Title: Ten (My Brother’s Best Friend)
Author: Ker Dukey
Released: December 20, 2015
Cover Design: Pink Ink Designs
Photographer: Clyph Jean Philippe
Model: Kyle Nelson
Ten years old I fell in love
Ten years was the price of that love
Ten years later our world’s re-collide
Ten years was the price of that love
Ten years later our world’s re-collide
Alexandria (Alex)
My brother Jonah was possessive when it came to the things he owned; this unfortunately included the people in his life. The forbidden love between his best friend and me was just that… forbidden.
Our families were from different walks of life and as a sheriff’s daughter being with a Moore’s kid would never be tolerated. To my parents their son and Dalton Moore were on different paths and their friendship would end as soon as college began but it was my brother who had a craving for trouble. He was always looking for danger, committing petty crimes and getting away with it because Dalton would take the fall, blackening his already stained name. When Jonah found out we broke the rules by loving each other, his consequences impacted us all with immeasurable suffering.
Betrayal comes with a debt and it would be paid by all of us.
One with their heart,
one with their mind
and one would pay in blood.
Our families were from different walks of life and as a sheriff’s daughter being with a Moore’s kid would never be tolerated. To my parents their son and Dalton Moore were on different paths and their friendship would end as soon as college began but it was my brother who had a craving for trouble. He was always looking for danger, committing petty crimes and getting away with it because Dalton would take the fall, blackening his already stained name. When Jonah found out we broke the rules by loving each other, his consequences impacted us all with immeasurable suffering.
Betrayal comes with a debt and it would be paid by all of us.
One with their heart,
one with their mind
and one would pay in blood.
Alexandria (Alex)
Soul mates,
not everyone believes they exist, but that’s because they have never met theirs.
How can someone who has never felt a connection so fierce, that you feel the power of it in every molecule of your being, believe such an thing exists?
How can you explain to them that the jolt that ignites every nerve ending in your body is like the sky crackling and exploding with lightening before it joins with the earth for the briefest yet most magnificent of moments, displaying the true force of nature’s power?
When that one person you were created with, comes into your life, you know without any doubt that they’re yours and you are theirs. It’s nature in its truest form. There is nothing more natural then falling in love with your soul mate.
True love Is like an out of body experience, you transcend before crashing back into your body seeing life through new eyes.
You don’t just find your soul mate; you reunite with them with intensity so powerful nothing can stop it. A love so potent you feel it in the atmosphere, and you see it in their aura.
Dalton Moore was my soul mate and I lived to love him.
He was in my every childhood memory.
Every dream I conjured.
He was every good decision I made…
But for him…
I was in his every childhood memory.
Every nightmare he slipped into.
I was the worst decision he ever made.
At the end of the day, the one thing that rings true is that Ker Dukey knows how to put words down. Ten is a bit different in the genre of "my brother's best friend"; "off limits couple", or even a "friends to lovers" story. Ten is read really the way if you bring all these elements together then add secrets, lies, and regrets. I loved the base premise of the story of how we see Alex grow up in her relationship with Dalton. Her innocence becomes infatuation blossoming into lust and wanting while always being hidden from the one person, her brother, who was supposed to protect her of all things and at times, often going to the extreme but always in loves' name. Until things go wrong in the most dark of ways.
When Dalton moved into the family house he did not want to be in, across the street from Alex and her brother, they became his family almost at once. He would do anything for them. And he did. He always took the blame and kept the bad "Moore" name in effect, but the one thing he couldn't do is turn Alex away, ever. She was his other half, always there until that day she wasn't.
Ten for me, is a bit of a confliction. There are many things I loved about this book. The suspense and sometimes horror of elements were fantastic. How the characters change throughout the book make Ten fluid and instead of stagnate. Like I said before I really liked the story. Then there are some things I didn't like. The beginning made me not be able to connect right away with the characters, I often felt displaced while reading. The first half of the story read as if I were reading dual POV diaries. The back and forth was a little choppy for me. However the second half of the story I really REALLY enjoyed! That's when the action really picked up and redeemed itself, in my eyes. I loved the twists and turns, the actual relationship between Alex and Holden felt a bit pressured to be in my opinion, like they were made to be together and trying to keep the past relationship in the future, but I overlooked most of that.
At the end of the story, I asked myself did I really enjoy what I read and my answer is yes. I did. I wish some things were a bit more, but that is totally for my tastes. I do feel that a lot of readers will love this book and I would definitely recommend Ten to people who need something different or even something that has dark tendencies and suspense in it's story line.
I do want to keep going and see what happens with the next book in the series.
A couple of things I am a sucker for in the literary world are “brother’s
best friend” romances and dark elements in books. Ten fit the bill for both of those
perfectly. When I first saw the blurb, I
knew I needed to get my hands on it, and I waited patiently. It drew me in, I kept looking to see if there
was an update on publishing and when there finally was one, I was so excited!
From the beginning, I was drawn into the story. Ten was fast paced, and I was burning through
the pages. When I got to the end, I was
a little sad. I wanted there to be more
to the story.
Now, even though I said this is a brother’s best friend book,
don’t go into it thinking hearts and flowers.
Because it’s not. Not at
all. There are somethings that are hard
to take. There were scenes that clenched
my heart so tight, and I held my breath.
The pain that these characters go through, is rough.
Alex fell in love with Dalton, before she even knew what love
was. Only Dalton, is from the wrong
family; then wrong side of the tracks. He’s
a Moore, and in a town that Alex’s father is a deputy, she cannot be with him. Dalton is also Alex’s brother Jonah’s best
friend, and if there is anything that Jonah is, is protective of his baby
sister. And when the unthinkable happens
both Alex and Dalton’s worlds are torn apart and irrevocably altered.
There are so many things I enjoyed about this book. I love Ker Dukey’s writing, and as I said at
the beginning, this story blends two of my favorite genres. I found myself very intrigued with Dalton,
and Alex. Two very different
personalities drawn together, by an invisible string…soulmates.
I loved the fast-pace of the story. And I couldn’t believe it was done, when I
finished. I love when a book leaves you
wanting more and I definitely wanted more!
With that being said. The only
real thing that is keeping me from giving a 5 star rating is there are a few
things I would have liked to know more about.
Some things that I felt might be a little more important were glossed
over in the fast-paced ending. All in
all, I would totally recommend to anyone who loves darker elements in books,
and of course the brother’s best friend as well.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
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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 have 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.
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