Customer Reviews

Crave All Lose All

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Vincent is a young man growing up in the streets of South Jamaica, Queens with his loving mother and father. Despite the guidance and lessons of home, Vincent soaked up the knowledge of the streets via his two best friends, Spoon and Tyriq. Spoon and Tyriq are getting that money. Out of a job and with obligations as a man to his baby's mama, Chandra, but most importantly to his son, hustling became a priority. Now in the game deep with priorities changing, will Vincent crave all and lose all?

"Crave All Lose All" by Erick S. Gray is one of the hottest novels I've read this summer. It was all that and then some! This dramatic and gritty tale of greed, power and lust was a very good read and I am impatiently waiting the sequel. Good job, Erick!

Reviewed by: Tekisha

Eric S. Gray has penned an unapologetic urban fiction classic in Crave All Lose All. Although born and raised in the mean streets of Jamaica , Queens, Vincent "Vince" Grey has everything he needs to live a decent, normal life. He has a father to guide and teach him. He has a mother to love and nurture him. He even has a chance to move out and go to college.

Vince goes from an unemployed loser to a independently wealthy gangster with certified street credibility within a few short months. That independence comes at a severe price. With blood on his hands and more than enough money to get out of the game, Vince finds his back up against the wall.

Although Vince is brought into the folds of a organization that poisons black communities for fast money, he quickly outgrows being a middleman for Tyriq. Once Vince becomes a certified connect for a Colombian cartel, the rival Jamaican crew that supplies Tyriq pressures him to erase Vince from the picture and regain control. Death certificates are issued left and right. Old friends quickly become bitter enemies living by the basic rule of the streets: eat or be eaten.

Vince was a character that had many layers. Equal parts love and lust, his relationship with women was a roller coaster at best. This includes how he interacted with every woman from his mother to a stripper he got close to.

The abundance of money usually magnifies a man's weaknesses. From strippers to drug runners and even toTyriq's main squeeze, Vince's lust for fast women seems to overshadow anything else that the game provided him. Although there was steamy sex, there was also the presence of heartache and pain that made Vince a believable character.

I enjoyed the plot twists of Crave All Lose All. The book is filled with sex, drugs and violence, yet it is unpredictable to the end. There are certain things I didn't cover in this review that were totally unexpected and readers will definitely enjoy experiencing on their own.

Joey Pinkney
Unbiased Book Reviewer
[...]

I'm not sure why this book has so many 5 star reviews.
In my opinion, this book is poorly written and is filled with garbage and cussing. Now, believe me, I don't at all mind when an author likes to sprinkle a little profanity here and there, but this was on every page and almost every sentence.
Crave All Lose All also contains some very graphic sex scenes, teenage drinking, and the "N" word.

This does not make a great book in my opinion. It makes it a poorly written one. I would give it zero stars if I could.
Just a heads up for anyone who was interested in this book.
I promptly requested a refund from Amazon and they were very polite and fulfilled my request.

In Crave All Lose All author Erick Gray introduces readers to Vincent who's back is literally up against a wall. Things weren't always so bleak but after losing his job at the airport due to 9/11 cutbacks he's unemployed and down to his last $20. His baby mother (Chandra) has already kicked him to the curb since he wasn't able to keep her in the finer things in which she was accustomed to. His job at the airport did allow him to support his mother financially but now the bank has foreclosed on her home since they were unable to keep up with the mortgage payments. His aunt takes him and his mother in but Vincent's manhood is definitely taken a beating living in the basement while waiting for prospective employers to call him back.

Something has to give and soon the streets are calling. Vincent's childhood friend Tyriq provides Vincent with a seemingly easy way to make some paper. Although envious of Tyriq's flashy lifestyle Vincent knows that hustling isn't for him but he takes Tyriq up on his offer as a temporary fix to his current situation. The money comes easy and soon Vincent is all in. However the money has a corrupting effect on Vincent as he's forced to learn that the game is not a game!!!

Crave All Lose All is an excellent cautionary tale on the damaging effects of the drug game. Erick Gray delivers yet another gritty, believable story with realistic characters. With each release ( Booty Call: Who Would You Call?; Booty Call *69; Ghetto Heaven; Money Power Respect; Nasty Girls; It's Like Candy; Flexin & Sexin:Volume 1) readers can witness Mr. Gray's literary growth and see why he remains a staple in the urban lit game!!

"There's two types of hustlers in the game...."
Meet Vincent. He's recently laid off, due to the tragic events of 9/11. He's over his head in debt and can't seem to catch a break. Due to a tragic event, he is reconnected with his childhood friends, Tyriq and Spoon. Drawn in by their luxurious lifestyles , Vincent is torn between staying on the right path or making fast money.
" Crave All Lose All" by Erick S. Gray was a real page turner. It pulled me in from the beginning all the way to the last page. There were a few editing problems but none that took away from the storyline. It was a gritty, uncensored tale that I truly enjoyed.I can't wait to read the sequel to this 5 star book!

ERIC YOU KNOW I LOVE YOUR WORK AS ALWAYS TAKES ME A MINUTE TO GET TO READING IT.AS ALWAYS YOU DID YOUR THANG.MUCH RESPECT ..

I wanted to read a fast paced gritty urban novel and decided to try Crave All Lose All. I found what I was searching for. It was definitely a page turner and extremely raw. My feelings are mixed, however. Overall, I liked the story, the character development, and the pacing. By the time I finished the ebook, I felt like I knew the characters very well. The violence was a bit much for this reader, at times, and the profanity was ridiculous, although I understood why it was needed to give the full picture of the hustler's life and environment. I loved the life lessons that were shared from Tyrik's pov but I didn't like the disrespect for women shared by most of the male characters. All in all, I would definitely read more from this author, especially if editing is improved. Editing issues abounded and were a distraction throughout the novel.

This book was so good! The author really did a good job with this piece of work! Crave all lose was a book filled with drama and betrayal. Tyriq was one of my least favorite characters. His was cool but he was far from a man. He left everyone to do his dirty work. Spoon, I don't have much to say for him. He did what he had to do, but hey it cost him in the end. Now Vince, that was my boy! HIs parents only wanted the best for him. Especially his father. I was hoping that him and his babymother had got back together. Besides that he was a good father. This book was really good, it was on point. I will be reading some more of this Authors work.

This book was an excellent read. I cried several times, but I really loved the characters and the book overall.

I have to say this was book was jam packed with all the action betrayal and sex an urban fiction reader like me craves. Great read and even better buy. The sequel love and a gangsta is very disappointing as the main and more interesting characters are gone.