Book Review, Characters of Color, Contemporary, Romance, Series

The Weight on Skin (Red, #2) by Beena Khan

ABOUT THE BOOK

His name for her is like a song on replay in his mind. He looks for her in other women but feels empty every time when he wakes up in the morning. 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 Kabir and cut off all contact with him, but now, she returns to his life. He has to face these ghosts of his past without losing himself completely.

MY REVIEW

I couldn’t wait to read the sequel to Beena Khan’s incredible The Name of Red to find out what happens to the gentle and loving Kabir after such a heartbreaking ending. As I hoped, the author gives us a look at Kabir’s life, past and present, to understand his friendships and relationships and how they made him who he is.

Kabir has fascinated me from the first book. His mild and gentle manner is very appealing along with his love of books which are named throughout the two books and have gone on my TBR list.  However, in the second book, he is cool and unfeeling and prefers one-night stands in order to forget his unhappiness. My heart breaks for his loss and his unwillingness to let Red go in his mind. But when he starts to follow the list of tasks she left for him to make his life whole again, his life begins to change for the better.  I recommend you read the first book to truly understand the deep love he had for Red.

It was interesting to finally find out what happened between Kabir and his ex-fiancee, Wafa and it is extraordinary to learn how much the loss of his friendship with Nadia affected him and how hard he works to try and win her back.  I also enjoyed seeing his friend and employee, Aryan happy, and as always, a wonderfully supportive friend to Kabir.  

As for Nadia, she has been through so much watching the man she adores be torn apart by the women he loves. If only he saw her like that.  She is a saint and should be given a medal for holding out as long as she did. But she knows Kabir better than anyone and they made a pact as kids to ride or die, to be there for one another as long as they live. She swears to herself that she will not reveal her feelings again because rejection is heartbreaking.

Again, I am blown away by Ms. Khan’s writing. Her words are warm and poetic telling a beautiful story about love, loss, and hope.  A wonderful story of a man with a pure soul who discovers happiness again after a tragic loss and a devoted woman and friend who is willing to wait for the love of her life.  I cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you to Ms. Khan for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

BUY THE BOOK

The Weight on Skin

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beena Khan lives in a suburb in Queens, New York in her apartment. She is 27 years old from Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. She is an immigrant who moved to New York when she was five years old. She currently holds a Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology from Cuny School of Professional Sciences. She enjoys reading, writing, and netflixing. This is her debut novel.

Her website is www.beenakhan.com. Sign up for her  newsletter where you can subscribe for book news, writing tips, upcoming releases, and exclusive content!

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