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America & Soul #1
Crave All Lose All
Vincent lost his job and moved in with his mother. His friend Tyriq is a big time drug dealer and willing to sponsor him into a drug cartel. Vincent is reluctant, but his baby mama is nagging and bills are piling up. Hustling is the way. But his long-time friend (and an experienced hustler) Spoon is against Vincent getting down. Vincent ignores Spoon's advice and joins Tyriq. Vincent quickly starts stacking major figures. The never-ending gwap, expensive cars, jewelry and fast women prove addictive. What he craves could be his downfall. The higher he climbs, the more envy he encounters. Vincent is caught in a costly, ugly and vicious war. Younger soldiers are ready to kill in order to rise. Does Vincent have what it takes to succeed at this most ruthless, dirty game?
- GenresUrban
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 29, 2011
"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!
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!
May 2, 2019
The story itself was really compelling and paced perfectly, but the writing was so bad that it was extremely distracting and took me out of the story. There were typos and places where either the word was used wrong or the phrase was in the wrong order. There were also many times where specific songs would be named as an easy way to set the mood without having to actually do anything. The only description we get is what people look like and how they're having sex. Scenery is pretty much whatever you picture it to be. Something else that really took away from the story was that we're often told how much Vincent changes throughout the book but he actually doesn't change at all until he's forced to kill Spoon. Up until that moment he's the same.
I loved the actual story but I do wish the writing was a lot better. It would have been way more effective if there was a clean contrast between Vincent and his friends near the beginning to show how much he truly changes but even from the first chapter he shows interest in wanting to live the life they do.
I was really disappointed in this book. Story wise, it's great, but I had to really force myself to look over so many writing and editing issues.
I loved the actual story but I do wish the writing was a lot better. It would have been way more effective if there was a clean contrast between Vincent and his friends near the beginning to show how much he truly changes but even from the first chapter he shows interest in wanting to live the life they do.
I was really disappointed in this book. Story wise, it's great, but I had to really force myself to look over so many writing and editing issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2012
Eric S. Gray has penned an unapologetic urban fiction classic, Booty Call, and continues to flex his skills with 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.
Instead of making it to the first day of work at his new job, Vince decides to ride with his best friends Tyriq and Spoon to meet up with some white girls in the suburbs. Sex, smoke, drinks and a subsequent run to the store for blunts leads to Spoon and Vince getting stopped by the cops with drugs, a loaded gun and a half-naked white girl in the backseat. Spoon takes the blame and does three years in prison.
Shortly afterwards, his father dies, his mother loses the house and moves in with her sister and Vince finds himself struggling to live check to check. Fast forward a couple of years, he loses his job at American Airlines shortly after the attacks of 9/11. The mother of Vince's son, Chandra, expects Vince to come up with money for his son while she dates hustlers who bling her out with diamonds and gold.
Vincent finds himself with his back against the wall: no job, living with his mother and no dignity. Tyriq gives Vince a glimpse of what the drug game can provide—wads of money. Spoon is his lieutenant. But Tyriq has grown into a sadistic, ruthless drug lord hell bent on maintaining his status quo and sees Vince as a means to an end. Vince is blinded by the lure of fast money. He agrees to join the organization on two conditions: he will not kill anybody and he hops out when he stacks enough money to provide for himself and his child. Tyriq gives Vince four or five rules to survive by, which can be summed up by one simple rule: eat or be eaten. Vince does not see the destruction that the game will soon bring not only to the communities they ship the product to but the morals instilled in him by his parents.
In a few short months, Vince goes from an unemployed loser to an independently wealthy gangster with certified street credibility. 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 another wall. The abundance of money usually magnifies a man's weaknesses. From strippers to drug runners and even to Tyriq's main squeeze, Vince's lust for fast women seems to overshadow anything else that the game provided him.
Although Vince is brought into the folds of an 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.
What did you like best about this book?
This is one of the hottest book covers I've seen in a while. It fits perfectly with the motif within the book. Each major section of the book is separated by a two-page layout of a picture from the same photo shoot. That made this novel very unique in its design. Usually you only get a front cover, maybe a back cover and a bunch of words in the middle.
I also 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.
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. Although there was steamy sex, there was also the presence of heartache and pain that made Vince a believable character.
What did you dislike about this book?
This was a solid effort with no glaring deficiencies. I would say that I disliked the fact that it ended, but there is a snippet of Book II provided at the conclusion of Crave All Lose All that lets you know that there is much more drama where this one ends.
How can the author improve this book?
Eric S. Gray has shown his mastery of words with this book. You could tell he put a lot of time and effort into making this as solid as it could possibly be.
Instead of making it to the first day of work at his new job, Vince decides to ride with his best friends Tyriq and Spoon to meet up with some white girls in the suburbs. Sex, smoke, drinks and a subsequent run to the store for blunts leads to Spoon and Vince getting stopped by the cops with drugs, a loaded gun and a half-naked white girl in the backseat. Spoon takes the blame and does three years in prison.
Shortly afterwards, his father dies, his mother loses the house and moves in with her sister and Vince finds himself struggling to live check to check. Fast forward a couple of years, he loses his job at American Airlines shortly after the attacks of 9/11. The mother of Vince's son, Chandra, expects Vince to come up with money for his son while she dates hustlers who bling her out with diamonds and gold.
Vincent finds himself with his back against the wall: no job, living with his mother and no dignity. Tyriq gives Vince a glimpse of what the drug game can provide—wads of money. Spoon is his lieutenant. But Tyriq has grown into a sadistic, ruthless drug lord hell bent on maintaining his status quo and sees Vince as a means to an end. Vince is blinded by the lure of fast money. He agrees to join the organization on two conditions: he will not kill anybody and he hops out when he stacks enough money to provide for himself and his child. Tyriq gives Vince four or five rules to survive by, which can be summed up by one simple rule: eat or be eaten. Vince does not see the destruction that the game will soon bring not only to the communities they ship the product to but the morals instilled in him by his parents.
In a few short months, Vince goes from an unemployed loser to an independently wealthy gangster with certified street credibility. 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 another wall. The abundance of money usually magnifies a man's weaknesses. From strippers to drug runners and even to Tyriq's main squeeze, Vince's lust for fast women seems to overshadow anything else that the game provided him.
Although Vince is brought into the folds of an 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.
What did you like best about this book?
This is one of the hottest book covers I've seen in a while. It fits perfectly with the motif within the book. Each major section of the book is separated by a two-page layout of a picture from the same photo shoot. That made this novel very unique in its design. Usually you only get a front cover, maybe a back cover and a bunch of words in the middle.
I also 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.
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. Although there was steamy sex, there was also the presence of heartache and pain that made Vince a believable character.
What did you dislike about this book?
This was a solid effort with no glaring deficiencies. I would say that I disliked the fact that it ended, but there is a snippet of Book II provided at the conclusion of Crave All Lose All that lets you know that there is much more drama where this one ends.
How can the author improve this book?
Eric S. Gray has shown his mastery of words with this book. You could tell he put a lot of time and effort into making this as solid as it could possibly be.
April 25, 2008
"I'd rather die on my feet then live on my knees". The motto of Tyriq, Spoon, and Vince best Friends since elementary school. Tyriq was balling out of control when it came to the GAME and Spoon was his lieutenant. Vince came from a different set. Tyriq and Spoon are all about making that mighty dollar,Vince is just interested in fucking the dollar instead of making it. He gets easily distracted when he looks or smells pussy. Vincent father passed two weeks prior to him going to college. Growing up Vincent thought his dad was the biggest asshole of them all. He just didn't realize that he just wanted him to be a better man then him. I want you to remember one thing before I give my opinion on Crave all lose all: What goes around comes around, What goes up must come down.
Crave All Lose All is as gangsta as they come. Mr. Gray gives you graphic details on how it goes down in the hood. Crave details the rules of the hood what should and should not be said.
Crave All Lose All is as gangsta as they come. Mr. Gray gives you graphic details on how it goes down in the hood. Crave details the rules of the hood what should and should not be said.
August 18, 2008
The Game
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
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
February 22, 2013
Not finished with this one but I am REALLY enjoying it! This is the first time I've ever read anything by Anthony Whyte but it will not be my last! There are some annoying typos and grammatical errors but the story is a attention grabber...3.5 stars so far!
Ok, so I finished this book while I was waiting to be called for a Jury and I REALLY enjoyed it! Again, there were some typos and grammatical errors but the story was soooo engrossing. I am very close to giving it 4 stars but I'm going to give it 3.7! Good job Mr. Whyte!
Ok, so I finished this book while I was waiting to be called for a Jury and I REALLY enjoyed it! Again, there were some typos and grammatical errors but the story was soooo engrossing. I am very close to giving it 4 stars but I'm going to give it 3.7! Good job Mr. Whyte!
January 11, 2011
so far this book is ok its about this man that loses his job part of post 911,and thats not the bad part about it his best friends borther just died,his wife left him.His life is at its turning point.So he thinks he has no choice but to turn to drug and thats when
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August 28, 2008i read this book and it made me see the reality of the “hood” and what wil lead you to losing everything you have craved. It was a good novel to read for the summer. I enjoyed it!
January 21, 2011
this book is a good book!!!!
June 7, 2011
I actually like this one. Typical story but it wasn't over the top like some.
August 27, 2012
This was not a bad book. It was actually pretty good. It took longer for me to read it because I've been a little busy. Check it out!
January 24, 2016
Very good read. The ending left a lot to be desired but I enjoyed the book. My 1st time reading this particular author and looking forward to other books.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews