White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)

Book: White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis: One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

 My Thoughts:

This book was exciting with danger around every corner and enthralling. Jennifer wrote another magical master piece. She cast a spell on me from the beginning of the book till the very end. This will be a big rival to another enthralling series of hers and I think you can guess what series that is? You guessed it yes I'm talking about the Lux Series and the Covenant Series.

Daemon Black and Aiden St Delphi should make room for the very swoon worthy two new hunks on the block. Roth the sexy bad ass demon and Zayne the sexy gorgeousness warden. Fangirls get ready to swoon. Are you ready to fan yourself because Jennifer did it again she left me wanting for more and now I'm addicted to the book just like all her other books. The story is infused with that unique JLA wit, smart and sassy and bold, making our three main protagonists utterly unforgettable.

 I loved every moment of the book..... well almost every moment, I cried at the end of the book.

 

“The newcomer stood well over six feet, as tall as any Warden. His hair was dark, the color of obsidian, and it reflected blue in the dim light. Lazy locks slipped over his forehead and curled just below his ears. Brows arched over golden eyes and his cheekbones were broad and high. He was attractive. Very attractive. Mind-bendingly beautiful, actually, but the sardonic twist to his full lips chilled his beauty. The black T-shirt stretched across his chest and flat stomach. A huge tattoo of a snake curled around his forearm, the tail disappearing under his sleeve and the diamond-shaped head rested on the top of his hand. He looked my age. Total crush material—if it wasn’t for the fact that he had no soul.”

We all met Layla and Zayne in Bitter Sweet Love and we all know what she can do. Layla has a big crush on her adoptive brother Zayne but they cant be together because of her power of sucking out a person soul if she tries to kiss them. She has grown up with the wardens despite them being her only family she still dont feel like she actually can belong there, because of her being half demon so she could never mate with any warden and she cant change like the wardens can.

“I would never truly be a part of the Wardens. And no matter how badly I wanted it, I’d never really be their family.”

 The clan let Layla tag demons in the day after school, a single touch will light up the demons for the wardens to hunt in the night. It was all safe for her until one fateful night she runs into a demon that was looking for her. She never expected to encounter yet another demon- an upper-level one- to help her get away from the near- death situation. In walks the swagger and sexiness, confident and power personified and clearly most importantly trouble. But when trouble, namely Roth, shows up  at her school the next day means that trouble cant be avoided.

Roth is a great character. Later we learn that his multi dimensional with more that meets the eyes. He is witty and self confided and all in Layla's business. The chemistry between the two is immediate, there verbal warfare only making whats to come more better. I found Roth with his unique charm endearing and funny, he is a total bad boy.

"For the love of all unholy things, why must you be so difficult? I apologized for calling you a prude. I’ll even apologize for yesterday. I scared you. I threw your cell in a toilet. See, I was raised in Hell. You could say I’m socially awkward.”

With Roth never leaving her alone meaning they got closer than ever. Roth questions her unwavering resolve of denying her demon blood. Roth also has answers for her about her mother that the wardens wont tell her and after she found out who her mother was and why all the demons are trying to kill/ kidnap her to start the coming of the apocalypse she gets protection from the demon Roth where she would never have gotten from the wardens. The wardens keeping secrets from her pushed her more to lie and help Roth with her safety. 

The more truths are revealed, the more she finds herself lying to the only people she’s loved in her life. Nothing seems clear. Nothing is certain. And suddenly she finds her relationship with Zayne strained, particularly since Danika (Jasmine’s sister from Bitter Sweet Love) has been around. Everything is changing, what was once crisp and certain is blurring and it saddens her to be determinedly reminded that Zayne and her, although living under the same roof, are worlds apart.

 “There were so many things that made Zayne different from me. Sometimes it seemed like were were total opposites. Insecurities resurfaced like old friends you didn’t want to see. I wasn’t like Zayne. I could never be like him, no matter how hard I tried… Strange thing was, when I was with Roth I didn’t wander down this troubling road.”

 Admittedly I started the book totally on Team Zayne but with all Roth's charm, wit and his caring made me change directions instantly now I am on Team Roth. I fell in love with the inked bad boy demon from hell. He is good to Layla and they had me reaching for there happy ever after even with the odds against them. As truths continued to pour on all sides with the world suddenly in play, she finds herself a mayor player in in the game.The story heightens to an action packed fight between good and evil that had me biting my nails in anxiety and then BAM. Shattered.

 

Lets just say that I needed Stone Cold Touch yesterday already. I don't know how to feel with the ending with the story that sifted completely at the end. So Yeeah I get invested in all of JLA's books!

I dont know what to expect with the next book but I need it now!!! 

“I lost myself the moment I found you.”

Reading order of The Dark Elements:

 

Note, the novella, Bitter Sweet Love is not necessary to read this book. Bitter Sweet Love can act as a standalone story, but it does introduce you to the world of gargoyles (Wardens), so if you have the time, it’s a quick, fabulous read you can devour before jumping in to White Hot Kiss. Please also note that the print version only of the book includes a bonus scene from Roth.

About Jennifer

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.