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Lucas
With nothing left, Lucas went to reinvent himself in Eaton, Colorado, a town whose name was one of the few clues about his parents, who died when he was young. Taken in by Rocko, the local bar owner, Lucas is focused on saving money for top surgery and starting a new chapter in his life.
Everything changes when Veronica walks into the bar. Unbeknownst to Lucas, she is a vampire with council permission to take his blood. What neither of them initially realizes is that Lucas’s parents harbored a secret—they were vampire kin, genetically predisposed to being turned.
Forced into vampirism against his will, Lucas finds himself trapped forever in a body that can never change. Even meeting Jeffery, a charming and supportive vampire, cannot ease the pain of this profound violation.
How will Lucas cope with his new reality and find a way to reclaim his sense of self?
Everything changes when Veronica walks into the bar. Unbeknownst to Lucas, she is a vampire with council permission to take his blood. What neither of them initially realizes is that Lucas’s parents harbored a secret—they were vampire kin, genetically predisposed to being turned.
Forced into vampirism against his will, Lucas finds himself trapped forever in a body that can never change. Even meeting Jeffery, a charming and supportive vampire, cannot ease the pain of this profound violation.
How will Lucas cope with his new reality and find a way to reclaim his sense of self?
126 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 28, 2024
3.5 stars
What I appreciated most about this book is its unique blend of contemporary issues and supernatural elements. The author does a commendable job of portraying Lucas’s struggles with his identity and the profound violation he feels after being turned into a vampire. The character development is strong, especially with Lucas and his interactions with other characters like Rocko and Jeffery.
However, there were moments where the pacing felt uneven, and some plot points seemed a bit rushed. I also wished there was more depth to the world-building, as the concept of vampire kin and the council’s role could have been explored further.
“Lucas” is an intriguing read with a lot of heart. It’s a story about finding oneself amidst chaos and learning to cope with unexpected changes. While it has its flaws, it still offers a fresh take on the vampire genre and is worth a read for those interested in stories of personal transformation and resilience.
What I appreciated most about this book is its unique blend of contemporary issues and supernatural elements. The author does a commendable job of portraying Lucas’s struggles with his identity and the profound violation he feels after being turned into a vampire. The character development is strong, especially with Lucas and his interactions with other characters like Rocko and Jeffery.
However, there were moments where the pacing felt uneven, and some plot points seemed a bit rushed. I also wished there was more depth to the world-building, as the concept of vampire kin and the council’s role could have been explored further.
“Lucas” is an intriguing read with a lot of heart. It’s a story about finding oneself amidst chaos and learning to cope with unexpected changes. While it has its flaws, it still offers a fresh take on the vampire genre and is worth a read for those interested in stories of personal transformation and resilience.
September 15, 2024
Lucas by MJ James was a really well written book. This was my first book about vampires and I really enjoyed it. This book is about Lucas who is a transgender man, who ended up in the small town of Ember after coming out. He adjusted quite well, he found a job, and made some friends fairly quickly. He figured out the Ember is a very accepting place which was very nice for him considering all he had gone through. One night on the way home from his shift at the bar he was randomly attacked and he was turned into a vampire. This is the first book in the Ember Town series and let me just say it set a really good stage for book 2. I can’t wait until the next book.
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September 10, 2024I refuse to believe Lucas is 40
September 7, 2024
~I received this book through LibaryThing Early Reviewers.~
1.5 ☆/ 5 ☆True Blood meets Degrassi but everyone is 40+.
The Plot:
Though leading with an interesting concept, I think it fell short and started to veer into emotional torture p*rn areas around the mid-point. Instead of rooting for Lucas, I just pitied him. Instead of wanting him to learn more of his parents, or go forward with his future, I just felt bad that he was put into the situation and that everyone was so shitty. Even Jeffrey, a seemingly kind face amongst the nasty, I can't shake the fact that Lucas didn't need a lover, he needed just a friend more than anything, a singular alive person in his life that wouldn't be actively judging him, and/or resenting him. And in the end it feels midly like Jeffrey is taking advantage of Lucas’ naive and emotional state.
The vampires have such an interesting concept, that vampirism is a genetic and evolutionary trait, unfortunately having the character who tells us this that they don't care left me feeling more like the information wasn't fleshed out, especially given that by the end of this read we know very little about the vampires at all. Lore, length of life, vulnerabilities, and treaties with other members of the magic community, all seems to fall to the wayside in favor of another fade to black oddly timed tryst with Jeffrey.
In fact, we end up knowing more about the nymphs lore and culture than we do about anything to do with the vampires.
Writing and pacing:
I felt the end seemed more the middle of a novel, and the midpoint felt more like the beginning. In turn, this all made the beginning just feel too long. The pacing just felt a tad off.
There were a few grammatical errors, and a few missing words as well. Some of the prose felt clunky, but otherwise very easy to read. Nothing too complicated, nor too simple.
In the end though, it seemed as if it needed some more editing. Sitting at just over 100 pages, I felt it could have been condensed into 50, giving space to tell more story, rather than to split it into separate books.
Overall:
I wish I didn't know that these vampires did not in fact have any bodily fluids, but alas here we are. I'd be intrigued to see where Lucas goes, but if only for his life to go well. I need that lad to feel real joy, and maybe get some therapy to deal with all of the trauma taking place.
1.5 ☆/ 5 ☆True Blood meets Degrassi but everyone is 40+.
The Plot:
Though leading with an interesting concept, I think it fell short and started to veer into emotional torture p*rn areas around the mid-point. Instead of rooting for Lucas, I just pitied him. Instead of wanting him to learn more of his parents, or go forward with his future, I just felt bad that he was put into the situation and that everyone was so shitty. Even Jeffrey, a seemingly kind face amongst the nasty, I can't shake the fact that Lucas didn't need a lover, he needed just a friend more than anything, a singular alive person in his life that wouldn't be actively judging him, and/or resenting him. And in the end it feels midly like Jeffrey is taking advantage of Lucas’ naive and emotional state.
The vampires have such an interesting concept, that vampirism is a genetic and evolutionary trait, unfortunately having the character who tells us this that they don't care left me feeling more like the information wasn't fleshed out, especially given that by the end of this read we know very little about the vampires at all. Lore, length of life, vulnerabilities, and treaties with other members of the magic community, all seems to fall to the wayside in favor of another fade to black oddly timed tryst with Jeffrey.
In fact, we end up knowing more about the nymphs lore and culture than we do about anything to do with the vampires.
Writing and pacing:
I felt the end seemed more the middle of a novel, and the midpoint felt more like the beginning. In turn, this all made the beginning just feel too long. The pacing just felt a tad off.
There were a few grammatical errors, and a few missing words as well. Some of the prose felt clunky, but otherwise very easy to read. Nothing too complicated, nor too simple.
In the end though, it seemed as if it needed some more editing. Sitting at just over 100 pages, I felt it could have been condensed into 50, giving space to tell more story, rather than to split it into separate books.
Overall:
I wish I didn't know that these vampires did not in fact have any bodily fluids, but alas here we are. I'd be intrigued to see where Lucas goes, but if only for his life to go well. I need that lad to feel real joy, and maybe get some therapy to deal with all of the trauma taking place.
July 28, 2024
Thank you to MJ James for providing me with an advanced copy of this story for review and consideration. All opinions are my own
Lucas is a Transgender man, who after coming out and all that entailed, made his way to the small town of Ember where he finds it a very accepting place to be. He finds a job and makes new friends, and all seems to be going well until he is attacked on his way home one night and gets turned into a Vampire. Now Lucas must come to terms with being an Immortal, with all its pros and cons.
This story sets the stage for what could be an epic series of books based around Ember and its magical community. I enjoyed reading about the trials and tribulations Lucas faced in his journey and I believe that this is a story that really needs to be told to shine a light on transgender and gender diverse people. It felt very personal in places, and you can tell that the author has put in a lot of research to build up the character that is Lucas and the people he meets.
This story has excellent plot points woven throughout, though I believe they need to be fleshed out a bit in some places. It can sometimes feel that Lucas is jumping to conclusions based on little to no evidence we have read about making the story a little disjointed.
With that being said, I am looking forward to the second instalment of this series as I need to know what happens to a certain member of the wolf pack, the nymph’s daughter, as well as the relationship between Jeremy and Lucas
Lucas is a Transgender man, who after coming out and all that entailed, made his way to the small town of Ember where he finds it a very accepting place to be. He finds a job and makes new friends, and all seems to be going well until he is attacked on his way home one night and gets turned into a Vampire. Now Lucas must come to terms with being an Immortal, with all its pros and cons.
This story sets the stage for what could be an epic series of books based around Ember and its magical community. I enjoyed reading about the trials and tribulations Lucas faced in his journey and I believe that this is a story that really needs to be told to shine a light on transgender and gender diverse people. It felt very personal in places, and you can tell that the author has put in a lot of research to build up the character that is Lucas and the people he meets.
This story has excellent plot points woven throughout, though I believe they need to be fleshed out a bit in some places. It can sometimes feel that Lucas is jumping to conclusions based on little to no evidence we have read about making the story a little disjointed.
With that being said, I am looking forward to the second instalment of this series as I need to know what happens to a certain member of the wolf pack, the nymph’s daughter, as well as the relationship between Jeremy and Lucas
August 13, 2024
Lucas moves to Ember, Colorado to start his new life somewhere where no-one would know who he was or who he used to be, somewhere they wouldn't judge him.
What he didn't count on was being more accepted of who he is without any questions because, as Lucas would soon find out, nothing and no one is as they seem in Ember.
This is the tale of Lucas' journey. Lucas had just started his life over being freely who he always was. He finds himself in a new town, at a new job working behind the bar, and in a new place of his own. He has a goal he's saving towards and it's within reach. Or it was.
When Lucas meets Veronica his life, unbeknownst to him, changed course. Lucas has his hopes and dreams ripped away from him by a vampire. Lucus is now stuck in a body that will never change and understandably this is very hard for Lucas to accept.
This is Book One of the Ember Town Series.
What he didn't count on was being more accepted of who he is without any questions because, as Lucas would soon find out, nothing and no one is as they seem in Ember.
This is the tale of Lucas' journey. Lucas had just started his life over being freely who he always was. He finds himself in a new town, at a new job working behind the bar, and in a new place of his own. He has a goal he's saving towards and it's within reach. Or it was.
When Lucas meets Veronica his life, unbeknownst to him, changed course. Lucas has his hopes and dreams ripped away from him by a vampire. Lucus is now stuck in a body that will never change and understandably this is very hard for Lucas to accept.
This is Book One of the Ember Town Series.
September 27, 2024
40 years old, divorced, and unhappy with his body and predicament, Lucas makes an effort to make the best of his remaining life. Then, he met Veronica. But Veronica isn't even the love interest... And when she accidently turns him into a vampire, she is dispassionate and just a bitch. Then he meets a "hot guy" named Jeffery, who is the love interest!
With so much promise, I was interested in where this would go, who is Lucas, and what's about to unfold. Unfortunately it feels more like someone's fanfiction turned novel. While the writing is decent, the pacing and plot kind of dissolve in the last half. But maybe I'm just missing a lot of the pieces?
With so much promise, I was interested in where this would go, who is Lucas, and what's about to unfold. Unfortunately it feels more like someone's fanfiction turned novel. While the writing is decent, the pacing and plot kind of dissolve in the last half. But maybe I'm just missing a lot of the pieces?
August 31, 2024
I received this book as a free digital copy from a StoryGraph giveaway.
A very interesting parallel between vampires frozen in time and self acceptance of trans identity. A story of self awareness and identity and resilience.
I enjoyed this story though felt the need for further depth to characters like Jeffery. What is his story? I hoped for more world building in the sense of vampire kin and how that worked. Beautiful diverse set of characters including neurodivergent and asexual representation.
The ending was too abrupt. I am tempted to read the next due to this, however.
A very interesting parallel between vampires frozen in time and self acceptance of trans identity. A story of self awareness and identity and resilience.
I enjoyed this story though felt the need for further depth to characters like Jeffery. What is his story? I hoped for more world building in the sense of vampire kin and how that worked. Beautiful diverse set of characters including neurodivergent and asexual representation.
The ending was too abrupt. I am tempted to read the next due to this, however.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews