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Just One Touch

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From the wonderfully romantic and creative pen of Debra Mullins, here is an exciting and sensuous tale about two people who overcome a dark past to find an everlasting love.

The Groom: Rogan Hunt has no need for a wife. After a stint in prison, he is only concerned with rebuilding the coffers of his estates. But then the Duke of Belvingham makes him an offer only a fool would refuse .

The Bride: Lady Caroline Ware is horrified when her father arranges her marriage with a man said to have a wild temper and an even wilder reputation. But the Duke is dying, and Caroline has no choice but to agree.

The Marriage: Caroline could not have imagined that her husband would be so tender, so warm, so . sensual. Rogan was expecting a meek and timid wife, but instead Caroline is vibrant, charming and . passionate. Will this marriage turn into something they have secretly hoped it would be? Or will the real reason behind it finally come to light, destroying them both?

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

13 people are currently reading
182 people want to read

About the author

Debra Mullins

23 books133 followers
(from website)I hate writing bios. They always seem so cut and dried. But you came to my website to learn more about me, so here goes.

I’m the oldest of four sisters, and we are full-blooded Irish on our father’s side. Oh, and our house had one bathroom. If you have any questions about where I got my flair for drama, just imagine that scenario on a Saturday night when four teen-aged girls need to get ready for their dates all at the same time.

‘Nuff said.

So, I am the writer in the family, though I always had a secret dream to be a torch singer. You know, like Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys. My voice is OK, but the only place I feel comfortable singing is in the shower, so that was out. Besides, my sister Kate would kill me. She’s the singer in the family. Seriously, she sang at Carnegie Hall once (yeah, as part of a choir and with the orchestra and a bunch of other people, but Carnegie Hall! How many people can say that and be telling the truth?)

Anyway, I settled on writer and left the singing to Kate. My other two sisters are both artists, and no, they don’t have anything in the Louvre, but my sister Christine paints her house constantly, always changing the décor in her kids’ rooms. So you see? Creative impetus will out, and there’s no stopping it. Better to just give in and have the chocolate standing by for those moments of Artistic Frustration.

After giving up my torch singer aspirations (but before I fully accepted that I am A Writer) I gave serious thought to a practical career. The term “starving artist” was not conceived out of whimsy, you know, and I did have a fondness for food and shelter. So, soon after high school, I considered a career as a simultaneous interpreter for the UN.

I heard you giggle. Yes, I did. So let me clarify by adding that I have a gift for languages and had already taken several years of Spanish, French and Italian by the time I graduated high school, AND I had done the exchange thing in France, where I lived for a summer with a family, speaking nothing but French. So there.

Ahem. Anyway, in order to be a simultaneous interpreter, you need to know five languages. I had four under my belt (since I do know grammar and punctuation, I consider English the fourth language). I just had to learn one more language.

But that never happened. I chose True Love over College, then got married and started a family young.

Yes, you can laugh now.

Anyway, years pass. I gave in to my natural tendency to be a storyteller and started working on the one thing I had ever finished—a hand-written, 100 page “novel” about a Spanish pirate that I had completed in junior high. As an adult, I still felt there was a story there. That novel evolved into my first published work, ONCE A MISTRESS (Written in English, though my pirate does say cool Spanish words like mi amor and mi querida. Sigh. Swoon!) In 1996, ONCE A MISTRESS was a finalist in the prestigious Golden Heart competition run by Romance Writers of America. Two years later—OK, on January 26, 1998 at 4:06PM—Avon Books called and offered to publish my opus.

So there you go. I’ve written eight more books since then, often utilizing my knowledge of other languages for flavor. I visited the old West with DONOVAN’S BED and THE LAWMAN’S SURRENDER. (Oh, and DONOVAN’S BED was a finalist for RWA’s RITA Award for Best Short Historical in 2001, which is like an Oscar nomination in the land of romance writing. How cool is that?) Then I visited the Regency era. I won the NJ Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award for Best Historical (2003) with A NECESSARY BRIDE. In 2005, THREE NIGHTS… was nominated for Best Historical Romance in competition for Virginia Romance Writers’ prestigious Holt Medallion.

All of my Regency historicals have been optioned as featured selections by Doubleday Book Club and Rhapsody Book Club. My books have also been translated into Hungarian, Russian, and Portuguese f

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5 stars
54 (22%)
4 stars
77 (32%)
3 stars
75 (31%)
2 stars
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Zoe.
766 reviews203 followers
July 2, 2016
1. I liked both Rogan and Caroline, not a lot but I liked them both alright.

2. I appreciate that the writer gave Caroline's trauma adequate attention, though still not quite getting it right. She at least made a serious attempt.

3. Rogan was too sweet. It appears out of character, or I had an inaccurate understanding of his character.

4. This was a rather even-tempered love story. I don't mean that it lacked passion. I meant that there wasn't a lot of struggles except for Caroline overcoming her traumatic experience and Rogan's mean temper.

5. I don't quite know how to say what I am going to say. But I shall try nonetheless. Sometimes it is too obvious that it was the writer talking, trying to maneuver the story into a certain direction. It wasn't the natural flow. This distracts me and I am made unbearably aware of the fact that this was fiction.

And finally, I again realized that I am an animal of bullet points and numbers.
Profile Image for Jo Reads Romance.
945 reviews67 followers
January 12, 2021


Intelligent and engaging romance
5 stars

When Rogan Hunt happens across the beautiful Lady Caroline being accosted by highwaymen he cannot help but intervene. But he is thrown into turmoil when the lady's grateful father offers her hand in marriage in thanks despite his lowborn status.

Lady Caroline Ware is terrified of the handsome Rogan but she is surprised when she starts to care for her new husband. But just as the pair seem to be getting along - secrets are revealed and enemies from the past reappear that put their newfound passion in jeopardy.

As seems to be the norm for Debra Mullins - this book is passionate, intense and thoroughly enjoyable.

Rogan and Caroline are well-developed, believable characters with flaws that make them interesting and perfect for each other. And most importantly - both are intelligent. There are no ridiculous misunderstandings or jumping to conclusions, which is so refreshing in any novel.

And despite it coming quite late on in the book - there is a nice amount of sensuality and sex in the novel without it overpowering things. Also, there are an interesting set of supporting characters that again, don't overpower the main storyline but still add something to the story.

Interesting, intelligent and beautifully romantic - this book delivers everything that a historical romance should. A definite 5 star read and one I would highly recommend.


Profile Image for Christi (christireadsalot).
2,799 reviews1,441 followers
October 18, 2020
Once I started reading Just One Touch I realized this one deals with some heavier topics that I wasn’t expecting.

The story opens with Rogan Hunt rescuing Lady Caroline as highwaymen attack her carriage on her ride home. During this ordeal, Lady Caroline flashes back to 5 years ago when she was abducted, sexually assaulted, and held for ransom for days by men. This story deals with Lady Caroline’s fear towards men, while she is wanting to move forward with her life she does have struggles and certain triggers that pull her back to her attacks.

For generations, the Hunt family had been known across England as the best horse breeders in the country. Up until Rogan returned from the war to find every last steed gone, sold by his father & brother to fund their drinking and gaming. Determined to rebuild the line & restore his family’s legacy, Rogan is in need of a mare for the stallion at his stable. And of course the mare he would like to purchase back is living at Duke Belvingham’s stables, Caroline’s father. Caroline’s father is sick and dying and wants to protect his daughter by seeing her wed. He sees that Rogan is the first man to make Caroline feel safe and makes a deal with Rogan, he can have the mare he has been after for his stable if he agrees to marry & look after Caroline.

The only problem is Rogan never intended to marry. Hunt men were known for two things: horses and hot-headed tempers. Rogan swore to never marry and put a wife at risk of his temper. In the end he agrees to care for Caroline and the two wed. While Rogan struggles with keeping his inner anger and temper under control, Caroline struggles with wanting to be close to her husband and having flashbacks to when she was attacked. I appreciated how open and communicative this couple was in regards to both of their boundaries and past issues. Rogan’s patience and delicacy towards Caroline was sweet to read about as well. This was definitely a slow-burn romance filled with angst as the heat between these 2 continued to ramp up.
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,484 reviews216 followers
July 13, 2020
A sweet but frustrating story. The h has to help hr overcome a tragic past. So no sex till the end. The h is frustrated and I am too. Still a sweet story.
Profile Image for Juliana Philippa.
1,029 reviews988 followers
June 15, 2019
An unusual book for the historical romance genre

This is my first book by Debra Mullins and I am definitely interested in reading more of her work in the future. Just One Touch is very unusual in the historical romance genre in that it tackles - and pretty successfully, IMO - the issue of rape/sexual abuse. This is not something that is written about much in this genre and when I have read a book where a character has been raped or abused, I've found that authors often don't deal with it *at all* to my satisfaction and tend to want to gloss over the very real and lengthy process of recovery and healing.

This book is an emotion-driven book and although it has a bad guy subplot, the real focus is the loving and trusting relationship that develops slowly but surely between Rogan and Caroline. They are both "damaged" and have much to overcome, especially in their relationship with each other, and Mullins does a great job of portraying this believably and sensitively. My only criticism would be that some of the dialogue between the hero and heroine was a little too corny/sappy for me.

MAIN CHARACTERS (contains *spoilers*):
Caroline (20) was kidnapped five years ago and the men who kidnapped her sexually abused her. Since then, she has flinched from touching anyone (except for her father, the Duke of Belvingham) and has remained secluded in the country, staying away from society and strangers. Rogan comes from a long line of amazing horse trainers, but all of those in his family who have the gift of this connection also invariably have a raging temper. Rogan fears this side of himself and, once he is married to Caroline, is anxious that his temper never be a source of fear for her.

Rogan's patience with and love for Caroline can be seen immediately and watching them help each other battle their demons is truly touching. Although Caroline is a somewhat timid heroine at the beginning, when she decides to take control of her life and fight her memories of the past with Rogan's help, we see her start to come out of her shell. She becomes much stronger and isn't cowed by Rogan or afraid to stand up to him - even when he is angry. The progression occurs slowly enough that one doesn't doubt the believability or authenticity of such a change.

SUMMARY (from inside page):
"Rogan Hunt would like to forget his disreputable history and rebuild his family's ruined estate in peace and solitude. But when a damsel in distress requires rescuing from highwaymen, he dares not turn away - especially when she is Lady Caroline Ware, the enchantress he has admired for years from afar. Yet when her father offers Rogan her hand in gratitude, the reformed rogue is taken aback, for he never believed this treasure could truly be his...

A marriage to the notorious Rogan Hunt? The handsome scoundrel puzzles her, terrifies her. But in the night, his words are kind and caring, his touch tender and patient, arousing a desire she never thought she could feel for any man. But there is danger in his seduction - for surrendering to Rogan's love could court a peril that waits in the shadows of her past ... and destroy a remarkable passion before it takes wing."

SIMILAR BOOKS:
Other books I've read that tackle the issue of sexual abuse include: Gaelen Foley's The Duke (Knight Miscellany, Book 1) - I like a lot of her work, but how she dealt with the heroine's rape really upset me and was inadequate IMO; also by Foley, The Pirate Prince (Ascension Trilogy, Book 1), which is not her best book but is an enjoyable read; Worth Any Price (Bow Street Series, Book 3) by Lisa Kleypas - she's my favorite historical romance writer and this is one of her best books; and The Least Likely Bride by Jane Feather and the last book in Feather's Brides Trilogy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ami Nosh.
88 reviews
August 17, 2024
It's a mass market paperback romance with a maiden in distress, a muscular hero with a dark past, and lots of squishy, gooey love scenes. It has a half-clad man kissing a long-haired woman on the cover. It's entirely predictable and, spoiler, they fall in love. If that's your thing, you'll love it. If, on the other hand, you read this review and feel like this book is akin to a few dozen mid-2000 grocery store checkout lane impulse-buy romance novels, you'd be entirely correct. It's a cromulent tale in that category. No more, no less.
Profile Image for Bronwyn Rykiert.
1,232 reviews42 followers
October 31, 2010
Lady Caroline Ware was riding home from helping with a birth in town when her carriage was attacked by brigands when Rogan Hunt came to her rescue; he has admired Lady Caroline for years. Rogan had the reputation of a notorious wastrel with a disreputable history before going to war and now that he has returned home he is determined to rebuild his family's ruined estate and once renowned stables.

At the age of 15 Lady Caroline had been abducted and held for ransom for four days before Bow Street had rescued her. That ordeal had left her emotionally scarred and terrified of a man's touch. As she was delivered home to her father, the ailing Duke of Belvingham, couldn't help but notice the significance of his daughter actually accepting the hand of Rogan Hunt as he helped her alight from the coach. She hadn't allowed a man touch her since her ordeal five years earlier. Knowing he was dying, and wanting to provide for his daughter's protection the duke summoned and presented Rogan with a proposition he felt the man would jump at, one that included the hand of his daughter. Rogan who had harbored his own demons refused the offer until the duke explained that the reason and that feared for his daughter's safety should his despicable heir have control of her fortune. Rogan knew he would do anything he could to protect Caroline, even if it meant protecting her from himself.

What follows is one of the more romantic and touching tales I have had the pleasure of reading this year, as Rogan and Caroline come to learn the meaning of trust and allowing their hearts into one another's keeping. Both the main characters were so beautifully described that the reader will at once find themselves swept up into the emotions of trust and caring that was so evident in the pages. The suspense was palatable and will keep the pages turning into a non-stop read. Wonderful writing completes this marvelous love story that I highly recommend. I have totally enjoyed every book that I have read by Debra Mullins.
Profile Image for Lucy Qhuay.
1,373 reviews157 followers
February 19, 2013

I am more than a bit disappointed with this book. There are way too many unfinished issues, in my opinion:

- Rogan's past;
- Rogan's inner "beast";
- the villain's past;
- what happened to the Belvingham dukedom;
- the future of Rogan's horse business;
- the future of Hunt's legacy;
- Rogan and Caroline's "normal" marriage.

And other thing that bothered me was Caroline's reaction every single time she had an intimate moment with Rogan.
I fully understand women that were victims of sexual assault and respect their trauma, but Caroline was always saying she wanted to be a "real" wife, yadda, yadda, yadda and seducing her husband, just to have a major hissy fit when he merely reacted to her actions.
You can't be there arousing your husband and then expect him to be statue still.
That was a major turn off.
Profile Image for Regina.
850 reviews7 followers
April 27, 2016
Sweet with some sexiness. A kidnapped and traumatized heroine is afraid of intimacies. Hero is coerced into marriage by her father to ensure the daughter's safety. Father suffers from a mysterious illness and later dies. Killer on the loose. Intriguing plot, but story lacks depth and reads like an old school romance.
Profile Image for Andi.
878 reviews
August 14, 2016
I liked the...

Story and the characters. I'm sad that her dad had to die. I thought he would have been saved even if the bad guy didn't die. I wanted the bad guy to go to jail but the solution was probably for the best since he would not have stopped.
504 reviews2 followers
July 7, 2010
Good book and very easy reading. Enjoyed reading a book with characters from a different era.
Profile Image for Theresa Contreras.
108 reviews11 followers
November 29, 2011
loved this book as i do all debra mullins books! my one and only problem was that it took a touch to long to get to the love makin! lol but let me say this, it was well worth it. mmmm great book
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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