This was such a fun, quick read!

People are wanting horromance lately. It's a buzzword. And the Gothic vibes of this story would surely fit the bill.

Def recommend.

3.5⭐️.

I'm not normally a fan of such a quick romance but this was pretty entertaining and easy to get through. Somehow I worked out the twist but felt the reveal was maybe a little rushed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy.

A must read Gothic romantic, spooky mysterious book. Gwen and Edwin, oof, they are smoking hot. The boys are so sweet and funny and just right. The banter was amazing and I loved the ending. I would take an Edwin too anytime!! #netgalle #theheadmaster

Who gave this book permission to make me cry like a baby at the end? I refuse to spoil anything about this book, just want to say that I throughly enjoyed it. A steamy, romantic and gothic tale perfect for when you’re in the right mood.

Gwen is looking for work as a teacher and she overhears people talking at a diner about a job at a nearby school The Marshall School. Gwen who is down and out feels she has nothing to loose by going to the school to see if she can get a job. Unfortunately she gets into a car accident on the way to the school. Gwen wakes up in Edwin the headmaster's home. She talks to Edwin and is given a trial run as a teacher. Lots of unusual stuff starts happening around campus. Gwen falls in love with the school, Edwin and the boys but will she get to remain at The Marshall School?

Gwen is traveling across the country in search of a new teaching job. She stumbles upon a remote, all-boys boarding school in need of a new English teacher. Gwen is immediately enamored with the campus, students and the stern headmaster, Edwin Yorke. It's all almost too perfect…
Did I request this based on the cover alone? Yes… but I wasn't disappointed.

"The Headmaster" is passionate, dark and a little spooky with a touch of sweetness — really everything I want from a dark academia novel. It's a really quick read that felt reminiscent of a vintage mystery serial. The illustrations included in the 10th anniversary edition are beautiful even in the Kindle edition and I will likely pick up a print copy.

The "twist" felt a little silly. I understand the author's intent with it, but the impact was a little undercut by the prevalence of this particular trope.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and 8th Circle Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Spicy, passionate, slightly spooky, and dark....this book had everything I wanted and needed combined into one riveting story. I'm most excited about reading this one again in the fall months. I really enjoyed Gwens character and her spunk. She had so much chemistry with Edwin and their banter was on another level. I thoroughly enjoyed the romantic suspense and buildup. I will highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a shorter read with dark romance elements, spice, and spookiness perfect for Halloween season.

After reading (and loving) two amazing (according to me) novels by the author’s aka, Meg Shaffer, I was really interested in the 10th anniversary publishing of this hot Gothic mystery smut.

A quick read, I was impressed by Ms Reisz’s ability to make such a short (220 pages) story so full and complete.

This one was such a fun story; I really liked it and can’t wait to read more by the author, under this name as well.



Thank you to 8th Circle Press and NetGalley for the DRC

Gracias Netgalley y Tiffany por el arc de la versión del décimo aniversario, lo disfrute y me gustaron las ilustraciones.

No puedo creer que sea un libro del 2004 y apenas lo esté leyendo porque en definitiva es el tipo de cosas que me gustan leer, pero como dicen Más vale tarde que nunca.


Gwen era muy inteligente que me sorprendió que no se diera cuenta de las revelaciones del último capítulo.

Gwen is traveling cross country to find a job and start a new chapter of her life when she hears of openings at a small private boarding school. She tries her luck at applying in person and after a snafu when she arrives, she is given a one week trial by the stern but handsome headmaster, Edwin Yorke. This is set an all boys' boarding school in the middle of the woods and gives major creepy, gothic thriller vibes. The pacing is just slow enough to allow the story to build but not so slow that I lost interest. I really enjoyed this little novella and would definitely recommend for a quick and eerie read with a little spice.

To begin with the cover really made me think it would be way more gothic than it was. In reality it’s a very lighthearted novella. Due to the fact that it is such a short novel the relationship develops way faster than I would have liked but as it is erotic the romance is not the centre of the story, the sex is. And it was quite good😌.
If I hadn’t read a book with a similar plot twist I might not have clocked it but to be honest, me seeing it coming didn’t really impact my enjoyment. It was a short, sweet and steamy story that I totally recommend.

I love the new cover and the art!!! Such a great callback to older Harlequin books. I hadn't read this story before and I really liked it (I study these types of books for my PhD, so I was attracted to the new cover).

First of all, I love this cover! It’s so Nancy Drew coded lol but anyway, this was a quick and spooky read that I definitely would recommend to just about anyone.

As a long time Victoria Holt fan, this book reminded me so much of her writing but with bonus sexy-time scenes. I devoured this book and loved the dramatic build up to the final few chapters. The book has it all-- a stern headmaster, gothic drama vibes, insta-love and a great ending. Perfect for beach read or a rainy day sit on the couch day.

Truly a wonderful read, or reread in my case! A great story with a few twists, lots of spice, plenty of mystery, and a level of wonderful sweetness I wasn’t expecting. A bit tragic and yet has a wonderful found family element that had me smiling in the end.

Reisz’s novella “The Headmaster” is a great example of a gothic story in a modern time. Reminiscent of Shirley Jackon’s “The Haunting of Hill House” and Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw”, Reisz takes a classic ghost story and all its creepy elements into the 21st century.

While the plot went exactly where I thought it would, I loved reading the story. Very much recommended.

The cover of this book immediately grabbed a hold of my attention, I love that you are doing a vintage cover for the 10th anniversary!
From the blurb I thought this was going to be a great fit for me because I really enjoy reading in the Dark Academia genre, unfortunately I struggled to get through most of the book due to the writing style .
While this book wasn't a good fit for me I do think that it will appeal to a different audience.

Thank you Tiffany Reisz, Net Galley and 8th Circle Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Let’s be honest…I totally requested this because of the cover. While I went in expecting a spicy romance, that wasn’t what I got. the Headmaster really is a gothic story, with a bit of romance. It was well written, and you will fall in love with the boys and their headmaster too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Firstly, the vintage cover, YES! Wonderful! Chef's kiss!
Let us take a moment to enjoy...

*tried to insert image - failed*

Secondly, I'm like two pages in and I'm lolling at the English-teacher-need to correct the grammar of 'Bye Bye Birdie'. Bye-Bye, Birdie, indeed. 😆. It sings to my Librarian soul.

Thirdly, when I got to the first illustration, I found it so charming. Not too much, not gaudy or overdone. Just fitting to what had been immersively, but naturally, depicted so far. I think, combined with the charmingly reminiscent front cover, a strong identity for this novel was set.


I instantly liked Gwen and her 'nothing to lose' attitude... then the older man from the diner man set off the eerie radar with 'visit some old ghosts' and telling Gwen to 'be safe out there'... oooooo... piqued!
Then🫢…

Can we keep her?
Don't let her leave.

We meet the stern and commanding Headmaster Yorke quickly at William Marshal Academy in this fast paced novel. He, along with the vivaciousness of the boys and the charming setting of the school, swiftly entices Gwen (and us readers) to stay, although the ominous emphasis Yorke places on the safety of Miss. Ashby and the boys looms overhead.

The tale unfolds at a great pace with some misunderstandings, some sexiness and with light being shed towards the close.The growing bond between Gwen and Edwin, the mysteries of Mrs. Muir and at this point I must say how precious I found Laird & Christopher. A relationship we were seeing and learning about without truly knowing what we were falling in love with until the end.

And well, I had a lot of possibilities running rampant in my head as to how this would end and one of my theories was, in fact, how this book ended. And my-oh-my did I cry for those boys.
Anyway, I must say no more 🤐. Except that I loved it 🩷.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Tiffany Reisz for the ARC.
I fell in love with Søren & Nora back in 2012 so any Reisz fan will understand how happy I was to receive this copy.



Mr. Reynolds <3
“Every book I’ll ever need? Sounds like Heaven,” she said with a smile.
“It’s a library,” he said. “To me, it’s the same thing.”
Yes, Mr. Reynolds, that is factual.

When I started to read this book- I only knew that it featured elements of dark academia.
This would be the perfect book to read during the Fall.
The author provides such detail and description- you feel that you are immersed in the setting.
I also appreciated that I really had no idea what was going to happen!
Perfect for readers who like books centered around dark academia, gothic horror, & romance.