Short Story Saturday: Bitter Sweet Love

Title: Dark Elements #0.5: Bitter Sweet Love

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Date of Publication: December 1, 2013

Formats Available: E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: 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...

My Review:

After reading and loving the first two books of the Dark Elements series it only seemed natural that I had to pick up the prequel novella. Though I don't really remember Dez all that much I was excited to read more about Jas and Danika and see what life was like for a female warden. Plus, knowing Armentrout like I do, I was sure that we would get to see a cameo of Layla!

My biggest complaint about short stories is that I feel that sometimes the story just isn't fleshed out enough to make it enjoyable. It's hard to develop a whole world and characters in a short amount of time but Armentrout did it beautifully and I loved all the action and romance she managed to pack into such a short time. With a unique cast of gargoyles and demons, and even a new creature I've never heard of, Pukwudgies, Armentrout makes the most of her 105 pages, and I adored every minute of it!

I love books where two characters travel together and fall in love so Bitter Sweet Love was right up my alley. The romance between Jas and Dez was adorable and heartwarming. Even though Jas started off not trusting him, since he abandoned her, he quickly redeems himself and I fell in love with him right along with Jas. The road trip device gave plenty of opportunity for action and romance and from the streets of New York city, to a hilarious scene with a Pukwudgie, this novel had it all!

Fans of the Dark Elements series will no doubt fall in love with Jas and Dez and I highly recommend this novel to fans of the series or those wanting to try something by Armentrout without the commitment of a whole novel. Armentrout is one of the best writers in paranormal romance and I'm excited to see what she does next!

4/5