The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

4.5 stars. Well, this book broke me out of my reading slump! Megan Bannen takes the well-worn (but beloved) “enemies who don't realize they are writing soul-bearing letters to each other” (See Shop Around the Corner, You've Got Mail) and places the trope in an imaginative fantasy world filled with zombie-like drudges, Old and New gods, seahorses and talking animal mailmen, and distinct funeral rituals.

Hart is a marshal (and a demigod) who's charged with killing drudges and ensuring that their souls are released from the body's appendix (because that's where the soul resides). Mercy is the undertaker's daughter who is pretty much singlehandedly running the business while her father recovers from a health crisis and her little brother proves to be profoundly unsuited for the job.

Mercy and Hart have loathed each other from the first time Hart brought a body to Birdsall & Son Undertakers, but if you are familiar with the trope, you can guess what will happen. Although they vow eternal enmity, the two are unknowingly opening up to each other through their letters. And then Mercy suggests that they meet in person...

Combining the mundane (freshly baked scones, inter-library loans) with the fantastical (the main mode of transportation is something called an aeroduck), the book is a delight to read - romantic, funny, and poignant. The secondary characters, notably Hart's new apprentice and Mercy's siblings, are fully fleshed out and play important roles in the plot. Both Mercy and Hart have Baggage, and their personal journeys are intertwined with their love story. There's a sweet, problem-free secondary M/M romance; apparently being queer in this world is NBD.

A few issues kept this from being a 5-star read. The book is a bit too long (400 pages) and it suffers from occasional info-dumping. The amount of time that Mercy and Hart are allowed to be happy together is pretty short, and there is a long Third Act breakup (about 100 pages) that concludes in a heart wrenching scene that had me in tears even though I knew a HEA was just around the corner.

I would not call this a comfort read; despite the humor, there is a lot of drama and danger. But it is the most creative, engaging romance I have read this year.