While this was very easy to read, the writing switched back and forth between trying to be more serious scifi and self-aware/joke-y. It was a bit jarring and I wish it had leaned more one way or the other. Also, not much seemed to happen and it was hard for me to get attached to the characters.

I will admit I went into this book expecting it to just be a laugh. It only took me a handful of pages to know I was completely wrong and that I was SOOO hooked on this story. I was immediately dragged into the panic of being abducted and then crash landing on an unknown planet. Once Vektal was introduced I totally fell in love. I loved how the language barrier was an issue and then overcome. I definitely see myself reading more of this series. I have more questions about the alien race and the original plans from the kidnapping aliens.

Georgie has woken up in an alien aircraft, crammed into a cage with a group of other women. Judging from the cruel treatment Georgie and her fellow captives have received at the hands of their alien captors they must be on their way to a new and horrifying destination. But, when the craft crashes on an alien planet they find themselves freed, the only issue…surviving on the icy new planet, especially when they come into contact with the natives; blue 7ft tall horned aliens.

I’ve reviewed this book before, but Ruby Dixon has now revised and released the first book in her Ice Planet Barbarian series. It is the perfect excuse, if an excuse is needed, to pick it up and reread it (again, I reread this series a lot.) So, when reading this review you should know this is in no way an objective look at these books, because I already absolutely adore them.

This book starts our trek into the world of the Sa’Khui, the blue, 7ft tall horned aliens I mentioned in the synopsis. They look savage but are basically big blue teddy bears; they have no concept of “murder” or “rape” or other nasty things as it just doesn’t happen where they come from. Their mixture of fierceness, innocence and big ol’ muscles is irresistible. And Vektal, the hero of this book is their clan chief.

Now, Georgie, our heroine. I sometimes wonder about her reactions to things, but then again I’ve never been kidnapped by bad aliens to be sold into slavery, crash landed on an alien ice planet in my pyjamas and then had another species of alien wake me up by giving me the best tongue lashing of my life and then being intent on fulfilling my every need and desire. Who the hell knows how I would react? But, for the purposes of the book and moving along the story I really like that Georgie seemed to take it in her stride and not spend too much time agonising over everything. I’m not going to poke holes into the realism of that.

Who wants realism when you can have a sexy blue alien catering to all your whims, sexual and otherwise? Because that’s what I love about this book, and all the books in this series, the adorable and yet red hot romances between the human women and their Sa’Khui mates. Georgie and Vektal are lovely together and, as always it was a joy to see it unfold.

I’m going to be honest although this book has been revised I couldn’t tell you what has changed – apart from the gorgeous new cover. I was planning to do a more forensic reread of it so I could highlight the differences but once I got started I just got sucked in and forgot all about it. So, if you want to reread the new edition because you think something has been majorly altered there’s no need. However, I always recommend rereading this series, it’s an absolute delight.

Just as a trigger warning, this is probably the darkest of the books as it actually shows you (but not explicitly) what happened to the women. You experience the ladies terror and the harsh treatment they received from their kidnappers. Not to trivialise the experience but in the latter half of the book it “lightens up” and the rest of the series doesn’t contain that same horror.

3.5 stars. Seven years late, but I get the hype.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After seeing this series all over TikTok and Bookstagram, I finally caved one day and agreed to give it one chapter since it was free on Kindle Unlimited. I haven't been able to stop reading since and often return to this series when I'm in a book slump, knowing it will never disappoint me. Who knew blue aliens would win my heart, but I can't get enough and recommend it to everyone! There's a few trigger warnings, so be sure to check those before starting, but this was like my own personal crack.

Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians #1). By Ruby Dixon. 2021. Berkley (ARC eBook, Special Edition).

Dixon weaves a unique and compelling sci-fi romance with alien Vektal and earthling Georgie. This was my first time reading this author and Ice Planet Barbarians lives up to the hype this series has generated for so long. I look forward to continuing the series.

I'm not typically someone who grabs for romances with aliens or other creatures, but IPB was so highly recommended to me I knew I had to try it. It did not disappoint! This book was the perfect slump buster or when you need something wild to hold your attention. I'm very glad I saw reviews with content warnings prior to reading, that helped me be more prepared for the sexual assault/rape and other traumatic aspects of the beginning of the book. I'm very much looking forward to continuing with this series! I especially love the new cover designs Berkley is doing! 4 stars

I've read through a lot of the Ice Planet Barbarian's series while the first one is not my favorite in the series, it does a great job setting up the world. A lot of the characters are introduced early and you get a feel for personalities from the very beginning. I love the fact that this series became widely popular. I've read a lot of romace and sci-fi romance doesn't get recommended a lot. Thi is a series that works best if you don't take it too seriously, but it's a really fun ride and you'll have a great time.

I have been wanting to read this “alien porn” for a long time and it is exactly what I thought about it….a fun, sexy time. I never thought I would be into something like this, but who knew! There wasn’t much plot but I definitely will be continuing on with the series.

I absolutely love the theme “Alien Males fall in love and mate Earth Brides”.. This was a super funny and sexy read. The characters were great and entertaining and I felt pretty invested with them until the end, the plot was fun, and the narration was awesome .

I really enjoyed this start to the series and will be going right to the next one.

Ruby Dixon is the queen of alien erotica, I’ve read all of her previously released books and was excited to get this one in a hard copy!

Well, that was something else. Ruby Dixon is an excellent storyteller, and the very informal tone she uses in Ice Planet Barbarians works supremely well. Although there are serious (and PTSD-inducing) thematic elements, Dixon handles them while keeping major focus on the primary romantic relationship here, that between a human woman and the non-human "ice planet barbarian" she meets on his ice planet. So, in the near future, aliens kidnap and traffic human women. It's a harrowing beginning, but it's also a relief when the ship goes down and the aliens jettison their cargo. Georgie, who's partially responsible for the escape, takes charge and goes to find help on this new planet, and what she finds is an amorous ice planet barbarian. He has friends, and they need women. If that sounds like it could be fun, then you are the target audience here, and you will have a grand time. Technology lends a helping hand, so a quick language upload allows these two groups to communicate. Dixon does her mightiest to deal with the "but it's problematic as hell" elements. In some places, she succeeds. This is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but readers looking for something new in the steamy, high-stakes romance department will be delighted, and Dixon's got legions of fans for a reason.

Standout Quotes:
“From now until my spirit departs this planet, there shall be none for me but her.” (IPB)

“Now, when I imagine happiness, I imagine her face. It doesn’t matter that she is different- she is mine and I am hers.” (BA)
•
•
•
My thoughts:
IPB-This is truly the book that introduces you to the ice planet, the females, and the aliens. I can honestly say that I went into this book with no expectations and was surprised by how fast I breezed through it. Was it in your face smutty? A little. But was there also good writing to go along with it and likable characters? Yes. Do I think Georgie adapted far better to her situation than I ever could've? Also yes.

BA-I am someone that absolutely loves the brooding more unlikable character in books. So it was no surprise to me that I loved Raahosh and the ever so feisty Liz. Out of this entire series, this was one of my favorites. This is a really pivotal book for the rest of the series and the males pushing the boundaries with their resonance mates. I don't want to give too much away, but I just love Liz's personality and how she was not only adapting to this planet but she also was interested in being a part of the day-to-day tasks such as hunting. Their relationship was also one of my favorites and I just thought from start to finish this was a fun read and a change of pace from the insta-love we saw in the first book.

Overall: This was totally a curiosity killed the cat… and satisfaction brought it back sort of moment. I feel like every time I opened a bookish related app I saw someone talking about these books so I finally caved. They are the perfect books to snap you out of slumps. While I find that there seems to be a formula to them and they become predictable… that’s also part of the reason I like them. I love a good HEA and these books deliver while also tackling more complex issues as the series continues. I totally recommend if you are willing to go out of your comfort zone!

Thank you to @berkleypub @berkleyromance @author.ruby.dixon @netgalley for the ARC’S! I think the new covers are absolutely stunning!
•
•
•
I have a full blog post on every single book in the series linked in my bio!

Is it the best written book ever? Absolutely not. Is it fabulous escapism? Absolutely! It got the right hype, glad its being promoted

Definitely see why this book is hyped. There was a lot of steamy scenes in this book and it was my first foray into an alien romance.

I really like the new covers and will probably pick up the rest in the series for quick, light reads.

Such a fun, sexy story! I loved the premise and both characters were original. This sets up a great series with so many possibilities.

**Disclaimer: This book is not for everyone. Trigger warnings for kidnapping and sexual abuse**

Holy HOT Blue Aliens!

I am absolutely blown away by this amazing story of survival, courage… and heat! OMG there is so much HEAT in this book. I may have blushed a couple times while reading it!

I love Georgie. She’s everything you want in a heroine: strong, courageous, snarky and determined. I greatly admired her.

Vektal is a strong alpha male and leader of his clan. He’s out hunting for food when he finds a lovely looking creature that makes his chest hum and affects… other parts of his body 😉

I love their story. It’s exciting, dangerous, funny and oh so sexy!

This book may not be for everyone but it sure is for me! I’m excited for the next book. I need to know what happens next!

I first read this book when it came out and when no one knew Ruby Dixon. I will always love her books and Ice Planet Barbarians is the reason why. This book is perfect for people who want an easy spicy read.

I still don’t know what it took me so long to read this book! While buddy reading with fellow co-workers I definitely finished it faster than the others because I had to know what would happen next! Plus the romance was so good! Definitely pick this book up!

Oh, dear. The things I do for bookclub! (Or, at least, for reading potential picks for bookclub ahead of time, so that I know we have something good on the store floor when it comes out!)

We're going to have a BLAST talking about this one - but, like, did I enjoy reading it? Surprisingly, no.

I thought I would! I'm totally fine and even on-board for our heroine fucking a giant blue alien. Goodness knows we've all read weirder shit that went viral on TikTok. And I've been bookselling romance novels for years at this point, so creative new (or old, in this case) erotica is my jam. It sounded fun!

In reality it is...weirdly violent?

Like, our heroine's relationship with the ice planet barbarian is all well and good - it's strange and impersonal that a magical parasite determines with whom you're sexually compatible, but whatever, I'll roll with it. The sheer amount of creativity in coming up with the alien sex logistics is impressive!

But outside of the scenes where our heroine is pleasantly boffing an alien's brains out in a conveniently located cave, everything is way more violent than I was prepared for. There is, in the background of what's billed as a alien sex good time, somehow also an implied ecosystem of intergalactic sex trafficking and just a constant threat of sexual violence.

And the whiplash between the background B-plot of extreme sexual violence, and the foreground A-plot of our heroine just happily banging an alien and recommending it to all her friends, is a LOT. Like, a not-a-good-time amount of a lot. Teens on TikTok tell me this is the weakest in the series and it gets better, but like...do I really want to stick it out for that? Maybe it's just not for me? I'm glad other people love it! I just think I'm done.