Wahida ClarkBesprekingen

W. Clark Publishing Making a Statement in Literature!

Cash Money Content Presents Wahida Clark "Blood, Sweat, & Payback!"

W. Clark Publishing Making a Statement in Literature!

Classic Thug Drama in a way only Wahida Clark can deliver!

This book was okay. The ending was strange in that it seem like an after thought to add Rick in the mix.

As good as the first one, even thou I felt there were alot of characters at times that I would confuse with who they were.

If you love hip hop romance than you will like this book.

I did not want to put this book down!!

this book is realllllllly gooooooood this is a loveable book ahhaha!! i love this book

All I can say about the story is "don't do this at home". Apparently, this is book 4 of a series and I have not read the previous 3. Tasha and Trae have moved from the hood in New York to glitzy California to start a new life, but their dangerous past finds them and threatens their new family. Even though I don't particularly like the morals of the characters, they are well-developed and the action in the story is a real page turner. There is a fair amount of sex, violence and bad language throughout so if you can get past that, you will find a take on a life that is beyond this reviewer's comprehension.

reading this book now. im on da 3rd short story so i will b done in no time. my review will b posted soon

it was an ok read..... im scared to read payback with ya life, i mite b disappointed

I hated this book - I guess I am just not a Clark fan.

I hated this book. But I made the mistake of ordering the entire series based on excellent reviews on Amazon only to end up hating the books. My local library thanks me for my generous donations. :-)

What’s Really Hood! is a collection of Tales from the Streets, comprising five fascinating stories of varying lengths in one satisfying book. I’ve never read street tales before, and I’m not familiar with the language or ways of the streets, except inasmuch as I’ve heard them on TV. So I wasn’t sure how I’d like this book, but I was pleased to have the chance to try something new. Hachette sent me an advanced reading copy in readiness for the editor’s blog tour and launch-date celebrations, and I’m delighted to be a part of that tour.

As I started to read, I found myself struggling over unfamiliar words. Ho, hoes, babymama, shorty, and all the different names of types of cars, of clothes, of shoes, of bags… But the language in these tales is beautifully consistent, and soon I find myself hearing the voices in my head, fluidly telling their tales. I was particularly impressed with the way that the dialog reads, without the awkwardness that so often arises with different dialects and slang. Perhaps the fact that the writing voice matches the characters so perfectly is what makes it so smooth.

The concerns of the characters are so far from my own—drugs, the search for another high, or another customer to sell to, the need for sex. But each of the authors conveys the characters’ lives convincingly, drawing sympathy through the pain.

Of all the stories, the one that will stay with me most is The P Is Free by LaShonda Teague. Even as the story grew darker, and hope more deeply obscured, this story seemed to continually promise something more, which it very satisfyingly achieved by its end.

Black is Blue by Victor L. Martin is the first in the collection, well-placed as it crosses the lives of a corporate woman with thugs on the streets, and leads the reader into that different world, just as she finds herself awkwardly led. The Last Laugh by Bonta, builds up to a fascinating mystery and kept me turning pages, watching and wondering at each of the characters’ motivations. All for Nothing by Shawn “Jihad” Trump tells a sad tale, movie-like in its scope and fierce emotion. And Wahida Clark’s own Makin’ Endz Meet closes the collection with ends that should never have met and a woman whose hopes and dreams have spiraled miserably out of control.

The writing is very different from anything I’ve encountered before, frequently “telling” the character’s emotions, but in such words and nuances that they’re equally clearly “shown.” I enjoyed this introduction to the characters and their world, a harsh place peopled with fascinating characters and cruel fates, but touched with hope. Thank you Wahida for this fine collection.

THUG LOVIN’ by Wahida Clark is a tale full of seduction and change. I have not read any of Clark’s previous books, so I can’t give my opinion on how this book compares to the others or how it follows the previous storyline. However, for a couple that seemed to be much loved (Tasha and Trae), there seems to be quite a few reasons not to love them in this book. I can’t come out and tell you whether I recommend it or not yet; it’s not that clear-cut. You’ll probably have to hear my opinions and use them to formulate your own.

Tasha and Trae and the power couple from Clark’s previous books. In THUG LOVIN’ we find them in a new place, living in upscale Los Angeles. Life is slightly different for them as they are now out of the crazy drama of New York and playing a new game. THUG LOVIN’ follows their story as they work to discover who they are as individuals and reevaluate who they are as a couple.

As I mentioned, I have not read any of Clark’s previous work. If I had, I might already be a fan of the series and might look on THUG LOVIN’ with a fond eye. However, I’m not already a fan and after reading this book, I’m not sure that I would be able to visit any of her other books and become a fan.

There were some really good parts in THUG LOVIN’. The characters were developed well and the story was certainly full of drama. If you like a book that is going to get your heart racing and pages flipping so you can figure out what happens next, I think you might find some serious enjoyment out of THUG LOVIN’. Clark throws in enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and really, you don’t know what’s going to happen until the moment that it does. Making a story anything but predictable is what creates a great book in my opinion - that and tension. Whoa buddy does THUG LOVIN’ have some tension! Each page is filled with it, pulling like a tight rubber band. There were actually a few times where I winced, waiting for the tension to snap, but it didn’t happen. Great writing there.

Now for the reasons that I don’t know if I will become a Clark fan. I am not a huge fan of “foul” language. I’ll use it when I stub my toe and frankly it doesn’t really bother me to hear it spoken around me, but there’s a limit. There was just so much in THUG LOVIN’ that I felt it distracted from the story. Now, that’s my opinion. Maybe I’m discovering my inner prude, who knows. Other people might not have a single issue with the language. Decide for yourself whether language bothers you or not and ignore this section if it doesn’t.

Also, I was not a huge fan of the characters. I don’t mind if characters become jerks in the books, but if they are a main character then I usually look for some sort of redeeming quality. I had a really hard time doing that with THUG LOVIN’ and eventually gave up. Perhaps that was Clark’s plan, to throw a wrench into the love story of Tasha and Trae. Whatever the reason, I had a hard time connecting with the characters in the story and that kept it from coming to life for me.

Fair warning time: There are adult themes and adult scenes within the pages of THUG LOVIN’. They are graphic and I would give them a sensuality rating of 4.5.

So, overall I would say that this book is great for people that don’t get too involved with the characters, love drama, and don’t mind some graphic language and love scenes. I thought I fit into those categories, but perhaps not precisely enough to fall in love with Clark. Remember though – I wasn’t totally thrilled with THUG LOVIN’ but someone else might have been. If it sounds interesting, I highly encourage you to give it a shot. Come back and tell me what you loved about it when you do!

This book was so good I kept reading it over and over again. I love it!!!!

read only if you have and open mind.

This is a very good book, better than Teri Woods' Deadly Reigns (certainly better edited). Sometimes I think it should have been titled Male Thugs and the Female Thugs Who Love Them, but who am I to judge. Clearly there are some moral and ethical pressures that I do not understand.

loved this book :)