A well written, entertaining, and unusual fantasy rom-com. I never read a fantasy rom-com before and thoroughly enjoyed this one.
The characters are likeable and fleshed out, I rooted for them and hoped for the best. I liked the world building and the storytelling.
I want to read other books by this author as I enjoyed this one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

One of my favorite books of this year so far. Enemies to lovers, miscommunication but ultimately a sweet romance.

Thought I was going to have my own heart broken at one point but it worked out. If it hadn't I probably would have cried! Would recommend this book!

My Rating: 4.5/5
---
This book was an absolute delight and I’d recommend to read it in fall or winter. It was a balm to my soul, reminding me that we need to live a little more- for us and for the ones that matter-before we run out of time.
---
Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for providing me the eARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this book! It was a sweet and funny fantasy romance. It had enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine tropes which I enjoyed! The character were well written and likeable. I just over all thought this was a unique fun fantasy and definitely recommend!

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a true ‘romantasy'; a bit of an enemies to lovers tale, set in a weird and wonderful fantasy world. Having said that it isn’t like any fantasy romance I’ve read before, no quests, fae or lost royalty. The storyline felt more like a romance with only really the setting revealing the fantastical elements. There is also a mystery element to the story which centres around those fantasy features.
The story is told through the point of view of both Mercy, an upbeat, vintage loving, undertaker, and Hart, a grumpy, friendless, marshal, and a demigod. The two characters start off loathing each other, and the bickering between them is fantastic. The romance that develops is so sweet and had me grinning like a loon and hugging the book to my chest.
After the halfway point, the mystery in the story takes a bit more of a primary focus. This is compelling and intriguing, not just the mystery itself but also working out the intricacies of this fantasy world. This is the only point that I felt needed something, a map or a glossary at the beginning would have really helped me visualise everything my brain sometimes tripped over. It wasn’t enough to detract from the story though, and didn’t even hinder me enough to lose that five star magic this book definitely had.
I absolutely loved this book, the characters are wonderful and the story had be laughing and crying. A definite five stars from me, and I can’t wait to read it again!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for offering me an arc of this book.

3.5*

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is an entertaining romantic fantasy, with some genuinely funny laugh out loud and endearing moments.

This is a book in which I enjoyed the side characters the most; Duckers by far was my absolute favourite and his interactions with Hart were some of the best scenes: from their work relationship to their friendship. The nimkilim (talking animals who deliver mail) were sassy and fantastic, particularly Bassareus, and a great addition to the quirkiness of this world.

For the most part I found the worldbuilding intriguing and fun, but I was also confused by it and would have liked more explanation to understand it better and more description to gain a better feel of the world to fully immerse in it. However, the concept of the marshalls, the drudges and their origin was cool.

The main element of this story is the romance and sadly I didn’t feel as invested as I’d hope because I didn’t feel grounded in the foundations of the dislike between Hart and Mercy, and it felt like unnecessary conflict, especially as neither of them knew or remembered why they had any animosity against the other. Even though Mercy and Hart knew each other, their romance also felt rushed and not merited, and I wish there was more to the breakdown of their animosity rather than the solo event. However, I liked the letter element of this book and getting to know Hart and Mercy through them and the fact that they could express themselves through them, but I was also expecting deeper development and emotionally it felt a little superficial.

Overall, this book was a fun, enjoyable read and would appeal to anyone looking for a light-hearted romantic fantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really loved this book. It was sweet, funny, thoughtful and sensitive, and I loved the characters of both Hart and Mercy. Enemies to lovers is always a really fun trope when done well, and this was certainly done well. The underlying plot about Tanria was also compelling and the supporting characters were great. I think this will be a new comfort read!

I will preface this by saying that fantasy romance isn't my usual cup of tea, however, I have been known to enjoy fantasy romance from time to time. Since the story contained one of my favourite configurations of romantic tropes (Grumpy x Sunshine) I decided to give it a go.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy follows Mercy, who works as an undertaker at Birdsall & Sons, where her father has been unable to manage due to his failing health. Hart, on the other hand, is a marshal whose job involves patrolling Tanria, where the Old Gods were once banished, and where dredges exist to do harm to others.

Due to the nature of their jobs, Mercy and Hart are often forced to interact with each other, and they hate each other, seeming to set each other off on sight, and this has been true from the moment they've met. However, through their narratives, we can tell that they are both similar, if not for the ways they view the world, for how they live: both are lonely and consumed with their work.

I enjoyed the light but detailed narration, where the revelations are crafted well to serve the character arcs, supporting rather than overwhelming the story. The side characters, too, were entertaining, and I loved Pen and Mercy's messy, loud family. The letters worked well in the story as well, and I appreciated that it didn't take up too much of the story, rather they served as a device for us to learn more about Mercy and Hart's interior lives and how they could begin to relate to each other.

Some things that I wished I could like more were Mercy and Hart themselves, because some of their behaviour seemed a bit immature or inconsistent, and I didn't love how their conflict was drawn out unnecessarily, seemingly because both are entirely too proud to actually communicate with each other. Hart, I can understand, but Mercy should have a better grasp of the situation than she seemed to in the book. I was also thrown off by how they got together so quickly, since the enemy-to-lovers dynamic seemed to shift so quickly, where bad behaviours were explained away simply by saying that one had loved the other this whole time, and the other completely changing their perspective on the first after a near-death experience. It was so abrupt that I found it unbelievable, and this stayed with me for a good portion of the story afterward.

Overall, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was an entertaining read, I just wish the romantic elements of the story worked better for me. As a cosy fantasy standalone, it was uncomplicated and easy to read, and the story was unique and refreshing.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley to provide me with this book.

I really enjoyed reading it from the beginning. I liked Hart and I liked Mercy. Both have been described very well and funny by the author. I have never read such a great romance like this book had. In between you can find old gods and weird creatures. All very well described as well. I liked how Hart and Mercy wrote letters to each other. It was so cute.

It was very easy to get into the story. It has been written very well and was an easy on going story. Its definitely not the last book by this author I have read. This was a clearly 5* stars read for me and I can recommend this to all fantasy and young aldult book lovers. Its a beautiful mix between fantasy and romance.

Because I liked the book cover so much with its colourful dustjacket, I have now decided I need this book as a special edition in my shelf and bought a copy from fairyloot recently.

I’m not really sure where to start with this review…

This was the cliche “tale of two halves” - the first half of the book was quite honestly, pretty boring and extremely confusing! Whereas the second half, whilst still a bit confusing, was so much better and I really enjoyed it.

I’ll start with the first half. I was very tempted to DNF. I didn’t because I was reading an advanced copy, otherwise I probably would have. I really liked the idea and quirkiness of the story, but nothing much had happened up to that point, which I could have accepted if there had been lots of world building and some explanation of the weird and wonderful elements (what the heck is an autoduck??) but that didn’t happen either. The pen pal element was mildly interesting and I really loved Duckers but other than that I wasn’t overly invested in the story or main characters up to that point.

However once the book got going, I really enjoyed it. I loved the banter between the different characters - Hart and Duckers, Hart and Mercy, Mercy and Lil. These relationships brought the book to life and I found myself speed reading through the second half. Although some of the elements were still confusing, (autoduck anyone?? I’m imagining a submarine type car but really who knows!!), the storyline began to take shape and the romance between Hart and Mercy was quite sweet.

Overall, this definitely had the potential to be a 5 star read for me but for that to happen the whole book needed to be more like the second half, or there needed to be more descriptions to help explain some of the fantasy aspects and keep me engaged. As it is, it didn’t quite live up to the interesting concept, therefore I’m rating it 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Little, Brown Book Group UK - Orbit) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

5*'s. The vibes of this book are immaculate. The fantastical world that is slowly explained without being informed-dumpy - check. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic with a side order of grumpy mentor and I only like your dog - check. The you've got mail inspiration was everything I love that film so much even if in my heart I know I should hate the corporate behemoth! Thankfully Hart was not subject to the terrible capitalist nonsense of Tom Hanks and I loved him! Mercy was also great and I loved seeing her come into her own! Hart-ache and Mercy-less forever! Also I loved Pen but Zeddie grated on me for a lot of this book! Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an early copy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

It's only September, so I suppose this could change, but I'm calling it now. This is my favourite book of 2022. I may now be Megan Bannen's biggest fan. She has completely won my soul and I would become a drudge to get more stories in this world.

I adore this book. I adore Mercy and Hart and their families and the world-building, the lore!! The lore is so unique. Who would have thought a western-inspired, vaguely apocalyptic, zombie-esque, yet sort of 60's inspired, with a hint of the American funeral industry world would be so fantastic, and work so seamlessly? The mythology is so developed, detailed, and eplained to us cleverly and deftly throughout the novel, with no info-dumps or boring exposition. The invented religion of the New Gods is fantastic; it slightly mirrors religions from our world whilst being its own thing entirely. It doesn't seem to be based off any one mythos, and has a distinct flair coming from Bannen.

And there are giant anthropormorphic animal postpeople who are sassy and fashionable and amazing. Literally what more could a book give me?

AND MERCY AND HART. They are complex, developed, detailed, and wonderful characters. I fell in love with both of them and their relationship. Completely sweet, spicy, fun and heartfelt all at the same time. All the supporting characters from Pop, Zeddie, and Lilian to Duckers, Alma, and Diane were all wonderful additions with their own developed storylines. I loved them.

This book is everything. It is a perfectly crafted, romantic, sexy, hilarious, sci-fi, fantasy read with enemies to lovers, a mystery, bittersweet moments, found family and real family, zombies, and a takedown of corporate funeral homes (someone recommend this book to Caitlin Doughty ASAP). I literally could not love it more and I cannot think of a single reason why someone would dislike it.

If you are a human or human-ish creature, you will enjoy this book, and you should read it so we can all bask in Megan Bannen's glory.

A thousand stars.

I never knew I needed this book as much as I did, this is just so fantastic, I laughed, cried, cried so much I would forget wether happy or sad crying ! This is such a wonderful blend of fantasy, humour and the macabre, that you won’t want to put it down

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion .

Thank you Net Galley and Little, Brown Book Group UK (Orbit) for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am predicting this to be a new High Fantasy Enemies-to-Lovers classic. I loved how the structure of this novel included so many letters, it really helped portray the character’s emotions. Mercy works in the family undertakers and Hart works as a marshal. They start off hating each other. Hart and Mercy begin writing to their secret pen pal and begin to care about them, but they don’t know that they’re writing to each other.

This is a really enjoyable read and I wouldn’t only recommend this to fantasy lovers - the fantasy aspect of it is not overwhelming.

I didn’t like this as much as i thought it would.

This was a romance in a fantasy setting which is something I’d usually love, but in order for me to do that I’d have to care and be attached to the characters and the main couple and I just couldn’t. the first 30% was good but my attention just started regressing after that and I find myself not caring about Hart and Mercy at all. Hhart especially, I’m sorry but I think I’ve had enough of big brooding guy who is “actually a big softie!!!!” in books for a while.

The romance did not click for me at all. The gist of this book was supposed to be Hart and Mercy being letter pals but they’re getting together was just too quick and I'd honestly love to see more of them being letter pals to be developed more before the romance starts. I'd honestly say this was way too insta-love for me as well bc even if they claim they hate each other, They were already attracted to each other like not even half in lmao. I also did not like the miscommunication in this book at all. Granted, that trope is just my least favorite but the way it was dragged on in this one was making me feel crazy,

I will say though, i like the exploration of loneliness in this book and I think the author wrote this part perfectly. I also really like the dynamic between Hart and Duckers but that’s just about it. I don’t think I've ever felt so unattached to a book before and I just wanted it to be over.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Uk for the arc!

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is an entrancing fantasy/ romance/ Western(ish) story of mistaken intentions, overcoming obstacles and - in the proper place - intense sex.

Mercy Birdsall is an undertaker, the glue that holds Birdsall & Son (ha!) together following her father's heart attack and her brother's decision to abandon the family firm for other opportunities (it's not so bad - he can rustle up killer baked goods)..

Hart Ralston is a Tanrian Marshal, a loner much given - during his patrols out in the wilderness - to brooding on his past. Hart's task is to guard the strange alt-region of Tanria, formerly prison of the Old Gods, to prevent revenants from troubling the good folks of the surrounding lands. And to prevent the good folks from messing with Tania, because no good will come of THAT. (For Reasons, modern tech won't work in Tanria so it's a matter of horses, crossbows and campfires in there - giving this story that distinct Western vibe).

It would be an understatement to say that Hart and Mercy got off on the wrong foot when they first met, a couple of years ago. Perhaps they got off on the wrong set of legs? We gradually learn the story behind this, and can see the misunderstandings and misconceptions that occurred, but at the start of the book you just have to accept that the two hate and despise one another (so, yes, enemies to lovers may be hovering in the background). Bannen gets to the heart of this by having them correspond (unknowingly) so that we get a glimpse of the people they really are - or at least, the ones they would each like their anonymous penpal to believe they are.

If that all seems highly unlikely, well I suppose it is, but Bannen has a real trick for feeding one's willing suspension of disbelief. It may be because the characters themselves are down to earth and so emotionally credible, or it may be that the setting - while fantastical - is so well established with its own quirks and features. (Although not stated explicitly, everything is very aquatic, with amphibious vehicles, a "dock" at the back of the undertaker's business, and a whole religion based around the concept of the "salt sea" - for example, Hart & Soon makes "boats" for the dead, not coffins - which totally convinces).

Or it may just be that, gosh, can Bannen just write! I wanted to know how the story twists would unfold - how the family crises, the dire financial state of the business, and Hart's burden of guilt and shame - would play out. I wanted to know whether, and how, Hart and Mercy would get together. And I just wanted more, more domestic details, family wrangles and business crises.

There is a wider mystery as well, with the numbers of those reanimated "drudges" on the rise, and their danger correspondingly increasing. In a world where demigods walk, you'd think that matters of the - er - heart would take second place to such grand fantasy, but no, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is refreshingly domestic and persona in its focus, making it - to me - a rollicking good story. It's one written with verve and wisdom, and lots of humanity.

I would recommend.

What a weirdly wonderful and kooky romance this was! Admittedly, Hart and Mercy's story took it's time to reel me in but once it got a hold of me, there was no way I was putting it down!

Set within a world of demigods and undertakers. Where zombies roam and souls need a helping hand to pass on, two lonely individuals with completely opposite personalities yet equally macabre jobs, partake in writing letters to a stranger. Through these letters they build a tender friendship, opening up, sharing emotions and revealing things neither would share in the "real world."

What unfolds is quite possibly the most SWEETEST yet complex enemies to lovers storyline that I have ever read. Because of course, the pen pals turn out not to be strangers at all, in fact in "real life" Hart and Mercy strongly dislike one another - that is until they find a way to fall madly in love!

For me, although the world building was incredible and the writing rich with warmth and humour, it's the characters that make this story SO brilliant. Megan Bannen has created a book full of loveable individuals, each enchantingly unique in their own way. Human, demigod or talking animal, I'd be hard pushed to pick a favourite!

But if I had to choose... witnessing Hart and Mercy navigate their way through such a turbulent relationship was an absolute joy and their character growth so rewarding - you can't help but fall for their quirks, their stubbornness and their undeniable chemistry. (There's a few spicy scences to get you hot under the collar!)

Their story was completely hart-warming and left me grinning from ear to ear! I'll definitely be getting a hard copy to add to my forever shelf, although don't get me started on THAT ending... my heart very nearly stopped! 💔❤️

A cute, funny and heartfelt story, with a pleasant mix of the makabre and sweet.

I loved the importance of family and the distinction that family can be more than blood.

This is essentially a love story, a romantic comedy that just takes place in a world different than ours, that is populated by demigods and reanimated corpses.

With inspiration from You’ve got mail we get to see two enemies connect and fall for each other in letter form, while continually misunderstanding and arguing with each other as they meet in person.

But there is also something brewing in this world, something sinister is happening that could possibly put Hart, the other marshals and the people they are protecting in danger.

A fun fantastical romp! If you happen to like both cute and the macabre- like me - You should definitely pick it up!

Set in a world of water and demi gods. Zombies and Pie. All topped of with a kinda old Americana vibe.

Mercy loves dresses, coffee and her job. Undertaking. Hart loves tea, dogs and his job. A marshal. Hart is a walking tragic backstory. Mercy also has her fair share of baggage, and they both hate each other.

I did enjoy this one at points but in the end it got too frustrating for me. The miscommunication was doing by head in. The world building at first was very intriguing . The drudges, the music, the lack of electricity. I had a theory that the whole world was under water. Unfortunately as the story progressed we got more and more focused on the relationship so it felt like the world building fell by the wayside and the whole thing just felt a bit sloppy.

Over all a cheery, cute enemies to lovers romance with plus size rep. It just felt too YA and too romance > world/character building for me

I just finished reading this novel and I want to reread it all over again. Hart and Mercy captured my heart and their story is beautiful, romantic, and heart-warming.

Hart Ralston is a demi-god marshal who is tasked to rid the magical world of Tanria of the drudges, reanimated corpses inhabited by the souls of those who have died, and then he delivers them to the undertakers. Mercy Birdsall has been managing the family undertaking business, Birdsall & Son, since her father’s retirement, keeping it afloat while her brother finishes his studies.

When Hart and Mercy met four years ago, it was hate at first sight. She calls him “Hart-ache”, he calls her “Mercy-less” and, the few times they meet, a battle of wits and insults begins. After yet another exchange of taunts, Hart takes pen and paper and pours his feelings in a letter to “A Dear Friend” never imagining that that letter would reach anyone and that someone would reply. And as the exchange of letters grows more frequent and he is more honest than he’s ever been, he could never imagine that the person replying to him, laying her own heart bare, is none other than his nemesis, Mercy Birdsall.

The thing I loved most about this novel is its two incredible protagonists. Hart is grumpy and anti-social, but also kind and sweet. He wonders about his true parentage and (im)mortality, he works all day and he feels very lonely, especially since the death of his mentor and father-figure. Mercy is fun, compassionate, and determined. She has dedicated her life to her job and her family. She loves her job as an undertaker and she is really good at it, even if her own family thinks they know what’s best for her. Both book lovers and dog lovers, Hart and Mercy are opposites, but they also have more in common than they think and their love story is superb and emotional.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a grumpy vs sunshine, enemies-to-lovers fantastic love story that made me laugh and it made me cry, it made me stay up late at night to finish reading it. I loved the letters Hart and Mercy write to each other and I enjoyed their banter. The world-building is fantastic, there are gods, old and new, semi-gods, dead bodies, and talking animals who deliver mail. All in all, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is an addictive and unique novel and I couldn’t recommend it enough!