Review: Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Series Ender Challenge #6)

This book I had to buy as soon as it came out, even though I just now got around to reading it!  I finally went ahead and picked it up over some other books I was thinking about reading, so that I could go ahead and add another book to my series ender challenge total.  As always, I just loved the book, and loved getting more time with my one of my favorite book boyfriends, Roth.  If you haven't read the first two, White Hot Kiss and Stone Cold Touch, then you should probably click on the titles in this sentence and read those reviews first, because this will have spoilers for the first books.

Well, as we left off in the last one, we found out who the Lilin was.  And it had taken over the body of someone so close to Layla, Sam.  They were able to get away from it in the meetup at the beginning, partly because they found out that hurting the Lilin also hurt Layla.  Layla learns that the souls that the Lilin takes don't just go where they should, like Sam's should go to heaven, they go to hell.  Layla's new mission, until she can figure out a way to fight the Lilin, is to save Sam's soul from hell.  To do that, she finds out she needs to talk to Death.  Roth's friend/co-hort Cayman, helps her figure out how to do it.  At the same time, Cayman tells Layla that she needs to hurry up and decide who she wants to be with, who she truly loves, Roth, or Zayne.  If you know me, I've been team Roth the whole time.  And I was not disappointed.  Sorry, a bit of a spoiler, but it happens early on in the story, so even as I read, I was always wondering if something would happen to take Roth away, he is on the in trouble list with his boss, you know who.  And in that case, would she be able to return to Zayne? 

Layla also decides to get her first tattooed familiar, and it is a fox.  Her plan to go to see Death is one that she knows she has to keep a secret from Roth, because there is no way he would let her go.  And she doesn't want him going to hell because of the whole being in trouble thing.  So she and Cayman devise a plan for her to get there.  Now, in the meetup with the Lilin, Layla finds that she has wings with feathers.  She soon learns there is more to the story of her mother, Lillith.  While Zayne is not happy with Layla's decision, he knows that she is still not evil, like the rest of the Wardens may think. And so he does his best to try to keep the "good" guys fighting with her.  Of course those that she knew and was friends with before have never doubted her.  And Zayne's father, who was like a father to Layla himself, also will see the error in his judgement from before. 

There will be more good guys lost, but in the end, Layla and Roth, and Zayne and the others will get to what needs to be done in order to save the human race from an apocalypse and hell on earth. 

A wonderful, fitting end to this story.  So many sexy scenes with Roth and Layla.  I love seeing just what Roth's familiars are like when they're in hell, and what they can change into, especially the kittens!  As always, I'm just led to want to read more of Armentrout's stories, and I will be certain to continue stocking up on them as I can!

Waiting on Wednesday: Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  I've picked the final book in my first series by an author that I've kind of come in late, but am now a HUGE fan of.  I loved the first two books, White Hot Kiss, and Stone Cold Touch.  Couldn't put them down once I started.  And now I'm so excited for the final book.  And before we go on, I'm totally Team Roth.  Anyway, here is the blurb on the final one, Every Last Breath, from Goodreads:

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell… 

I'm not kidding, I'm all about Team Roth.  As this is my first JLA series, I don't know whether to expect to be shocked at who she picks, or to be pleasantly surprised.  But we'll see come later this year when the book comes out.

So, what book are you eagerly awaiting this week? 

Review: Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Okay, once again prepare for a love fest.  I am hooked now on Jennifer L. Armentrout's books.  Being able to read the first one, White Hot Kiss, and then this 2nd one right after it, is going to make it very hard to wait until the third one, Every Last Breath, comes out this July.  In fact, I kinda wonder if they'll be giving copies of it away, ARCs, at BEA this summer.  If only I could: A. afford to go again this year, and B. not already  have plans for the weekend it is happening this year.  Of course, the first two I picked up as strip cover copies at my bookstore, and since I'll have to buy the 3rd one, guess I'd better start planning to buy the first two so I can have a matching set.  :-)  And of course I'm also even more sad that I was unable to meet her last summer at BEA.  :-(    Enough of my fangirling and moaning, let's get on with the review.  Which if you haven't read the first one, I can't promise no spoilers at all from that story.

Layla is back.  But she's devastated after Roth sacrificed himself to make sure the demon they were trying to send to hell didn't get away, also saving Zayne in the process.  But it meas that Roth was now stuck in hell.  There is one thing Roth left her though, that keeps him close to her at all times.  His familiar, Bambi. The snake is now a tattoo on her body.  And while she and Zayne seem to be getting closer now, Bambi likes to show up as a reminder to him about Roth.  And while things seem to be maybe becoming a possibility that she never dreamed of for her and Zayne, other parts of her life are changing.  For one thing, all of a sudden one day she can no longer see the auras of people with souls.  But she seems to be feeling or sensing other people's feelings when they touch her or get close to her.  That's not all that's going on, it seems there are more upper level demons around town.  And when a surprise shows up, Roth, (you had to know he couldn't be gone!) they learn that a Lilin was created somehow even after all they did to try to prevent that from happening. 

Meanwhile Abbott, Zayne's father, and Layla's adopted father, seems to have been keeping even more secrets from Layla. And he no longer seems to have much trust in her.  To the point where he even thinks she is behind the bad things happening.

Of course it all blows up at the end, when Layla begins to think that just maybe she is at fault for the Lilan, and she hurts someone she never dreamed or wanted to hurt.  She will have to turn to Roth and her friends Stacey and Sam to try to solve all of this and save the world. 

Definitely another bit of a cliffhanger with the end of this one. Although the person who ends up being the Lilan, well I suspected something about them early on that led me to believe there was something else going on with that person.  And while I'm glad that she got to be with Zayne, there is just something about her with Roth that I kinda like better.  And I want to address the whole love triangle thing. With all the talk and hatred about love triangles, I feel I have to point out some things. First, many, many books have them, even older classic ones.  Think about Gone with the Wind, there's Ashley and Rhett.  For movies, how about the original Karate Kid, Daniel and Aly and Johnny.  And again, as fiction, it feels good to have two guys you want, both wanting you.  At least I would think it would be, well in a fictional world.  So I'm okay with it when it's done right. And this book definitely is. 

Okay, I have to hop back on the love train here, I LOVE the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural tv show references.  How did I never realize that the reason Dean's car is what it is on the show is partly because the trunk is big enough to hold not one, but TWO dead bodies?  I love it!  I think I could totally hang out and watch these shows with the author and have a great time.  Anyways, enough about that again.  If you haven't read this series, and you enjoy a good paranormal YA story, with great characters and dialogue, then what are you waiting for? Get out and get your copies today!

Review: White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

About a month ago I got a stripped cover copy of the 2nd book in this series from the bookstore where I work.  So I had to go to the library to check out the first book.  And then, wouldn't you know, the first book became a stripped cover at my bookstore, so now I got that, and it was my first read for my romantic themed reads for February.  This is my second book by Armentrout, and I think I'm now completely sold on her writing, and probably need to read every book she writes!  The first one I read was Don't Look Back, and while I loved it for the suspenseful writing, this series I know I love for the awesome characters and the steamy romance!

The main character is Layla.  Layla is half demon, half Warden, and Wardens are what we call gargoyles.  They were sent to us to take care of demons, and have only recently come out and let humans know what they are.  Layla lives with the Wardens.  The problem is that her demon half wants to take souls.  And Wardens have the purest, brightest souls, so she has to be extremely careful around her own family.  One of them, Zayne, who would be like an older brother if she hasn't had a crush on him for so long, seems to only see her as a sister, and even so, it can't be anything more because the temptation to take his soul would be too great for her.  She does have the ability to see everyone's soul auras, and she can tell if they have good souls, or if they are demons even.  And the Wardens let her help out by tagging demons for them. When she touches them, she leaves a mark, and that tells the Wardens who to go hunt.  Saves them a lot of time. 

But something has changed.  The demons seem to be looking for her now, and they attack her.  Right about this same time, a major demon shows up.  Roth, sexy and charismatic, Roth saves her from one demon.  But Layla knows she can't trust him.  After all, the Wardens have raised her to deny her demon side, to help them get rid of demons.  But something about Roth keeps her interest, she can't seem to stop talking to him.  He knows about what it is like for Layla. The things she has to deny.  But he gives her some doubts about the tagging demons. Maybe they're not all as bad and deserving to be sent back to Hell.  And he saves her life many times.  Not to mention the physical attraction that seems to be sparking between them. 

Again I have to just say, WOW, the steaminess of this book, without being ridiculous.  It was perfect.  The cover definitely shows what it will be like.  My only thing that kept me from it, was that I thought the cover did not look like a teen book.  It looks more like an adult romance, the ones that go much farther than steamy, go all the way if you will.  I'd be reading the 2nd book right now, except I make myself read an egalley in between every physical book that I pick up so that I can try to keep on top of those review books.

I am now going to be recommending Jennifer L. Armentrout to everyone.  Can't wait to start sharing!