The Dangerous Cliffs of Severon

by Vickie Britton

"He is a dangerous man. If you stay, you will suffer the same fate as his beautiful wife..."

Alone and penniless after the sudden death of her musician father, Lisette Moore accepted a position at Severon Estates to tutor the talented but troubled Damon Severon. Expecting a sullen and withdrawn young boy, she was stunned to confronted by a dark, broodingly handsome man. Embittered by the accident that had killed his wife and left him unable to play his violin, the brilliant composer's life was tainted by scandal and chilling rumors of foul play.

Irresistibly drawn to the tormented musician, Lisette ignored the tremblings of her own heart. Then Damon vanished, leaving only his dark cloak, at the foot of the storm tossed cliff. She could no longer ignore the warnings of the ghostly figure who walked by night to the mysterious letters she found hidden inside a violin. And the haunting strains of music that echoed through the castle's cavernous halls seemed to be telling her that soon she would be with Damon once more-in love-and in death.

Genres: Gothic, Romance

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

About the author

Vickie Britton writes with her sister Loretta Jackson. They are the authors of over forty novels. Their series include the Jeff McQuede High Country Mystery Series and the Ardis Cole Archaeological Mystery Series. Vickie live in Kansas, but she spent many years in Laramie, Wyoming. Their newest High County mystery novels set in Wyoming are MURDER IN BLACK AND WHITE, WHISPERS OF THE STONES,and STEALER OF HORSES.

Reviews

[Sarah Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could’ve been better, but still an enjoyable read & one of the better Zeeb Gothics, which tend to be less than stellar at best & hacky crapola at worst—this one is at least competently written & entertaining, so you can tell the author put effort into it.

The story has a good backbone. Alas, the characters aren't explored as well as they could be, & the pace stagnates as plot points get rehashed (I'd say at least 50 pgs should've been cut). One exception to the undercooked cast is Theodore Kline, the ginormous, grumpy, middle-aged playwright, who bursts off the page in a way that eclipses everyone else. Kline was awesome.

The Serephine thread is pretty standard goffick fare, though the setting is good & the climax is delightfully torrid. For awhile I thought it would take a turn into Sarah Waters territory, but nope. Too bad; it could've been a good twist. But it did keep me guessing till the end, so there you go. I also liked the heroine's backstory & her unusually macabre broken family. No shying away from bad parents in this one. 😈

3.5 stars, rounded up for sheer entertainment value.

[Mermarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the woe begotten thundercunts of theatrical craziness this one emitted, but it dragged on so long that word count became more of a relevance than the actual story, which what was actually established, kept it up, but what a real loss. Honey, at some point you gotta put that knife down and stop icing the cake and let it stand as-is. Some of the inner monologue kept jumping around so much, but not addressed as a normal, practical thought process, but like someone was singing high notes to the heroine's ear. All in all, 3 solid stars, but maybe that's a little unforgiving. I'm onto her other Zeeb Gothic to see how they hold up.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love gothic romances with all of the mystery and the strong female characters. Vickie Britton is an amazing author incorporating an unforgettable story with amazing characters.

[Elle Kishia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 ★★★★☆

It was a page-turner and the mystery and suspense really kept me on my toes, guessing who, among the characters who each has their own puzzling and obscure nature, was the killer and villain. The romance was subtle between the two main characters but endearingly sweet, especially towards the end of the story. And yes, the suspecting young heroine and her brooding handsome hero did get their happily ever after.

[MV · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay - mostly blah. It started out fine but I just couldn't stay interested in all the prattle about the play and the music and on and on. I greatly preferred her other Zebra Gothic, The Seven Sapphires of Mardi Gras.