This isn’t my normal kind of book, but I thought I would give it a chance. If what you’re looking for is dark academic smut, this is the perfect book for you. The summary enticed me, but it was a little too out there for me.

First of all, I want to thank Darcy Fayton, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op e NetGalley for this eARC. Here my honest opinion.

Well. DNF is not for me, but this time I was really tempted. Unfortunately there was nothing in this book that met my tastes. I wanted to try a paranormal romance, and I’ve always liked vampires. I thought: what's better than a dark erotic romance set in an academy? World building and setting are what disappointed me the most. Characters are boring and predictable, and there are many inconsistencies: in the academy wolfshifters are abused by vampires, because it’s how it always worked, but the headmaster (the headmaster!) is surprised by the lack of true consent! I have nothing against smut without plot, but in this case the smut is nothing special, despite the premises, and that bit of plot that connects the scenes is really bad.
Sorry, but I can’t recommend it.

As a fan of all things smut and supernatural, this book did not disappoint! The title perfectly sets expectations for the book without giving away too much.
Although my brain initially had a hard time wrapping around "Susie" being the name of our supernatural protagonist, her headstrong and quirky attitude quickly overcame any doubts I had about her character. Susie stands up for those without a voice, even at the detriment to her own well-being, which lands her in a precarious (and spicy) situation with the headmaster, Arken.
There are definitely some heavy topics in this book, so do not ignore the trigger warnings. However, I did feel like the author did a great job for the almost too-tough-to-read scene.

I would like to say first I received this book of Net Gallery.

I don’t really read 3rd POV but I made an exception for this one and I’m glad I did.

The story is Student/Teacher - Dark Romance mixed with supernatural and sci-fi.

The FMC is Susie she is a werewolf
The MMC is Arken he is a vampire

You will need read the trigger warnings before reading as I can imagine this book won’t be for everyone.

The storyline for me was quite clear.

I myself really enjoyed reading this book epically the erotica parts. I loved the dynamic between the 2 characters.

I will be honest some parts did lose me.

But overall I loved this book I can’t wait to read the second and the books that are tied in.

You may enjoy this if you like:
🖤 Dark Paranormal Fantasy Romance / Romantasy
🖤 Steamy Vampire Romances
🖤 Age Gap Romance
🖤 Professor/Student Romance
🖤 BD$M dynamics

Bedded by the Headmaster is the first book in Susie & Arken’s Duet. The second will be available in December 2024. This duet is a prequel to Collared by the Vampire Prince, but you can read either one first. All are set in her sexy paranormal world where vampires, wolf shifters, and witches (though they are all but extinct) exist, but their rights are far from equal.

Susie and Arken’s story is both powerful and shows a redemption arc that has their love story being very passionate…. and will grip you by the throat like a good little girl. I very much liked seeing Susie and Arken’s character growth and seeing both of them overcome their past traumas. I can’t wait to see what happens in the conclusion of the duet!

This book has many triggers. Read the warnings.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @netgalley for this copy! All opinions are my own and I reviewed this voluntarily.

This was a nice, spicy romance. I loved the set up and the dynamic between the characters and it had me hooked from the start.

I was not sure what to expect from this, so I went in with a completely open mind. The worldbuilding was intriguing with the school and the hierarchies, though why they all accepted the abuse without question is another story. The two main characters had some interesting traits and I would have liked to delve deeper into them (I think if you read the author's other works you'll learn more). I generally enjoy wolf shifter and vampire reads, as well as forbidden romance. This didn't quite hit the mark for me. I'm curious about Nathaniel and Kira's story, though I'm not sure I'll get to it.

I appreciated the author's trigger warnings and synopsis for those who chose to skip that section.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eArc!

This is my second Darcy Fayton book and it was also really good!! I loved getting to know Susie more in thks book, and I love her dynamic with Arken. The growth they have as people and their development feels really authentic.

I appreciated the content warnings in the beginning of the book as well as before an event.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this one!!

I understand that it’s a dark romance with an age gap, but the fact the book is about pushing the mfc into submission and f@$&ing her into submission infront of a first year class, and forcing wolves into feeding the vampires makes the book a little messed up. About midway thru the book the mfc is r@p€d by the kind while the headmaster is unable to help her, thankfully the author puts a not to skip for those that are triggered by it, and gives and summary for that chapters missed if you want to read. I originally DNF’d the book cause it was a little much, but went back and finished it. I give the book 3.5, some of the events that happened at the beginning of the book do get rectified in the end, but she also left the book on a cliffhanger.

I love the cover of this book, and I also appreciated the warnings it came with about certain chapters. This was another dark, twisty, and spicy book from Darcy. I am just not sure they are for me.

3.75⭐️
3.5🌶️

This book gave me SO many conflicting emotions. I wasn’t sure what to rate it…

I sat down to read this thinking I was going to hate it… and I kinda of did but I COULD not stop reading.

This book it’s super addictive and bingable. I started at 8:30 pm and I didn’t stop until I finished at 1:00 am.

It is an intriguing book and the premise is like nothing I have ever read before…

The society these characters live in is SICK. Theirs whole system is horrific & honestly I struggle reading about it. But these two characters found love in each other and I believed in it.

(I hated the MMC being called Susie because what a silly name)

So read at your own risk! But I enjoyed it🫶🏽📚

Bedded by the Headmaster by Darcy Fayton just didn't hit the mark for me, so it gets a 2/5. The idea of a dark fantasy romance between a vampire headmaster and a wolf shifter student seemed like it could have some great tension and intrigue, but the execution was lacking.

First off, the characters felt pretty one-dimensional. Susie, the FMC, has a traumatic past, but the way she deals with it—or more like, doesn’t—felt off. One minute she's haunted by it, and the next, she's just fine going along with some pretty questionable stuff from Arken, the MMC. Speaking of Arken, he was pretty bland for a vampire headmaster. I wanted more depth, more complexity, especially considering his tragic backstory, but instead, he just came off as... there.

The pacing was also an issue. The way their relationship developed felt rushed, especially for something that's supposed to be dark and forbidden. One minute she's wary, and the next, she's head over heels despite some really problematic behavior from him. It made their connection hard to believe.

The steamy scenes were decent, but they felt out of place since the writing overall felt more YA-ish at times. And while I appreciate the author being clear about trigger warnings, the whole setup just didn’t work for me.

Overall, there was potential, but it just wasn’t fleshed out enough for me to get invested. If you're looking for something with more emotional depth and believable character development, this one might not be it.

I had to mark this one as did not finish about 30% in. I struggled with the flow of the storyline and the character development. I did not like how the FMC was willing to offer herself for sex even though she didn’t want to, but then was into it. I did like how the FMC stood up for a fellow pack mate though.

I’m giving this a 3 star because I can’t give 2.5 stars. The writing felt very fanfic. The FMC suffered a lot of trauma but just seemed fine with it. The MMC was boring and bland. There wasn’t much depth to him. The spicy scenes were great but seemed out of place since the writing was very YA/fanfic. I’m not a fan of 3rd person POV but that it just my personal preference and I didnt mark that against the book.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read the arc and review!!

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was smutty, interesting, and I was hooked from the first chapter. Darcy Fayton has an amazing way of writing that just draws you in and doesn’t let you go!
The smut was some of the best I’ve read!! It was so intense and fun.
The book has some very serious topics so definitely check TW. The list is at the start of the book.
All in all it was such a good read!!

Not really what I was expecting, but then again what did I really think was going to happen? I ate this one day haha!

Third person POV is not my jam, as stated before, but I thought the writing was very good, so it was hard to focus on the pov. Well written characters, and I was grateful for the descriptions in the book. Very fantasy heavy in the plot, so having the backstory and description really helped.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the eARC!!

I finished this book in 2 days, I just couldn't put it down. The actual story pulls you into just as much as the spicer content and there is a balanced amount of both. This book, like many books of this type, has trigger warnings in the beginning but it goes one step further. There is a chapter with a reminder warning and a summary at the end of all the major plot points in case you do not wish to read the chapter. That is a feature I wish more books had as it allows readers to enjoy the book and not have to either read a whole chapter they are uncomfortable with or skip a chapter and miss important information. I cannot wait for the sequel!

Rating: ⭐⭐/5

This book was... an experience. I was excited to meet Susie, hoping to witness her growth throughout the story. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. As a fan of dark romance, I found the concept intriguing, but the execution fell flat. The world-building was lacking, leaving me craving more background and depth. The relationship between Arken and Susie felt bland and predictable, leaning more towards uninspired paranormal scenes than meaningful connection. If that’s your style, you might enjoy it, but it didn’t resonate with me.

I can't give a book 0 stars, so 1 it is.

I have never finished a book and thought that it would be better as porn without plot before, but there's a first time for everything.
I'll begin with the characters, Susie is a werewolf Mary Sue in the extreme. She can't shift, leaving her with an ever present wolf ears and tail that even those who don't like her acknowledge as interesting. She's perfectly stacked, with a full set of breasts and a generous ass despite the first pages detailing how she doesn't feel comfortable enough to eat and endures hunger pangs on most days. Arken is just Edward Cullen with exotic thoughts. By that I mean that he's bland, brooding and full of self hatred.

The thing about this book that makes me wish that it had been just paranormal porn was the author's refusal to establish concrete information about past events and how it shapes the world the story is in.
The cruel dictator King magically created a Vampire army because vampires don't work well with others.
Said King slaughtered and outlawed all of the witches that created the Vampire Army despite the ability for vampires to be killed, even if it takes more damage to do so.
The King deposed and killed the sovereign families of two different races, vampire, and werewolf, entirely unopposed. The book states that there is a massive difference in the population of vampires compared to werewolves, humans (where are they in this. Their existence is mentioned, and they supposedly live alongside Werewolves and vampires, but aren't otherwise mentioned), and dwarves, yet there's no evidence of any resistance.
The changes seem to have all occurred in Susie's lifetime, and she's 19. So in under two decades, several Royal lines were decimated, an entire race of beings were made second class citizens, a prison was updated to become a school with a curriculum, and an entire regime and world shift that seems to encompass multiple kingdoms and cultures occurred again, completely unchecked.
There's… something in Arken’s past during the Vampire coup that is mentioned but never fully flushed out that features heavily in his inability to ‘love’ during the Vampire uprising and his past in it. The implication is that he sexually assaulted his wife after being pushed to a state of bloodlust frenzy (a state in which he isn't in his right mind), came to and saw the damage and she took her life afterwards. Though not confirmed, whatever the event is leads Arken to consider suicide himself, only to be talked of the ledge. This is what leads him to take his position at the school. He's complacent and a functional alcoholic who doesn't care about what's going on around him, doing whatever the King wants.

How? Everyone just laid down and took it?

The ‘relationship’ between Susie and Arken was just poorly done. The imbalance of power is evident in the title, trigger warnings, and is present up front, but it's just bad. It's all lust and being enamored of Susie’s Mary Sue traits like her perfect body that she shouldn't have if she's starving all the time, her half-shifted features.

Too much of the story focused on Arken and his friend, the crown Prince, Nathaniel's, skullduggery to possibly change the regime after the Prince takes the throne in two years, because apparently after staging a world changing coup, the King then mandates his son to take the throne after a certain amount of time? What?

Then there's the issue of Susie's classmate, Molly. I won't spoil Molly's secret, but Susie had the ability to help her and never thinks of it, ask while providing the same solution to others similarly afflicted.

It's all terrible. I think the author kept world building vague to drum up interest in the future books in the series, but if that's the case, it didn't work on me.

I don't mind dark romance, but this book did not have enough substance and character for me to think of it above a "meh" range. I am guessing there will/would be some growth and hopefully Susie, the MFC, can do something to better her and her pack's situation at her school because the way the wolves are treated by the patriarchal vampires is very bad (putting it mildly). The timeline of her being abused by Arken, the MMC, then liking him, then loving him, was bit rushed...especially for what happened initially. Like, I don't know care how hot some vamp is, and that he half arse apologizes and got you flowers... the first time he saw you, he did inappropriate things (putting it mildly) because he felt like he could and was entitled to... but he was "better" than the way anyone else had treated her, so she's okay with it. The side characters were more interesting to me. I want Molly to find some help - hopefully from others of her kind. A vast majority of the books I read are smutty (paranormal/romantasy smutty of those - hence me thinking this would be a vampire/wolf shifter likely dom/sub book), but I found myself not enjoying Arken & Susie's moments together. I do give credit to the author for being clear about triggers/warnings. Thanks for the opportunity - NetGalley and the publisher.