Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer Armentrout

Stone Cold Touch
By Jennifer Armentrout
Dark Elements Series 2
Hardcover: 446 pages
Publication Date: October 21, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rated:
4.5 out of 5 Stars
| Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
| Official Site | Twitter | Facebook |
Related Reviews: White Hot Kiss - Dark Elements 1
Category: YA, Paranormal, Demons

____________________________________________

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…

Oh JLA, the heartbreak that you put me through.. Sigh.

This next installment in the Dark Elements Series picks up a couple weeks after White Hot Kiss leaves off. The battle between Paimon and the Wardens where Roth sacrificed his life is still fresh in Layla's mind. She misses him more than she cares to admit, yet Zayne is always there for her. He's helping her to forget about Roth, the demon that she had her first kiss with, the one that understood and accepted her for who she is. She thinks that she is starting to move on.. until Roth shows up at her home. The home of the Wardens, his enemy. She is so excited to see him, but something about him has changed. Everything that they shared together is pointless, because he tells her it meant nothing to him. She was only a way to ease his boredom. Ugh JLA, are you serious?! I didn't like Zayne from the first book, and now I have to read about this douche canoe and Layla trying to have a relationship with each other, while Roth is obviously in love with her. It's traumatizing, seriously. Roth returns to school as if nothing happened. But now there is another problem, something that is changing her classmates and teachers. A Lilin was born the night of the ritual with Paimon, and it has returned to the school to steal souls. Can Roth, Layla, and Zayne come together to find this creature before her entire school are turned into wraiths? Or is it Layla herself, with her changing powers, the one stealing the souls? Dammit, thankfully JLA is allowing her readers to choose who Layla will end up with, because if it turns out to be Zayne, I cannot promise to control myself in the final review of this wonderful series. Just saying. The plot line was wonderful as always, the characters are well written- complex and real, and the world is phenomenal. Modern day D.C. with a supernatural twist. I fully recommend this series to everyone- read it! It will not disappoint. JLA has made herself my favorite author- hands down! <3

"The other guy shot up like an arrow, hands clenching into meaty fists at his sides. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He rounded the table, shrugging out of his zipped hoodie. "You want some of this?" Stuff always got real when the clothes started to come off."

"This just got real awkward," Stacey murmured, but her dark eyes glimmered with interest. Not as awkward, surprisingly, as when I'd licked Zayne's thumb like.. I didn't even know what. But dinner was painful. Roth and Zayne spent the whole time trading snide remarks, Sam and Stacey were too busy watching them as if each word they slung at one another was a tennis ball, and by the time I asked for a check, I was ready to throat punch someone. Mainly myself.

"You need to make this quick," Zayne said. "Because I'm not sure how much more of your presence I can stomach." Roth faked a pout. "You're so mean, Stony. Perhaps you have something shoved up your ass that you need to remove?" "Roth," I said, gripping the edge of the table. "Knock it off." "He started it." I gaped. "What? Are you guys two years old?" He glanced at a stewing Zayne and that faint twinkle in his eyes was back. "Well, he does look like he shit himself and needs his diaper changed."

Whatever control I had was stretched too taut and snapped like a rubber band pulled to its limits. I moved faster than I probably ever had. Shooting forward, I snatched the thick bible out of the man's hands. Whipping my arm back, I swung it around and the sound of what had to be the most epic biblical bitch snack on Earth echoed through the garage. Roth's surprised laugh shook me to the core. "Damn. That's getting served. In the biblical sense."

Related Reviews:
White Hot Kiss - Dark Elements 1

Connect with Jennifer Armentrout:
| Official Site | Twitter | Facebook |

*Voting for who Layla ends up with here
DarkElementsSeries.com