Denial of Conscience by Cat Gardiner

by Cat Gardiner
Also by this author: Denial of Conscience: A Modern Darcy & Elizabeth Adventure, Villa Fortuna, , Undercover, A Moment Forever, Without a Conscience
Published by Vanity & Pride Press Genres: Austenesque, Mr. Darcy Romance, Mr. Darcy Type Characters, Romance

I have a mild obsession with Pride & Prejudice. Ok, who am I kidding, I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Mr. Darcy. I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.

This being said, it has been a love affair that has carried on for more that 20 years. Fitzwilliam Darcy is my favorite hero and I have never been able to let go. So as a Crazy, Obsessed Janeite, I love P&P adaptions, retellings, and variations. I find Mr. Darcy in almost EVERY romance novel I read. He is the original romance hero.

I recently had the pleasure of reading a Modern Day Darcy and Elizabeth variation called Denial of Conscience: A Modern Day Darcy & Elizabeth Adventure by Cat Gardiner and it was one exhilarating ride! (add to goodreads below)

Read my review here → Denial of Conscience Review

Cat Gardiner is a creative writer and a fun author! She interacts with her readers and even went as far as bringing us into the story! She brought “Iceman” to life for readers. I had a blast with other Janeites, as we prepared for Iceman’s debut. We followed him around the world…

We all took part in casting our Dream Darcy….

So much FUN WAS HAD BY ALL!!!

I even was able to sit the Elusive Darcy down for a few questions:

1. So Mr. Darcy, what have you been up to these days?

You know, Margie, in the past I never spoke to anyone about my life – my upbringing, where I’ve been, things I’ve done. So this interview is extremely out of character for me, but things – like people – change. I know I have. Just recently, I went back to the beginning, revisiting my roots and, in doing so, I found the man I once was, forgiving others and myself in the process. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still riding balls-out, but I’m taking in the vista instead of riding with tunnel vision

2. Are you still with Elizabeth?

*Me thinking…please say no that way I can slither in!*

*chuckles and looks away*

*Is that a blush?*

Yeah, I’m still with Liz. We’re adjusting to life under the same roof, which for me, having been so solitary for the last four years with Obsidian, is a bit of a challenge.

3. Does that tender smile mean that you’re in love?

*Darcy pauses, leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands before him. Furrowing his brow, he locks his vision with me…. I am mesmerized….*

You really want me to talk about Liz, don’t you? Well, she gets under my skin and snakes around my heart like a serpentine. She deliberately pushes every latent button in me and does it with a smile that stops my once frozen heart. I never thought I’d say this but … I adore it and her. I am in love for the first time in my life.

*I swoon…yes, literally swoon.*

4. Wow. The intensity in your voice shows the depth of your emotion. Liz is a lucky girl. So, you’ve traveled the world, fallen in love, and have attained that dreamed of happy ever after. What’s next? Will she become your partner on your next op? Are you training her to scout or sharp shoot?

No. I’ve hung up my rifle. I retired from Obsidian following Operation Virginia Reel. Liz and I breed and train polo ponies by day, and make love by night. She’s teaching me to cultivate orchids, and I’m trying to correct some bad habits she picked up learning to ride a motorcycle during our short separation. I say trying because she’s the most obstinate woman I have ever met. You think I’m hell on wheels, she’s worse, and it scares the shit out of me.

5. Scares the shit out of Iceman? I didn’t think anything or anyone could do that?

That’s what happens when you’re love. But I gotta tell ya’, it’s like riding a motorcycle. It’s a delicate balance – if I hold on too tight, I might crash and burn – if I hold on too loose, she could fly away in this newfound freedom of hers. The Iceman isn’t afraid of anything, but Fitzwilliam Darcy is terrified of losing the woman who brought him back to life.

*Wow, I am a puddle of goo…*

This was one of the BEST experiences I have ever had with a book!

So without further ado, Let me introduce you to Denial of Conscience!

A Sultry, Modern Pride and Prejudice-Inspired Adventure

*Soft Release Date: 6/24/15

Romance … Adventure … Exotic … Erotic

Inspired by Jane Austen’s most alluring romantic couple, this modern adventure stars adaptations of characters from Pride and Prejudice and her other books.

Fitzwilliam Darcy is steel, rock-n-roll, and Tennessee whiskey. Liz Bennet is orchids, opera, and peaches with cream. Thrown together they are physically and emotionally charged TNT, ready to explode!

Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman hiding from living life to its fullest, finds herself willing to accept an untenable marriage arrangement solely for the sake of achieving her father’s selfish aspiration to save the family’s historic home. But even duty and obligation fail to hinder her inner conscience from spurring her to leave – to run – to escape before it’s too late. Prompted by a cataclysmic event and the arrival of an attractive, enigmatic man, Liz is thrust into a dangerous liaison where her spirit learns to fly amidst international intrigue.

Fitzwilliam Darcy was born into the wealth of Northern Virginia’s world of refinement and competitive polo. When a horrific family event rocks his world and shatters his trust in women, he leaves everything behind, determined to never look back. Running from his past and the man he once was, he enters a world of danger, first as a Navy SEAL, then as a government-sanctioned assassin. After thirteen years fortified by his hurt and anger, carrying a career moniker “The Iceman,” Darcy finds he still can’t avoid his own conscience – beckoning him home to Pemberley, its demons, and the man he was meant to be. Fate steps in when a beautiful woman suddenly appears at the end of his deadly rifle scope and he chooses not to take his signature kill shot.

Experience adventure, lust, and danger as we burn rubber on the back of Darcy’s motorcycle through Washington, D.C. and Mount Vernon, Virginia. We’ll fly with our hero and heroine to play roulette in Monte Carlo and take the bullet train to Seville to tango in the moonlight. The island of Capri invites us to indulge before our final stop, Marrakech, Morocco where the exotic city of Arabian Nights brings us to our thrilling climax. Will this seemingly mismatched pair find the peace and the life they were both meant to live? Will “conscience” win out with Liz & Darcy finding happiness in one another’s arms? As Darcy would say, “Don’t be afraid. Get on… let’s ride.”

Authors Note: Jane Austen wrote such wonderful characters, I borrowed their names and some of their characteristics to tell my own tale of hard-won, contemporary love.

BE ADVISED: This story contains explicit sexual scenes.

Oh and check out Darcy and Liz Dancing the Assassin’s Tango….