A slow burn almost up until the 80% mark, A bit raunchy and its been awhile since I've read urban lit but I don't think it had enough going on for me to continue with book 2. I did enjoy the character Pain, but overall the book was too raw for me. Thank you #Macaudio24 for an advance copy of this audio.

Kwan, really did his thing. The manner in which it was written, and the social and social economic struggles the characters had to deal with put me in the mind of Donald Goines, and Iceberg Slim. This book was very well written; it was written in a manner that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was not able to put this book down. Passion was a young lady that was living the life she had, in spite of the cards that she was dealt. All the while living amongst of those that were trapped in a life of drugs and prostitution. Passion was determined to make it out, with the love and support of Pain . Pain after being released from jail was determined to make it, and walk the straight and narrow. He did not want to break his grandmothers heart and return to prison. His chance meeting on the train was his first introduction to Passion. It was as their worlds began to intertwine that their lives, hopes, and dreams were threatened by their past. They were fighting to survive together.

Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for this audio arc. This book felt nostalgic to me because I went through an urban fiction phase. This was an interesting read and beginning to a series. This book follow Passion and Pain as they are both working in different ways to make their lives better. I can see how this is not everyone’s cup of tea but I enjoyed the story overall. The narrator did fit the book for me so it made it feel like an odd listen until I got into it.

This is a review of the audiobook. Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook for review.

I think this book is in the category of Urban Fiction. I haven't read any books in this category, and I wasn't sure if I would like the book.

The narrator for the audiobook is Excellent! If it wasn't for his narration, I don't think I would have liked the book. When I first started listening, I thought, this isn't for me. But I kept listening, this is a long audiobook (around 13 hours), and I started to get invested in the story. Now I'm invested enough to want to continue reading the second book in the series. I plan to get the audiobook if it is the same narrator.

Pain is newly out of jail. The story follows his return back to the neighborhood and his former crowd. He still has to make a living, sometimes that means returning to what you do best. He is also trying to find some romance! The woman he has his sights on is Passion. You follow their journey towards each other, and all the things that happened in between. There is a long cast of characters, who keep the story moving.

This story is full of spice! (Check the trigger warnings) If you are a fan of Urban Fiction, or looking to try it for the first time, this is a good book to check out. Especially the audiobook!

This book had a slow setup, making it a struggle to get through. There were typical urban fiction themes throughout (drug dealing, murder, DV, prostitution etc.). Being that I had the audiobook, that helped a little with consuming the story. Based off of the ending, there;s a clear set up for a second book. Thank you to McMillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

This story took us on a wild ride.
Pain is fresh out of prison, he has plans to turn his life around but circumstances lead him down a dangerous path.

A lot happened in this book but it seemed to happen at the end of the story. It took a while for the story to get to the good stuff.

Being introduced to so many different characters was alot. It was hard to keep them all straight.

I really enjoyed the narrator. He did a wonderful job keeping me engaged.

Oh Wow!!! This started out a little slower than I expected but then at the 70% mark the pace picked up and wow! The twist and turn. I’m sad it ended in a cliffhanger though but I feel some things were tied up and now it’s to see what’s next. I’m looking forward to the next book.

CW:
- Prostitution
- Self harm
- Rape
- Drug use /Drug abuse
- Murder
- Sexual assault
- Child abuse

Audio Narration - The narrator did a really good job of bringing the story to life.

Thank you Macmillan audio for the ALC

Gosh ! I don’t even know where to begin first I’ll just start by saying this book was chefs kiss I enjoyed this book so much! Just from pain getting out of prison and trying to catch up with the world ! The betrayal of his best friends and also him trying to do the correct thing after going to prison but soon realizing he may have to go back to old habits because of his grandmothers debt and sickness !
Next I loved the female main character Passion who One morning 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. She is currently living in a shelter ran by her uncle who traffics young girls will passion find her way out ? Will pain be her peace ?

Whew this was a crazy ride pain wanted better but his friends just didn’t get it ! Passion was going through unnecessary trauma for ungodly reasons smh , I really felt terrible for her and Pain .. The narrator was perfect! Honestly I felt like I was watching a show episode on HBO ! This was really good 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 I highly recommend this movie lol I mean book !

This book was just not for me. I was not a fan and just couldn't get behind it. There was too much going on.

Passion For The Heist by K'Wan
Genre: Urban Fiction
Pages: 336 pages
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Troupes: Drug Dealing, Wrongful Conviction, Family Drama, Newfound Family, Cliff Hanger
TW: Murder, Domestic Violence, Underage Prostitution
Series: Yes, Book 1
ARC?: Yes, thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced listening copy of Passion for the Heist. Being able to listen to K'Wan's writing on the page come to life was a suspenseful joy.

I want to start of by saying I am a fan of K'Wan and his writing and this novel was not short of what I was expecting from him. I love how he always weaves his characters together into this mater piece that you get to watch unfold along the ride. He included some characters from his previous novels as well as added some characters that did not fully develop. In typical K'Wan fashion, I believe this is due to Book 2. He likes to leave us on a need-to-know bases and it always gives us the shock value we are waiting for later. So, this was not a disappointment for me.

There are two stories going on simultaneously that do come together beautifully in the end. It most definitely gave Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde.

You have Pain, which is being released back into society, after from being wrongfully convicted. A simple slip of wrong place wrong time caused the course of this promising young man's life to be forever changed.

As much as Pain tries to change his life for the better and make his grandmother proud, she is sick and struggling with medical bills. This forces Pain back into the game to get some quick cash that he desperately needs.

Then we have Passion. After losing both of her parents in a car accident, she is forced to live with her estranged Uncle Joe. He is a drug dealer and pimp, having women and gang members all up and through his house. While under his care her mental and emotional health take a downward plunge. She begins trying to cope by using drugs and liquor as she finds herself hopeless. Even though she is dealing with all of this she is still striving to be successful in school and save to follow her dream of moving out of Uncle Joes house and settling in New York.

Unfortunately, Passion gets robbed (wrong place wrong time- or is it?) and the thieves takes the locket that she kept her parents ashes in. This is what sets off the chain of events and where the plot thickens. You are in for a treat with plot twists, betrayals, newfound family, and a cliff hanger.

Bravo K'Wan. 👏🏽 I have missed your writing so much. It was an honor reading and reviewing this for you.

I chose to DNF this book after a few hours of listening made it clear to me that I am not the intended audience for it and the content triggers got to be too much. I think readers more versed in the urban fiction genre or less bothered by grittier topics like sexual assault and trafficking will have a much better time with this novel. The writing wasn't bad and the narrator did good work! The novel's content just sadly wasn't for me. Leaving 3 stars because I don't think it deserves less even though I didn't finish it.

This book moved very slowly and then sped up at about the 75% mark. Unfortunately, just as I was getting invested in the FMC and MMC, the book abruptly ended. I’m guessing there must be another book coming out to continue this story, but I’m not sure if it will entertain me enough to continue. Don’t let my review discourage you, since I definitely seem to be in the minority on my rating.

Passion for the Heist is the first urban fiction book that I've read. I kept seeing this author pop up at the library I work at and when I saw it as an early listen option, I figured I would give it a try. The books seem like they are marketed towards women with their cover art and I was curious about the genre.

I ended up doing some digging into urban fiction and street lit. What is it? Who is it written for? Who writes it? This article does a great job breaking it down and talking about the value of the genre. https://www.vice.com/en/article/urban-fiction-deserves-literary-respect/

The audio narration of Passion for the Heist was great. I got caught up in each character and by the end of the book, Passion and Pain felt like real people to me. I love an easy to listen to audiobook and I'm really glad I listened to this rather than read it myself.

Passion lost her parents in a car accident and is living with "Uncle Joe," her mother's brother. He runs a tight household with a handful of women and is a pimp and a drug dealer, but Passion has never had to do what the other girls in the house do to live there.

Pain just got out of prison and is determined not to go back. He wants to spend time with his grandma and get a real job. His reputation as the street's best heist man and bad ass make it tough to go straight, but he doesn't want to relive the things he had to go through in prison ever again.

Passion is about to turn 18 and dreams of leaving the NYC and living in CA. She wants a new life without Uncle Joe in it and has been saving to make it happen. She has gone through a lot of trauma and struggles to stay positive and out of trouble sometimes.

When Passion and Pain keep crossing paths, they both feel a pull towards each other. The last half of the book really picked up speed and the character development starts to get a lot better at that point too.

I have to give it 4 stars for the ending. It really leaves you in a lurch and feels unfinished. Now I HAVE to read the next book! I hate when the first book in a series doesn't stand on its own, but it had the desired effect and I'm on the hook already for the next book. Lol.

If you are new to the genre, I found this summary spot on:

"Urban fiction, also known as street lit, hip-hop lit, gansta lit, or ghetto lit, tells the story of life in the inner-city, generally with a gritty, dark tone. The plot shines a light on the harsh realities of life in the city, including hard subjects such as drug use, gangs, sex, poverty, and violence. Stories are fast-paced and often focus on a young-adult protagonist overcoming adversity, surviving abuse and betrayal, and rising out of hard times. The writing often contains explicit sexual content and graphic violence." -https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/i-have-an-idea/w/choosing-your-topic/6903/genre-basics-urban-fiction

Thank you to MacMillan audio for the ALC to listen to. #MacAudio2024

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan audio for this ARC. I listened to 52% of this book before I DNF'd it. I really tried to push through but the story still had not materialized. At 52% in the plot was not established, It was just a lot of dialogue but never really got to the point of the book, The narrator was good and the writing style is something I think I would enjoy if the storyline was better.

This was my first time diving into urban fiction and this wasnt bad. I will say it was a lot and I hope they add some trigger warnings as to I can see some folks being triggered by some of the things in the read. All in all good read, will deff check out more from this author.

I wasn't sure what to expect when reading this book, but I'm very glad that I picked it up as part of the Macmillan audio influencers program!
This book is an excellent urban fiction book - with a fun element of planning heists that gave me Ocean's Eleven vibes. The characters were fascinating and well-rounded and the way that they were all interconnected was very well crafted to give the story additional depth. This was my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The chemistry between Passion and Pain was excellent - and not necessarily in a romantic way, but in the way that they kept encountering each other and understood each other.

The story was very well paced - and definitely ramped up toward the end, moving quickly and bringing the characters together in ways that I didn't totally predict (which was refreshing!). I found myself pulled into the back stories of these characters and the experiences they were going through. Passion especially had a lot to deal with between living with Uncle Joe, the girls, her struggles and just trying to succeed at school. There are some trigger warnings here that I'd recommend checking out. Pain's battle between his old and new self was immersive and really had me invested in his ability to navigate.

The themes of loyalty and family are heavy in this book and create a foundation that makes for a very compelling story. This looks to be the first book in a series - which means there were things left unanswered in the ending and definitely set up a second book to continue with Passion and Pain to see where they end up!

I also want to spend a minute on the narration. This was an extremely well narrated book. To be honest, it's not often that I get the chance to listen to a fully male narrated book (usually they're female or a mix of voices) and it was an enjoyable experience. The depth, nuance and pacing of the narration really fit the book and the storyline to enhance the reading experience. I definitely enjoyed the narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of this book to read and review!

I didn't really enjoy this one but I think it's me and not the book. This book just isn't for me. The audiobook was well performed all things considered and I'm sure it'll be a hit for the girlies that love their urban fiction.

Thank you Netgalley for gifted copy. Passion of the Heist was a good read! I was obsessed with Pain. Like his story ran so deep(I need a spin-off). Passion as well. Even though the book gave background on them I wanted more. I love how the author had Pain and passion continuously running into each other and then bam 💥.
For some reason I knew the best friend was a snake 🐍 it was too much wishy-washy stuff with them. (I'm not gone say who since I want y'all to read the book). This is not a book you can just skip through and it makes sense. Your attention will be grasped immediately because if you're like me you wanna know who this person is and why they are here.

Ohhh Hook blew me.. but I'ma let y'all read it.

If you are looking for REAL, RAW, AUTHENTIC READ. THIS IS THE ONE.

I absolutely loved ❤️this book. I listened to the audiobook and I found myself laughing 🤣 and people around me giving me strange looks 👀. There has to be a part 2 and I can’t wait to read it. K’wan never disappoints me.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest review