Blurb:

A fever dream of desires fulfilled.

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.

RITA® Award nominated title from International Bestselling Author Tiffany Reisz.

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Review:

If I’m not mistaken, this is the first book of Tiffany’s I’ve read that’s not part of or tied to the Original Sinners series. So, yay!

And this is…wow. Short, but it damn sure packs a punch in all kinds of ghostly Southern Gothic glory.

There’s a side character we don’t exactly meet but who’s talked about a good bit, Mrs. Muir, who…totally unrelated (mostly, I think)…kept bringing to mind the main character of the 1947 movie The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Odd, I know!

It’s a pretty good flick except what I thought was a shitty ending only made up for by the gorgeous Gene Tierney and the ever-sexy Rex Harrison getting an eternal HEA.

I couldn’t help but try (and fail) to draw parallels between the movie and this book simply based on the character names. Other than both being ghostly love stories they’re entirely different plots with very few similarities.

Anyway… I love Tiffany’s writing and was happy to get a taste of her style and storytelling outside the super kinky world of the Original Sinners. Though, to be honest, I’d be perfectly happy if the Sinners was all she ever wrote forever and ever, amen.

Me being a big scaredy cat and all, I was a little nervous going in–and I think it’s why I put this book off for so long. But, it was doable and didn’t keep me up at night cowering under my blankets. This is spooky, make no mistake. But, it’s an eeriness that culminates into a sweet sort of fairytale ending.

The side-characters of the students who make up this all-boys school in the mountains of North Carolina were entertaining and adorable.

The banter between the MCs Gwen and Edwin was witty and droll with all the delicious innuendo in which Tiffany excels. I was happy to see it here like a familiar dirty-minded friend.

And my goodness, I salivate when authors tie in literary references. It’s just another way for me to see I’m not alone with all the classics I’ve read and loved. Except, I can’t drop the Mrs. Muir thing. TIFFANY! What did you mean with that??

This review also posted on GoodReads.