White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: HarlquinTEEN

Release Date: February 25, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

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 it, 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.

Once again, Jennifer L. Armentrout has made me fall in love with a story she wrote and characters she brought to life. I loved every moment of White Hot Kiss and I honestly can't wait to find out more about this world.

Despite having grown up among the Wardens, Layla has never really felt like she fit in. Sure, she's half-Warden, but Layla's other half is demon, the very thing Wardens were created to destroy. And that xeon half is what's preventing Layla from ever being able to kiss a boy, because to do so would result in said boy losing his soul. At least Zayne has always treated Layla like a Warden, making Layla crush on him even harder. Too bad Zayne only sees Layla as a sister. When Roth, a gorgeous demon, shows up in Layla's school, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him. Roth claims he knows the secrets of Layla's demon half, drawing her in even further. Layla knows she should stay away and tell the Wardens about Roth, but the attraction is undeniable. Trusting Roth could mean losing everything, but with Roth, Layla feels stronger than she's ever felt.

There's not much left that I haven't said in praise of Jennifer L. Armentrout. I have yet to read anything she has written that I haven't loved. And that streak continues with White Hot Kiss. What was there not to love? For starters, it was different from other paranormal YAs out there. Unless I'm mistaken, gargoyles haven't been done before in YA. The mythology and the world of Wardens was interesting to read about and made for a compelling story. I got sucked into the story and the world right from the start. It helped that there was a lot going on in the story and it kept me guessing. The nature of some of the characters made it so it was difficult to trust them. But at the same time, my need to know the truth made it so I would just keep reading. And the ending pretty much guaranteed that I would be begging for the sequel. Oh, and of course there was plenty of the romance Jennifer L. Armentrout has come to be known for.

I loved Layla. It was really fun to read her story and find out everything at the same time as she did. But I also really felt for her because it seemed like people were always holding something back from her because of what she was. And it must have been quite the challenge, balancing Zayne and Roth. Usually, I can say that I like one boy better than the other, but don't ask me to choose between Zayne and Roth because I really can't. The whole time I was reading White Hot Kiss I kept going back and forth between the two. Zayne had always been there for Layla and treated her like a Warden. Around Roth, Layla was able to be who she really was and not worry about her demon half. But both also did things that made me question their motives. And then I got to the end of the story and both Roth and Zayne were causing me to yell at the book because STUFF was going down. And made me love BOTH boys very much.

Once again, Jennifer L. Armentrout did not disappoint. White Hot Kiss is an engrossing story filled with swoon-worthy guys, romance, twists, and did I mention swoon-worthy guys? Needless to say, I am now desperate to read the sequel, Stone Cold Touch.