Showing posts with label Virgin Heroine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virgin Heroine. Show all posts
“I, Astaroth, Crown Prince of Hell, am in love with you, Layla Shaw. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. A hundred decades from now, I will still be in love with you, and it will be as fierce today as it will be a decade later.”
────── ♔ ──────
Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Dark Elements #3
Release - July 28, 2015
Genre - Young Adult Paranormal
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 1 out of 5 / fade to black / very vague
Format/Source - ebook borrowed from the library
Length - 288 pages
Publisher - Harlequin Teen
Release - July 28, 2015
Genre - Young Adult Paranormal
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 1 out of 5 / fade to black / very vague
Format/Source - ebook borrowed from the library
Length - 288 pages
Publisher - Harlequin Teen
Some loves will last ’til your dying breath
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…
Find your copy of Every Last Breath here:
Goodreads * Amazon
My Two Cents
4 "How my feelings have changed" stars
I am so glad I stuck with this trilogy!
Every Last Breath gave me everything I was looking for from the beginning. Not only was there a bump in action (mannnnnn that Lilin ain't a joke), but Layla did a lot of growing up. Not once did she aggravate me. NOT ONCE!
After that cliffhanger in Stone Cold Touch, I had no clue how the story would resolve itself. Who lives? Who dies? No one is safe! And JLA kept me on the edge of my toes for all of it!
Roth was just as delicious as always. Actually, I think he was more scrumptious in this book. When a demon finds his heart...
“You are so beautiful, Layla. And if I could pick one thing I could stare at for the rest of eternity, it would be you.”
As much as I learned to appreciate Layla and as much as I loved Zayne (he's an amazing guy and I hope he finds true happiness), Roth was the true showstopper of this series. He permeated every bit of this story, even the scenes he wasn't a part of.
I'm here at the end and my mind is full of questions, such as:
1. Will Zayne find his mate? And who will it be? Is it Stacey?
2. What is Cayman? I know there's more to this demon. And will he appear again?
3. Will all of the gargoyles get a story?
4. Seriously... who or what is Morris?
5. And... will Layla and Roth show up somewhere?
I definitely recommend these books, if for nothing else, so you can fall in love with Roth too!
Excerpt
Cayman gathered up the slices of bacon, spreading them out on our plates before joining me at the island. If someone told me a year ago I'd be eating scrambled eggs and bacon made by a demon, I would've laughed in their face and told them that crack was whack.
Times had most definitely changed. I picked up a piece of bacon.
"What's going on with you and Zayne?"
I nearly choked on the bacon. My eyes watered as I grabbed the OJ and took a huge swallow. "Excuse me?" I croaked.
A half smile formed as he forked up some eggs. "You and Zayne, the gorgeous gargoyle. What's going on there?"
"How do you know something's going on?"
Cayman rolled his eyes. "Honey-child, a blind person could see there's major tension. What's the scoop?"
Heat blasted across my cheeks. Well then. "I…" I had no idea how to answer that question, because I wasn't even sure myself. "I don't know."
He sent me a long look. "Ah, I think you totally know, but you're just not ready to put it into words."
Shoving another slice of bacon into my mouth, I eyed him. "Oh, do you now?"
"Yeah. Your stuff is complicated. I got you, but I know what's really going on there, so I'm about to go all come to Jesus with you." Setting his fork down, he leaned over and whispered the "truth" in my ear.
I jerked back, his words echoing—no, actually taunting me—and anger rose in me swiftly. I glared at him, my hand tight on the fork. Something about what he said was so true I wanted to kick it back in his face. "I don't want to talk to you about this."
He chuckled. "Whatever floats your boat."
Ignoring him, I devoured the rest of my breakfast, then I got up and dumped the plate and silverware in the dishwasher. When I faced him, he was still grinning. I scowled. "Where's Roth?"
"He's out."
I waited and there was no answer. "Doing what?"
"Things," he replied. "Demon duties."
Sighing, I leaned against the counter. "You're real helpful."
Winking, he held up his empty plate between two fingers. Air crackled, and then flames sparked off the tip of his fingers, climbing the plate. My eyes widened as I watched the fire completely obliterate the plate. The fork went up in flames next.
"Well, that's one way to clean up," I murmured.
Cayman popped off the bar stool, all smiles. "Let's stop playing around, my own personal Beanie Baby. Zayne's in love with you. Roth's in love with you."
I inhaled sharply, but the air caught in my throat.
"Both would do anything for you—live, breathe and die for you, but you can't have both of them, Layla."
My hands fell to my thighs and I whispered, "I know that."
"And you know which one is the real deal," he continued, eyeing me intently. "You know, the forever kind of love, so why are you dragging this out?"
"I'm not dragging anything out," I protested. "I was kind of out of it, you know, what with the whole being held prisoner and then nearly killed by my own clan thing. Then I was holed up here recovering, and then yesterday happened." Frustrated, I stalked around the island. "And maybe I don't think it's the right time for me to be with either of them. Did you ever think about that?"
Cayman cocked his head to the side. "When is there ever a right time to fully give your heart to another? There are always going to be obstacles. You just have to decide which ones are worth it."
"Whatever." I crossed my arms.
He mimicked my stance. "Don't be a coward."
"Excuse me?"
"A. Coward," he repeated, and I briefly considered picking up the vase in the center of the island and throwing it at him. "Not making a choice is the coward's way out. You love both of them. I get that. But you don't feel the same kind of love for both of them, and the sooner you accept that, the better…"
Times had most definitely changed. I picked up a piece of bacon.
"What's going on with you and Zayne?"
I nearly choked on the bacon. My eyes watered as I grabbed the OJ and took a huge swallow. "Excuse me?" I croaked.
A half smile formed as he forked up some eggs. "You and Zayne, the gorgeous gargoyle. What's going on there?"
"How do you know something's going on?"
Cayman rolled his eyes. "Honey-child, a blind person could see there's major tension. What's the scoop?"
Heat blasted across my cheeks. Well then. "I…" I had no idea how to answer that question, because I wasn't even sure myself. "I don't know."
He sent me a long look. "Ah, I think you totally know, but you're just not ready to put it into words."
Shoving another slice of bacon into my mouth, I eyed him. "Oh, do you now?"
"Yeah. Your stuff is complicated. I got you, but I know what's really going on there, so I'm about to go all come to Jesus with you." Setting his fork down, he leaned over and whispered the "truth" in my ear.
I jerked back, his words echoing—no, actually taunting me—and anger rose in me swiftly. I glared at him, my hand tight on the fork. Something about what he said was so true I wanted to kick it back in his face. "I don't want to talk to you about this."
He chuckled. "Whatever floats your boat."
Ignoring him, I devoured the rest of my breakfast, then I got up and dumped the plate and silverware in the dishwasher. When I faced him, he was still grinning. I scowled. "Where's Roth?"
"He's out."
I waited and there was no answer. "Doing what?"
"Things," he replied. "Demon duties."
Sighing, I leaned against the counter. "You're real helpful."
Winking, he held up his empty plate between two fingers. Air crackled, and then flames sparked off the tip of his fingers, climbing the plate. My eyes widened as I watched the fire completely obliterate the plate. The fork went up in flames next.
"Well, that's one way to clean up," I murmured.
Cayman popped off the bar stool, all smiles. "Let's stop playing around, my own personal Beanie Baby. Zayne's in love with you. Roth's in love with you."
I inhaled sharply, but the air caught in my throat.
"Both would do anything for you—live, breathe and die for you, but you can't have both of them, Layla."
My hands fell to my thighs and I whispered, "I know that."
"And you know which one is the real deal," he continued, eyeing me intently. "You know, the forever kind of love, so why are you dragging this out?"
"I'm not dragging anything out," I protested. "I was kind of out of it, you know, what with the whole being held prisoner and then nearly killed by my own clan thing. Then I was holed up here recovering, and then yesterday happened." Frustrated, I stalked around the island. "And maybe I don't think it's the right time for me to be with either of them. Did you ever think about that?"
Cayman cocked his head to the side. "When is there ever a right time to fully give your heart to another? There are always going to be obstacles. You just have to decide which ones are worth it."
"Whatever." I crossed my arms.
He mimicked my stance. "Don't be a coward."
"Excuse me?"
"A. Coward," he repeated, and I briefly considered picking up the vase in the center of the island and throwing it at him. "Not making a choice is the coward's way out. You love both of them. I get that. But you don't feel the same kind of love for both of them, and the sooner you accept that, the better…"
About the Author
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
Visit https://jenniferlarmentrout.com for more information
Love is a strange creature one thinks one has a grasp on and understanding of, only to discover later that it was only the barest taste of the real thing.
────── ♔ ──────
Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Dark Elements #2
Release - October 21, 2014
Genre - Young Adult Paranormal / love triangle
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 1 out of 5 / heroine blushes at a bare chest
Format/Source - ebook borrowed from the library
Length - 453 pages
Publisher - Harlequin Teen
Release - October 21, 2014
Genre - Young Adult Paranormal / love triangle
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 1 out of 5 / heroine blushes at a bare chest
Format/Source - ebook borrowed from the library
Length - 453 pages
Publisher - Harlequin Teen
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…
Find your copy of Stone Cold Touch here:
Goodreads * Amazon
My Two Cents
3 "I can see... Can you?" stars
If you read my review of White Hot Kiss, you're probably wondering if I feel the same way.
I do.
I went in thinking to myself that I needed to be more patient. More tolerant.
She's a teenager and teenagers can be ridiculous. Remember you were one once.
The problem is... I grew up.
And I don't mean in years.
I mean, when things happened, I learned from them.
I evolved.
Sadly, Layla did not!
Our heroes won the battle, but not the war in the last book. Stone Cold Touch deals with the repercussions of all that happened before. Although Layla lacked self-awareness, it was easy to see what and who and where and why and everything else. All I had to do was observe and I understood. That doesn't mean the ending didn't still leave me shook, because it did. And again, despite how much I can't stand Layla... I'll be reading the next book.
I know, I know. I'm not making sense.
The author writes in a way that no matter how I feel about one character, there's still so much to enjoy. Like the hotness of Roth. Or the sweetness of Zayne. I believe both men deserve far more than they've gotten. And I'm not enjoying the love triangle that is going on here. One, it lacks real chemistry. Actually, the chemistry is all one-sided. The guys are giving and Layla isn't cutting it. I'm telling you, the endless blushing needs to stop. GROW UP!! And two... Well, these guys would be the perfect friends IMO. The only thing stopping them (aside from being natural born enemies) is Layla and what they believe they feel for her.
I honestly wish this wasn't categorized as any kind of romance. If it was just about a girl who is coming into her own, who happens to have powerful friends who are men, I'd be happier lol. Or maybe not. Maybe I would always find Layla to be terrible.
Okay, I'm off to read the next book. Wish me luck!
About the Author
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
Visit https://jenniferlarmentrout.com for more information
People with the purest souls are capable of the greatest evils. No one is perfect, no matter what they are or what side they fight for.
────── ♔ ──────
White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Dark Elements #1
Release - February 25, 2014
Genre - Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 1 out of 5 / please save me from this
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 388 pages
Publisher - Harlequin Teen
Release - February 25, 2014
Genre - Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 1 out of 5 / please save me from this
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 388 pages
Publisher - Harlequin Teen
Layla just wants to fit in at school and go on a date with Zayne, whom she's crushed on since forever. Trouble is, Zayne treats Layla like a sister--and Layla is a half demon, half gargoyle with abilities no one else possesses. And even though Zayne is a Warden, part of the race of gargoyles tasked with keeping humanity safe, Layla's kiss will kill anything with a soul--including him.
Then she meets Roth--a demon who claims to know her secrets. Though Layla knows she should stay away, it's tough when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue. Trusting Roth could ruin her chances with Zayne, but as Layla discovers she's the reason for a violent demon uprising, kissing the enemy suddenly pales in comparison to the looming end of the world.
Find your copy of White Hot Kiss here:
Goodreads * Amazon
My Two Cents
3 "Give. Me. A. Freaking. Break!!" stars
After being bombarded by so many five star reviews for this book, I expected to be blown away by how fantastic and irresistible and unputdownable it would be.
I wasn't.
I was less than thrilled by the heroine and found that the story suffered by being told solely from her point of view.
I know, I'm the worst. Heroines don't stand a chance with me. I'm so picky. Blah, blah-di-blah.
It's just that Layla was pretty much everything I don't like about teenagers. Whiney. Pathetic. Defiant (without cause). Ridiculous. Immature. I really could go on here.
And I swear, if she blushed one more time over a guy looking at her, asking her questions, casually touching her, or almost kissing her... I honestly don't know what I would do.
She was completely lackluster until the one scene at the end. Finally... finally she contributed something.
Why did everything center around her when she was absolutely no help to herself or others?
And why did she constantly do the one thing a heroine should never do? This chick was constantly calling out a man's name when he's trying to keep the demon's from killing her. Ummm... do you know anything about not distracting a hero when he's got his hands full?
All three stars go to Roth (who was utterly scrumptious), Zayne (who was magically delicious), and the plot and characters that filled up this story. They gave me enough to keep on going.
Yes, you read that right. I plan to read the next book.
We'll see how I feel about Layla then. I'm all for a redemption arc.
About the Author
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
Visit https://jenniferlarmentrout.com for more information
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