This book has all the makings of a Jane Eyre or Rebecca gothic mystery. A dark isolated mansion, a stern housekeeper, things that go bump in the night - oh and a scary attic. I loved the characters and the spooky setting.

This is a wonderful and eerie atmospheric and Gothic story perfect for fans of Jane Eyre and Crimson Peak. The characters were extremely well flushed out and the setting was superb. It was a short, but quick read that was highly enjoyable and one I will definitely recommend to others.

A massive thank you to NetGalley for this early copy of The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses by L. V. Russell.

I went into this not knowing too much but being intrigued by the blurb given on NetGalley. Right from the beginning, I was captivated by how beautifully written this was. Every page had such descriptive writing and really captivated you into the story. The chapters are also fairly short which made it a quick and easy read.

There were so many aspects to this story, and for a while I was left questioning what was really going on and the strange things that kept happening. Theodora’s struggle to deal with the coldness she receives from her Grandmother throughout the first part of the book, trying to contact her when she is away from home and she misses it terribly. And you soon come to discover why all of her letters to her Grandmother go unanswered.

Theodora takes on a new job as a governess for a young child, Ottoline Thorne and their relationship soon blooms into something strange yet also wholesome and full of love. Other relationships seem to be blooming too when Theodora meets another resident of Broken Oak Manor. What is deemed a scandal of the feelings Theodora has towards the Lord of the house, Cassias Thorne, that doesn’t stop them from sharing those feelings for one another and acting upon it. Even if the housekeeper disagrees and warns Theodora to be careful.

A number of creepy things seem to start occurring late into the night that wake Theodora and she has one person in mind who is behind the noises and all the running around at night, but she is wrong. As you learn throughout, that who she believed to be causing such a disturbance at night, has no part in it. Secrets of Broken Oak Manor are soon uncovered and Theodora is left questioning everything she believes in.

Overall I really enjoyed this story, I do think there could have been some more development of some of the aspects of the story and some of the relationships. It was a very short book, so I think there is room to add more and include some more details about the relationships.

A beautifully dark, gothic thriller.
The author has created a wonderful darkness in this story and you can not help but to be drawn into its murky depths. A mysterious tale, entangled with webs, uttered intriguing which inevitably builds your curiosity with each chapter. You can’t help but to endeavour to figure out what is truly going on.
A twisting and vivid narrative, beautifully constructed to give the reader an unhindered perspective of our protagonist's world.
A lovely and unexpected end has you entirely at the edge of your seat.

A Delightful and entirely enjoyable read.

I just reviewed The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses by L.V. Russell. #TheQuietStillnessofEmptyHouses #NetGalley

The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses is a book completely out of my comfort zone. But the cover of this book intrigued me, and I just gravitated towards it. I am so glad that I read it.

A very Gothic inspired book that is reminiscent of Jane Eyre, this book is the story of Theodora who can listen to the voices of the houses. She can feel the echoes of the homes she lives in. Theodora travels to a house where, as a governess to a little girl, she is finding an adventure.

This book is a ride. Nothing is as it appears. The twist is everything. Is the ending predictable? I didn't see it coming. I had my doubts, but it's still thrilling to read it. I usually don't read horror fiction, and this book, to be honest, is not proper horror. I finished this book in one sitting and really enjoyed it.

Thank you, Quill and Crow Publishing House and Netgalley, for this book.

This is a wonderful little Gothic story with fantastic atmosphere and very well drawn characters. Though it is only a novella (less than 200 pages) the slow burning storytelling makes it feel like a longer, more engrossing read. I guessed the punchline but that in no way spoiled my immense enjoyment of this deliciously eerie tale. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I would say it's perfect for fans of Jane Eyre and the film Crimson Peak. Complete with a gothic atmosphere and a great twist that wasn't the one I was expecting at all!

That being saqid, I do feel like there may have been some plot holes - why did Theodora's carriage wreck? ...amongst a few other things that just nagged at me a little.

All in all, a great short read that I definitely would recommend.
4.5/5 stars

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Theodora, having to leave her last governess duties behind embarks on a new adventure.

But her new governess placement is surrounded by darkness literally and figuratively, strange noises at every corner, and a wandering lord in the hallways at night.

A gothic novel reminisicent of Jane Eyre in all the best ways.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Theodora Corvus decides to take the job as governess to Ottoline Thorne in Broken Oak. She soon realizes that something is not quite right with the house and its tenants.
Well this was a lovely spooky read. And the twist at the end was totally unexpected and I loved it. It made the whole story better.
I quickly fell in love with the characters and was really curious to get to the bottom of the story. The author did a great job in creating the gothic atmosphere – the rain, the coldness, the darkness…
Around the middle of the story it got a bit dragged out but the ending made up for it!
I would definitely recommend it! Especially during rainy days.

What can I say about this book. It's a Gothic haunted house type novel. The romance between the characters was lovingly paced throughout the book.

It started out at a slow pace, building up the creepiness/spookiness of old houses, then the pace picked up.

The descriptions of the mood, locations and certain moments were giving spooky vibes and vibrant imagery throughout the entire book. I fell in love with them from the start.

The final third up till the twist, I thought I had an idea of where it was going, I didn't expect the full picture. Definitely felt like a gut punch a couple of times.

Will definitely check out more of the author's style of writing and novels.

“This world needs less well-mannered women, Theodora.”

This gothic novel is everything i enjoy in life. Haunted houses, mysterious absence of people, restless unease and an unrelenting MFC.

“Should I allow my house to be overrun with wild things, Theodora?”

An eerie stillness. Mysterious absences of people. Closed off parts of giant manor homes. Strange sounds and unexplained events.

All of these are things that make up a good Gothic story. And The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses is a good Gothic story. It has the faint, restless unease that follows our main character, Theodora, as she works as a governess at Broken Oak Manor. A manor with one housekeeper and a Lord, Cassias, that seems broken and lost and not sure how to care for his daughter, Ottoline. Theodora is there, caring for them both, in a way. She provides a sharp counterpoint to the festering wounds that surround the house and its' occupants. Her own life is not without sorrows, but at Broken Oak, they only serve to give her insight into her new companions and their apparent predicaments.

As with any Gothic tale, it is only in the end, after Theodora builds relationships with both Ottoline and Cassias, that the strange occurrences and air of melancholy finally take shape in a twist both familiar and yet somewhat unexpected. The story may have been short, but it wove a deft tale of life and hope, and understanding. Theodora mentions that she has "an affinity for things that refuse to know their place." That seems to be both a truth and a lie for all of the people at Broken Oak. For stories like this know their place, and yet also seek to break out of it just enough to make themselves a little more interesting.

4 stars

This was a wonderfully creepy, very gothic mystery with a delightful romance and a pretty big twist. I have a weakness for spooky stories about old houses so this was right up my alley. The set up is wonderful and Theodora is delightful as a character. The time period feels beautifully drawn and the settings are each so vividly done. There are three houses in this story overall and I love how each was written to feel distinctly quite different.

The story really picks up when Theodora gets to Broken Oak. There's a lot of spooky, mysterious things going on almost immediately and yet there also manages to be a pleasant almost cozy feeling. Then Cassias comes onto the scene. He was wonderfully written in a way that made him both sincerely very likeable yet also left one wondering about his true motives. The romance, though rather quick did feel mostly very believable.

It was also pretty easy to love Ottoline and even Mrs. Rivers, despite all her sharp edges. There were so many characters in this that were deftly drawn so they were easy to love. I felt so many things about Theodora's grandmother and her subtle ways of being very loving.

Then there is the plot, which I found quite enjoyable. The writing and that gradually deepening feeling of unease and dread, the dark hallways, all were written wonderfully. I was drawn in, trying to puzzle out the mysteries and feeling that horrible unease as the resolution drew closer. I was almost expecting the reveal when it arrived and yet it still caught me off guard.

After that there was a bit more to the ending and the ending was satisfying, yet held its own kind of uneasy element that will certainly keep me thinking about it for sometime. Overall this was a wonderfully spooky, relatively quick read, that manages some pleasant coziness and some genuine romance in the midst of a frightening story. My first read by the author but I am very curious to see what else she's written now. I do love a good ghostly tale and this hit the spot for me.

Thank you NetGalley for my e-arc of this book

This novella did not disappoint. A very gothic and eerie setting, There were good twists that kept me wanting to read the next chapter. It reads a bit slowly, like any classic gothic novel. I loved her writing style. I will be sure to check out this author. 4 Stars

This was amazing! I loved this so much. It kept me engrossed in the story. Loved it!! Very Gothic and I loved every word of it!!

I just reviewed The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses by L.V. Russell. #TheQuietStillnessofEmptyHouses #NetGalley
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Thank you Netgally for my copy in return for an honest opinion

This is a fantastic read! This book is so well constructed and clear from the off set. Every new paragraph and chapter starts with an atomspheric description, and it creates such a lovely image in your mind of the setting, and this is kept up throughout.

It was clear to me that something wasn't quite right about the set up at Broken Oak. The pace is so well done. I found towards the end I was trying to read as quickly as possible to inhale what was going on. This is such a refreshing new read to stumble on and I am thoroughly glad I was given then opportunity to read this. Excellent read I will be recommending to my friends. Thank you

Thank you so much to NetGalley and LV Russell for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses coming out May 17, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Theodora Corvus has always felt things deeply, in tune with the feelings of others and close to the nature around her. She can hear the whispers and creaks of her deteriorating family home. She can hear the whispers of Kingsward Manor, her new place of employment. She sees the watchers by the dark lake, dark-eyed and waiting. But Broken Oak is silent. Broken Oak is empty.

When Theodora takes the job as governess to young Ottoline Thorne, she leaves her beloved grandmother and the ruins of her childhood home to travel far north to Broken Oak Manor. There, she finds a house filled with dark secrets. Under the stern guidance of the foreboding housekeeper, Theodora quickly learns how to navigate the long and dark corridors of Broken Oak, only to find herself strangely drawn to the mysterious lord of the manor. But a mysterious figure walks the hallways after midnight, their footsteps leading to the attic. The only place in the large house that is never silent.

As her scandalous feelings for Cassias Thorne grow, Theodora works to find out the secrets of Broken Oak. Who wanders the house in the dark? Where is the Lord Thorne’s wife? What lies behind the locked attic door? Will Theodora find out the dangers before it’s too late?

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I loved the Jane Eyre, gothic feel of the book. There’s also this movie called Firelight that it reminded me of. It actually caught me by surprise because I didn’t see the ending coming. I loved it! I loved the characters and the story. The quotes for each chapter were a lovely touch. I definitely want to check out other books by this author.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical gothic stories!

Theodora Corvus is a young, bright woman who loves being a governess and searching for ghosts. She enjoys her life, but her grandmother wishes for her to get out and explore the world. When she learns of a governess position that has opened up at a manor hours away, Theodora believes she’s found the perfect compromise to what she and her grandmother both want. Though her arrival at Broken Oak was a bit rough, Theodora finds herself quickly settling into her new position. All seems to be going well until strange things start happening around the manor. Footsteps when no one is there, dolls moving on their own, phantom screams… Theodora is convinced the manor is haunted and can’t help but question if the other occupants know. Because if they do, then that would mean they brought her to her own damnation.
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This was a decent book, but it was very slow. Gothic-horror usually is and is filled with little nuances and is all about mood, but when it comes to ghosts I’ll always want an investigation behind it. Knowing gothic-horror isn’t necessarily set up like that but still expecting it is my fault so there’s no blame whatsoever to the author or the book. so moving away from that, I just want add that the author’s descriptive writing was fantastic and I enjoyed the characters as well as the ending. I just wish the majority of the book wasn’t paced as slowly as it was - maybe a little more *pointed* foreshadowing might’ve helped? But I think i’m okay with this not doing it for me and I’d still recommend this bc the bones of the story are strong and the ending was super worth it.

A wonderfully woven tale that has you guessing from the very start.

I must admit I didn't know what to expect when I started this story, and I'm glad that I gave it a go. It definitely kept me intrigued. The reveals were well done, and the characters interesting. The ending definitely had me surprised and very satisfied.

Will definitely check out this authors other works.

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, all opnions are my own.

I really enjoyed this slow, spooky novella. The opening lines in particular caught my attention, and I loved the writing style throughout. The middle part of the book was fairly slow, but the writing was so beautiful that it didn't bother me too much.
Theodora's and Cassias' relationship seemed to move a bit quickly, but I understood as it's a very short book. I also liked Cassias a lot.
I definitely wasn't expecting the twist at the end: with all of the similarities to Jane Eyre plus the quotes from Jane Eyre, I was expecting something more similar to what happens in that book. I loved what actually happened, though, and the ending was so bittersweet.