REVIEW: The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
Dear Megan Bannen,
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was a delightful revelation to me so I was super keen to read the follow up book, The Undermining of Twyla and Frank. This book benefited from my familiarity with the world from the previous book. I struggled just a little to catch on to the worldbuilding in the first book but I slid right in here. (I would not recommend starting with this book – read Hart and Mercy first; it’s great also.)
I liked the way you added to the world you’ve created – I especially enjoyed the part about religion and, of course, Hart and Mercy’s wedding.
Twyla Banneker and Frank Ellis are both Tanrian Marshals. Frank was already a Marshal after Twyla’s husband died and she was struggling for money with her youngest child, Hope, talking of a college education. Marshals are paid very well and in the dozen years since Twyla joined the team she’s never looked back.
Twyla and Frank have lived next door to one another since their kids were young. With Twyla’s husband, Doug, (now deceased) and Frank’s wife, Cora, (she left him), they used to do couple things. When both Twyla and Frank became single their friendship developed further and they are now a team in almost all ways – they are there for each other in practical things, the first person each would turn to to discuss a problem or share a joke, they work together and they like one another. They even have plans to retire together and start up an equimaris ranch/bed-and-breakfast. But there’s never been anything romantic between them. This, despite the speculation of everyone around them who all think they belong together.
After the events in Hart and Mercy, there are no more drudges in Tanria and there’s not a lot of excitement in their job anymore which is both good (less danger) and bad (a little boring and now “community outreach” as become part of their jobs too). But things change dramatically when Twyla, Frank and Duckers (yes – Duckers is back!) find Marshal Herd – the erstwhile partner of Penrose Duckers – dead and covered in some kind of glittery mucus.
Given the picture on the cover and how early they turn up in the story, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the glitter mucus comes from a sparkly dragon.
Tanria has long been rumoured to house dragons but no-one has ever seen one. It turns out they’ve been there all along but they went into hibernation after the departure of the Old Gods. Something has woken them up. Why the dragons have awoken, whether they are dangerous, what to do about them – well that’s all classified, but it’s something the Marshals need to get to the bottom of. Chief Maguire brings in a dracologist, Dr Quill Vanderlinden, to assist.
Twyla could see that the man wore a slouch hat, a khaki jacket cinched at the waist, a navy-blue scarf tied neatly at his throat, knee-high camping socks, and—the coup de grâce of the entire ensemble—a pair of khaki shorts that showed off several inches of bare masculine thighs.
Twyla marveled at the man’s remarkable appearance. “Is that our expert?”
“And, more importantly, is he on safari?” asked Duckers.
Notwithstanding the good doctor’s short-shorts, Twyla finds herself somewhat charmed by him and when he asks her out to dinner the next time they are out of Tanria and in Eternity, she says yes. Twyla doesn’t understand why Frank seems upset by this. (Oh Twyla.)
Twyla is 53. Frank is a little older but roughly the same vintage. Frank thinks he must have been a terrible husband because his wife left him. Twyla was married for years and raised three children but she was mostly dissatisfied in her marriage.
“You heard those wedding vows today. You’ve spoken those vows, and so have I, and we both meant them when we stood at the altar of our gods. ‘I cherish all that you are, now and always.’ That’s what we said. And that’s what Doug said to me. But a few years into our marriage, I looked around and I realized that I was his cook, his maid, his children’s nanny, his secretary, his whore. My whole life was in service to that man and to our family. I cherished everyone, but who cherished me? I wasn’t a cherished wife. I wasn’t his equal. I was invisible to him, that’s what! I was no different from a…a…a chair. I was useful. I was there when he needed me or wanted me and insignificant when he didn’t. There was never a question that I wouldn’t be ever present, never an understanding of how hard his life would be if, one day, his chair simply wasn’t there, and he no longer had anywhere to sit. I was a chair, Frank. For twenty-one years. So when Doug up and died on me, I got my life back, and gods help me, I have been so much happier on my own.”
Twyla has a cynical view of most men (Frank excepted). Doug was a disappointment. Her elder son, DJ, was most disappointed when she joined the Marshals, convinced Twyla would die on the job. Wade, her second son, is married with three children of his own but as far as Twyla can tell, he relies on his wife or Twyla for anything related to what would traditionally be “women’s work”, including cleaning, cooking and childcare. Twyla herself enables this, something she’s despairingly aware of.
After Doug died, Twyla didn’t date. Ever. But when Quill asks her out she thinks “why not?” and that sets in motion many unexpected events which rock the foundation of Twyla and Frank’s relationship.
Twyla wanted to hold and to be held, but she wasn’t convinced that it was possible to be held without being held down or held back.
Quill won’t be staying in Bushong and he’s low risk. Twyla is not at all sure she wants a relationship. But a fling might be nice.
Then, Quill, while a nice guy, isn’t necessarily great fling material for her and she starts to notice Frank in new ways. Oh dear.
Unlike Hart and Mercy, Twyla and Frank is told only from Twyla’s (third person) perspective. We only see Frank through her eyes. Still, it was pretty obvious to this seasoned romance reader how Frank felt about her. It took an astounding amount of time for Twyla to see it. However, the book does set up very well all the reasons for her lack of perception.
I did find Twyla’s cynicism and discontent a little wearing at times. She didn’t want to be a chair for anyone but she allowed herself to be treated that way. While Doug was alive it was most probably unrealistic for her to be able to change him but afterwards? I think she had a lot more agency than she gave herself credit for. I understood her feelings and even sympathised a lot of the time but I also became a little impatient with her too. Apart from anything else, Frank never did and never would treat her like a chair and he was right there.
I enjoyed all the dragon lore – which was very different to any I’ve read before, I loved the humour of the book, the way Twyla and Frank sang bad songs to each other with their whole chests that made Duckers cringe, Duckers’ enthusiasm for all things Marshal. I liked the introduction of a new Marshal. I think we will see more of her and Duckers too. At least, I hope so.
I liked that this is a romance featuring people who are in (past?) middle-age, with all the sagging and drooping and softening that usually comes with it.
I found myself eager to read Twyla and Frank and smiling a lot of the time as I enjoyed their banter and the dragons. The subplot involving Marshal Herd’s death and the dragons went somewhere unexpected. I laughed out loud at the Scooby-Doo reference.
This series is unlike anything else I’ve ever read in the world-building department and it also delivers on the romance end of things. Recommended.
Grade: B+
Regards,
Kaetrin
Looking forward to reading this, also looking forward to seeing the author at my public library on Friday! Hart & Mercy was delightfully weird and romantic. I hope Twyla and Frank are just as much fun. Any sightings of Mercy’s brother?
Ooh, that sounds like a fun event, @SusanS!
I’m looking forward to reading this after havingvenjoyed the author’s first book. I’ll read your review at a later date, @Kaetrin.
@SusanS – Yes! He and Duckers feature heavily in this book.
I’m envious of you going to the author event!
I think Twyla and Frank is as strong a story as Hart and Mercy, yes.
@Kareni Orbit have announced the next book in the series today. It will be out July 2025. It’s called The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam. The blurb looks fun. We meet Rosie in this book and I already love her.
@Kaetrin: I loved this too, as much for Twyla’s personal growth as for the romance. Without getting spoilery, I will just say that I hope Duckers is in the next book because I am not happy with his situation at the end of this one. I will find a non-spoilery way to ask the author when I see her tonight!
Thanks for the review. I loved Hart and Mercy, and did a re-read a couple weeks ago in preparation for this book but forgot the release was happening now. Happy surprise!