What do you think?
Rate this book
DeVante #1
DeVante's Children
Note: This edition is no longer in circulation.
"Gay people are perverts." That's what eighteen year old Daniel Winthrop hears as his father kicks him out of the house. And even though Daniel knows his dad is being unreasonable, he has plenty of questions himself about being gay.
When Daniel's first lover, Roderick, claims to be a vampire and attacks Daniel with such cruelty there could be no other explanation, Daniel realizes there are stranger things in the world than men who love men. Roderick insists that he loves Daniel, but refuses to change him, and Daniel learns his first lesson as an adult' where there is love, there can also be pain.
Enter Roderick's creator, DeVante, whose personal code of ethics doesn’t allow enslaving mortals for either love or blood. DeVante reveals that Roderick’s vampire blood is poison to Daniel, and that Daniel must be changed or he will die.
When Daniel’s half-sister gets kidnapped, he enlists the talents of his new blood-drinking friends to find her. When he brings her home, he expects to become the family hero, but discovers sometimes you really can’t go home again.
Now Daniel must figure out who he is, what he wants, and if he can kill to survive.
"Gay people are perverts." That's what eighteen year old Daniel Winthrop hears as his father kicks him out of the house. And even though Daniel knows his dad is being unreasonable, he has plenty of questions himself about being gay.
When Daniel's first lover, Roderick, claims to be a vampire and attacks Daniel with such cruelty there could be no other explanation, Daniel realizes there are stranger things in the world than men who love men. Roderick insists that he loves Daniel, but refuses to change him, and Daniel learns his first lesson as an adult' where there is love, there can also be pain.
Enter Roderick's creator, DeVante, whose personal code of ethics doesn’t allow enslaving mortals for either love or blood. DeVante reveals that Roderick’s vampire blood is poison to Daniel, and that Daniel must be changed or he will die.
When Daniel’s half-sister gets kidnapped, he enlists the talents of his new blood-drinking friends to find her. When he brings her home, he expects to become the family hero, but discovers sometimes you really can’t go home again.
Now Daniel must figure out who he is, what he wants, and if he can kill to survive.
375 pages, Nook
First published February 11, 2009
82 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Johnson
18 books72 followersSM Johnson hibernates in a conservative community of northern Wisconsin, where she writes characters who aren't exactly mainstream. Her stories are erotic, romantic and often somewhat unexpected. Visit her on blogspot to feed your hunger for darkly erotic fiction, messy lives, and things that go "naughty" in the night. http://www.smjbookteasers.blogspot.com
Most recent release: Aftermath, February 2017. Next release: Nervous, October 1, 2017. Find my books at Amazon, Smashwords, and other ebook retailers.
Thanks for being readers!
Find me on Facebook! SM Johnson writes
https://www.facebook.com/SMJohnsonWrites
PS - Goodreads insists on periods between the S and the M of SM Johnson. But, for the record, the periods are incorrect. And because of this, also for the record, some of my books DO NOT SHOW UP as my books, but as other S.M. Johnson's books.
Most recent release: Aftermath, February 2017. Next release: Nervous, October 1, 2017. Find my books at Amazon, Smashwords, and other ebook retailers.
Thanks for being readers!
Find me on Facebook! SM Johnson writes
https://www.facebook.com/SMJohnsonWrites
PS - Goodreads insists on periods between the S and the M of SM Johnson. But, for the record, the periods are incorrect. And because of this, also for the record, some of my books DO NOT SHOW UP as my books, but as other S.M. Johnson's books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
one-rainy-day
November 26, 2014***I won this book in the following contest***
March 23, 2009
The synopsis provided for the book covers the major plot so I won't add more.
Daniel and Rodrick have a very interesting relationship and once DeVante is added in it becomes more complicated. This was a tough book to put down but also a tough book to finish. The Vampire nature of taking life to sustain their own is not glossed over. There is plenty of rationalization going on to make it acceptable to Daniel and to the reader. You can see the points trying to be made, but I felt like agreeing would indeed reduce my humanity. The victims are portrayed as societal dregs but still, in the book, the necessity versus the thrill of the kill is in question throughout.
There are some "why" moments in this book. A few storylines that were not really necessary and seemed to drag the book off course and left me scratching my head. Motivations are not clear at some points either.
This book was marked with 5 flames of hotness but there is really very little actual sex in this book. Kissing and fondling but even as I closed the book I was not sure if Daniel was still a virgin or not. It may seem like this is also a menage, but it isn't. There is no sexual chemistry between Daniel and DeVante, just Daniel and Rodrick. There is also a human female love interest of sorts for DeVante and a female Vampire, Katarina in this book
The books ends suddenly without any truly satisfactory resolution to the events that had just unfolded. I don't know if it is a cliffhanger or what but I couldn't believe the story just ended so abruptly.
Daniel and Rodrick have a very interesting relationship and once DeVante is added in it becomes more complicated. This was a tough book to put down but also a tough book to finish. The Vampire nature of taking life to sustain their own is not glossed over. There is plenty of rationalization going on to make it acceptable to Daniel and to the reader. You can see the points trying to be made, but I felt like agreeing would indeed reduce my humanity. The victims are portrayed as societal dregs but still, in the book, the necessity versus the thrill of the kill is in question throughout.
There are some "why" moments in this book. A few storylines that were not really necessary and seemed to drag the book off course and left me scratching my head. Motivations are not clear at some points either.
This book was marked with 5 flames of hotness but there is really very little actual sex in this book. Kissing and fondling but even as I closed the book I was not sure if Daniel was still a virgin or not. It may seem like this is also a menage, but it isn't. There is no sexual chemistry between Daniel and DeVante, just Daniel and Rodrick. There is also a human female love interest of sorts for DeVante and a female Vampire, Katarina in this book
The books ends suddenly without any truly satisfactory resolution to the events that had just unfolded. I don't know if it is a cliffhanger or what but I couldn't believe the story just ended so abruptly.
October 9, 2014
I am told Ms. Johnson does not make a habit of conforming to literary expectations. DeVante’s Children is evidence of that, here she takes a different approach to vampirism. Instead of the omnipotent and perfectly sculpted vampires of many PNR stories, Ms. Johnson presents her readers with vampires that are flawed and ultimately more human. The fact that they are not portrayed in the typical manner seems to make them more relatable and encourages the reader to empathise with them.
Roderick: My first impressions of Roderick was that he would turn out to be a knight in shining armour, a strong, confident male vampire that keeps a look out for the innocent. It may have been my preconceived ideas that lead me astray, but I read on to find that Roderick was far from what I expected. To me he came across as a love sick teenager, one that simply had no control over his own urges. But I found that it was these flaws that made him somehow endearing.
Daniel: My initial reaction to Daniel's circumstance was one of anger. The injustice that comes with being ridiculed on the basis of one’s sexuality has me seeing red. There were moments when my heart broke for him. In saying that, most of the time I felt his immaturity and self-centeredness took centre stage. I got the impression that Daniel's desire to be turned is more about his selfish desire for power, to be stronger, and less about his ‘love’ for Roderick. Consequently, I found myself irritated with him more often than not.
DeVante: The closest you’ll get to the stereotypical vamp in this book. Like said vamps, DeVante is shrouded in mystery, is passionate, and feels the need to play protector for a human that he falls for. His approach to dealing with Emily and his attempts to defend and teach Roderick suggests that there is an honour code that he lives by, leaving me very pro DeVante.
Emily: I'm a total Emily fan. There has been a lot of trauma in her life but she is still warm and compassionate when most people would be left withdrawn and cold. I like that she is able to stand up for herself without coming across as whiny or irritating. A lot of 'strong' female leads I come across just make me want to punch them in the face because they're usually judgmental, stubborn and can't admit when they're wrong.
Tony & Lily: Likeable and interesting characters in their own right, however, their inclusion in this story seemed to have left a loose end. Readers will be left wondering what happened to this duo, and second guessing whether they actually add any value to the story considering there seems to be no real connection to any of the previously mentioned characters. Obviously, you would expect a reappearance in the next installation of the series but their story seems pointless at this stage.
As it stands, my only real grievance is with the fact that Tony’s and Lily’s story doesn’t seem to have a place in this first book, making the main storyline feel a little disjointed. Regardless, Ms. Johnson writes in an intriguing voice and does not fail to grab our attention with her complex characterisation. Overall, DeVante’s Children is a unique and entertaining read.
Roderick: My first impressions of Roderick was that he would turn out to be a knight in shining armour, a strong, confident male vampire that keeps a look out for the innocent. It may have been my preconceived ideas that lead me astray, but I read on to find that Roderick was far from what I expected. To me he came across as a love sick teenager, one that simply had no control over his own urges. But I found that it was these flaws that made him somehow endearing.
Daniel: My initial reaction to Daniel's circumstance was one of anger. The injustice that comes with being ridiculed on the basis of one’s sexuality has me seeing red. There were moments when my heart broke for him. In saying that, most of the time I felt his immaturity and self-centeredness took centre stage. I got the impression that Daniel's desire to be turned is more about his selfish desire for power, to be stronger, and less about his ‘love’ for Roderick. Consequently, I found myself irritated with him more often than not.
DeVante: The closest you’ll get to the stereotypical vamp in this book. Like said vamps, DeVante is shrouded in mystery, is passionate, and feels the need to play protector for a human that he falls for. His approach to dealing with Emily and his attempts to defend and teach Roderick suggests that there is an honour code that he lives by, leaving me very pro DeVante.
Emily: I'm a total Emily fan. There has been a lot of trauma in her life but she is still warm and compassionate when most people would be left withdrawn and cold. I like that she is able to stand up for herself without coming across as whiny or irritating. A lot of 'strong' female leads I come across just make me want to punch them in the face because they're usually judgmental, stubborn and can't admit when they're wrong.
Tony & Lily: Likeable and interesting characters in their own right, however, their inclusion in this story seemed to have left a loose end. Readers will be left wondering what happened to this duo, and second guessing whether they actually add any value to the story considering there seems to be no real connection to any of the previously mentioned characters. Obviously, you would expect a reappearance in the next installation of the series but their story seems pointless at this stage.
As it stands, my only real grievance is with the fact that Tony’s and Lily’s story doesn’t seem to have a place in this first book, making the main storyline feel a little disjointed. Regardless, Ms. Johnson writes in an intriguing voice and does not fail to grab our attention with her complex characterisation. Overall, DeVante’s Children is a unique and entertaining read.
July 12, 2009
I've been a huge fan of Vampire books, and movies, since I was a teenager so I was looking forward to reading this book.
The Vampires featured in this book, Roderick, DeVante and Katerina, were interesting characters that managed to combine human emotions with their darker Vampire natures.
The two humans featured, Daniel and Emily, were both young people dealing with loss and sadness.
The story deals with several relationships; Daniel and Roderick, DeVante and Roderick, Daniel and DeVante and also Emily and DeVante. Katerina, the self-styled Queen, wants to have a "relationship" with DeVante again. She made him, he in turn made Roderick and left her for him. Many years later DeVante and Roderick part ways and eventually Daniel and Roderick meet and fall in love. While there are several different relationships throughout the book there are very few sex scenes and those are quite mild.
Despite the fact that the book deals with one of my favorites genres, Vampires, and it is well written, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The bad part is I can't quite figure out why. I like the authors writing style and I liked the characters but the book failed to really capture and hold my attention.
Maybe it was the different relationships featured and maybe even the lack of sex, lol, but I just know that when I finished the book I was dissatisfied. I also did not enjoy the ending to the book. All that said, it's not a bad book and I'm sure many will read and enjoy it. I just wish I had.
*After writing this review SM Johnson advised me in a comment on my blog that this is the first book in a series. She is currently working on the 3rd book and the 2nd book, titled DeVante's Coven, will be released through Rebel Satori Press although she didn't give a date.*
The Vampires featured in this book, Roderick, DeVante and Katerina, were interesting characters that managed to combine human emotions with their darker Vampire natures.
The two humans featured, Daniel and Emily, were both young people dealing with loss and sadness.
The story deals with several relationships; Daniel and Roderick, DeVante and Roderick, Daniel and DeVante and also Emily and DeVante. Katerina, the self-styled Queen, wants to have a "relationship" with DeVante again. She made him, he in turn made Roderick and left her for him. Many years later DeVante and Roderick part ways and eventually Daniel and Roderick meet and fall in love. While there are several different relationships throughout the book there are very few sex scenes and those are quite mild.
Despite the fact that the book deals with one of my favorites genres, Vampires, and it is well written, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The bad part is I can't quite figure out why. I like the authors writing style and I liked the characters but the book failed to really capture and hold my attention.
Maybe it was the different relationships featured and maybe even the lack of sex, lol, but I just know that when I finished the book I was dissatisfied. I also did not enjoy the ending to the book. All that said, it's not a bad book and I'm sure many will read and enjoy it. I just wish I had.
*After writing this review SM Johnson advised me in a comment on my blog that this is the first book in a series. She is currently working on the 3rd book and the 2nd book, titled DeVante's Coven, will be released through Rebel Satori Press although she didn't give a date.*
January 12, 2012
Homoerotic vampires - what more needs to be said? SM Johnson does her usual magic in creating a very believable cast of characters in an otherwise unbelievable world. Daniel thinks his biggest problem is being gay and afraid to come out in the small town where he lives - but little does he know, he's already been targeted and claimed by a highly erratic and rather unpredictable vampire named Roderisk, who would love to help Daniel get over his "issues." Roderick's sire, DeVante, ends up having to come to clean up his rather irresponsible child's mess and ends up with a new vampire to train in the bargain, in addition to a host of issues he's dealing with in his own life. Great fun to read with engaging characters, DeVante in particular with his odd, quasi-human desire for connection mixed with an older vampire's near total alienation from a truly human standpoint. I also found the several subplots fascinating, including that of the human woman who lost her husband (and who DeVante becomes fascinate with) and the lost girl and the street hustler in Vegas, who are also trying to navigate the world in unique ways. I'm looking forward to seeing how all of these lives intersect in future books...a great beginning to a promising new (and original) vampire series with lots of sex and emotion-engaging fun.
February 6, 2016
DeVante’s Children is a somewhat lukewarm vampire story that brings the horrors of the supernatural world to reality for the kicked out of his home for being gay teen Daniel. The story starts strong and interesting, and it kind of just …I don’t know…, …it has nothing much to offer, but it keeps enough of my interest to continue reading, and it rewards with an ending that is a gripping and dramatic climax.
SM Johnson brings some important and repeated questions in her story about love and immortality. Daniel will have to witness, experience, and decide for himself if love is a matter of possessing another to such an extreme that they become their obedient slave, or is love more of dominance, a required urge of supremacy to control? Do these raw, primal emotions that drive these behaviors that end up hurting the one’s they love, is that worth losing his humanity to, in order obtain true and real love?
SM Johnson brings some important and repeated questions in her story about love and immortality. Daniel will have to witness, experience, and decide for himself if love is a matter of possessing another to such an extreme that they become their obedient slave, or is love more of dominance, a required urge of supremacy to control? Do these raw, primal emotions that drive these behaviors that end up hurting the one’s they love, is that worth losing his humanity to, in order obtain true and real love?
July 2, 2021
We are introduced to a world where humans are not aware that vampires live amongst them. Daniel has no idea that his exciting, exasperating, globetrotting boyfriend, Roderick, is one till too late. De Vante is not pleased that his child has virtually kept a blood slave and Daniel has to be turned or die.
But parallel to this storyline are two other threads that at the moment don't really tie in. Book 2 of this story is unavailable and so one is left wondering how it all ties together.
At times this story dragged and it took a few days and other books in between before I finished this.
But parallel to this storyline are two other threads that at the moment don't really tie in. Book 2 of this story is unavailable and so one is left wondering how it all ties together.
At times this story dragged and it took a few days and other books in between before I finished this.
July 1, 2021
Different. Different is good.
I found DeVante more interesting than Daniel and Daniel.
Katerina's jealous fit was interesting, but frustrating.
I would like to read the second book at some point
I found DeVante more interesting than Daniel and Daniel.
Katerina's jealous fit was interesting, but frustrating.
I would like to read the second book at some point
July 13, 2021
3.0 Stars
Surprisingly, this book did not go where I thought it was going. Perhaps it was due to the writing style (or more likely, my own idiocy), but I somehow got it in my head that Daniel was merely the younger, pre-vampire version of DeVante.
Ugh! I went through nearly half the book believing this utter nonsense. I could have simply read the TITLE to remedied my mistake.
Damn you, preconceptions!
But honestly, wouldn't that have been a nice plot twist?
Instead of the events happening sequentially, Roderick and Daniel's POVs could have been flashbacks to DeVante and Emily's future.
The result would have severely messed with the family tree (Katarina siring Roderick. Roderick siring Daniel/DeVante. DeVante siring Emily.). But, this simple alteration would have put a unique spin on, what was otherwise, a semi-typical vampire romance.
———————————————
My Goodreads Rating
3.0 Stars
Rating Breakdown
🌕🌕🌕🌘🌑 3.2 Storyline
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 4.1 Character Depth
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 3.4 Relationship Dynamics
🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 2.5 World-Building
🌕🌖🌑🌑🌑 1.8 Pacing
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 3.0 Writing Style/Prose
🌕🌕🌖🌑🌑 2.9 Enjoyment
———————————————
Surprisingly, this book did not go where I thought it was going. Perhaps it was due to the writing style (or more likely, my own idiocy), but I somehow got it in my head that Daniel was merely the younger, pre-vampire version of DeVante.
Ugh! I went through nearly half the book believing this utter nonsense. I could have simply read the TITLE to remedied my mistake.
Damn you, preconceptions!
But honestly, wouldn't that have been a nice plot twist?
Instead of the events happening sequentially, Roderick and Daniel's POVs could have been flashbacks to DeVante and Emily's future.
The result would have severely messed with the family tree (Katarina siring Roderick. Roderick siring Daniel/DeVante. DeVante siring Emily.). But, this simple alteration would have put a unique spin on, what was otherwise, a semi-typical vampire romance.
———————————————
My Goodreads Rating
3.0 Stars
Rating Breakdown
🌕🌕🌕🌘🌑 3.2 Storyline
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 4.1 Character Depth
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 3.4 Relationship Dynamics
🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 2.5 World-Building
🌕🌖🌑🌑🌑 1.8 Pacing
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 3.0 Writing Style/Prose
🌕🌕🌖🌑🌑 2.9 Enjoyment
———————————————
February 6, 2016
DeVante’s Children is a somewhat lukewarm vampire story that brings the horrors of the supernatural world to reality for the kicked out of his home for being gay teen Daniel. The story starts strong and interesting, and it kind of just …I don’t know…, …it has nothing much to offer, but it keeps enough of my interest to continue reading, and it rewards with an ending that is a gripping and dramatic climax.
SM Johnson brings some important and repeated questions in her story about love and immortality. Daniel will have to witness, experience, and decide for himself if love is a matter of possessing another to such an extreme that they become their obedient slave, or is love more of dominance, a required urge of supremacy to control? Do these raw, primal emotions that drive these behaviors that end up hurting the one’s they love, is that worth losing his humanity to, in order obtain true and real love?
SM Johnson brings some important and repeated questions in her story about love and immortality. Daniel will have to witness, experience, and decide for himself if love is a matter of possessing another to such an extreme that they become their obedient slave, or is love more of dominance, a required urge of supremacy to control? Do these raw, primal emotions that drive these behaviors that end up hurting the one’s they love, is that worth losing his humanity to, in order obtain true and real love?
January 24, 2014
*I won this book as part of the 2013 Holiday Party in the Erotic Enchants Group*
I have to say i expected more from this book.
It hooks you up in a paranormal world of vampires and a twisted plot that you simply can't stop reading yet it leaves you empty in the end.
It leaves you with a "that was it?"
Also i have to say than though i am not a writer in my mind DeVante ,Kat and Roderick are facets of one vampire...each one completes the other into one being so seeing them as 3 different beings had me feeling incomplete as to their characters.
Still the book holds you hostage to its pages and to its story and makes you wonder and agonize over the way of Emily's and Daniel's lives even Tony and Lilly and of course De Vante,Kat and Roderick
I have to say i expected more from this book.
It hooks you up in a paranormal world of vampires and a twisted plot that you simply can't stop reading yet it leaves you empty in the end.
It leaves you with a "that was it?"
Also i have to say than though i am not a writer in my mind DeVante ,Kat and Roderick are facets of one vampire...each one completes the other into one being so seeing them as 3 different beings had me feeling incomplete as to their characters.
Still the book holds you hostage to its pages and to its story and makes you wonder and agonize over the way of Emily's and Daniel's lives even Tony and Lilly and of course De Vante,Kat and Roderick
August 14, 2016
The story “DeVante’s Children” is told in point of view vignettes of several different characters. This makes for a convoluted and at times confusing story. As the tale develops and the story for each character is given, it becomes clearer how the pieces of the puzzle belong on the board, even if we don’t know how they will eventually fit together. Despite the initial slow pacing of the book, I enjoyed the character development and eventually learned to understand each individual character’s “voice”. On that basis, I can recommend this story to others to read.
May 11, 2012
What a fun read! I like the mean vampires here. I mean, it's not how I write them, and sometimes you really dislike these vampires. Which is exactly my point in praising the book. They are original. They are different. There is a darkness mixed with a tenderness that I haven't really found in other gay vampire novels.
Want to read
December 17, 2013Meh, this just doesn't sound that intriguing to me.
Won as part of the 2013 Holiday Party in the Erotic Enchants Group!
Won as part of the 2013 Holiday Party in the Erotic Enchants Group!
July 3, 2014
This book was heartbreaking. There was three couples who all suffered abuse. The abuse was Physical, sexual, and mental. The two vampires were killers that was not sugared coated. Everyone is damaged in this book. It was a hard book to read. I am giving 4 stars
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews