The Conditioning Room

by Jeanette Clarke

She thought she was buying freedom.
Instead, she paid for her cage.

Lilah West signed the contract for a hundred thousand dollars she desperately needed. The fine print gave away her rights—her body, her choices, her voice. She laughed it off, convinced no one would ever collect.

Months later, she wakes in a pastel-pink room padded like a dollhouse. Cameras track her every move. A calm voice whispers through hidden

“Today we learn how to ask nicely, little one. Use your inside voice, and Daddy will hear you.”

Obedience earns warmth. Disobedience earns punishment. Every rule broken strips away a piece of her identity. Every reward blurs the line between hate and need. And when she finally whispers please, she realizes it isn’t just compliance he wants.

It’s her. Entirely.

Perfect for readers of The Ritual, Praise, and Captive in the Dark, The Conditioning Room is a dark captive romance that will leave you shaken, breathless, and questioning how much control you’d give up for the promise of being loved.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, M F Romance, Romance

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 3, 2025

About the author

Jeanette Clarke is a cross-genre author writing across science fiction, fantasy, romantic comedy, psychological horror, and dark romance. Her stories range from sharp-witted, feel-good romances to intense, psychologically charged tales of obsession, survival, and morally gray love—often with a little extra heat woven in.

When she’s not writing, Jeanette travels frequently, draws inspiration from the world around her, and spends her time with her amazing husband and their wonderful pups.

Reviews

[Sheila Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an arc. This book is crazy good! I would say this is a dark spicy romance with a psychological thriller kind of side. There are definitely a lot of trigger warnings which are all mentioned and would highly recommend you read those first. It is dark at times and I found myself trying to decide if I liked Gabriel or couldn’t stand him. But I found myself rooting for him and Bunny / Lila in the end. Would definitely read the second book if Jeannette writes one. She is very careful on how she tells this story, knowing it can be heavy and possibly uncomfortable at times. But very very well done.

[iky reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Let’s get straight to it—the elephant in the room. With seven full pages of trigger warnings, you already know this isn’t your typical dark romance promising a fluffy HEA. This story dives headfirst into pitch-black territory, with heavy BDSM themes—particularly in the Master/slave psychological realm. Sensitive readers, consider yourselves warned.

That being said… this was so damn good. I devoured it in a single sitting because I simply couldn’t put it down. The plot is a wild blend of kink, spice, and unapologetic Daddy/bunny dynamics that keep you hooked from start to finish.

The MMC still feels like he has layers left to unravel, and with the slightly open-ended conclusion (that still offered just enough closure to be satisfying), I can only assume book two is lurking on the horizon—and I’m ready for it.

What truly elevated the book for me was the FMC’s transformation. Watching her shed layers, break boundaries, and embrace the version of herself she longed for most was powerful. She stepped fully into her role—a true submissive in every aspect—while still holding onto her fire. Her emotions were palpable, from raw joy to unrestrained tantrums, and it made her journey mesmerizing to witness.

📚 Final Thoughts:
Dark, twisted, and utterly addictive, this book has officially claimed a spot in my Top 10 Reads of 2025. If you’re brave enough to walk the razor’s edge of dark romance, this one will consume you.

[Tracy McDonell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark 😎😎😎
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2025
Format: Kindle
I am not one who reads the trigger warnings… they are waisted pages for me 😎😎 However, this book is DARK and please read those pages!! It is a dark spicy romance twisted in a psychological thriller! It is a crazy ride and I was there for it

[Lisa Kimbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is a very dark story….all the triggers. And the ending, the broken girl fighting back but still brainwashed….just whoa….🤯

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a lot of dark romance, this one is pretty standard with the new idea of a psychological study aspect. The beginning is interesting, the middle third pretty boring, and the ending unique and a cliff hanger. The sex scenes leave a lot to be desired, and lack description. I'm not into the DD/lg kink, so that is probably coloring my review. The writing overall is good, and I did finish it.

[rebecca kendall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hold up

I would have given it 3 stars but the ending was horrible. This book could have been good but the FMC was annoying. Is there suppose to be a second book?

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal book! Jeanette portrays the slow decent into forced submission and Stockholm Syndrome extremely well, and I couldn’t put it down!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars  

Basics
Author: she/her, US?
Genre: psychological thriller OR dark romance
Setting: the Institute
Themes: submission, control, power exchange
Vibes: intimate, naked, psychological

Characters
🐰 Lilah/Bunny - woman who signs her freedom away for a reconditioning experiment, which unveils her submissive nature
📋 Gabriel - scientist studying Lilah, who becomes her Dom

Pros
+ strong start
+ fmc signs, waits, tries to avoid, but is taken to the pink room anyway, as per the contract
+ love to watch her rail against him
+ I think I hate him
+ Prediction. Either there is no mountain house, and he's doing a catch-and-release OR there is a mountain house, and he turned her into a domestic submissive.
+ I'm still not sure he really likes her, despite what he says. Something has my alarm bells ringing that all his talk was just to mold and love bomb her for control. Like in the end, he'll just return her to life because he gets off on breaking them and molding them to need/love/submit to him then breaks them again by abandoning them. Or he has a mountain house full of submissives 1-47.
+ The ending will really decide if this is good or meh. Maybe he doesn't really love her and will abandon her? Maybe she's been faking until she gets a chance to escape? Maybe she kills him? What happens then will color everything I've been feeling for the whole back half of the book.
+ Because I can't believe a word that comes out of his mouth, watching her get all barebreasted and domestic for him is giving me the biggest academic-incel-learned-mindfuck-technique vibes. And because I'm reading this as psychological thriller/horror, I feel revulsion, but that's the point. If I was reading this as a romance, this point would be in my "cons" section.
+ There is such a HUGE lead up to her final day/first day that it is like waving a death flag, but for his abandonment. Her: "One more day of contract." Him: "Then forever of choice... Tomorrow's a big day." 🙈
+ okay ending, I see you 👍
+ I will be reading the next book because I am nosy and need to know what happens. My dream scenario is that he didn't betray her, but he was forcible removed from her due to his actions. And now she'll have to fight and kill to find him/save him. A complete role reversal to get her happily-ever-after-BDSM-style would be great 🙏

Cons
- This, for me, is straight up not a romance. I'm reading it as pure psychological thriller. If you're reading this as a romance, please, this man has so many mentally abusive red flags I cannot. Not that I don't read dark & mafia, but they don't utterly break down the heroine to this point. 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
- Their D/s dynamic/romance felt too underdeveloped. She fell for him because he broke her brain. He fell for her because... she railed against him? Didn't everyone do that? Other than landing a hitting blow, what else made her stand out? To the point he abandoned his usual professionalism/ethics/conduct 🤔

Comp Recs
+ Shy Girl by Mia Ballard x Bunny by Mona Awad

Content Warnings
LOTS (just check the very long author list)

[Chelsea Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is dark. Huge list of trigger warnings, and the author follows through on every single one. Expect heavy themes and a raw look at Stockholm Syndrome that doesn’t hold back. At times it’s brutal and overwhelming, but I couldn’t stop reading. The ending really landed for me—it was satisfying after such an intense ride. This book is definitely not for everyone, but if you can handle the triggers, it’s definitely memorable.

[Shelbie Howes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where do I start?! First thing first, read those triggers! They are there for a reason! This book gave me so many emotions.. from wanting to yell at the FMC, yell with her & even cry with her.. I started to feel the end was becoming predictable but by the end I hadn't predicted anything properly! - also learned a thing or two about myself while reading 😏.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cassandra Bergman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Today we learn how to ask nicely, little one. Use your inside voice, and Daddy will hear you.” Well, throw me in a cage and call me bunny because I’m all in. As always check your triggers. I was immediately hooked to this book. It is f*cked up in the best way. I probably shouldn’t enjoy this kind of thing, but we all know I have issues. The ending took a turn, but I wasn’t disappointed! Honestly, I think it made it SO much better. Although now I kind of want a book 2!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me reiterate the author when they say- read those triggers. No joke. This book was dark. Intense. It sucked me in so fast, that all I did for 20 hours was read this book from front to back. And just when I thought the FMC was permanently altered in personality, she showed her teeth again, in a demented, but good way. This book is dark and twisted, and very good.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely something that draws you in and doesn't let go. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. This is not a light hearted happy read. It is intense and emotional and leaves you questioning what just happened. Check. Your. Triggers.

[Tina Dyble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was completely different from anything I’d read before. I didn’t see the ending coming I thought it was a twisted romance but gosh was I wrong. If you like dark and dirty this is for you.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kim Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

It started out pretty good but for some reason my interest waned. Entertaining.

[Montana Tracer · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE!! I hope there is a next book to reunite Bunny and Gabriel!

[Cassie berridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

captivating, but repetitive.

The beginning of this story sucked me in.
But I feel like they developed feelings too quickly. And a lot of it, was just them stating the same things over and over again In the second half. Seemed like page fillers to me. Good book. The ending started to throw me for a loop, but the resolution was disappointing.
This could have totally turned into a duet or a series.
Kept my attention, dark and twisty in ways. An easy read. But def not my fav.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wtf.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was different than any I've read. It is what I would describe as a psychological dark romance. I started out hating Gabriel and ended up wondering if he really loves Lilath. The ending was not what I was expecting and hoping there is a next book coming.

[Luna’s Library]

It started off good but took a strange turn.. the story fell flat for me and the training thing was just bizarre with the bottle 😶

[al3xa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
uhh not for me

[Nikki B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Conditioning Room was one of those books where... I just questioned so many things by the end. Please please read the trigger warning for this one.
Lila is signing a contract. This contract will leave her with a lot of money, but since she desperately needs the money and thinks that what she's signing away isn't something that they'll be interested in collecting on, she signs without reading the fine print. What's in the fine print? Her rights to her body, her choices, and her voice. When the knock come on her door to collect payment months later, she runs. She thought she outsmarted them. She thought she could take the money and hide out, but they find her. She wakes up in a pink room,. cameras everywhere, stripped of everything down to her name. She is now Bunny. And Bunny must do whatever Daddy asks or there will be repercussions. I disliked Gabriel so much. There was not a redeemable quality in him that I liked. The amount of times he gaslit her into believing this is what she was asking for and what she wanted was making me soo mad. This book had a lot of trigger warnings and while I have no triggers, this story, with all the baby like things happening gave me the ick. But I couldn't stop. I even began to wonder if Gabriel was some sort of child obsessed man. Then after breaking Lila and wrecking her to the point she loses herself and identity, she develops an extreme case of Stockholm Syndrome and is so conditioned to needing a command for things that she couldn't function without them by the end. Now... the ending, that twist, I didn't see coming. I loved that she found it in her to fight back. I love the way this ended. I don't know if there's coming to be another one to this.. but this definitely left me wanting more!

[Nelli Lakatos · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚝𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛."

The moment I've seen this cover I just knew I had to read this book. I usually just browse ARC's and review copies without intending to request anything as I have so many books on my owned TBR already, but when I come across multiple times in a day with this mesmerizing cover, glanced at that brilliant blurb and tropes I just couldn't resist the desire to claim my copy and dive into this dark captive romance as soon as possible!

The dedication!? A masterpiece from the beginning I knew I'm going to devour!
This book was impossible to put down. A dark and addicting read I absolutely loved every second of. It was so unique and unlike anything I've ever read. It was intense but at the same time, with so much deeper meanings behind the lines. The Conditioning Room was a wild and beautiful ride!

I never imagined I would cry while reading this book but that twist definitely destroyed me completely, I cried multiple times, I was terrified to finish this book because of that! I really hope there will be a sequel to this book... I need more, and the ending gave me hope there will be more to come!

I highly recommend reading this brilliant book to lovers of dark romance!

Thank you so much Booksprout and the author for providing me an ebook of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Alexiscoral]

Beware of possible spoilers!

I feel like from the moment I started this book, I was a lot like the FMC. I connected to her in ways I didnt realize. Shes angry, and desperate for someone to help heal her, and slightly cautious about this scheme.

And like her, I was told in the beginning of this book all the warnings. I was told it was not a love story. I read the fine print and thought I knew what it fully meant. The trigger warnings were extensive and I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. The FMC did too, until we both didn't.

And like her, there were things that at first made me so uncomfortable. Made me angry. And as I read, I realized I was also trying to mindfully come up with a way to make Gabriel a good MC.

I think this book had some spots where I felt like I was re-reading, but at the same time- thats what conditioning is all about and it really captures the dangers of human trafficking.

Its definitely a guilty pleasure book, and I enjoyed the read!

[mattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I SURVIVED!!!!!!! 2.5*** Holy crap this book felt like it took ages to read. It was entirely too long for what it needed to be and a lot of the sentences felt reused and recycled throughout the whole book I was ready to be done!!!

I thought the concept was fun and original, using a sex study for research as a basis for a bdsm relationship, but it ended up being….odd. From a psychology standpoint this was actually kind of messed up but….

There are no feelings of love or true emotional connections between the characters outside of their “sessions” which are lowkey fucked up imo but like i guess that’s the point???
I think the author was trying to make MMC come off as a regimented research doctor but he came off as a perverted freak with weird fetishes like he was icking me so bad!!!!!

3 stars for a unique ending like maybe I should have seen it coming but with the way the author was writing I thought it would be something cliche, but I wasn’t expecting it. I want to know how this continues but I cannot read more rip

[Katrina Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The first few pages of Conditioning Room made a big impact on me. Seeing trigger warnings and a note of caution are good signs of a good, conscientious writer regardless of whether or not you jive with the content. Thankfully I very much love this type of content and when it’s written well with an overall arc and a good twist near the end like this one is, even better. Did I see the twist coming? Yes, but I didn’t mind because it was still impactful and I’d grown to love the female protagonist and feel the emotions she’s going through. It’s not a perfect book, there’s some repetition (burnt toast) but it’s far above other erotica I’ve read recently. It has growth! Just read the trigger warnings and only read it if you’re okay with the content promised!.

[SBee Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ “your rage is as beautiful as your submission." ★

The beginning was intriguing and drew me in, but around the 8th chapter, I began to have wait-a-minute questions, such as:
1. What happened to the dinner? It would have been significant because she was supposed to leave her room to eat in the dining room? No mention or circling back.
2. What happened to the “bunny tail?” No mention of it afterwards.

Overall, I did not find it too dark. The pace did slow for me as they progressed through the rest of the 12 weeks. This IS a dark psychological/behavior-modification tale, which ends in a cliffhanger. Something is definitely happening in the next installment, and I am looking forward to reading what happens next in The Hunting Ground, Book 2!

💝🫶🏼 Please mind your triggers before diving in. The warnings given are quite extensive! 🫶🏼💝

[Bent Letters · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I had no idea what I was getting into when I began to read this book. It was a very interesting premise. I really enjoyed the characters.

At one point I felt like a lot of the scenes were repetitive. There wasn’t enough variety in the scene play. I felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over.

I really loved the last two chapters of this book. It makes you infuriated at the Institute. That they would allow what happen to the female lead to happen. They’re able to monitor you , contact all your family, essentially control you if you don’t agree to the contract, but you’re telling me they just leave them high and dry after the whole thing’s done? Knowing how their patients turn out at the end? That’s ridiculous. Doesn’t add up unless the whole dang things a test.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, clinical, and deeply unsettling.

The Conditioning Room (The Mire Institute #1) is a brutal dive into captive romance and psychological control. Lilah signs away her rights for money and wakes up trapped in a pink room where obedience earns basic needs and autonomy is stripped piece by piece. Cameras everywhere, a calm controlling voice, and a system built to break her make this feel claustrophobic and disturbing fast.

The slow erosion of her will, the mix of dread and forbidden arousal, and the heavy power dynamics are done so well. It is relentless, addictive, and very uncomfortable in the best way. Serious trigger warnings apply, but if you like pitch black, boundary pushing dark romance with a strong psychological edge, this hits.

[Susan McHolland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. WOW. What can I say? In the 12 hours since I finished this book, I’ve been stuck in a loop of over analysis and a death spiral of questioning reality and perception.
Well.
Done.
Author.
I��m an immersive reader. Every read is a full experience for me, but I think this is the first one that left my brain feeling like it went through the wash cycle right along with the MFC. This was a CIA level Op, not just for the character, but kinda for the reader as well.
This one gonna stick with me a loooong loooong time.

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