What do you think?
Rate this book
Justice Hustlers #2
The Boss
She won't back down. She'll never stop. And in this seductive, suspenseful novel, one gorgeous sister puts her future on the line for the exploited even as her past and present collide, threatening to take her out
Tyesha Couvillier will never forget the rip-offs and brutal treatment she endured as a sex worker. So as the new director of the groundbreaking Lower East Side Women's Health Clinic, she'll take on the Ukranian mob and corrupt strip club bosses to stop local exotic dancers from being pressured into selling sex. And if she and her crew can pull off an elaborate heist, the evidence they steal could upend this vicious game and give exploited women a chance at justice
But suddenly Tyesha's traumatic past and high-drama family are back on the scene and turning up the heat to explosive. With a notorious celebrity ex-lover out to win back her heart, and a drug kingpin from her Chicago past in the mix, crucial scams go dead-wrong, and buried secrets bring wrenching betrayal. Now this fiercely compassionate beauty must gamble on tricks she never dared to protect those she loves and survive to carry on the fight.
Staking out space for women of color in the heist-fiction genre, Aya de Leon s smart, sly writing is a knockout. --Andi Zeisler, Bitch magazine"
Tyesha Couvillier will never forget the rip-offs and brutal treatment she endured as a sex worker. So as the new director of the groundbreaking Lower East Side Women's Health Clinic, she'll take on the Ukranian mob and corrupt strip club bosses to stop local exotic dancers from being pressured into selling sex. And if she and her crew can pull off an elaborate heist, the evidence they steal could upend this vicious game and give exploited women a chance at justice
But suddenly Tyesha's traumatic past and high-drama family are back on the scene and turning up the heat to explosive. With a notorious celebrity ex-lover out to win back her heart, and a drug kingpin from her Chicago past in the mix, crucial scams go dead-wrong, and buried secrets bring wrenching betrayal. Now this fiercely compassionate beauty must gamble on tricks she never dared to protect those she loves and survive to carry on the fight.
Staking out space for women of color in the heist-fiction genre, Aya de Leon s smart, sly writing is a knockout. --Andi Zeisler, Bitch magazine"
337 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2017
50 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 14, 2017
This novel was an intersectional feminist's wet dream come true, tackling such topics as sex work, trans vulnerability, white supremacy, misogyny, etc, with orgasm inducing respect for all marginalised groups, complete with epic history lessons!
June 22, 2017
Parts of this book were five stars forever. Mostly these were to do with either hair (the heroine's hair was nearly a secondary character in its own right, forever getting messed up in rain or humidity) or with a feminist attitude toward men and sex that blew me away in some scenes and I've been a feminist for a long, long time.
On the other hand, this has *way* too much plot (including a zillion backstory items, and a plethora of violent moments) and far too many secondary characters. It needed to be streamlined, with more emphasis placed on fewer plotlines and characters. Also, the sex scenes either were way too perfect (simultaneous orgasms between brand new lovers) or sometimes gratuitous (a detailed lesbian scene with no purpose in the plot - in fact we barely see those characters again thereafter.)
Although the heroine is the boss of the clinic, we rarely see her in that role. She's mainly dealing with her personal life and the unionization of a chain of strip clubs. It's never explained why Marisol, the former boss whose life revolved around the clinic has passed it on to a 29 year old. The clinic's funding and location, which was of such concern in the past book, is never mentioned either and there's no way those problems were permanently resolved.
So, there's some cool stuff in this book. But it also needs a thorough revamp.
As a book of advice for young women considering their role with men, this is a solid winner IMO. So four stars overall!
On the other hand, this has *way* too much plot (including a zillion backstory items, and a plethora of violent moments) and far too many secondary characters. It needed to be streamlined, with more emphasis placed on fewer plotlines and characters. Also, the sex scenes either were way too perfect (simultaneous orgasms between brand new lovers) or sometimes gratuitous (a detailed lesbian scene with no purpose in the plot - in fact we barely see those characters again thereafter.)
Although the heroine is the boss of the clinic, we rarely see her in that role. She's mainly dealing with her personal life and the unionization of a chain of strip clubs. It's never explained why Marisol, the former boss whose life revolved around the clinic has passed it on to a 29 year old. The clinic's funding and location, which was of such concern in the past book, is never mentioned either and there's no way those problems were permanently resolved.
So, there's some cool stuff in this book. But it also needs a thorough revamp.
As a book of advice for young women considering their role with men, this is a solid winner IMO. So four stars overall!
March 27, 2021
Do you want books that show positive portrayals of sex workers? Of course you do.
But did you know you also want books that show positive portrayals of sex workers who unionize?
Now you do.
But did you know you also want books that show positive portrayals of sex workers who unionize?
Now you do.
October 3, 2017
good social justice topics in a romance book - but a few too many plot lines to keep track of, a paternity plot twist that i found chronologically very confusing, and the writing just wasn't great.
April 9, 2020
Honestly so good. Refreshing. Empowering. Going to have to take a break from romance for a bit because I will be comparing all others to this.
May 25, 2017
I received an ARC through Goodreads.
---
I didn't get to read the first book, but this can be read as a standalone for the most part.
It was a very interesting story with quite the cast of characters. Tyesha is named the new director of the medical clinic, but she has secrets and family that she wants to keep separated from her public life. There is a lot drama and scandalous behaviours in Tyesha's family . Let's not forget about Tyesha's ex, Woof. Technically can he be considered an ex if they only went on like what 2-3 dates? Anyways.... Woof is trying really hard to win Tyesha back because he messed up and really likes her, but has he really changed for the best and will Tyesha see past her own issues to find her happy ending?
I really really enjoyed the heist scene in the beginning (just wish there was a little more information and context on that <- maybe it was in the previous book) and the heist they pulled with the Ukrainian mobster (it was very daring and elaborate, but somehow they pulled it off!). Wish there was more heist scenes. There were a good amount of intimate scenes to keep you coming back for more, like who doesn't want that? Tyesha certainly knows what she wants and isn't afraid to take it (sex of course but always being safe!).
I like that we get to see Tyesha work out a lot of personal issues (public speaking terror due to the tragic death of her aunt), relationship issues (with her family and Woof), and of course fighting for the rights of sex workers. I like that part of the story is told through some of the sex worker's perspective, we get a glimpse into the seedy underbelly of what some of them have to deal with.
There were times when I got a little annoyed with Tyesha. Like public speaking and being all high and mighty on certain issues when obviously people are trying hard <- like Woof, not quite understanding the whole picture and consequences of working with a singer who is known as a pedophile, at least he is trying.
There are some unexpected twists and soap opera style moments but overall decent read.
---
I didn't get to read the first book, but this can be read as a standalone for the most part.
It was a very interesting story with quite the cast of characters. Tyesha is named the new director of the medical clinic, but she has secrets and family that she wants to keep separated from her public life. There is a lot drama and scandalous behaviours in Tyesha's family . Let's not forget about Tyesha's ex, Woof. Technically can he be considered an ex if they only went on like what 2-3 dates? Anyways.... Woof is trying really hard to win Tyesha back because he messed up and really likes her, but has he really changed for the best and will Tyesha see past her own issues to find her happy ending?
I really really enjoyed the heist scene in the beginning (just wish there was a little more information and context on that <- maybe it was in the previous book) and the heist they pulled with the Ukrainian mobster (it was very daring and elaborate, but somehow they pulled it off!). Wish there was more heist scenes. There were a good amount of intimate scenes to keep you coming back for more, like who doesn't want that? Tyesha certainly knows what she wants and isn't afraid to take it (sex of course but always being safe!).
I like that we get to see Tyesha work out a lot of personal issues (public speaking terror due to the tragic death of her aunt), relationship issues (with her family and Woof), and of course fighting for the rights of sex workers. I like that part of the story is told through some of the sex worker's perspective, we get a glimpse into the seedy underbelly of what some of them have to deal with.
There were times when I got a little annoyed with Tyesha. Like public speaking and being all high and mighty on certain issues when obviously people are trying hard <- like Woof, not quite understanding the whole picture and consequences of working with a singer who is known as a pedophile, at least he is trying.
There are some unexpected twists and soap opera style moments but overall decent read.
June 5, 2017
I received an ARC of this book.
This is the second book in the Justice Hustlers series, and the story takes place recently after the previous installment, Uptown Thief, which I enjoyed a lot. This is a series of books about women formerly or from the sex industry who run also a women's health clinic in New York City. They combine exciting heists and sexy romance, all through a very openly feminist and social justice lens. This second book takes that even further with a story about a group of strippers trying to unionize, which comes with some pretty spot on discussions about the value of labor, race and capitalism.
The Boss is about Tyesha, a former sex worker who has recently taken over as the clinic director. We got a lot of Tyesha in the previous book, and she was my favorite after the protagonist, Marisol (who makes some appearances in The Boss), which made me very excited for this book. It can be read as a standalone, though - any necessary backstory from Uptown Thief is mentioned here.
Naturally, now that she's the main character, Tyesha becomes much more fleshed out - we learn about her past life in Chicago, her fear of speaking in public, her aunt's work in public health, her troubled relationship with her family and her loving connection to her nieces. I could definitely both understand and be invested in her as a character. Though at times it felt like there was a bit too much backstory, and some of it could have been left out to move the story along a little faster.
Because of the clinic, Tyesha is involved in getting a group of strippers unionized, and that ends up requiring that Tyesha, Marisol and the rest of the gang from the first book do one more heist that will take on the Ukranian mob (yep, it's intense). I really enjoyed the heists and the action part of the book, and I feel like the writing of these scenes got even stronger since Uptown Thief. Once this plan is set in motion, about halfway through the book, the story moves much more interestingly.
Tyesha also reconnects with Thug Woofer, a big shot rapper who tried to date her in the previous book. They had broken up after he failed to accept her work in the sex industry, but he says he's changed now and is still in love with her (he says that in a #1 album, even). Thug was a pretty believable character and I enjoyed their story a lot. He is a guy who's spent his entire life internalizing sexism and demeaning women without stopping to think about it, and the book shows how hard it is to finally do just that. At the same time Tyesha never lets him off the hook for anything and there's never any grand romantic gesture that will save the day. Their relationship is rooted on Thug realizing that respecting Tyesha isn't the same as respecting all women, which makes for a very compelling and at times messy story.
I think I liked Uptown Thief better, if only because it felt like the different plots connected more organically (for a while in the first half of The Boss the strip club plot feels a little distant from Tyesha), but because this book is grounded in a pretty interesting, layered and kick-ass character, this is a very enjoyable read. While it can be read as a standalone, if you haven't read Uptown Thief yet, I'd suggest you start there and make your way to this one afterwards, if only so you can meet Marisol, who is amazing.
This is the second book in the Justice Hustlers series, and the story takes place recently after the previous installment, Uptown Thief, which I enjoyed a lot. This is a series of books about women formerly or from the sex industry who run also a women's health clinic in New York City. They combine exciting heists and sexy romance, all through a very openly feminist and social justice lens. This second book takes that even further with a story about a group of strippers trying to unionize, which comes with some pretty spot on discussions about the value of labor, race and capitalism.
The Boss is about Tyesha, a former sex worker who has recently taken over as the clinic director. We got a lot of Tyesha in the previous book, and she was my favorite after the protagonist, Marisol (who makes some appearances in The Boss), which made me very excited for this book. It can be read as a standalone, though - any necessary backstory from Uptown Thief is mentioned here.
Naturally, now that she's the main character, Tyesha becomes much more fleshed out - we learn about her past life in Chicago, her fear of speaking in public, her aunt's work in public health, her troubled relationship with her family and her loving connection to her nieces. I could definitely both understand and be invested in her as a character. Though at times it felt like there was a bit too much backstory, and some of it could have been left out to move the story along a little faster.
Because of the clinic, Tyesha is involved in getting a group of strippers unionized, and that ends up requiring that Tyesha, Marisol and the rest of the gang from the first book do one more heist that will take on the Ukranian mob (yep, it's intense). I really enjoyed the heists and the action part of the book, and I feel like the writing of these scenes got even stronger since Uptown Thief. Once this plan is set in motion, about halfway through the book, the story moves much more interestingly.
Tyesha also reconnects with Thug Woofer, a big shot rapper who tried to date her in the previous book. They had broken up after he failed to accept her work in the sex industry, but he says he's changed now and is still in love with her (he says that in a #1 album, even). Thug was a pretty believable character and I enjoyed their story a lot. He is a guy who's spent his entire life internalizing sexism and demeaning women without stopping to think about it, and the book shows how hard it is to finally do just that. At the same time Tyesha never lets him off the hook for anything and there's never any grand romantic gesture that will save the day. Their relationship is rooted on Thug realizing that respecting Tyesha isn't the same as respecting all women, which makes for a very compelling and at times messy story.
I think I liked Uptown Thief better, if only because it felt like the different plots connected more organically (for a while in the first half of The Boss the strip club plot feels a little distant from Tyesha), but because this book is grounded in a pretty interesting, layered and kick-ass character, this is a very enjoyable read. While it can be read as a standalone, if you haven't read Uptown Thief yet, I'd suggest you start there and make your way to this one afterwards, if only so you can meet Marisol, who is amazing.
Read
June 9, 2019YES! This book is a rollercoaster ride from the first pages, in which three of its badass protagonists – all fierce and fearsome women of colour – pull off a heist and a crazy car chase. It just gets wilder from there. What's wilder than a heist? A bunch of exotic dancers banding together to fight to unionize their labour at their mob-owned strip club in New York City, that's what.
This book is 100% Original - I've literally never read or heard of anything like it, which is hard to say these days. And it is a living contradiction – a pulpy guilty pleasure featuring hot sex (where women's pleasure is front and centre), heists and danger that ALSO taught me a lot about the effects of classism, racism and misogyny on sex work and stripping in 2016. The lead protagonist, Tyesha, is far more three-dimensional than most genre heroines; she's flawed, vulnerable and full of conflicting emotions. Her personal trauma and secrets go right back to the most raw and difficult parts of Chicago's history. And, as others have said, her hair features so prominently that it pretty much gets its own chapter. Tyesha's backstory has a LOT of twists and turns that were a little hard to follow, but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed this.
This book is 100% Original - I've literally never read or heard of anything like it, which is hard to say these days. And it is a living contradiction – a pulpy guilty pleasure featuring hot sex (where women's pleasure is front and centre), heists and danger that ALSO taught me a lot about the effects of classism, racism and misogyny on sex work and stripping in 2016. The lead protagonist, Tyesha, is far more three-dimensional than most genre heroines; she's flawed, vulnerable and full of conflicting emotions. Her personal trauma and secrets go right back to the most raw and difficult parts of Chicago's history. And, as others have said, her hair features so prominently that it pretty much gets its own chapter. Tyesha's backstory has a LOT of twists and turns that were a little hard to follow, but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed this.
June 27, 2020
3.5 stars. This book was MUCH better than the first in the series. Much of this is due to the main character. Objectively, she's actually written well (the character of Marisol was startlingly hypocritical). Subjectively...I really like Tyesha. She's strong, but not cartoonishly so. She relies on her friends quite a bit, and actually trusts them. She is interesting and relatable (although I will admit I have extremely particular reasons for relating to Tyesha's backstory.) She's also fun!
The plot is a little tighter than the first book as well. You don't spend over a hundred pages wondering where the book is going. The actual "heist" part is still quite light--despite the marketing, it's just not that kind of book. In addition, much of the dialogue, particularly during sex scenes, is unbelievable (not in a good way. In a "people do not talk like that" way). However, there are fewer terrible sex scenes than the first book, which is nice.
The story flows along naturally and easily, for the most part. My one major gripe is that the ending is a bit too neat. Quite a few loose ends are wrapped up with a bow, and it feels rushed and unrealistic. But overall, this is a much better effort.
The plot is a little tighter than the first book as well. You don't spend over a hundred pages wondering where the book is going. The actual "heist" part is still quite light--despite the marketing, it's just not that kind of book. In addition, much of the dialogue, particularly during sex scenes, is unbelievable (not in a good way. In a "people do not talk like that" way). However, there are fewer terrible sex scenes than the first book, which is nice.
The story flows along naturally and easily, for the most part. My one major gripe is that the ending is a bit too neat. Quite a few loose ends are wrapped up with a bow, and it feels rushed and unrealistic. But overall, this is a much better effort.
December 26, 2017
I'm really glad this series exists. Sure, it is silly and unrealistic, with gratuitous sex, politics and hair descriptions and occasional eye-rolling dialogue, but light escapist fiction with no sexism, racism or transphobia? Where the strikers are successful and the health care is free? I save these for holidays when I just need a mental escape, and I wish there were more.
The strengths of this one were the weaving of the family relationships, forged by imperfect people in an imperfect world. The sheer fantasy escape of the rest of the book enables a more realistic tone here, without bringing the general mood down.
But my biggest gripe with the book is also the reason these books are hard to do. In the end, the perfect happy ending is hard to justify in a world with such uneven stacks. So the writer's dodge involves crucial interventions by wealthy men, kinda undermining the whole vibe.
Still, there's no point in taking anything in these books too seriously. And that's a compliment, seriously.
The strengths of this one were the weaving of the family relationships, forged by imperfect people in an imperfect world. The sheer fantasy escape of the rest of the book enables a more realistic tone here, without bringing the general mood down.
But my biggest gripe with the book is also the reason these books are hard to do. In the end, the perfect happy ending is hard to justify in a world with such uneven stacks. So the writer's dodge involves crucial interventions by wealthy men, kinda undermining the whole vibe.
Still, there's no point in taking anything in these books too seriously. And that's a compliment, seriously.
January 20, 2020
I'll admit that I don't think I liked this one as much as I liked de Leon's first book. It's still, essentially, a sex-worker and queer positive romance book, which I think is really necessary. That said, the world of The Boss seemed almost just a little too convenient and glossy, allowing for nearly everything to be wrapped up in a nice little bow.
It could be that romances, in general, aren't really my jam, but the story telling here didn't quite work for me, and felt a little shallow. Still, it was enjoyable enough in the moment, and probably doubly so if you're someone who is really into explicit sex scenes, which I think de Leon does do pretty well, despite my general prudishness.
It could be that romances, in general, aren't really my jam, but the story telling here didn't quite work for me, and felt a little shallow. Still, it was enjoyable enough in the moment, and probably doubly so if you're someone who is really into explicit sex scenes, which I think de Leon does do pretty well, despite my general prudishness.
January 18, 2022
As a character study of the protagonist, this felt very real to me.
As a heist ( I don't recall any actual "hustle") it was super cliched.
And finally, on the sentence by sentence level I felt this could do with more editing. I felt especially that in action or sex scenes it was easy for me to get lost or be unable to follow the action exactly; it felt as though it was incompletely visualized by the writer.
As a heist ( I don't recall any actual "hustle") it was super cliched.
And finally, on the sentence by sentence level I felt this could do with more editing. I felt especially that in action or sex scenes it was easy for me to get lost or be unable to follow the action exactly; it felt as though it was incompletely visualized by the writer.
September 17, 2017
Two stars because what I read of it was kinda a funny plot, for a romance... But no more because I just can't get into it. I'm not a fan of the style it's written in (lots of slang and things), but normally that alone won't keep me from enjoying a book. But, this one, I don't know. I'm just not getting into it.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
May 26, 2024
I’m only two books through this four book series, but I think this would make a great show on Netflix/HBO. I don’t know if the world is ready for sex worker main characters, but this series has everything you need for good TV drama. Aya de Leon is really good at low key showing you how to fight back
January 8, 2018
Not as many heists as the first one, with a heavier focus on inner character growth. There are also some unanswered back story questions that are a little confusing, and the sex scenes aren't my favorite. Still fun as hell, though. And the main plot is about LABOR RIGHTS!!!! yes!!!!
April 18, 2020
Complex characters, all woven together in intrigue and awesomeness.
July 29, 2020
A thousand stars!
Read
July 28, 2017Booklist
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews