Review of ‘Conflict of Interest’ by Jae,

Audiobook narrated by Abby Craden

Aiden Carlisle is a detective for the Portland Sexual Assault Unit. She meets psychologist Dawn Kinsley when attending a seminar on sexual assault victims, and then later when their worlds collide in horrible fashion. Can they keep each other from crossing the lines so blatantly dictated by their professions and a terrible crime?

I was finally able to get to this one, and it totally lived up to my expectations. This story is definitely not for everyone. The majority of the book deals with the topic of sexual assault and the fallout from it. This includes part of the trial and the frustrations regarding prosecuting such a crime. I thought Jae did a fantastic job. The only other book I have read that had this degree of assault description is ‘Hunter’s Way’ by Gerri Hill (usually this is a topic I don’t care for- Hill sprung it on me and I wanted to read ‘Conflict of Interest’ since it has high ratings). The assault was not the main event in that book as it is in this one, but strictly thinking about that event, Jae’s was simply unparalleled.

The emotions discussed in this novel felt real and the reader is taken through all of them. The assault was described after the fact but with enough detail, it was not pleasant. The aftermath for the victim and the trial were great additions and hopefully raised some awareness in the topic. The difficulties for the police to gather evidence and testimonies were brought up, and further emphasizes how victims and law enforcement officers are affected, obviously in different ways, by the same crime.

Both characters were wonderfully brought to life, likable, and with undeniable chemistry. The romance was present but slow, which suited this story perfectly. The tenderness between the mains was so sweet to listen to. Yes, this one was an audiobook for me. Narrated by Abby Craden, the audiobook was simply outstanding. I can not say enough good things about this narrator and this particular book would have been destroyed in the hands of a less skilled performer. Craden just has a way to bring emotion to life, and this was one emotional tale.

As predictable as the overall story is (it is a romance after all), the journey there was intriguing and at times a real page-turner. This is a fantastic lesbian audiobook on a dark and difficult subject. Not available in either Scribd or Audible Escape but with a duration of 14 hours, it’s absolute value for your money. I will definitely be listening to the next book in the series. 5 stars