I received this ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t like this book. It’s not the worst book I’ve ever read but it annoyed me from start to finish. From the beginning, we meet Gwen and learn about her sob story. Her boyfriend dumped her and went to “Africa to teach at a village school”. That’s the exact quote. Even if this book had been a masterpiece, that one line would have ruined it for me and it was said too many times to ignore. This is a republished version of a book written a decade ago but somehow this outdated and frankly racist line was kept in. Great choice.
I don’t really have much to say about the plot because it appears and disappears when Gwen isn’t obsessed with the Headmaster’s dick. They were so many red herrings that didn’t make a lot of sense but only serve to pad the story and derail us from the “twist” at the end. I call it twist but it was so obvious from the start. I only wish the MC didn’t wait until the third act before deciding to ask reasonable questions she should have had from the start.

THE CHARACTERS

The emotions I felt for the characters range from utter dislike to indifference. Christopher and Laird had one too many scenes and all of them were essentially useless. They were annoying, manipulative and actively lied to Gwen about the real situation at the school. Their only saving grace is the fact that they’re queer but even that annoys me. You’re telling me that you’ve been dead for sixty years but you’re still worried about your fellow dead folks knowing you’re gay and like to have sex with your boyfriend. Not in the holy month of Pride!
*eye roll*
Gwen is another character that annoys me but not really at first. I was indifferent to her until she meets the Headmaster and starts thirsting after him immediately, talking about “male” he is and how different he is from her ex and how she’s always liked older guys and blah blah blah. I get it, you’re horny, any other personality trait?
Her entire personality is English teacher looking to get dicked down. I get it’s an erotica but it’s okay for characters to have personalities outside of wanting sex. There were several moments in the book where Edwin, the Headmaster, tries to offer her sexual pleasure but she refuses in favor of providing HIM pleasure, talking about how she needs to please him and how his satisfaction is what matters. Eww!
There is nothing wrong with pleasuring your partner but when having sex is all about pleasing them, you’ve got a problem, babe.
Unfortunately, a lack of personality is not all Gwendolyn Ashby lacks, she also lacks common sense. The last ten to twenty percent of the book involves “the twist”. Let me explain.
Gwen had an accident at the start of the book but it turns out she was severely injured and has been in a coma for the whole of the book. It took until the last two or so chapters for this supposedly smart person to start asking obvious questions. Because if she did, this book would have been over in two chapters or less. It’s a lazy way to move the plot and it could have been handled more tactfully.
Edwin Yorke, the titular Headmaster, is boring as fuck. Gwen talks him up as this sexy broody Mr. Darcy -esque type of guy but he was honestly mid for me. I didn’t like how he lied and gaslighted the hell out of the MC, saying he can’t tell her what’s really going on but he never says why he can’t. He proposes to her knowing she’s fighting for her life in the real world and her choosing to stay is literally going to kill her. He could have explained the situation to her from the jump or when they started to fall in love (this whole thing happened in two weeks by the way) but he chooses not to, preferring to keep her in the dark.
Everything he does in the book is just a manipulative tactic to get Gwen to stay forever in the school, thereby forfeiting her life in the real world and it fucking worked. Despite all the lies, all the gaslighting, she chose to stay. She’s known these people all of two weeks and they’ve been lying to her the whole time she’s known them, actively helping to kill her but she decides to give up her life for them. I don’t get it.
Oh, there’s a black character in the book called Samuel and I honestly wished he wasn’t there because he is literally used as a device to exalt Edwin’s character and the way they describe him being so intelligent that he’s able to attend a white school in the sixties, it comes off as a wee bit racist to me. I might be reaching but that’s how it feels.
If this book was written decades ago, I would understand. I won’t like it but I will understand. But it was written in 2014 and is been republished very soon. I shouldn’t be reading something this racist and sexist in 2024. The only reason I gave it two stars is because I was able to finish it in a couple hours and it wasn’t badly written. If the plot, characters and resolution had been up to par, it would have been a really good book.

4 <b> Who is the woman in white? </b> Stars

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A woman crashes her car and is saved and cared for by the headmaster at a private academy for boys. The woman was on her way to apply for a teaching job and lands at a school with an opening.

Will she find her place among boys that are certifiable geniuses, a handsome headmaster and a mysterious woman in white?

This book is short and most responses will spoil the magic that is this book.

This is not typical Tiffany Reisz but it is also a really good story.

... sometimes you should leave secrets buried and not going sleuthing around

4.5 stars! Thank you to Net Galley I read this as an ARC for the 10th anniversary illustrated edition. I chose this book because the anniversary edition had a cover very reminicent of a Nancy Drew cover and if you’re a lover of Nancy Drew I implore you to go look up this cover. LOL.

Cover aside I really liked this book and It could been an adult version of Nancy Drew as far as I’m concerned. I loved the air of mystery wrapped throughout the whole story. It had the perfect amount of spice also. I will be honest I didn’t see the ending coming until about 75 percent into It so bravo for that. Definitely an enjoyable read.

I did not realise what genre this book was before requesting so do not feel I can give a fair review.

Steamy, fast paced and unexpected, The Headmaster could almost be a great fall book. It's set in a gothic feeling boys school in the middle of no where. I went in really blind to this book and loved the atmosphere and setting. I enjoyed her journey into finding her love with the hero. Without spoiling anything, the ending was completely unexpected for me. For a novella, it was a quick and page turning fix.

Quirky, funny, suspenseful and fun! What an unusual story that has a little bit of everything in it. Reminds me of a certain movie that I will not disclose due to potential spoilers. Its hard to give any details about this book without spoiling it. Do yourself a favor and read it.

I absolutely breezed through this book! It was such an interesting book and I couldn't put it down. The first reveal was kind of a let down, but the end was a twist that I did not expect.

Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Circle Press for the arc of the 10th anniversary edition.

This was a cheesy, delightful, and mysterious romance. With elements of horror, this romance excites me in more ways than one.

The plot twist at the end was not surprising, but it felt earned. Loved this one.

5 stars

Enjoyed it. Quite spooky and good erotic descriptions.
Quite easy to predict what was happening , though missed the boys romance.
For such an honorable headmaster he does lie to the heroine when explaining why half the students were removed.

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

I read this many years ago and it's been a firm favourite. The updated cover and illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and perfect for the narrative. With illustrated covers being all the same nowadays it's wonderful to see something Throwback, classic and individual that understands that covers and illustrations are an artform.

Holy. Cow.
I am grateful this had an anniversary because I would have never come across this book without the help of NetGalley. The ending tied this book up so perfectly and it became an instant 5 star read.

I really enjoyed the previous books (Godwick series) I had read by this author. Nothing wrong with this book, but could see the end twist coming a mile away. Nice short story. I like a tiny bit more humor, although I did appreciate the dry British wit. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC (of sorts - 10 year anniversary edition with illustrations).

The Headmaster packs such a punch in a short 125 pages. It's hauntingly beautiful and gothic, this is exactly what Gothikana wished it was actually achieving. The trend lately seems to be a student/teacher pairing- so I very much appreciated the age-appropriate teacher-headmaster pairing. This is a breath of fresh air after so much dark academia mediocrity.

I enjoyed The Headmaster but this did not live up to Reisz' other books. The illustrations were a nice addition!

Okay listen. I thought this felt very dated. Parts were so modern and others felt like period pieces.. but I pushed on.

I felt the romance was a tad rushed but with less than 200 pages I understood. And, to be fair, it was done without the cringe. Anywho, I adored the kids and felt they really kept the pace going. Had it not been for them, maybe I wouldn’t have been as interested.

Then we get to the end. At this point, I was thinking I like this book but I don’t love it. It’s lacking something. It’s lacking DEPTH. I needed, wanted more. AND BOY DID I GET MORE.

I think my jaw physically dropped and I was left reading the last of the book like I was starving for the words. I could not believe the twist. It was perfect. I was beautiful. It was heartbreaking. It was so good.

I know this was a release and I know the illustrations were added and I LOVED them. I’ll be interested to see how this fairs among the readers I follow.

Thanks so much NetGalley and 8th Circle Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for the eARC

Yes, I read this one solely because of the cover of the tenth anniversary edition. That 1970s Gothic romance vibe was too hard to resist!

The story is a bit low on Gothic elements and I was able to deduce the final twist within the first few chapters. Still, the characters are pretty good, even though the heroine is oblivious to everything except the comeliness of the titular headmaster.

I probably won't seek out anything else by Reisz, but I don't regret reading <i>The Headmaster.</i>

Received via NetGalley.

This was a really good book I love the little illustrations between the pages and the
Story was just so good., the main character drives to this school that’s so far away away from civilization and it’s a boarding school she meets a headmaster there named Edwin that is the headmaster or he says 60 boys eventually she finds out it’s 30 boys And at the middle of night, she keeps seeing some ghost woman walking the halls so she thinks it’s haunted. There’s a huge twist in the end of the book. Nothing is is what it seems. She in the middle of the story falls in love with the headmaster. There’s a lot of spice in the book. The ending twist really got me, but I really love the book.

Spoiler-free review: The Headmaster is an easy, entertaining Gothic Romance with spice. The dark parts are fairly brief.
I enjoyed the set-up of the young teacher in need of a job and a home. The atmospheric setting in the Appalachians and hints of mystery create suspense. The stern, handsome headmaster holding together an isolated boys school exerts a certain charm.

The picturesque school with a teacher's dream of eager, bright students comes to life as an idyllic refuge from the outer world.

By the middle, the ongoing banter and her obsession with the headmaster felt repetitive. The pace dragged.

The Dark Academia designation on the cover and the Horror genre tag on NetGalley affected my expectations for the book. I'm left with mixed reactions.

Fortunately, The Headmaster builds to an ending with an emotional payoff.

For me, the way the only Black character in the book is used–and the two other characters whose representation appears to be solely for plot points–left an uncomfortable feeling.

Some readers will find this Gothic Romance a better fit. Tiffany Reisz has many popular books and delighted fans. BTW, the novel contains age gap and spicy scenes. The f-word appears, but there are no slang words for body parts.

The cover image is the best part of this book's marketing. I enjoyed the illustrations as well. They enhanced the book and fit the timeless feel of the setting. Thank you, Netgalley and 8th Circle Press for the e-Arc for consideration.

Slow and boring for a book that is around200 pages long it still ends up feeling like a bit of a slog at points and doesn't really have much going for it to interest me at all really.

This was so fun! It had a little bit of everything, and was an absolute wild ride. The writing was easy to get into, but I honestly was not expecting this to be so short.