The Undermining of Twyla and Frank

• Author: Megan Bannen
• Genre: Fantasy Romance
• Publication Date: July 2, 2024
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy #2

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, Angela Man, and libro.fm for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: mention of divorce, mention of separation of father from his children, murder attempt, explosion

From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy comes a heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist–When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.

The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla and Frank are still patrolling the dangerous land of Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods.

Twyla might look like a small town mom who brings cheesy potatoes to funerals and whips up a batch of cookies for the school bake sale, but her rewarding career in law enforcement has been a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank’s job a lot safer … and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals covered in liquid glitter–and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon–they are more than happy to be back on the beat.

Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as the danger closes in and Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along…

I have been loving the trend of cozy fiction branching into genres other than mystery, and Megan Bannen was on the forefront of cozy romantasy with The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. So I had some idea of what to expect with this book, and I still had my mind blown.

Twyla and Frank won me over so quickly. To start with, a book that specifically features a pair of protagonists older than their thirties is basically guaranteed to melt my heart since (a) I’m older than my thirties, and (b) it’s something I don’t get to see in books as often as I’d like. Twyla and Frank are best friends who have the most fun dynamic, and both of them seemed like such cool people that I wanted to be friends with them. Throughout the book, I got to see how they responded in different and stressful situations that showed various sides of their characters, and it only made me love both characters even more. Twyla cares so deeply about her family, and that includes not only her children and their families, but her chosen family as well. Frank is so protective of his chosen family, and they are everything to him. While their quirky banter kept things so fun, the way that they knew how to be there for the other when they needed the support was what really endeared these two to me. 

There are cameos of characters from book one, and I was thrilled to see Duckers play such a big role in this story. Mercy and Hart obviously show up in this story as well, and I loved to see them as well, but the baby dragon, Mary Georgina, stole the show in this story.

Speaking of the show, the story kept me hooked. Although there was a strong romantic storyline, there was also a very involved mystery that kept me fascinated and turning pages late into the night. The plot manages to follow both a traditional romance and mystery storyline without losing anything or feeling rushed. Making use of the friends to lovers trope to perfection, Twyla and Frank transition from besties to lovers in this book, and they make a perfect couple because nothing feels forced, and there isn’t even really much of a change (except the spicy times).

Overall, this is a wonderful book and the perfect addition to the series. The audiobook narrator, Nicol Zanzarella did a wonderful job with this story, and made everything feel so believable and immersive. I really enjoyed reading about both Twyla and Frank, and seeing their lives through their own eyes. For such a big guy, Frank could easily be an intimidating character, but he turned out to be such a cinnamon roll, while Twyla wound up being the fierce mama bear for the people in her circle. Plus, the fact that Twyla and Frank are actual relationship goals, AND there are baby dragons in the book? Yeah, this is a keeper that I’ll be recommending to everyone I know.

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