The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen was a fantasy romance unlike I’ve ever read before.

Hart patrols the land and protects it from drudges who are beings with a lost soul. The soul is somehow connected to the appendix and that was rather random. In general I felt like the world wasn’t fully explained. His task is rather lonely and dangerous and whenever he brings the dead bodies to Mercy‘s family business, he likes to have a bit of human contact and is very enamored by Mercy and her dog.

Mercy on the other hand doesn’t need her life to be more complicated than it already is. She works way too hard to keep the family business Birdsall & Son Undertakers, a funeral business, up and running. I honestly didn’t understand why she even does that as it’s more of an obligation to her and in return she doesn’t have a life or freedom of her own.

My favorite part of this book were the letters they wrote to each other. Those were very soulful and I wished to see more of that in their actual romance.

Overall, if you are looking for a unique fantasy story that is equally macabre as well as whimsical, this might be for you. 3 stars.

(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Firstly I’d like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC 🥰❤️

From the first time Hart drops off a body to Mercy they rub each other up the wrong way. They loathe each other, cannot stand the sight of each other. When Marshal Hart decides that to write a letter to ‘A Friend’ it finds its way to Undertaker Mercy and, when she decides to write back the pair end up nameless pen pals. They share their worries, lives and bare their souls. It’s only when the pair decide to meet that Hart realises his ‘friend’ is Mercy and, though their feelings have grown on paper, she doesn’t care to meet Hart in real life instead waiting for her anonymous friend to arrive. However after saving her life from a druge, Mercy lets Hart into her life not knowing he is her paper pal and Hart is afraid that if he tells the truth he might loose her forever…

(I don’t want to go any further as I want to keep this spoiler free ❤️❤️)

Marcy and Hart’s grumpy/grumpy, enemies to lovers and slow burn relationship drove me wild!! I wanted them together the minute I started reading the book and the wait was so worth it!! The hate flirting was magic!! They’re both beautifully written, both strong, gifted and venerable. Absolutely perfect for each other (the Lizzie and Darcy vibes are the one!!) 🥰🥰 I’m also pretty obsessed with Pen. He’s a brilliantly written character who really shows Hart’s heart. Their relationship is almost a slow burn of it’s own.

There’s a lot of love in The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. On both MC’s sides there’s lots of love ❤️❤️ It gave me THAT feeling in my chest that you get when you know your reading a great romance novel and, yes, I did cry. More than once 🥹❤️

I LOVED this book. More than loved to be honest, it has so much I love. Demi Gods, zombies and undertakers. Kinda fantasy cowboys that are super sexy as well (Harts my new love 🥵❤️). The constant talk of delicious baked goods made me hungry the whole time as well 😂😍 The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is one of the easiest ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’ve ever given. This book is beyond perfect.

Can I start by saying that this book was the breath of fresh air I needed this month!
I didn’t know what I was expecting going into it but I was hooked instantly,
The witty back and forth, the puns, I’m just a sucker for enemies to lovers and this is the epitome of that.

I’ve read a lot of books this year and this book was the perfect book palette cleanser.

Mercy is the gentle, clever, soulful female lead we all needed and hart the perfect opposition for her, harsh and cold but with an underlying need for love and affection.

Perfect for those fans who want a quirky (often steamy) romance which is a bit spooky, I would strongly recommend this book!

I received an electronic advanced reader copy of this book In exchange for my honest opinions. Thank you to Megan Bannen and Little Brown books for letting me read this before it’s release.

I’m not going to lie, I requested this book solely based on that gorgeous cover, so I went in blind. I try not to judge a book based purely on a glance, but in this case I’m SO glad I did.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a book that any fantasy lover should give a try. As it stands, I can’t say I’ve read many books that involve undertakers, but after this I’d give any in future a shot.

Bannen addresses the often undesirable nature of this job while still making it full of respect and dare I say beauty. From reading her do her job alone I felt a strong desire to root for Mercy, made even stronger by the pressures surrounding her.

I absolutely loved Hart as well; seeing his progress with his apprentice and his own struggles was heartwarming and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next with everyone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for letting me read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!

3.5 stars

I am not a romance girly, however, I am very much a fan-of-dead-bodies (in an anatomical way!!!) girly, so I was obviously intrigued by this book. I decided to give it a go since grumpy/sunshine also happens to be one of my favorite tropes and I've been reading more fantasy romance as of late.

Let's start with the things I loved: the world this is set in is absolutely amazing. It's built with a lot of care and holds so much detail and promise. Even when the romance plot wasn't moving ahead, I was incredibly invested in learning more about the setting. The mythology was very intriguing and the concept of an ethereal place suspended in time suddenly being accessible to humans was great and executed well.

Also, I liked how queer-normative this world was. Even when the main couple doesn't fall under the queer umbrella, it's something I always love seeing.

I obviously also really enjoyed the fact that Mercy is an undertaker and absolutely adores her job. It's a rather odd profession for the lead of a romance novel, but it worked so well with her character, and the way she approached and appreciated her job was so fun to read.

The romance was okay in my book. I did enjoy their dynamic, but the way Hart described his attraction to Mercy in the beginning did definitely kinda rub me the wrong way. Then again, perhaps that's pretty standard in the romance genre - I wouldn't know, so take this with a grain of salt! I just didn't love it.
I thought their secret pen-pal situation was such a sweet way for them to grow closer, and I did really enjoy how their relationship progressed.
The obligatory third act breakup due to miscommunication and them being dumb was, as anticipated, super infuriating, and I could have done without.

Altogether, I still enjoyed this much more than I anticipated, although there were some minor issues I had! I'd definitely recommend it to people looking for fantasy romance with creative settings, incredibly tall, demigod men and a twinge of angst,

This is quite honestly the most bonkers, entertaining, and pleasantly surprising book I’ve read yet in 2022. I loved every page! It’s part romance, part mystery, part fantasy, part… I don’t even know. It’s just great.

We’ve got a fantastic cast of characters, particularly Hart, Mercy and Duckers who who give the book its heart and soul. We’ve got a very small amount of world building, but this somehow works and every so often the author gives us a new, totally random nugget of information to help with this and that just made me laugh.
The writing flows beautifully, it’s easy to read, it’s full of humour too as well as being totally emotion inducing.

I’d never heard of this author before but so many people raving about this book that I just had to request it! I’m so glad I did, I think it will make a great comfort read in the future.

If I’m being picky, I’d have really liked to have seen a map for this world just to help me visualise a bit better, but as the book progressed I found myself needing one less and less.

All in all a totally surprising read that I’m really glad to have read.

I read this as a buddy read with my sister and even though romance isn't a thing I pick up in fantasy, this was enemy to lovers done well.
Not quite my cup of tea but I have plenty of people I know who would absolutely love this book!

I read this as an E-ARC and loved it!
I felt the world building was so original and refreshing!
The romance did happen all of a sudden but I think this worked given the characters history.
I am only giving 4⭐️ because for me the spice was too nice 😂 other than that I felt it was a great story.
The best part for me was the family story and it was just lovely.

Personal rating:
3.75🌟, rounded up to 4🌟


I enjoyed my time reading this but it didn't fully get me invested. I desperately wanted to be but there's always something pulling me back. Like sometimes I find certain things cheesy, and not in the gooey way I like. For example, the letters are cute but mostly they come off pretty cheesy. And maybe that's the point, since both Hart and Mercy decided early on to not put on fronts and to try to be as honest as they can in their letters. But there's something in the way they write that felt childish to me.

It didn't help matter that the story took a hot minute to reveal their respective ages (H: 35, M: 30) so when I got to the ‘reveal’ it gave me a bit of a whiplash. Like what do you mean they're not in their mid-twenties? And then I had to reconcile that fact with all my preconceived notions for these two characters.

I have other examples but I don't want to sound completely whiny when the story is actually still very enjoyable. I mean, that's why I'm rounding my rating to 4 stars, obv. It's pretty creative, the romance is quite cute too and the vulgar talking rabbit did make me laugh/choke on my saliva a few times.

Oh also, ❗possible spoiler❗ at some point, this story reminds me of The Haunting of Hill House. And I kept being reminded of Taylor Swift's It's Nice to Have a Friend while reading.

Conclusion, I am definitely keeping an eye out for Megan Bannen's future works.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most – Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares – each other?

It's a wonderfully weird book.
There are zombies, fantastic animals, demigods, gods, etc.
The world the author creates is detailed and fantastic, and she manages to introduce it without you losing sight of the love story that unfolds in it.
If you like fantasy, enemies to lovers and an adorable romance, this is definitely the book for you.

As soon as I heard about Megan Bannen’s The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy it quickly became one of my most anticipated reads of the year. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It’s the perfect balance of romance, charm, wit, whimsy and the macabre.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is the story of Hart Ralston and Mercy Birdsall. Hart is a Marshal who is tasked with patrolling the wilds of Tanria, whilst Mercy is trying to keep her family’s business, Birdsall and Son Undertakers, going. Hart and Mercy loath each other, and after yet another taxing encounter Hart finds himself writing a letter to the unknown, to a friend he hopes to find. Much to his surprise, he receives an anonymous reply, and a tentative friendship is born. Little does Hart know he's baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most…

This book is something else, it’s set in a unique fantasy world filled with Gods, demigods, drudges (zombies) and cowboy Marshals, and yet it’s also full of wonderful small town drama, amazing family dynamics, some mouthwatering food and the best good boy doggo. The world and religious system that Bannen has built in The Undertaking is just exquisite, Bushong and Tanria are as alive on the pages as the characters are themselves. Likewise the religious system with the Old and New Gods, along with the burial processes, are so wonderfully thought out.

I loved both Hart and Mercy and their brilliant enemies to lovers dynamic. They were so snarky and cutting, and yet when things shifted you could tell just how much they meant to one another. This story gets pretty steamy in places too. I adored Mercy’s determination and grit, and the growth and healing that Hart went through. The side characters also added so much to this story, of all of them I think I loved Duckers and the two nimkilim the most - who knew you could love a sassy talking postal rabbit and owl so much!

Overall this was such a great read. I laughed, I cried, I cheered - so many emotions and so much fun. I can’t recommend it enough.

BOOK REVIEW: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by @meganbannen

4.5 Stars

Oh my goodness, I adored this book! I really didn't know what to expect and even half way into the book I had no idea where it was leading but I absolutely loved it!
This book is possibly the weirdest story I have ever read. It was so quirky and random and I loved that because it made it so different. There isn't really much worldbuilding although the world is nothing like ours. Instead you just pick up bits and pieces as you go along which normally would annoy me but it was so weirdly wonderful that I loved every strange detail that popped up!
The story is based around Mercy, a woman who is running her father's undertaking business as he is unwell. There are some slightly gross descriptions in relation to the dead bodies and I quickly learned not to read it whilst I was eating! The other side of the story is a man named Hart who is a ranger that kills possessed bodies (basically zombies) that can only be destroyed by piercing their appendix. There is so much weird and wonderful detail in this story which I won't go into as I don't want to ruin it but I was constantly so intrigued and couldn't put it down.
Hart and Mercy are amazing characters that I connected with really quickly. I loved their enemies to lovers journey and the romance was adorable and steamy too!

Megan Bannen's writing was exceptional and her imagination blew me away. I cannot wait to read more from her.

I highly recommend this book to all fantasy fans and hope you love this quirky story as much as I did.

Please note that I was #gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is such an original, quirky, fantasy romance, and I loved every page of it! I was instantly invested in Hart and Mercy's world and their enemies-to-lovers dynamic. Hart and Mercy are very different people in very different situations - Hart is a grumpy marshal, who spends his days alone hunting zombie-like creatures, while Mercy works at her family's struggling undertaking business and likes bright colours and warmth - yet, both are lonely. The two have hated each other ever since their first encounter, but they end up unknowingly forming a pen pal friendship...

If you like fantasy romances with epistolary elements, this is the book for you! Not only does it have a great romance plot, but the secondary characters are utterly charming (I love the mail workers!) This book also made me think a lot about death and how we view it.

This book was just delightful! It's funny, it's quirky, there are some random bits which added to the fun (like the talking animals that deliver the post), and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. I loved the world, with all the various gods and terminology going on - it did get a bit confusing at times, but I think there is so much potential for more stories set in this world! It was so original, I don't think I've read any book quite like it and it was such a breath of fresh air! The book is pitched as 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' meets 'You've Got Mail' and as a hardcore lover of both of those, I can confirm this book is very much that.

I really liked the main characters, they both felt real and genuine, and I absolutely loved the little nicknames they had for each other, it was adorable. I really loved Hart's storyline in particular, I was so fascinated by his backstory and his development throughout the novel. I was shipping Hart and Mercy like crazy, I loved their dynamic and the way the romance developed felt perfect.

However, you have got the classic miscommunication trope (or rather, where one character is hiding something from the other character for literally NO GOOD REASON), which did tamper my enjoyment. Also, while there were moments where I really liked her family, there were other moments where they really got on my nerves, particularly her brother. Throughout the book, Mercy is asked by each member of her family (so her dad, sister, and brother) to keep a secret from all the others, but when those secrets come out, it's all Mercy's fault and not the people whose secrets they actually are? It was just weird, but I mean, not totally untrue to what being the eldest sibling/daughter is like!

Oh my goodness me I did not expect to love this book as much as I did - I was obsessed from page 1! This book feels like it is my perfect cup of tea and was written just for me! I can honestly say there was nothing I didn't love about this book.

I loved the fictional world, the aesthetic of it, the world-building, the details, the creatures - everything. The world was so well written and fleshed out and felt totally real and the way this world was crafted really transported me there. The story was fast-paced; there was great world and character world-building and development, but also the book moved quickly and got me into the story really fast so I was soon invested. I loved the unusual setup for the pairs' jobs - dealing with dead bodies. There was a sort of irony that despite their jobs being really sad and dark, they were both really soft, kind and loving people - I suppose you do need to be that kind of person to do the jobs they do! I also find despite their jobs, the book felt quite lighthearted to me, and the book made me so happy!

It is very rare I will read a book and not dislike any of the characters, but I loved all the characters in this book! I loved seeing how different our lead two were on paper compared to in person, and how as the letter correspondence continued, that affected their relationship in real life. I don't even like romance as a plot that much but I loved reading this one - their relationship felt natural and authentic and I fell in love with the main pair's story.

The writing style was easy and quick to read and I flew through this book in 2 days, unashamedly. If I didn't have work and to eat and sleep, I know I'd have read this book in one day easily.

A heartwarming, inventive and creative book, I loved this and I cannot wait to re-read the finished copy when it comes out!

4⭐️ A gorgeous sweet and spicy contemporary romance set in a unique and fantastical world. I laughed, I cried (like legit sobbed) and overall I loved it!💖

Thank you to @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for an eARC in return for an honest review✨

This was definitely up there for me as one of the most unique books/book settings i’ve ever read, mostly because I honestly couldn’t think of a single book like it or to compare the world to, the closest thing being that it felt like something from Studio Ghibli (Helen Hoang said it gave Howl’s Moving Castle vibes and felt more like an anime- it did!)🥰

I also found that I haven’t read many books where it’s primarily a romance, and it feels like a contemporary romance ( it’s very you’ve got mail!) but exists in a fantastical world with undead creatures and talking animals who (very sassily) deliver the post. ✨

I absolutely devoured this book and read it in one sitting. I liked Mercy as a MC and was very happy to see a mid-size MC. The romance was really lovely and sweet and the spice😍

I did also SOB for a good few chapters like I’ve never sobbed before- my husband walked in the room and wondered what on earth was wrong🤣

Honestly, the only thing that would have improved it for me would have been to have had a map at the front of the book so that I could visualise the world/town a lot better because I found it difficult to place it with it being so unique- really not a big deal at all!📖

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was one of my most anticipated books of the Summer and I’m so sad I didn’t love it. The characters were likeable, the dialogues made me smile and I was intrigued by the world at first, but I kept starting and stopping it a few pages later. As it happens sometimes, I was interested but it couldn’t keep my attention. Was it me? The book? In this case, I’m pretty sure it was me.

Honestly, that’s why I never read romantasy novels—weird as it can be, I enjoy romances in fantasy books and romance novels but romantasy books often frustrate me :

either I want to learn more about the world
or I’m only interested in the romance so I couldn’t care less about the world,
or—as it was the case here— neither aspect manages to win me over fully at first : the balance between the two is so hard to find tbh?

I think I finally understand why some of my friends—whose preferences go to romantasy rather than fantasy—often tell me that they don’t care about the rest of the plot/the world-building. It’s probably because sometimes, we can tell what’s given the most importance and care, and let’s face it, in many romantasy books it’s *not* the rest of the plot or the world-building. Be assured by the way that I’m not judging what kind of books is “better” or something ridiculous like that : it’s all a matter of personal preference and you won’t find me belittling romance novels : they’re great and wonderful and make so many people happy (me included, when I’m in the mood for them).

What I’m not saying is that this book hasn’t got a world-building, though, because it does: it just never pulled me in. I think what frustrates me the most is the fact that it should have : it takes place on a magical island, there are talking animals (!!!!!) and ghoulish creatures. It sounds fantastic!!!!!! sadly I didn’t care and felt the urge to skim whenever the book was trying to teach me something about the world. Perhaps the fault lies in the writing rather than the world-building per se, I don’t know. What I do know is that even now, I don’t quite understand why it didn’t work for me, but it didn’t, and I was bored.

Anyway, it took me a while to find my rhythm but around 30% I started to care about these characters so. much !!!! Mercy and Hart are both imperfect, stubborn and so damn lovable. Their loneliness moved me and I felt very invested in their happiness 🥺. This book deals with family and belonging and these plots always get to me, you know?

... and then I reached the halfway point. I was very happy, so happy in fact that I kinda felt satisfied enough to stop reading. I think it’s safe to say that it was not the intended effect? *smiles awkwardly* I did keep reading, but honestly? If I hadn’t been reading an arc, I might have stopped there and called it a day.

This review is so messy—the truth is, I keep coming back to the fact that I really, really loved Hart and Mercy as persons and I’d like to be their friends, thank you? but I was so bored whenever they weren’t together and it breaks my heart that I couldn’t enjoy the book more. Because the overall plot, both on Mercy and Hart side? Couldn’t care less 🙈

In the end, I just have to accept that The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy simply wasn’t for me, but I’ll definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoy cozy romantasy books with well-rounded characters, great humor and a light mystery to follow.

I'm not much of a romance reader, but it turns out that all I need to enjoy it is the addition of zombies!

Within the relatively normal Bushong lies Tanria - a land enclosed by a magical barrier, once the prison for the Old Gods. If someone dies within Tanria, the lost souls floating about take over the body &they become a drudge aka zombie.

Enter the Tanrian Marshals! A kind of border guard that keep out those who shouldn't be in there & stop drudges getting out-returning bodies for proper burial. Oh, and most of them are demigods.

Mercy is an undertaker, desperately trying to keep the family business afloat, feeling a bit lonely and left behind. Hart is a marshal, a demigod and a lonely, miserable man (with a squishy interior). They hate each other.
A letter addressed simply 'To a friend' starts a You've Got Mail situation between them. (The postal workers in this world are Nimkilim, taking animals that used to be messengers for the gods. They tend to have an attitude - I love them.)

This isn't solely a romance. There's a bit of a mystery & some interesting world-building with gods, religion & burial rites
It also explores other relationships. Mercy's family-the ill health of her father, her siblings not wanting to continue the family business. Hart has a lot of guilt & anger related to the death of his mentor, & has pushed away all of the people he cares for.
There's a great cast of characters who, despite the fantastical setting, feel like real, normal people.
Some of the world-building is a bit slight - if you want a fully realised fantasy world then this isn't for you - but it's developed enough for the story being told. This is a book that is very much focused on people & their relationships to each other - the normal parts of life.
It feels strange to call a zombie book heart-warming but this one definitely is. A nice, slightly spicy romance, great supporting characters and good character development.

I had conflicting feelings about this book. The synopsis drew me in and made this one of my most anticipated reads of the year. On the one hand, I liked the writing - it was descriptive and evocative without being overly flowery or pretentious. I also appreciated the richly-decorated world created by Bannen, which provided a fresh setting for a rom-com.

On the other, I couldn’t have cared less about the characters. Mercy and Hart and their friends and family (and their respective relationships) didn’t make me feel anything and I was not invested in their fate at all. Moreover, the world-building, whilst detailed, was also heavy-handed and executed through lengthy info-dumps which bored me throughout. The main conflict between the leads didn’t make much sense to me either. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me - but I would certainly recommend it for anyone interested in a cosy, low-stakes, romantic fantasy comfort read.

I LOVED this book so much. It’s such a charming mix of endearing and macabre, with characters that you just want to keep reading forever.
Set in a world where part of the land is cut off by a mist, behind which the old gods were imprisoned, this fantasy romance was such an unexpected joy. Hart is a marshal, patrolling the land of the old gods, and Mercy is an undertaker, which is more of a calling than just a job. They’re two lonely souls, who hate each other basically on sight, but when they unknowingly start exchanging anonymous letters, both find they actually may have misjudged the other completely.
There’s also found family, a sinister mystery to solve, the most unique postal service I’ve ever read in a fantasy book, and a load of humour and wit - it’s just the most cozy romance and I loved it so much! My heart is so full! I can’t wait to have it in store so I can recommend it!