Published: September 7, 2021

Beena Khan

I received a copy of this book for free, and j leave my review voluntarily.

Beena Khan is a storyteller based in NYC where she brings dark fairytales and myths to life. She writes mafia crime romance, new adult, and edgy contemporary fiction that gives you a book hangover. Her books are painful, messy, dangerous, and raw. She has a master’s degree in Developmental Psychology and a minor in Arabic studies. She often explores the human psyche. She published her first book, The Name of Red, when she was 26.

“Bound by murder. Pain. Trauma.”

Ghislaine had a life she loved- married to the director of the FBI, a year old daughter, and a career that was on the rise. Until the night it was ripped away. Waking from a coma, Ghislaine is face to face with a stranger, but it’s a stranger she knows. Now she has to figure out how to continue living when she feels that she would have been better off dead.

BEENA HAS GONE DARK, YALL. I loved the way Sleeping Beauty was intertwined into this story. It was the perfect mix of classic fairytales and twisted romance.

I loved meeting Ghislaine, and she was such a badass character. Something I love is how strong the women Beena writes are. Intelligent, strong, capable, determined, outspoken, and memorable. Ghislaine is such a complex character, such a mix of emotions and feelings, and her transformation explodes from the pages as her story is told.

Alexander was brooding, domineering, and controlling. Admittedly, I don’t personally love the whole “alpha” thing, but it works in this context. He is every bit the head of a deadly empire. He is used to getting everything he wants and not being told no. So meeting Ghislaine was a delightful mix of everything he never expected.

I enjoyed the emotional buildup as well as the action build-up. There was an outstanding balance between the elements to keep my attention and keep the story moving forward. I love that this novel is such a contradiction- it’s sweet, and it’s sad, it’s funny, and it’s heartbreaking. The balance is so well done, and the execution is fantastic.

I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this new series. I love seeing fairytales being retold in modern plots, especially when it’s done so well.