What do you think?
Rate this book
Stonegate #2
After Lucas
Thanks to the talent of her pushbutton super-horse, Ava, Mavis wins every ribbon, trophy, and championship she competes for. No rider effort required, and not much skill either - Ava does it all.
So, when Mavis's dad loses his job, and Ava must go up for sale, Mavis is swamped with ... relief.
She knows it's the wrong thing to feel, but Mavis is used to feeling, thinking, and acting the wrong way. It's why she has no friends.
Also, riding's been really boring, for a long time.
With super-Ava sold super-fast, Mavis is ready to start enjoying her horse-free life.
Until she meets Lucas. Lucas is everything Ava's not. Stocky, dirty, untrained, and unproven, the former trail horse has the complete opposite on Mavis as her former show mare did.
Mavis likes Lucas. She loves him, even.
Lucas has a lot to learn, but it might be Mavis who gains the most from their new, unlikely, partnership.
So, when Mavis's dad loses his job, and Ava must go up for sale, Mavis is swamped with ... relief.
She knows it's the wrong thing to feel, but Mavis is used to feeling, thinking, and acting the wrong way. It's why she has no friends.
Also, riding's been really boring, for a long time.
With super-Ava sold super-fast, Mavis is ready to start enjoying her horse-free life.
Until she meets Lucas. Lucas is everything Ava's not. Stocky, dirty, untrained, and unproven, the former trail horse has the complete opposite on Mavis as her former show mare did.
Mavis likes Lucas. She loves him, even.
Lucas has a lot to learn, but it might be Mavis who gains the most from their new, unlikely, partnership.
- GenresHorses
324 pages, Paperback
Published August 27, 2018
114 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 10, 2024
wonderful writing!
Wow! A great story with super characters that grow and change and have their own distinct personalities.
This story is so well written and delves into serious disorders like anorexia and cutting. The subjects are handled so honestly and are expertly intertwined within the many main points of this book.
Em has so many issues. She has body image issues, bad attitude issues, family issues, boy issues and yes, horse issues as well. It is amazing how much this story encompasses!
But it is all done very well. Two boys named Lucas will help change Em’s life going forward. One of them is a horse. Em gets lots of other help along the way as well. A knowing trainer, a cheeky barn rat, well-intentioned parents and a goofy brother with health problems all team up to impart important life lessons. But Em does much of the work herself, too.
All this is finely woven together by an amazing author who has untold expertise with writing about teenage angst and snappy banter!
Oh, and a wonderful horse named Lucas.
Highly recommended.
Wow! A great story with super characters that grow and change and have their own distinct personalities.
This story is so well written and delves into serious disorders like anorexia and cutting. The subjects are handled so honestly and are expertly intertwined within the many main points of this book.
Em has so many issues. She has body image issues, bad attitude issues, family issues, boy issues and yes, horse issues as well. It is amazing how much this story encompasses!
But it is all done very well. Two boys named Lucas will help change Em’s life going forward. One of them is a horse. Em gets lots of other help along the way as well. A knowing trainer, a cheeky barn rat, well-intentioned parents and a goofy brother with health problems all team up to impart important life lessons. But Em does much of the work herself, too.
All this is finely woven together by an amazing author who has untold expertise with writing about teenage angst and snappy banter!
Oh, and a wonderful horse named Lucas.
Highly recommended.
December 8, 2017
A special thanks to Tudor Robins for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
After Lucas follows Mavis (the nasty girl who was kicked out of Stonegate in the first book), and we see some fantastic character development.
Mavis is prickly and hard to get along with, riding is a chore, and she has no friends.
When her dad loses his job, she is forced to sell her push-button horse, and instead winds up riding an ex-trail horse for her coach.
Along the way she has a lot of self discovery, and makes a few friends.
This was a well written and enjoyable book. Will definitely continue with the series.
After Lucas follows Mavis (the nasty girl who was kicked out of Stonegate in the first book), and we see some fantastic character development.
Mavis is prickly and hard to get along with, riding is a chore, and she has no friends.
When her dad loses his job, she is forced to sell her push-button horse, and instead winds up riding an ex-trail horse for her coach.
Along the way she has a lot of self discovery, and makes a few friends.
This was a well written and enjoyable book. Will definitely continue with the series.
November 7, 2017
Another wonderful story from this author. Moody teen girl interacts with friends, family, and horses. She decided she's happier as a nice person than a brat. She was a minor character in the previous book, but you don't really need to remember her or the others referenced (I didn't at first) to enjoy this book.
Paraphrase of funniest line for me: I knew how to deal with a ringing phone...wait till it stops.
Paraphrase of funniest line for me: I knew how to deal with a ringing phone...wait till it stops.
May 31, 2021
I liked Grace in the fisrt book and it's kind of difficult at the beginning to change like that but at the end, Mavis/Em is interesting.
I liked the change in her. Thanks to the right persons, it's like she gets a second chance to be the good side of herself. Another good story ! Looking forward to the next book in the serie !
I liked the change in her. Thanks to the right persons, it's like she gets a second chance to be the good side of herself. Another good story ! Looking forward to the next book in the serie !
July 20, 2022
A very good horse story
I loved the horse information shared in this book. I enjoyed the growing relationships also. Also the health issues discussed for people and horses was very informative. I enjoyed this book from start to finish.
I loved the horse information shared in this book. I enjoyed the growing relationships also. Also the health issues discussed for people and horses was very informative. I enjoyed this book from start to finish.
November 26, 2017
Always realistic, never dull
This author knows horses and it shows! I love her non traditional story lines and her talent for capturing the characters.
This author knows horses and it shows! I love her non traditional story lines and her talent for capturing the characters.
December 11, 2017
Good plot
I enjoy all the authors books. This had a little sweet, young romance as well. It was interesting to see a different viewpoint from the first book in the series.
I enjoy all the authors books. This had a little sweet, young romance as well. It was interesting to see a different viewpoint from the first book in the series.
March 29, 2025
Good messages for teens. Lots of quality horse
October 19, 2025
I loved the character perspective and development, and the horse stuff. I didn’t care for the romance and the basketball stuff.
November 25, 2017
Yay, my queen Tudor Robins pulls through again! I have to say, I think After Lucas is absolutely my favourite book from her. I’ve read every book that Tudor has released so far, and I always find them to be enjoyable reads. Although most of them are about horses, each book is unique, without being too weird or out-there (in my experience, a lot of horse books are very similar). After Lucas is actually told by the antagonist of the previous book in the series.
After Lucas is the second book in the Stonegate series. The first book, Objects in Mirror, follows a character called Grace as she battles her anorexia and works with her horse, Sprite. Mavis, the protagonist in After Lucas, is somewhat of an antagonist in Objects in Mirror. In Objects in Mirror, Mavis is spoiled and a bit of a brat.
I enjoyed Objects in Mirror, but I was disappointed that Mavis wasn’t explored much. She was kind of just the anorexic brat of the barn, and that was all. Which is fine, if every book went deep into every single character, we’d never get anywhere! Nevertheless, I wanted to know more about Mavis, and the story behind her attitude and her weight problems.
I was so excited when Tudor sent me an e-copy of After Lucas to review, and boy, I was not disappointed!
The absolute shining star of the book is Mavis. At first, she perhaps isn’t the most likable character. Mavis’ character development throughout the book is incredible. I won’t spoil it too much for you guys, but wow. And it’s not just a magic flick-of-the-switch kind of change either. It’s a realistic, well explored example of maturing, and shows that there’s a story behind every brat or antagonist. I find that sometimes books that are narrated by characters who aren’t particularly likable or friendly can be difficult to get through, but Tudor nails it on the head with Mavis’ growth.
Heck, I’m usually a pretty level-headed, compassionate person, and even I get super prickly and annoying to be around at times (sorry guys!). For Mavis to develop and grow from a prickly, short-tempered, uncaring teenager to one that shows patience, kindness, and tolerance was a big change. But Tudor writes this excellently. It was so good getting a peek in the mind of a character who would normally be an antagonist.
Honestly, I know exactly how Mavis feels. I know exactly what it feels like to not like myself… Or to be grumpy and snap at people, and not be able to stop myself. I honestly think almost every one could relate to her in some way.
The other characters in the book are incredible too. Every single one of them has a great story and a unique personality. Tudor does a wonderful job of giving each character their own personality, story and issues.
And of course, the horse aspects of this book was spot on, as usual! Lucas, the horse that Mavis is working with is fantastically described. Lucas is a green horse in training, and Tudor shows that excellently. All too often in horse books, green horses magically become well-trained, super talented, quiet horses. This is definitely not the case with Lucas, and while he’s not described as a particularly nasty or difficult horse, his progression in his training was very realistic.
As for flaws in this book, I literally can’t think of any! Okay, so I probably saw maybe a typo or two (although I did read a slightly advanced copy of this book)… But it was honestly minimal. After Lucas is well-written, engaging, realistic, and well-edited too.
I would absolutely recommend After Lucas to anyone who has any interest in horses at all. The horse-related parts of the book aren’t super overwhelming, but there is definitely some jargon in there that might be a bit confusing to people who have no knowledge of horses or horse riding at all. After Lucas is honestly a fantastic book, and I actually enjoyed it more than Objects in Mirror (although I really did like Objects in Mirror, so you should definitely read that one too!).
I was provided with an advanced copy of this book for review purposes.
After Lucas is the second book in the Stonegate series. The first book, Objects in Mirror, follows a character called Grace as she battles her anorexia and works with her horse, Sprite. Mavis, the protagonist in After Lucas, is somewhat of an antagonist in Objects in Mirror. In Objects in Mirror, Mavis is spoiled and a bit of a brat.
I enjoyed Objects in Mirror, but I was disappointed that Mavis wasn’t explored much. She was kind of just the anorexic brat of the barn, and that was all. Which is fine, if every book went deep into every single character, we’d never get anywhere! Nevertheless, I wanted to know more about Mavis, and the story behind her attitude and her weight problems.
I was so excited when Tudor sent me an e-copy of After Lucas to review, and boy, I was not disappointed!
The absolute shining star of the book is Mavis. At first, she perhaps isn’t the most likable character. Mavis’ character development throughout the book is incredible. I won’t spoil it too much for you guys, but wow. And it’s not just a magic flick-of-the-switch kind of change either. It’s a realistic, well explored example of maturing, and shows that there’s a story behind every brat or antagonist. I find that sometimes books that are narrated by characters who aren’t particularly likable or friendly can be difficult to get through, but Tudor nails it on the head with Mavis’ growth.
Heck, I’m usually a pretty level-headed, compassionate person, and even I get super prickly and annoying to be around at times (sorry guys!). For Mavis to develop and grow from a prickly, short-tempered, uncaring teenager to one that shows patience, kindness, and tolerance was a big change. But Tudor writes this excellently. It was so good getting a peek in the mind of a character who would normally be an antagonist.
Honestly, I know exactly how Mavis feels. I know exactly what it feels like to not like myself… Or to be grumpy and snap at people, and not be able to stop myself. I honestly think almost every one could relate to her in some way.
The other characters in the book are incredible too. Every single one of them has a great story and a unique personality. Tudor does a wonderful job of giving each character their own personality, story and issues.
And of course, the horse aspects of this book was spot on, as usual! Lucas, the horse that Mavis is working with is fantastically described. Lucas is a green horse in training, and Tudor shows that excellently. All too often in horse books, green horses magically become well-trained, super talented, quiet horses. This is definitely not the case with Lucas, and while he’s not described as a particularly nasty or difficult horse, his progression in his training was very realistic.
As for flaws in this book, I literally can’t think of any! Okay, so I probably saw maybe a typo or two (although I did read a slightly advanced copy of this book)… But it was honestly minimal. After Lucas is well-written, engaging, realistic, and well-edited too.
I would absolutely recommend After Lucas to anyone who has any interest in horses at all. The horse-related parts of the book aren’t super overwhelming, but there is definitely some jargon in there that might be a bit confusing to people who have no knowledge of horses or horse riding at all. After Lucas is honestly a fantastic book, and I actually enjoyed it more than Objects in Mirror (although I really did like Objects in Mirror, so you should definitely read that one too!).
I was provided with an advanced copy of this book for review purposes.
October 27, 2019
I absolutely loved this book! I really didn't want to put it down at all! Since I was into horses when I was younger, not into showing, I am well aware of the horse world and how it can be.
Now, I'm curious as to why she got kicked out of Stonegate too. From After Lucas, it sounds like she was a spoiled brat and got knocked down a peg or two. I'm glad she found how much happier she is when she behaves normally and isn't a spoiled brat anymore. She's turned into a nice kid in After Lucas!
I would really love to read the others in this series but am on a very limited income - only soc sec. If anyone knows where I can get them for free, please let me know.
Now, I'm curious as to why she got kicked out of Stonegate too. From After Lucas, it sounds like she was a spoiled brat and got knocked down a peg or two. I'm glad she found how much happier she is when she behaves normally and isn't a spoiled brat anymore. She's turned into a nice kid in After Lucas!
I would really love to read the others in this series but am on a very limited income - only soc sec. If anyone knows where I can get them for free, please let me know.
February 19, 2022
In After Lucas, teenager Mavis gives an incredible impression of being a spoiled, rich girl who wins every ribbon on her push button horse. But under the surface, the riding, the ribbons, even coming first seem to bring little joy to her. So when Mavis’s dad loses his job and her prizewinning mare Ava must be sold, the teenager finds a sense of relief fills her.
Read more at https://equus-blog.com/after-lucas-th...
Read more at https://equus-blog.com/after-lucas-th...
November 18, 2017
One of my favourite authors. The characters have substance and real feelings... never disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews