Stone Cold Touch Review

What did I think of....

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Description:

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…  

Genre: Paranormal romance
Published on: October 21st, 2014
Pages: 464 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
Average rating: 4.5 stars 
My rating: 4.2 stars

Genres:

 

 I've read White Hot Kiss, the first installment, twice now. Once by itself about a year ago, and it was good, and a second time a couple of days ago... right before I read this one, Stone Cold Touch. They made each other so much better... and now I can't wait until the next book comes out.

 

After the huge twist at the end of White Hot Kiss, which left me dead, I was unsure how I felt about starting Stone Cold Touch, but never fear, it was fabulous.

 

Even though Stone Cold Touch was totally a bridge book, I still really enjoyed it, and thought it better than the first, White Hot Kiss.

 

You may have also noticed the difference between the two covers...

 

Featuring: Roth               Featuring: Zayn

 

You may have also noticed, that the cover where Roth and Layla are kissing, it's white hot, and the cover with Zayn and Layla, he's trying to kiss her and she's turning away, and it's stone cold. Mmm-hmm. That being said....

 

Stone Cold Touch was totally Zayn's book. Roth had a much more minimal (yet constant) presence, and I missed his outrageous flirting. Zayn wasn't nearly as present in White Hot Kiss as he was in Stone Cold Touch, and served as a constant source of hurdling.

 

Is that a word? What I mean is that I kept wanting to tell him get out of the way! I need Roth! I need Roth! As you can see, I'm a total team Roth, but if you're not... you're going to lose.

That being said... here are the positive comparisons so you can form your own opinion.

 

 

 VS

 

GO ROTH (and Bambi)!!

 



Layla Shaw has always been different, even by supernatural standards. Living with Warden's, the "protectors" of sorts for humankind against demons, she's always felt like an outsider, even though she's more powerful and paranormal than they are. Layla is half-Warden, half-demon, two polar opposites. Each side, demon and warden alike, are caught in a vicious war against each other, caught up in their prejudiced hatred... and poor Layla is caught in the middle.

Living with the Warden's, Layla has always attempted to suppress her demonic side, added with the guilt she feels from her fellow Wardens. But when Layla turns seventeen, her world becomes pretty topsy-turvy. (yes, exactly like the song).

When the Crown Prince of Hell, or Roth, shows up, he causes her to question everything she thought was true, to accept herself (both sides) and to realize that a little bit of evil is necessary.

Roth is back...

Layla's has finally been given a tantalizing taste of what always has been forbidden, but when it backfires big time, there is only one person who's always had her back, even when it seems unlikely. But when a threat on Layla's life comes from someone she's always thought of as family, Layla, Bambi, Caymen and Roth fight to save the city... and Layla's future.

 

 

 

Roth is an Upper Level demon, and unfortunately, he's here on a job. The Boss from downstairs has given him orders, and Roth is here for a reason, a reason not to solve the problem, but take care of it... or her. Problem is, he's fallen on the job and he's risking Hell's wrath to stay fallen.

 

Layla is not like the usual LJA heroine. She has no self-esteem, is very introverted, and craves attention, but is still super sassy, super cheeky in her own way. Being suppressed her whole life, it was cool to watch her bloom in personality. She also has some super powers, soul-stealing kisses (literally), and others that are spoilers so I will not mention them. However, in Stone Cold Touch, she starts to overcome this a bit; recognizing her individual rights, her worth and realizes that sometimes, a little bit of evil is necessary and sometimes just what the doctor prescribes.

 

Zayn is Layla's best friend, and her safety cocoon. Not only that, but she crushes on him hard, and he is essentially the only person to ever accept her. But, after a tantalizing taste of something that can never happen, Layla starts to realize that she's not fighting for Zayn because she loves him... but fighting because she doesn't want to lose her rock, the only person she could ever depend on, and the only person who ever truly accepted her. But that acceptance might just be her downfall...

 

Stone Cold Touch, was a stunningly well crafted story with expertly laid clues that the truth isn't laid until the very end... You know what they say about hindsight, 20/20.

 

XOXO,

Kat

Giveaway

Book Giveaway!

Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers  

 

Description:

Accidents of Marriage explores a topic rarely shown in fiction: the destruction left in the wake of spouse’s verbal fury. Ben never meant to hurt Maddy. He never imagined his recklessness would lead to tragedy.

Maddy is a social worker trying to balance her career and three children. Years ago, she fell in love with Ben, a public defender, drawn to his fiery passion, but now he’s lashing out at her during his periodic verbal furies. She vacillates between tiptoeing around him and asserting herself for the sake of their kids – which works to keep a fragile peace – until the rainy day when they’re together in the car and Ben’s volatile temper gets the best of him, leaving Maddy in the hospital fighting for her life.

Randy Susan Meyers takes us inside the hearts and minds of her characters, alternating among the perspectives of Maddy, Ben, and their fourteen-year-old daughter. Accidents of Marriage is a provocative and stunning novel that will resonate deeply with women from all walks of life, ultimately revealing the challenges of family, faith, and forgiveness.

Accidents of Marriage explores a topic rarely shown in fiction: the damaging effects of a spouse’s emotional abuse

 

Genre: Women's Fiction/ Chick-Lit
Expected Published on: June 9th, 2015
Pages: 368 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: The Giveaway is on Goodreads, but the sponser (publisher/author, whomever) is responsible, not Goodreads
Average rating: 3.65
My rating: I have not read this book

 

Genre's:

 

 

 

 

Guidelines

• Goodreads is not responsible in any way for the Giveaway (nor am I). The sponsor (publisher/author/whomever) is the one responsible for shipping the book
• You will have to provide your address, ebooks or PDFs are not available. Check NetGalley or Edelweiss.
• There is no purchase or payment required to enter
• Giveaway ends May 19. 2015
• Kiss & Tell Book Blog or Goodreads.com is in no way responsible for anything in this giveaway.  You know the saying, "Don't kill the messenger." Seriously. Don't.

Go here to check it out and sign up!

XOXO,
Kat

 

White Hot Kiss Review

What did I think of...

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

 

 

Description:
One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne… it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

This is the second time I've read White Hot Kiss, and I it was definitely better than the first time, both because I read it, and then read the second book Stone Cold Touch for the first time after that.

 



Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published on: February 25th, 2014
Pages: 400 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: The Library
My rating: 4 pages

Genre's:

 

 

 

When I saw that Stone Cold Touch was out on Barnes and Noble's shelves, I had to have it.

And, like the impulse buyer I am, I bought it.

Afterwards, I realized I had to reread White Hot Kiss first, because I remembered nothing.

 

Layla Shaw has always been different, even by supernatural standards. Living with Warden's, the "protectors" of sorts for humankind against demons, she's always felt like an outsider, even though she's more powerful and paranormal than they are. Layla is half-Warden, half-demon, two polar opposites. Each side, demon and warden alike, are caught in a vicious war against each other, caught up in their prejudiced hatred... and poor Layla is caught in the middle.

Living with the Warden's, Layla has always attempted to suppress her demonic side, added with the guilt she feels from her fellow Wardens.

However, not all Wardens think she should be allowed to live... and on her seventeenth birthday, things start to happen.

When the Crown Prince of Hell, or Roth, shows up, he causes her to question everything she thought was true, to accept herself (both sides) and to realize that a little bit of evil is necessary.

 

Roth is an Upper Level demon, and unfortunately, he's here on a job. The Boss from downstairs has given him orders, and Roth is here for a reason. But, he's fallen on the job. Fallen in love, that is. With Layla. But there are just too many barriers to overcome, and in the biggest plot twist in JLA history, it all goes out in a ball of flame.

 

Layla is not like the usual LJA heroine. She has no self-esteem, is very introverted, and craves attention, but is still super sassy, super cheeky in her own way. Being suppressed her whole life, it was cool to watch her bloom in personality. She also has some super powers, soul-stealing kisses (literally), and others that are spoilers so I will not mention them.

 

Roth is my guy right now. He's hot, arrogant, and he can be super sweet and loving. And, better yet, as a full-demon, he doesn't have a soul.

Yes.

He doesn't have a soul for Layla to steal. So not only is he perfection, but he also opens some serious doors for her... BOYS. Er, BOY. Singular.

 

 

Zayn is Layla's best friend, and her safety cocoon. Not only that, but she crushes on him hard, and he is essentially the only person to ever accept her. But, nothing can ever happen between them, because of her inability to kiss... and the fact that she doesn't trust herself.

 

Yes, there is a love-triangle. Those of you who know me, know that love-triangle's are a pet peeve of mine. Usually, because it is the result of a character deluding themselves, scared of the unknown and safe in the familiar. This is what this particular love-triangle is, too, but its execution was actually pretty well done.

Even though Zayn was like this giant obstruction, hindering the Layla/Roth relationship, it was still a good read.

 

 

VS.

 



 

 

So, yes. I am a total Team Roth fan!!

Highly recommended!

 

 

 

XOXO,

Kat

 

 

 

Throne of Glass Review

What did you think...

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

 

 

 

Description: In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.  

If I had to recommend one young adult series/book to a person, hands down I'd (most likely) recommend this book, Throne of Glass.

Main Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published on: May 7th, 2013
Pages: 404
Format: ebook- Kindle
Source: Amazon
My rating: 6 stars

 

Genres:
 

 

 

 

This is my second time reading it, and Throne of Glass still blows me away. The characters, the plotline, the writing... it's all amazing.

 

Celaena Sardothien is an assassin, known as Adarlan's Assassin, the most notorious assassin around (who is but a seventeen year old, lethal weapon). Betrayed by someone she know, Celaena was sent to Endovier, a death camp, where the average time people survive is two months. A year later, Celaena is still chugging along when the Crown Prince and his Captain of the Guard give her a proposition she can't refuse, a chance at her freedom. She shall compete in a competition to become the King's Champion. She will win (of that, there is no doubt) and after four years championing (is that even a word?) for the King, she will be given her freedom. Celaena agrees, and embarks on a perilous journey.

Celaena is a master at keeping secrets, ones that she even keeps from herself. Secrets she wants never to think of again. Her home, her parents, and her true self.  She tries everything she can to lock those memories away, but some memories won't stay hidden. There is evil in the castle, and it's up the Adarlan's Assassin to do the good thing... and rid of it.

 

Celaena is probably one of my favorite character's I've ever read. She's so complex in her layers, such a contradiction and made more real in her flaws and emotions than any other I've read. Sarah J. Maas truly knew what she was doing writing Celaena, and must have uncanny knowledge of how people's brain think, what makes humans be humans.

 

There was the slightest attempt at a love triangle here, and I say slightest because you could tell romance was definitely on the back burner, here. Chaol, the rugged, capable Captain of the Guard, of which Celaena feels inexplicit feelings for. Prince Dorian, the crown Prince, and a Havillard, one of the name Calaena despises most, yet feels drawn to, nonetheless.

 

I've never read a book quite like Throne of Glass, and now that I've read it a second time, but a year after the first time, I agree even more adamantly.

 

This is how serious I am: I would trade Throne of Glass for a Kristen Ashley book, any day.

Yes. I said it. I know. I might cry, too. Because I never thought the day would come.

 

Truly, if you don't read this book and enjoy it... well, I suppose you know what I'm going to say, now, don't you ;)

 

 

 

XOXO,

Kat

 

 

 

Stay with Me Review

What did I think of...

Stay with Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout/ J Lynn

 

 

Description:

 

At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought she'd left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from the moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.

Rating: 4.2 stars

Genre's:

 

 

Stay with Me was a really fun read... and more action packed than some of her previous books. I have noticed that through the three of her books in this series; Wait for Me, Be with Me, and Stay with Me; it's been getting more and more action-y. Wait for Me... not really, Be with Me, was more hit and run with the action, but Stay with Me had dead bodies, drug deals, and was a rocky ride.

 

In Be with Me, Calla was the tough-girl, totally outgoing and badass... but I feel like her personality was altered a ton. She had less of a backbone than Teresa did, and was a character with a weaker personality and backbone, which sucked, but I thought it made her even  more real. Because of all she's been through, it made her seem like more of a real person, that she had a weaker mentality of herself and what she deserved than others, and made me enjoy Jax "reeducating" her on herself.

 

Jax, however, was great! A previous military man, he flip-flopped from the outrageous flirting that was Jace from Be with Me, to a more alpha-possessive-protective side than both Jace and Cam possessed.

 

 

"I gotta tell you that I love you that I love you, Calla," he said, and I was surprised the heart monitor didn't catch the fact that it felt like my heart had stopped for a moment. "No bullshit. I do. I love the way you think, even if it's annoying as fuck at times and even then it's still cute. I love that there's a shit ton of things you've never gotten to experience and that you're going to get to experience them with me. That I have that honor. I love your strength and everything you've survived. I love your courage and I love that you make shit drinks, but no one cares because you're so damn nice. I'm pretty sure you're Long Island iced teas could kill people, but that's okay." His lips curved up on one side as his gaze held mine steadily. "I love your sense of humor and the fact you never ate grits before. There's so much that I love about you that I know I'm in love with you. So, honey, you can have all my shirts you want."

 

 

Yes, all of that was in response to Calla admitting that when she thought they were over (which they were not), she stole her favorite of his shirts. This totally made me fall in love with him more than I already was!!

 

I highly recommend this and any other Jennifer L. Armentrout book- she is one of my go-to authors because I know that any book of hers will make me fall in love, cry, laugh and be entertained.

 

 

 

XOXO,

Kat