.

The rom-com fantasy genre is normally something that I adore, but overall, the fantasy elements felt very chaotic and hard to follow at times, and ultimately didn't tick the right boxes to keep me engaged. However, I do think I probably would have benefited from reason the previous novels first.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the ALC

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I have wanted more about Rosie since the first mention of her in ‘The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy’. I was further intrigued by her presence in the second book. This book was her time to shine, and boy did she! I loved the depth that was given to her character, with the exploration of her past, her thoughts on her immortality and her god father. All the little details Bannen adds to Rosie’s character really paint a vivid portrait of her and how she exists in the world.

Adam was also a welcome addition. He’s mysterious and closed off and such a different character than anyone else in this series. We slowly get to learn more about him, and the development of his relationship with Rosie feels so natural. They’re both drawn to each other, though Rosie is clueless about Adam’s interest for some time (this led to some pretty funny moments).

The plot was fun, with lots of suspense and even some tension. Will they ever make it out of Tanria? Will they fix the portals? Why is this all happening? I did have some theories, and one ended up being correct, but it didn’t feel like it was too obvious. And I think the reveal was well done.
I loved that Zeddie and Duckers were such a big part of this story, with Duckers being Rosie’s partner. The story is set roughly ten years after the second book and getting to see where all the characters from past books are in their life was lovely. It makes the world feel full, and like it really exists outside of what is happening in the story.

The audiobook itself was (once again) brilliantly done. The narrator is so easy to listen to and does an excellent job of distinguishing between character voices. I highly recommend listening to the whole series in audiobook if you can.

Overall, I really hope that we get more stories in this world.

such a cute and cozy read!! I’ve really enjoyed this series and I’m so sad it’s over now. absolutely going to go down as a top comfort reread for me🥹

Rosie and Adam are working together to repair the portal to Tanria, but Rosie spends that time quietly swooning while also figuring out how to fall back in love with life again. It’s heartfelt, funny, and full of charm. The slow burn romance was everything🤭

The narration was spot on too. Super easy to follow and brought all the emotions to life in the best way. So worth the wait!

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Netgalley and author Megan Bannen for my advanced listener copy (ALC) of The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam. This was a very anticipated release for me this year, so I am incredibly grateful. I have read/listened to the two other books prior and this series has quickly become one of my favorite comfort reads. I find myself going back to read Hart and Mercy often to get back to the cozy vibes. This book did not disappoint - I devoured it in 4 days! Rosie was a fun and quirky character. Adam was sweet and gentle, and I loved the twist in his story. I really enjoyed getting lost in their love story. I loved the nods to the previous characters as well and seeing where life had taken them since their books. I also really enjoyed the author returning to Pen and Zeddy as I was sad about where their story/relationship had left off in the second book. The only thing I did not like was the insta-lust/insta-love part of the story between Rosie and Adam but it was easily overlooked for me. The narrator (Kacie Rogers) did a great job with her pronunciation and her voice acting for the different characters – I felt that each one had a unique voice. Overall, I give this story at 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5/5 for Goodreads!)

This series is the best, and this installment lives up to its predecessors. The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam is a bit of mystery, a lot of romance in a fun world. I'm truly sad this is the last installment in the Hart and Mercy series.

Rosie: a tall older Demigod who love sexy undergarments.
Adam: a short, younger uptight portal fixer.
Together: a found family

Great to visit with the series previous series characters, especially Duckers. My heart couldn't be happier for him and his husband.

Thank you Hatchette Audio

This was such a great ending for the series. I really enjoyed this! This series as a whole is so quirky and fun. It was also great to see previous characters, where they ended up, and how they were doing in this final book.

Rosie was hilarious and I loved the mystery surrounding Adam. Certain side characters really made this book shine. I was so excited we got more of them! My only complaint is I wouldn’t have minded seeing the romance a little earlier in the story. I think I still probably like Hart and Mercy’s story the most, but this is a close second.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve now read the entire Hart and Mercy series, and without a doubt, it’s a five-star journey from start to finish. The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam was a wild, fun ride, and I’m honestly so sad it’s over.

This story follows Rosie Fox, an immortal demigod who’s grown deeply tired of her unending life. Until she dies (again) while investigating a portal overrun with shadowy thorns. Enter Dr. Adam Lee, the uptight inventor of the portal, who arrives to repair the damage. But when a sudden evacuation traps the two of them inside the Mist, Rosie is determined to break through Adam’s frosty demeanor. Of course, Adam’s hiding more than just a few feelings, and his secrets may be just as thorny as the vines keeping them trapped.

As with the other books in the series, the standout elements here are the characters and the world. I loved seeing more of the universe; new locations, fresh lore, and even some gods! The world continues to expand in ways that are surprising and satisfying, all without losing its cozy, character-driven charm. And speaking of characters: Rosie and Adam absolutely stole my heart. Rosie especially. (Though I was delighted we also got more Pen and Zeddie!)

Rosie and Adam together? An actual dream! They’re complete opposites in the best possible way. Adam is deadpan, serious, and often humorless, but he’s also incredibly sweet, thoughtful, and quietly funny (and short. My short king <3). Rosie, on the other hand, is a tall, reckless demigod with very little regard for her own safety. She’s bold, confident, knows exactly what she wants, and doesn’t hesitate to go after it. Their chemistry is electric and weirdly comforting at the same time. My only hesitation was that the romance moved a little fast, and while that is in character to some degree, it felt a bit too soon for me personally.

The plot did slow down at times, which I mostly didn’t mind since those moments were used to build the relationships and deepen the emotional core of the story. But there were points where the momentum dipped a little too much. I did guess one of the twists early, but even so, it was a great reveal and well-executed. Overall, the story stayed engaging, cozy, funny, and heartfelt. I read it all in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down!

I also listened to the audiobook, and I can’t recommend it enough! Kacie Rogers is perfect for this story. She brings so much personality to each character, with distinct voices and even accents that made it easy to follow who was speaking at any given moment (a must in audiobooks!). There’s also a chapter narrated by Jim Frangione, which surprised me at first since it came out of nowhere, but it ended up being a brilliant choice. That chapter really needed a tonal shift to emphasize how important and different it was, and he nailed it!

In the end, I absolutely loved this book. It’s filled with funny moments, swoony romance, and surprisingly deep reflections on immortality, loneliness, and connection. I truly believe anyone could pick up this series and fall in love with it. I know I did!

I love when I can pick up any book in the series and not need a ton of prior knowledge! I read the first book (Hart & Mercy), but couldn't get into the second one. I wanted to read this one anyway, which I'm so glad I did because I loved it! The lore is so expansive for a romance series, I love learning more about it. I did not expect the plots twist when we learn Adam is the briar thief!!

Welcome back to Tanria!

The newest book from the Hart and Mercy series focuses on Rosie, a demi-god who is known for dying, and Adam, the genius but stoic inventor of the portals that lead into Tanria. When the portals start to fail, an emergency evacuation of Tanria is declared, leaving Rosie and Adam trapped in Tanria alone. As the two work together to make their way back over the mist, Rosie is determined to break Adams's cool exterior and learn what secrets hide beneath.

I was excited to see that there would be a third book in the Hart and Mercy series. I loved the first two books. Rosie has always been a fun character with her quirk of dying continuously. This book was the perfect way to end a trilogy. Not only do we get the romance between Rosie and Adam, but we also get to see the characters from the previous books ten years later. I loved learning about the future of Hart and Mercy and discovering if Duckers and Zeddy's relationship survived after all these years. This cozy fantasy gives readers the conclusion we've all been waiting for.

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam is out July 8th.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Orbit Books for the opportunity to review The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam. all thoughts and opinions are my own.