Megan Bannen

"A uniquely charming mixture of whimsy and the macabre that completely won me over. If you ever wished for an adult romance that felt like Howl's Moving Castle, THIS IS THAT BOOK." —Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient

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?

Set in a world full of magic and demigods, donuts and small-town drama, this enchantingly quirky, utterly unique fantasy is perfect for readers of The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Invisible Library.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Emma Miller

Grandpa sat on the back steps, smoking a pipe, the sweet aroma filling Hart’s nose with the scent of home and comfort. “Good night, Grandpa.” Grandpa tucked his pipe into his overalls pocket and patted Hart on the head. “Good night, peanut.” Peanut. Hart had forgotten that his grandfather called him that.

“Marshal Duckers is my new apprentice.” Mercy’s smile melted into a sympathetic frown. “Oh, you poor thing. Chocolate?” 

The chokehold that this line has on me. I swear. 

Sarah

"I don't want to go on vacation," he whined -literally whined. 

Emily Moore

he would shatter, and there would be no putting him back together.

Minnie Mazuera

 He figured that if he could no longer love Mercy in person, he could at least love her through the pages of her favorite novel. 

From water you camne, and to water you shall return.

 You shall sail into the arms of the Salt Sea,

 and Grandfather Bones shall relieve your body of your spirit. 

 and the Unknown God shall welcome you into their home, 

Predictable, one note characters,  and a scene taken straight from You've Got Mail. 

Jenny Engel

big ab

the last two sentences were really good. this book is so weird, i kept thinking that i knew what was gonna happen but i did not. a fun read though!!!!

Sandrin

mirin

Hunty

This was so cute!

I related heavily to Mercy’s chronic eldest daughter syndrome and I thought the world building was unique and interesting (honestly would love to read more about the mythology of this world). 

Suffers a little from millenialisms and the transition from enemies to lovers felt a bit rushed, but overall really enjoyed it!

Shelby Caswell

Audiobook 🎧 Listen:

Getting into this one was a little tough, the world building and understanding this wasn’t the average human world took me a second to adjust to. 

I was hoping for a cozy fall romance, and without screaming pumpkins and black cats this is exactly what I was hoping for!

Mercy is an undertaker at her families business, working until her brother graduates to take over for her and her dad who’s health is declining after a heart attack.

Hart is a marshall, protecting the community and bringing the bodies of those effected to Mercy’s family’s business to be prepped and ready for what happens after death.

And they don’t get along. whatsoever.

Her job is creepy and weird, his job is creepy and weird. But they are good at what they do.

They’re both keeping things from their loved ones and feel so alone in the world and are in major need of a friend.

The entire story had me guessing what the major issue was, where was the plot heading, but I still wanted to know more about their world in Tanria / Eternity.

Loved it and would recommend!

4⭐️
2🌶️

A fun mix of sweet and macabre, this book was definitely a good read. There was a lack of world building that made it hard for me to connect to the book on a more immersive level, but overall this was a sweet enemies to lovers romance that was easily devoured once you fell in love with the characters. 

Kristen G

I may end up changing this to 5/5 idk but THIS WAS SOOOO FRICKIN GOOD I was laughing, I was crying, I was in love with all the characters, and I was in awe of how well-constructed the fantasy world is in this, like the rules to the world made sense and the backstory of the gods was incredible, just so well done! and the romance!!! the! romance! I’m usually not a fan of the just straight up miscommunication trope, and I was frustrated at times with them so much I just wanted to be like ‘talk with each other, losers!’ but it was so well done that you’re truly rooting for them all along. the sheer joy of them calling each other heartache and merciless is…so good. I loved this!

fris🐝

Well this was a lot of fun and really cute for being a story that had a lot to do with death. It didn’t have me in a chokehold but I still flew through it and had a great time. Would recommend as some fun brain Cheetos for spooky season. 

Laura Wilson

Samantha Chavez 

this was soooo cute and made me smile so big every other page

I enjoyed this one was it was fun and I felt it was a good read. I did start out thinking it would be a four stars however in the end , I gave three.

I loved how these characters where enemies to lovers, this is the way it should be done. The whole pen pal writing each other letters without either knowing who they are actually writing too was done brilliantly I loved their letters.

What dossapointed me was the romance beyween the characters fell flat..I had hoped for more romance and seeing them fall in love but it happened really fast after they do the deed and I just wasn't invested in their romance like I wanted to be. If the Author had put more I to the romance once in oerson this could have easily became a new favourite. That being said I didnt hate it it was a enjoyable read.

Samantha King

I enjoyed this one was it was fun and I felt it was a good read. I did start out thinking it would be a four stars however in the end , I gave three.

I loved how these characters where enemies to lovers, this is the way it should be done. The whole pen pal writing each other letters without either knowing who they are actually writing too was done brilliantly I loved their letters.

I loved mercy's family dynamic aswell.

What dossapointed me was the romance beyween the characters fell flat..I had hoped for more romance and seeing them fall in love but it happened really fast after they do the deed and I just wasn't invested in their romance like I wanted to be. If the Author had put more I to the romance once in oerson this could have easily became a new favourite. That being said I didnt hate it it was a enjoyable read.

Definitely my new favorite book. 10/10 enemies. 10/10 lovers. 10/10 banter. Great world building. Great characters. Fantastic story. 

hannah

Taylor Arevalo

Hibana Nava

What a sweet book! I really think the ending makes it though. The world that Bannen has created is so fun, particularly the Nimkilim, which were so easily pictured for me. I did struggle through some of the initial motivations. I liked the change of the love interest being in direct competition with the protagonist’s business from You’ve Got Mail but it also removes some of the heat of their hatred. I did think Mercy and Hart were cute but it was truly all the other relationships that are the heart of the book. Mercy’s family and Mercy as well as Hart and his found family really got to me. I also really enjoyed the interwoven mystery and mythology. The Hart’s dad reveal was quite satisfying. Overall, the book was like reading a top tier Hallmark movie and I love those.

No one warned me I’d need tissues reading this book! Don’t worry, there’s a happy ending but it does put you through the emotional wringer. It was absolutely wonderful though you just need to get through that start. 

Mathis book was a slow starter for me. The intro to Mercy and Hart and their world felt a little jarring. At first I felt like I’d missed something but as the book progressed I understand where I was better and understood the kind of world it was set in. But once we got the letters I didn’t want to stop reading but it did take me a while to find time to read. 

Hart and Mercy were complex. They had issues they needed to overcome and it felt like their letters were a chance to be honest when it felt like they had no one to talk to. I think they needed the chance to be honest with no repercussions and that helped them figure things out. 

Honestly this book has gone straight on the favourites list. I cannot say enough good things. The characters. The setting. The plot. Just everything worked. And Mercy’s family! Loved them, they were the best closeknit interfering family I love to read about. 

Becky

No one warned me I’d need tissues reading this book! Don’t worry, there’s a happy ending but it does put you through the emotional wringer. It was absolutely wonderful though you just need to get through that start. 

Mathis book was a slow starter for me. The intro to Mercy and Hart and their world felt a little jarring. At first I felt like I’d missed something but as the book progressed I understand where I was better and understood the kind of world it was set in. But once we got the letters I didn’t want to stop reading but it did take me a while to find time to read. 

Hart and Mercy were complex. They had issues they needed to overcome and it felt like their letters were a chance to be honest when it felt like they had no one to talk to. I think they needed the chance to be honest with no repercussions and that helped them figure things out. 

Honestly this book has gone straight on the favourites list. I cannot say enough good things. The characters. The setting. The plot. Just everything worked. And Mercy’s family! Loved them, they were the best closeknit interfering family I love to read about. 

“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.”

I’m SO TORN on what to rate this. On one hand, I loved so much about it. It’s offbeat, charming, silly and romantic. I love how the story brings together two people who are struggling with loneliness and getting outside of their comfort zone. On the other hand, sometimes it felt like the story’s pacing was off and the beginning was a bit slow? But then those characters were all so relatable yet sassy: my heart felt so much!

To me this is definitely a romance book with a fantasy setting, not the other way around. 

I think I kinda loved it though, even though I feel like I can’t explain why. Maybe I don’t need too 😂. 

Kathryn

“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.”

I’m SO TORN on what to rate this. On one hand, I loved so much about it. It’s offbeat, charming, silly and romantic. I love how the story brings together two people who are struggling with loneliness and getting outside of their comfort zone. On the other hand, sometimes it felt like the story’s pacing was off and the beginning was a bit slow? But then those characters were all so relatable yet sassy: my heart felt so much!

To me this is definitely a romance book with a fantasy setting, not the other way around. 

I think I kinda loved it though, even though I feel like I can’t explain why. Maybe I don’t need too 😂. 

4.25/5⭐️

Christine Bruce

The dead roam, and Hart's job as a marshal is to remove bodies the spirits might inhabit. He delivers them to the designated mortuary, unless the body does not have a funerary plan. In which case the deceased is delivered to Birdsall &Sons Undertaking. A mortuary run by Mercy Birdsall in every way but name and the bane of Hart's existence. in a fit of loneliness Hart mails a letter simply addressed to "a friend" fully expecting it to end up in the trash Instead it goes to Mercy, a woman in need of a friend herself. As the two bare their souls to each other, they learn the importance of a friend, but will they learn the importance of second chances?

I adored this book so much. A true enemies to lovers, not a case of "he loved her all along.' No, they legitimately hate each other with receipts. The characters and their motivations were so well fleshed out and believable. Every single action made sense; even when you want to yell at them, you understand why they did what they did. I loved all the side characters and their individual arcs and interactions. Every character was believable and multi-dimensional. I loved everyone, even characters from a single scene.

call me controversial, I also loved the total lack of world building. We're thrown into this world post-calamity and destruction of gods and not once are given really any kind of explanation or detail about it. There's complex history here, and we are only given the surface of what citizens here pick up by living there. There's never any kind of info dump. There's never any kind of background detail. Nothing, everything we learn about the world is though passing references from a few wild characters and general conversation when relevant. I was so confused at first, but as soon as I let my need to understand every facet go, I realized it wasn't important. That said, I can't imagine this book being able to take place in a fully contemporary world, or in a world where the backdrop was more important. You need the world its in to explain why some very specific things work, like how the pen pal letters are able to be delivered or why Hart and Mercy meet each other and quickly dislike each other. Every other aspect of the world is irrelevant and so it isn't included. And I respect that. The story is stronger for it. 

Finally, the final climax was a little of a let down in relation to the rest of the book only because I wish we had seen the lead up to the battle from Hart's point of view. But it's saved with his dream sequence. I did love the interactions following the twist, but it felt a bit cheap. I've never been a big fan of "I'm not mad anymore. because I thought you died so we don't have to talk about it anymore." which is how the conflict was solved, but I digress. It wasn't bad enough to take away a 5 star rating when rounded up.

I will pick up anything that's compared to You've Got Mail, and this was pretty much a fantasy carbon copy of it. I thought the relationship between Hart and Mercy was fun. I wouldn't say it was enemies to lovers, but it was antagonizers to lovers. They had great banter, and I liked watching them rile each other up. The letters between them were so sweet, and I liked watching them open up to each other without knowing who was on the other end. Also, I really loved the two mail carriers-- one was a fancy owl, and the other a crude talking rabbit--and thought they stole the show. I only had two issues with this: one is the length, and the other is the world-building. There was no reason for this to be over 400-pages. While it never felt slow, my attention kept wavering. As for the world-building, it could've used a heck of a lot more. After reading it, I still didn't have a firm grasp on the world, its lore, or even how the drudges came about. Despite all that, I'd still recommend it if you're looking for a cozier fantasy romance to read this fall.

Heather Harrington

Andrea Rodriguez

If you like small town romance and sci-fi/fantasy, this is the perfect book for you. It combines the best of both worlds and gave me all the warm fuzzies inside. On paper, it shouldn’t have been as cozy and as wholesome as it was, but that’s exactly what it was. Had me in tears at the end. Just completely loved loved loved this book. 🥹

This book was wildly delightful start to finish. I immediately was in love with all the characters, and the combo of demigods, talking animals, magic, science, the dead, and love letters created a wonderfully weird and charming story. A fantasy stand-alone with remarkable world building, adventure, romance, and mystery so there’s something for everyone.

Marisa clarke

The Princess Bride meets You've Got Mail in this enchantingly quirky, completely refreshing fantasy with a rom-com-worthy premise, perfect for readers of The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Invisible Library. Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the 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 pen pals. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares - each other? Set in a world equally full of magic and demigods as it is donuts and small-town drama, this utterly unique fantasy is sure to sweep you off your feet.

If you love You’ve Got Mail but always wished it had more shambling zombies and talking animals… may I introduce this delightful book? Featuring a fantasy Wild West setting with a unique undertaker-based magic/religious system, charming family members & animal mail couriers, and a sunshine/grump romance (including some spice!), UNDERTAKING is a genre-bending new fantasy romance that is sure to delight!

Thank you Libro FM for the advanced audiobook copy!

Liz Griffin

If you love You’ve Got Mail but always wished it had more shambling zombies and talking animals… may I introduce this delightful book? Featuring a fantasy Wild West setting with a unique undertaker-based magic/religious system, charming family members & animal mail couriers, and a sunshine/grump romance (including some spice!), UNDERTAKING is a genre-bending new fantasy romance that is sure to delight!

Thank you Libro FM for the advanced audiobook copy!

This book is weird and I loved it. A lot. 

The world building is minimal but super interesting and it makes more sense the more immersed in it you get. There’s a bit of family drama, some romance and a bit of a supernatural mystery. 

It’s fun and addicting, I didn’t want to put it down but also didn’t want it to end. I love both Hart and Mercy and all of the supporting characters.

 It was truly a lovely and captivating story from start(when I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on) to the end. 

Megan BV

This book is weird and I loved it. A lot. 

The world building is minimal but super interesting and it makes more sense the more immersed in it you get. There’s a bit of family drama, some romance and a bit of a supernatural mystery. 

It’s fun and addicting, I didn’t want to put it down but also didn’t want it to end. I love both Hart and Mercy and all of the supporting characters.

 It was truly a lovely and captivating story from start(when I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on) to the end. 

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

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