The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam

• Author: Megan Bannen
• Genre: Romantasy
• Publication Date: July 8, 2025
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: Hart & Mercy #3

Thank you to Orbit and Oliver Wehner for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful fantasy rom-com with a heartwarming opposites-attract twist, set in the world of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

Immortal demigod Rosie Fox has been patrolling Tanria for decades, but lately, the job has been losing its luster. When Rosie dies (again) by electrocution (again) after poking around inside a portal choked with shadowy thorns only she can see, she feels stuck in the rut that is her unending life.

The portal’s uptight creator, Adam Lee, must come in person to repair the damage. But when all the portals break down at once, Rosie and Adam wind up trapped inside the Mist. And the reticent inventor in his bespoke menswear seems to know a lot more about what’s happening than he lets on.

Maybe two people who have found themselves stuck in this thorny, tangled life together can find a way to unstick each other…just when their time on this earth seems to be running out.

This was one of my most anticipated summer releases, but to no one’s surprise, I’m clearly late to the party. While I’m sure there was already plenty of hype about this one, it can’t hurt to add my own thoughts, right? I adored the first two books in the series, and couldn’t wait to start this one.

Initially, we meet Rosie Fox, immortal demigod who works as a Tanrian patroller. She’s been doing this for decades, but her newest partner is an old favorite of mine, and as soon as I found out who, I couldn’t help myself. I joyfully shouted “DUCKERS!” when I realized that none other than Penrose Duckers has partnered with RoFo, as he likes to call her. These two make a great team, and I loved the way that they bantered throughout the novel.

In addition, after Rosie dies once again, this time while trying to fix a portal that is choked with a thorny vine that Duckers can’t see, the creator of the portal, Dr. Adam Lee has to be summoned. He’s a type of quirky that I was immediately happy to see—although his personality doesn’t have the same effect on Rosie, who sees him as rigid and buttoned-up. But as they have their own humorous banter, I was delighted to see that Bannen takes as much care to make this as much of a realistic romance as the previous two couples in the series. They slowly become acclimated to each other and begin to appreciate each other for who they are, not only for their physical attributes. 

When all the portals out of Tanria break down at the same time, RoFo and Duckers each find themselves trapped with the last person they’d willingly choose to be in forced proximity with: for Rosie, it’s Adam; for Duckers, it’s Zeddy, his ex-boyfriend who is thriving without him. Duckers is well aware that he let the best thing in his life slip away, and he can’t seem to stop himself from being obnoxious to Zeddy in an effort to run away from responsibility for his part in their breakup. And while Rosie and Adam are slowly developing something new, there’s a parallel romantic storyline of potential reconciliation between Duckers and Zeddy. 

This is the kind of book that is never boring. Between the two romances, the comical interactions the characters have, and the main storyline regarding this mysterious vine that is choking all the portals and trapping our fantastic foursome in Tanria with no way out, the pace stays rapid-fire from start to finish. This hit all the right notes for me with the setting, the characters, the mystery, and the romances (yep, both of them). It was honestly a joy to read, and I raced through this because I didn’t want to put it down. 

Overall, this is an easy book and series to recommend, no matter what genre you like, because this has something for everyone. I would strongly suggest reading the previous books in the series since each one builds on the previous book, and there are cameos from earlier books that you’ll be thrilled to see again. I might just have a new favorite author, and an awakened interest in romantasy, especially those involving humor. This wasn’t just a fluffy book though—it deals with mortality, vulnerability, forgiveness, healing from past hurts, and the people you choose as family.

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