Craved (#1 in the Gwen Sparks Series) [Kindle Edition]

Stephanie Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Gwen Sparks just wants to live a peaceful life in the supernatural town of Flora, but from the moment she read about the first murdered witch, all hope of peace was abandoned. Possessing the rare ability to read the memories of dead, she volunteers to help catch the culprit behind the string of drained witches. Gwen has to team up with the one man who broke her heart, deal with a ghost who pulls her into the deathly realm at will, and a fight off the advances of sexy but frustrating vampire who not only craves what runs through her veins—he wants her heart.



This is a full length novel and contains adult content, not recommended for readers under 18 years old

Product Details

• File Size: 1336 KB
• Print Length: 264 pages
• Publisher: Everdark Publishing (July 25, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005EIQ0M0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,637 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #56 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Paranormal > Witches & Wizards
  • #85 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult
  • #94 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 74 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Please listen to the people who gave it 1 or 2 stars! November 13, 2011

By Jennifer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First of all, I wish I had followed my normal pattern and read the reviews before I bought it. If I had, it might have saved me $1.99. That cost is the only reason the book was finished.

That said, let me explain why I disliked it. As others have already mentioned, the grammar and writing style is very poor. Almost something you expect from a young high school student in an early writing class. If you can look beyond the disjointed wording, abrupt changes in tone, quick shifts in perspective and grammar you might be alright.

As for the story itself, well the author bio said she got the idea from looking at halloween decorations and in all honesty I can believe it. The characters were not developed at all, you had no idea why they were motivated to do half of the things they did and the plot was very thin to say the least. Someone else mentioned that some of her plot points come from other more popular stories and that is very true. It's a mishmash of idea from Twilight (obligatory werewolf and vampire love triangle with the heroine), overtones of Alex Craft storylines and more. The characters jump around in emotions and decisions and do seemingly foolish things for no discernable cause.

As I said, the plot line was very thin. It's as if the author had a dim outline of what should happen and instead of writing her romance novel (which is what it seems she was shooting for), she created a half baked "mystery" novel that wasn't worth the mystery. The heroine is like a fan fiction "Mary Sue" that is beautifual (but can't see it), all powerful (but can't believe it) and everyone loves (every male character desperately wants her) but is so down to earth you can't help admire her. Except in reality, she comes off like a half baked, horny teenager with very little common sense. I can't follow her decisions. Overall the whole story is very much like a poorly written piece of teenage fan fiction melodrama.

Seriously save your money for something more worth while.

44 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything I want in a book September 6, 2011

By phoenix2000

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Craved, a Paranormal Romance/Mystery (#1 in the Gwen Sparks Series)
This book was was everything I was looking for, the perfect blend of mystery romance and sex. It was an adult vampire romance novel without being erotica. Not about teenagers "thank Goddess". All of the characters were mature complex adults. And the women were not whiny and helpless, running stupidly into danger and needing to be rescued. There were twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. It wasn't a short story which is sometimes hard to tell with kindle books. I'm just sorry that I have to wait for the sequel.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Big Disappointment November 1, 2011

By Susan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book feels like it was written by a first time writer without the benefit of a good editor. There is awkward phrasing throughout but what really gets me is that this author has a good plot line which fails because she doesn't provide enough detail. There is very little elaboration on why the characters do what they do and they don't do the obvious. Thus when Aiden doesn't appear at the ball surprisingly Gweyn seems almost unconcerned that the man she suddenly decided she loves has stood her up. She's not particularly angry or insecure and very little is mentioned about how she feels when she has difficulty reaching him thereafter.

Time and time again insufficient plot detail and failure to provide character responses or motivation in a scene gave me pause. Knowing how a character reacts to something and why they feel the way they do promotes reader engagement. I had a tough time staying engaged. It was hard to understand why Gweyn allowed Aiden to drink her blood when she knew it could result in her death. Not enough info was provided. The first full sex scene took place while Aiden drank her blood and Gweyn was "happy" during this event presumably because of the sex and not the possibility of betrayal and death at the hands of her lover. It's hard to know.

In the end it just wasn't good enough to finish.

More About the Author

Stephanie resides in the Midwest with her husband and furry children. When she's not cooking up Gwen and Anna's next adventures, she enjoys reading, traveling and watching movies. You can learn more about Stephanie and her books by visiting http://stephanie-nelson.com


Gwen Sparks Series
Craved - Book 1
Deceived - Book 2
Coveted - Book 3 (Coming Fall 2012)


Anna Avery Series
Taming the Wolf - Book 1
Embracing the Wolf - Book 2 (Coming Soon!)