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. ( )