White Hot Kiss

Dark Elements, Book 1

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

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.

©2014 Jennifer L. Armentrout (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Intense, well plotted, and very readable, this title should fly into the hands of every paranormal reader out there." (Booklist)

Exciting

Read it and listened to the audio book. It keeps you wanting to flip the pages.

So good!

I loved this story it was full on, non stop! I listened to this book years ago and it just got better the second time! See you in a bit I am on book 2 now!

Saskia your narration was fantastic!

Sexy without smut

Layla doesn’t really fit in anywhere. Half demon, half warden, she’s the only known one of her kind. Raised by the wardens, she believes that the other, darker side of her is evil and must be hidden from all she loves. Especially Zayne, the gorgeous warden she’s been crushing on her whole life. That is, until she meets Roth. The tattooed, sinfully hot demon is nothing like she expected. Soon, Layla is questioning everything she’s been raised to believe, and uncovering secrets the likes of which could bring about the end of the world.

Jennifer Armentrout has done it again. She’s created larger than life, passionate characters that are unique and charming in their own rights. She knows how to sexy it up - without the smut, and this novel is steaming! Roth is incredibly hot with his wit and cocky attitude. This is one author who knows how to create the perfect BBBB (bad boy book boyfriend)! Zayne is sweet and protective. Layla is strong, unconsciously hot and yet a little bit of a damsel in distress.

The fantasy world Armentrout has created is intriguing. She’s put a spin on the good versus evil premise and managed to make me fall in love with both sides, creating the perfect amount of inner reader conflict in this fantastic love triangle. The action was fast-paced and had me on the edge of my seat for most of the story.

I LOVE this series and can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Heartbreaking

I hope to see Roth again in future books it’s sad to think he’s really gone

Awesome narrator! Love love Armentrout!

Armentrout never disappoints! Can't wait to start Stone Cold Touch! The narrator gave each voice a distinction. Love her too!

Everyone Loves Roth

I listened to the Harbinger Series first, then circled back around to this one. Roth is the demon with the most. I like how he is voiced in this series better than the spin off. He is playful and doesn’t take serious things very serious at all. Dark but not brooding. Truthful because he has no reason to lie. He is a very good book boyfriend.

The series is YA, so yeah, of course it’s going to sound like a bunch of emotionally immature teenagers. That’s part of the fresh charm of it. Those days of first kisses are so fleeting, but here is a place they will live forever. JLA captures the essence of innocence so well, and then builds an alter to it. A fitting message and tone for young people.

I’d like to see this series get the Twilight treatment. A film for each book. But who could play our bad boy? It’s a difficult role to nail, which is testament to the author’s talent. Roth seems simple but is actually fairly complex.

Saskia does an incredible job at telling this story. I could see she was totally invested. I could also see she didn’t like the characters I didn’t like, and she voiced them in ways that made them even more unlikeable.

JLA come back to us please. A few things have been released by you, but not nearly enough. I hope you are doing well. Much love ❤️.

Very Good Book

I love this book I just don't like the fact that Layla is so weak for a Demon..I do hope she gets more back bone in the second book

I think I am going to love Roth

I love all books by JLA, this series is another favorite of mine, I certainly will be looking forward for more books. This one had me from page one and didn't let me go till the end, and even after I still want more and more.

This book left me completely torn.

It's been fun to learn about gargoyles. I hope we get to see more in the next book.

4 stars

This is about another couple from whom we met in the novella "Bitter Sweet Love". While I didn't get the same gitty feeling fom the first couple, this is still a decent YA Paranormal read and had a few twists that I didn't see coming. Of course Saskia did a amazing job.