Title: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
Author: Megan Bannen
Genre: Fantasy/Rom-Com
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 448
Release Date: 25 August 2022
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The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen is a uniquely whimsical, You’ve Got Mail meets The Walking Dead-style rom-com that I absolutely ADORED!
It’s full of humour, incredible world-building and has two of my all time fave romance tropes: grumpy/sunshine and enemies to lovers. If you love cosy (and just a tad macabre) adult fantasy rom-coms then you definitely need pick this up!
Synopsis
Hart Ralston is a demigod and a marshal, tasked with patrolling the wasteland of Tanria. The realm the exiled old gods once called home is now a forsaken place where humans with no better options or no better sense come seeking adventure or spoils, but more often end up as drudges: reanimated corpses inhabited by the souls of those who’ve died in Tanria before. Hart tells himself that his job is simple: neutralize the drudges with a quick zap to the appendix and deliver them back to polite society at the nearest undertaker’s, leaving the whys and hows of the drudge problem for men without the complexities of a god in their family tree. But working alone, Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder exactly those questions he’d most like to avoid.
Too much time alone is the opposite of Mercy Birdsall’s problem. Since her father’s decline, she’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son undertakers afloat in small-town Eternity—despite definitely not being a son, and in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart Ralston, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. The work’s not the problem—Mercy’s good at it, better than any other Birdsall—but keeping all her family’s plates spinning singlehandedly, forever, isn’t how Mercy envisioned her future.
After yet another run-in with the sharp-tongued Mercy, Hart considers she might have a point about his utter loneliness being a bit of a liability. In a moment of sentimentality, he pens a letter addressed simply to “A Friend,” and entrusts it to a nimkilim, an anthropomorphic animal messenger with an uncanny connection to the gods, (and in Hart’s case, a bit of a drinking problem). 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 two unlikely pen pals grow closer, the truth about Hart’s parentage and the nature of the drudges creeps in.
Suddenly their old animosity seems so small in comparison to what they might be able to do: end the drudges forever. But at what cost?
Review
I’ve been on a bit of a romance kick lately and reading this was absolute PERFECTION—it’s the perfect blend of fantasy and romance with tons of humour, whimsical characters and a love story I didn’t want to end!
Protagonists, Hart and Mercy really steal the show in every scene they share. I absolutely loved their snarky barbs to one another (and they really don’t let up) which were pure gold!
I loved the complexity, detailand depth to both Mercy and Hart’s characters, I loved how endearing they both were. Through Mercy we catch a glimpse of day to life, and the family drama and responsibilities that have shaped her, particularly her father and his failing health and her decision to single-handedly take on the family’s role of Undertaker. She’s a tough cookie and I really enjoyed watching how she navigates all the family tension (and awkward family dinners) as she struggles to save her families business, navigate her feelings for her anonymous pen pal and juggle a million little secrets the family are keeping from one another.
Hart, although grumpy at first appearance is just as soft hearted as Mercy is tough—but the loss of so many friends and family members as left him lonely and defensive, unwilling to meet new people for fear of losing them too. I feel Hart experiences the biggest emotional shift throughout the novel (I found myself literally sobbing through several of his later chapters) but it’s such a satisfying one.
Even though they start off disliking one another, you can really feel the chemistry between them—and their letters to one another are the sweetest and most epically adorable letters ever. Naturally given the You’ve Got Mail premise, the miscommunication trope is rife so do bare that in mind if it’s not a trope you enjoy.
Overall, a fairly lighthearted and charming fantasy, slice-of-life rom-com that I utterly devoured—though there is some really emotional scenes nearing the end so do keep some tissues handy.
Also, thanks to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the e-arc.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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