Barbarian Lover (Ice Planet Barbarians) – book review

Barbarian Lover
by Ruby Dixon
Release Date: August 28, 2015
Book #3 in the Ice Planet Barbarians series
Number of Pages:  191
Sci-Fi Romance
Ages 16 and up
CW: miscarriage, infertility, kidnapping
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Kira plans on remaining single on this alien planet—she doesn’t want a mate anyway. At least, that’s what she tells herself. But when Aehako comes along, everything changes. . . .

As one of the humans stranded on the ice planet, I should be happy that I have a new home. Human women are treasured here, and one alien in particular has made it clear that he’s interested in me. It’s hard to push away the sexy, flirtatious Aehako when I long to grab him by his horns and insist he take me to his furs.

But I’ve got a terrible secret—a few of them, actually. I’m convinced that Aehako can never love me if he knows the full truth. More worryingly, the aliens who abducted me are back, and thanks to the translator in my ear, they can find me. My presence here endangers everyone . . . but can I give up my new life and the man I desire more than anything? And will he even want me if he knows my secrets?

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It really tickled me that this pairing wasn’t about the alien and human khui resonating. Kira and Aehako were drawn to each other without that other element thrown into the mix. Of course, that’s what added to Kira’s fears of letting herself give in to the pull Aehako had over her. What if she let herself fall for this sweet and cheerful alien only to have him eventually resonate for someone else and leave her behind? Plus, Kira didn’t feel she could truly make Aehako happy and didn’t want to hold him back.

Aehako was having none of Kira’s nonsense. When Kira’s ear translater lets her know the other aliens, the ones who abducted the human women from Earth, are coming back to retrieve them she is determined to set out and stop those aliens once and for all. Aehako wouldn’t dream of letting the one he considers his mate, resonance or not, go into danger on her own so he (along with another alien and another human) set off to rid Kira of the translator and, hopefully, the bad buy aliens.

Kira isn’t meek, but she never really puts herself out there as the strong leader she could be. Georgie stepped into that role from the beginning. Yet, a lot of the humans look to Kira for strength. She just doesn’t realize it because she is much quieter and always a bit melancholy. (Aehako calls her Sad Eyes and it’s by turn the sweetest and most touching thing ever to me.) This adventure proves to Kira that she is much stronger than she knew. She is much more of a leader (and protector) than she knew. And she flourishes with these realizations.

I felt as though I got to know the other tribe members a bit better with this story. There is a lot more time spent with the others in this book and the different personalities are starting to be fleshed out. I’m starting to develop favorites and not-so-favorites. Things are happening during this story, sort of in the background, that I’m sure we’ll be touching on as the series goes along. The different pairings that are happening, what happened to Marlow, will we get a romance for any of the women aliens? I’m here for the ride.

4 stars