Title: The Undercutting of Rosie and AdamAuthor: Megan Bannen
Series: Hart & Mercy #3
Pages: 432
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
Publisher: Orbit
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
Immortal demigod Rosie Fox has been patrolling Tanria for decades, but lately, the job has been losing its luster. After one hundred and fifty-seven years of being alive, everything is beginning to lose 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.
Thanks to Rosie’s meddling, the portal’s inventor, Dr. Adam Lee, must come in person to repair the damage. When all the portals begin to break down, he declares an emergency evacuation of Tanria. In the mad rush to get out, Rosie and Adam end up trapped inside the Mist. Together.
And uptight Adam Lee in his bespoke menswear seems to know a lot more about what’s happening than he lets on….
Rosie is determined to crack the shell of his cool exterior. But the more she learns about Adam, the more she realizes that they both have personal histories as tangled and thorny as the plant that has them trapped inside the Mist. Maybe two people who have found themselves stuck in this life can find a way to unstick each other … just when their time on this earth seems to be running out.
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My Thoughts on The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam:
This is the third book in the Hart and Mercy series, and it definitely has some of the same vibes as the first two in the trilogy. It’s unique, fantastical, and charming, with excellent banter and vivid world-building. I love Bannen’s immersive writing style. Some scenes are so heartfelt and wonderful, while others are filled with tension and suspense. However, the main romance and some parts of the story fell a bit flat for me, and the story overall was missing that special something that captivated me in the first book.
I’m a little bummed because I loved Hart and Mercy and liked Twyla and Frank, so I kind of expected to love this one too. I did like that the characters from the first two books were in this one. Some time has passed, and it is so wonderful, and a bit heartbreaking, to see what’s happened in all of their lives.
For me, Duckers and Zeddy stole the show. I’ve loved Duckers throughout this whole trilogy, and he didn’t let me down in this book. He’s so funny and loyal and caring, and I just adore him and his wonderful friendship with Rosie. I also love, love, love the banter. The dialogue is absolutely top-notch.
The fantasy elements are great too, especially the dragons. You can never go wrong with dragons!! That being said, some of the plot points were outlandish, especially toward the end, and the romance between Rosie and Adam fell flat for me. I feel like it went from work acquaintances to love very quickly with little build-up, and I just didn’t feel the chemistry between them. It also annoyed me how much Rosie’s lingerie was brought up. It was talked about so much that each became an eye-roll moment for me.
Overall, this was just an ok read. It was my least favorite in the series, though there were some great, stand-out scenes that made it worth the read. Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
- forced proximity
- workplace romance
- found family
- age gap
“He meant well, but consequences care little for intentions.”
Megan Bannen is a USA Today bestselling author of award-winning speculative fiction. Her work has been selected for the RUSA Reading List, the Indies Introduce list, and the Kids’ Indie Next List, along with numerous best-of-the-year compilations. As a former public librarian, she has spent most of her professional career behind a reference desk, but she has also sold luggage, written grants, collected a few graduate degrees from various Kansas universities, and taught English at home and abroad. She lives in the Kansas City area with her family and more pets than is reasonable.
It’s a shame that this wax a bit of a disappointment. It’s the second review that I’ve seen that has mentioned this though. I still want to read it but I’m modifying my expectations 😀
I hope you enjoy it, Janette. It’s not a bad read but it was a bit of a let down for me.
Completely agree with this Julie. I really struggled with the romance in this one, and think it would have been better had we got a few chapters from Adam’s POV cause he was a really flat character.