Stone Cold Touch by @JLArmentrout Review

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
(The Dark Elements, #2)
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen; 446 pages
Rating:
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…

If you have NOT read White Hot Kiss please read with caution. There are some spoilers that were unavoidable. Proceed with caution . . .

I feel like a bit of a hypocrite. Here I am, always moaning and groaning that there's so many series in YA where the 'best friend' love interest always gets screwed and the new 'hottie, bad boy' always wins out. I get annoyed that it happens so frequently and I'm sorry, it is quite realistic for relationships to start as friendships, first. But then, here I am, totally sitting on Team Roth and I feel like I'm betraying myself. Hell, I even have the opportunity to vote for Zayne for who she ends up with in the final book and I'm not going to do it. Look up hypocrite in the dictionary and my picture should appear right next to it because here I am, choosing the hottie, bad boy type and saying so long best friend. Go ahead, call me a hypocrite, I won't be offended because it's the truth.

That being said, step aside ladies because Roth is so mine. I know, I know...most of us are saying that, right? But seriously, back off...only kidding...or am I? Seriously, don't be fooled by the fact that Roth is a demon and the Crown Prince of hell - it's deceiving. He's a big teddy bear underneath it all. Okay, so that's an exaggeration. He's not a teddy bear but he's not all evil. He's definitely one of those characters where you can judge from what you see. Once you start peeling away those layers, it's a beautiful gem being hidden underneath but unless your name is Layla, those layers aren't come apart, at all.

There were two insanely HOT scenes that made me question my loyalty to Roth. Yes, Zayne had some sexy times with our girl, Layla and oh boy, I was fanning myself. I still am thinking about them. He's such a good guy but ugh, he's just not Roth. He's more of brother type figure in my head and crossing that line to a romantic relationship is just . . . weird to me. Is it weird to you, too or is it just me? He's hot, I know he's hot and he's a 'good guy', which is fantastic and usually the guy I go for but there's just something missing with him and Layla, that spark.

There are so many things in this book that happens that makes me want to hate the Wardens, as a whole but then there's a few of them who prove to me they're not all the same. Just like, not all demons are the same. It restores my faith in both sides of this war and it makes me giddy with excitement for what's to come in what will be an epic conclusion.

One thing is for sure, I did NOT see the ending coming and frankly, I'm pissed off about it. When you get to it, I hope you have the same feelings and reactions I do because . . . because I can't talk about it. My emotions are all over place for a number of reasons and it's a massive spoiler so my lips remained sealed but UGH - give me the final book, please! Plus, PLUS we get to vote for who we want Layla to end up with. Clearly, you know where my vote is going (yay hypocrite me) but I'd be okay if Zayne won, I really would. I might cry and it might be one of those ugly cries but let's face it, it's not the first time a book has made me ugly cry and it certainly wouldn't be the last but it would happen. So there's that. If you're not to ashamed to tell me who you voted for, I'd be curious to see. If you haven't voted, you can vote for Layla's future man, Zayne or Roth here: http://thedarkelementsseries.com/

Thank you SO MUCH to Harlequin Teen for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Y'all are awesome and this series is just fantastic.