Just One Touch (Slow Burn, #5)

by Maya Banks

#1 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks continues her suspenseful and sizzling Slow Burn series with the fifth book featuring the men and women of Devereaux Security Services. Raised in a strict religious cult since she was a young girl, Jenna has no connection to the outside world beyond vague flashes of memory that seem to be from another life. Memories she clings to when the cult leaders discover her extraordinary ability to heal-and punish her. Years held captive and forced to do the cult's bidding have turned Jenna into a meek, timid woman...or so they think. In truth, she is merely biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to escape. When a terrified young woman tries to steal the SUV of Devereaux Security's toughest recruit, Isaac's anger quickly turns into a strange sort of protectiveness for the beautiful, bruised stranger. But when they are caught in a firestorm of bullets and Isaac is hit, he's sure the end is near, until Jenna touches him and closes his wounds. As he tries to bring Jenna to safety, she refuses to tell him what danger haunts her or how she healed him, but Isaac vows to do whatever it takes to gain her trust...and her heart.
Because with just one touch, Isaac knows he wants Jenna to be his-forever.

• ISBN10: 006246650X
• ISBN13: 9780062466501
• Publish Date: 23 May 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.com.au/9780062466501

Reviews

[thebookdisciple]

So, several weeks ago I read Brighter than the Sun by Maya Banks and was blown away. See, years ago, I had tried an Maya Banks book and it did not work for me. As it turns out, it was in the Slow Burn series. Given my new admiration for Banks, I decided to give Just One Touch a shot. My reading tastes have evolved since my first attempt at this series and I felt pretty good about giving this a shot.

My first step whenever I start a book is to head to good reads and mark the book as "Currently Reading". So I head over and happen to glance at a few of the reviews because people were PANNING the book. I was a bit nervous to be honest. I had already had one bad experience with this series. But, I pushed onward and here is why I think I was able to enjoy the aspects of the book that others panned.

First, I approached this book as more of a paranormal romance instead of contemporary romance or romantic suspense. All of the heroines in the series prior all have 'powers'. Jenna, our heroine, can heal people with her touch. So, right away, my brain classified this as more of a paranormal romance and in doing so, I was not as rigid in my expectations. See, if I think its PNR, I am more likely to believe ALL the things. So, I accept that she can heal people; why then can't I also accept the love at first sight thing? To me, if you have supernatural elements in a story and I as a reader accept them, then I can't complain when something else seems too unrealistic. So many people on goodreads complained about the super fast insta-love. Um, so you don't have any problem with the girl healing people with her hands, but you totally cannot understand love at first sight?!? If there were no paranormal elements in the story, I would agree that the insta love in this book is SUPER fast. But the story is filled with out of the norm things, so why is insta-love so frustrating to people?

Ok, so rant over. Jenna escapes from a cult who was keeping her prisoner to use her talent. She meets Issac when she tried to steal his car. And then people are shooting them. Literally, the action is non stop from page one. You get Jenna's story in the snippets she shares as she and Issac grow closer so there is always an air of mystery as to who the bad guys really are. You also get all the DDS guys and their wives in the story so if you read and enjoyed the previous books, you get to see past characters take a roll in Issac and Jenna's story. Jenna's naiveté, why understandable given her life, got a bit tiresome at times. That was my biggest struggle with the story overall. Just One Touch is actually a pretty quick read! Honestly, that worked out well for me because I could never find a good stopping point in the plot.

If you like a suspenseful romance with paranormal elements, Just One Touch by Maya Banks is a perfect pick for a weekend binge read! Danger, supernatural powers, and fierce love burn on every page!

 

• POV: 3rd


• Tears: no


• Trope: insta-love, supernatural


• Triggers: (show spoiler)[Jenna was tortured and abused by the cult. While not described frequently, there are descriptions that might make some readers uncomfortable] (hide spoiler)


• Series/Standalone: series (while its not necessary to read the previous books, I do think you might enjoy it more if you understood the whole series since the characters are fairly unique!)


• Cliffhanger: (show spoiler)[spoiler] (hide spoiler)


• HEA: (show spoiler)[spoiler] (hide spoiler)

...then you will probably like TITLE OF BOOK!

Just One Touch

See full review on The Book Disciple

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Just One Touch by Maya Banks is the fifth book in the Slow Burn series. Even though characters from the earlier books features extensively in this instalment, it can be read as a stand-alone. It is a romantic suspense with a touch of paranormal. There were some exciting and suspenseful moments, which kept me glued to the pages.

Jenna Wilder grew up in a strict religious cult, with no access to the outside world. Kidnapped for her extraordinary healing powers, she was subjected to abuse, exploitation, and was forced to do their bidding. Believing they had broken her spirit, they underestimated her, giving her the opportunity to plan her escape.

Isaac Washington’s daily routine of purchasing coffee and bagels was interrupted when he caught Jenna trying to steal his SUV. Immediately, he felt the need to protect her. However, this need took a back seat when a hail of bullets almost cut him down, but when Jenna healed and brought him back from the brink of death, his need intensified. As a result, he made it his life’s mission to protect her from the people intent on harming her.

This is not my first foray into the world of Maya Banks. I read a few of her books including the first book in this series. I never had time to read the books that came after prior to reading this instalment, so you understand how appreciative I was of the fact I could read this instalment without feeling I was missing something.

I enjoyed reading about Jenna and Isaac. Jenna’s story was heart breaking. She spent most of her life not knowing what it meant to be loved. She was made to believe she had no value because she was a woman. I cannot imagine the hell she went through but in spite of it all she had experienced, she never allowed it to break her. I understood her need to break out in tears, which I believe would be a natural reaction for someone who experienced such intense trauma. In spite of this, Jenna proved to be a brave person. I admired her strength and her determination to protect Isaac and his friends although I disagreed with the manner in which she did so.

Isaac is an enigma, which made connecting to him difficult. I had no knowledge of who he was prior to him coming to work for the DSS. When Jenna healed him, she had freed from his horrors, but what these were I have no idea, as there was no mention of them. One thing was certain; he was protective of those he cared for to the point of obsession, which was evident in, his behaviour towards Jenna. The blurb indicated that he was the toughest recruit for Devereaux security, but I didn't see a demonstration of this toughness. Most of the time he kept beating upon himself when anything threatened to harm Jenna. In addition to beating up on himself, he tended to act rashly, which is contrary to what one would expect from someone who is trained to prepare for all eventualities.

The story features a strong cast of supporting characters. I loved how they were all willing to put their lives on the line to help Jenna, who was a stranger to them. They perfectly demonstrated the value of family, friendship and teamwork.

The suspense theme was well done and it was my favourite part of the story. This was what motivated me to continue reading, as I was eager to discover the outcome. Then there was that shocking twist near to the end. I could not believe what I was reading. I cannot imagine how Jenna must have felt at that moment. I know I would be devastated if I were in that position.

Unfortunately, the romance did not work for me. Jenna and Isaac fell in love within a week of them meeting, which I found unbelievable, especially given the circumstances under which they met. Furthermore, for someone who spent her whole life in an abusive environment and has no experience of what it meant to love and be loved, her falling for Isaac so quickly was somewhat incredulous.

Another thing that bothered me was the overly sweet expressions of love, which had me rolling my eyes most of the times. It was an established that Isaac loved Jenna, he would sacrifice all to protect her, and he would give her all her heart desired. I did not need to read about it on practically every page in the book.


Verdict
In spite of the issues, I had with the romance and the male protagonist, the suspense was riveting which helped to make my reading experience worthwhile. If you enjoy romantic suspense and do not mind the insta-love theme then you will find this an entertaining read.