I honestly didn’t enjoy this story, and I really wished I did. The cover is so eye-catching, and the idea sounded so promising. I struggled to relate to the world the author created…. It felt so confusing, and I could tell thru many parts that explanations were needed. Example: old gods and new gods, the appendix and the practices with that. It was really out there- and I love fantasy! I did like the letters between the Hart and Mercy- those were endearing and relatable, but the rest of the story was…. Ugh.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.


Description from NetGalley:
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?

This was a fantasy romance. I both wanted to read it faster but also didn’t want it to end. It seems to have everything: romance, secrets, mystery, zombies, gods, etc. Mercy is great. I love how she takes charge of the family undertaking business while also enjoying a good book. Hart is cold on the outside but such a sweetheart on the inside. I love all of their interactions throughout the book.

Overall: 4.5/5

I have no words. This book is easily one of my top two books of the year. This was the most surprising and weird book I have ever enjoyed. The amount of emotion that can be felt between the lines of this book is off the charts. I laughed so hard, I cried uncontrollably, my face hurt from smiling, the wrinkles on forehead deepened from anger. I felt the full gambit of emotions. It was everything I didn't know I needed.

Hart is a cinnamon roll Demi-god stuck under layers of unresolved guilt, grief and depression. Mercy is a woman in a male dominated profession, she cares deeply about her family and that love extends into the work she does to send the deceased into the afterlife. They are both misunderstood by the people around them and we get to watch as they come to terms what it actually means to be themselves. Watching them correspond and let all their truths out in the form a secret pen pal, all while having no idea the recipient is their "worst enemy" was endearing. Their romance was beautiful. I loved the relationship between Hart and Duckers, they were precious together. My heart just continued to melt throughout this book, and I could really feel the emotions of each character. The way she portrayed depression and familial struggles on page so was relatable. I don't have siblings or a family undertaking business, but I could feel the emotions she was portraying for the characters. Struggling with depression and parent loss myself, I can relate to pushing people away as form of self-preservation. It made my heart break in a million pieces and simultaneously fill with love. The icing on the cake were the nimkilim, Horatio and Bassareus. They made me laugh so hard and I found myself disappointed when my own mail carrier showed up and wasn't a drunk rabbit with an ear piercing and a foul mouth... do better American Postal Service...

This book was the perfect medley of weirdness and "hart"- see what I did there- and I just can't get enough of it. 7/5 stars and I will definitely be re-reading my pre-ordered copy several times for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the opportunity to read this.

I’d say this was somewhere from 3-3.5 stars.

I absolutely adore a good two person love triangle, and when I saw this book I was super excited for it. I mean a fantasy romance with one of my favorite tropes? How could I not read it immediately?

I actually found the non-romance plot super interesting. I was invested in Mercy’s family’s business and really wanted it to succeed and not get bought out. I also wanted to know what was happening with all the shady stuff Cunningham’s was doing and what was happening in Tanria.

I also really liked the dynamics of Mercy and her family and Hart and Duckers. I loved how Mercy’s family became supportive of her when she told them how much she loved undertaking. And I thought it was so sweet how Hart slowly warmed to Duckers and became a mentor to him.

My main problem was with the development of the main relationship. Mercy and Hart went from enemies to lovers, and the two versions of them writing the letters back and forth became friends. However, as far as Mercy knew Hart was just this guy she barely knew who, yes she’s attracted to, but has acted not very nice to her for years on end. I had really liked their banter in real life and how they talked to each other through the letters. So it bothered me that they got together so fast and all of that ended, especially since I wanted a slowburn and it happened like halfway through the book. It was also not as much of a two person love triangle as I expected, but that was pretty much my own fault.

I also really disliked how Hart didn’t tell Mercy about him being the pen pal for so long, but I also understand where the motivation came from since he was so scared of losing her. But I also didn’t like how it felt as though Mercy completely stopped caring about her pen pal (who mysteriously went missing) after she and Hart started dating.

I thought the world building, though definitely interesting and fun, was a bit too confusing for a standalone fantasy romance novel that is mostly focusing on the romance element of things. Just a lot going on, even if the exposition and explanations were done pretty naturally. I will say that it did make for an interesting setting though.

Overall though this book was pretty entertaining and cute. I thought the ending was sweet and honestly felt like the last 25% or so was the best part of the book. I would definitely consider reading more from Bannen.

Is this a romance or is it a dystopian about stabbing appendixes and wrapping decaying bodies in salt and ghosts taking possession of dead bodies? Somehow it’s perfectly, wonderfully, BOTH!

I seriously LOVED this love story. This is one of my favorite books of the year, gobbled this mess up, pre-ordering a copy now to reread later because this is a definite rereading kind of a book.

Hart is a six foot nine marshal that stabs zombies and drags their rotting corpses to Mercy, an undertaker who salts her dead and sings incantations over them before respectfully setting them off to their final destination. And they absolutely HATE each other. *cheers in dystopian*

The loathing is real. The loneliness is real. The way these two open up to each other anonymously through letters and fall for each other is SO REAL! With all these palpable feelings all around, this book is an easy read even if you don’t understand WTF is actually happening. Old gods, appendixes, demigods, keys, salt sea, mists!? It took a long time for me to get my bearings on what the actual hell this world was, but Mercy and Hart(!OMG THIS DEMIGOD MAN!) are such interesting characters with so much chemistry, I didn’t care. And when they fall for each other I melted and swooned and cheered and sighed. The heart of this story is romance, and THAT I could definitely follow.

❤️Epistolary romance
❤️Enemies to lovers
❤️Funny side characters
❤️You’ve Got Mail vibes
❤️Squishy sensitive hero
❤️Fiery strong heroine

But also
🧟‍♂️Zombies
🧟‍♂️Rabbit god mail carrier who cusses nonstop
🧟‍♂️So. Many. Dead. Bodies.
🧟‍♂️Lots of stabbing. And death. And then more stabbing.
🧟‍♂️More zombies.

So just buckle up and be prepared for the weirdest world ever with the hard but secretly SQUISHIEST MARSHMALLOW OF A MAN and the yellow dressed angsty badass undertaker who bear their souls without knowing they’re actually each other’s nemesis 😭🎉 Seriously, this book is incredible and I will rave about it’s weirdness for all my days.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
4.5 stars

What a unique story! I absolutely love novel and original ideas. the value of this alone increased my rating of this read.

This book tells the story of Hart and Mercy. Hart is a marshal who hunts wayward souls who have taken over a dead body; and takes the bodies to undertaker, Mercy. It was hate at first sight when Hart and Mercy met four years ago. A series of circumstances leaves them both writing letters to an anonymous pen pal. What will they do when they discover the pen pal is someone that they hate?

This hate-to-love romance set in a fantasy world gave me some serious other-worldly You've Got Mail vibes. I would describe this book with a greater emphasis on the romance plot than the fantasy plot. The fantasy world begins to hold more importance as the story carries on, but the romance is the main plot throughout.

I enjoyed the writing and banter, the characters and their families, and the way the story unfolded. It took a hot minute to gain speed for me, but the pace picked up about halfway through. There were so many meaningful, big-picture takeaways for readers.

I definitely recommend this books for fantasy readers and romance readers alike! Thank you NetGalley and Orbit books for the advanced review copy. Review posted on www.instagram.com/thereallifebookreviewer on August 2.

3.5/5 Stars

CW/TW : Death, Violence, Gore, Lying

This book does use an outdated term that is now an ableist word, Invalid. I personally as a disabled reviewer thought this wasn’t needed especially without it seeming to be historically accurate to the world.

I received a free Ebook and Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review from the publishers through Netgalley. Thank you Hachette Audio, Orbit Books, and Netgalley.

I went into this book with very little expectations and was very pleased by the book. I had some problems with it which I will go into later but overall it was a cute fantasy romance with a plus sized main character and a unique magic system.

Hart is a marshal, he patrols the outside world of Tanria to protect the city from the strange and unusual magics of Tanria. It isn’t a safe or pretty job but it is one that has to be done by someone. Mercy has been the main reason Birdsall & Son Undertakers hasn’t closed its doors, even if it means she has to deal with assholes like Hart. When a mysterious letter shows up in a time of need, Mercy starts responding and finds a new friend in a stranger. Hart, who didn’t mean to send a letter, is surprised when he gets an anonymous response back and finally has someone who understands him. When the magical world of Tanria starts to get worse, how will Hart and Mercy manage to keep their growing anonymous friendship or more growing while protecting others?

This was my second audiobook and I didn’t end up listening to most of it but I did learn I do not like male narrators especially when they have to voice female character’s lines. I couldn’t get past that part for every chapter in Hart’s perspective but I did enjoy the female narrator a lot and enjoyed her chapters.

My problems with this book were two major things. I realized 70% into the book, I had almost zero idea what the world was like, it seemed both slightly modern and historical but I had no full idea of what they had and did have. My other problem was while there was some plot, most of the book felt like just vibes no plot which did work for the story I just wasn’t expecting that with it being fantasy. I did also wish the magic system was a bit more fleshed out, it felt like things were just expected to be understood and it felt like it could have had a bit more.

I adored the dynamic between Hart and Mercy, it was one of my favorite dynamics I’ve read recently, while the progression didn’t fully feel realistic, it also didn’t bother me how they went from hating each other to romantic partners. I also adored the family dynamics Mercy had with her siblings and father, that felt very realistic and was super enjoyable to read about.

I highly recommend this book for those who are looking for a fun time with a little bit of magic, death, and romance.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is one of my favorite books that I read this year. I loved everything about it! I especially enjoyed the chemistry between Hart and Mercy. Enemies to lovers was done so perfectly with this one! Hart kept breaking my heart over and over again but I loved how Mercy helped him feel that he is worthy of love. I loved the writing and the storyline as well. I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

God bless my fellow bookstagrammers & book-lovers for spreading the word about books you’re adoring. That’s how I found Megan Bannen’s The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy, & it delighted me so hard.

From the first pages, when the hero & heroine haven’t actually seen each other in person yet but the author has so perfectly captured their antagonism, I was ALL in.

Marshal and demigod Hart Ralston & undertaker Mercy Birdsall do not like each other. But they must work together at times.

Then one day Mercy gets a letter from “a friend.” That friend is actually Hart, who didn’t think his letter would actually get delivered to someone.

It’s a You’ve Got Mail-ish situation, people! Only add fantasy.

This is so wonderfully & inventively written, the chemistry between leads—& their slow & then fast fall into attraction & feelings—is compelling & lovely, & it all comes together so heartwarmingly at the end MY GOD.

It was just so good. The dance scene, the epilogue .

Other things I loved: a grand p*%#> declaration, a taciturn hero who also cries, stunning final lines.

Check this one out!!

5 ⭐️. Out 08/23.

CWs: Death. Violence. Reference to cheating & death of family members. Parental abandonment in past and current fears over parent's health. Hart is somewhat self-conscious about being a demigod due to how others have treated him in the past.


[ID: a white woman wearing a green shirt, floral pants, & pink shoes sits on an orange ottoman holding an ebook.]

TW: death, discussions of death, graphic depictions of dead bodies

For a book set in a new fantasy world where drudges (aka zombies) run wild and undertaking is the apparent business to be in, I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. You can’t help but fall in love with Mercy and Hart and their desire for friendship in a seemingly lonely world.

It did take me quite a bit to figure out the world and the things going on in it as they aren’t really explained that well until the middle/end of the book. The concept of Old Gods and New Gods was really intriguing to me, but I was so lost until the story of who the gods were and what they did came into the story.

The way that Hart and Mercy first started their interactions through anonymous letters sent through the mailing system was very ‘The Flatshare’ like to me and I found it so wholesome and sweet. I will say that this book is the true definition of enemies to lovers and I was thriving reading through it.

The love that both Hart and Mercy have for their respective careers was so cool to read about, especially since they were not what you’d call a status-quo job (zombie marshal and undertaker). Their blossoming relationship had me absolutely squirming with delight. And for those of you who enjoy some spice, there are little sprinkles of it to enjoy in this one!

The way that they both interact with their respective “families” you can’t help but fall even more for both of these characters. I loved every interaction they had with each other as well as with their people. Overall, what I’m trying to say is, don’t sleep on this book when it comes out!

Thank you, @netgalley and @orbitbooks_us for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I wish it were possible to give more than 5 stars, because this one sure deserves it!
Remarkably innovative , truly captivating , and adorably whimsical! Megan Bannen is truthfully gifted, as shown throughout the pages of this one of kind, fantasy Romance novel! The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy has a little bit of everything, and easily goes into the list of “books I wish I could reread again for the first time”.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the characters and their interactions with each other. I didn’t so much care for the references of new gods and old gods. Were they truly necessary to advance the story? Did it matter for Hart to be a demigod? I feel like the world building was not easy to follow. Sometimes the mentions to portals, keys and drudges seemed more of an afterthought. The characters were quite lovable and I was totally invested in Hart and Mercy’s love story. I think the author did well in developing their love story and I definitely enjoyed how it played out for them in the end. I only decided to follow through and finish the book so that I could know how their story played out.

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit and NetGalley for this ARC.

I liked this book. It had some tropes that I enjoy such as enemies to lovers. In some ways, the book reminded me a bit of Pride and Prejudice. I liked the individual characters. I liked the world they were in (though I don't know that I ever fully understood it). The romance aspect is nice. These two work well as a couple, complementing one another. I like the side characters, especially Pen. I liked the ending.

Yet with all the things I liked about it, there just wasn't that special spark or connection with it for me. It had all the makings of a book I would rate 5 stars and yet it didn't quite get there for me. But I do still think this is a very enjoyable book and I do recommend it.

If anyone has been following me since the beginning of my online presence in the book community you may remember how much I love “weird” books. I love the books that make you say, “wtf” and keep you perplexed through it all. This book was my perfect amount of weird. It was dark, but numerous. It had the perfect amount of magic with romance. It felt like a historical romance, but totally remixed. I cannot tell you all of the reasons that this book worked for me, simply because I am not 100% sure myself. This was one of the easiest 5⭐️ ratings I have handed out this year and I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy to reread and annotate! It is definitely one I will keep in my collection forever and recommend often.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley, for providing me with an eARC and physical ARC. All opinions are mine and are not swayed in any way by the fact I was gifted a copy.

I loved this book so much! I was Hart-broken when it ended. I expected to enjoy it and find it amusing, (um, hello great cover!) but I did not expect to find myself dedicated and completely smitten with all of the characters! There was simply too much to adore about Undertaking from the initial, understandable vitriol of misunderstanding (we've all been there), to the flutter of delight, appeal, vulnerability and terror of an anonymous written relationship (as a generation of computer users/daters, have we not all been there by now as well?!), even the touches of literary logophilia - a kiss to the cheek of every nerdy little bibliophile and linguist out there.

I was reminded, in Mercy, of a richer version of Stephanie Plum (via Janet Evanovich), a strong, very human woman thrown into a job she didn't know she would learn to lean into with such passion. A tenuous relationship of snarky professional crossfire that has the potential to lead to personal fire FIRE. A strong connection to a loving family, not without conflict and challenge that leads to tenderness, humor, strength, fury and understanding. Those who loved the works of TJ Klune ("Under the Whispering Door" and "The House in the Cerulean Sea" ) will likely enjoy this title, if they don't mind a bit more spice in their tea.

Megan Bannen somehow manages to adeptly make this love story both primary and secondary. They weave an engaging tale of danger, death, gods, the afterlife and how the living deal with the dead while unfolding both a mystery and the love between couples, between siblings, parent and child, partners, coworkers, neighbors, exes, and even strangers as Mercy repeatedly and compassionately respects the dead. And now, too, the love of the reader and this book.

I cannot wait to share this title with others. I cannot wait to mix up Bill's/Hart's recipe for "Medicine" Tea and curl up to reread this title and seek out others by Megan Bannen! Thank the Old and New Gods the release date is August 2022 so I can immediately get copies out to the nimkilim so my nearest and dearests can also read this book!

I was generously provided an e-book copy of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen from #Netgalley in return for an honest review. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to read and review this outstanding book. It is certainly at the top of my favorite's list for 2022!

Thank you to Netgalley, Orbit Books, and Megan Bannen for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Hart is a Marshall, a demi-god, and a general sad sack.

Mercy is an undertaker, a self-sacrificer, and a ray of sunshine.

For Hart and Mercy it was hate at first sight. Hart sees Merciless as a scam artist, profitting off the families of the dead. Mercy sees Hartache as an antagonizing curmudgeon out to make her life more difficult. However, when Hart pens out a letter addressed to no one, the fates (or the messengers of the old gods), put it into the hands of Mercy. Both of our protagonists are lonely, and what they just might need is each other.

I absolutely loved this book, because (as with almost all books I love), it is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice.

This cute enemies to lovers is such a fun read and absolutely gives Studio Ghibli vibes as another reviewer mentioned. I highly recommend picking this one up if you're looking for all of the best tropes contained in a innovative and beautiful new world.

Rating: All-Time Favorite, 5 stars

Can I give a book more than 5 stars? Because I want to give this one all the stars. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is one of the most delightful books I have read in a while and may just be my favorite romance book!

Hart is a grouchy demigod marshal who patrols the wilds of Tanria to protect humans from drudges, which are essentially zombies. Mercy is a sunshiney undertaker who is filling in for her dad at the family business until her brother can come and take over as the "Son" in Birdsall and Son. They have a deep, mutual dislike for each other, but they are both lonely. When Mercy receives a letter simply addressed to "A Friend" she writes back and a penpal relationship is born. However, it turns out Hart is on the other end of those letters, and neither knows that the other is their penpal.

This is definitely a grump/sunshine romance with a hint of enemies to lovers, though the enemies thing is born of a misunderstanding. It is multi-POV with Mercy's story revolving around family drama and keeping some family secrets that all eventually come out of the woodwork. Hart's story revolves around him unwillingly taking on an apprentice and showing him the ropes while also undergoing some emotional healing for a lot of grief in his life.

This book was just so much fun. It just starts with absolutely no context for the world, and I loved that! There is zero explanations for things, but it is similar enough to our world that it didn't really matter. I didn't realize until the book was almost over that their roads were actually waterways (and I'm still not 100% positive on that). But despite that, the world feels distinct and it's the type of world that you can tell there is a lot more to, and we are just getting a taste!

The relationships are so well done in this book. You can feel the love and comaraderie between the characters. I loved seeing the sweet and happy times between the characters as well as the tense ones. It was so well done and I felt like the characters were real. Mercy's family dynamics were just so cozy and you could just feel the love. And you could feel the loneliness and grief pouring off Hart. It was just so well written! Mercy's siblings are adorable, her dog, Leonard, is adorable, Duckers, Hart's apprentice is adorable, and Hart and Mercy themselves are adorable. I was rooting for them right from the beginning and the romance was absolutely believable!

Overall, there isn't much I didn't like about this book. I thought that some of the descriptions were over the top at first, but I honestly didn't even notice if that continued throughout the book because I got so sucked into the story. This is a romance, but there is also a small fantasy plot, but it felt cozy and happy which I don't always feel is the case in fantasy romance. Even the big miscommunication didn't bother me that much, even though you could feel it coming a mile away. I think mostly it was because of how it resolved.

I love the way that it ended, and I definitely shed tears, which is just another sign that I loved it! Such a wonderful story, and I can't wait to return to this world because it seeeeems like, based on the last several pages of the ARC that say "look for 'title TK'", that there may be another story that will be told in this world, and I DESPERATELY want this to be the case. I will read 100 more books in this world.

Final recommendation: read this if you want a whimsical but dangerous world and some joy in your life.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy releases on August 23, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was... underwhelming.

I requested it because I love fantasy, romance, grump/sunshine, epistolary romance, enemies-to-lovers, and You've Got Mail. So it really *should* have ticked ALL the boxes for me.

Instead I found myself feeling lukewarm about the characters at best and the story just didn't hold my interest. Also the whole dealing with zombies and dead bodies (with associated fluids and scrabbling through intestines for appendixes) thing was ... gross.

The first stumbling block for me was worldbuilding. A quarter of the way through the book I know very little about the world it takes place in. A few terms tossed in but never explained, a vague hand-wavey 'super complicated portals thing that no one understands except that one guy who invented them', references to old gods and new gods and demigods, and a brief 'lesson recitation' for background on the zombies themselves. (I forget the in-book term for them, which tells you a lot about how invested I am.)

I don't understand *why* everyone thinks Hart is such a jerk. I don't understand the beef he and Mercy have with each other. I don't understand... basically anything.

Also, the physical descriptions and fantasies Mercy and Hart (unknowingly) have about one another are far too graphic and lewd for my taste. And I'm still at the 'we can't stand each other' stage before they get physical. (disclaimer: I'm ace and very much don't like extended on-page sex. Yes, there technically hasn't been any yet but it's clear that there *will be* and based on the vibes I'm getting so far it will not be my cup of tea AT ALL.)

The story is also ... very much a You've Got Mail retelling with zombies. I knew there were similarities and that it was perhaps inspired by the movie but parts of it are way too close to the original for it to feel fresh or new or anything but heavily inspired (only grosser because that's apparently what the original needed?).

There *are* some things that the story does well. The day-to-day lives of Hart and Mercy and their relationships to their families / friends / coworkers are really well done. Hart's apprentice he's forced to take on is endearing and I like that he brings out the softer side of Hart. The animal couriers are amusing. Parts of it are really funny.

But. That's not enough to make up for the parts I found dull, boring, confusing, or distasteful. I feel like this will miss the mark for many fantasy and romance readers. For romance readers, the world is too confusing. For fantasy readers, there aren't enough details about the world and it's too romance-heavy.

The narration was all right. Nothing stood out, and a few of the voices used for the characters felt off to me. It certainly wasn't terrible, however, and if I'd liked the book more I would have found it to be perfectly fine. I'd definitely try a different book read by the same narrators.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Hachette Audio for providing an e-arc and audio arc for review.

I requested this book because one of my favourite BookTokers, @hensoloreads, said it reminded her of the song Hell's Comin' with Me by Poor Mans Poison. I'm so glad I did, because I devoured it in a single sitting and wish I could go back and read it for the first time all over again.

I thought at first that this would be a light romance, fun to read but nothing substantial, so was very surprised when I found myself tearing over a particularly heart-wrenching (or should I say Hart-wrenching?) scene about 9/10 of the way through. Unsurprising, though, given that I grew attached to the main characters right from the get-go. I won't spoil it for you, but this is like a cozyread++. The premise is cute, the setting inventive, and the ending a happy one - everything you need for a lazy day drinking coffee or tea.

Imagine the film You’ve Got Mail, but instead of 1990s New York it’s a uniquely-imagined fantasy world with snarky mail delivering animals and a swoon-worthy romance between a demigod marshal and a sunshine-y undertaker, and the result would be this book. I knew that I would love this book as soon as I heard about the concept of it. What I didn’t know was how deeply I would feel every emotion that is infused within each and every page of the story. I fell in love with Hart and Mercy, and who wouldn’t? Their relationship was so brilliantly written, it tugged on every heartstring from beginning to end, and I’m already itching to pick up the book again just so I can experience their love story once more.

The mark of a strong romance novel is the author’s ability to make you invested in the plot lines and relationships outside of the main one, and Megan Bannen executed this brilliantly. I adored Mercy’s family, I got teary-eyed as Hart begrudgingly takes on Dunkers as his apprentice and grows to care deeply about him, I was riveted with the mystery behind the drudges, not to mention quite proud of myself for sleuthing out the twist before our girl Mercy does, and I was breaking down by the time all of those arcs tied together and came to an incredibly emotional turning point.

This book broke my heart and stitched it back together again, and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was unputdownable, the characters were ones that I wish were real, just so I could be friends with them, and the romance between Hart and Mercy was both achingly sweet and swoon-worthy in its steaminess. If you’re looking for the perfect blend between fantasy and romantic comedy, then this book is for you.