The romance between Mercy and Hart was really good. Very entertaining. Not that anyone should expect less from haters-to-lovers, of course. Especially when it's combined with the grumpy x sunshine trope. The banter started IMMEDIATELY and it was so so gooood...and hot. 😝😝 I always love that when it happens. I was deeply invested in their relationship, happiness and well-being, but I will never forgive them for making me cry MULTIPLE TIMES. They scared the crap out of me for a minute there. Although, I do enjoy a good cry from time to time. It can be cathartic. With The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, Bannen has crafted a fantasy romance that should be on everyone’s radar—a story about love, about loss, and yes, about death, but ultimately about how important it is to live, especially when you find the one person you want to spend that life with most. I showed up for the fantastic, fun fantasy setting but it was Hart and Mercy that kept me reading.”—Ruby Dixon

A little sweet, a little spicy, a little sharp and entirely moreish!‘ Davinia Evans, author of Notorious Sorcerer 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. Did we laugh? Yes. Did we cry? Also yes. Did we love this mashup of romance tropes and gaslamp-ish fantasy? DUH. This was a total book binge and we loved every second of it.

The side characters are an absolute treat. No kidding. I love them (except for Nathan and another guy). The main characters are decent, though they sometimes act less mature for their age. Hachette Book Group is a leading book publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the third-largest publisher in the world. Social Media Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The romance hit me hard and Hart and Mercy really were the perfect enemies to lovers. There were talking animals, dead bodies (so many dead bodies), steamy scenes, and zombies. The world was both foreign, a bit dystopian, and definitely fantastical, but it also had enough snapshots of our normal life to ground my understanding. For example, Mercy read romance novels and loved bubble baths. It was cool to see how both worldviews were entwined, as you’re kinda just dropped into the story without extensive worldbuilding. Again, you’ll be confused until you’re not. 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. Those characters were all so relatable yet sassy: my heart felt so much!

A truly outstanding romantic fantasy’ India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady ScoundrelsThe Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is one of those lovely books that almost defies description. I mean, you can say the words You've Got Mail with extradimensional zombies—but then you'd also have to add "but it's really cute, actually, and the hard-drinking anthropomorphic rabbit that delivers the mail is probably my favourite character, and—" Absolutely the cutest zombie book we've ever read. Not a single word of that is written in irony. Not only is this a zombie book, it's an enemies-to-lovers epistolary romance set in a fantasy world that is just different enough from our own to make it wonderfully familiar and at the same time skewed. This is the first book in a long time that made us stay up past our bedtime to read. It's funny, it's cute, it makes you think about the inevitable mortality awaiting each human being's existence, AND there is some mild spice. Apparently it is exactly what we wanted to read right now. When Hart’s letter to an unknown friend reaches Mercy, she responds to it without knowing the sender's identity. Though a tentative friendship is born between them, things could go either way once the truth is revealed.

With its wonderfully unique setting, lovable characters, and engaging mix of humour and spice, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a truly outstanding romantic fantasy . I loved both its kookiness and its deep authenticity. An instant favourite!” India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels A lovely, macabre fantasy romanceaboutlife, death, and Actually Living. I cried twice and smiled plenty.” Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul Megan Bannen remains the queen of swoons upon swoons upon swoons!THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY is a playful, quirky gem-- full of feels and guaranteed to deliver the perfect grumpy/sunshine fix! ” -Sierra Simone, USA Todaybestselling authorMercy is fully dedicated to her family, but not truly seen by them. Hart is profoundly lonely, and struggling with grief, but he is also brave and committed to do the right things. They both live to work until they find their way to each other, and more reasons to live. 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 no, but truly, if you enjoyed hold me by courtney milan but wanted to read a fantasy romcom, you definitely need the undertaking of hart and mercy. the way this book had me in a chokehold!!!! enemies to lovers who suddenly become anonymous pen pals but still hate each other in real life. yes sir yes sir.