The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen - Book Review

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Publication Date: 23rd Aug 2022

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary 

3.8 Stars 

One Liner: Entertaining but go with the right expectations  

Hart is a marshal with the dangerous job of patrolling the wilds of Tanria and preventing dredges from attacking the citizens. Mercy is an undertaker, solely managing Birdsall & Son Undertakers despite the obstacles. 

Hart and Mercy can’t stand each other. They seem to bring out the worst in the other (do we see sparks flying?). However, they have more in common than they like to think. Both are lonely and pretty much have no life beyond their jobs. 

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. 

What’s more, Tanria seems to be under attack by dredges coming out of nowhere. Why is there a sudden increase in cases? Who is responsible for this? How does it affect Hart and Mercy? What about their feelings for each other? 

The story comes from a limited third-person perspective of Mercy and Hart. 

What I Like: 

The narration is lighthearted and sprinkled with some bittersweet moments. There isn’t any descriptive prose or lyrical imagery. Though I’m a fan of both, I like that the narrative style suited the storyline and the cover. 

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. 

There’s food in the book, sweet treats and desserts (which is always a plus). It’s the men who cook while the ladies enjoy the delicious servings. 

The letters could have been better, but I preferred the toned-down version. It also helps that I didn’t even think of You’ve Got Mail. The letters suit the characters (who aren’t philosophical), so no complaints. 

There are quite a few weird, funny, and eye-roll-inducing moments. The overall effect is satisfactory, which is important to me. 

What Didn’t Work for Me: 

The pacing is super slow. A 336-page shouldn’t feel like a 450-page book. It took me four days to read this book (even when the prose is easy). I deleted 0.2 stars for this. 

The world-building goes a little on and off, and the same happens to the terminology as well. The contemporary slang doesn’t always suit the unidentifiable fantasy period. After all, they are writing letters to each other, and there’s no mention of phones (wired/ wireless). 

The shift from enemies to lovers is a little too abrupt. Sure sparks are flying, but the transition needs to be smooth.

A few threads didn’t seem to conclude properly, especially the Bill part. I won’t elaborate, but it could have been handled better. 

To sum up, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is an entertaining read if you plod through the slow pace and ignore a few bumps. Don’t compare it to You’ve Got Mail or expect heavy stuff. 

Thank you, NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and Orbit Books, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheUndertakingofHartandMercy 

*****

PS: The book has steam of 2ish level and cuss words (including F-bombs).