Author: Cecilia London

Book: Conscience (Bellator Saga #2)

Other books in series:

Dissident (Bellator Saga #1)

tl;dr recommendation: If you’re looking for fluff, go pet a dog – Conscience contains serious substance, intense emotion and a lot of violence. It’s also a romance – I SWEAR.

Book Summary:

An escape plan foiled….

A determined woman….

One last tiny sliver of hope….

Jack will find me.

The Fed wants answers. And Caroline is determined not to provide them. They pull out all the stops, testing her sanity, testing her strength, testing her humanity.

Jack will find me.

Subject to cruel and merciless treatment at the hands of a government she once trusted, Caroline clings to her sole lifeline, her only chance at maintaining her tenuous hold on reality: her memories of her husband, Jack, her children, Marguerite and Sophie, and the friends who mean the world to her.

Jack will find me.

But what happens when hope starts to fade? How long until her interrogators cross over into the unspeakable sadism she fears ? How long before she finally breaks apart?

Part Two of a Six Part Saga. Conscience (approximately 120,000 words) is not a standalone and must be read after the first book, Dissident (currently free for Kindle). All books in the series end in a cliffhanger. For readers 18+. This book contains adult situations including graphic violence, explicit (consensual) sex and light BDSM, psychological and physical trauma, and an oftentimes raw, dark, and gritty plot.

Longer Review:

Oh good lord, wow. This is not your typical romance novel. If you’re looking for fluff, go pet a dog – Conscience contains serious substance, intense emotion and a lot of violence. The second in the series, this installment is pretty raw…it rips your guts out and proudly places them on display after parading them around the room. If you thought that Dissident was gritty, you better hold on to your seat because things are about to get a whole lot bleaker before they get better.

I swear, this is also a romance. No really, it is!

Conscience messes with both your heart and your head: sucking you into a psychologically thrilling story full of government takeovers, violence, treasonous acts, and undying love. If you love series’ like Outlander, you’ll love this – without the thousand page per book commitment. Like Outlander, this series is also a genre mashup that is hard to define (even though I try to do it here) – regardless, just trust me when I tell you it’s in the genre of ‘Good Shit’.

When we pick back up with Conscience you’re re-inserted into an America whose government has gone rogue…and frankly is not as far fetched as one may wish it to be. Caroline’s been taken captive and while she’s pretty sure that whatever is coming next is going to physically hurt – she doesn’t fully grasp the emotional pain that she’s about to endure. Without getting spoilery, I’ll just say…uhhh, don’t get too attached to anyone. Ok? Ok.

While the present day scenes are pretty dark, emotionally charged, and painful – this book, like Dissident, is also told in flashback. For those of you who were dying for more information as to how America took a left into crazy-town, you get some of those answers here. You also get…dundunDUN….LOTS MORE SEX. eeeek! And coincidentally, we watch the development of Caroline’s relationship and marriage to Jack, which is endearing, sweet and swoontastic.

Jack. JACK. He’s one silver fox I’d like to trap and keep. mmmhmmm…Jack is sexy, dominant, and even better than I remembered. We learn that Jack is running for Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and I am totally in support of every misuse of his government office *winks*. Caroline joins him on the campaign trail and uhhh gives Jack plenty of personal attention while on the road. A bit more explicit than Dissident, we’re treated to a lot of sexy scenes that will make your heart race and your thighs slick. PHEW.

The banter between Caroline and Jack is funny, light and definitely needed to break up the heaviness of the plot. You can actually feel the love between these two. They have a real relationship that just also happens to be charged with sexual tension and full of witty dialogue.

Of course, every time you’re in a place where you feel warm and safe, Cecilia then tears your soul apart – bringing you back to the present to join Caroline in prison. Conscience isn’t a light read, but it is smart, witty and incredibly well written. There is definitely a cliffhanger – this a six part series afterall – but we’re left with a little bit of hope and sliver of light that will keep you hooked on this series. This isn’t just a great romance, it’s a great book. Five Stars!

[I beta read a copy of this book and also received an ARC. Regardless, this is my honest review]