Nestled in the shadow of the Appalachians is where Gwen Ashby stumbles upon the William Marshall Academy, and she's given a trial position as a literature teacher. The gothic boarding school seems trapped in time yet it feels like home the moment Gwen arrives. She's charmed by the lovely buildings, bewitched by the eager students...and utterly seduced by the headmaster. Edwin Yorke is noble, handsome and infuriatingly proper. But his tweedy exterior and courtly manners conceal a raw sensual power that Gwen longs to unleash. It's strangely thrilling to be the only woman on campus-save one other. An eerie white-clad figure roams the grounds by night. She never speaks. She leaves no trace. But this ghostly blight on Gwen's new dream life is the key to the Marshall Academy's mysterious allure. This 10th Anniversary expanded print edition of Tiffany Reisz's gothic romance The Headmaster is newly updated and expanded, with revised text and black-and-white illustrations throughout.
Publication Year: 2024
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0 0The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz is the gothic romance of my dreams. I absolutely love reading old-school gothic romances from the 60s & 70s, the ones that are like 200 pages long & cost $0.75 (according to the cover). You know the ones, with the painted covers featuring a stunning woman in distress running away from some large,looming building. While I had never read the original publishing of The Headmaster, I was immediately taken in by the cover, the summary, & the author (I was already a fan of Reisz’s writing). The vibes are perfect.
Y’all. I read this in one sitting.
It hits all of the standard beats for your classic gothic romance: mystery (definitely), ghosts (maybe?), a large stone building hidden in the forest (set in Appalachia???), a mysterious older man (bonus points for being British), & potential tragedy. But it also brings in contemporary themes & values & oh my god is it great to read something that isn’t just super outdated ideas rooted in Satanic Panic. It’s a perfect marriage of all the things & I would love to read at least 100 more books like this. And the addition of Andrew Shaffer’s illustrations only bring it to a higher level. (I cannot wait to get my hands on a print copy of this 10th edition.)
The story moves quickly & keeps you guessing. The romance is equally lovely & steamy. The characters are all so fleshed out, which is no small feat in a shorter book. Cover to cover, this manages to be an amazing homage to the classic gothic horror romance while also being an amazing contemporary story. Add this to your Autumn/Halloween reading list, save it for a stormy night, tuck in with some tea, & get swept away.
Thank you to NetGalley & 8th Circle Press for providing a digital advanced copy for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.
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