Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: The Dark Elements (#2)
Genre(s): Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
Publication Date: October 21, 2014
Pages: 446
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…
I loved it. I loved all of it. There was romance when I wanted the romance, and everything in this book just pieced together so well.
Stone Cold Touch picks up right after White Hot Kiss. We have Layla who's trying to figure out what she's to do with her love life and where she belongs; with the Wardens or demons. Stone Cold Touch is mainly about on Layla's love life, whether she's to choose between Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince, or Zayne, Layla's lifelong best friend who's been falling in love with her since the very beginning.
When Layla's powers begin to change, she doesn't know why. Roth has disappeared into Hell. The Wardens who have provided her shelter and has been her family for her entire life is keeping secrets from her...
"I lost myself the moment I found you."
I'm not a big fan of love triangles. There's a love triangle in this series, but this love triangle is seriously not your typical love triangle. I absolutely loved this love triangle. Roth and Zayne are both not amazing, cute or hot guys, they're FREAKING SEXY GODDAMN GODS. They are both so incredibly swoon worthy and it's going to be such a tough choice for Layla.
This book focuses on Zayne as the first book focused on Roth. I've heard that Stone Cold Touch made some people switch to team Zayne but if you asked me who's team I am on, I am on team Roth all the f*cking way.
There's somewhat a storyline in this book, but the romance dominated the majority of the book. There is SO much more romance in Stone Cold Touch. I feel that the romance is 90% in this book as opposed to the 30% romance in the White Hot Kiss. However, despite the love triangle, both of the relationships were wonderful. They were realistic, honest and they felt true.
"You're going to go against Hell - against your boss?"
He grinned as he shrugged. "Yes."
"Why would you risk that?"
His eyes met mine. "You know the reason. Deep down, you know."
I found Layla to become a more likeable protagonist in Stone Cold Touch. It wasn't that I didn't like her in White Hot Kiss, but I felt that Layla became a more interesting character. It was wonderful to watch find herself and her place, yet at the same time watch her get through her struggles.
I didn't expect Layla to choose her guy in this book but I still couldn't help but pull out my hair during the romance bits. Armentrout built up the romance so high that at one point I totally lost it and I was mentally screaming for Layla to just HAVE F*CKING SEX WITH ONE OF THEM ALREADY. Even if it wasn't Roth...
As for the ending...I wouldn't have ever come to that prediction but I wasn't all that surprised by it. I'm in no way saying that I'm not screaming for the next book. In fact, I am slowly dying for the next book. I cannot wait to see where it takes our fabulous three and what events will hit them next. It's going to be such a tough decision for Layla, but I have no doubt that Armentrout will make her readers swoon and scream for more!
Stone Cold Touch was a magnificent romance book. There were parts where it tore, twisted, broke my heart. I definitely cannot wait another 9 months to get the final instalment in the series. If you're a fan of brilliantly crafted romances, action packed storyline and swoon worthy guys, Stone Cold Touch is definitely a book that will leave you mesmerized and wanting more.
