Empathy by Ker Dukey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

BY Ker Dukey

SYNOPSIS

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.

REVIEW

Ok so there have only been a few occasions where I can honestly say I have read a book from cover to cover in one sitting, actually I can count those times on one hand - FOUR times. I've read hundreds (and hundreds) of books and its only happened FOUR times. Not only did I read this book in one sitting but as I was reading it, I had to stop and reread parts of it just so my brain could process what my mind was imagining. I was taken so far out of my comfort zone that I literally had no frame of reference for the scenes unfolding in my head.

You've all heard the saying money is the root of all evil, right? Well after reading this I firmly disagree, I believe its empathy, or to be more precise, the absence of it. I was enthralled, riveted, shocked, disturbed and just… just…ugh blown away...BLOWN AWAY!

This is the first book I have read by Ker Dukey and I have to say wow, DAMN the girl can write! This book is so eloquently written that I found myself almost hypnotised by her prose; it is pure brilliance. I was so impressed with the poetic way Ker brought these characters to life that I found my heart and my head battling internally over the direction I was being lead… internal dialogue went something like this:

HEART:“Oh holy hotness Blake!” HEAD: “NO shut up stupid you can’t fall in love with him!” HEART: eye roll, eye roll, eye roll…...

There are so many layers to this story and NOTHING is what it seems, just when I though I figured it out BAM!- PLOT TWIST!!! and let me just say this book is NOT for the faint of heart (be warned). There is sooo much more I could write here, I could go on forever. You simply need to experience this incredible book for yourself. I give this book 10 golden stars. I am a devoted fan of Ker’s for life!

*Arc gifted in return for honest review.
Reviewed by Filomena Mihas
http://heartsonsleevesbb.blogspot.com...

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.