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Cliffhaven: A Novel Of Romantic Suspense
A gothic mansion crumbling to ruin. A tortured, brooding artist. And a brave art restorer determined to fix all that’s broken in a house full of secrets.
Elizabeth’s been running from ghosts all her life. She’s haunted by visions of her mother’s death, by phantoms of her childhood as an orphan. And after years in the foster care system, she’s learned that the best way to deal with problems is to outrun them.
But when she takes a job restoring art in a gothic mansion in the northern wilderness, Elizabeth starts to wonder if the ghosts have finally caught up to her. Cliffhaven is a wonder of architecture and art, with secret passageways and gloomy corridors. But something is wrong in the grand, decaying mansion. Fires don’t start on their own, and empty corridors can’t whisper her name.
And how can she run from the handsome, reclusive owner of the estate – Adam Arrington – when they have to live together? He’s brooding. Mysterious. Seductive. And just one passionate look sets her on fire. But why has Adam locked himself away in Cliffhaven’s lonely halls? What dark secrets does he keep, and do they have anything to do with his opposition to Elizabeth’s work?
In this labyrinth of secrets, Elizabeth is drawn into a magnificent yet terrifying world. Because something hides in the shadows, creeping through candlelit corridors, haunting her every move. Threatening her life.
When the sinister secrets Cliffhaven keeps threaten to destroy everything Elizabeth holds dear, she’ll have to stop running.
Before it’s too late.
Both a deeply romantic love story and a hauntingly thrilling suspense, Cliffhaven is the exciting debut novel from a compelling new talent.
Exquisitely sensual and atmospheric, Cliffhaven is a modern-day gothic romance for a new generation.
Don’t miss this sizzling romance with heart-pounding suspense.
Elizabeth’s been running from ghosts all her life. She’s haunted by visions of her mother’s death, by phantoms of her childhood as an orphan. And after years in the foster care system, she’s learned that the best way to deal with problems is to outrun them.
But when she takes a job restoring art in a gothic mansion in the northern wilderness, Elizabeth starts to wonder if the ghosts have finally caught up to her. Cliffhaven is a wonder of architecture and art, with secret passageways and gloomy corridors. But something is wrong in the grand, decaying mansion. Fires don’t start on their own, and empty corridors can’t whisper her name.
And how can she run from the handsome, reclusive owner of the estate – Adam Arrington – when they have to live together? He’s brooding. Mysterious. Seductive. And just one passionate look sets her on fire. But why has Adam locked himself away in Cliffhaven’s lonely halls? What dark secrets does he keep, and do they have anything to do with his opposition to Elizabeth’s work?
In this labyrinth of secrets, Elizabeth is drawn into a magnificent yet terrifying world. Because something hides in the shadows, creeping through candlelit corridors, haunting her every move. Threatening her life.
When the sinister secrets Cliffhaven keeps threaten to destroy everything Elizabeth holds dear, she’ll have to stop running.
Before it’s too late.
Both a deeply romantic love story and a hauntingly thrilling suspense, Cliffhaven is the exciting debut novel from a compelling new talent.
Exquisitely sensual and atmospheric, Cliffhaven is a modern-day gothic romance for a new generation.
Don’t miss this sizzling romance with heart-pounding suspense.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2023
105 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 26, 2024
Overall: 3 stars.
This was a fun take on a modern gothic, complete with creepy mansion and servants. The author makes a good attempt at translating old school gothic vibes into a modern setting, but the story doesn't really deliver any spooky feelings or a really intriguing mystery, in my opinion.
What irked me the most were the repeated themes of alternating thin/fat-shaming. To the first point, there is a recurring motif where the heroine Elizabeth will hate her "curves," but hero Adam will find them sexy or the ex-girlfriend Vanessa will cattily attack Elizabeth for being chubby but someone will come to her defense, saying at least she's not stick-thin like Vanessa or a supermodel. Uuuuuuuuuuugh. This is body positivity brought to you by a high school tv drama. I'm fine with the heroine having body issues, but the catty remarks and thin-shaming are not a great way to go about body positivity. This motif happening once or twice, I could maybe ignore, but it comes up enough that I got pretty annoyed by it.
Still, the book is well written and entertaining, and the author is great at romantic, swoony dialog and brooding heroes. The mystery has a rather silly solution, but oh well: lots of mysteries end up having stupid answers to clever questions.
Overall, not bad for a debut novel.
This was a fun take on a modern gothic, complete with creepy mansion and servants. The author makes a good attempt at translating old school gothic vibes into a modern setting, but the story doesn't really deliver any spooky feelings or a really intriguing mystery, in my opinion.
What irked me the most were the repeated themes of alternating thin/fat-shaming. To the first point, there is a recurring motif where the heroine Elizabeth will hate her "curves," but hero Adam will find them sexy or the ex-girlfriend Vanessa will cattily attack Elizabeth for being chubby but someone will come to her defense, saying at least she's not stick-thin like Vanessa or a supermodel. Uuuuuuuuuuugh. This is body positivity brought to you by a high school tv drama. I'm fine with the heroine having body issues, but the catty remarks and thin-shaming are not a great way to go about body positivity. This motif happening once or twice, I could maybe ignore, but it comes up enough that I got pretty annoyed by it.
Still, the book is well written and entertaining, and the author is great at romantic, swoony dialog and brooding heroes. The mystery has a rather silly solution, but oh well: lots of mysteries end up having stupid answers to clever questions.
Overall, not bad for a debut novel.
August 11, 2024
Dragging to the very end!
I never had to put a book down almost every few chapters. Sadly, I did on this one, many times.This story took quite a lot of energy from me by trying so hard to stay with it and give it a chance. Elizabeth's (protagonist) self rumination dragged to the last page that I found & realized that I put my own self through long moments of being annoyed the entire time I was reading this. I tried my hardest to read on to the end just so I could see and understand why this got a lot of 5 star reviews. Unfortunately, I didn't!
I never had to put a book down almost every few chapters. Sadly, I did on this one, many times.This story took quite a lot of energy from me by trying so hard to stay with it and give it a chance. Elizabeth's (protagonist) self rumination dragged to the last page that I found & realized that I put my own self through long moments of being annoyed the entire time I was reading this. I tried my hardest to read on to the end just so I could see and understand why this got a lot of 5 star reviews. Unfortunately, I didn't!
October 21, 2024
Wanted to really love this one but just don’t think it was for me
July 1, 2025
The storyline was not very original. Very predictable. Halfway through the book I was expecting Scooby Doo and the gang to come and unmask the villain.
August 10, 2025
I liked the premise, but it wasn't original and there was a lack of buildup with romantic tension / believable chemistry between the MCs.
December 27, 2025
A novel of romantic suspense that somehow fell short on the romance and suspense. Spooky vibes but very predictable.
July 28, 2024
I loved the premise of this book and had really high hopes for it. I think the author did well with character development and the plot was a good one but the execution was where the struggle began. The writing was a bit confusing maybe because of the perspective. There was also a lot of angst that went back and forth and of course a lot of miscommunication trope. That really killed it for me unfortunately. There were some plot holes and some parts that need explanation felt rushed. This book just needed some more polishing to get where it needed to be but never received that time and review.
May 6, 2025
Ridiculous.
This story is all over the place, the author incapable of finding a genre and sticking to it. The timeline is full of holes, the characters are flat, the dialogue is stilted and the entire plot is just ridiculous. Elizabeth, the heroine is annoying right from the get go. Whining constantly about being unwanted and unloved while being rude, cantankerous and unyielding to anyone who shows her a modicum of decency. Overall this book is a sad attempt at a gothic inspired romance.
This story is all over the place, the author incapable of finding a genre and sticking to it. The timeline is full of holes, the characters are flat, the dialogue is stilted and the entire plot is just ridiculous. Elizabeth, the heroine is annoying right from the get go. Whining constantly about being unwanted and unloved while being rude, cantankerous and unyielding to anyone who shows her a modicum of decency. Overall this book is a sad attempt at a gothic inspired romance.
May 9, 2024
A timeless modern Gothic novel
Cliffhaven was amazing! The writing just flows, never stuttering over unnecessary details. Even though the novel is set in the modern day, it feels as though it could just as well be set in the Victorian era. Bits of the plot had echoes of Jane Eyre, and stylistically I was also reminded of The Widow of Rose House.
Like any other good Gothic novel, you're never quite certain whether the resolution will reveal the ghosts to be real or faked. Add in a brooding, troubled male lead, an orphaned, lonely, brilliant female lead, mix in a good amount of family secrets and tragic backstory, and voila!
Elizabeth (Lizzie) is an art conservationist who was orphaned when she was seven. She bounced all around the foster care system and has developed a defense mechanism of moving jobs & cities every few months.
Adam was physically and emotionally scarred by a house fire that killed his parents at age 15, and he now lives the life of a recluse in the same decaying house where his parents died. His older sister Caroline has recently come back into town to make a joint decision with Adam about whether to try to restore the mansion to its former glory or sell the property to developers.
The main plot is a Gothic mystery, but the book also has a few romantic subplots, including between Lizzie and Adam. There are some open-door bedroom scenes with some detail but not a lot.
CW/TW: death of a parent, fear of abandonment, animal cruelty (brief), physical abuse, fires, car wreck
Cliffhaven was amazing! The writing just flows, never stuttering over unnecessary details. Even though the novel is set in the modern day, it feels as though it could just as well be set in the Victorian era. Bits of the plot had echoes of Jane Eyre, and stylistically I was also reminded of The Widow of Rose House.
Like any other good Gothic novel, you're never quite certain whether the resolution will reveal the ghosts to be real or faked. Add in a brooding, troubled male lead, an orphaned, lonely, brilliant female lead, mix in a good amount of family secrets and tragic backstory, and voila!
Elizabeth (Lizzie) is an art conservationist who was orphaned when she was seven. She bounced all around the foster care system and has developed a defense mechanism of moving jobs & cities every few months.
Adam was physically and emotionally scarred by a house fire that killed his parents at age 15, and he now lives the life of a recluse in the same decaying house where his parents died. His older sister Caroline has recently come back into town to make a joint decision with Adam about whether to try to restore the mansion to its former glory or sell the property to developers.
The main plot is a Gothic mystery, but the book also has a few romantic subplots, including between Lizzie and Adam. There are some open-door bedroom scenes with some detail but not a lot.
CW/TW: death of a parent, fear of abandonment, animal cruelty (brief), physical abuse, fires, car wreck
February 20, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Spice: 🌶🌶
Tropes:
❤️ Contemporary Gothic Romance
🕯"Is this house haunted?"
🫂 Found family
❤️🔥 Slow burn
🖤 Angsty MMC
Review:
For lovers of a classic gothic romance with some scares in the night, secrets and sexual tension, this is what you're looking for🤗
We enter the neglected looking estate of Cliffhaven and are taken into its tattered and fire scarred bones with atmospheric aplomb. Through Lizzie, we are introduced to its mysterious inhabitor, Adam🥵🫠 His secrets and pain are tenderly crafted within the narrative. I really felt the battle he was having within himself for his feelings of letting Lizzie into his heart, forgiving himself etc.
There is a solid balance struck between both their turmoils of acceptance, facing their fears and pain. It's quite beautifully explored amidst the ghostly 👻 occurrences attacking Lizzie. The jump scares are effective! With hints of "Rebecca" and "The Haunting of Hill House", this is a suspense romance that whisks you away to a story bound with tragedy and redemption.
Spice: 🌶🌶
Tropes:
❤️ Contemporary Gothic Romance
🕯"Is this house haunted?"
🫂 Found family
❤️🔥 Slow burn
🖤 Angsty MMC
Review:
For lovers of a classic gothic romance with some scares in the night, secrets and sexual tension, this is what you're looking for🤗
We enter the neglected looking estate of Cliffhaven and are taken into its tattered and fire scarred bones with atmospheric aplomb. Through Lizzie, we are introduced to its mysterious inhabitor, Adam🥵🫠 His secrets and pain are tenderly crafted within the narrative. I really felt the battle he was having within himself for his feelings of letting Lizzie into his heart, forgiving himself etc.
There is a solid balance struck between both their turmoils of acceptance, facing their fears and pain. It's quite beautifully explored amidst the ghostly 👻 occurrences attacking Lizzie. The jump scares are effective! With hints of "Rebecca" and "The Haunting of Hill House", this is a suspense romance that whisks you away to a story bound with tragedy and redemption.
February 2, 2025
This book was an interesting mesh of Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast and maybe a little Phantom of the Opera vibes. The author clearly took inspiration from these stories, even placing small nods by giving the horse the name Heathcliff and using small quotes like “be my guest.” I appreciate that it worked in these inspirations while maintaining its own more unique twist.
Although, I will say the modern day setting seemed semi out of place at times when the language and circumstances often felt more at home in a 19th century era. The only thing I could see lending credence to this change was the idea of openly independent women and nature of the lead characters’ romances; allowing the author to put aside the nuisances of dated social propriety.
Overall I enjoyed this dive into a gothic literature atmosphere, enjoying its slow burn style throw back in mystery and romance.
Although, I will say the modern day setting seemed semi out of place at times when the language and circumstances often felt more at home in a 19th century era. The only thing I could see lending credence to this change was the idea of openly independent women and nature of the lead characters’ romances; allowing the author to put aside the nuisances of dated social propriety.
Overall I enjoyed this dive into a gothic literature atmosphere, enjoying its slow burn style throw back in mystery and romance.
March 21, 2025
This book was everything I was expecting & more! I LOVED it! It had all of the gothic elements~enormous manor house, beautiful but in disrepair, ghosts, murder, a gorgeous, disfigured, broken lord of the manor, the snappy, curvy orphan hired to restore & value the artwork, & all manner of things that go bump in the night. This book was a well-written, outstanding reading experience from start to finish. The romance was slow-burning & spicy, & the book was so atmospheric that the reader felt like a part of the story. This book would be perfect to reading during the spooky season. The only bad thing I can say about it is that I can’t read it again for the first time! If you enjoy gothic stories, PLEASE just read this fabulous book!
October 8, 2023
A little bit of everything I love
Cliffhaven takes place on a remote island in MI. The way the author described it I could visualize it and felt like I was there. This story isn’t just about love between a man & a women; it’s about learning to love yourself, finding love in friendships & relationships. Realizing secrets can be a heavy burden to bear. I enjoyed the way the story progressed with each of the main characters. I want to be friends with them.
This is a stand alone HEA book. Enjoy!
Cliffhaven takes place on a remote island in MI. The way the author described it I could visualize it and felt like I was there. This story isn’t just about love between a man & a women; it’s about learning to love yourself, finding love in friendships & relationships. Realizing secrets can be a heavy burden to bear. I enjoyed the way the story progressed with each of the main characters. I want to be friends with them.
This is a stand alone HEA book. Enjoy!
December 8, 2024
3.5 stars
Overall, an interesting read. Elizabeth, Adam, and Caroline were interesting characters. They all bring a great deal of baggage to the story.
I enjoyed getting to know them and the character that was Cliffhaven.
The mystery element here is strong and there are several convincing potential “bad” guys that could be blamed for the misfortune that haunts the house and Elizabeth in particular.
Overall, an interesting read. Elizabeth, Adam, and Caroline were interesting characters. They all bring a great deal of baggage to the story.
I enjoyed getting to know them and the character that was Cliffhaven.
The mystery element here is strong and there are several convincing potential “bad” guys that could be blamed for the misfortune that haunts the house and Elizabeth in particular.
February 8, 2025
perfection!
The best gothic fantasy! With suspense, realistic characters and a great story. Spice is not the plot here and it’s M/F. I would recommend this over and over again. I actually liked the fmc and enjoyed watching her grow. Excellent pacing and great side characters. I read it overnight. You probably will too.
The best gothic fantasy! With suspense, realistic characters and a great story. Spice is not the plot here and it’s M/F. I would recommend this over and over again. I actually liked the fmc and enjoyed watching her grow. Excellent pacing and great side characters. I read it overnight. You probably will too.
February 10, 2025
Wow! This is truly an amazing book!
I stayed up all night reading thks book! I could not put it down. This book is truly an original with love, romance, mystery, and truth! I will be looking for more books from A. M. Grimm. Thank you for sharing this story! I could not put it down.
I stayed up all night reading thks book! I could not put it down. This book is truly an original with love, romance, mystery, and truth! I will be looking for more books from A. M. Grimm. Thank you for sharing this story! I could not put it down.
August 27, 2024
OK HEAR ME OUT. it was a bit cheesy and a bit predictable but i loved it. it was quite a quick and easy read. kinda got me out of a slump. it wasn’t a wow amazing writing storyline etc, but it made me feel things and i finished the book feeling happy. so 4 stars
December 6, 2024
Excellent gothic modern thriller with romance. This makes an excellent debut Novel. This is the perfect book for the fall and winter time. The themes of horror and intrigue and unreliable characters was believable. The ending was satisfying too!
January 2, 2025
What a pleasant surprise to read a contemporary gothic romance. Very rare these days. This one had all of the requisite elements: old mansion on an island, ghosts(?), a reculsive but attractive hero, family intrigue and more. Great story.
March 9, 2025
Two lost souls.
A crumbling mansion. A young hermit living in it away from life. A young woman with a childhood of broken dreams. They come together to save the mansion and themselves. Will the evil forces that be let them or will all crumble.
A crumbling mansion. A young hermit living in it away from life. A young woman with a childhood of broken dreams. They come together to save the mansion and themselves. Will the evil forces that be let them or will all crumble.
November 24, 2025
3.75 ⭐️ wanted to read another gothic suspense romance. Very spooky and Erie vibes. I like that this was solely based around art and art preservation, that was entirely interesting. I guessed the plot points and twists pretty early on though.
May 9, 2024
10/10
Wonderful book. Slow burn romance that hits just right. Mystery , romance, gothic. Just wonderful . I will keep this for a second read!
Wonderful book. Slow burn romance that hits just right. Mystery , romance, gothic. Just wonderful . I will keep this for a second read!
December 24, 2024
Loved it. Grimm reminds me of the wonderful Gothic suspense writer I read as a young woman. Congratulations on an excellent, riveting debut novel. I look forward to Ms. Grimm's future work.
January 15, 2026
Enjoyable, solid read with a couple of twists and a hint of heat. A little predictable, but perfect for a cozy read in winter ❄️ 3-3.5
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews