In book 2 of The Gwen Sparks Series, we see Gwen in Moon preparing for a war against vampires. Her relationship with Aidan is stretched to the limit when she learns of secrets he’s hidden and the American Witches Council finds out she’s bonded to Ian Devereaux. In the middle of all of this, in walks the handsome Dorian, Angel of Death. This sequel was even better than book one, Gwen learns about her powers, there’s romance and even some mystery in the mix. Although this book was remarkably shorter than what I’m used to, it was a fantastic read worthy of a five star rating! ( )

Book received courtesy of Promotional Book Tours in exchange for my review.

Deceived is a continuation of the first book (Craved) in the Gwen Sparks series. While this one picks up right where it left off, I'd like to mention that enough information is given throughout the book that you could pick this one up by itself. But if you have the opportunity to read both, you'll be pleased.


Gwen is at Moon, not by choice of course. After the cases were closed on the witches death, Ian roaming free, and the Vampire Council (VC) not doing a darn thing about it, the Witches are looking to declare war. A deadly war upon the vampires, and their secret weapon is none other than Gwen Sparks!


But even Gwen is unsure of her abilities. Should she embrace the spirit walker side? Can she go back to just being the simple spell casting Gwen? After all when spirit walkers fail to believe in themselves they often go madly insane, so crazy, they can never lead normal lives. That is of course if they even survive.


Ah but then there is still Aiden. The lovely vampire that Gwen fought so hard against, the very same man who stole away her heart in heat of passion, and the very guy who became addicted to “brew”, the blood of witches. Has he really beaten his addiction? How did the vampires ever discover the secret “high” found within the blood of witches?


Conspiracies, suspense, lust, raw emotion, and page turning questions will keep you going as you follow Gwen on her journey. Watch as she truly learns to trust in herself, the gifts she has been given, and most of all embraces her magic once and for all. Don't miss a beat, and get yourself hooked on this series. ( )

Review posted here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2012/03/indie-book-review-deceived-gwen-spar...

Just when Gwen thought her life was as insane as ever, she is contacted by the NAWC (North American Witches Council). The NAWC want to initiate a war against the vampires since they won't do anything to stop vampires from using Brew, witches' blood. So things are worse for Gwen since none of the witches trust her since she is dating Aiden who is a vampire. But they need her since she has a power that none of them have, she is a spirit walker. She can connect with ghosts and be apart of the world of the dead through astral protection. To help her learn more about her power, the witches bring in Dorian, a very sexy Angel of Death. And she still hasn't figured out what to do about the psychotic vampire Ian who has bonded himself to her.

Talk Supe came through for me again and loaned this to me. I absolutely loved Craved and Deceived was even better. The title says it all. I didn't want to believe it would happen, but you knew it was coming. Not to mention, Talk Supe rubbed it in. So mean guys! But if Stephanie Nelson isn't on your favorites list by now, what are you waiting for?

Gwen has once again kicked a lot of ass in this book. She discovers she has a lot of power. So much so, that the witches want her to play a major role in the war against the vampires. They do believe she is a traitor since she is with Aiden, but they want her power and will train her to use it. She will be their secret weapon. She has the power to astral project and speak to ghosts. But the witches want Gwen to speak to very specific ghosts. These ghosts are of people who were killed by the vampires themselves. Aiden and Gwen are combustible together and I am sure by the title, you know how things go. But I still want the whole story. Was it for personal gain or for Gwen? I am still not sure. I know this makes no sense unless you read it, it is hard not to spoil. I will stop right here.

Then we have Dorian. Oh Dorian!!!! I do enjoy Aiden, but Dorian is more up my alley. Definitely has that bad boy vibe and being an Angel of Death, that can't be more true. Someone said this and I am so glad they did because I thought it was just me. But something about Dorian reminds me of Acheron from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, so that is a plus. Dorian and Gwen have soooo much chemistry and he is hilarious. He definitely grabbed my attention quickly. I was unsure whether to trust him at first though since he was brought in by Holly. Holly is the lead witch of NAWC and hates Gwen, but wants her power. But she is definitely hiding something and I don't trust her at all. And then we have Ian. The guy is awful and evil and he definitely reminds you of that. He does something truly awful to Gwen in this book that left a really bad taste in my mouth.

This book was fast paced. Gwen wants to have a normal life so bad, but every time she turns around, she is placed in the middle of something. I love that she doesn't get onboard with the vampire-witch war because of Aiden. She actually fights for it and gets them to sit down in the same room together. That was definitely something I didn't think anyone could do. And the ending is insane. We figure out Ian's plan and who all the players are and my mouth was dragging to the floor. I need some answers right now. I am still thinking about it. This book definitely leaves a mark.

This series is a must-read! It is everything I want in an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance series. The characters are amazing especially Dorian. He was satisfying right up to the very last sentence which left a smile on my face. There are a few grammar/spelling issues, but they don't get in the way, trust me. This is a great modern day witch story. Deceived is sexy, full of intrigue, conspiracies, and plenty of mystery. Do not miss this series. Also for Gwen and Dorian fans, they have their own short story in an anthology that just came out. Go check it out here: Cupid Painted Blind ( )

This is where Gwen goes through another painful break up, turns out Aiden is indeed the monster that he is. Gwen should've chucked Aiden the first time she caught him with that naked witch in his house. But on hindsight, Gwen is also challenged staying faithful to Aiden due to eye candy Dorian Hade, the resident Angel of Death and Gwen's trainer, and those crazy fantasies she's having about his muscled body and handsome face. So maybe it was bound to go down the drain.

Deceived is better than Craved, SNelson is getting intimate with her characters and Gwen is more consistent. I still find it amusing that Gwen is so easily distracted by sex and attraction per se. Whether it's Ian, Aiden, Dorian, it doesn't matter, she responds to her attraction to these men in some shape or form which gets her in trouble. ( )