Last weekend, Matthew convinced me we needed to try a new hiking trail near Garden of the Gods. Halfway up, my legs were burning and I was questioning everything. But when we reached the top and saw the view, it was completely worth it. That's exactly how I felt reading The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. The first hundred pages felt slow, but once the story found its rhythm, I was absolutely hooked. I couldn't stop thinking about Hart and Mercy long after I turned the final page. Sometimes the best stories are the ones that make you work for it.
Plot Summary
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen follows two lonely people who can't stand each other in person but fall in love through anonymous letters. Hart is a demigod marshal patrolling the dangerous magical wilderness of Tanria, hunting down reanimated corpses called drudges. Mercy is an undertaker running her family business while caring for her ailing father. When Hart brings bodies to her funeral home, their interactions are tense and antagonistic. But when they each begin corresponding with an anonymous pen pal through a mysterious service, they find comfort and connection. As dangers from Tanria escalate and their letters grow more intimate, the truth looms: their perfect pen pals are actually the person they despise most. This standalone fantasy romance is set in a quirky world with demigods, magic, and small-town drama.
Why I Love This Book
I love how deeply lonely both Hart and Mercy feel at the beginning of the story. Their letters are so vulnerable and honest, showing sides of themselves they hide from everyone else. The grumpy sunshine dynamic works perfectly because Hart isn't just grumpy for no reason. He's isolated and struggling with the weight of being a demigod in a brutal job. Mercy is exhausted from shouldering everything alone. Their romance builds slowly and beautifully through words first, which makes their eventual connection feel earned. I appreciated how the book handles grief and death with compassion. The quirky worldbuilding with talking animal demigods and bizarre magical rules kept me smiling. The humor is dry and clever, balanced perfectly with tender emotional moments. I cried twice and laughed out loud multiple times.
Who Will Like This Book
If you enjoy fantasy romance with grumpy sunshine dynamics, enemies to lovers, and epistolary elements, you'll likely love this story. Fans of cozy fantasy with quirky worldbuilding and small-town vibes will find this charming. Readers who loved The House in the Cerulean Sea or Howl's Moving Castle will appreciate the whimsical tone mixed with genuine emotional depth. This book is perfect for anyone who wants a slower-paced romance where the characters truly get to know each other before falling in love.
⚠️ Trigger warning: death, grief, parent with terminal illness, graphic descriptions of corpses and body horror, sexual content, violence, cursing.
Tagged As
fantasy romance, romantasy, epistolary romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, pen pals, demigods, undertaker heroine, marshal hero, slow burn, dual POV, cozy fantasy, quirky worldbuilding, small-town setting, standalone, third person POV, open door, adult fantasy romance, You've Got Mail vibes, magical Wild West, working class heroine, mature couple, HEA, death-positive themes, found family, talking animals
Steam Level
The romance includes several explicit sex scenes that happen on page. The steam builds gradually through their letters before becoming physical. The scenes are intimate and emotional rather than overly graphic, and they feel natural to the story progression. The focus stays on the emotional connection between Hart and Mercy.
