[REVIEW] The Weight on Skin

title: The Weight on Skin (Red #2)

author: Beena Khan
genre: adult, contemporary
published: July 15th 2020 by Beena Khan
my copy: kindle, 320 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

The good boy has gone rogue.
The Duet Novel to The Name of Red. 

Kabir's story continues in this dark, twisty, and steamy sequel. 

There’s only so many times a heart can break.
One day, it will be okay, but it'll heal all wrong.
It’ll heal with you outside of it. 

Eight months gone, and Kabir still hasn’t moved from the woman he still loves. 

Red.  

The name like a song on replay in his mind. He looks for her in other women but is left empty every time he wakes up in the morning. Gone is the good boy image he once had, instead it's replaced with a reckless playboy. He has the list of “Things To do” that Red left for him and placed it on his refrigerator, but he doesn’t know how to complete the tasks.  

Because some secrets are too big to bury. 

Ghosts from his past come forward forcing him to confront himself and his lifestyle. His best friend Nadia left him and cut off all contact, but now she returns in his life. He has to face these ghosts without losing himself completely. 

The sequel can be read without reading the first book. A story of healing, love, and pure chemistry that will make you add Kabir to your list of book boyfriends.

I liked the first book. but this one, not as much.

I read the first book in this series in August and I find Red and Kabir's love story to be absolutely beautiful. They have their flaws, I was frustrated at times, then ultimately loving both of them at the end. And also, how can you not enjoy a romance between two book readers? Their first interactions were really adorable!! (See my review here!!). 

[REVIEW] The Name of Red

title: The Name of Red
author: Beena Khan
genre: adult, contemporary, romance
published: May 15th 2020 by Amazon Publishing
my copy: eGalley, 314 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Smashwords
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Two strangers on the same path. 

Survivors. Companions.

They will be each other’s salvation.

On a rainy, winter night, a mysterious woman in a red dress seeking shelter comes inside the restaurant Kabir was busy working in —primarily the bar— and night after night, drink after drink, she comes back to the same spot. That is where he sees her for the first time.

Hundreds of patrons around her try to speak with her daily, but she dismisses them. It appears she wants to remain in a blissful peace alone with her booze and books. After seeing the mysterious woman reading a book, and because of his shy nature, Kabir gains entrance into her life by anonymously leaving books with notes for her.

The Name of Red is the story of two strangers, two different personalities who meet on a winter, rainy night who challenge each other. They have a connection which blossoms into a friendship due to their fondness of books. But they both have secrets that can bind them together or threaten their newfound relationship forever.

grief, addiction, and finding the strength to move on

I tried this because I read that it's a romance between two readers (and don't you just want that? ALWAYS!!!). Also, a shy male lead? Yes, please! This really just seem like my type of romance at a glance (minus the booze I guess since I never really drink. but that doesn't really matter. lol).