Review Detail

I love, love, love Jennifer Armentrout’s Lux series. She made me fall in love with uber hot and cocky Daemon. And, she made me cheer for strong, yet vulnerable Katy. She stunned me with the betrayals and left me guessing about what happens next.

Well guess what? She did it again with her new book White Hot Kiss!

This book is part of The Dark Elements series and it delivers everything I loved in the Lux series but differently. It has a unique world setting with gargoyles and demons. There is mystery and danger. And, of course, romance, between Roth, a smoldering teenage demon, and Layla his love interest. Watch out Daemon. This new bad boy demon burns up the pages!

Pros
The world setting of this book is unique—gargoyles and demons are at war with each other. We are told gargoyles are the good guys and demons are the bad guys. But wait. Are they? Well, no. Like in the Lux series, its not clear and this makes JLD’s books unique and kept me guessing.
I said earlier the main characters are Layla and Roth. Layla is half gargoyle and half demon, and thinks this makes her half good and half bad. I really liked Layla and suffered with her during her demon cravings and when others in her gargoyle family treated her like an outcast. Can you imagine living in a household where everyone regards you as a dangerous viper that you don’t want to get too close to?

Luckily, Layla meets bad boy Roth, a powerful demon who oozes sex appeal, names his “pets” after Disney characters and wants to be her protector. Roth rivals Daemon on the hotness scale with the right blend of cocky, snarkiness, and vulnerability. I loved that Jennifer portrayed Roth, not brooding or dark, but as a boy hell-bent on having fun. Listening to loud music and driving a Porsche like a mad man. And he encourages Layla to embrace herself and have fun right along with him.

The third major character is Zane, the sexy gargoyle, who is like a brother, and who Layla crushes on but can’t get close to. Zane is kind and handsome but he doesn’t stand a chance compared to Roth. Also Zane spouts gargoyle propaganda to Layla making her feel bad about her demon blood. To me, it seems Zane gives in to his father’s demands too easily, like he has no opinion of his own, and which sometimes hurts Layla in directly. He just is too vanilla next to Roth who is like rich chocolate.
The book took me through a range of emotions. At times, I felt sad and angry when Layla was treated badly by the gargoyles, excited when she went out with Roth on adventures, and happy during their romance scenes. The ending is a cliffhanger and you will need Kleenex but read the cover blurb for the third book, Stone Cold Touch, due out this fall and you won’t feel so bad. ;)

Cons
Only downside? It is a series, so there is a cliffhanger ending and you have to wait till this fall to read the next book!

My advice? Buy it now!