Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Stone Cold Touch (Dark Elements #2)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Release Date: October 21, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Every touch has its price

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…

I don't really know that there's anything new about Jennifer L. Armentrout that I can say. With every book of her's that I read, it just confirms that she's one of my favourite authors. I was really excited about reading Stone Cold Touch when I got a copy at BEA and I'm surprised that I waited this long to finally read it. But I'm SO HAPPY to have finally read it. 

For the last few weeks, Layla has been trying to pick up the pieces of her heart. After everything that happened in the school's old gym, she isn't sure how to go on anymore. Roth was the only person Layla could truly be herself around. With him she could embrace her demon side without feeling ashamed. But now Roth is gone, burning in the fiery pits of Hell. The only person left on Layla's side is Zayne. Her completely off-limits best friend. The person who's always been there for her. But things seem to be changing with Zayne. All of a sudden, he seems to be seeing Layla as more than just a little sister. But that's not the only thing changing around Layla. Her powers are changing, the Wardens are convinced she might be becoming a threat. And when she least expects it, Roth returns.

So. Stone Cold Touch. What can I say, other than I loved it? I'll do my best to say a little more than that, because it's not entirely helpful. Here's the thing about me and series, I have trouble keeping up with them. No matter how much I love them, I can't bring myself to keep up with them. And then when it's the second book in a trilogy, I'm always afraid it's just going to act as filler to tide me over until the last book. But that was far from a problem with Stone Cold Touch. The story picks up shortly after the event of the first book, and as a reader, you're thrown right back into the middle of it. Much like in the first book, the nature of many of the characters made it difficult to know who I could trust, and who was actually telling the truth. Every so often I would think I had caught one of them in a lie, but then something new would be brought to light and I was back to being confused. But confused in a good way. And once again, the ending took me completely by surprise. I kinda figured something big was going to happen. Jennifer L. Armentrout had actually told me as much when I met her at BEA, but I didn't think that was going to be it. Needless to say, I'm excited to see where things are going to go in the final book.

After having read Stone Cold Touch, I still love Layla just as much, if not more, than I did after I finished reading White Hot Kiss. The world just seems to be against her no matter what she does, and I can't help but want better for her. I felt her pain at losing Roth. Hell, I was not a happy person when Roth ended up in the fiery pits in the first book. And I felt her struggle with her feelings for Zayne, wanting more, but always being afraid that it would result in her getting hurt. I just want GOOD stuff to happen to Layla, but at the rate things are going that might not happen for a while. And now here's the thing about Zayne and Roth. Once, again I kept going back and forth between the two. This time around, I definitely got to see a whole lot more of Zayne. Basically, I got to see a whole other side of him and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it. Meanwhile, Roth was being kind of annoying but kept on doing these little things that made me love him. It's just hard to choose between the two. Which leads me to say that as much as I was doubtful of having readers pick who Layla ends up with in the final book (more info on that here), I can see how it might work because I honestly can't decide on who I want her with. Both boys have their flaws and their merits and I love them both for completely different reasons. And maybe we can just clone Layla so she can be with both boys and no one gets their heart broken. How does that sound?

So yeah, I loved Jennifer L. Armentrout's Stone Cold Touch. Is anyone who knows me actually surprised by that fact? I didn't think so. I was definitely not disappointed by this second installment of the Dark Elements trilogy, and I can't wait to see how it will all end in Every Last Breath.

Cover Reveal - Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

It's Time!! The STONE COLD TOUCH cover is here!

We cannot wait to share the cover for Jennifer L. Armentrout's STONE COLD TOUCH with you all! STONE COLD TOUCH is a young adult paranormal romance by Jennifer L. Armentrout and is the second full-length novel in The Dark Elements Series being published by Harlequin Teen. You'll want to add this to your TBR pile ASAP. Check out this amazing cover!    

Isn't it awesome?! You can Pre-order it right now!

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STONE COLD TOUCH Synopsis: 

Every touch has its price Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could. But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay… 

"Constantly entertaining...the narrative sizzles with as much tension as romance." —Kirkus Reviews on White Hot Kiss

And...Don't forget to check out the first book in The Dark Elements Series,

WHITE HOT KISS!

ABOUT WHITE HOT KISS:

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.

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About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY 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.

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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. 

Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Bitter Sweet Love (Dark Elements #0.5)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Release Date: December 1, 2013

Source: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon / Indigo

In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series THE DARK ELEMENTS, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.

Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny--fending off demons and maintaining balance between good and evil. He was her everything…right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally. 

And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart--or shatter it all over again…

By this point, I will read anything that Jennifer L. Armentrout writes. In my personal opinion, she can do no wrong, and unless she somehow starts doing wrong, I will keep reading her books. As predicted, Bitter Sweet Love was a great introduction to her new Dark Elements series, and I loved reading it.

Jasmine has spent the last three years trying to move on from her best friend, Dez. Right when she things she might finally be over him abandoning her with no explanation, Dez walks right back into her life. And on top of it all, he wants Jasmine to be his mate. All the feelings Jas thought had disappeared come rushing back. But this time around, she's not taking any risks: Jas is giving Dez seven days to meet all of her conditions. At the end of those seven days, maybe Jas will be ready to risk it all and say yes to Dez.

I'm not usually one for novellas, but every so often I decide to give one a shot. Add to that the fact that this particular novella was written by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and that's all the push I needed. Bitter Sweet Love was a great introduction to Armentrout's new series, The Dark Elements. As I could have predicted before I even started reading, I knew that this particular story would get me hooked on this new world. Gargoyles is definitely something that hasn't been done before in YA, and it has me completely intrigued. This novella helped set the stage. It introduced us to the world of Wardens, giving readers a small glimpse of what's to come in this new series. 

Some of the characters were also intro ducted. Granted Bitter Sweet Love focused on Jasmine and Dez, but we did get to see Layla and Zayne, the two main characters of the upcoming White Hot Kiss. Ann though the rest of the story won't be focused on them, I hope we'll still be able to catch glimpses of Jasmine and Dez. Despite how brief it was, I loved getting to know them and I got a little attached. But judging from what I saw in Bitter Sweet Love, I should still be able to see them in future books.

Jennifer L. Armentrout's Bitter Sweet Love did what it was supposed to do: it set the stage for the rest of the sees and got me excited about the future Dark Elements books. If you are eagerly awaiting the release of White Hot Kiss, I recommend you read Bitter Sweet Love to get a taste of what's to come.