The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
"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
- Pages
- 405
- First published
- August 23, 2022
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
- ISBN
- 9780316394314
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Reviews
Finished May 25, 2025
Finished January 28, 2025
Finished January 26, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️🌶️🌶️ “She had no right to be full of life when she was surrounded by death.” 💭 My thoughts What a unique and unexpected story! I love that I wasn't expecting it to be romantasy or to have a paranormal aspect which are two of my favorite genres. It's a low-stakes, enemies to lovers romantasy that has all the cute and comical vibes of a romance comedy. Both MC's are older than 30 which I thoroughly enjoyed as the romantasy genre seemingly prefers younger characters. The female character Mercy is also full-figured which was also refreshing. Sometimes it's nice to feel represented in some of the stories that we read! Highly recommend this if you need something cozy and sweet. ⚠️ Trigger warnings Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Grief Minor: Animal death, Sexism, Cancer 🌶️ Spice “But if we are going to inform your dad that we’re dating, I’d rather it be over a nice, wholesome dinner, not when I’m leaving your place first thing in the morning because I’ve spent the night worshipping at the altar of your glorious, beautiful, intoxicating pussy.” The spice in this wasn't extremely present in the story but the moments when it was, it was super hot between these two MC's. I loved how they both were comfortable in verbalizing what they wanted in the bedroom. Follow my Instagram
Started February 29, 2024 · Finished March 2, 2024
Aww This was so cute! It gave me “youve got mail” vibes. It took me a minute to get into, but I loved the POV where you could hear how much the 2 main characters hated and kinda liked each other. lol and you got a good insight into both of their lives, feelings, problems. The letters were also really cute and the critters that delivered them with their little banter hehe… This was a pretty easy read and a great standalone to try out with struggling families, business, love and an interesting world. 🌶️ 2/5 This was for sure a slow burn but a very cute one. The spicy moments between the MCs was really refreshing and endearing. Hearing their thoughts in between was fun. Its also not super aggressive, so that’s a nice change of pace from “some” other things I’ve been reading lol
Finished February 17, 2023
