I've seen some great reviews and I thought....well, I think I knew from the cover that this book and I weren't going to get along too well.

First, the cover makes me cringe. I have a teenager and a tween and NEITHER of them want their mom carrying around a book called White Hot Kiss with a near naked couple on the front while I pick up them and their friends and cart them everywhere.

Second, I found Layla to be completely annoying. She felt stereotypical teenager - something I find more to be an exception to the rule than the norm. She was whiny and annoying and her friends were all filled with lust and talking about male packages and making babies. I found every innuendo Roth made to either be gag-worthy or worth an eye roll at the very least. Flip this to adults or at least college kids and I'm cool with it.

But I did like the idea of the demon thing and a lot of the plot/surrounding information was interesting. I also didn't hate the gargoyle aspect either - although I didn't love it either.

all in all, I think it's time this series and I part ways. ( )

What I Loved

It’s hard to me to describe what I love with this series because it’s actually pretty cheesy and has A LOT of YA book tropes in it. If I had to take a guess I’d say it’s the idea that because it follows so many tropes, I know it’s a reliable book. I know that author is going to give me exactly what I want. I know that there will be an epic romance no matter how predictable it is. I think in this case, I like how predictable the book is. I like knowing that the super hot bad boy is going to end up with the girl who doesn’t know how important she is. Also I think this author is really great at writing these kinds of romances which is probably a big reason why I stick around.

I’m not saying that the book is bad. I actually really liked it. I especially like how great Jennifer is at creating these weird kinds of supernatural creatures like the Gargoyles. Who else would have thought to humanize them like she did?! She’s also really great at blurring the lines between good and evil. The good aren’t always who you think they are and all of us have a little evil in us somewhere.

What I Didn't Love

I could have used a little more originality with this whole series. I know I said I liked the predictability but I would have liked to see something different with the ending at least. The love triangle reminded me a lot of Twilight too which I could have used without. It was a good series but nothing spectacular.

Who I'd Recommend To

I’d recommend this to people who are happy reading the typical paranormal fantasy books. It was good for a nice easy read though. ( )

Loved the book! Can't wait to get my hands on the next one. The character building was amazing and while Roth irked me a bit in the beginning I soon fell in love with him and cried at the end. ( )

This book is a bit clunky, but still a good read. The world is interesting and I really like Roth. I will eventually read the next book in this series. ( )

Okay guys I'm going to have a really unpopular opinion right now and don't burn me at the stake for it.

I love Armentrout. Which is to say--her Lux books are enjoyable, fast paced thrill rides. They are the perfect "I need something to reaffirm why I enjoy reading" books because (by in large) Armentrout makes me feel for the characters. They're not Jane Austen nor are they Anne McCaffrey, they are however books that draw readers in and (for the most part) feature characters who make mistakes and learn their consequences, but don't give up.

Armentrout as a person has--from the few times I've met/talked with her and the stories I've heard--come across as a wonderful, warm and inviting author.

What I've found, when reading any books not set in the Lux universe that she's written, is that I just can't get into the premise/characters. It doesn't matter if its one of her young adult paranormals, her adult contemporaries or her urban fantasies--they just don't grab me. WHITE HOT KISS however seemed on track to break that curse. I like Gargoyles. I really do. I loved the TV show and way back when I first read The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury I liked that character the best.

I found however that while Layla and Roth and Zayne were all rather interesting separate from each other, together I wanted to murder the lot of them. In a rare fit of "nonono" I don't want any romance. None. I found myself getting frustrated with Layla. Yes its great that Roth being demon means she can make out with him. Yes its wonderful that he is willing, very willing, to let her use him (essentially). Oh it sucks for Zayne who is so conflicted. I could give a flying monkey for it all.

When Layla was the best was when she was either telling them to behave like the respectable Warden and Demon that they were and get their heads in the game. When she was fighting her hardest to come to terms with her dual nature and finding some balance so she can feel accepted. Her vulnerable moments when its all gets so frustrating and her excited moments when she figures something out.

Layla who wanted a self that could belong was the Layla I related to.

Layla who was conflicted about her attraction to the guy she shouldn't want, but can have kissy-face with and the guy she shouldn't want and can't have kissy-face with but hits all her emotional buttons...that Layla bored me.

The ending, which I won't spoil here, interested me in that it represented a problem. Emotionally speaking if Armentrout had made this a one or two book series and did the virtually unheard of in YA fiction thing by letting lying dogs stay down, then either a) dealt with the consequences of that in book 2 or b) made it clear that Layla would dedicate herself to honoring what happened, but not ANGST over it...I would have reacted differently.

As it stands I'm sort of like 'smh no no no' I am not a fan of drawn out triangles. Especially if there are good points and bad points to being with either guy. And in YA paranormal fiction its gotten to the point where you can't have a romance without it. At least in the traditionally published books. Not so traditionally published authors are more then happy to murder their darlings in order to make it clear that romance is not the end all of life.

So as I said, unpopular opinion is mine (its worth noting there was no real "triangle" in the Lux books - Katy and Daemon were pretty much solid city even with the brief book 2 sort of wannabe suitor.) I'm sure this appeals to her fans and will bring in a whole cascade of new readers (maybe this will enable her to write more Arum books...). It just unfortunately did not work for me. ( )

Prachtig verhaal over demonen en wachters.
Layla ontdekt wie/wat ze werkelijk is en wie haar ouders zijn.
Met de nodige valkuilen en probleem leert ze haar beide kanten te aanvaarden. ( )

I flew through this book. If it wasn't dead week I would have stayed awake until I finished it, unfortunately, I had to get up to tutor early this morning. But it's okay because I have now finished it and I really need to read the next one.

The premise of this novel is really weird and because of that I almost didn't read it. Don't make the same mistake that I made for the last few years. After picking it up on a whim because I saw it on Hoopla, I immediately fell in love. Basically, this book is about a girl (Layla) who is half demon and half 'Warden'. Wardens look like normal humans with pale blue eyes until they shift. Then they look like badass gargoyles complete with horns and claws. Humans know about the Wardens but not about the demons. To keep the demons in check, the Wardens fight them and send them back to Hell when needed. Layla was adopted by a Warden clan based in D.C. and like with most YA paranormal romance novels, is completely in love with one of the Wardens, his name is Zayne. But it can't be because as a half demon, she accidentally will suck the souls out of anyone that she kisses. This leads to a lot of angst. Also, of course, there is a love triangle between Layla, Zayne, and Roth (a hot demon). It's a fun ride.

Things I loved: the characters, the love triangle, the angst, the fantastical elements, urban style fantasy, the gargoyle element was very unique, Layla's progression as a character, and the humor in general

Things I didn't love: it made no sense to me why humans could know about Wardens but not demons

I will definitely be picking up the second one as soon as finals are over. ( )

I flew through this book. If it wasn't dead week I would have stayed awake until I finished it, unfortunately, I had to get up to tutor early this morning. But it's okay because I have now finished it and I really need to read the next one.

The premise of this novel is really weird and because of that I almost didn't read it. Don't make the same mistake that I made for the last few years. After picking it up on a whim because I saw it on Hoopla, I immediately fell in love. Basically, this book is about a girl (Layla) who is half demon and half 'Warden'. Wardens look like normal humans with pale blue eyes until they shift. Then they look like badass gargoyles complete with horns and claws. Humans know about the Wardens but not about the demons. To keep the demons in check, the Wardens fight them and send them back to Hell when needed. Layla was adopted by a Warden clan based in D.C. and like with most YA paranormal romance novels, is completely in love with one of the Wardens, his name is Zayne. But it can't be because as a half demon, she accidentally will suck the souls out of anyone that she kisses. This leads to a lot of angst. Also, of course, there is a love triangle between Layla, Zayne, and Roth (a hot demon). It's a fun ride.

Things I loved: the characters, the love triangle, the angst, the fantastical elements, urban style fantasy, the gargoyle element was very unique, Layla's progression as a character, and the humor in general

Things I didn't love: it made no sense to me why humans could know about Wardens but not demons

I will definitely be picking up the second one as soon as finals are over. ( )

Many, many years ago I saw this book at a local Wal-Mart and had one of those "OMG I NEED IT" moments. I bought this book, put it on a bookshelf, buried it in said bookshelf, and then lost it until I reorganized my entire house. When I reorganized all of my books I decided to put this book on the "Read Next" physical shelf. WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER?!

Seriously, this book is an absolute GEM and I'm hitting myself (figuratively speaking) for not reading it sooner. It's everything I love in a YA - potential love triangle, crazy fantasy, typical friend and families woes - and it has an epic cover! It was a home run! It hit it out of the park! It was the best YA book I've read in a good while! I loved every second of it! And gosh darnit I need the next book and I don't have it!

On top of all of that, my friends have been telling me for years to read books by Jennifer L. Armentrout and THEY WERE RIGHT!

So, let's get down to business....

The positives:
Gargoyles. Yes, you heard me right. FREAKING GARGOYLES. If there's one set of monsters I haven't read about in my reading life, it's them! We have people who turn into gargoyles - so right off the bat I'm impressed because it's something different. Then you have to throw in the demons who are the greatest foes of said gargoyle people. Now, before you get all excited over this, the gargoyles change forms like a shapeshifter so they do survive out in public. But, the public also know about gargoyles? It's kind of confusing for me, but she makes it work.

I liked that this book had lots of romance and flirting it in. I love a good romance story! There's just enough action and adventure to keep the plot going - so it felt like a good mix.

On an even brighter note, Jennifer has an amazing writing style and tone. I got addicted to this book SO FAST that it was unbelievable. I couldn't put it down and it was almost making me mad! It's a great story to binge! I absolutely want to read the rest of this series and whatever else Jennifer spits out of that brilliant mind of hers.

And then there's Roth. He's super hot, he's funny, he's slightly inappropriately and I love him. Zayne kinda bores me but whatever. We've got two hot guys and I have already picked my side! Also... Bambi. A giant snake tattoo demon creature. Yup, this book is that cool.

The negatives:
In typical YA fashion, the heroine is the master of the universe. She's the special one everyone's been waiting for. Am I tired of this trope? Yup. Did the story suffer because of it? Nope! So, essentially, it doesn't really affect the story at all but I did get a little judgey because OF COURSE she's the answer to everyone's problem.

The virgin side of the story had me feeling cringy and icky. When your adoption/step father like figure starts talking about your sex life and not in a "Birds and the Bees" or "Stay Safe" kind of way, I always get creeped out. I get that's apart of the prophecy in this story but... EW!

Additionally... there is a fair bit of slut shaming and women against women vibes. I hope that disappears in the next book but... ya never know.

Overall, I think this was a fun YA ride. I don't take it to be some seriously, Oscar-winning drama book but I don't think we're meant to. It's a lot of fun and whisked me away from my real world for a few hours.

Five out of five stars! ( )

Jennifer L. Armentrout is amazing. How all of her books are so good is a miracle. She has also yet to stop messing with my feels. I'm mean seriously, that ending. Roth! When is the next one coming out?! *flails* ( )

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. ( )

Highly recommended by daughter-in-law, Heidi, and granddaughter, Amber.

FROM AMAZON: 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. ( )

Every once in a while I want to read a guilty pleasures book so I grabbed White Hot Kiss when it showed up as an Amazon Prime choice. It's full of YA tropes: the heroine girl who's never had a boyfriend, the two rivals who fight over her (one 'good', one 'bad'), the apocalypse, etc. At the same time, Ms. Armentrout manages to bring some fresh ideas that kept me interested despite the many plot holes.
I really liked her Blood and Ash series (I have the 3rd book on preorder), so I took a chance on this paranormal. The gargoyle idea, or the Wardens, never became fully developed; people know about them but not what they do? I did like the demons and how Roth explains that they're not all bad despite the Wardens wiping them out on a nightly basis. There were some good moments but nothing especially startling or new, although I liked the tattoos being familiars idea. ( )

objectively i don't think this is one of jla's better written books- i'm also reading it 5 years after publication so she has grown and changed a lot in this time. i struggled with the pacing, repetitiveness and predicability of some of the twists in this whole series BUT layla, roth, zane, desmond, etc were all incredibly well written characters who I cherished so the 3 stars is really for them more than the plot. also bambi an absolute queen. amazing. ( )

I have no clue why, but it has taken me forever to get into this one. I seriously have picked this up around six times and did not get past the first few pages before putting it down. I finally started it and ended up flying through this.

Was this my favorite JLA? No, but I still enjoyed it for what it was. I really liked the story the more it went on. I was expecting more New Adult, but did not realize this is definitely Young Adult. At times I was loving the story and others I was bored.
Overall, this was ok. I am not really sure if I will continue on or not. ( )

If I were to compare this to "The Convenant" series, I will say that I'm very disappointed with this book. First and foremost, the guy that the main character has a crush on actually went out with the mate that his father approved of. AND he told the 'supposed mate' a lot of things about Layla claiming that he's asking her to look out for Layla. So he's a big NO NO for me. I couldn't bring myself to read the next book although I do want to know what's going to happen to Layla. In a dilemma... ( )

This is the first book in The Dark Elements series. This was a fun YA urban fantasy read (although I struggled to get around the awful cover, I was happy to see the cover has been redone recently). While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Storm and Fury, I am enjoying learning the background of the characters from that book (Roth, Layla, Zayne).

Layla is unique because of her half Warden, half demon heritage. The Wardens have been using her unique ability to see souls to have her tag demons which the Wardens then hunt down and destroy. For years Zayne has been her friend and guardian, but when demons start actively hunting Layla things start to shift. Then Roth enters the picture, he seems to be trying to protect Layla but is a demon himself. Now the end of the world might be looming and Layla needs to figure out who to trust.

There's a lot of action here, a neat world, and some romance. I really love the shapeshifting gargoyles and demons. I also enjoyed the whole “trying to prevent Armageddon” plotline.

The story is fast paced and easy to read. The dialogue is witty and fun. I am not huge on the love triangle thing going on between Roth, Layla, and Zayne (especially since I already know how things turn out from reading “Storm and Fury”). However, the story is fun and I plan on continuing with the series.

I am happy that this series got some new book covers, the old ones were not very representative of the story and looked more like straight-up romance covers.

Overall this was a fun YA urban fantasy read with a lot of action and some romance. I enjoy the creative world, engaging characters, and well done action scenes. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! ( )

It was a good book. And I'm glad I gave it a try, but my issue is that it was so typical YA Paranormal and many parts were beyond unbelievable (maybe because of my spirituality that makes me believe that way). It kept reminding me of The Violet Eden Chapters (Five books in all) by Jessica Shirvington. The good guy vs the bad guy and who you should have feelings for and give a chance to. Over thinking, keeping too many secrets, getting caught, etc. Some things had me really rolling my eyes hard and shaking my head...but over all, it was a really good book.

I will go on to the second book, see what I think about it and that will determine if I go on to the third book. I may not start the second book (which I do have and rented from the library) until after I renew my scribd.com account in October. We will see.

I did enjoy the narrator, she seemed a bit, um, well, not quite breathy, but something close to it...Almost like she was trying to sound "sexy" lol...But other than that, I did enjoy her narration. ( )

I think this is the first book I've read that has gargoyles in it and I love it! I've always thought gargoyles were interesting and I love the old cartoon, so this book was really cool, plus it has demons. Layla is a hybrid of both species and I liked seeing her develop some of her abilities and watch her kick ass. Roth is my favorite character, he's a badass demon who's sarcastic and smart and actually cares about Layla. Zane is okay, I know he cares about Layla too, but as a warden he's self righteous and sort of irritating. I hope Layla gets over her crush on him because she fits way more with Roth. The book was pretty well paced and I enjoyed the storyline. The tattoos that come to life were awesome! Looking forward to book 2. ( )

Mijn volledige recensie is terug te vinden op:
http://www.linda-linea-recta.nl/witheet-jennifer-l-armentrout/

Het is een vlot lopend verhaal, wat je vanaf de eerste zin te pakken heeft. Natuurlijk is het een bekend verhaal, een waanzinnig aantrekkelijke demon en een, zo op het eerste oog lijkend, zwak onschuldig meisje ….
Maar de spanning spat van de eerste bladzijde af!
En hoewel het een bekend gegeven is: de slechte jongen, een onwetend meisje en een goede vriend, verveelt het geen moment. Integendeel ik zou en moest het boek uitlezen. ( )

"I lost myself the moment I found you."

Puoi dirlo forte Roth, è tutta colpa tua se mi sono venute le lacrime agli occhi persino leggendo un libro sui demoni! E dire che all'inizio, quando aveva fatto la sua prima comparsa, mi era parso un Deamon versione demone (suona pure bene eheh). Ma alla fine mi ci sono affezionata persino di più, e non certo solo perché ha una bella faccia, un bel fisico, dei fantastici tatuaggi... ok, ANCHE per quello. Ma sono il suo carattere e il suo atteggiamento ad essere veramente da delirio. Ti viene voglia di rapirlo e rinchiuderlo in una stanza perché nessuno gli si avvicini.
Con questo non voglio dire che la protagonista sia da sottovalutare. Ho apprezzato "l'ambiguità" di Layla nel suo conflitto tra la sua parte demoniaca e quella da guardiana, il suo carattere peperino e le sue uscite sarcastiche anche nei momenti più inopportuni (ergo, ogni volta che rischia le penne).
Ovviamente, con due protagonisti come loro non ho potuto fare a meno di scoppiare a ridere almeno una decina di volte! Vorrei vedere chi riuscirebbe a rimanere serio nello scoprire che un enorme boa famelico si chiama... Bambi. Senza contare tutte le battutacce non molto caste provenienti da Roth.
Inoltre, come nella saga di Lux, gli elementi paranormali sono stati resi completamente credibili, e questo aiuta molto a venire coinvolti nella storia.
Ma... il finale! Come si può scrivere qualcosa del genere?! Ho passato due interi capitoli a piagnucolare come una bimba a cui hanno fregato il biberon, allagando la casa ogni dannata volta che leggevo una certa parolina! Ormai si è capito che quando la Armentrout ci mette lo zampino bisogna prepararsi a sbalzi d'umore tremendi... speriamo solo che con il procedere della saga non peggiori come quella di Lux!

( )

I rolled through this book. I know that I keep saying I'm not into this sci-fi stuff, but dadgummit, I love the way Armentrout writes. Its such an easy read that the pages fly. The characters are developed and the plot knows where its going. I'm already onto the 2nd in the trilogy. (I will admit I was kinda put off by the whole high school thing, but this is YA so high school is to be expected [yet, again].) I wish she [the author] would start writing for new adult. I think she could even with the sci-fi angle. ( )

Absolutetly wonderful book. Would recomend to anyone. Book pulls you into an amazing world and can keep you there for hours. Wonderful characters great story line. An absolute must read for YA lovers! ( )

Holy demon romance. JLA is the queen of writing about hot guys that you know are bad news but you fall in love with anyway. This book was fantastic with lots of good twists, lots of romance, and a whole lotta hotties. The ending left me FREAKING OUT. I need I know what happens!! JLA, you are amazing! ( )

You know what I love? When an author shows me again and again why I love their work and why I can trust them. Armentrout is pretty much on my "forever buy" list. I remember when the news about this new, exciting series came out and I was so happy. I mean, GARGOYLES. I've never read anything with gargoyles and the only time I saw gargoyles and liked them was in the animated series Gargoyles. I'm ignoring the funny companions in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I wanted hot gargoyles.

I loved White Hot Kiss. It definitely wasn't what I expected, at least not based on the prequel, Bitter Sweet Love. I can always trust Armentrout to write sassy, funny characters. Just as I can trust her to write creepy bad guys. The other thing that I can trust about her is that she'll write about "good" guys that are rotten to the core and "bad" guys who can make the right thing. I love that. I hate it when the guys on Team Evil are always bad and same goes for Team Good.

Layla was an interesting character. She was sheltered growing up, but what really made me love her was her struggle with her self image. She was brought up to hate the "bad" half of her, as if somehow she was responsible for who her parents were. I really wanted to punch some of the people in her family (if I dare call some of them that). I don't know if she's more reckless at times or more brave than anyone around her thinks, but I do like that she stands up for herself when she needs to. And I like that by the end of the book she's starting to accept that part of her that everyone fears. Not completely, but a little each day is all that matters, right?

Zayne is the boy our heroine grew up with. She's kind of in love with and he really doesn't notice her. At all. And that part kind of pissed me off. Let's be honest here, how blind do you have to be to not notice that this girl has a crush on you? It wasn't as if she was that great at hiding it.

Which brings me to Roth. Oh man. I am obsessed with him. The one thing that I absolutely love him for is that, unlike Zayne, he accepted her other half (in this case, her Warden half). He didn't make her feel like she was at fault for her parents' relationship, just like he didn't make her seem like a freak for being able to suck someones soul out. Of course, I will be honest and say that I was kind of weary of him at first. Yes, he was hot, really dangerous, flirty and a smart-ass, but at the beginning I was expecting for him to show his colors so to speak. He was a demon, so he had to be one of the bad guys. But then he does something for her, something that completely blew my mind and made me realize he really wasn't the enemy here. Which is probably why the ending crushed me so much. Oh, and let's not forget about the tattoos, shall we? He has awesome tattoos. And great names for both of them.. *swoon*

The ending blew me away and made me want to curl up in bed and cry. I did not see that one coming. I am sad that this is only a trilogy. Of course, you might wonder how many times can the world be in danger in this series, but I am so not ready for "The End". Anyway, this book was amazing and I really am keeping my fingers crossed for my boy Roth to win the girl. ( )