This author got me, she got me good! This is a spicy thriller novel where a woman with nothing left travels to find a job. She happens to go to a town with a notorious all boys academy to apply for a job. On her way there she gets into an accident and wakes up there. Her even applying for the job sets off some alarms, but moving through the story you can’t tell what it is. The author leads the story on as if it is a ghost story, murder, ex-lover problem story, then a humanitarian story, then at the end it all comes together and it’s one big dilemma. Will she stay or go?

This story is excellently written and will have your mind going thirty different ways before you finally get the actual issue of the story in the last 50ish pages of the book. Also, I was NOT expecting all the spice in this story at all, but it was great!

Spice 4/5
Plot 5/5

Story is 230 pages, so it is a quick read.

First of all I love the book cover. It's really catchy. This was well written and interesting enough for me to finish the book. It has a little bit of suspence added to it with some spicy scenes. The school setting was good. It is an enjoyable read.

This was an interesting story. I really loved the setting of the school. It had a nice dark atmosphere that I vibed with. The story was short and because of that it fell short for me in some ways. The main one is that the romance felt rushed. I didn’t really feel a connection between the two of them because there wasn’t any buildup.
I did like the twist at the end of the story. I won’t say much because I don’t want to spoil it, but I didn’t expect where the story ended up going. I also liked that she was able to make a choice.
Overall not my favorite read but I’m still glad I read it.

Spicy twisty turny romance with a well executed ending. Very quick read and not my favorite work from Tiffany Reisz (The Red is one of my top reads ever). This one didn't quite connect with me but I'm glad I read it.

When I started reading The Headmaster I was expecting a quick, smutty read…. come on its Tiffany Reisz, I can be forgiven for my mind going where it did! Instead I got a wonderfully atmospheric and emotional short story as Gwendolyn Ashby set to start a new life in Chicago. Along the way she happened across Marshall Academy, a gothic school hidden away in the Appalachian Mountains and she was drawn to its headmaster Edwin Laird.

This was just such a beautifully written tale of love and loyalty set over two weeks as Gwen fell not only for Edwin but for his endearing students as well. But even as she became increasingly entranced with the life, she could have there with him, there were vibes that not everything was as it seemed. For all the brevity of this book there was a surprising depth to, not only the hero and heroine but the secondary characters as well especially Laird and Christopher, the class pranksters and there was something especially poignant about their own personal story. Even those this book is not what I was expecting, I’m so glad I read it.

I had a hard time keeping my interest with this book, it just wasn't the book for me. But the premise is great and should be interesting to others.

Young woman with no home and no job prospects stumbles across an unusual private school in a remote area. She's offered a position for a trial period and begins a "will they or won't they" relationship with the enigmatic headmaster. There's also a ghostly presence roaming the grounds. Extremely slow pacing had me struggling to stay interested.

An amazing gothic romance with dark academia-vibes that will have you lighting candles and searching for ghosts at your old high school.

This is my tenth Tiffany Reisz book, and even 10 years later this story is still as fresh and relevant as ever.

The writing is so compelling, I couldn't stop turning the page to find out what happened next. All the characters are so well thought out, and used with a knife-like precision, exactly when and where they are needed. Nothing feels wasted.

For a gothic romance, the banter was light and fun. I fell in love with our MMC immediately, as does our FMC. While this is more of a plot-forward book, the spice is top tier.

The ending was so satisfying that it made me want to go back to the beginning and start again.

I love the idea of adding illustrations into the updated version. It's a trend I'm very excited about from other authors too.

Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Circle Press for the ARC.

This book is best read while searching for a hidden door in a gothic library.

On the road to Chicago, a chance encounter leads Gwen Ashby to the remote William Marshall Academy. Immediately charmed by the intelligent, boisterous students and attracted to the stern headmaster, Edwin Yorke, she convinces him to give her a one-week teaching trial. Little does she know, this quaint boarding school holds secrets beyond the classroom.

This book defied my expectations, which was both good and bad at times. I saw the cover for this 10th anniversary printing and fell in love with the Nancy Drew meets dark academia vibes. I was a bit surprised then that the tone of the writing was more or less what one would expect in any modern rom com novel. The setting is definitely academic, but the dark academia elements are mainly found only in the final chapters.

I was also surprised by the extensive references to and discussion of literature. Things feel pretty erudite at times for a novella billed as erotica.

Which brings us to the final thing that defied my expectations. I thought the the sex scenes in an erotica novel would be... sexier. The scenes were fine, but fairly vanilla and not particularly titillating.

This novella is an interesting choice for any romance reader looking for a little supernatural flavor for spooky season. This gorgeous cover will only be available in print, so look for it on bookstore shelves soon.

This review will be posted to Goodreads and Instagram (@goodquietkitty) on September 1, 2024.

‘The Headmaster’ by Tiffany Reisz is the gothic romance of my dreams. I absolutely love reading old-school gothic romances from the 60s & 70s, the ones that are like 200 pages long & cost $0.75 (according to the cover). You know the ones, with the painted covers featuring a stunning woman in distress running away from some large,looming building. While I had never read the original publishing of The Headmaster, I was immediately taken in by the cover, the summary, & the author (I was already a fan of Reisz’s writing). The vibes are perfect.

Y’all. I read this in one sitting.

It hits all of the standard beats for your classic gothic romance: mystery (definitely), ghosts (maybe?), a large stone building hidden in the forest (set in Appalachia???), a mysterious older man (bonus points for being British), & potential tragedy. But it also brings in contemporary themes & values & oh my god is it great to read something that isn’t just super outdated ideas rooted in Satanic Panic. It’s a perfect marriage of all the things & I would love to read at least 100 more books like this. And the addition of Andrew Shaffer’s illustrations only bring it to a higher level. (I cannot wait to get my hands on a print copy of this 10th edition.)

The story moves quickly & keeps you guessing. The romance is equally lovely & steamy. The characters are all so fleshed out, which is no small feat in a shorter book. Cover to cover, this manages to be an amazing homage to the classic gothic horror romance while also being an amazing contemporary story. Add this to your Autumn/Halloween reading list, save it for a stormy night, tuck in with some tea, & get swept away.

Thank you to NetGalley & 8th Circle Press for providing a digital advanced copy for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz

A beautiful and unique short story that has been re-released for the 10th anniversary.

I was first intrigued by the stunning old fashioned cover ( yeah yeah we all judge by covers) and I wasn’t disappointed.
An unusual story with twists and turns that I didn’t get right until the end . An intriguing quick read , that’s definitely worth picking up .

🧍‍♂️🧍🏻‍♀️friendship
👻a spooky mystery
❤️ love story
🥰found family
🌲mystery and intrigue

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tiffany Reisz for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Headmaster coming out September 3, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I was drawn to the cover because I thought it was a gothic story from the 60s or 70s. I didn’t realize it was came out in 2014. But it definitely felt like a gothic story. It was a quick read, but it had a lot going on. I loved the plot! I was definitely waiting for some kind of mysterious twist with the fired teacher, but then the actual twist was a big surprise. I loved it! I would definitely read more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys twisty gothic tales!

*3.5

I love a gothic dark academia novel and the cover artwork for the 10th anniversary edition of this book is gorgeous! I’m not a huge fan of insta-love so I did find it a bit cringey that the FMC immediately started throwing herself at the headmaster (who is also her new boss). The mysterious woman in the white dress who walks the school grounds at night added an extra creep factor and there was one illustration in the book that almost made me jump 😭 I suspected the plot twist about halfway through the book and I wished there was just a little more suspense. Smut was nice and sweet.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC! ✨

I read this book when it was first published 10 years ago, and I couldn't resist reading the updated version, especially with that gorgeous gothic cover! From what I could tell, the revisions mostly include updated references to technology, etc. A solid gothic thriller. It's still not my all-time favorite of Tiffany Reisz's books, but I enjoyed reading it again.

"Nestled in the shadow of the Appalachians is where Gwen Ashby stumbles upon the William Marshall Academy, and she's given a trial position as a literature teacher. The gothic boarding school seems trapped in time yet it feels like home the moment Gwen arrives.

She's charmed by the lovely buildings, bewitched by the eager students...and utterly seduced by the headmaster. Edwin Yorke is noble, handsome and infuriatingly proper. But his tweedy exterior and courtly manners conceal a raw sensual power that Gwen longs to unleash.

It's strangely thrilling to be the only woman on campus - save one other. An eerie white-clad figure roams the grounds by night. She never speaks. She leaves no trace. But this ghostly blight on Gwen's new dream life is the key to the Marshall Academy's mysterious allure.

This 10th Anniversary expanded print edition of Tiffany Reisz's gothic romance The Headmaster is newly updated and expanded, with revised text and black-and-white illustrations throughout."

I mean, just look at the perfection of that cover. Why can't we have more covers like this?

Gwen is on her way to make a change in her life when she crashes into William Marshal Academy what follows is a fast pace short story with a twist ending.

I knew something wasn't what it seemed but the ending wasn't what I expected.

This book was such a good time! It was so fast paced and easy to read! Such a bingeable story and the ending truly blew my mind!

Unfortunately I do not really have anything good to say about this book other than it was a book. I did not enjoy the story or the myriad of issues the story had. I was expecting one thing and got something so different it ruined my enjoyment of reading.

This book originally came out in 2014, but it got an upgrade in the edition that I read. Photos were added to the story. I didn't realize this was an erotic romance, I chose it under the thriller & mystery section on Netgalley, so I was surprised when things took a spicy turn. It's also labeled as "horror" and I don't think it's a horror at all. There was a little paranormal mystery and an overall eerie feeling of the school, but nothing very scary or thrilling. I thought the characters were good, and I liked the setting of an all boys boarding school. It's a teacher and headmaster love affair, I was just glad it wasn't teacher and student...👀

Overall, I would recommend if you want to read a quick spicy romance with a little paranormal.

Thank you 8th Circle Press for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was not my cup of tea ☕

While tea is a multi-meaning term in this story, in my case it was simply not to my liking. This was a very short read that kept me (mostly) occupied for its 125 pages but the writing came off as sophomoric and, for something shelved as erotica, all of the sex scenes seemed to blend into one repetitive, tedious amalgamation.

There are lacking attempts at inclusion, cringey hetero insta love, and a "twist" ending that I sussed out and impatiently waited to come to light.

I picked this eARC up because I was really in the mood for something Gothic, and was drawn to the cover art which is reminiscent of those vintage romance novels with beautiful, gowned, windswept woman with a castle, manor or moor behind them.

I don't usually review books I rate under 3 stars, because I typically DNF books I am not enjoying, but this is an ARC that I requested & read so here we are. I give The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz 2 stars ⭐⭐

This book may not have worked for me, but after looking at the other reviews on Goodreads and NetGalley it would seem that I am in the minority so please don't let my opinion of this deter you from giving it a go if it is of interest to you.

Thank you 8th Circle Press & NetGalley for this 10th Anniversary Illustrated Edition eARC!