White Hot Kiss

Armentrout (the Covenant books) launches her Dark Elements series with a forbidden romance—or two. Layla is a half demon, half celestial Warden in a world where balance is maintained by implacable hatred on both sides. Protocol dictated Layla’s destruction, but for unknown reasons, the patriarch of the Washington, D.C. Warden clan has raised her as an adopted daughter. That hasn’t prevented her from falling in love with the son of the house, Zayne, though her demon heritage means she can never kiss him without killing him. Her kisses are safe for Roth, however—a high-ranking demon who knows Layla’s secrets and keeps many of his own. Layla’s 17th birthday has triggered changes in the supernatural balance that only Roth seems to understand, but accepting his knowledge also means accepting truths about her demonic nature that Layla is desperate to ignore. For all its paranormal apparatus, this is, at base, a good boy/bad boy love triangle, well-paced and peppered with intriguing details that allow both Romeo-and-Juliet swoons and a zombie apocalypse to have their turns. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Mar.)