Review of The Dark Elements: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L Armentrout

Review of Jennifer L Armentrout's The Dark Elements: Stone Cold Touch

Release Date: October 21st, 2014

Synopsis as found on Amazon.com:

Every touch has its price

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….

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Being half Warden (a Celestial Warrior, also known as a Gargoyle) & half Demon has never been easy for Layla. She has been raised by the Wardens since she was a child, but she is not one of them. She known Demons are evil, but she is definitely not one of them. Where does she fit? She has been raised by Zayne's family, but he is completely off limits, because if she were ever to kiss him, she would suck out his soul. Then there is Roth, the tattooed bad boy new guy at her school that just happens to be the son of Satan. In the end of book 1, White Hot Kiss, we find Roth saving both Layla & Zayne, by taking the demon Paimon to Hell, while getting sucked there himself.

In the aftermath of that disaster, Layla is crushed. She has Roth's familiar, Bambi, the Boa Constrictor who just happens to be a tattoo, as well as Zayne. Now that Roth is out of the way, Zayne begins to show his feelings toward Layla. What does he have to lose? But what happens when Roth shows up out of the blue, not dead after all, with news that the ritual Paimon was making has unlocked multiple chains that were holding Lilith, Layla's mother, have been unlocked. A Lillin has been born. Similar to her own abilities, the Lillin can remove a soul, but they only need to touch a human to do so.

I am a huge fan of Armentrout's books & loved this one. She writes beautiful tales of Romance, while tying in supernatural elements & characters masterfully. If you are a fan of her books, also check out Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, as well as Armentrout's own Covenant series.