Sunday, December 1, 2013

ARC Review: Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Bitter Sweet Love (The Dark Elements #0.5)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: December 1st 2013
Source: Received eARC via NetGalley from publicist (Thank you so much, Lisa, Tashya and Jennifer! <3)
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



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 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...
(Image and summary taken from Goodreads.)
Review:

Funnily enough, I read White Hot Kiss before Bitter Sweet Love so I was pretty familiar with the characters that came out in this book, but that did not stop me from enjoying and getting to know them even more. And I would just like to say how perfect the title of this book is because Dez and Jasmine's journey towards reconciliation was bitter, sweet and had a whole lotta lovin'.

When Jasmine's first love, Dez, comes back from a three year absence (he left right after her father announced that they were to be mated... ouch) claiming that he wants be mated to her, what else could a scorned girl do but take advantage of the situation? Jasmine's dream has always been to be released from the double standards of the Warden that women only belong at home, taking care of the kids and to be free. Free to fly, explore and be herself without feeling shackled by her father's rules. I really admired Jasmine's tenacity and drive to be someone different from who everyone expected her to be, a docile and compliant mate but nooo, she proved them all wrong. Jasmine is a little firecracker and you will absolutely love spending time with her and seeing her mature throughout the book. She knows that she needs to make a big decision, to take Dez's hand in mate-riage (see what I did there?) or not? (I say, Y-E-S because that boy, I mean-- man, is yuuum.)

Oh, how Dez makes my insides quiver. And it's not just because of his deliciousness that makes him so appealing, it's his personality and attitude towards things. Sure he's got the mysterious thing down (we still don't really know what he did during that three year lapse) and he's also pretty confident but all that goes down when he's with Jasmine... but yeah, he still manages to stuff his ego into the room, anyway. The fact that he willingly made that compromise with Jasmine, to allow her to do her travel and do other crazy stuff, knowing that there would be a 99.9% chance she would say "no" to his mate-riage proposal, that's got to take some serious balls. To lay himself on the line like that for her is just commendable. (Just say "YES", Jasmine!)

The chemistry between Jasmine and Dez is craaaaay. It's like JLA took all of the elements in the Periodic Table and combined them all to create a perfect bond for Jasmine and Dez because they just stabilize and fit each other so well. The little quips and wisecracks they have for each other never fail to make me giggle... and snort. You will root for these two, and Dez because he's the one trying to convince the girl to get with him. (You can do it, man!)

Man, oh, man. I love all the secondary characters in this book! Even Danika who I wasn't a particular fan of in White Hot Kiss (you'll see why). You get to meet Layla as a kid (the protag of WHK) and you'll see how spunky and adorable she is. And there's Zayne who everyone seemed to love (I did too but I've already met Roth so I've technically met the best. LOL). And Herbert! Who could forget Herbert the pukwudgie? I want one of them, seriously. And trust me, there's a lot more people to meet (Trust. Me.) so order your copy ASAP if you want to get in on the BSL action and while you're at it, order White Hot Kiss to because you'll need it once you read BSL. And awesomely enough, you get to familiarize yourself with the Wardens and see their complete badassery first hand. Complete with the wings, granite hard and colored skin and all that.

While Bitter Sweet Love may just be a novella, it did not seem lacking or not satisfying enough, Jennifer L. Armentrout serves you more than you even knew you wanted because this book just brims with so much personality and depth that you won't be able to stop yourself from falling in love with it. I always have high standards when it comes to JLA and her books because I know that no matter how high I raise the bar, she's always just leap over it and set it even higher. JLA never disappoints and she hasn't broken her streak yet.

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4 comments:

  1. OOh nice review! I bought this one already as well! Envious to hear you've already read White Hot Kiss! I cannot wait to read that one! Great review!

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    1. Thanks, Jessica! I hope that you enjoyed reading Bitter Sweet Love!

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  2. This book has gotten me so excited for White Hot Kiss! I cannot wait until February! ;)

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    1. Yay! I'm so glad to hear that you're excited for White Hot Kiss, Erin! :D It's definitely worth the wait!! (Can't wait for you to meet Roth! OMG, swoon. <3)

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