Young Adult Book Review: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: White Hot Kiss
Series: The Dark Elements #1
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
WebsiteTwitter | Goodreads
Age Group: YOUNG / NEW ADULT
Genre Type: Paranormal, Romance
Publication Date: Feb 25th 2014
Pages: 400
Source: bought
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

SUMMARY:
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.


White Hot Kiss is the first book in Jennifer L. Arementrout's Dark Elements series that features an exciting new paranormal cast of Wardens (Gargoyles) and Demons that fight on opposing sides, with our young heroine Layla, who is half Gargoyle and Demon, caught somewhere in the middle.

Layla Shaw has always felt a bit lost, like she does not quite fit in with her adopted family of Wardens, yet her ability to see soul's helps them fight the very Demons that are also a part of her heritage, a heritage that makes her secret crush Zayne forbidden to her. But everything changes when she meets mysterious Roth, sexy and enigmatic, he opens up the world of her Demon heritage and soon she discovers a secret plot involving her parents, the Wardens and Demons. Not sure who to trust, Roth, who makes her feel accepted for the first time, or Zayne who has always been her secret crush and protector, Layla struggles with her feelings for both, and is torn over her loyalties to both sides.

Once again, JLA creates a fascinating world populated by colorful, paranormal characters that I ended up adoring, and a read that packs action, intrigue and seriously hot romance. I devoured this book in one sitting. Easy to connect with, Layla is a strong, smart and resilient young heroine. I could easily feel how torn she was between the two enemy factions and her heritage as half Gargoyle and Demon. Zayne, her secret crush and knight in shinning armor, is forbidden to her as a Warden. He's completely sweet, caring and protective over Layla, and you could feel the warm connection between them. But of course Jennifer has something up her sleeve to make it nearly impossible for them to be together. Something more than just "rules" forbidding the Wardens and Demons to mix romantically.

Then along comes Roth. If I thought my heart when pitter-patter with Zayne, well ... my heart flipped for the hot and tattooed Roth who oozes sexiness and charm. You cannot resist this guy. So, I felt just as torn as our lovely heroine Layla, and meanwhile all kinds of strange things begin to happen in the Demon world and to Layla herself. Her abilities begin to change and she senses that not everyone is being truthful with her. There's a Demon uprising about to happen, and Layla is going to have to choose where her loyalties lie.

White Hot Kiss delivered the entertaining read I was craving. There's plenty of action, a fast moving plot, and paranormal characters to enjoy. White Hot Kiss will be sure to please fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout's popular sassy dialogue and verbal sparring, and the emotional conflict and romantic tension is going to make romance lovers swoon! A great start to her new Dark Elements series, with its unique take on Gargoyles and Demons and making this a read not to be missed.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars. I really like it!


Kim

Avid reader, I enjoy reading all kinds of genres including: Paranormal, Urban, Steampunk, Dystopia, Fantasy, and Gothic, Horror and of course Romance, just to name a few. From Swoony Romances to Zombies and everything in between. 

http://www.book-swoon.com/
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Waiting On Wednesday: The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout