White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements)

Thank goodness for writers like Jennifer L. Armentrout. She’s like your go-to-author, one that’ll never disappoint because she’ll deliver on every level. Action, check. Romance-Chemistry, check. Witty banter, check. ​Who knew that demons and gargoyles could be so attractive ​and that sounds odd but if you read the book, you’ll know what I mean. ​ I think one of the many things that I love about JLA​’s stories​ is that they never fail to keep me engaged and highly entertained.

​”I was raised in Hell. You could say I’m socially awkward” ​

​With that being said, there are some definite similarities ​between this series and the ​Lux Series, such as being in true form, Layla not having the same abilities as Roth or Zayne, ​blurred lines of good vs. evil, ​etc. I wouldn’t say I had an issue with ​any of that​ but it’s more an observation than anything else.

​Two things that really worked for me was ​the reference to ​the imminent apocalypse and Layla’s ability to literally suck the pure soul out of anyone. Soul sucking really should be considered a super power, just sayin’.

If you like a good love triangle, there is one of sorts but not really. I’m not sure how to explain it and something is definitely there, you can feel it but it wasn’t explored. And who knows, maybe it won’t be until the second book or not at all.​ I know I’m being totally vague but it’s all for the best because I hate giving away spoilers. As far as love triangles go, I’ve seen better, so let’s leave it at that.

Layla is on a journey to understanding who she is since she’s part demon, part gargoyle and she has a lot to learn about self acceptance. Layla is feisty and can kick some serious tukhus and the back and forth between her and Roth, fantastic.

If you are looking for an ending that will leave you satisfied, you won’t get that with White Hot Kiss but maybe hold out for the second book in the series so you aren’t left completely hanging. The ending isn’t a massive cliffhanger but I was definitely frustrated. I think an ending can be conclusive and left wide open for the story to continue on because having to wait a year for the next book, simply put, blows.

“I lost myself the moment I found you.”

What you can expect is solid writing, great characters and an entertaining story. Definitely enjoyable!!

I loved this book! I was immediately hooked from the beginning. The main character's voice was easy to connect with, and I really liked her. Layla is a half-gargoyle, half-demon young woman living with the Wardens. They've adopted her, treating her like their own. But she's not just a gargoyle. She has demon blood in her, something that she can't come to terms with, something she's been told to suppress. Layla just wants to be normal, to be able to shift, to kiss her crush without stealing his soul. Sometimes, she can be pretty stupid, and naive. I did so many face-palms when she talked. However, I thought her innocence and her character was very endearing. She has a likable personality, and she's just trying to understand her past and who she is. And it's a past that will come back to haunt her and make her question everything.

THE LOVE TRIANGLE
Even though it's a typical trope, I didn't mind it in White Hot Kiss. I ended up really liking Zayne, the totally off-limits hottie. However, I sometimes hated how he treated Layla like a child, like she couldn't do anything besides tag demons. He's protective, I get that. But she needed room to grow, and he was stifling her. And I think that they are better off as friends, but because of everything happening in this book, I was saddened that their relationship sort of tapered off. I want more of their interactions; I missed them after reading Bitter Sweet Love!

And that brings me to Roth. Ooh, I have a thing for fictional bad boys, and Roth was no different. I loved him! He's such a three-dimensional character, and I want to learn more about him in book two, and I have to know if he's okay after that ending! He made me swoon, made me laugh, made me absolutely adore him. He's this BA demon who has a trademark smirk and a dirty comment for everything. Sounds typical, right? I thought so, too. But I really loved how he was more than that, more than just a demon. It's too bad he doesn't make it easy for anyone to trust him, and I was nervous, wondering if he had ulterior motives. But he completely surprised me, and I loved that!

THE PLOT
Like I said, I was pulled in from the beginning. I read Bitter Sweet Love first, but I still wasn't convinced of this series. But I loved the paranormal aspects! It was different, unique, and the idea of these "gargoyles" being real and being protectors was awesome. And I'm glad that the plot was about 50/50 when it came to the romance and paranormal aspects. The romance, and the love triangle, didn't dominate the story-line, and for that I was grateful. I also thought the action scenes were well-done, and the characters were all kickass. I liked where the story-line headed, and I can't wait to see what JLA does in book two, Stone Cold Touch. I'm hoping for more swoons, more action, and more Roth. ;)

This has a cliffhanger, and boy, does it make me want that second book right this minute. I have to know what happens now. I have to see where Jennifer Armentrout takes this series. But more than that, I want to. I want more of these characters, and I want more of this paranormal world.

In-between total swoon-worthy scenes, the characters throw out awesome one-liners, and the suspense and danger is never far from their thoughts. They each held their own weight, and the main character's voice was refreshing in its innocence and curiosity about her identity. White Hot Kiss had everything--a little bit of romance, a little bit of action, and a whole lot of humor. :)

While this book was published by Harlequin Teen (that alone scared me when I realized they had a "teen" department) and has the requisite "hot couple" on the front, the cover doesn't do the story justice.

The front cover connects us to the romances many of our moms read when we were kids (add in shudders to that thought) and this picture leads us to believe that the plot will have "hot-Hot-HOT" scenes galore in the storyline.

On the back cover we get a dramatic summary of "Layla-bug's" situation...can't ever kiss anything with a soul as she will kill it and can't kiss a demon as it's against regulations...which was just too "teen-drama-queen" commentary for me and I avoided reading this as long as possible (I have a stack of 40 books to preview for my "reading shelves" in my classroom). Layla's fate is what will keep or kill humanity??? Highly over-dramatic summary.

The story lies between. Gargoyles and demons...a new realm of fantasy for me...are the good vs bad of this plotline, but inside this fight is Layla. She's a girl with a crush. She's a girl who falls for the new guy. She's a girl with friends who truly do not know her...she's an atypical, typical girl...she's half gargoyle and half demon.

We have the theme of forbidden love (thank you, Shakespeare for providing us with "Romeo and Juliet"), and coming of age/trying to fit in with society.

Overall, I felt it was a good story and a nice beginning to The Dark Elements series. ****SPOILER**** While Layla comes close to doing things the adults do in Harlequin books, she and Roth stop themselves. Roth is banished (so she CAN'T do things with him), and she can't kiss the guy she's always loved as she will kill him if she does. It's a safe read for parents who want to give their kids books they can relate to (crush, desire, fitting in, forbidden love, finding their place...etc...), but not letting them get a play-by-play instruction manual on how to breach the gate, so to speak.

The only real downfall for me was the stereotypical bad-boy "girls-can-change-them" feel of Layla and Roth. Many of us during our coming of age fell for the bad-boy or found someone who, with a little tweaking, could be a "perfect match". Women still feel that way, and while Layla doesn't think those thoughts, the author leads us to hope that the bad-boy does have a heart of gold...even though he tells us he's a demon and he's bad. ****SPOILER**** The bad-boy casts himself into Hell to save Layla (and the world), which then brings the story to the cliche "they can be changed". While I believe in humanity being able to come to terms with who we are and finding the good in ourselves, I think it's a bit of a reach to believe a demon can do that...unless it's a plot twist for the next book in which we find out that Roth is Satan and Layla becomes a nun with her shiny soul and forbidden love for Zayne whom she will kill if she kisses. (That's not the next book...I hope.) My point is a demon SHOULD be beyond help as it is a MINION for darkness...with a demon being finding its humanity, will that set up the next generation of females to believe they can "save" their man if they just try? Therein is the only drawback I found in the story...

Holy.. Moly… Guacamole! I can’t contain my feelings right now. Maybe it’s a bad idea to write a review as soon as I finish a book, but I’m doing it anyway! :)

Layla is half demon, half gargoyle… Okay, Warden. The minute she puts her lips up to yours, your soul is gone. She was adopted to a group of Wardens and raised as a Warden.

Layla tries to fit in even though she knows deep down, she’s still half demon. Wardens kill demons. She has had a massive crush on Zayne, who has been nothing but sweet and a best friend to Layla since she arrived.

Now able to go to school like a normal teenager, she is confronted with the last thing she was never hoping to have contact with… A demon. But this isn’t just any demon… It’s Roth… Swoon-worthy, tattooed, extremely sexy, Roth. But, trusting Roth could mean losing Zayne and her family that she has been so close with for so long.

I was a little nervous about reading a series about gargoyles.. I’ve never come across a book about gargoyles! Ever! So I was a little nervous going into it. I’m really glad I read the novella before picking this up, it really helped explain some things.

Guys, I can’t stress how much I love Jennifer L. Armentrout and the stories she writes! She’s seriously the Queen of Swoon-Worthy Men. Not joking. I haven’t read a book by her yet that doesn’t have a swoon-worthy character… Roth? Check. Daemon? Check. Kyler? Check. Zayne? Check.

Everything about this book was fantastic. The writing was– as always– fantastic. The characters were stunning. The world building was absolutely fantastic! I really wanted a continuation of Dez and Jasmine’s story, but I can definitely settle (not a very good word choice) with Layla’s story because it was absolutely amazing.

I loved Layla! She was such an awesome character. At times, she would start to get annoying, but then I would understand why she was acting the way she did. Roth was wow. Words can’t even describe him. I mean really!? He’s a DEMON. Your supposed to hate him. Ohh wait, not to mention he’s an Upper Level demon. So double hate. Nope. Complete opposite!!

Zayne was adorable, but I would rather go for Roth. He bugged me at one part in the story for a big reason which I can’t say.

But, I have to wait until the end of October to read Stone Cold Touch?! Not cool.

Layla is special. She's half Warden/half Demon. But she's been raised by Wardens at their compound in Washington D.C. She's been taught to suppress her Demon nature even though stealing souls is becoming more and more appealing since she turned seventeen. She's lonely at the compound. Most steer clear of her but a few are outright hateful.
The only Warden she's close to is Zayne, the leader's son. He's always been nice to her growing up and he genuinely cares about her. She also may have a tiny crush on him. It can never be (besides being half Demon she can't get physical with Wardens or humans without sucking out their soul...bummer) but that doesn't stop her jealousy when his chosen mate is around.
For her protection, Layla is pretty much on lockdown at the compound but, surprisingly, she's allowed to attend public school. One day in walks Roth, a hot, cocky, Upper Level Demon and he just won't leave her alone. All of her life Layla's been taught certain things about Demons but after spending time with Roth, he's making her question everything, including when push comes to shove where will Zayne's loyalties lie? Roth has protected her and told her the truth about her existence and he wants her to not be ashamed of what she is. Oh and since he has no soul Layla and Roth have no problem with physical contact. Always a plus.
Roth and Layla work together to solve a mystery but what will her "family" do when they find out? Can a Demon fall in love? I shed a tear when I found out. Great series so far!
FYI - Slight cliffhanger, book two releases in November.

My Review

I love Jennifer L. Armentrout. I always know what I'm going to get when I read one of her books, and that's crazy chemistry and romance. Even in her YA books, you can feel the connection between the romantic characters so clearly and that was definitely the case in this one.

Layla is half demon/half gargoyle, and there's no one else like her. She's been raised by the Wardens, the group of gargoyles responsible for keeping humanity safe from demons. She's always been afraid of hurting them, since when she gets close to and kisses anything with a soul. . .well, bye bye soul. And it also doesn't help that she has the mother of all crushes on Zayne, who's been like a big brother to her all along. So when Roth comes into the picture, a powerful demon who seems to like her, well it's fun to find out what kissings all about since he doesn't have a soul to lose.

I didn't think I was going to like the love triangle aspect of this book, but the characters are really compelling and likeable. This book definitely has Jennifer L. Armentrout's trademark witty banter too which I absolutely love. And you can't go wrong with two gorgeous guys. All in all a really light, fun read that I sped through in one night. Can't wait for the next one!

Quotes

“At some point, Roth had gotten hold of my cell and replaced Zayne's name with Stony and listed his own number under Sexy Beast. What a tool.” - Layla

"Oh, give me a break. You can't say I'm sorry?" "No." He looked me straight on, serious. "It's not in a demon's vocab." That's rich." I rolled my eyes. "Don't even bother trying to say it if you don't mean it." Roth appeared to consider that. "Deal."

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Another incredible book by Jennifer Armentrout. Who knew I could love a demon so much! My heart and tears were shed at the end for Layla. I just need to know he didn't do it for nothing! Anxiously waiting for this series to continue........

Very good development of characters and a new premise.

It's no secret that I love Jennifer L. Armentrout's writing but this series is fantastic and I wish the next book was out already.

If you enjoy supernatural books this book is refreshing and interesting.

I simply adored this book! Fun, sexy, slightly heartbreaking.
The characters are so much fun and well written.
Jennifer Armentrout has a great style of writing
Can't wait for the next book!!!!
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This was a really great book. Jennifer L. Armentrout has done it again with another great series. Layla is half demon, half Warden (gargoyle) and she grew up with the Wardens. The demons, of course, are bad/evil and the Wardens/gargoyles are good. Layla can see humans and Wardens souls and can tell who is purely good and who is really bad. She has the ability to tag demons and then the Wardens can see these tags at night when they are hunting/protecting and take those demons out. She also cannot kiss anything with a soul, otherwise she can suck the soul out of the person/gargolye. Soon after Layla turns 17 years old, demons start coming out of the woodwork trying to get to her. She's part of a prophecy of sort - she can be used to release an evil group of demons that can't be stopped. Enter Roth, he's a demon that says he knows all her secrets and is there to protect her. Layla actually can kiss Roth since he does not have a soul.

I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.

I'm not sure how Jennifer Armentrout does it with every book she writes, but she keeps her readers on the edge of their seats. Her imagination and knowledge base us simply astounding. You would think her character/creature creations were truly roaming in our world. They are so vividly explained with so much detail. I love Zahne and Roth and the power Layla was given in this book. I do hope certain characters make appearances in her future books. It would be a shame to let that piece of hotness disappear.

I enjoyed this humorous and entertaining paranormal young adult novel. There's a love triangle between a gargoyle (warden), a demon and a young woman who is both.

A gargoyle and a demon walk into a bar...(just kidding).

Although there were times when I felt like I'm just too old to be reading this, it's a well written page turner that kept my interest. Roth is definitely my favorite character by far which is not surprising as Jennifer Armentrout is extremely good at writing bad boys. He's a funny and sarcastic demon who makes no apologies for who he is or what he does. The irony is, the soulless demon was the most honest character in this story. Also, he made Zayne, the other love interest, seem boring as hell. My vote is for Roth to get the girl, so far anyway. As far as a relationship goes, she's better off with the demon. She can't even kiss the warden or she'll take his soul.

Why must you leave my heart hurting until October?? This Book was amazing, I flew through it and now I'm left waiting. :(

great balance of romance and action, officially hooked just like I am for the lux series. Great job Jennifer!!!

Highly recommend. Had such a book hangover when this series was over. Don't let the cheesy titles and covers fool you. This series is amazing. And the audiobook performer makes Layla come alive. Favorite series of 2015

I was really excited about the concept of using gargoyles as a character type. Gargoyles tend to get a bad rap in the act world because they are grotesque, scary, and appear to be more evil than good - but perhaps that is just the point. Ms. Armentrout's use of gargoyles lays out the metaphor for inspection - are things always as they appear? or do those which might appear evil actually have good in them, and vice versa?

It was a typical Armentrout lusty love story, which is ok with me, but I really could have used a divergence from the push and pull of the love triangle arrangement...sometimes my poor emotions get so stretched and abused that I need a break.

Bought the kindle edition of this book and couldn't put it down. Literally read it in one sitting. It was very well written, pulled you into Layla's world and kept you intrigued until the very last word. Can't wait for book two.

I love Jennifer Armentrout's writing and she did not disappoint in White Hot Kiss! I got the book earlier today and I didn't put it down until I finished it! Jennifer's concept of gargoyles is a new and different twist in the paranormal genre! The book was packed with action, laugh out loud moments, and romance. Layla, the main character was very relatable as she grew in confidence and strength and the men were hot hot hot! November cannot come soon enough for the next book in the series!

Bought the kindle edition of this book and couldn't put it down. Literally read it in one sitting. It was very well written, pulled you into Layla's world and kept you intrigued until the very last word. Can't wait for book two.

I love Jennifer Armentrout's writing and she did not disappoint in White Hot Kiss! I got the book earlier today and I didn't put it down until I finished it! Jennifer's concept of gargoyles is a new and different twist in the paranormal genre! The book was packed with action, laugh out loud moments, and romance. Layla, the main character was very relatable as she grew in confidence and strength and the men were hot hot hot! November cannot come soon enough for the next book in the series!

I really enjoyed reading this book! It kept you interested with the different twists and turns in the plot. I also liked the heroine, Layla. She was very relatable and strong. Roth on the other hand, wasn't as to die for as Daemon from the Lux series. He said some really goofy stuff, which kinda brought him down in the hotness level. There is brewing of a love triangle between: Roth - Layla - Zayne, which if done right, could be really good and add spice to the story. Everyone should give this one a shot!!

Nail-biting action, pulse-pounding romance and gut-wrenching emotion...it must be a JLA book. And "White Hot Kiss" has all these things in spades. What a fabulously wild trip! I had to go back and read through my favorite parts again to cope with that ending - oh man, it was intense! Now I think I'll listen to "Paradise City", especially now that it has new meaning. How will I make it 'til November?

I LOVE J Lynn / Jennifer Armentrout. Read every single one of her books. This book is really good. Not her best but better than 80% of the trash out there in the supernatural genre. In my opinion out of all her heroins, Layla is the most under developed. She is still likeable but there was definitely something missing for me. I liked the lead men. Both great characters. However, I feel like I read this story somewhere else. Or something similar to it. Especially the parts with Layla and Zayne. Anyways, not her best work but still a good read.

I absolutely love Jennifer l Armentrout..From the first time I read her book Wait for you ....now to this series she is absolutely an amazing writer n everyone should read her books also I can't wait for the next book!!!

I remember feeling the same way about the first book in JLA's Lux series. WHK was different and it was a little slow to start off. Again, I felt the same way about the Obsidian. However, I know JLA. (Not personally. I wish! Think we'd be BFF.)

I was def hooked by the end of WHK. Roth!!!!!

I will be looking forward to book two in the series. I'm sure the rest of the series will all be 5 star reads!! It is JLA, of course!!!!