2.5 stars rounded up. This was fine for a quick read with spooky elements and a supernatural twist, but as a romance it was too insta-love/insta-lust for my taste. I was expecting there to be more tension/drama from the dynamics of the relationship (employer/employee, headmaster/new teacher, slight age gap), but Gwen was ready to jump Edwin from the start and Edwin didn't really resist much. Gwen also takes the Gothic heroine to the extreme by making one ridiculous decision after another and missing the glaring red flags about what's actually going on. Overall, not what I would usually expect from a Tiffany Reisz book, but still worth a read if you're willing to suspend disbelief and want a fast, atmospheric read.

Thank you to 8th Circle Press and Netgalley for providing a review copy!

This was a really fun read! I initially requested the arc because of the nostalgic book cover art and the description. It really is such a fun, suspenseful, gothic romance. There was some heat and spice as a bonus!
The story was so unique and the ending caught me be complete surprise. When I finished the book, I was left thinking about the story for days after.
I highly recommend this story!

I've read this book twice now and even on the reread, it still holds up.

This little gothic novella packs such a punch, I swear, I spent a good 10 minutes after finishing it the first time around just staring off into space. I don't know how Tiffany Reisz managed to craft something so beautiful and funny and moving in so few pages, but she has and I'm obsessed.

Gwen is plucky, clever, and confident. The titular headmaster, Edwin, is your stereotypical British hero - prim and proper on the surface, but still waters run deep with that one. The extent of his honor is both a strength and a source of much frustration, but if anything, it just makes him all the more endearing. The boys of the academy are excellently portrayed and each engaging and distinctive in their own right.

And that climax... that last chapter leaves me stunned and in tears every single time.

If you're in the market for a gothic romance that's a quick read with grumpy/sunshine dynamics and dark academia vibes for days, The Headmaster is for you.

Firstly thank you so much Netgalley for gifting this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun little read, I'm unfortunately pretty good at predicting endings and I did so within the first 20% of the book, the details of the ending though did unravel without me predicting them which was nice.
I felt the writing style was easy to read and the spice was a welcome addition. I kind of wish something else was happening at times or there was more spookiness/creepy goings on.

Whew, what a spicy, fun little novella!

I read this 10th anniversary rerelease of The Headmaster, which I believe has a bit more story in it than the original did. Feels very much like modern gothic romance, with maybe a ghost? I enjoyed all the elements, and even though I'm not much for the erotica/romance genres, I found this to be a fun, digestible, paranormal-style read, with some sexy scenes that had me reaching for a glass of ice water a couple times. And even though I was pretty sure I knew what the twist ending was early on, those last couple pages really had me hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Tiffany Reisz, and 8th Circle Press for access to the digital ARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

I had so much fun with this book! The characters were so quirky and I really enjoyed their chemistry. The stark differences between Gwen and Edwin really made their relationship intriguing and I loved when she gave him crap for his British ways.

This is a fast read with a dash of a spicy, sweet romance, and an added flare of the paranormal. I’ll admit I did predict the ending pretty early on, but I still enjoyed it. And given how it turned out, the decisions of the FMC make much more sense.

Wow, okay. I honestly only requested this book because I thought the cover was retro and cool and the premise sounded okay and it was a short book and I needed to get up my book count for this year! 😅

BUT THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!

Honestly, this has become one of my favourite books of ALL TIME.

I have no idea how I missed this the first time round. I can not recommend this book enough to anyone who is into anything a little weird, steamy and/or gothic!

This book was just so brilliant. Give it a read, you will NOT be disappointed!

I loved this! Great storytelling, lovely romance, The Headmaster gave big Atticus Finch vibes which is always a win.

Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Circle Press for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz originally came out in 2014, and on September 3rd, 2024 it is getting re-released with a new expanded edition with black and white illustrations. Gwen Ashby has come unstuck from her life and is looking for an escape. On the road to Chicago, she comes across the William Marshal Academy, a gothic boarding school stuck in time, run by the equally painfully noble and sexy headmaster Edwin Yorke.

She’s given a trial position as an English literature teacher when the mysteries begin to unravel. Atmospheric and beguiling, this book brought me to tears at the ending. 5/5 Stars!

This 220-page book (ISBN: 9781949769678) will be available on 9/3/24 for $15.99 from major retailers. Thank you again to NetGalley and 8th Circle Press for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

gmpotter.com review live now.
YouTube review live on 8/8/24

All your gothic romance vibes come true!

I really enjoyed this book! It hits all the old-school gothic tropes. It just a fun, fluffy read. If you enjoy a gothic twist to your romances, grab this book. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

This gave Kindle Unlimited vibes. I thought the retro cover was very cool. I love gothic, romantic and creepy Appalachia themes. I would not get behind the fmc and her crush for the mmc. All she did was go on about how attractive he was. It was annoying, and I was uninvested.

Something about the writing style of this just did not jive with me. I really couldn't make it very far in this novel at all. I was drawn initially because the cover was giving Nancy Drew to me, but that's really all this book did for me.

I reread this because it’s getting a 10 year anniversary reprint: newly updated and expanded, with revised text and black-and-white illustrations throughout. I love this gothic romance, it’s short and sweet and just gives me all the feels. Even knowing where the story was going I got goosebumps and was near tears. 😅

Gwen Ashby is driving through the Appalachian Mountains when she stops at a diner. While there she hears about The William Marshal Academy and is intrigued enough to drive there and see if they’re hiring teachers. Some things happen along the way but she ends up meeting the headmaster, Edwin Yorke, and all the charming students at the all boys school. This romance moves fast and you get swept right along with Gwen & Edwin and all the characters. I love the setting and the romance is just the sweetest (but still delivers on steam). I am obsessed with the new cover and the added illustrations throughout the story with the new print!

“Be a good girl,” he said.
“You always have to be in charge, don’t you?” she asked.
“I’m the headmaster. I am in charge.”

I received an ARC of the new 10th anniversary edition, all thoughts in this review are my own.

A gothic romance with a new teacher at a mysterious boarding school with a mysterious headmaster and a mysterious Bride roaming the grounds.

I'm a sucker for these modern books with vintage style covers - I was drawn in by that and Tiffany Reisz who was once of my first romance reads (starting in the genre with The Original Sinners is... something).

I loved the atmosphere of this book. You can tell pretty quickly that something's not quite right -- and I had my theories while reading -- but it's hard to identify exactly what and why it's not right.

The relationship between Gwen and Edwin is a little insta-lusty and definitely pursued by her, but I'm not mad. There are several spicy scenes for a short book, but honestly that's what I was hoping for with this author.

When things come to a head and are revealed, it all happens quickly. Which feels appropriate to me. This is a fast, short read, if you want something a little spicy and a little spooky.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a slow burn, gothic suspense. It's a novella so it's a pretty quick read. I loved all the spooky and eerie vibes, I do wish it was a littttttle bit spicier, but that's just my preference.

I enjoyed this little modern gothic horror novella. I found it predictable, but didn’t mind because it was almost comforting in its simplicity.

I actually want a fan of the sex scenes. They felt rushed and kinda pointless. Also it’s not a “dark academia”, it’s gothic horror. I really wish we’d stop doing trends and following booktok crap.

Having just finished Ann Radcliffe’s ‘The Italian’, I spotted a modern Gothic/horror book available to review. The book is ‘The Headmaster’ by Tiffany Reisz. What I didn’t fully appreciate at the time was that there would be some very descriptive spicy chapters, but I blushed my way through and think the book stands up in its own right.

The idea for the book is sound. Gwen Ashby’s life has fallen apart and she’s off to couch-surf and hopefully find work. However, at a rest stop, she hears that a nearby school might be hiring and decides to check it out. Despite crashing her car to avoid hitting a deer, she ends up on a one week trial at a suitably atmospheric boarding school.

The students are unusually attentive, the school buildings have an ominous flavour, and there’s a woman in white who haunts the walls. It’s like Shirley Jackson, but with some rather fun dialogue between a flirtatious Gwen and the school’s headmaster.

Just over the halfway point, things get quite erotic. Things are getting buried with quite stunning frequency, and we’re not talking about being thrown alive into a coffin. Stylistically, things are raunchy and very detailed. Certainly enough to bring some colour to your cheeks.

These pages don’t prevent progress towards a growing feeling that something at the school isn’t right and the ending provides a satisfying conclusion (narrative, rather than the multiple satisfying conclusions scattered throughout the story).

This is a winner in terms of the eerie atmosphere and it certainly ticks off many of the elements you’d expect from a Gothic novel, it just dials up from the classic heaving bosom and constantly fainting protagonists with a heroine who isn’t particularly shy.

the headmaster by Tiffany Reisz* [ad/gifted]🎓

*thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. despite being gifted an e-arc of this book, all views and opinions are my own.

this book has a great premise and some really intriguing plot points: mystery, horror, sexy headmaster, a chance encounter? this books seems to check a lot of the boxes that make a suspenseful, interesting and steamy romance/horror books👩🏻‍🎓

rating: ⭐️⭐️.5 (2.5 stars out of 5 stars)

unfortunately for me, this book just fell a little flat. I found the romance to be super sudden and based solely on looks which isn’t my type of vibe, although the spice in this book was pretty good!🌶️

the ending also knocked the rating down a little for me too. I didn’t like how the characters stories ended and the big reveal was a little disappointing for me- no spoilers here though!🙅🏼‍♀️

overall, I really liked the spice in this book and the setting was super interesting and added so much to the eerie, creepy, intense vibes that this book was giving. it’s also a super quick read and I read it all in less than 24hrs although I did feel that the plot slowed a little in some parts🌱

let me know if you’ve read this book or if you’re planning on picking it up! i don’t think my review should put you off at all because the vibes of this book were really interesting, it just didn’t work for me personally and that’s okay!🖤

I enjoyed this book. I love the spooky academic atmosphere. It could have been spicier. The woman in white reveal was kind of anticlimactic.

I adore Tiffany Reisz and jump at any new books she releases. The Headmaster was a spooky gothic romance and is a perfect autumn read. The story follows Gwen whose life is a bit out of sorts at the beginning. She ends up with a teaching position at William Marshall School for boys. Edwin and Gwen’s story was fun to read. Loved the mystery and spice! Highly recommend and look forward to more from this Tiffany Reisz! Thank you for the ARC