Saturday 1 November 2014

Sale Blitz & Giveaway: Ker Dukey's "Empathy."


The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the sale Blitz & Giveaway for Ker Dukey's "Empathy."

Amazon.com:   http://amzn.to/1kJfBkT
Amazon UK:    http://amzn.to/1nZmARU

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: Surj Harvey

We all like to keep secrets and have dark corners in our minds 
that don't need anyone shining light on. 

I've just finished "Empathy" and I look up to my husband with an expression on my face that he's learned to read so well over the last couple of years. He turns to the dog and says... "Oh dear, Momma's been f**ked over by a book again." Me... well I've lost the power of speech and cannot even begin to argue with him because he's right... so very right. My face must say it all, the look of shock, confusion, disbelief and amazement that this piece of work, a work of fiction at that has had such a huge effect on me. I'm astounded, bewildered. I need to be alone to gather my thoughts. I need to try to make some sort of sense of what I've just read, try to come to terms with the fact that this author has well and truly played me but in the best possible way. How do I even begin to put into words the f**kedupness of the story that has unfolded before my very eyes? I don't know whether I can and so be prepared for a rambled review because that's the best I'll be able to do under the circumstances. 

Some people are born predestined to become evil, to mark the world with their darkness.
Some paint the world in technicolor, I paint it in red; blood red. 

If you love a good psychological thriller, you'll definitely want to read this. Add romance in to the equation and this book sky rocketed to a whole different level. The characters were unique, crazy, messed up like you wouldn't believe and because I was given their back story, I found myself making allowances and excuses for their behaviour and actions. Cause and effect.... that's how I rationalized it. That's how I suddenly found myself empathizing with them. Nobody is truly evil and human nature dictates that we always look for the good in people. I scoured the pages looking for tiny tidbits that would redeem the characters, more often than not coming up with a blank. My insides churning at the thought that I may have got it wrong, so horribly wrong. 

Nothing powered inside me to go rescue her. 
I relished in her destruction, watched and claimed it as a token. 

My heart thudded in my chest as curve ball after curve ball changed the direction of the story, confusing me, challenging me, making me question my moral integrity. I couldn't even begin to comprehend just how f**ked up it all was yet in the same breath, I was reading like a woman possessed, desperate to see how Blake, Melanie and Ryan's story unraveled. The last 10% was unputdownable, leaving me gobsmacked at the turn of events that I doubt anyone could have predicted. Yup there was many a "WTF" moment where I had to go back and re read just to make sure I got it right... yup I got it right!!! 

When the sun sets, you can't hold on to the dying light as the darkening shadow approaches. 
You either hide from it or become it. 

Ker Dukey's "Empathy" gave me goose bumps. It sent shivers down my spine. It left my nerves on edge and it had my stomach in knots. This book will stay with me for a long time and the last page... holy mother in heaven Ms Dukey... are you trying to kill me???? You're one evil woman that's for sure and I have a feeling you took great pleasure knowing the effect your masterpiece would have on those that turned first page. "Empathy" is a book I would whole heartedly recommend. 

Nothing short of 5 Hearts would do this book justice. 

When your story is written on a piece of paper and that paper gets crumpled up and 
thrown into a shredder, you can piece the tatters back together although the damage remains. 
So does your story, you just have to continue to write even if the paper isn't perfect

About The Author

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.

Author Links:

Ker Dukey’s Website: http://kerdukey.com
Concierge Literary Promotions FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/clpromotionsky

Giveaway: A whole host of books from various authors up for grabs
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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