Customer Reviews

Bad Girlz 4 Life

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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.

I said I wasn't gonna do it. Said I would keep my thoughts to myself on this one. BUT I CAN'T allow someone to make the same mistake I made. So this is fair warning. Please know what you are getting yourself into. The first book was GREAT. This one, a complete mess. Why Shannon why? Waited so long for the sequel and again, here it is, another 2008 let down. The book jumped off and immediately had me hooked. After the first ten pages, it fell off and I can't tell you anything about the middle because I literally read it like a robot, just to get to the end. Do not spend your money on these three hundred pages of wasted trees. Do yourself a favor and GO TO THE LIBRARY instead. Better yet, you can borrow mines.

THE FIRST BOOK WAS VERY INTERESTING AND I COULD NOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN.THIS BOOK WAS VERY BORING AND I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Tonya Morris, a.k.a. Tender, used to be a stripper but chose to leave that degrading lifestyle in her past. Struggling daily to make ends meet, she unsuccessfully tries to elude her landlord and ignore the snide remarks of her co-workers at the beauty shop where she works. Present day finds Tonya fired from her stylist job, utilities being disconnected one by one, and eventually homeless. Turning to her best friend Naeema, Tonya goes back to the booty shaking gig until she and Naeema come up with a business promoting sexual parties with past associates.

Quinton "Q" Phelps has found success in the music industry and is grinding daily to continue to rise in this field. While seeking major success, Q is raising his son while the mother is incarcerated, taking care of his family, and evading the hip hop cops who are relentless in their pursuit of him. Q walked away from the drug game with millions of dollars that he used to fund his legitimate entrance into the music industry. A chance meeting brings Tonya face to face with Q, a man of her past that callously took her heart and left it broken in his destructive wake. Impressed with their promotional skills, Q offers Tonya and Naeema a win-win situation that helps to end their financial woes and gives them free reign to evolve their natural talent.. Of course, Tonya knows from past experience that with the sunshine, she has to be prepared for stormy day. Karen, Q's jealous baby sister, thrives on raining on the duo's parade and is one that they have to constantly watch.

Shannon Holmes paints a captivating story of one young lady's struggle to rise from the pits of degradation and low self-esteem. A very poignant view of life at its worst, Bad Girlz 4 Life offers a brief insight of the politics surrounding the music industry. In the midst of the chaos, Shannon Holmes entertains the readers with a love story! Pragmatic scenes with truthful reactions and thoughts make this a stimulating yet enlightening read! Bad Girlz 4 Life proves to be a very good follow up!

Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye
for Urban Reviews

Tonya Morris is not the same naive girl she used to be. She has decided to get a new hustle that doesn't involve sex, mayheim, and stripping. She finds herself doing braids at a salon as a way of honest employment. Yet it seems like her past followers her even there. While working there she meets a wonderful friend, Na'eema.

Together the two ladies act as a dynamic duo and start their own hustle together. They go from private stripping parties to party promoters over night. A chance encounter at one of their events puts Tonya face to face with her past once again. Q Phelps is there in the flesh. The only man that she has loved is present and looking even better than their last encounter.

Tonya life starts to head in a positive direction after destiny brought her and Q back together. She finds herself falling deeper in love with him, but Q's sister, crazy baby mama, and a past broken heart stand in her way. Tonya does what she knows best and fights for hers.

Shannon Holmes did a great job with this sequel. He revisits the wounds that drove Tonya to the streets at such a tender age. This novel makes you want to fight, cry, and smile. A couple of surprises are thrown at you that you'd never expect. It answers all your inquiries from the first novel and leaves you satisified. Mr Holmes you have done a great job on this one. I can't wait for Bmore Careful II.

This book was ok. Honestly a follow up was not really needed. The plot got a little far fetched at times, but overall it was alright. The first book was definately better.

Okay...I previously appreciated Shannon Holmes' way of summing up an incident on one page. That method kept me interested and it also kept the story flowing. He obviously received some advice and he took it way too far! I can appreciate taking the time to develop your characters, but you do not need the whole book to do it! The last two or three chapters provided to book's only climax. He hoodwinked me with the prologue! I enjoyed the first book and felt Shannon should have left well enough alone. That book can stand alone and there was no need for the sequel. With that said, the character development was very good. I was able to feel for the characters and place myself in each setting. But I think I could have done without it because in the end, it served no purpose. The ending was quite predictable as well. Shannon, please stick to the formula that made "B-More Careful" a hit as well as the first "Bad Girlz". You can't go wrong with that!!!!!

This book was just okay for me. Nothing great. Definitely not as good as the first book.