I received an audio copy via Macmillian Audio. All reviews are my own.
Back in high school, I practically read every street-lit novel my library could hold on the shelves before they got stolen. Something was exciting about experiencing the fast life, even though I was reading it from the comfort and safety of my home. K’wan was one of the legendary names that always popped up in the urban literary conversations, yet I never read a single story from him. So, a little more than a decade later, I’m back in my Urban Fiction era, picking up K’wan’s latest novel, Passion for the Heist.
"Parish “Pain” Wells is a man freshly reintroduced to society, after serving time in state prison. Prior to his fall, Pain had been a heist man who showed the promise of someone who could go on to be a legend. His trajectory changed on the night he had made the mistake of accepting a ride from a friend, and found himself behind bars for the one crime he hadn’t committed. Several years later, Pain returns home to a world that wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire. The only one who still remains in his corner is his ailing grandmother. It’s for her sake that Pain tries to stay on the straight and narrow. He’s tired of breaking her heart and vows to be a good grandson, but when her medical bills start mounting he finds himself backed into a corner. He needs money, fast, and there’s only one way he knows how to get it.
Since her parents died and Passion Adams found herself a ward of her estranged uncle, a gangster who everyone calls Uncle Joe, her life has been on a constant downward spiral. She moves like a ghost from one day to the next, numbing her pain with drugs and alcohol, while seeking thrills in unsavory places. One morning Passion finds herself the victim of a robbery and the thieves snatch from her the only thing of value that she has left in the world, a locket containing the ashes of her deceased parents. Passion is devastated, fearing she would never see the locket again until it shows up later in the hands of a handsome stranger, who brings something into Passion’s life that has eluded her since the death of her parents… hope.
The two broken souls find themselves inescapably drawn into each other’s orbits, and begin their journey of finding lives outside the ones of poverty and sorrow that their worlds had condemned them to. But when shadows from both their pasts threaten their happiness, Passion and Pain set out on an adventure that would make them hunted by law enforcement and celebrated by the underworld. What initially starts out as a mission of vindication quickly turns into a fight for survival."
As much as I used to devour street lit, I’m slowly accepting that I no longer love the genre. I’ve simply outgrown it. I ended up DNFing this book at 63%. I’ll admit, I fell for the cover art (I knew better. But understand, I’m used to seeing TNA, guns and bullets, blood, and piles of cash front and center on these types of books!), and the synopsis did spark interest in me to pick it up. The problem: There is no plot. There’s no way I’m 60% finished with the book, and the going isn’t going. K’wan has done so much building up in the storyline but has yet to reveal what it is. 60 % in. 60! If I did finish the book, I feel the ending would be rushed, cookie-cutter, nonsensical, and more than likely a random cliffhanger to keep it going. I don’t have time for that.
The story itself was standard. I liked getting to know the characters Passion and Priest. Their paths crossed way too late, in my opinion, but their individual stories gave them some background about how their stories would take shape.
***I want to add that I was speaking with a friend (shoutout to @lit_vibrations!) who was kind enough to tell me what happens in the end because I couldn’t see myself picking this book back up to find out. Well, it turns out there is a plot, and one I did not see coming at all. It had me stuttering and sputtering! I just might go back and finish.
Overall, I rated this book 2-stars. I’m not shocked or disappointed. I just wish K’wan had gotten to the point earlier. And after discussing the book with a friend, I kind of wish I had stuck it out. I understand my review is confusing, so I’ll tell you what: if you take a chance on this book, be prepared for all avenues!
Passion for the Heist is available now
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