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The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

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The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

by Megan Bannen

Length 12 hours 15 minutes

Language English

Narrators Michael Gallagher & Rachanee Lumayno

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Bookseller recommendation

“It’s a bit like You’ve Got Mail but with a demi-god cowboy, a female undertaker who just wants to keep her family’s business afloat, and a wise-cracking mailrabbit that drinks whiskey and talks like an old-timey gangster. Bannen brings together the cozy and the macabre to create a love story that had me smiling from start to finish. If you’re looking for a book that is both spooky and sweet, but that also has a dash of spice, this is it!”
— Jennifer • Mysterious Galaxy Books

Bookseller recommendation

“If Timothy Olyphant is your favorite character actor, this one is for you. Hart & Mercy is somehow a mishmash of You've Got Mail, but it's a Western, and there's zombies, but mostly it's a Romance and I'm obsessed because it gets at the heart of the Miscommunication Trope in a very satisfying way. If you like your Ao3 tags to read 'enemies to lovers,' 'the grumpy one falls for the soft one,' and 'identity porn' you have got to read this. The characters are refreshing and enraging and I probably could have spent a hundred more pages with them...”
— Cassie • Wellesley Books

Summary
About the author

"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.

"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

Fiction Romance Fantasy

Megan Bannen is a former public librarian and an award-winning author of speculative fiction. Her work has been selected for the RUSA Reading List, the Indies Introduce list, and the Kids’ Indie Next List, along with numerous best-of-the-year compilations. While most of her professional career has been spent behind a reference desk, she has also sold luggage, written grants, collected a few graduate degrees from various Kansas universities, and taught English at home and abroad. She lives in the Kansas City area with her family and more pets than is reasonable.