Bad Girlz 4 Life | 
 enlarge | Author: Shannon Holmes
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.73
You Save: $6.22 (42%)
New (34) Used (3) from $8.72
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 4669
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0312359020
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780312359027
ASIN: 0312359020
Publication Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: V20080725040743S
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Product Description
#1 bestselling author Shannon Holmes returns with the explosive sequel to his national bestseller, Bad Girlz. Tonya Morris a.k.a. "Tender" is back and this time the ride is wilder than ever. Coming of age in the Badlands of north Philadelphia--one of the toughest and poorest communities in the country--Tonya Morris has had to make some desperate and, at times, ruthless moves in her bid to survive. When Tonya stepped into the unforgiving business of stripping, she found herself caught up in a world of sex-filled nights, dirty money, backstabbing cohorts, and murder. She left that world behind to become a hairstylist. However, after she is blacklisted from salons across Philadelphia and is evicted by her shady landlord, Tonya finds herself back in the stripping business. Except this time, she promises herself, things are going to end differently. Tonya teams up with her best friend, Na'eema, to organize underground sex parties, and it's not long before they have a team of beautiful girls and are rubbing elbows with athletes, rappers, and celebrities. Then Tonya's ex-lover and now music industry superstar, Q, steps onto the scene, and everything takes a dramatic new twist. Because it's not just Q who is back in her life. His murderous baby mama, Niecey, is fresh out of jail and ready to raise hell. And she's got Tonya in her sights. In the meantime, Tonya's past has risen like a beast, threatening to tear away all her newfound success. But Tonya isn't going down without a fight.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Once A Bad Girl, Always A Bad Girl July 14, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
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
(RAW Rating: 3.5) - A Change in Life's Path July 13, 2008
Tonya Morris is back in Shannon Holmes' sequel, BAD GIRLZ 4 LIFE. She leaves her days of stripping behind to become a party promoter in Philadelphia. Together with Na'eema, a friend she makes during her short career as a hairstylist, their company becomes well known throughout North Philadelphia for the parties they throw. During one of these events Tonya has a chance meeting with Q, an old lover, who is now a top music executive. Soon Tonya and Na'eema are off to New York to become a part of his company. As a result, Tonya's life is about to change in ways she never expected. With her new life comes old drama in the form of Q's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child and another unexpected family member from her past. However, she also finds room in her new life to open herself up to love and happiness that she never experienced before. The question is, will she be able to hold onto it or will her past acts as a bad girl catch up with her?
Holmes' follow up takes the reader into Tonya's life from "Bad Girlz" with the mention of some past events which the reader may want to know about before jumping into the BAD GIRLZ 4 LIFE. The new drama in Tonya's life helps to move the novel along but there are moments when the pace of the storyline slows down. The characters are well developed and it is interesting to watch their progression and see which characters haven't learned their lessons yet. Add in the twists and the mixture is what kept me reading until the end. Overall, BAD GIRLZ 4 LIFE was an entertaining novel but receives a lower score because it was not engaging enough to stand out once the final page was read. Still, if you enjoyed "Bad Girlz," you should check the sequel out to see just how much things have changed or how much they stayed the same.
Reviewed by Criss Coles
for The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers
 Still I Rise! July 10, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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
Behind Every Bad Boy is a Bad Girl July 3, 2008
Tonya aka Tender is back. No longer a stripper, Tonya is struggling to keep a roof over head. With the help of best friend Naeema, they devise a plan to make money by promoting parties. Tonya and Q cross paths once again, but his deranged baby mama, Niecey is still in the picture. I really enjoyed the sequel to Bad Girlz. It was well-written and unpredictable. At the end there's a teaser for B-More Careful 2, which I am anxiously awaiting.
 Great Sequel July 1, 2008
Really great read...a pageturner I hope there's a part III reason being I really wanted to see Nieacey get her's at the end she was just trifling.....
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