4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Once A Bad Girl, Always A Bad Girl, July 13, 2008
This review is from: Bad Girlz 4 Life (Paperback)
Bad Girlz 4 Life is the sequel to Holmes' Bad Girlz; which debuted in 2003. With a childhood riddled with abuse and abandonment, Tonya Morris turned to a street profession for survival. Determined to find a better way, she went into business with her best friend, Na'eema, as a party promoter. It was at one of her venues that her past collided with her present in the form of Q.
Quentin `Q' Phelps knew retiring favorably from the drug game was unlikely so he opted for the next best hustle; music mogul. While he worked hard to build his empire, business was slow motion. When he bumped into Tonya, he knew she possessed the hunger that could catapult his company into the success he desired. But seeing her also produced a wave of memories that carried weight on both extremes of the emotional spectrum.
Together, Tonya and Quentin proved that no matter how successful they are, their past cannot be erased. Especially when that past includes murder, mayhem, and people whose sole focus was to catch them slipping.
I read the first installment and I hoped BG4L would jog my memory, but that was not so. I could not recall what may have been key details which I am sure caused me to feel detached from the characters. And I felt misled by the title which would have one believe Tonya was in the spotlight; not a co-star. There were a lot of grammatical errors, but I had an advance uncorrected proof. Though I took a backseat to Tonya and Q's experiences, I still enjoyed watching their relationship evolve. I also liked the fact that Tonya's family issues were addressed though, I did not think it was realistic. Fans of the author and those who recently read Bad Girlz would be likely to enjoy Bad Girlz 4 Life.
Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
www.urbanbooksource.com, June 15, 2008
This review is from: Bad Girlz 4 Life (Paperback)
Shannon Holmes extends the Bad Girlz saga with Tonya "Tender" Morris, a Philadelphian stripper. In this sequel Tonya holds a job as a hair stylist--along with her close friend Na'eema--until she gets into an altercation with a coworker which leads to her being fired. Tonya continues to style hair in her apartment by appointment to make ends meet. Behind in rent, she performs sexual favors for her landlord in order to avoid being homeless. Now, she finds herself right back where she started, she begins to strip again and turn tricks for the right price.
Eventually Tonya is evicted by her slum landlord. But not to worry, Tonya has a plan and it's called: "Dick `em Down Productions," a sex for sale scheme where they hold anything-goes sex parties. She introduces this to her friend Na'eema; in turn she assists with promoting the parties. With her new plan in action it seems that all the right pieces to Tonya's puzzle are right in place.
Na'eema joins in on the plan, which is right up her alley, with her party promoting past. Tonya focuses on the underground crowd while Na'eema went after the nine to five working-class men. Business is smooth sailing in the beginning but it's not long before Tonya goes into a rage of fury because a recruited stripper by the name of Cashmere doesn't want to proceed with the sexual acts and perform for the thirsty men in the crowd. After Na'eema provides some moral support, Tonya realizes her wrongdoing and promotes Cashmere to "cashier" where no stripping is involved, only the counting of money. This is the first sign of Tonya maturing and changing her past ways. Na'eema is proud of the choice Tonya made and with that, they reinvent themselves from Dick `em Down Productions to T&N Productions, short for Tonya and Na'eema. As a result of this ordeal, Na'eema gains a new found respect for Tonya's business mind.
Tonya then runs into Quinton "Q" Phelps, a music mogul and CEO of Prestige Records. They shared a brief sexual affair in the past and their feelings are reignited. Q offers Tonya a job as a marketing consultant with his record company. She brings Na'eema on board and together they head for New York City. Once in the office of Prestige, Tonya and Na'eema are introduced to Karen--Q's sister--Director of Marketing, who is not happy that Tonya and Na'eema are now on the team and the tension is sparked.
Tonya becomes hopeful after crossing paths with Q again, and has optimistic dreams for them. But with Niecey--Q's son's mother--fresh out of prison for murder and willing to stop at nothing to have Q and her family back, Tonya's dreams may never be realized.
Shannon Holmes' sequel is a solid roller coaster read with a dramatic twist that you'll have to read to find out.
What did you like best about this book?
Shannon is a seasoned writer that and I enjoyed that the book got much better as it ended. I was very grateful and appreciative of this. Tonya's character matured and transcended into the woman she was meant to be.
What did you dislike about this book?
In the very beginning of the book, it dragged with nothing happening, except for the opening hook Shannon used. Some of the scenes were predictable and seemed rushed; some of the dialogue early on in the story was choppy and seemed too staged instead of just flowing with the character's personality, however it did get much better as the story went along. The sex scenes were a bit dry and weak; they mirrored those from Bad Girlz.
How can the author improve this book?
I think some of the narrative could be cut down. This would allow for a faster read, some of the backstory was unnessasary.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Job Well Done!, June 2, 2008
This review is from: Bad Girlz 4 Life (Paperback)
This sequel was a good read, although I didn't like it as much as the first one. Shannon Holmes gave an old character a new twist with Tender. In Bad Girlz 4 Life she was more mature and much more wise to the game. She was on her grown woman and it was refreshing to see that she had gotten rid of her ghetto girl mentalities. There were parts of the book that grew a little boring to me, but overall I was entertained and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Be sure to refresh yourself on the first book though. This long awaited sequel is worth the buy. I can't wait for B-More 2 to hit the shelves.
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