Barbarian’s Lady

Ice Planet Barbarians, Book 13

By: Ruby Dixon

Narrated by: Hollie Jackson, Mason Lloyd

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

You'd think a tall woman would fit in on a planet of seven-foot-tall aliens, but even on the ice planet, I'm still a weirdo and an oddity. I'm everything all the other cute, dainty human women aren't.

One guy in particular - the alien Harrec - is determined to embarrass me by pretending he's interested. He's a jokester that flirts like mad and hits on me constantly just to make me feel foolish. He gets under my skin. He makes me so frustrated I want to scream.

When a side-trip to a glacier turns into a nightmare and the two of us are forced to survive alone, I see another side to the enticing blue alien. Even with no one else around, his compliments keep coming and I start wondering if the attraction between us...is real.

Contains mature themes.

©2017 Ruby Dixon (P)2019 Tantor

Sweet and Sassy

This is one of Ruby Dixon’s sweeter books. Kate is strong and intelligent, but also vulnerable and sensitive. Harrec has a soul of pure joy and an inner light that radiates outward. He delights in making others smile and laugh, and his sunny enthusiasm uplifts the entire tribe. Kate and Harrec fall in love and intentionally choose to be mates, even though they might not resonate with each other in the end. As individuals they are both extremely brave and resilient, but together they are unstoppable! I love how Ruby Dixon finds ways to make each story in this series unique and interesting. She never repeats a plot line, and I am never bored!

As always, Hollie Jackson and Mason Lloyd did a phenomenal job bringing these characters to life. It was a highly enjoyable listen.

This book is what "Tall Girl" thought it was

This book is what Netflix's "Tall Girl" thought it was. Kate is a tall woman who is athletic and strong, with white-blond hair and porcelain skin. She's a badass nordic queen and I live for her. I enjoyed hearing about her insecurity about her height/size. I am five foot two, so I cannot relate, but it's always fun to read a character who is so different from me who had new experiences I can try to empathize with.

Harrec (excuse any misspellings) CRACKED ME UP. The way he describes Kate is so funny to me, because with his lack of knowledge of Kate's insecurity as a tall human woman, his compliments were over the top and so wild that Kate took them as insults, as would literally any other human women. As the reader, we obviously know it's all a big misunderstanding, and knowing his outrageous compliments are actually genuine, is hysterical. This guy has all the confidence in the world with 0 game, and that makes for a very entertaining character. I loved the back and forth between him and Kate, I loved how they could be so harsh and direct with each other but be able to brush it off because of their report with one another. They communicated so comfortably in awkward situations because they were able to bring humor to those moments which I really liked.

One thing that I'm not a huge fan of among most of these books, is the amount of virgins. I love how representative the characters are of different races, personalities, physical body types, career paths, and experiences the books are, but there are a surprising amount of adult women who are virgins, and if they are supposed to look anything like the women on the covers of the books, they aren't hard to look at. The fact that the women are virgins aren't even that big of a deal and I wouldn't mind it at all if Dixon hadn't taken so many liberties writing the sex scenes. I think what takes me out of it is how the reality of losing ones virginity as a human female is not at all in line with what happens in the books. Theres a surprising lack of blood, discomfort, and pain, which is especially surprising given the description of the Sok-Qui "junk". What I love about these books is the way the human experience is seen through new eyes and how the differences between the Sok and the Humans are highlighted. With such a focus on sexuality and sex, I'm surprised by the liberties taken by Dixon when it comes to describing the loss of one's virginity. I'm not sure I understand the purpose of pointing out that these women are virgins, if the loss of the virginity isn't accurately described. If the sex is just like that of the non-virgin women, what was the point in making them virgins? Maybe Dixon just wants to highlight the first time experience the women are having versus the physical toll it takes on their bodies, but idk, with the amount of accurate details that she's taken the time to add in, it seems like this wouldn't be a huge deal to include.

I'm being picky :) The sex scenes are always super hot and fun to listen to and I have not gotten tired of them yet! Perhaps I'm a bit more nit picky and I notice more stuff 13 books in, but that hasn't stopped me from reading books 14+.

If you've made it this far in the series, you will love book 13!

I love this series

I am in love with this whole series but I’m a little afraid that this book will be forgettable among the past and future stories. There wasn’t much to it that made it stand out.

It was still a good story, but now that it’s over I’m sitting here trying to remember it.

Wow this one seemed extra spicy 🌶🌶

They ramped up the heat in this book compared to some of the others 🌶🌶 not that I’m complaining 🤭. And a cliffhanger ending which they don’t always do. 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OK story

This book was different in that both main characters were virgins. There were plenty of funny moments. I found myself laughing out loud on a plane at some of the things there heroine said or thought. The h really made the H work for it and he was very patient with her. The pace of this book is a little slower than some of Ms Dixon's other books in the series but was still good. As always, Hollie Jackson and Mason Lloyd did an awesome job with the narration.

Another cute addition to the series

This one falls in the middle of the road for me, but not a bad outing.

Honestly, always a guilty pleasure.

Since I am now well past into the series, it's obvious that Ice Planet Barbarians is a favourite guilty pleasure of mine.
It's not original or groundbreaking anymore, but I still find myself listening and loving each and every couple, this one included.

Laughter, Love, and Exposure Therapy

This was a lighter volume and honestly fun and breezy to get through Kate and Harrec were tons of fun and I enjoy their playful dynamic. As other folks have said these books are guilty pleasures not life changing and not stories I sit thinking about when I am done but genuinely enjoy listening to and return to the series. I do follow the reading list Ruby has on her website and after this volume her reading list shifts away from this series and connects into others in this same universe so I am both curious to explore beyond this community and reluctant. This couple had me smiling while listening though some of the pieces felt like a bit of a stretch (exposure therapy and as other reviewers have mentioned the way the romance genre frequently seems to idolize the virgin experience in a way I don't understand or always appreciate) but overall a great edition for folks who have been enjoying the series with lower angst that other volumes. I also recommend with the kindle editions getting to read Dixon's small notes on writing each book as well as a list documenting all the characters in this community and their relationships to each other. The narration continues to be solid and enjoyable.

This one was adorable!

I was giggling & blushing through this whole audiobook. It's my favorite of the series so far!

one of my faves of the series

I think I enjoyed the simple point about choice, and the power of choice. It's sweet and hopeful.