Twyla and Frank have been partners with the Tanrian Marshals for the last eight years, but they have been best friends for longer. Since Twyla's husband died and Frank's wife left, they have always been able to count on each other. Both are just about ready for retirement and settling down together with a Bed and Breakfast when they find the dead body of a fellow marshal covered in glitter and the trail of the killer leads them to the discovery of a lifetime, DRAGONS. The two team up to solve the case alongside a rookie and a dragon specialist whose eyes have been wandering more in Twyla's direction than the dragons.
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was one of the cutest reads of 2023 for me. I have been impatiently awaiting the release of the second book in the series since I read the last page. I got a little tired of waiting and for some reason Orbit gave me early access to the ebook through Netgalley.
I actually went into this book completely blind. All that I knew was that it was about Twyla and Frank (obvs!) who made a smidge of an impression in Hart & Mercy. Honestly I was just really excited to get back to the world of Eternity and Tanria. Megan Bannen created this super expansive world but didn't make it overwhelming. It's cozy, and a little chaotic. What's not to love?
But I don't know how to be a dragon. - Frank
Do you ever start reading a book and get like a quarter of the way or less in and know whether you are going to love or hate it? I knew that The Undermining of Twyla and Frank was going to be my favorite in the series (yes I do know there are only 2 out and it's a 50/50 chance it would be my fave) about 100 pages in. The relationship that is created between Twyla and Frank and their families sets the groundwork for this really incredible story arc that is about parenthood and the necessity sometimes to take a step back and remember that you are a person as too. I think the fact that Twyla and Frank were older also added that extra layer of "you're old, not dead" that I think many can relate to.
My absolute favorite thing about this book? Okay, everything was my favorite about it except the poor communication skills of the main characters but, it had to be the glitter breathing dragons. Just the outrageousness of it added whimsy to the story that I don't think we had in the last book.
I will say that I literally stood in my kitchen with my jaw on the counter for a full 2 minutes trying to compose myself when the villain was revealed. Did I have an inkling it was them? Duh! Was I still in complete and total disbelief? 100%! Hands down this book is freaking fantastic and gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (if you couldn't tell already by my rave review). This is one of those books that I will recommend to everyone. Always.
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