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In any case, the basic setup here is … actually, it’s really hard to summarise. But essentially you have Hart, a lonely, zombie-fighter, demigod marshal, and Mercy, who works for her family’s funeral parlour: a mutual failure to understand the other has created an antagonistic dynamic between them that shows no sign of changing, until—each of them, in their own way desperate for emotional connection—they accidentally enter into an anonymous correspondence. Though, honestly, this is one of those attempts at a plot summary that barely touches on what the book is actually about … and that feels sort of right, because while Hart and Mercy is not explicitly a suspenseful read, unravelling its world-building is definitely one of its pleasures. The romance between Mercy and Hart was really good. Very entertaining. Not that anyone should expect less from haters-to-lovers, of course. Especially when it's combined with the grumpy x sunshine trope. The banter started IMMEDIATELY and it was so so gooood...and hot. 😝😝 I always love that when it happens. I was deeply invested in their relationship, happiness and well-being, but I will never forgive them for making me cry MULTIPLE TIMES. They scared the crap out of me for a minute there. Although, I do enjoy a good cry from time to time. It can be cathartic.
Overall, I’ll definitely be reading the next book by the author and will be forever happy I most assuredly judged this book by its (lovely) cover. Give this a read if you want to explore a romance maybe a tad out of your comfort zone! I guarantee the hart (see what I did there?) of the book is rooted in an extra sweet romance between two lost souls, looking for love in all decomped places. I showed up for the fantastic, fun fantasy setting but it was Hart and Mercy that kept me reading’ Ruby Dixon, author of Ice Planet Barbarians When Hart’s letter to an unknown friend reaches Mercy, she responds to it without knowing the sender's identity. Though a tentative friendship is born between them, things could go either way once the truth is revealed.Despite my qualms expressed above, I was still swept up by Mercy and Hart’s relationship when Megan Bannen wasn’t trying to fit them into marketing bullet points. There is such genuine affection and tenderness expressed throughout this book. Actual tears might have leaked from my Sahara-dry tear ducts?? It was easy to root for these characters and their happy ending. What I Do: I'm the Hermione Granger of GGA. I oversee operations where needed most across many different spaces including news, video games, board games, interviews. You name it I have a foot in it. I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Orbit Books, in exchange for an honest review. 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?
I showed up for the fantastic, fun fantasy setting but it was Hart and Mercy that kept me reading' Ruby Dixon, author of Ice Planet Barbarians I always appreciate having multiple narrators when there are different PoVs Michael Gallagher and Rachanee Lumayno felt perfect for their respective roles. Rachanee captured both Mercy's strength and loneliness even through she is surrounded by family and Michael Gallagher was able to perform Harts PoV so the reader empathized with the decisions he made and his longing and fear to belong to something or someone. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed. Megan Bannen remains the queen of swoons upon swoons upon swoons! The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a playful, quirky gem-full of feels and guaranteed to deliver the perfect grumpy/sunshine fix!’ Sierra Simone I was absolutely psyched when I read the description for this book. Make romance weirder and more imaginative! Make fantasy have more romance! I was hoping that this would be true love, but both the romance and fantasy parts fell under the “good, but not great” category for me. I had fun reading it, but it didn't sink its teeth into me like a ravenous zombie. meet an undertaker heroine who is sunshine and bright colors who hates a grumpy, lonely hero who k!lls zombie-like creatures in this hilarious fantasy romance! im obsessed with hart because he worships mercy so much, like the way he loves her so fully, so completely, he really can't live without her and omg when you're on his pov it's so emotional. PLUS THIS IS KINDA SEXY TOOOOO like pls orbit really went there im so happy!A few threads didn’t seem to conclude properly, especially the Bill part. I won’t elaborate, but it could have been handled better. Megan Bannen remains the queen of swoons upon swoons upon swoons! The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a playful, quirky gem-full of feels and guaranteed to deliver the perfect grumpy/sunshine fix!' Sierra Simone Now take those and set them in a fantasy world. Perfection. Utter perfection. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a fantasy rom-com that promises to take you on a wild ride while having you fall head over heels in love with the novel’s main characters. When we first meet Hart and Mercy, they can’t stand each other. Hart is a grumpy Tarian Marshal demi-god who takes his job very seriously. As he should since it puts him face to face with supernatural creatures that are akin to zombies. This quirky mash-up will entertain romance readers, especially those that enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope."Emily Borsa, Booklist The writing was right up my alley, except for some parts here and there that I skimmed - don't ask me why, I couldn't even explain why my attention floundered at times.
The narration is lighthearted and sprinkled with some bittersweet moments. There isn’t any descriptive prose or lyrical imagery. Though I’m a fan of both, I like that the narrative style suited the storyline and the cover.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? A Love Letter to I’m Sorry and a Tribute to Funny Moms in 3 Bits By Annie Berke September 6, 2023 | 11:48am The enemies to lovers aspect was just delicious and the worldbuilding was fascinating! It kinda gave me Ilona Andrews levels of crunchy, deep-dive worldbuilding mixed with the super-satisfying romance. It's not out for a few months but if you like your romance with really intricate world building and plot, and you love a penpal romance mashed up with enemies to lovers and and and JUST ADD THIS TO YOUR LIST, SERIOUSLY.
P.S.—Sorry this letter has taken so long to get to you. I live in a remote place and had to wait until I could get to a nimkilim box to post it. You can probably expect similar delays in the future, but I promise I won’t stop writing unless you want me to.”A lovely, macabre fantasy romance about life, death, and Actually Living. I cried twice and smiled plenty' Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul
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