English professor Dr. Emily Murray recently lost her position due to university cutbacks. Depressed, she accepts a timely job offer to live in New England for the summer at a house called Gnarled Hollow, which was the home of the reclusive writer Margot Lewis, one of Emily's subjects of research. She shares the house with Jim, another English professor; Mark, an architect; June, an art historian; and Chris, a landscape historian (or something like that). But they soon realize not all is as it seems.

Unfortunately, I thought I would like this a lot more than I actually did. I'd seen good buzz and was excited for a creepy ghost story. I think my underwhelmed reaction comes down to not really connecting with the writing style and not getting a good sense of the characters. I found the writing to be relatively simple and unexciting.

I love literature, so I was excited to see an English professor protagonist who had to solve a mystery about a famous writer. But Emily kind of let me down. To a point, I understood her negative thoughts about herself because depression is a jerk. But so many of them revolve around June that I would've enjoyed it more had there been no relationship at all. I was also disappointed in the mystery. I wanted more from Emily and Jim's decoding of Margot's journals, and I definitely wasn't prepared for incest to pop up. I'm mentioning it so that other readers can be aware before they go in!

The relationship between Emily and June didn't have enough build-up. Emily latches onto June right away and gets weirdly possessive when it seems like June is flirting with some of the guys.I got the sense that Emily's attachment was because June is the only other woman in the house. They don't even talk that much before they get involved, and while their relationship is supposed to give readers a break from the darkness of the house mystery, it didn't really do that for me because it happened too fast. I would've liked to see a slower burn.

There was a moment in their relationship that made me uncomfortable, too, that wasn't resolved as well as I would've liked. One afternoon, Emily helps June photograph the paintings in the house. She has to hold up lights, and it's been established that she's short and thin. "June snapped at her a couple of times for moving the light, despite her visibly shaking arms." That seemed like an extreme reaction, especially since they're sort of in a relationship. June does apologize, but Emily brushes it off, and I got the sense the reader was supposed to, too.

This sounds pretty negative, but I just want to explain the reasons I didn't love it. Not every book is for every reader! It definitely kept me reading, though, because I wanted to figure out the mystery.

This story follows Emily Murray, an out of work English Professor, who has only recently lost her job due to budget cuts. She finds herself wallowing in depression when she receives a call about a letter she sent a long while ago. The call is from Ruth Bigsby, the current heir and owner of Gnarled Hollow, the house where recluse author, Margot Lewis, once lived. Emily is excited as she's done work on Margot's publication before and is keen to find out more about her and her work. Ruth has organised a small group of academics to travel out to Gnarled Hollow and stay for the summer, each a leader in their respective fields. June - Art History, Mark - Architecture, Jim - English, the same as Emily, and Chris - Landscape, Emily is excited until she hears Jim's name mentioned, as she hasn't told Ruth about her unfortunate unemployment. However, all is soon forgotten once she reaches Gnarled Hollow, and the true mystery begins. What is going on at the house? Is it haunted? What happened to the previous occupants? And what is wrong with the house itself?

Wow, I was incredibly surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. From the word go, I was completely hooked. I loved that the odd occurrences started happening virtually straight away, it really piqued my interest. The story itself was fantastic, suspense, a little horror and a touch of romance really wound together beautifully to create such an enjoyable romp through the story of Gnarled Hollow. I found myself endeared to the characters almost immediately, though Jim took a little while for me to get to like, by the end, I found myself liking his character a lot. The character development was done well, especially considering this is a stand alone novel, it was done without rushing or info dumping and I think that made me like the characters more. They each had distinct personalities which I've found can sometimes be hard to convey, especially in a stand alones. I felt that the romance aspect of the story was also done tastefully, it was not meant to shock which I've found some books with LGBTQ themes aim for, and I found myself rooting for the couple the whole way. Though I have to say, Emily's constant worrying about glances and slight touches did irk me a bit, especially with all the other things going on in the house at the same time. Maybe this was meant to display Emily's self consciousness a little more, I'm not sure.

The mystery was riveting, I had to know what happened next, and I was DYING to find out what was behind the happenings in the house, and the strangeness of the house itself. It was done incredibly well and I had NO idea how it was going to turn out until it was revealed, I love this in a mystery of any kind. It's not as much fun to read if you've already worked out the answers and the characters aren't there yet.

The pacing of the story was brilliant, and I can't fault it at all. It was a smooth ride in all ways and I'm a little sad that I've finished it. I would happily re-read this book again, maybe I'd pick up small things that I'd missed previously?

There was definite creep factor which I loved. It's hard to find books, even in the horror genre, that actually manage to give me that creep factor that I'm looking for, so I was incredibly please. The setting was beautiful and I didn't feel like the story was rushed at any point, which I've found can sometimes happen with single books not part of a series or trilogy.

I highly recommend this book, and I'm keen as to check out other works by this author. If you're out for a good mystery with great characters and a bit of creep, this is for you.

This book was different than I expected. I knew the main plot was the supernatural things going on in the house. But I expected it to be heavy in between about the romance between Emily and June. On the contrary, their relationship was more of a side note to all the intense happenings in the house. I would say it was almost a horror book. Emily is a very real and unperfect character compared to other romance books. She's pretty insecure and I think a lot of women would recognize little things in her.

I had difficulty staying interested in the first half of the book. All the talk about how the house was built, was just not my thing. Once the story focussed on the people who lived there and the people staying there, it got more suspenseful for me.

Like any true horror story, characters kept doing things which will get you to yell at them to not be so daff. If you like this genre it will make a good read for Halloween season.

3.5 stars.

I saw another reviewer describe this book as 'Hill House meets House of Leaves' and I would definitely say that's an accurate description. Also apparently there is nothing scarier to me than a house that is not the size it's supposed to be because before this book I would have cited House of Leaves as the only horror book to actually freak me out but I'm definitely going to have to add this one to the list. I started it at night and boy was that a mistake. Then I decided to finish it up in the bright light of morning ...only to realize that was also a mistake because not only was I alone in the house but I also had to shower before going to work. #oops

The author describes this book as mystery and paranormal but I would almost describe it as a straight up horror novel [that includes a mystery and a bit of romance]. The writing is incredibly descriptive and creepy and you can basically picture all the scenes in your head as if they were being shot for a horror movie, which I love. I picked this up almost solely for the F/F romance and was surprised by how involved and creepy the plot actually was. I would definitely be interested in reading other books from this author.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

OH MY GOSH. Guys, this book was just too good. I have been looking around for something like this, books with haunted houses, maybe even (a bit) in the style of Darcy Coates. And I found it in this book. It never had a boring moment, you will be on the seat of your chair all the time, and you may just not be able to sleep or walk around at night easily (I know I didn’t, as I read part of this book before I went to sleep, bad bad idea).

Meet Emily Murray, she just got fired from her job at the university, but an opportunity knocks on her door. Does she want to spend her summer at a big house in the country to study the works of one of her favourite authors: Margot Lewis? Of course, what else would you expect, our girl is instantly interested. And so a summer full of creepy things, hauntings, but also romance, will start.

Yup, you read that right, there is also romance, but surprise, this one wasn’t going for the obvious choice so many authors make. You won’t see a MxF relationship, oh no, we got ourselves a sweet FxF relationship. I was a bit worried if the romance would fit this book, because it is still mystery/horror, but I loved it, I was eagerly looking for those sweet and soft moments away from the horror and the creepiness. June and Emily just fit together like two puzzle pieces. I did like that they both worked to be together, it wasn’t just oh we are together and done, oh no, we see Emily’s thoughts, and see how she starts to love June. But that she is also worried about how things would go after this summer. Does June love her or just see her as a casual fling? The author did a great job on writing this romance, it was believable, fun, and made you root for these girls.
I do have to say at one point I was worried for the romance, but I shouldn’t have worried.

The house was properly creepy. Really, thanks to the descriptions I just wanted to stay away. Far away. But not only the house and all the things that happened, the gardens/pool were also a place of nope. The things that happened to our characters were haunted, spooky, and I was definitely creeped out. Doors that close on their own, time loss, a girl looking out of the window. The author did a magnificent job slowly revealing more creepy things about the house. About the presence (or presences) lurking there. And then we slowly found out about what happened in the house so many years ago. Oh my goodness! If you thought you found out one thing, wait until the next thing is revealed.

Emily was a very nice character, I liked her instantly, maybe also because of how she felt about herself and how she felt as if she was an outsider. I can totally relate to her. I loved how strong she was and how hard she worked on breaking those codes (Margot Lewis loved codes). I was impressed that, instead of letting someone else do it due to how Jim was, she went to Jim multiple times to talk to him or to give him help.

June! Next to Emily my favourite character. She was just so much fun, and I loved how dedicated she was about her work/studying all the art stuff. Plus, even though she was clearly frightened, I liked how she stayed. For Emily.

I am not sure how I felt about Jim. He was by far my least favourite character from the book. It also didn’t help that THAT happened to him, but even before that he was a dick. I get that he was afraid, and probably didn’t want to let the fear in, but he did some things that just pissed me off. I guess I should say good job to the author for writing him that well.

Mark, I liked how he was instantly a believer due to what he saw. How he didn’t dismiss it (like some other characters). How he listened to Emily, and also later on became quite a strong character. Sure, he was afraid, but he wanted to dig deeper, he wanted to find out all he could. He was also the one to find out several things due to what he does for work, things that really turned some stuff upside down for our characters and their situation. Who knew that a house could change dimensions!

Why Emily felt so at home in the home? At least I could call it that. Sure, she had her moments of frights, and at times felt pretty out of place. I definitely had a suspicion on the matter, even some theories. As we found out more (and certain events happened) I settled on one theory, and I was delighted to see it confirmed! How fun! It fits so well. It is kind of a thing that you see more often in haunted houses books, but I love seeing them.

I also liked seeing the characters work/study. They have such interesting fields/hobbies. From art to English to gardening. I loved seeing them discover new things in the house based on what they did as work/hobby.

All in all, an exciting book that won’t let you go until the end. You will just be as invested as the characters to solve this mystery. Even if that means not sleeping at night. I would recommend it to everyone!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

I really enjoyed this. This is the fifth book I have read by Greene and by far my favorite. The best way to describe this would be paranormal-mystery/crime, with a little romance. The paranormal is on the darker side, you could almost put a horror tag on this. I was well and truly creeped out at times. This would be a perfect book to read around Halloween time.

Emily is an English professor, who has just been laid off before reaching tenure. She is feeling bleak and a bit depressed with no new jobs on the horizon. When she gets a letter, inviting her to study the papers of an important deceased author, she hopes this is the break she needed. Little is known about the author’s life since she became a recluse in her estate of Gnarled Hollow until death. Emily and a few other scholars will be spending the summer living and learning about the estate, art, and the author’s diaries. But when Emily gets to Gnarled Hollow she quickly realizes there is something strange going on. Gnarled Hollow is hiding secrets that may put their lives in danger. Can Emily and her fellow scholars figure out the mystery before it is too late?

When I read the blurb for this book I was very excited to read this. This sounded like my kind of book. The book ended up being everything I was hoping for. I have to be honest that Greene felt like a new author to me. Not sure if she was just having fun writing this book, but I felt like it was a big step up from her previous books. I really hope she would consider writing more paranormal or mystery-crime books in the future.

As I mentioned above this book is a little dark, some violence, and touches on some disturbing subjects. I could easily see this as a movie that makes you jump and hold the covers up by your face. But it’s far from all dark. It has a very interesting mystery and a bit of a sweet romance. The main character of Emily was pretty easy to root for and get behind. Her blossoming romance with another scholar was a nice change of pace to have in the book. There are no explicit sex scenes, but with everything going on in the house, it might have felt a little odd to be reading about steamy sexy time in the middle of a haunted house.

In mentioning words like almost horror and violence, I hope I’m not putting people off. While yes this book is dark, but it wasn’t really graphic if that make sense. While I was jumpy and creeped out at times, I was never really scared. The book was more intense and hooked you in, not a stomach turning too hard to read kind of book. It had some good twists and kept me in suspense until the end. In fact I was a little sad when it ended. While this is longer than the average Bold Strokes Book, I would have loved even a little more.

I would absolutely recommend this to paranormal-crime/mystery fans. Because it is a bit dark and creepy, I know it might not appeal to everyone, but this was definitely my kind of book. I really hope Greene takes the opportunity to write more books in similar genres. I would love to read them if she does.

'Gnarled Hollow' by Charlotte Greene is one very exciting and wild paranormal/haunted house/ghost story. The story grabs you from the very beginning and holds you as a captive reader until the surprising end.
The main character, Emily Murray, has been chosen along with several other scholars to live and research the mansion called Gnarled Hollow, which happened to be the former home of one of her favorite authors. Strange things begin to happen to Emily even before she gets to the mansion and the paranormal activities only grow in strength as they all try to live and study at the mansion. Emily also becomes close to June Friend, the art historian who was hired to study the artwork in the house, and together they work to solve the mystery of Gnarled Hollow.
It has been a while since I've read a paranormal story, but I've always loved a good ghost story so I decided to try it. I was not disappointed. The story really does hook you from the very beginning and doesn't let go until the last page. This book is most definitely worth reading. I do urge you to let your family know you might be yelling things to your book or tablet such as, "Don't go in there!" or "Don't let that door close behind you!"

wow, this story is truly amazing, the writing is beautiful remarkable even and the drama was on point it’s not scary. Sad, edgy and mysterious is more like it. AT first i did not like Emily seems too submissive but as the story went on she kinda let go of her shyness “in away” and started to take control. June was also a character that I did not like something was off about her but still she grow on me and by the end of the book I saw how they fit in away together.

I highly recommend this one of the best books I read this year. Bravo to the author.
One note the romance is very limited so if you’re looking for that mainly it’s not your book you wont be disappointed tho, its well developed story

I’m so grateful they gave me free copy in exchange for a review

I’m sure I have oxygen deprivation from the number of times I had to remind myself to breathe. Emily Murray, unemployed English professor, is in a downward spiral of apathy, binge-watching bad TV shows and hiding from her neighbours when she receives a letter offering her a unique opportunity. A relative of her favourite author, Margot Lewis, has inherited the Lewis estate and is putting together a team of academics to spend the summer at Gnarled Hollow, the dormant Lewis family home. Two English academics, a landscape historian, an architect and an art historian will be living together in the mansion while piecing together various aspects of its history. But not everyone is as excited as they are about being there.

This is a superbly crafted paranormal mystery/thriller. I had difficulty putting it down even when I really didn’t want to read anymore and I’m sure it’s shaved years off my life. I’ve been sitting here trying to put into words all the things I want to say about the characters and the cleverness of the plot but what it comes down to is this: if you’re a paranormal/mystery/crime/thriller fan then read this. It is fantastic. Oh, and there’s romance too.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I enjoyed this dark, creepy ghost story very much. Many reviewers have compared this one to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, which I can certainly see. But to me it was more reminiscent of the late, great Barbara Michael’s ghost stories. Just terrific. I hope Greene writes more books in this genre!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC ebook to review.

Intense, creepy, atmospheric and scary. Everything I love about a book. Lights off and imagination running wild. Fab story and great style of writing.

I spent my holiday weekend lost in books (and a couple of movies). It’s still summer here in North Carolina, and I am desperately trying to conjure fall. Creepy music. A couple of horror movies. And this book. It may be hovering around 90 for the next couple of weeks, but this book really got me in the fall mood.

Professor Emily Murray lost her tenure track in recent budget cuts, and she is trying to crawl out of a depression when she inquires about an opportunity to visit Gnarled Hollow, the family estate of the writer she’s spent her academic career studying. She’s not alone, however, along with Emily, another English professor, an architect, a landscape specialist, and an art historian have also been invited to uncover the mysteries of this old house. It becomes quickly clear soon after they arrive that the house is not only haunted, but there’s some weird time/space issues as well. They must work together to uncover the mystery if they want to make it out alive. Along the way, Emily and the art historian (Juniper Friend) find a bit more romance.

I really liked this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started it, other than hoping it was creepy, but there are multiple layers to the story. The romance isn’t the main plot-line, but it adds to the story, and for the most part I liked Emily and June’s relationship. If you’re worried about x-rated scenes, fear not. There is romance here, but none of it is explicit, deep kissing and the hint of more, that’s it really.

There are a lot of characters spanning different time periods, here, and I enjoy how the past and present come together to tell a bigger story. There are twists and turns, for sure, but they all seem to build, and none of them seem to come out of left field.

It comes out on September 11, but if you don’t mind waiting an extra couple of weeks, this book will make an excellent addition to your October TBR. The perfect way to call in the season, this one will keep you guessing and might even creep you out a little.

Wow.....this book was awesome!! I’m a big fan of Charlotte Greene’s and this book made me become an even bigger fan. First, this book is completely different than all of her other book and I wasn’t sure how it would play out. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of writing and the character development. Emily Murray is an out of work American Lit professor who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to spend the summer living and working in the estate of a lesser known American author. Several other experts in different fields are there as well. The house holds many secrets, which the inhabitants learn quickly. This book had excellent leads and supporting characters and they genuinely became like friends to me. The book has a paranormal air to it. It’s highly suspenseful and there we times I was truly worried for the characters. The plot has many twists and turns and I totally never in a million years would have guessed the Lewis family secrets. This was an awesome book and I highly recommend!!

It took a while to get into the rhythm of this story. But once I did, I enjoyed the plot and characters a great deal.

The style "feels" vintage, almost like a 1950's movie treatment. The characters quickly become friendly, quickly become enmeshed in the mysteries of the house.

A well written ghost story.

I really enjoy this book. The way to describe it is mystery-crime-paranormanl with a side of romance. It was dark and creepy I could totally see this as a movie in a way I did because it remind me of movie The Haunting with Liam Neeson Catherine Zeta-Jones Owen Wilson and Lilli Taylor. I'm not going give the story away but Emily was my favorite character I like her romance with June at first the other characters were a bit suspicious especially Jim when he got piss at Emily about the journals. I was happy when I figure out why the house was connect to Emily more then the others. Overall I enjoy the read.

It takes a lot to creep me out, but Gnarled Hollow managed to give me the chills. I think Charlotte Greene did a fabulous job with this contemporary Gothic mystery suspense (I think it suits her even better than her romance material).

Be prepared, because the weird and unexplainable starts as soon as our heroine, English professor Emily Murray, travels to Gnarled Hollow. And once she’s inside the locked gates of the estate and joined by her research companions the mysterious events begin to come thick and fast. It starts with missing time, a mysterious woman seen through a window on the top floor, doors that open and close by itself but it escalates into something much more sinister and even life threatening. The author makes sure you are on the edge of your seat and stay there from beginning to end.

I am not going to summarize the story because it would take away from the mystery and it is best to let it slowly unravel as you read along. I can tell you that apart from Emily I didn’t really trust any of the other characters at first because they were written with a certain ambiguity and it really enhanced the plot. Well done! I loved the sweet romance blossoming between Emily and art historian Juniper (June) Friend. It wasn’t the main focus of course but it created some levity.

So yes it was spooky and eerie and sometimes violent and it dipped lightly into horror from time to time, but don’t let that deter you. Reading mystery/horror is not really my bag but I enjoyed myself immensely. The suspense had a nice build-up and the story is very engaging throughout.

f/f the intimate scenes are fade to black but it suits the story.

Themes: the Lewis Family are not giving up their dark secrets easily, I loved the little art bits scattered throughout the story, poor Emily gets knocked around quite a bit.

5 stars

* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc. for an honest review.

If Hill House and The House of Leaves had a baby, it would be Gnarled Hollow. A haunted house with an unexplainable size that doesn’t match the outside. A fine example of contemporary gothic horror, I really enjoyed this novel.

The parallels to Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House in the beginning of this book are apparent. The protagonist, a lone female named Emily, begins the book by traveling to a strange house in the middle of nowhere, when she has an odd interaction with a local man that seems cautious of outsiders. She mentions the house to him and he has a negative reaction. Emily was invited by a distant family member of the home’s previous owner, by letter, to join a group of scholars staying at the strange house. Even Emily’s initial reaction to Gnarled Hollow reminds me of Eleanor’s reaction upon first seeing Hill House. I also found similarities between the characters Theodora (from THOHH), and Juniper, and their relationships to either books’ protagonists. One aspect I enjoyed was the more developed storyline that resulted from the sexual tension between Emily and Juniper in comparison to the more subtitle tension between Eleanor and Theodora in THOHH. Of course, I do not mind these similarities, since The Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorites.

Although the beginning of the novel seems inspired by The Haunting of Hill House, the chills and thrills are somewhat different. Don’t expect to know everything that is happening in Gnarled Hollow.

The author did a spectacular job of not only playing on paranormal fears, but on real life fears. The violence that is bubbling just below Jim’s facade had my stomach twisting. The author played on my very real fear of men potentially killing me for small slights against their egos.

The problem I did have- The book says that Gnarled Hollow is an English Queen Anne or English Baroque type manor, but the cover shows a Colonial Revival which looks very different than described in the text. Since this is one of the “odd” details the group uncovers, and is mentioned in the description of the house, and the epilogue, I wish the publisher had made an effort to get the cover image correct. I only have a casual knowledge of real estate and house styles, and this was a glaring flaw that jumped out at me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.