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.
Recently I had the pleasure to enter to the new magical world that Jennifer L. Armentrout wrote thanks to Lisa from Harlequin Teen. And I am more than grateful, because Ms. Armentrout is an amazing writer and she proves it once again with White Hot Kiss. Not only she created an amazing story worth of a series of books that would leave you wanting for more, but a dark and dangerous romance, forbidden love, an adventure that if they fail it would set loose the Apocalypse and an unbelievable, heart-breaking and astonishing ending.
White Hot Kiss has the very signature of Ms. Armentrout, because it reminded me a little bit of the Lux Series, but not quite the same. Well, not at all. In this series, the gargoyles who protect the humans from the demons. But these past years, the increase of demons in the human world made the gargoyles go public.
Layla works with the wardens, also her family, marking demons for them to make their work easier. Meeting Roth in the process was not planned. He turns her world up side down and makes her doubt everything she knew. However, what started as a job for Roth and a merely curiosity for Layla turns out to be a dangerous path that could destroy everything.
Layla's world is dark, intense, dangerous and simply addictive. I was addicted with her story from the very first page and didn't want to finish it. The story has the two perfects factions of good and evil: wardens and demons. However, throughout the story, there's a point when those lines are blurred and the author makes you doubt in which side you are really on.
Jennifer L. Armentrout's characters are simply amazing. The main character, Layla is one of Armentrout's heroines, but with a dark side. Being part demon and part warden is not easy and the character has some difficult moments that made her be kind of insecure and doubt everything. Despite this, she's also funny and has a peculiar humor that made me laugh all the time. Plus her badass side brought a little action in the perfect situations.
Roth is the perfect representation of a bad guy: he is dangerous, badass and has this "I-am-always-right" attitude characteristic from other famous bad boys like Klaus Mikaelson and Damon Salvatore. Even if you always like more the good guy, Roth will steal your heart. He always reminds Layla what he's, but he has some sweet moments that shows us that he really cares for Layla and that simply melt my heart.
Zayne's the good boy in this love triangle. He's shown as that boy next door that always takes care of the girl, protecting her like a brother. And that simply makes the girl fall, head over heels, for him. Since Layla and Zayne grew up together, they are like brothers, have this great connection and chemistry that is only shown in a couple that's comfortable around each other. Despite this, I'm simply glad that Layla was not hitting on her "brother". That would be beyond awkward. But I wouldn't mind having a "brother" like Zayne (you know what I mean *wink, wink*).
I would venture to say that Zayne, Roth and Layla are one of my favorite love triangles, not only for its level of hotness and great chemistry, but because they are simply epic.
One one hand we have the good Zayne, trying to protect and save Layla all the time. He's the golden boy. As for Roth, he's the bad guy who turns out to be good after all, but without denying what he really is. I liked the fact that he warns Layla about being soulless and because of that he cannot feel love. The impossible love, plus the forbidden touch because of Roth being a demon, was one of the main reasons that made me choose Roth over Zayne.
The story has a good plot and the unraveling secrets that we get to know while reading Layla's discovers are shocking as well as new for the readers. Not at all expected, and that's one of the things that makes the reader addicted to know more.
As for the paranormal touch in White Hot Kiss, I would have never imagined to have such a crush on both demons and wardens, but I have it now. The author brings dangerous, good and sexy together and with a slightly Supernatural (TV Show) touch creating a paranormal story in which the fate of the world is involved.
Finishing White Hot Kiss was the hardest part for me. Not that it was difficult because it was bad, but because I didn't want it to end. And saying that it broke my heart to read those last chapters, is not nearly enough to the actual heart-breaking I felt. I like that about Jennifer's story: always the unexpected can happen and those situations that you think "no, that's too cruel to happen" it does. So, I would only say that she left a big open finale that would make The Dark Elements fans scream for the second book. Am I one of those fans? How do you dare question that. Of course, I am!
Jennifer L. Armentrout has the great ability to swoon readers and captivate them with her stories and The Dark Elements is simply a reminder of that. With new mind-blowing characters and an incredible story that would leave you speechless, White Hot Kiss not only was an incredible and epic read, it exceeded my expectations. And the only thing that would be left in White Hot Kiss would a warning sign: "Warning, this story might be addictive."
I highly recommend this book, as in "leave-everything-you're-doing-and-start-now", and that's one of the main reasons White Hot Kiss won a well-deserved five gorjuss dolls.
Alex Pettyfer as Zayne
Claire Holt as Layla
Jordan Legault as Roth
# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.
All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.
Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.
She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.
Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
