Ho, Bookworms.
Remember a few weeks back when I told you all about the Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon and how I was binge reading them? Well. I took a short break and then started up again. What?! They’ve very enjoyable, OK? And, I’m refusing to call them a “guilty” pleasure no matter how much I giggle when I bring them up. They’re fun and sexy and the world-building is on-point. Without further ado, let me fill you in on the stack ‘o alien books I’ve devoured recently. (My Goodreads challenge has really been helped along by these books, I tell you what- I’m nearly at my 2021 goal and it’s only August.) Again, I’m listing them by couple because it’s hard for me to differentiate the title of the book when the titles are all so similar. Let’s go to Not-Hoth, shall we?
Asha and Hemalow, Barbarian’s Hope: This one was more emotional than most of these stories. Poor Asha had a premature baby who didn’t live long and has been completely heartbroken about it for years. Her intense grief leads to misunderstanding after misunderstanding with her mate Hemalow, to the point that the couple separate. There’s a good bit of angst before the two reconnect, but they do, and it’s so sweet.
Farli and Mardok, Barbarian’s Choice: Mardok and his crew are having trouble with their long haul cargo ship and have to do the equivalent of pulling over to the side of the road for a spaceship. And, because as we all know, car trouble only happens where it’s inconvenient, they land on a barren freaking ice planet. The crew of The Tranquil Lady are more than a little surprised to find that a tribe of people much like themselves are, in fact, living on the inhospitable planet. It doesn’t help that the first introduction to the native population is a mostly nude Farli, and Mardok immediately has a giant space boner for her. He’s the same species, but like a thousand years more modern, so his meeting Farli would be like accidentally falling for a caveman or George of the Jungle or something (which, as Brendan Fraser, treasure of humanity, has taught us, is TOTALLY a thing that happens.) Anyway, he’s faced with the choice, unlike all our other characters, of being able to leave the ice planet or stay with his love interest. I’ll bet you can guess what he decides to do.
Ellie and Bek, Barbarian’s Redemption: Ugh, Bek. This douche bought human slaves so he could bring mates to his tribe. Granted, he didn’t understand what he was doing because the concept of money is somewhat foreign to him, let alone the concept of slavery, and yeah FINE, the ladies were better off on Not-Hoth, but still. Everyone was super pissed at him and he absolutely deserved all of it. But UGH I wish Not-Hoth had therapists because OMG Ellie needs so much therapy. She was kidnapped by alien slavers as a CHILD and finding true blue love on an ice planet is not about to fix her issues. I mean, OK, it helps, but she’s got an unbelievable amount of trauma to work through.
Summer and Warrec, Barbarian’s Rescue: Summer is a newly rescued, formerly enslaved person, who pulls some major McGuyver skills out of her hat. Yet another spaceship lands on this supposedly super isolated planet, and it’s full of the evil basketball head aliens who want to kidnap folks to enslave. But our girl Summer is NOT having it. She’s also a total chatterbox, nervously filling in silences, which there are a lot of considering Warrec isn’t the best conversationalist. Anyhow, these two totally save the day in spectacular fashion. And then they celebrate. Without clothes on.
Brooke and Taushen, Barbarian’s Tease: FINALLY Taushen! I loved his sweet, earnest self when he was trying to woo Tiffany and it made me so sad to watch him turn surly throughout the series. I also feel a kinship with Brooke wanting to braid everyone’s hair. I do not have Brooke’s skill in the braiding department, but I love braids and have been known to beg my niece to let me braid her hair. Very very happy to have the sunshine back in Taushen’s personality.
*At this point, the series sort of splits into a second series, IceHome, but the storylines weave in and out of each other, so I’ve been following a recommended reading order from a fan site*
Lauren and K’Thar, Lauren’s Barbarian: Lauren is trying to help her buddy Marisol get out of the spaceship that the inhabitants of Not-Hoth have decided that they need to sink when the two somehow manage to get lost at sea in a stasis pod. They wash ashore on a tropical island (which, if you’re paying attention, has totally been alluded to in previous books.) The tropical paradise in the midst of an ice planet is only there because it’s actually a freaking volcano. And the islands’ inhabitants? Look, if the Sa-khui males’ spurs weren’t an obvious enough sexual fantasy (if you know, you know), K’Thar’s FOUR ARMS take it to another level. It’s also killer world-building because we know that the original inhabitants of the cool little village the tribe discovered had four arms based on their paintings. I’d been wondering about that island. Glad to have a bit of closure on that front.
Willa and Gren, Willa’s Beast: Willa arrives on Not-Hoth with a traumatic backstory that included a nightmare uncle who ran a dog fighting ring. As such, Willa has a serious soft spot for the abused and cornered who are lashing out. Once Gren is pulled out of his stasis pod, he acts a lot like an abused dog. He growls and attacks and the tribe really doesn’t know what to do with him. So they tie him up (rude) and Willa rescues him. Gren isn’t a blue alien- he’s actually a Frankenstein’s monster sort of fellow, built from bits and pieces of alien species to create the perfect gladiator to throw into arenas, but all those bits and pieces aren’t super harmonious. It’s a little bit messy, but things always work out in romance novels, which is why I love them.
Angie and Vordis, Angie’s Gladiator– Angie woke up on an alien planet super duper pregnant with no memory of how she became that way. Talk about disconcerting. About as disconcerting as a pair of red aliens who seem insistent on following her around. The red dudes are former gladiators, but as a’ani clones, they’ve also worked as prison guards and cannon fodder- whatever. They’re not considered to be people by those who created them and thus they’re treated like hot garbage. This universe is full of douchebags, truly. Anyway. Angie’s got a mystery baby in her belly and a growing attraction to one of the ‘twins’ Vordis. If you like your love stories complicated, take a gander at this one.
That’s enough for now, Bookworms. I think I may take another break from the alien books and mix it up a bit. These books are still a heck of a lot of fun.
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Somer
So many books, I’m impressed!