The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

By: Megan Bannen

Narrated by: Michael Gallagher, Rachanee Lumayno

"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 fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Invisible Library.

"Truly outstanding romantic fantasy."—India Holton

"An unabashedly offbeat adventure."—Freya Marske

"I cried twice and smiled plenty."—Olivia Atwater

"A little sweet, a little spicy, a little sharp and entirely moreish!"—Davinia Evans

"I showed up for the fantastic, fun fantasy setting but it was Hart and Mercy that kept me reading."—Ruby Dixon

©2022 Megan Bannen (P)2022 Orbit

GAH! My Hart!

If I die, please send my body to Mercy’s Undertakings. I’d like a Viking boat. Please and thank you.

the story telling

the new take on a love story, magic and death it has it all. enemy to lover. beautiful world building .

solidly fun and sweet

This was a cozy, easy listen that had me giggling, misty eyed, and warm. Definitely recommend if you're looking for those things.

Heartwarming, funny

Cute and heartwarming. Definitely a feel good listen. I loved both narrators, but I’ll never understand why publishers go to the trouble of hiring two fabulous narrators but then don’t do a true duet style. It’s just weird to hear the main character in his/her own voice in a chapter and then in the next hear the other narrator try to voice them. This isn’t the narrators’ fault. I couldn’t do it either. If the publisher would just choose to make it true duet style (male narrator reads all male voices and female narrator reads all female voices), not only do you get consistent characters and better character development, but the entire listening experience is just so much more amazing. I loved the story though. Very cute.

You've got mail meets greek-ish gods

I had heard lots of mixed reviews about this series...I'm glad I didn't pay attention to them. This book was awesome, the narrators were awesome, and I love it so much!!!

Had me smiling and then sobbing and then smiling again

I love this story and enjoyed every minute (even whilst blubbering in bed while listening to certain parts).

Swoony Romance

Loved this! Like You’ve Got Mail meets Divine Rivals. Fantastic narration. I could not get enough! One of my top reads of the year.

Great zombie mythological love story!

Wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but very glad I listened. I would love to have a map of this fantastic world!

I wish all male characters were written like this.

I loved this book. It’s mostly romance with a bit of action. But the thing I loved about it was how the lead male character is written. He is the dark brooding type, but not at all in a toxic male masculinity type. The author shows how asking for consent is still sexy. And the sex scenes are realistic but steamy at the same time. I wish more romance novels were like this.

Someone get this demigod a puppy

Takes forever to get interesting but once it does, it really takes off. Hart cries throughout the whole thing about his childhood dog, and we make it through this whole book and he doesn’t get a puppy. For this, I have deducted a star.