Published 4th August 2026 from Head of Zeus.
From the cover of the book:
Amongst mountains as old as time, the jackalopes and ghouls are the least of your worries.
At Entity - the organisation responsible for managing the world's monsters - Alexys is perfectly happy honouring her late father's legacy from behind a desk, far from anything with teeth. But when she heads into the Appalachian Mountains for a routine review with her newly assigned Warden, Elliot, she finds. nothing.
Elliot has vanished. And after his reports of sightings of a never-recorded creature, Alexys can't ignore the danger he might be in. Against all her instincts, she pushes deeper into the mountains to find him.
Nic, Entity's ambitious (and irritatingly charismatic) Director of Research & Cataloguing, refuses to let the chance to investigate an undocumented monster pass him by. And if joining the search means annoying his favourite work-nemesis, he's already lacing his boots.
But as Alexys and Nic descend into the ancient Appalachians, they begin to learn why some monsters stay unrecorded. and why no one should wander these mountains after dark.
***********
Alexys enjoys her job working in Human Resources for Entity, the organisation responsible for keeping the World's monsters in check - she's good it it too, ensuring the four Wardens in her district (District 13: Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia) have everything they need to do their job out in the field. It is as close to actually dealing with monsters as she ever wants to get, despite the fact that her late father was a renowned Warden himself... perhaps because he died 'on the job'.
Nic is Entity's infuriatingly smug Director of Research and Cataloguing, and the one person at the organisation who always seems to rub Alexys up the wrong way. His thirst for knowledge about the monsters who occupy their time is fathomless, as is his delight in insisting on acting the know-it-all whenever possible.
When Alexys' newest Warden, Elliot, goes missing in the Appalachians, chasing rumours of a very nasty supernatural presence, she is forced to leave the safety of her office to try to find him. What's worse, is that her arch nemesis Nic deems it necessary to accompany her...
This first part of a cosy-meets-creepy series following the employees of Entity was a lovely surprise, incorporating lashings of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy and Romantasy elements, whilst also poking fun at the corporate world.
Alexys and Nic are constantly bumping heads at South Carolina's Entity Head Quarters, and Viall uses the work nemesis trope nicely, throwing them together in an atmospheric forced-proximity setting that allows an enchanting slow-burn romance to develop.
To thicken the plot, stickler-for-rules Alexys is suffering from her own potential case for Entity to be concerned with, while also mourning the loss of her father, hoping for an upturn in her romantic life, and holding out for a promotion at work. She really is not the type to be travelling off into the unknown, especially given her lack of self-confidence outside the office. In contrast, over-confident Nic is dying to get out in the field to follow his own pet project, and he is not too worried about throwing the Entity rule book out of the window in the process - but there is more to him than meets the eye.
Sparks fly as the co-workers negotiate the Appalachian wilderness and its accompanying flora and fauna - some of which is most definitely unnatural, and unwelcoming - and the love-hate boundary gradually gets crossed in their search for Elliot. There is everything you want from an enemies-to-lovers story; plenty of well-plotted danger, fear and gore; an enjoyable balance of humour and wit; and an array of ghosts, ghouls, witches, and things from your nightmares to boot.
I flew through this story, thoroughly enjoyed the characters, settings, and fantastical content - and the little snippets from Entity handbooks, case files, and journals heading up each chapter work so well. This has great bones (pun intended) to build a series around, and I cannot wait for the next instalment.
(Mostly) Human Resources is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a review copy.
About the author:
Having been raised on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains by a pair of bookworms, Grace Viall can usually be found in a randomly selected state park or forest gathering inspiration for her monster-filled fantasy projects.
Grace is currently living in Maryland (US) with her husband and two dogs and is an avid reader and book hoarder. She grew up with a grandfather who loved to spin stories around campfires, and that love of storytelling has stayed with her as she pursues her career as an author. Grace's hope is to give a new life to old stories but with her own special twist.
No comments:
Post a Comment