Book Review: Deceived (Book 2 in the Gwen Sparks Series) by Stephanie Nelson

Stephanie Nelson has created characters that I simply cannot get enough of.

I recently got the opportunity to read the first two books in this paranormal romance series about Gwen Sparks. Gwen lives in a world where humans and “others” are at peace with one another, yet still maintain separation. She is a witch, who is continuously learning more about her powers and is trying to help others with her gift. Oh, and we can’t forget about the plethora of mouthwatering men that she surrounds herself with… but you will have to read to learn more about that.

In Craved, book 1 of the Gwen Sparks series, Gwen finds herself working with the FPD (Flora Police Department) to assist them in capturing the person behind the death of many of her kind. Suspecting that the murderer is a vampire, the same species as her current love interest, peaked her curiosity and led her on a journey that she would find herself deeply involved in. It seems that Gwen is wanted in more ways than one by her ex and current partner at the FPD, which puts her in a dangerous love triangle.

Deceived begins with Gwen preparing for battle against the species of the very man that she loves most in the world. She is being trained to harness her newfound powers, which turn out to be very rare among the witch community. By freak accident, she meets a man, Dorian, who can train her better than anyone else and also has gained her attention. Gwen finds herself hiding a secret from both Dorian and the Witches Council about being bound to the very vampire that is causing the uprising between their species. Having to sneak around to see her love Aiden, Gwen soon finds out that she is not the only one that has been keeping secrets. She is focused on her mission of keeping the peace among the paranormal world, but at what price?

I read both of these books in two days – they were that addicting! It was also refreshing that I found myself so involved in the story very early on. Nelson does such a great job of hooking you right from the first page. I am an avid romance book reader, so I was pleased to see that these books had such a strong romance element included in them. The only problem was… I found myself loving all of the men that were falling at Gwen’s feet for very different reasons!

Aiden, the vampire, made my heart melt with the way that he pursued Gwen from the moment they met. Micah, her partner at the FPD and her ex werewolf boyfriend, was definitely the one that got away and that she could never have. And then there is Dorian, who appears in Deceived. Dorian came in and swept me off my feet before I even knew what happened!

I was refreshed that Nelson wrote Gwen to be such a strong character. I like the way that she doesn’t appear to be at complete mercy with any man and is very outward with her feelings around them. She is definitely a female lead that I can relate to.

I also loved the elements of surprise and thrilling mystery in these books. In one part I believe I actually was yelling out loud at the characters and I love books that bring out that emotion in me. They are exciting and are the very books that are worth talking about.

Since these books are paranormal romance, I would recommend them to an adult audience.

You can purchase the books on the following sites: Kindle/ Paperback / Nook

Disclosure: I was provided with these books by Promotional Book Tours for the purpose of conducting my review. This post contains my Amazon affiliate links.