Touch (Denazen #1) by Jus Accardo

Touch (Denazen #1) by Jus Accardo
Published: November 1, 2011 by Entangled Publishing
Received: Bought from Amazon.com

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect. {goodreads.com}

This book came highly recommend to me by Jacinda from Reading Housewives.  She's mentioned this book quite a few times on her blog & in conversation with her.  I figured I needed to know for myself what all this fangirlyness was about.  I know how excited I get when I read a book I love, so I knew I had to give this one a try since Jacinda loved it so much.  My verdict: two thumbs, way up!

Touch is the story about a girl who does everything she can to defy her father.  Getting on his bad side is her goal each day, and she accomplishes it more than once.  In an attempt to piss him off even more, she brings home a mysterious boy that she literally runs in to one night.  Little does she know, this boy is tied to her and her father's secret he's been hiding from her for so long.  The connection between Dez & Kale is instant.  When her father realizes who the stranger is that she's brought home, Dez has a split second to react: obey her father's wishes to step away from the boy, or protect this stranger she hardly knows in hopes of pissing her father off even more.  In true Dez fashion, she chooses the later. 

Dez is now on the run with Kale, protecting him from something she doesn't know yet.  Her entire world begins to shift, lies are revealed, and everything she once knew about her father, her upbringing, and even herself has now changed.  The only thing she is certain of, is following Kale and protecting him from the demons of people she once trusted.  This novel never lets up on the action.  From the first chapter we are taken for a ride, with many twists and turns.  Just as we're trying to grasp what's happening, new questions are thrown in to the mix and the ride picks up all over again. 

Though the connection between Dez and Kale felt a bit instant for me, it was definitely a heated connection from the beginning.  They had some pretty intimate moments that left me fanning myself.  I would definitely categorize this in the older young adult section, for there are many mature elements mixed in with this story.  Going in to this, I knew it was the first installment in a series of books, so I was anticipating a cliff hanger ending.  Surprisingly, there wasn't one.  Though a few things were left undone, the story ends leaving the reader satisfied.  It gave me just enough to answer a few questions I was hanging on to, but still leaving me wondering what may come next.  If you're a fan of supernatural books with x-men type characters, but with a contemporary feel that centers around family relationships and self discovery for characters; then I highly recommend this book for you.