Jennifer L. Armentrout

In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series The Dark Elements, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons. Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining the balance between good and evil. He was her everything…right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally. And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again… "With her signature flare for combining humor, romance and action, Armentrout weaves a fast-paced read that will have readers' hearts racing in more ways than one. Like Armentrout's previous heroines, Jasmine is fun and full of attitude, while Dez is as snarky as he is sexy. This is a must read for new and old fans alike!" -RT Book Reviews Don't miss White Hot Kiss, book one in Jennifer L. Armentrout's The Dark Elements series from Harlequin TEEN!

Bitter Sweet Love

Steysha

Amazing start. Jennifer's in all her glory :)

Alex Hill 

I loved it! Jas and Dez were great characters and we got a little Roth, Layla, and Zayne which made me happy! Jen is just a writing goddess.

Luna

jasmine, denika, and the last paragraph made me want to throw my kindle out the window. but i would’ve absolutely loved this if i didn’t hate the protagonist and it didn’t suddenly get a little funky at the end.

Raven Dean

***4 Stars***

Bitter Sweet Love is a prequel to White Hot Kiss. It is a story of two wardens, Jasmine and Dez. It will give you a better understanding about what the different species is in the Dark Elements series, it explains the mating situation for the Wardens, and also it introduces you to the main characters of the series, Layla, Zayne, and Roth.

Overall, it was a great short read. I really loved the relationship between Jasmine and Dez. I hope to read more about them in the rest of the series.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
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      “For thousands of years, my kind had been thought of as nothing more than the stone sculptures perched upon the rooftops of homes and churches. Aka gargoyles. And technically, that’s what we were – but the depiction of a gargoyle was vastly exaggerated. Even the ugliest of all Wardens didn’t have a bulbous nose or fangs jutting from his mouth. It was rather insulting when you thought about it.”
    
  
  


Gargoyles. Yes, you read that right. JLA’s new series is about gargoyles and I am beyond thrilled to tell you that it is incredible. I shouldn’t have ever doubted her. Gargoyles! What a unique concept. I’ll never look at one the same way again.

  

  
    
      
    
    
      “I was not happy. I was knee deep in freak out mode.”
    
  
  


When Jasmine’s best friend and first love, Dez, comes back to town after three years to claim her, she should be happy. She loves and misses Dez, but he abandoned her. He broke her heart. It was the betrayal she was never able to get over. Now he wants to pretend like everything is fine? She’s not having it.

  

  
    
      
    
    
      “I’ve missed you, Jas. You have no idea,” he continued, reaching toward me again but stopping short of touching me. “I thought about you every damn day. All I wanted was to get back to you and the clan. But mostly you. Always you.”
    
  
  


I loved Dez. I adored Jas. Together they were absolute perfection. Their chemistry was very real and believable. There was heat between them. There was, of course, a bit of angst, but thankfully not nearly as much as you might expect. I had no doubt they belong together and waited with bated breath to see if Jas would come to the same conclusion and be willing to try to start again.

  

  
    
      
    
    
      “I wasn’t naïve enough to believe in soul mates or any of that childish nonsense that I had once clung to, but there had always been something tangible between Dez and me, even after his absence, it was still there, stronger than before.”
    
  
  


I am so excited about this series for a number of reasons:
 
	 It’s written by JLA and I absolutely love her. 
	 The premise is so different from anything I’ve ever read and I can’t wait to see where the storyline goes. 
	 The characters sucked me into the story! I love Jas and Dez together. 
	 The writing was fantastic and engaging. I couldn’t put this one down. 
	 GARGOYLES! 
	 There was a lot of awesome packed into these 105 pages. I’m so excited about the potential this series has. It’s definitely off to an incredible start. 
 

  

  
    
      “Nothing in this world is stronger than love. It should always be enough. No matter what.”
    
  
  


I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from the review copy and may differ from the final version.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this type of story. Since it’s a bit out of my comfort zone (being about gargoyles and demons and all) I thought it just might not be for me. When I saw there was a novella that I could read before reading book 1 in the series, I was convinced that it was worth a shot. It’s only 105 pages, so if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t continue on with the series.

Guess what… I loved it!! Like really, really loved it! I read it in one sitting and immediately knew I was going to read White Hot Kiss as well. I loved the characters, the writing, and the story line. Though I don’t always enjoy fantasy books, I really enjoyed this one! What a great start to the series. If you’re considering reading this series, definitely start here with Bitter Sweet Love.

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

Gargoyles!!! JLA’s new series is about gargoyles!

I honestly believe that JLA can write about anything and everything and still make it good. And she made gargoyles good. It’s so easy and fun to read JLA’s writing, and I had no trouble reading about gargoyles. The world of The Dark Elements series–with gargoyles and demons and god-knows-what–is fascinating and so smoothly written. And… the gargoyles are HOT!

The gargoyles are known as Wardens, and they fight against demons. The heroine, Jasmine, is a gargoyle, but since she’s a female, she doesn’t really get to fight. What she really wants, though, is to see the world. Jasmine never gets to leave home, and she’s been lonely ever since her best friend and crush, Dez, left for no reason three years ago. Plus, Dez left the day after he and Jasmine were announced to be mated. So, obviously, she is not elated with joy to see him again when he reappears out of the blue after three years. Jasmine still has feelings for Dez, of course, but she’s still pretty pissed. Especially when they’re announced to be mated again.

Jasmine has seven days to decide whether to accept the mating with Dez or not. And she has conditions. Jasmine wants to go places and see things, but even after those conditions are met, she’s still not sure if she can accept the mating. But Dez won’t give up. He know’s they’re meant to be together, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make her believe in him again.

“And I’m just saying that by the end of these seven days or maybe a week from then, or a month, you’ll say yes.” He cupped my cheek and leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine. “And I’ll be waiting. No matter how long it takes.”

Swoon.
Faint.
Thud.

This book was so. much. FUN! There’s JLA’s classic humor, a swoony book boyfriend, and lots of kissing! Be excited for this novella and new series. It’s going to be amaze-balls.

We also get introduced to the main characters from the first full novel of the series, White Hot Kiss (coming out the day after my birthday! AH!!). Jasmine meets the half demon, half gargoyle Layla, Zayne (the guy Layla’s crushing on), and the mysterious demon Roth. They don’t play a huge part in the novella, and they’re younger than they are in White Hot Kiss, but it was nice to see them for the first time before their book comes out (which I’m SO excited for!).

This was fantastic for a novella. The characters were fully fleshed out, the story kept me riveted, and the romance was so sweet (not bittersweet!). It’s only a hundred pages or so, and you can read it in one sitting, like I did. So if you’re a JLA fan, don’t miss this! It’s another brilliant addition to her YA books. And even if you’re not a JLA fan, you must give her a try, and why not with a shorter book of hers?

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change.

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