Deadly by Ker Dukey

Deadly by Ker Dukey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Were you ears burning Ms. Dukey? Because I pretty much cussed you out – out loud much to my dog’s dismay – when I got to certain point in the book. It wasn’t nice either. I used words I don’t tend to use unless I’m really angry or upset and you made me both. I know you know what point in the book I’m referring to. You made me cry and the worst part about it was that I didn’t know who I was crying for. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, I absolutely loved this book. Then again I have been fascinated by all of the books in the series because the author creates characters whose insanity is horrifically realistic.

There’s not much I can say about the book itself for fear of revealing spoilers, but I’ll do my best not to let the cat out of the bag. Deadly takes place three years after Vacant and we learn that Ryan is still trying to get Cereus to accept who she is by owning her actions. There are parts of Deadly that are confusing, but they’re meant to be. The book is written from the points of view of Ryan, Cereus, and Blake and only one of those three is actually sane … maybe. We learned in Vacant that Cereus was not only sociopathic like Ryan, but she was also hallucinating – seeing and talking to people who weren’t there. Needless to say, her chapters are those that will make you question what the heck is going on, what’s real, and what is not. Don’t be afraid to reread passages to make sure you grasp what’s going on – remember, crazy people are narrating. Adding to the confusion is that the story begins in the present and jumps to the past so that you can see the events unfold that lead to Cereus and Ryan being where they are – pay attention to chapter and section headers because they will help reduce timeline confusion … maybe. Again, crazy people narrating. As for me, just when I thought I had it figured out, the story took a turn and I was wrong. Boy was I wrong and I was so very glad to be wrong.

I enjoyed getting to catch up with Mel and Blake, even if it wasn’t under the best circumstances. Mel’s visceral reaction to Blake’s betrayal was only surpassed by his reaction to her refusal to keep him in her life. If you have read the previous books in the Empathy series, then you won’t be shocked by the violence in this installment. If you haven’t read them, don’t start with Deadly because none of the books in the series are stand-alone reads. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, romantic suspense, and sociopaths and serial killers, then I strongly recommend this series. Deadly is an excellent addition to it and I love that it ends in such a way that it serves as a conclusion, or an opening for another book. Yet again Ms. Dukey, I am impressed with your mastery of the sociopathic mind.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Check out the Deadly by Ker Dukey is Now Available & Reviewed post on Wicked Reads.


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Asylum by Lily White

Asylum by Lily White

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

Asylum is an intense read that appealed to my love of romantic suspense and psychological thrillers. In the same vein as Ker Dukey’s Empathy series and the Serial series by Jaden Wilkes and Ms. White, Asylum delves into the mind of psychopaths and the criminally insane. What is truly terrifying about this book is that it quickly becomes apparent that not all of the crazies at the Statham Institution for the Criminally Insane are patients, some of the employees are just as certifiably insane as the patients.

We meet Alex on the day that she meets her new psychiatrist. While Alex believes that she has only been at Statham (or the Asylum as the patients refer to it) for a month, we learn that she has been there for a year and has almost no recollection of the past four years of her life, including the two men she is accused of murdering. Although her previous psychiatrist, the staff, and a good number of the patients believe Alex to be faking her amnesia, Dr. Hutchins questions the accuracy of her diagnosis and current treatment regimen. What follows is a brilliantly crafted journey into a troubled mind using a combination of hypnosis and drug cocktails that enable Dr. Hutchins to unlock parts of Alex’s memories regarding the circumstances of her alleged victims’ deaths. Between the investigative efforts of Dain, her police detective brother, and the progress Dr. Hutchins makes during Alex’s therapy sessions, more facts regarding the deaths are revealed and while some point to her innocence, others do not.

While I do not and cannot condone doctor-patient relations in real life, the same does not hold true in fiction because Jeremy – Dr. Hutchins – was about the only bright spot in Alex’s life in the Asylum. Not only did he care about her wellbeing and made her feel safe, the man was apparently sex-on-a-stick hot and their chemistry was undeniable … when they were alone. Just in case her mental health issues and an inappropriate relationship with her doctor are not enough, Alex is being targeted by several of the staff, bringing her safety into question on a near daily basis. When things come to a head, I must admit that I was relieved that the friends Alex made over the course of the book came to her aid and resulting carnage couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy. And despite ALLLLLL that happens in the book, I still found myself floored by the Epilogue. Even with my graduate level abnormal psych classes, I never saw THAT coming. Well done Ms. White.

I appreciate that Ms. White clarifies in her Author’s Note that she has taken liberties with the psychological diagnoses, symptomology, and treatment include in Asylum. That said, as a student of psychology, I loved the way she dealt with the psychologies of the various patients – some of the patients presented with textbook symptoms while others’ embellished symptomologies were skewed ever so slightly that they maintained a feeling of realism while scaring the bejeezus out of me (freaking eyeballs!). While the facility described is nearly nonexistent today (I haven’t been to every facility so I can’t say they’re completely absent), it is reminiscent of the early years in psychiatry and every freaking horror movie ever set in an asylum – again, scaring the bejeezus out of me. My only real concern about this book is that it’s classified as a “Dark Erotic Novel.” While the book is indeed dark and it is erotic, it’s not what I would consider dark erotica. So if you’re looking for dark erotica (e.g., Pepper Winters and CJ Roberts) you’re probably not going to find what you’re looking for in Asylum. However, if you’re looking for a dark psychological thriller with erotic elements, well buckle up and enjoy the journey into madness.

Check out the Asylum by Lily White Blog Tour post on Wicked Reads.


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Desolate by Ker Dukey

Desolate by Ker Dukey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I didn’t know what to expect from Desolate, but I can guaran-damn-tee you that it wasn’t to fall for the sociopath. When I finished reading Empathy I was happy that Ryan got what he deserved and though I must admit that I forgot all about last part of the Epilogue that laid the foundation for this book, I still never would have expected to finish Desolate feeling like Ryan had been redeemed. Yet, Ms. Dukey has managed to leave me feeling exactly that way. Now the hard part begins, writing a review that is spoiler free while conveying how much I loved this book.

Desolate finds Blake and Melody together eighteen years later, preparing for their daughter to go off to college in the fall and planning to have another child. Their love and devotion to one another is obvious as is the fact that they still have that “spark,” as evidenced by the extremely hot kitchen sex they have in the beginning of the book. Clearly, all is well in their world. Until Blake gets the call from Ryan’s psychiatrist and learns that Ryan has been deemed to no longer be a danger to himself or others and is expected to be released from the psychiatric hospital in the next three months. At this news, I was likely as outraged as Blake was but obviously for an entirely different reason. Sociopaths cannot be cured. As Ryan says later in the book, there’s nothing to fix because it’s missing, not broken. My outrage was not directed at the author. Oh no. Sadly, the narcissism that led Ryan’s psychiatrist to believe that he fixed the unfixable exists in every profession, including psychiatry. And as a highly intelligent sociopath, Ryan would have easily been able to pick up on the doctor’s narcissism and manipulate him to obtain his freedom. Nope, my anger was at the character who unleashed Ryan’s darkness back into the world.

As for the rest of the story… Oh. My. Goodness!!! Ms. Dukey writes so many twists and turns into the story that I never saw coming, yet they’re all believable. I loved the relationship that Ryan developed with Cereus and that after he spent some time with her, he didn’t want to hurt her – no desire to whatsoever. His desire to protect her was so thorough that any plans for revenge he had for Blake and Melody were discarded because to hurt them, was to hurt Cereus. But you know what they say about good intentions – the road to hell is paved with them. Where Empathy was about Blake’s redemption, Desolate is Ryan’s trial by fire and it’s a freaking bloodbath. But we are talking about a serial killer here, so that’s not surprising. Again, Ms. Dukey’s attention to detail when it comes to the sociopathic mind is impressive and I can only hope that the epilogue is a promise for another book in the series. Well done Ms. Dukey.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Desolate Release Day! blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Review of Serial: Volume One by Lily White & Jaden Wilkes

Serial: Volume One by Lily White & Jaden Wilkes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

Wow! I have to say that Serial is off to a blood-curdling start. As this is the first book in the series, it serves to set the stage – introducing the major players, getting a lay of the land, and providing a good amount of background on Jude and insight his sociopathic tendencies. I liked how the authors took us inside Jude’s mind when his urge to kill would come on him and drug us along for the ride when he fed his red. The care with which Ms. White and Ms. Wilkes develop Jude’s character and kills is impressive. As is the abused persona that inhabits Ronnie’s character. It is obvious that these ladies have done their research in both of these disturbing topics and have got to great pains to get their creation right. The interactions feel real as do the murders. I will admit that there was one murder in this volume that I wish could have been done more than once because that individual deserved to die, repeatedly.

Like most, I read for different reasons and the books I choose tend to depend upon my mood (yes, even when I sign up for a review). Sometime I read to get away, to laugh, to fall in love, to fall in lust, to be entertained, to look at the world in a way that is not my normal view, to expand my horizons, and to challenge my belief system. Sometimes I want the book to be so fantastical a work of fiction that there is little or no basis in reality. Other times I like my book to be a work of fiction with a healthy dose of reality. Serial falls into this latter category and provides one heck of a read. This is not a love story (at least not yet) nor is this erotica, this is the mind of a serial killer – so strap in and enjoy the ride because it promises to be a bumpy one full of twists, turns, and things that go bump in the night. I, for one, cannot wait until Volume Two’s release.



Check out the Serial: Volume One by Lily White & Jaden Wilkes blog post on Wicked Reads.


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Empathy by Ker Dukey

Empathy by Ker Dukey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



My hats off to you Ms. Dukey. I knew from the beginning that this was going to be a dark read. The blurb clearly states that Blake is a contract killer who didn’t feel empathy. As such, I pretty much knew we were dealing with a sociopath – yes, that master’s degree in psychology does have its uses. What I did not expect was the mind-bending trip down the rabbit hole that is Empathy. The twists and turns that the author introduces throughout the story make for one intense psychological thriller.

If you read the blurb, then you’ve likely surmised that Blake’s “profession” and Melody’s “tragedy” are entwined (and if you think that’s a spoiler, trust me when I tell you I have not ruined the book for you). The author does an excellent job of setting the stage, so to speak, for Blake’s sociopathic tendencies. When Melody makes first contact with Ryan (her classmate and Blake’s brother), it’s clear from the way that she describes his eyes that he didn’t survive that fateful night unscathed either. They take comfort in one another’s presence and their friendship develops. Once Melody learns that Blake and Ryan are brothers, I felt like I could hear her internal groan as she dealt with the knowledge that her best friend was the sibling of a man she hated interacting with. As events unfold, Blake finds himself unable to resist the pull he feels for Melody and when he finally gives in, well the sex is aggressively hot.

While a work of fiction, Empathy is a study of human behavior. The author seems eager to explore the nature vs. environment debate regarding sociopaths – are they born or are they made? I suspect this is just one of the reasons why this book appealed to me so much. That it is also the story of Blake’s redemption and I was constantly left wondering whether or not he would allow his love for Melody and hers for him to redeem him completely appealed to the romantic in me. And that I never saw IT coming, all I can say is well done Ms. Dukey. You’ve just made another fan.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Empathy by Ker Dukey blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.

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