Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5

This book started out really slow for me, but I pushed through the slow start and I’m really glad that I did as it ended up being a 4⭐️ read for me.

The side characters in this were really the stars of this book. Laird and Christopher were so so sweet and I just want all the happiness in the world for those sweet boys.

The romance was okay. There was instalust when they first meet, then the MMC wasn’t really in the first half of the book, then they were in love. So if you want a kicking your feet giggling kind of romance, this isn’t it. This book is more about the spice and the mystery both of which are GREAT.

The spice didn’t start until about halfway through, but once it did it was frequent and well written. The MMC wasn’t exactly my favorite, but he was really sweet. The chivalry was a little too much for me, but once the spice got going it hot. (With the one exception that I would like to permanently delete the phrase “ladylike blowjob” from my memory.)

There were a couple of mysteries going on throughout the story and a couple of plot twists. I think they were really well done in that there was enough foreshadowing for you to make some solid guesses but enough of a twist to still surprise you at the end.

Overall the writing was really well done, the spice was spicing, and I loved the characters and mysteries. I would definitely read more from the author in the future.

The latest edition of "The Headmaster" by Tiffany Reisz seems more like a half-hearted attempt to cash in on past successes rather than a genuine effort to innovate. The plot meanders without purpose, leaving characters flatter than week-old soda. It's as if Reisz threw darts at a plot board blindfolded and hoped for the best. If you're looking for a snooze-fest disguised as literature, this edition might just be your cup of lukewarm tea.

If there are 2 places I love reading about, one is new Orleans and the other is Appalachia. This also kind of reminded me of a slightly darker Nancy Drew. On my spooky season list

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers ahead. But if you have any personal standards whatsoever, you might like to read them to make an informed decision on whether or not The Headmaster is worth your time.

This book is decently written, quick, and fairly enjoyable. It is also perhaps the most male-centered book I've ever read. So deeply does it kowtow to maleness that it feels obscene not to be satire, or at least a Fight Club-level critique of pickmeism. To mention the Bechdel test in the same context as this book would be like explaining veganism to Pyramidhead.

I can't even begin to count the ways in which this novel is the Guantanamo Bay of feminism. You've got your pick mes, your boymoms, your not-like-the-other-girls, your DDLGcores, your divine feminine/divine masculines, your sexual dimorphisms, your literal romanticism of paternalism, your plucky "strong" female lead gleefully leaping into subservience at her first real taste of Masculine Masculine Mans, your lily white glorification of The Old Days, your fetishization of age gaps, your woman who outshines all women because she reads old books, etc, etc, and so forth.

The love interest, at one point in the beginning, literally snaps his fingers at the protagonist and she STANDS UP. Women are obedient dogs for men, and according to Tiffany Reisz, that's kind of hot, actually. The one female friend we hear about her having is only ever described as being the owner of a couch for the MC to sleep on. Almost every time the headmaster brings up women or girls in any respect (for example, how the protagonist will feel lonely without the company of other women, or in discussion about a co-ed student base), the protagonist immediately derails the conversation with flirtation. Girl, you are so fucking weird for that!!!!!!

The love interest and titular headmaster is lauded as a hero for integrating exactly one (1) black child in his school.

The MC is so thoroughly centered around her crush (it is so apt that the title of this book is The Headmaster, like if I don't get to the end and discover that this was all a carefully crafted social commentary, I'll tear my body in half) that, in spite of all the other detail given for how perfect this life spent teaching at the school will be for her, the second that he draws a firm boundary between them, she sees no reason to want to stay. All the perks she wouldn't shut up about- the job, the sense of purpose, the cute little cottage, being the only woman in the company of 33 men and boys and thus the center of their attention, the stability, the peace, the fulfillment - none of that matters if the hot guy she's known for a couple days, her BOSS, isn't trying to dick her down sloppy style. And the narrative has the audacity to tell us she's a super reasonable person.

This book asserts that good men "deserve" women, and women's pliability, as a reward for being good men.

The first time they have sex, it is while listening to teenagers talking outside the room. After having sex, the MC talks about the teenagers and their future sex lives and how good they'll be in bed. The headmaster also was groomed at 18 by a friend's 36-year-old mother, but we are told that this was somehow not "scandalous", textually chided for feeling weird about it, and ostensibly we're also expected to forget that he sees the boys under his care around that age as children. He wasn't a child when a woman twice his age and a friend of her son began a sexual relationship with him, though. Sure. Cool. Everything about that is fine and normal. And literally the only problem the protagonist has with this is that his groomer didn't kiss him when they slept together. "It broke her heart to know his first lover had treated him like a mere body" well his first lover was just skirting the legal side of pedophilia, so that makes sense, you jumped up dullard.

And yet, when she begins to worry that an adult woman is sneaking in and seducing one of the students, the word she uses is "horrifying". Hm! Interesting! So the line between fucking a teenager being horrifying OR totally chill, hot, even, is when the clock strikes midnight on the 18th birthday. This for sure is in no way related to the fact that the headmaster is over 40 and the protagonist is 25.

Not the most messed up thing, but at one point, the protagonist is openly surprised that an orphan child could have a plucky personality. She herself being a plucky orphan, this is just so fucking weird to assert.

The headmaster is so deeply paternalistic to the protagonist. Constantly. Regularly. He talks to her more like a father than a person who she should be in a relationship with, yet here we are.

As horny as she is, she literally never masturbates, and her only pleasure comes from penetrative sex with a man. At one point he's eating her out, and she calls it unnecessary because she's "already wet". Like............... okay girlboss, I see you, a woman's pleasure is totally superfluous for its own sake, and starts and ends with how useful it is for a man's satisfaction! Yes!! This is SO erotic! Most of the time it feels like we don't even truly have a protagonist, just a yappy fleshlight, which is feminist, actually, because that's what she WANTS to be. This ceases to be a problem when the headmaster plays no role in the things she's thinking or talking about.

Apparently, the protagonist is from Asheville. I also live in Asheville. If the author of this book happens to live here, and we meet in public, trust that it's on sight.

Perhaps most egregiously of all, she called September "mid-autumn".

In every possible way, this book reinforces my disgust for heterosexual romance novels. Also, the ending was comically rushed, and whatever emotion I was meant to be feeling is precisely the opposite of what I felt.

I was able to keep myself from DNFing because it was fairly short, the writing wasn't bad, and I wanted to see if I would be proven wrong, that all of the weird shit WOULD be revealed to be insidious, actually, but alas.

Straight women love yourselves challenge, level: Impossible.

Loved this little cozy, dark academia, thriller/romance. It was a sweet little escape for those who aren’t always into rainbows and sunshine.

When English teacher, Gwen Ashby stumbles upon the William Marshal Academy, she is fascinated not only by the students but by the principal, Edwin Yorke. The gothic boarding school seems frozen in time, but the more time she spends there, the more she feels as if she truly belongs. However, she is puzzled by Edwin who seems one moment, engaging and the next quite distant. To further puzzle Gwen is the presence of an eerie white clad figure who roams the grounds at night, who no-one wants to discuss.
This was a truly entertaining read, that I could not put down. The banter between Gwen and Edwin had me giggling throughout, whilst the chemistry was intense. There was just the right amount of mystery and romance, to keep me reading quickly until the very end. Whilst I had my suspicions as to how it would end, I still had to go back and read it. Upon finishing this book, I was already looking for more by this very talented author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Okay this was an ARC for a ten year anniversary release coming out this fall (which you should buy because it was illustrations like the old pocket books used to!!). But if you can’t wait, it is available now too in ebook (just without the expanded update or illustrations or cool cover). Ngl this is a true gothic romance set at an Appalachian boarding school and it’s creepy in a subtle way I found lovely. Nothing ghastly is happening outright. It’s subtle hints and turns of phrase that make you question wtf is happening. Logistically, idk how accurate someone just pulling up and getting hired at a boarding school in a day is. But it’s fiction and I’m not a super picky pear about it. I will say this *is* a romance in that it has an HEA with the MCs but it’s not traditional or what some would consider happy per se. I considered it an HEA (and yall now I’m a stickler) but if you’re worried it ain’t for you, I’d be glad to answer questions!

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC! All thoughts and opinions my own.

A tantalizing blend of darkness and desire. This erotic gothic romance captivates with its atmospheric prose and seductive storytelling. Im in love!

Romance, mystery, steamyness, humor, this novella had it all. The Headmaster was so charming with a gothic feel, so quick to read with it being only 125 pages, and it had a satisfying ending. Would recommend to anyone needing a quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novella.

The Headmaster by T. Reisz, the 10 year edition, newly editied and published, with sprayed edges so to speak.
An intrguing story, a typical TR book, unique, literally unputdownable full of twists.
Blurb:At the remote Marshall School, Gwen Ashby stumbles upon the job—and the man—of her dreams. Stern, enigmatic Edwin Yorke simmers with a heat Gwen longs to unleash. But Edwin knows all too well that forbidden love can end in tragedy.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

Meh. It was pretty obvious what was going on from the beginning. I didn’t see the appeal of Edwin tbh.

I read the tenth anniversary update of this short novel (125 pages?) on Kindle - my entry to the world of Net Galley reviews.

Tiffany Reisz is prolific...Goodreads credits her with "158 distinct works" ...that would be more than three a year if she'd started from the cradle as her own website claims she's 49...I am sure she started a few years later than that though, especially given her "erotica" credentials.

The Headmaster was the first, and probably last, of her books that I've read. NetGalley provided me with a tenth anniversary eBook copy, for an honest review.

It's a mild blend of gothic horror and erotica; that gives away nothing you can't tell from the cover. The tale is competently told, if you ignore some of the weak phrasing (...my favourite was watching Gwendolyne "at the end of the day" spend "the rest of the day" looking for evidence to understand what was happening around her...)...but you must suspend credibility as I cannot imagine any modern day educational establishment taking on strangers as staff with no question of references, no due diligence.

Ms Reisz does some work on Mills & Boon, I guess the "love at first sight" interactions are more acceptable there - for me the interactions were totally implausible...the erotica was repetitive and twee at the same time - it might arouse adolescents but to this almost Septegenarian it was boring and fanciful more than anything I've ever experienced in the real world.

I guessed about halfway through what was going on,. The ending confirmed this in an effective manner, which raised a star on my rating, but at best I found it a mediocre read.

The illustrations are cool. The story line itself was a little cheesy. But all in all a quick fun read.

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.