Review: Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Series: The Dark Elements .5
Format: Ebook
Rating: 3 Stars
How I Got It: Free ebook
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

 

Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining the balance between good and evil. He was her everything…right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again...

 
Review

I mean, this was ok. I'm glad I got it for free. There was nothing particularly wrong, but it didn't contribute to the rest of the series. Personally, I think prequel novellas should. Maybe things will come together as the series continues.

Jasmine was the more interesting characters, but they both fell a little flat. She talks a lot about disliking parts of Warden society, but doesn't deliver with it. At least, she's nice to Layla even though she's half demon.

The romance between Jasmine and Des is the main focus of the story. It's fast-paced and a pretty typical Jennifer L. Armentrout one.

If you're interested in this series, I would just start with White Hot Kiss. You can come back to this one if you really want to.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: The Dark Elements Book #1
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Rating: 4 Stars
How I Got It: Borrowed from Library/Own an ebook edition
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal, New Adult
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

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.

Review

I really enjoyed this but I don't have much to say. It's a Jennifer L. Armentrout book and I want to keep reading. But I still like the Lux books better.

I like the idea of Gargoyles. It isn't something I've read before. The Demon things remind me a lot of the Sweet books by Wendy Higgins, but I don't mind.

Layla was a great character. She's a little immature, but she's only seventeen and has a lot going on. So, I forgive her. Zayne bothered me a little. He kept calling her childish when he was either being the same or she was actually reasonable.

Now, I've heard there's a pretty intense love triangle in this series. I also know Ms. Armentrout let the readers decide who Layla would end up with. This scares the crap out of me. I'm very much on Team Roth and don't want to see him hurt. We'll see how I feel after reading book two.

Thanks for reading!
Holly