I was absolutely blown away by this book. It was emotional, interesting, saucy, romantic, and just an all around good time.

Mercy is an undertaker, and Hart is a marshal who patrols for possessed dead bodies. Their first meeting goes a lil off the rails, so they butt heads whenever they see each other. One day, Hart drops a letter in the mail addressed only to “a friend”. It ends up in Mercy’s hands, and she answers.

The amount of times I teared up in the middle of this book instead of just the end is truly impressive. And I mean that as the highest compliment. I think it’s a hard balance to strike between an emotional romance and a funny one. And this just hit both notes so well.

As well as having strong main characters, the entire list of side characters are fully fleshed out and a delight to read. The premise is kinda You’ve Got Mail plus a western plus whatever your favorite zombie movie is.

I loved every second of this book.

A magical romance that I had some fun reading and definitely like the characters for this one. Got me curious about the author's other work after reading it.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance set in a fantastical world with reanimated corpses, demigods, and witty mythical creatures. One of the protagonists, Mercy, is struggling to keep her father’s undertaking business afloat. Our second protagonist, Hart, is a demigod who patrols for possessed corpses, killing them and delivering them to undertakers. The two start off loathing each other but a happy accident leads to them exchanging a series of anonymous letters. Through their blind correspondence, they get to know each other and form a deep connection. There are a few bumps along the way but eventually they realize who they’ve been writing to all along and sparks fly.

The protagonists and supporting characters were lovable, hilarious and compelling. Everyone felt like family—the town was like a magical Stars Hollow. I adored Hart and Mercy’s relationship, they had so much respect for one another and thoughtfully explore grief, love, life and death together. If you want swoon-worthy sweetness, passion and an intriguing fantasy world, this is the book for you

This book was so fun and unique and weird, but in the best possible way!!
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Hart is a marshal that patrols the lands in Tanria. Mercy works as an undertaker in her father’s business, Birdsall and Sons, trying to help keep it afloat.
These two get off to a rocky start, but when an anonymous letter from a “friend” arrives in Mercy’s mailbox a friendship is formed.
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You’ll enjoy this book if:
▪️enemies to lovers
▪️paranormal romance
▪️epistolary elements 💌
▪️You’ve Got Mail vibes
▪️The BEST nicknames
▪️Quirky Read
Is your thing…
This was such a fun read!
Thank you @netgalley and Orbit for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed it!!

Oh my gods! The Salt Sea, the Warden, and Grandfather Bones. What in the world was this mystically whimsical story?! This book was absolutely breathtaking. I don’t think I can even put into words how great this was. Hart stole my heart from the very beginning. He’s a loner and tends to keep a lot about himself bottled up so it brought me so much joy to see him slowly unveil himself through his letters to Mercy. Mercy is the backbone of her family, she’s the oldest and she puts everyone’s need before her own and I really identified with her the most. The secondary characters were so enjoyable! I really loved the banter with Hart and Duckers. They are mentor and mentee but formed a really good friendship in a time that Hart truly needed it. Bannen has a unique and great way of highlighting feelings of loneliness and solitude and how the right people can make you feel again.

Honestly this was the best enemies to lovers book that I’ve read so far. Thank you @meganbannen @orbitbooks_us for my gifted finished copy and thank you @netgalley for the advanced ecopy.

Reviewed by Kaetrin for our blog on August 23rd, 2022.

Mercy Birdsall is an undertaker in Bushong, one of the Federated Islands of Cadmus. Hart Ralston is a Tanrian Marshal, tasked with patrolling Tanria (bear with, me I’ll get to it) to kill “drudges”.

If that seems confusing, well, at first, it is, a bit. The story drops you straight into it and explains things along the way. I admit that it took me a while to get my bearings. It was never enough to make me frustrated or want to stop reading, but it was a bit disorienting. But I’m going to help DA readers out a little by giving some explanation which may help going in, without giving away spoilers. (Or, at least, that’s the plan!)

Tanria is a kind of magical no-man’s land created by the “New Gods” to contain the “Old Gods”. There are official portals into Tanria but there are also pirate portals and smugglers use them to get things from Tanria such as silkwool which they can sell on the islands for a lot of money.

This is a partial review. The rest of the review can be found here:

https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-plus-reviews/review-the-undertaking-of-hart-and-mercy-by-megan-bannen/

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a novel about death, loneliness, grief, love, and family. I loved the tone and the writing style--it was whimsical, cute, and funny, but it didn't make light of the serious issues it was dealing with. I loved the romance between Hart and Mercy, how they were both lonely in different ways and found companionship in each other. The ending was beautiful. I'm very glad I read this book!

-Loved it being a rom com
-Fun and cute
-I laughed and cried
-Fun and different take of fantasy that I rarely see
-This is now one of my favorite standalone books ever
-I would love to see more of this world and characters

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a fantasy version of You’ve Got Mail and I absolutely loved it.

This book broke me. It was such a beautiful story. I laughed. I swooned. I sobbed.

This story and these characters live rent free in my head. I finished this book a week ago and I’m still thinking about it.

I loved the letters that Hart and Mercy wrote to each other and I love the friendship that forms between Duckers and Hart. They have great banter and it was all just so sweet.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy of this book. It is available today and I highly recommend you put it on your TBR.

CW: death of a loved one, on page death, killing, zombies (they are not called zombies in the book)

This book was such a beautiful surprise. It was whimsical, sweet, lonely, and sad, all at the same time. I thought the author did a wonderful job at character building, and letting us see the profound loneliness that sits deep within our souls and only love can help ease of the pain. This book focuses on two main characters- Hart & Mercy. Hart is a Marshall who has to keep the land free of ‘dredges’ that are like demons. He sometimes has to take these dead bodies to Mercy. Mercy is an undertaker, and can’t stand Hart. They both started on the wrong foot on their first meeting. I identified with Hart the most, which is odd, because I normally identify with the heroine in the story. I formed a connection with Hart and the way he tried to protect himself from pain. I felt his profound loneliness. I felt his need to keep others from being aware of his emotions, and keeping it all on the inside. He was such a grumpy man, but a marshmallow on the inside. I loved seeing the way Hart & Mercy evolved in their relationship. The author took me on a roller coaster of emotions. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to read this book. I will definitely be recommending it in the future.

I was drawn to The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by a two-pronged attack of adorable cover art and interesting comparisons. I was told that this book had Howl’s Moving Castle vibes, and I can only see that if I squint, and only as regards that personalities of the main characters. I was also informed that it was basically You’ve Got Mail but in a fantasy world, and I get this comparison even though I’ve never actually watched that movie. (Yes, yes. I know. I promise to rectify that eventually.) While romance hasn’t been my genre of choice this year because I read so much of it last year, I decided to give this a go anyway simply because I thought the premise sounded fun. And I’m so glad that I did, because The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was a snarky delight of a rom-com housed in a fascinating fantasy world.

Mercy Birdsall is doing her best to hold her family’s undertaking business together. One of the only things keeping them afloat right now is a government grant that gives them a stipend any time they take a keyless corpse that was recently reanimated before being put (back) down by a marshal. Unfortunately, one of those marshals is Hart Ralston. Hart and Mercy hated each other at first site, and the venom flies freely every time Hart brings in a body to Mercy’s funeral home. After a particularly nasty run-in, Hart pens an anonymous letter to an ethereal “Friend,” simply out of a need to feel like someone cared enough to listen. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine the letter actually being delivered to a real person, someone else who was just as desperate for a connection. Can you guess who that “friend” is? Obviously, both drama and hilarity ensue from here, leading to a romance as hilarious as it is tender.

While I did eventually become invested in the romantic lives of our main characters, I was initially much more interested in their occupations. I found Mercy’s work as an undertaker fascinating, especially given the radical differences between funeral rites and the afterlife in her world as compared to our own. I was also interested in Hart’s job as a marshal and how that compared to traveling marshals in the American West in the late 1800s. The letters between the two struck me as cute but quaint, and bordering on cheesy. But by the middle of the book, I was rooting for them with my whole heart.

Both characters had some quirks that made me roll my eyes, but not as much as I did at Mercy’s family. For a family that’s supposedly so close, there was a weird amount of miscommunication and secret-keeping, and it drove me nuts. I felt like those lines of the plot were added in almost exclusively to up the drama factor, but that’s just my opinion.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a fun, frothy, addictive ride with plenty of substance and heart. I very much enjoyed my time with it, and am already pressing it into the hands of others. It made me interested in seeing out more cozy fantasy with rom-com elements, and obviously I now desperately need to watch You’ve Got Mail. If you’re on the hunt for a light escape from reality that still has some serious stakes, this is story you’re looking for.

Mercy Birdsall is keeping her family business afloat through sheer force of will. She views it as her duty to honor and care for all the bodies that come to her family’s undertaker business. Hart knows undertakers to be opportunistic and cold. From the moment they meet, they get off on the wrong foot and continue that way. When Mercy receives a letter entitled to “A Friend,” she writes back. Unbeknownst to them, Hart and Mercy have more in common than they might think. Will they ever be able to overcome their first impressions? As more drudges flood the towns, will Hart and Mercy find who their pen pal is?

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a sweet and soulful love story. Mercy and Hart are both vivid characters that simply leap off the page. I loved the creativity of the world-building, it felt completely open to anything and very grounded at the same time. This is a world filled with demigods, drudges (basically zombies), and magical creatures delivering the mail. It is simultaneously filled with complex family relationships, an undertaking business, and excellent librarians. Mercy and Hart are surrounded by a fantastic cast of characters, including Mercy’s siblings, her father, and Hart’s brand-new apprentice. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a story about long-held grief, the courage to be open to new relationships, and that family comes in many different forms. I absolutely loved it and it is one of my new favorite books!

I would recommend The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy for fans of Neil Gaiman and Under the Whispering Door. I would really recommend The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy to anyone! Thank you to Megan Bannen, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, Wordpress blog, and Barnes & Noble etc

I absolutely loved this book!

Mercy and her family all work as undertakers but the company is named Birdsall and sons because the general rule is the company gets passed down to the son but Mercy wants to take charge of the company not her brother. Her brother likes baking instead. Mercy has had enough run in’s with Hart who seems to know how to push every one of Mercy’s buttons. He calls her Merciless and she calls him Hart-ache. Hart is a Marshall his job is to kill the grudges who are kinda like zombies who collect lost souls. He brings the bodies to Mercy and her family who give the bodies a proper end of life ceremony and send off on the Salt Sea in a boat to the after life. Mercy and Hart are enemies and that’s not going to change. Until Hart starts writing letters hoping a friend will write him back because his expeditions are very lonely. Mercy finds the letter and writes back. The two start a pen pal friendship not knowing who they are writing to. Chaos ensues and Mercy and Hart end up on a date and suddenly they begin to see each other in a new light. This book has everything you want in a paranormal enemies to lovers romance. The banter was amazing and so was just enough steam 🌶 Hart and Mercy might be a new favourite couple! Highly recommend everyone pick this up on Aug 23.

Thank you again for this amazing opportunity to read an ARC Netgalley and Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own opinion.

I’m back with another cozy fantasy/PNR book review! INJECT THEM ALL INTO MY VEINS! This is everything that I’ve been asking for because I LOVE fantasy settings but don’t often love how much brain power they require of me when it comes to plot and world-building. These romance-centric ones, like The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, are perfect for me. This book in particular holds a special place on my bookshelf because I feel like it’s a book written for all the lonely readers out there. 🥹

What appealed to me the most about The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was the comparison to You’ve Got Mail. Epistolary romances are my JAM. I may or may not have shamelessly begged the lovely publicist for a copy simply because of that. I just knew that I would inhale every word of this book and I DID. Both Hart and Mercy are lonely individuals and that loneliness seeps into every chapter of this book. When Hart, in need of a connection, writes an anonymous letter that winds up being delivered to his real-life nemesis, Mercy, it sets off a chain reaction that permanently alters his life. Their anonymous friendship was delightfully humorous and heartachingly sweet. Through the letters, they bond over their shared loneliness and loss, forging a deep connection. As a fellow lonely person, I was touched by the way Megan Bannen wrote about their alienation. I can’t even begin to describe the pangs felt reading some of the quotes in the book because they are that resonant.

Soon enough, they agree to meet-up in person, but when Hart realizes that it’s THE Mercy, he leaves without revealing himself. Hart and Mercy’s dynamic outside of their letters was even more intriguing because they did not get along. They were still attracted to each other, but anytime they were in the same environment, they were ready to off each other. As a reader who knows that they’ve been unknowingly writing to each other, it’s nothing short of comical watching them act like irritable clowns! It provides humor and lightness to the story that I appreciated.

I was also unhealthily obsessed with both Hart and Mercy as characters. Mercy has to be one of the coolest characters I’ve come across. She has taken over her elderly father’s undertaking business while also having to care for him, handling her siblings, and dealing with the possibility of losing the family business. She’s got a lot on her plate, but she wouldn’t really have it any other way because she loves her family and the work that she does. Despite all that she’s going through, she’s actually the human form of sunshine to everyone around her (besides Hart). She has this quiet strength that made me love her fiercely. I only wanted for her to find romantic love to add to the love she is showered by her family.

Of course, she finds that love in the very grouchy, very sad, Hart, who is a demigod and a marshal. His job is to wander the island to find drudges, which are zombie-like creatures that are not as cute and cozy as the rest of this book. Hart is a sad BOI who loves puppies (😭). It probably makes me a little bit of a masochist but there’s nothing more I enjoy than reading books about sad characters. It’s not the actual sadness I *enjoy*, but the journey to the characters finding happiness. Hart’s sadness are as a result of his job and the sheer number of losses he has faced. Yeah, he’s a cantankerous knob at times, but can you blame him? He’s so hard on himself and so self-deprecating that you can’t help but want for his life to change so he experiences at least an inkling of happiness. Have no fear! While Megan Bannen ushers him through hell and more in The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, she ultimately ends his story on a pleasant and rewarding note.

What I like best about these cozy fantasy books is the focus on the different relationships. The secondary characters add even more warmth and coziness to this tale through their varying relationships with the protagonists. You have some very relatable family scenes, a boisterous new sidekick/apprentice who pushes all of Hart’s grumpy buttons, a ridiculously funny scene-stealing talking rabbit! The world itself is wacky and weird, integrating elements of the modern world with fantasy elements. I liked how naturally the world was built and how it never felt overwhelming. I left the book with a good sense of it which makes the writing very impressive in my eyes.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is quirky, lovely, and all sorts of emotional. I really can’t recommend it enough and I hope that Megan Bannen writes more of these relationship/romance-centric cozy fantasies in the future. I’ll be seated!

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is like if a Hallmark romance movie met the gritty world of Arkane's Dishonoured series.

<b>Plot Summary</b>
On the surface, Hart Ralston and Mercy Birdsall couldn't be more different, and they certainly despise each other for it. When Hart pens an unaddressed letter to "A Friend," he never expects it to be delivered, and certainly not to Mercy of all people. She, having no clue who her anonymous pen pal could be, responds in kind, which sets their orbits spinning ever closer to each other.

<b>Characters and Relationship</b>
Hart and Mercy are beautifully written characters, and their POV chapters each feel so distinct. They are charming and loveable, but not without flaw, which often leads to completely deserved consequences. Their relationship was really sweet, and kept me wanting more. I will say, though, that things felt a little rushed. Right from the get-go, even when they despise each other they acknowledge they're attracted to the other, which then means that the actual relationship itself sparks so quickly once they move past that point. I found myself wanting a slower burn rather than a jump off the high board.

The side characters, like Duckers and Mercy's family, were also really charming and different from one another. Some naturally were more developed than others, but each contributed meaningfully to the plot and the character relationships being nurtured.

<World-building and Overall Thoughts</b>
The fantasy elements of this book are fantastic! I loved the lore about the Old and New Gods, and was ravenous for more information each time a new tidbit was given to the reader. However, I will say that this book leans about 60-70% romance, and 30-40% plot-driven fantasy. That means that, as incredible as the world is, I was always left wanting more, and it always took a back-seat to the romance. It also means that, when plot-heavy moments were happening, it felt like they ended too quickly, and that there just wasn't enough lead-up to them in the first place. The last 25%, in particular, felt a little unbalanced in that regard, with too much romance and not enough time to wrap up the plot elements.

If you're going into this novel expecting more plot than romance, you'll find yourself disappointed. However, if you can accept that the world-building is a beautifully crafted backdrop to a lovely romance, you'll love this book. I am certainly eager to read more from this author!

From zombies to demigods to secret pen pals and unexpected second chances, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy takes the plot of “You’ve Got Mail” and adds a fun fantasy spin on the beloved story.

Patrolling unknown and wild lands for unsettling creatures and disturbances, Hart Ralston delivers his discoveries to one of the local undertakers placing him in the constant presence of the person who gets under his skin the most, the business owner’s daughter, Mercy. During a spontaneous moment of loneliness, Hart writes an anonymous letter, hoping it never gets sent. But what happens when the letter gets delivered to the one person he least expected, Mercy?

This was such an imaginative take on combining classic romance elements with fantasy. I thought the book was quite charming and full of great laughs and deep connections. I loved the strong sense of family and relationships (Mercy’s family was SO cute!)—it added an extra layer of sentiment and comfort to the novel.

Hart and Mercy’s story was full of highs and lows that you felt with the characters. I loved seeing their relationship grow from bickering acquaintances to something more.

If you’re looking for a unique spin on a romance filled to the brim with tropes, including “grumpy and sunshine” dynamics, a pen pal romance, and hate-to-love banter, definitely keep this book in mind.

3.25/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I think I’ll be processing this one for awhile. I did not expect to feel so many feels.
Yes, it’s a fantasy romance. But it’s also unexpected, fresh, unique, a delight, and a sucker punch to your h(e)art.
Another reviewer described this book as being like India Holton’s Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels but also not like it at all, and I couldn’t agree more. In some ways it was patently absurd, but it worked and it charmed the heck out of me. I absolutely didn’t understand what was going on in this realm until it all came together at the end, and boy was it cool.
But most importantly I love each and every one of these characters to death.
It’s really hard to explain without giving away too much, and this story should be experienced by each reader for themselves, but y’all just read this and thank me later.

P.S. immortal talking rabbit and owl postal workers were 10/10

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the eARC.

This book was one quirky adventure, and I loved every minute of it.

First of all, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked up The Undertaking of Mercy and Hart. Undertaker—could be cute. Zombies (called drudges)—maybe. Pen pal romance—haven't seen it done well, but I'll give it a try.

This one was adorable. It shone a light into my deep, dark soul, and there may be a succulent trying to take root there now.

Hart and Mercy perfectly encapsulate some popular tropes: haters-to-lovers, sunshine vs. grumpy. However, they're so much more than that. Honestly, these characters were relatable, quirky, heartfelt, seriously frustrating sometimes (in the best way), and I could go on.

The family members and side characters were so much fun to read, especially Zeddie and Duckers. Plus, we have a talking bunny and owl and dogs galore. You'll be satisfied if you're like me and like most animals more than people.

Now, zombies in almost every form are not usually my thing, so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the plot. However, the drudges, as they're called, are pretty unobtrusive in the book. Honestly, this entire storyline was pretty original, except for a moment in the middle when I felt like I'd stepped into the fantasy book version of You've Got Mail.

Bottom line: I already bought my copy because I expect to cozy up to this one several times.

I LOVED this; I’ve never read anything quite like it, it’s so wildly unique. I'm such a fan of this fun concept. This is the quirky, slightly spooky love story that everyone looks for in the fall!

This felt like zombies meet You’ve Got Mail. I’m a huge fan of that movie, so I couldn’t get enough of the homages to some of my favorite Shopgirl and NY152 moments! The entire scene where he was nervous to meet her at the cafe and had Duckers spy in the window first brought me so much joy - I could practically hear the You've Got Mail line, "I can tell you right now, if you don't like Kathleen Kelly, you're not gonna like this girl."

Letter writing books are some of my favorite, so I really enjoyed that we got so much "face time" with the letters themselves, and that they were so well done. Hart and Mercy had really great chemistry, and that came across so easily with the letters!

I really ended up falling in love with the side characters too, especially Mercy's family.

A must read for anyone looking for a fun fantasy romance this fall!

Hart is lonely. Pretty basic start, but that's the crux of it. He's a lonely marshal, patrolling Tanria to prevent attacks from drudges (a.k.a. corpses reanimated by lost souls). After slaying drudges, he's tasked with bringing the bodies to an undertaker — one of whom is the annoying (and annoyingly attractive, but he's ignoring that) Mercy, who hates Hart as much as he hates her. After a particularly frustrating interaction with Mercy, Hart writes about his loneliness in a letter, addressed only to "a friend." By the magic of magical mail, it finds its way to Mercy, and they begin a correspondence — without knowing that they're each writing to the person they hate most in the world. Will discovering each other's identities ruin their burgeoning friendship, or will it lead to something beautiful? And can Mercy save her family's undertaking business? Find out in The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.
Listen, this book is like You've Got Mail with demigods and zombies, and it shouldn't work nearly as well as it does. The whole thing is imbued with a sense of humor that almost acknowledges the absurdity of the concept and says "just go with it." The characters are the heart (hehe, Hart) of this book: Mercy and her family is zany and delightful, Hart is a soft center with rough edges, and the relationship develops showcases all the hopes and dreams and baggage that you want from a small-town enemies-to-lovers romance. But did I mention there are also zombies? I was confused by the world at first, as I often tend to be in a fantasy, but Bannen unravels her setting in such a way that your questions are answered right before you ask them. By the end of the story, it seems perfectly normal that the appendix is the seat of the human soul (guess I'm soulless) and that demigods make good law enforcement officers.
In terms of plot and pacing, I wish that some of the significant plot points had been more evenly distributed. At the midpoint, I found myself wondering how I had half the book left because it seemed like things were wrapping up. I loved both the relationship development of the first half and the action of the second half, but I wish that they could have felt a bit more intertwined.
However, all that being said, I really enjoyed this book. It's warm and cozy and macabre in a lighthearted way(?), and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to romance fans, cozy fantasy fans, or fans of a wacky combination of things like zombie hunting, undertaking, immortal beings, and a little bit of mystery. Other notable things I loved about this book: a loyal dog, a smart-ass rookie marshal with a heart of gold, queer relationships, lots of food, and talking animal mail carriers.