Title: Empathy

Author: Ker Dukey

Genre: Dark Romance/Erotic Suspense

Amazon US | Amazon UK

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-Our Reviews for Empathy-

Di-
PURE GOLD! UNPREDICTABLE! I LOOOVED EVERY WORD! A THRILLING RIDE THAT LEFT MY MIND SPINNING!
5 Puya STARS!!!!
I had no idea what to expect from this. I had no idea I would still be completely enamored with this story a day later. I had no idea Ker Dukey was such a AMAZING STORYTELLER! I devoured this in one sitting, this story grabbed me and didn't let go. My very first book by Ker Dukey. What in the HELL have I been missing?? The character development was spot on, the writing was engaging. The plot, the twists, left me totally flabbergasted. My mouth was left hanging wide open. I feel like I got played, And I loved every minute of it. OMG! This book was like a dream come true for me. I loved all the little turns in the plot, I was squealing with delight. I WAS LIKE WOAH, WHAT?!?! Laughing to myself about how insane this all is. I never knew what was going to happen. The characters were off the dang charts crazy and some completely insane. (Really insane) I'm still running everything over in my head. The story is told from three different perspectives, Blake, Ryan, and Melody. I can't tell you too much without spoilers.

Blake is the character that sucks you in, I was intrigued to say the least. He's empty. A professional killer without emotion. The way he's written is phenomenal. I wanted to stay in head. Melody worms her way into his soul. Can she make him feel? Is he really a shell without remorse?

"They say some people are born with decreased activity in the brain; a cold spot in the front central lobe. Where most people have activity , a hot area giving them feelings, emotions and enabling them to love, there are a rare few who have a cold spot, affecting their ability to feel emotions, empathy. There are theories that serial killers have this cold spot. Psychopaths. That’s why they lack the ability to connect, to care."

And then we meet Melody, the all American good girl from a well to do family. Till her world crumbles... (Sorry, can't say more.) Ryan is there for her in a weird sense. Does he like to witness her pain?

"My tears blending with the coating of the rain. I want to cry out the hurt but there aren’t enough tears to convey the pain, so powerful it leaves a physical ache surrounding my heart."

Ryan is Blake's brother, a classmate of Melody. He's dark, he's a complete mystery, and a bit scary. Your in his mind but you have no idea what he's up to. At least I had no idea. He's closed off much like his brother and maybe even empty too. But something about Melody makes him tick. Does he care for her? I gotta tell you, I LOVED being in Ryan's head even more than Blake's. I can't find the right words, so I'll go with UNSETTLING.

"I can see her eyes have darkened; maybe hers are even darker than mine. She’s troubled, haunted and I want to delve into her darkness and swim in her hurt, but I’ll wait."

I thought at one point this was going to be a triangle with two hot mysterious brothers and Melody. AND IT KINDA IS! Well, you will see! I could go on and on about this story and never do it justice. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!!! OMG! A TOP FAVORITE FOR SURE!

Julie-

Holy Shit BALLS what did I just read?!

I was drawn in almost immediately.
The first major scene?
Sick-Disturbing-Sad

I can't even begin to understand the pain the Melody went through and not be a complete nut case in a special place wearing a pretty wrap around white jacket. For her to try and continue her life after what she witnessed is commendable.

Luckily there was Ryan to keep her grounded and sane. Quiet and shy he was very taken with her. Liked to be around her and help her heal. Or was he?

And then there was Blake. This is a sick bastard. I was completely swooning over this sicko.Hard headed tough man with a very sketchy history.
He wants to stake his claim, but at what cost?

There are so many twists and turns that if you look away just for a minute you will miss something. This book was written very very well and i cannot wait to see what else Ker Dukey comes up with!

Amy-
***Empathy intoxicated me***

This is my first story from Ker Dukey and it will NOT be my last, I absolutely loved it!
This story is told from three different POVS. Blake, Melody and Ryan.

"My emotions are corrupted, have been since my life changed in a single night. My ability to give a shit is absent."

Blake doesn't have feelings, he doesn't care, he doesn't love. or so he thought.

Melody is a sweet girl. she loves, she has feelings, she's going to college and she loves her parents.

Ryan is Blakes brother and a classmate of Melody. There was something off about him that I couldn't put my finger on. he was there for Melody when she needed a friend but it didn't seem right.

"Have I fallen into a black hole? What the hell is happening? None of this is right. How dare they find comfort in each other? They each belong to me. I need to feel control. Everything is slipping between my fingers."

DV-

Ker Dukey, you had me at the sample of Facade at the end of Decimation of Mae! To say I was ELATED to receive Empathy as an ARC through Twisted Sisters Book Reviews would be a HUGE understatement. HUGE! Nursing a book hangover that has plagued me for a couple weeks now, Empathy was the first book out of 5 that I actually finished, not only finished but couldn't put down! YAY, hangover cured!! What a F'N RIDE this story was! A quick read that packs a powerful punch. The epilogue has me jonesing for more ASAP! The plot wasn't overly complicated and the actions of the characters were pretty cut and dry without much buildup or suspense. But hey, all in all it was a very entertaining book that held my attention to the surprising end. Murder, sex, lies, twists, psychopath(s)...what's not to love?

Blake:

I am a brother I am a police detective I am a contract killer I don’t want to love I don’t want to feel I don’t want … EMPATHY.

They say some people are born with decreased activity in the front central lobe causing them a deficiency in empathy. Maybe that’s true about me but whether I was born this way or created in a moment of evil, empathy was something I didn’t possess until her green eyes met mine in the mirror and I couldn’t take her life. I didn’t want to feel, didn’t want this woman in my life complicating how I lived but she was there at every turn. Sent to haunt me for my sins. Her light so bright she provoked a shadow from everyone she touched. When a job turns bad quickly altering my life forever I’m forced to feel. When nothing is making sense I’m forced to face truths I never would recover from. When life drowns you in its cruelty you don’t know which way the current will drag you or who you’ll become once you re-surface.

Melody:

I was a daughter I was a student I was a victim Did I have his love? Did I make him feel? Did I have his empathy? When the actions of a soulless killer forces sorrow into my veins I never dreamed the man healing my wounds would be the one to leave the worst scar. His love would scar my soul. Scars are permanent; I will never feel the relief from them. Will I learn to live with them, remember why I have them and learn never to let him close enough to inflict more? Will I eventually cover them… like tattoos coating them with new memories, new love and new starts? I didn’t know these answers because the pain was too suffocating, the only thing I knew was they will always be under the surface lingering. He had scars too, from his sins. There is nothing that can cover them, they were too deep, too ugly, too dark and they marked us both forever.

I have always had a passion for storytelling, whether it be through lyrics or bed time stories with my sisters. I wanted to be an actress growing up so I could live many roles but I learned early on that my mind was too active... I would want to change the script.I would watch films and think of ways they could of improved the story if they took another direction so i thought it best that i tell my own. My mum would always have a book in her hand when I was young and passed on her love for reading, inspiring me to venture into writing my own. I tend to have a darker edge to my writing. Not all love stories are made from light, some are created in darkness but are just as powerful and worth telling. When I'm not lost in the world of characters I love spending time with my family. I'm a mum and that comes first in my life but when I do get down time I love attending music concerts or reading events with my younger sister. You can find me on facebook where i love interacting with my readers.