White Hot Kiss

Dark Elements, Book 1

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

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!

Very good story with inconsistant vocals

Where does White Hot Kiss rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Somewhere in the middle of the pack

What was one of the most memorable moments of White Hot Kiss?

Roth's sacrifice out of love

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

mostly

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Most of the time, the lines are blurred.

Any additional comments?

In the case of The Dark Elements, narrator Saskia Maarleveld has a bit of trouble keeping the character voices defined.

For example, Roth has a mostly normal voice, but the essence of the voice changes unexpectedly. Whether growling, or whispering, the voice should be recognizable as his. The same problem exists with the voice of Zane. While I realize that an individual's voice sometimes changes in modulation, the tone of the voice used should still sound like the same character.

This is a problem throughout the book, and it effects all the male voices. For the most part, she does an excellent job with the female voices, and I have to say that all of the male voices do sound decidedly male. If she works a bit more, focusing on consistency for each characters voice, she has the potential to become very good.

I love Roth, but Bambi is life

Series • Supernatural • Gargoyles • Love triangle • Good VS Evil

In prep for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s new release Storm and Fury, I am listening since JLA release of Storm and Fury is almost upon us. It’s been fun seeing all the things Bambi got up to with Layla, Roth and Zane. I love how fiercely protective she is, of those she loves. I believe Bambi is the biggest heroine of the story.

White Hot Kiss is the beginning of Layla, Roth and Zane story. Layla is half warden, half demon in search for acceptance in a world that is not forgiving to those who don’t fit into the clearly black and white labeled boxes. What I love the most about Layla’s story, is that she has depth in a very light way, because this is not a heavy read. All her life Layla has been taught an unchangeable set rules, until one day she is faced with an unpopular retelling of her story and see is forced to see beyond what she has been taught and make her own choices without following blindly into her black and white upbringing.

Roth is our BBH (bad boy hero), arrogant, protective and a gardener. It doesn’t get more swoon worthy than that. Yes, I am #TeamRoth all the way! And then there is Zane the childhood friend, confidant, warden, and Layla’s forbidden crush.
If you are looking for a fun read full of gargoyles and demons with cutesy banter, this might be a good read for you.

Captivating!!

Great read!! This book kept my curiosity as to what was going to happen next. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. Refreshing!

Excellent Series Read by My Favorite Narrator

If you could sum up White Hot Kiss in three words, what would they be?

What a Thrill!

What did you like best about this story?

Roth, Roth, ..... Zayne, Roth..... ok some more Zayne. What can I say?! Those boys are perfect!

Which scene was your favorite?

There are far too many to pick just one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I absolutely finished this series in one sitting. I could not stop!

Any additional comments?

Love triangles can certainly be frustrating at times, but this series is the exception. Just wow. This series has completely blown me away as I'm about to finish the final installment. I have cried (more than I'd like to admit), laughed, and I have grown to love these characters so profoundly! I don't want it to be over!

Pleasantly Surprised

It’s been awhile since I have listened or read a YA book. However, something grabbed my attention with this book so I gave it a chance. I’m glad I did! I love the Gargoyle and demon storyline and making Layla half and half, pretty brilliant! As for the performance. It always take me a bit to get used to the actors different voices; however, this took a little longer. To me there wasn’t really any difference between Zayne and Roth. The guys voices just to me were really all the same with exception to two of them. I forget their names... I think is Peter (the guy she took his soul) and that southern demon. The southern demon made me laugh the way she read it. A good laugh! So, I do recommend this book to anyone who loves Paranormal Romances. Adult or teen because it is a great storyline. Only reason it did not get 5 stars is because of the teenager lingo. It was a little over the top cheesy.

Good series although not nearly as good as her later works.

I am a huge fan of the “From Blood and Ash” and “Flesh and Fire” seriess by Armentrout and was hoping to at least find something to keep me occupied while I weight for the next books in those seriess to be released. And “Dark Elements” and the sequel series “The Harbinger” did at least do that. As someone who has been trying to wright their own book for a few years now, I can really appreciate just how far Jennifer L. Armentrout’s skill has developed over the years. As far as I can tell this was one of the first, if not the first series, that she ever wrote. If you are already a fan of Armentrout’s other works I highly recommend that you take a look at the release dates and keep in mind that her skill and writing style grow in secession. This series, especially the first 1-2 books, could very easily be called a Twilight rewrite with Gargoyles and Demons instead of Vampires and Werewolves. With a very similar love triangle but the interpersonal struggle that Layla faces is a lot better than just Bella’s depression. If you are a fan of Twilight then you will Love these books and will enjoy reading each of Armentrout’s books in the order that they were published!!

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.