2.5 Leaning towards a 3 Star read!

The writing style is good and flows nicely but the actual story and content of the book felt too dry. It was a genuine struggle to keep my attention on what was happening on the page. Ultimately it just failed to be an attention grabber, I had zero investment in the story or characters. They were okay but even if they weren't I'm not sure I would have noticed.

This book was super unique and I wish I had liked it more

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I was trying to filter through all of the repetitive descriptions of Bethany's appearance, but the whole plot was too flimsy to me. The characters were not entirely likeable and there felt like there was no motivation to get them together.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This one had such an interesting premise to it but it was just okay. It was pretty boring for most of the story, until about the halfway point when things slightly picked up.

The story follows Bethany and George who work together in a funeral home where they embalm people, set up funeral services, and pick up dead bodies. The funeral home has been in George’s family for years but now both he and Bethany, who is unrelated to the family biologically, each own half. They have been working together for 13 (I believe) years and have never gotten along, a classic enemies to lovers vibe.

While I understand George has some past relationship trauma he has to still work through 11 years later, but it just seems like a really long time for two people to finally realize they like one another and decide to give it a shot. Their pasts were only brought up occasionally so there really wasn’t too much of a backstory on this on Bethany’s end, and some on George’s.

I liked Bethany and George together but not so much independently. I thought they had great chemistry, and the author did a good job portraying that. However, there were so many other side plots and characters and story lines going on, that it took away from the story itself. Especially the one focused on Bethany’s “other job.” I did find the information interesting in regards to how they embalm people and the process surrounding that. I haven’t seen a romance that included that aspect so that was unique.

This is the second installment in a companion series, which I didn’t know until I started this book, but you can definitely read them out of order. I don’t think it spoiled too much of the first book just based off what I read. The first installment follows George’s sister Soula, who is a medical examiner.

I was seriously disappointed with this book. The two main characters were both overly ridiculous; it felt like we spent 3/4 of the book discussing Bethany's physical attributes and what she did for work. I was beyond annoyed with the amount of time given to that topic, especially in relation to the amount of time we were given information about Bethany and George's relationship - and yet we are somehow supposed to believe that they are madly in love with each other? I'm not buying it. It was also disappointing to be led to believe that instead of a collar, George was going to propose to Bethany...and instead he gave her her eco-friendly graveyard. Don't get me wrong - I see how it ties into the story, and I guess it could be considered romantic - but that's not what I'm expecting when he tells her he has something that will serve to bind them together as much as a collar would.

Another sticking point with me is believing that George would tell Bethany he loves her, can't do this anymore, and then just dip - all on stage. That he would be gone for over 6 weeks, and his family wouldn't get police involved to try to find him and do a welfare check? Again, not buying it. I also think when he came back it wasn't fair of him to assume Bethany would welcome him with open and ready arms - but it was equally unfair for Bethany to not even give him the chance to explain himself.

The premise of this story was so cute - I don't think I've ever read a story based around two main characters who work at the same mortuary, and then throw in enemies to lovers? Super cute...only it wasn't. I came really close to DNF this book, but I have this thing where I just can't bring myself to do that. Oh well.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'm sorry it wasn't more positive!

We first met George and Bethany in Morgue to Love and I couldn’t wait for story. Undertaking Love brought all the feels. This enemies to lovers/grumpy sunshine provides a glimpse into the lives of funeral directors and shows how much it impacts their lives (and their mental well-being). The romance almost felt secondary to them both growing as people and I loved it. I highly recommend this book!

So I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book when I requested it through Netgalley. There was a warning in the description reading: This book contains graphic depictions of the dead and deathcare procedures, kink, and career burnout.

The plotline, while sound, tells the tale of pseudo-porn/model Bethany West and her new career as part owner of a funeral home. She owns 51 percent of the business to her co-owner George. For him, it’s the family business and he’s resentful that Bethany has swooped in and taken (almost) charge.

So the setup is for an enemies-to-lovers romance. And for the most part that is the focus of the story. Hot to trot Bethany finds herself in love with George, and despite not wanting to be, he finds himself in love with Bethany. It was a long, wordy road to get them together, which they finally are in about the middle of the book.

The rest of the book is peppered with in-depth details of embalming, body reconstruction, and even naked photo shoots with Bethany as the star.

I Have to admit I was confused a few times about lifestyle choices, and even the mild kink depicted in the story. George is so unlikable from the beginning and I found I never really “got him” for the rest of the story. Bethany is too much. Of everything. Too much personality, too much sexual freedom, just too much. These two were as opposite as people could be and yet, still found their way together.

While the story was very wordy in some parts and I had to slug through them, overall the story was sound, the romance realistic, and the kind very tame.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me a read. 4 stars.

A great read, Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Bethany and George work together but are enemies. I like how it is told from both points of view as they start to fall for each other.