Waterstones The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
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Price: £9.99
Brand: Waterstones
Description: Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the magical wilds of Tanria. It's an unforgiving job, and he'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-ache Hart, the man with a knack for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. After yet another run-in with Merciless Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to A Friend. Much to his surprise, he receives an anonymous reply, and a tentative friendship is born. Little does Hart know he's baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most. Set in a world equally full of magic and demigods as it is donuts and small-town drama, this utterly unique fantasy is sure to sweep you off your feet. Waterstones The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9780356518664
Delivery cost: 2.99
ISBN: 9780356518664
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Author: Dini
Rating: 5
Review: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is an entertaining, hilariously quirky and slightly morbid fantasy romance mixed with so many well-executed rom-com elements. I would definitely recommend it to those who love the hate-to-love/enemies-to-lovers trope, delicious emotional angst, all the grumpy/sunshine vibes in both romance and friendship, strong family banter and MCs who are so very easy to love. Bannen swept me away to this weirdly quaint and macabre world where zombie-like creatures existed alongside portals to lands that served as a magical prison for Gods. The setting was a mix of old-fashioned historical western and magical modern quirkiness that sounds like such an odd combination but really worked so well for this story—it's unlike any fantasy romance setting I've read before which made it so much more fun to read. Although the world-building was pretty light, I liked that it wasn't so complex that I'd get lost in the intricacies but it was still enough for me to get a clear picture of what was happening, where and why. This had a mystery element too and though it was kind of predictable and only played a minor-ish role in pushing forward the romance and character development, it was still fun to figure it out. As intriguing as the world-building is, the characters are 100% what won me over and I knew I would love all of them—main and side characters alike, the moment we are introduced to them. Mercy was absolutely wonderful! She has such a big heart and has so much love and kindness to share with everyone. Although everyone assumes she's being held back from "living her life" due to these obligations, she actually loves being an undertaker and it was such a pleasure to read about her passion for providing people with the best care she can give them even if they're no longer alive to see it. She's selfless, which often meant she puts her wants and needs last, but her responsibilities also made her feel a little lonely and friendless. I loved her sunshine positivity! In total grumpy contrast to her is Hart. He is a super-sad and super-lonely demigod and honestly, that romance hero archetype is absolutely my kryptonite so it's safe to say that I LOVED him. He's lost so many loved ones in his life and is understandably jaded because of it, but it'll surprise no one to know that under his gruffness, Hart is an ooey-gooey softy who's scared to live his life and yet he craves the comfort of companionship though he doesn't know how to show it. I was most invested in Hart because he's so harsh on himself but he deserves so much happiness and it was so satisfying to see him open up thanks to Mercy and Duckers entering his life. I honestly didn't expect to get so emotionally invested but by the end of this book, I was full-on weeping! And aah, don't even get me started on their romance! It was everything! Totally *chefs kiss!* and I feel head-over-feet for these love birds! ???? If you are a fan of the hate-to-love trope, with plenty of "I loathe this person and yet I can't keep my eyes off them or stop thinking about them" vibes, then you're for sure going to love the dynamic between Hart and Mercy. They both come in hot with slinging insults at each other and their snippy hate-filled banter is just as good as their friendship-turned-lovers banter! The emotional, physical and sexual tension was palpable each time they met and it created such delightfully angsty moments. If you enjoy epistolary stories or mixed media formats, then you'll enjoy the inclusion of their letters in this. The vulnerability, the cheeky banter, and the comforting connection they formed all came through so well! ???? Aside from our two wonderful MCs, the side characters all won me over too. Mercy's family is delightfully weird and wonderful and it was such a blast to read all their interactions. They're small but loud, rambunctious, and so full of life! I also adored Pen Duckers—Hart's apprentice and the one who starts injecting more joy and life into Hart's world. Their connection was all sorts of heartwarming and together they not only made a great team but also a little family unit that made my heart so happy. I can't forget to mention the nimkilim Horatio and Bassareus, the latter who was shockingly vulgar but it was somehow so fitting for this giant magical rabbit's personality. ???? Honestly, so many of the characters and their dynamics in this book were hilarious and had me cracking up! This book was a lot funnier than I thought it'd be which just made reading Bannen's writing all the more enjoyable to read. I can really go on about this book but long story short is that I absolutely loved it, couldn't put it down, want to go back to these characters immediately, and would highly recommend it to all of those who love romance and aren't afraid to get it with a lite dose of fantasy. This is definitely one of my favourites this year (yes, I really loved it that much)!
Author: Ms H Dean - Young
Rating: 2
Review: Nora Ephron is an excellent writer and many of her film have stood the test of time, While I do embrace the fact that 'You've got mail' suffers from it's 90's contemporary setting (dial up internet and none smart mobile phones) clearly it was as well loved by this author as much as I enjoyed it as large chucks of dialogue have lifted from it! I also am aware that You've got mail is based on the excellent Hungarian play Perfumier (later adapted in English as a musical 'She loves me' and a great Jimmy Stewart film ' Shop around the corner and a Judy Garland film 'Good old summertime') but each of these adaptions presents the moment that one of the characters discovers the others identity differently but still building the romantic tension. As I love this 'enemies-pen pals-lovers' trope I was excited to read the book only to be sat there wondering how the editors didn't spot this obvious copy. I can't believe I will be the only one, as a fan of this type of romance won't spot this but I am disappointed that the fantasy setting didn't give the author enough to make this romance her own. I would like to say the world building was interesting or unique enough to stick with it but I wasn't that taken with it - while I am not a high fantasy person it was a little to small town politics to keep me interested if the romance wasn't landing. It is a real shame as Mercy and Hart seemed like interesting characters.
