Review: By the Horns by Ruby Dixon

By the Horns is the second book in Ruby Dixon's Royal Artifactual Guild monster romance series.

The special first edition hardcover will include a gorgeous, shimmering jacket with effects, brilliantly illustrated four-color endpapers, striking and detailed-stained edges, and a beautiful foil-stamped case.

By the Horns is a thrilling story with mystery, suspense, ghosts, and steamy monster love.

About the Book

In a world of magical artifacts and fantastical beings, a woman with a deadly magic secret needs the help of the minotaur she’s trying to forget in the sizzling sequel to Ruby Dixon’s New York Times bestseller Bull Moon Rising.

Gwenna has always considered herself a normal person. A former servant, she wants nothing more than to land a steady job with the Royal Artifactual Guild so she can make some steady coin to send home to her mother. She’s not special. She’s certainly not a necromancer. That would be impossible, given how necromancing (or any ‘mancing) is forbidden upon penalty of death. So if the dead keep talking to her? Well, she’s going to keep on ignoring them. They’re not going to stand in the way of her dreams.

Also standing in her way? One big, arrogant, far-too-flirty Taurian named Raptor. They slept together once, and now he wants more . . . but she doesn’t have time for that. Her focus is on being a fledgling, a trainee for the Royal Artifactual Guild. But Raptor won’t go away. He’s on a secret mission for the guild to find an artifact thief.

Problem is, he thinks the thief is Gwenna.

How can she convince Raptor that he’s got the wrong girl when all the signs point to her? And how do you tell a Taurian you can’t date him because you hear dead people and it might cost you your life?

My Review

What a wild freakin’ ride (figuratively and literally) this is! Not only do we get to solve a mystery with Gwenna, Raptor and a new gang of guild apprentices–and a few familiar faces–we get more page time with Aspeth and her minotaur hubby, Hawk (Book 1). 

I sure do love a story where a strong and determined female lead strives to beat the odds and tries to prove every misogynistic jerk wrong. Gwenna was Aspeth’s maid in the first book and now it’s her time to shine, and shine she does. 

Gwenna didn’t have the education Aspeth did growing up and she struggles a lot trying to keep up with her classmates. But whatever her shortcomings, Gwenna makes up for in her fierce spirit and tenacity. She’s also loyal and has so much heart. I absolutely love her and loved watching her grow into the woman she’s meant to be.

The storyline is exciting, fun, funny, and gets pretty spicy in a few spots. This is definitely a wide open door romance 😉

If you like your monster romances with incredible world building, interesting characters, witty dialogue, and wicked debauchery, then the Royal Artifactual Guild series is your perfect match. 

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

Purchase Links*

Penguin Random House | Ruby Dixon Website

About the Author

Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction romance. She is a Sagittarius and a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of goofy cats, and can’t think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring. Learn more at rubydixon.com

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Review: Barbarian's Hope by Ruby Dixon

The next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon—now in a special print edition with bonus material!

About the Book

Asha and Hemalo’s relationship has never been easy, for there is just as much hurt between them as there is love. Will they find their way back to each other, or will they let tragedy keep them separated for good?

Seasons ago, I resonated to the quietest of tribesmates, a male content to love me from afar while I was the center of attention. We could have been happy. Despite our differences, I loved him and he loved me.

But then a terrible thing happened…and my world was never the same again.

Now resonance is giving us a second chance, but…I’m afraid. What if our bond is too broken to be fixed? What if there’s no hope left for us at all?

Excerpt

 

Chapter One

Asha

When I agreed to let Farli be my cave mate, I did not think things through.I roll over in my furs, rubbing my face. It's early. My breath fogs in the darkness, and the fire is nothing but embers. The howse is dark, and I'm not sure what woke me up.

Then something noses at my mane.

I shriek and sit up in bed, swatting at my mane.

My head bangs into that of the dvisti, and it bleats, scurrying away, its hooves clacking on the stones.

"What? What is it?" Farli asks sleepily.

"Your pet was trying to eat my braid again," I bite out, running my hands over my hair. For some reason, Chahm-pee finds my hair tasty and this is the third time in the last handful of days he has attempted to nibble on it.

She chuckles, which does not help my mood. "He thinks it's one of the braids of straw I've made for him." She gets up and I see her face in the shadows as she heads over to the storage bins. She pulls out a thick braid of straw and offers it to the dvisti. "He's just hungry, aren't you, little one?"

"He smells," I say with a scowl. "And he relieves himself on the floor."

"It's ready-made fuel," Farli tells me, unruffled by my anger. "No gathering needed." She gives her pet a hug, then wanders back to her bed. "He's harmless. Just hide your braid."

I snort and pull the covers back over my head, but I can't go back to sleep. The dvisti is chewing noisily, his large teeth grinding. It sounds overloud in the small howse and makes me toss and turn. I might as well get up. Somewhere out in the vee-lage, a kit cries.

My skin prickles with awareness and I think of my own little Hashala. Her cries were so weak, not the strong, healthy wails of the kits in the vee-lage now. I remember holding her in my arms, no bigger than my hand, and wishing my own strength into her small body. Anything to save her.

It did not work. Nothing ever worked. She died before a khui could even light her eyes.

I reach under my pillow and pull out her small tunic. It has lost her scent, but I still like to close my eyes and hold it close, imagining that it is her. Imagining that she lives yet again and my mate smiles at me and my kit nurses from my teats and we are a family. We are whole.

The kit cries again in the distance, and I sit up, putting on my tunic. I cannot sleep, and the sound of the crying tells me that there is another mother somewhere in the vee-lage that cannot sleep, either. Perhaps she will need help. Lately the only thing to rouse me from my bed is the thought of holding one of the many kits that fill our tribe with such hope and joy.

Seeing so many young ones in the tribe is both the most wonderful thing . . . and the most difficult.

I slip on my boots as Farli rolls over in her furs, going back to sleep. The dvisti just chews placidly and watches me as I walk past. Sometimes I think it would be better if I had a howse of my own, but it would be very lonely. I do not think I want that.

I emerge from my small howse and head toward the center of the vee-lage. It is brisk today, a bit of snow falling. The sky is dark with storms, yet not much falls down below in our protected valley. The wind howls loudly above, which means that the hunters will be staying in this day. This also means that because their mates are home, many of the women will not be gathering by the main fire to exchange stories and let others hold their kits. They will be snuggled in their furs with their mates.

I am envious of the image this forms in my mind. There is nothing I would like more than a little family to fuss over at my own fire. Kits to hold close and spoil. A mate whose smiles promise wonderful things.

This is not for me, though. I have no living kits, nor do I think I will ever have one again. My mate has abandoned me. Everything I have ever wanted is out of my reach.

But life must go on, and it seems that this morning I cannot spend my time in my furs, sleeping. Not with that horrid dvisti trying to snack on my mane. I smooth a hand over one of my braids as if to double-check it, and make my way toward the center of the vee-lage, toward the big building the others are calling the long-howse. In it is the central fire and the bathing pool. If others are about today, they will be there.

As I walk down the main path, I see people climbing onto the walls of one of the small howses, straightening one of the hide covers. A teepee top, the humans call it. Since the howses have no lids, great hide covers have been constructed and vaulted over the tops of each of them to allow smoke from fires to vent out and for the light snows that fall into the gorge to trickle harmlessly down the sloping sides. Each howse requires a very large hide to cover it, which means several are stitched together and fitted over the frame. It is a task that requires many hands working together.

I should not be surprised to see my once-mate there, but I am.

Hemalo has his back to me, his tail flicking as he smooths hide over one of the long bones that props up the frame. I recognize his body instantly, the graceful motion of his shoulders as he reaches over and points at the far end of the structure. "Tighten your corner, Kashrem. We need to pull taut."

I pause to watch them work. Kashrem and Hemalo are the tribe's most experienced leatherworkers, so it is natural that they should take charge of roofing each of the howses. He is in his element, confidence and knowledge in his stance, and enthusiasm in his smooth, rolling voice, which still sends ripples right down to my tail when he speaks.

I should loathe him. I should despise him for abandoning me. For giving up on me as I work through my grief. But I do not hate him. Instead, all I feel is a bone-deep ache that seems to devour from within.

He is happy, my once-mate. Hemalo has always loved to feel needed, and that is something I have not been able to give him. This move to the new vee-lage, the chance to work his skills and be important to the tribe-all of it is wonderful for him. For once, it is Hemalo that is needed and in demand, and Asha who is unimportant.

I cross my arms over my chest, curious at how uneasy that makes me feel. In my mind, I am very different from the Asha I used to be. The one that flirted with all the males of the tribe and who went from pleasure mate to pleasure mate, just because she could. Just because I was one of two young females in the tribe and all the strong hunters craved my smiles. Then, all I wanted was to be the center of attention.

Now, the thought makes me tired.

"Grab the cords," Hemalo instructs, and I watch as Taushen and Ereven move around the far side of the howse, and the roof pitches even higher. "Just like that," Hemalo tells them. "Good job."

"Ho, Asha," Taushen calls out. "Do you come here to help?"

All of the workers stop, but my gaze is on Hemalo. He stiffens, his tail flicking, and he turns slowly to look at me. There is sorrow and apology in his eyes. It makes me angry.

"No," I say, keeping my voice tart. "I was looking to see who was making so much noise that they would rouse good people from their sleep." Not that I was asleep, but they do not need to know that. "It is early."

"Ah, but if we wait until you are awake and out of the furs, we could be waiting a very long time," Ereven calls out.

I ignore his jibe.

Hemalo shoots Ereven a look. "My apologies," my once-mate says in his low, thrumming voice. "We will be quieter."

"Do as you like." I shrug as if it does not matter to me. It feels strange to stand apart from him as if we are merely tribesmates and not once-mates. I cannot be easy around him, and judging by the tense set of his shoulders, he feels the same about me.

Nothing is simple between us. I hate that, even though I know it is my fault as much as his.

The males continue to watch me, as if waiting for something. I shrug and move on, as if I am unaffected. The truth is, being this near Hemalo bothers me, like an itch I cannot scratch. Things are wrong between us, and I can feel the hot eyes of the others as they watch us both, waiting for one of us to blow up at the other. Waiting for us to fight and snarl like we always have in the past.

I am not interested in that, though. I am just . . . tired. I want to move on.

I head toward the long-howse, and as I get closer, I smell something cooking over the fire. Someone is there, at least. I hurry in to get out of the wind-one of the things I am not quite used to despite several moons of living in the vee-lage. It still feels very open to me, very exposed. Perhaps it always will. The humans love it, though. They say it feels more like home to them.

I step into the long-howse, and warmth hits me. This room is drowsy-warm and humid, thanks to the heated pool at the center. The lid of the long-howse consists of multiple skins that are cleverly rigged so they can be dragged closed or pulled open, depending on the weather. Most days it is left open because the walls keep the worst of the wind out, and everyone likes the sunlight. It is so warm here that Tee-fah-nee has potted several fruit plants and keeps them in the direct sunlight, hoping they will grow. In one corner, there are drying racks of roots and herbs, and another of meat.

Stay-see is by the fire, and No-rah is with her, both of her kits' baskets at her feet. I feel my spirits lift at the sight of them-No-rah always needs help with her twins, and I am glad to hold them. "Good morning."

"Hi, Asha. We were just sitting down to have some eggs." No-rah beams a bright smile at me. "You hungry?"

"I will eat." I sit down next to No-rah while Stay-see pushes a lumpy yellow paste around in her skillet over the fire. I personally do not like the taste-or the thought-of the eggs. The humans love them, but the sa-khui are revolted by the taste and texture and the fact that they are uncooked young. We revere the act of life, so it seems horrible to me to eat dirtbeaks before they hatch from the shell . . . but it is food, and the stores are lean. So I will eat eggs and smile through gritted teeth as I do so.

One of the twins starts to snuffle and cry, and I look over at No-rah. "May I?"

"Please do." She gives me a tired smile. "They were up all night fussing." No-rah stifles a yawn.

I pick up one of the twins-Ah-nah. I can tell her apart from her sister because of the way her bright yellow mane sticks up. Her "cow-lick," as the humans call it, makes her tufts stick up toward her brow, whereas El-sah has a smooth mane. If I have to be particular, Ah-nah is my favorite of the two. She is a little fussier than her calm twin, a little less settled. I can relate to that.

I hold her close, inhaling her sweet kit scent. She cries a bit but quiets when I tuck her against my neck and I stroke her small head. My kit would have been like this. Not with the yellow mane or the pale, pale blue skin, but my Hashala would have filled out like Ah-nah if given time. Her little fingers would curl around my larger one, and she would gurgle and make happy noises and tug on my braid when she got excited, like Ah-nah is right now. My heart squeezes painfully.

Sometimes I pretend that No-rah is tired of two kits and will give me one. It is a foolish hope, but one that lives in my head anyhow. Why should one female have two when I have none? But that is not how life works, and my arms must be empty while No-rah's overflow.

Stay-see serves up the eggs, and she and No-rah tuck into the food with enthusiasm. I choke down a few bites but spend most of my time cuddling the kit as the two humans chatter about the weather, their mates, and Stay-see's ever-increasing stash of frozen eggs.

As the humans talk, Claire wanders over. "I smell eggs. Are there any left?" She rubs her lightly rounded stomach, the kit she is carrying now starting to show even though it will not be born until well after the brutal season is over.

"I can make more," Stay-see tells her. "Not sleeping in today?"

Claire shakes her head and sits down by the fire, smiling a greeting at me. "Sleep? Not with the men shouting instructions at each other while I'm in my furs. But at least the leak in the roof will be fixed. Hemalo knew exactly what the problem was. Something about how the leather was treated, so they removed the piece that was dripping meltwater and are replacing it.

"The humans glance over at me, as if expecting me to say something since my once-mate was brought up. I remain silent, content to hold Ah-nah. I do not want to leave and return to my howse. Not when there are kits here by the fire and I have nothing waiting for me at home.

Stay-see cracks another egg over her skillet and then begins to stir. "So, did you talk to Georgie?" she asks Claire.

Excerpted from Barbarian's Hope by Ruby Dixon. Copyright © 2025 by Ruby Dixon. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

My Review

This is such a heartbreakingly bittersweet story that has all the feels. It’s beautifully fragile in tragedy, yet strong in heart, determination, and love.

Asha is one of a handful of full-blooded Sa-khui women that survived a khui sickness that spread throughout the tribe many seasons ago, killing much of the Sa-khui tribespeople and most of the females. Asha, being the only unmated female Sa-khui, reveled in the fact that she could have any hunter she pleased in her furs, and did. 

When Asha resonates, she does so to a quiet Sa-khui tanner (leather worker) named Hemalo. He is a hard worker, quiet yet purposeful and has secretly been in love with Asha. It’s not an ideal match for Asha but the khuis have spoken. 

After resonance was fulfilled, Asha was so happy. She had her mate whom she’d grown to love and now they are expecting a kit (baby). Unfortunately, Asha’s kit came early, too early. She lived only a handful of hours and was not strong enough for her body to accept a khui. Asha and Hemalo were devastated. 

Things got worse for Asha when a ship crash landed on the planet with several human women. This was an answered prayer for the tribe because there is a severe shortage of females and now many of the hunters will be able to find mates. Asha hated the human women because they are competition. And when the humans started resonating with their hunter mates, it continued to make Asha bitter and resentful. These weird humans have their babies and Asha’s had to die? It’s not fair!

Asha’s loss fundamentally changed her and left a trail of tears, resentment, heartache, detachment, absence, loneliness, and ended with her mate leaving her bedside to go bunk down with the unmated hunters. 

Asha silently battles a foe she cannot see but feels deep within her soul. Time has not healed, it’s only made things worse. 

Asha and Hemalo’s story is full of heartache and hope. Their struggles to grieve the promise of their kit is tough to watch, but necessary for healing. 

I freakin’ love this series so much! It’s fun, funny, and super spicy! I always thought Asha was a mean, vengeful female, but after reading (and grieving) her story, it all makes sense. 

Barbarian’s Hope is everything I wished it to be and so much more. I highly recommend the entire series.

Glossary

• Sa-khui - name of the tribe of blue alien barbarians native to the ice planet.
• Khui - a lifesaving organism that allows beings to survive in the ice planet’s climate. The being and the organism have a symbiotic relationship. One cannot live without the other
• Resonance - When a person’s khui sings (vibrates/purrs) in the presence of another person’s khui. When this happens, the khuis have determined that this is the person that will give the host the best chance to procreate. This also means that those who resonate are mates for life.  When resonance is fulfilled  (lots of sexual healing), pregnancy is achieved.

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

Purchase Links

Penguin Random House*

About the Author

Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction and fantasy romance. She is a Sagittarius and a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of goofy cats, and can’t think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring. Learn more at rubydixon.com

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.

Review: Barbarian's Heart by Ruby Dixon

 Happy Release Week!

Today, we are celebrating the beautiful special edition cover release of Barbarian's Heart by Ruby Dixon!

This pretty novella is Book 9 is Ruby's Ice Planet Barbarians series. 

Get your copy HERE today!

About the Book

The next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon—now in a special print edition with a bonus novella!

The unthinkable happens when a devastating accident causes Pashov to forget his mate, but Stacy will do whatever it takes to make her family whole again. . . .

The first time I laid eyes on Pashov, we resonated. I was happy and in love, and we were raising a beautiful child together. All of that was torn apart when the world shook.

My mate nearly died.

He woke up from his coma . . . but he can’t remember me. Or our son. Every memory of the past two years is gone. And that changes everything between us. How can I love someone who doesn’t remember me?

How can I not when I know he’s still my mate underneath it all?

My Thoughts

This was a pretty tough read. Pashov had a head injury and doesn't remember his mate or his son. Stacy is heartbroken and wants Pashov's memories to return, and doesn't want to be with him until they do. This is frustrating for Pashov because he wants to be a good mate, but has forgotten everything from the time the humans first came to the planet.

I really thought Stacy was kinda selfish here. I mean, yeah Pashov has no memory of her but he has proof through his khui, the parasite that keeps him alive, healthy and matched to his fated mate. Stacy should love and accept him regardless. She’s fighting some demons of her own from the past, which is making the situation that much more difficult. 

The story is heartbreaking, but it’s also a tale of strength, perseverance, and resilience… and hot blue alien monkey love. 

It was tough to get through but definitely worth a read!

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

About the Author

Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction and fantasy romance. She is a Sagittarius and a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of goofy cats, and can’t think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring. Learn more at rubydixon.com

Release Day Review: Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon

Happy Release Day!

Bull Moon Rising is the first book in a new series by Ruby Dixon!

Royal Artifactual Guild #1

The special first edition hardcover will include a gorgeous, shimmering jacket with effects, brilliantly illustrated four-color endpapers, striking and detailed-stained edges, and a beautiful foil-stamped case.

About the Book

In a world of magical artifacts and fantastical beings, a woman determined to save her family joins forces with an unlikely partner—a minotaur—in this steamy romantasy by USA Today bestselling author Ruby Dixon. 

As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.

 It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity. 

Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with. 

It’s time to dig deep. Literally.

Excerpt

 

One

Aspeth

27 Days Before the Conquest MoonThe coach taking us to Vastwarren City is creaky, the seating is uncomfortable, and I paid far too much for the ride. But it's also very obviously an artifact, which is why I wanted to take it. The exterior looks the same as every other coach that was waiting on the street in front of the inn, but this one had no horse harnessed to the front, nor a yoke for it. Instead, there was a symbol carved into the wood that I recognized as Old Prellian.

The coachman charged a pretty penny but I didn't care. I wanted to ride in that damned artifact coach.

And now here we are, and it's a dreadful, bouncy ride. I can't help but eye the coach covetously anyhow. It speeds along the cobbled roads without a horse to draw it, heading for the city in the distance. The driver is a cheerful sort, too, and seated inside with us instead of riding on a bench atop the coach. He faces the windows and holds reins as if he's steering a horse, yet there's nothing pulling us along. More symbols in Old Prellian crawl over the front of the coach and I'm absolutely dying to lean forward and read them, but I'd have to shove my face into his lap to do so because my vision is so dreadful. I have to content myself with the knowledge that the coach is indeed magical and the merrily chatting coachman won't sell it. No one sells an artifact.

Well, no one except my foolish father.

I bite my cuticles, squinting out the window as the magic coach barrels past a field with a great deal of people standing in it. They dig at the dirt with shovels, and it looks as if there's a booth at the far end of the muddy land. A sign next to the booth reads in bright, colorful letters, DIG FOR ARTIFACTS! YOU FIND YOU KEEP!

"Does that work?" I blurt out to our driver as we pass by. "Does anyone truly find an artifact in the fields?"

The driver chuckles. "Oh, no, that's purely for the tourists. Everyone shows up with a few pennies and their spades, ready to turn their luck around. They all think they'll find the next automaton or Pitcher of Endless Wine. No one does, but they leave at the end of the day happy. I heard some of the more unscrupulous sorts take broken artifacts and bury them in the fields so people can find something." He shakes his head. "You're better off avoiding that sort of thing."

"But your coach is an artifact," I point out, ignoring the stomp of Gwenna's foot on mine. "How did you acquire it?"

He reaches out and pats the coach like it's a person. It might as well be. Any working artifact is more prized than gold. "A gift to an ancestor from the king. It's been in the family for generations. I'm lucky to have her."

"It's quite rare," I agree. "No one's tried to steal it from you?"

This time Gwenna pinches me.

"It'd be useless if they did," he tells me cheerfully, oblivious to my line of thought. "It dies at sunset and there's a magic word to make it activate at sunrise. That word is a carefully guarded secret in my family and we wouldn't share it, even upon pain of death."

I think perhaps this man just hasn't been pressed enough yet. Surely someone could coax a magic word out of him with the right sort of convincing. Then I'm disgusted at my own thoughts, because I'm imagining someone torturing a coach driver (who's been quite lovely, honestly) over his artifact.

It's just that the Honori family needs artifacts dreadfully. I debate how to approach my next question in a delicate manner, and all the while Gwenna stares at me with narrowed eyes. "I don't suppose you'd sell it?" I ask. "I'd make you a very wealthy man."

I'm lying, of course.

If I had two pennies to rub together, I wouldn't be fleeing Honori Hold. If I had two pennies to rub together, I would have married Barnabus Chatworth despite the fact that he's a title hunter. As it is, I am quite, quite broke . . . but that doesn't mean I can't try. If I could get him to sell this carriage to me, it wouldn't solve my problems, but it'd be a step in the right direction.

It'd be something.

"Oh, I can't do that," the coachman says, and I'm not surprised. "I inherited this girl from my father, and she'll be going to my son after me." He caresses the front of the coach again, like a lover. "I can't sell my family out for money when the money will come in simply because of the artifact."

"I understand." I still think someone could torture the word of power out of him, but I understand.

He glances at the back seat of the coach, where Gwenna huddles next to me, holding my cat's carrying sack. "Some things aren't for sale."

If they were, then my problems would be solved . . . or would they? Considering I have no money as well as no artifacts, I wouldn't know. "Indeed."

"So you ladies are heading into Vastwarren? This your first time in the city?"

"First time," I agree, glancing back at the dirt field as it disappears from view. I'm tempted to grab a spade and try my luck with all the others, just to see if one can truly find an artifact in all that mud. If there's even a chance, it's worth trying, isn't it? For a moment, I dream about shoveling a few spadefuls of dirt, just enough to put in a bit of effort, and then striking down upon metal. I'd pull it up and uncover a gilded, gleaming artifact. Not just any artifact, either. One with endless charges, just like the coach we're in right now. Or perhaps one of the ones that recharge in sunlight.

And it'd have to be something useful, too. Nothing like the glass candle that creates an endless wisp of rose-scented smoke. Something like one of the shielding crystals that are used in the capital would be perfect. Or something that creates a sought-after item from thin air, like the decanter that pours serpent venom. An artifact of war from Old Prell, that's what Honori Hold needs. Several of them, actually. We need defense, and a way to fund our hold.

And we need those artifacts to actually work. The ones currently filling our vault are all dead. A dead artifact is as useless as . . . well, as a holder heiress with no funds and no artifacts to defend her family's holdings. I bite back a sigh and lean my head against the window of the coach, watching as another family hurries toward the field with buckets and spades in tow, chattering excitedly.

Gwenna nudges me, and I realize the coach driver was talking to me.

"Mmm?" I inquire, straightening.

"You didn't say who you are and why you're heading to Vastwarren City. Attending a party of some kind?" The way he says it sounds hesitant, as if he doesn't understand why anyone would host a party in Vastwarren. The king avoids the place because it's said to be rough-and-tumble. That makes me a little nervous. When I envision "rough-and-tumble," I think of some of my father's stableboys and how they get loud after they've had a few drinks. But that's only a few stableboys. I cannot imagine an entire city of that. Leaning forward, I peer out the windows of the coach to the city in the distance. It looks like a great big stain spread over a hill, with the smog of a thousand chimneys polluting the air overhead. All of it looks dirty, but that doesn't mean it's unsafe . . .

Does it?

I've read a heap of books about Vastwarren City, but mostly in a historical context. I know all about how this spot on the plains between two rivers was once the hub of a large ancient city called Prell, and Prell was full of magic. The gods grew angry at the people of Prell and had it swallowed up by the ground, where it was forgotten for hundreds of years. Then, three hundred years ago, the Mancer Wars broke out. At the end of the conflict, magic was outlawed, and a new industry was started-artifact retrieval. Vastwarren City was built atop the bones of Old Prell.

Vastwarren is truly the only city that's not under holder rule. The rest of Mithas is divvied up into great estates lorded over by holders like my father, and all of the holders are ruled by the king. But Vastwarren? It's a place unto itself, and the Royal Artifactual Guild holds sway over it.

I don't know what the city looks like inside. I know Old Prell had grand plazas with magical fountains, and the inhabitants imbued everything they used with magic, from cups to horse carts to weapons. It sparkled with energy and the people there were rich and glorious . . . but the dirty stain on the horizon tells me that Vastwarren City is an entirely different sort of place, and so are its people.

The coach driver wants to know if we're attending a party, but he's just making conversation. Everyone knows that the nobility avoid Vastwarren and its hardscrabble, rough people. We stick to our isolated holds and to court.

But the driver doesn't know I'm noble, and he wants an answer. Might as well give him the truth. The new truth.

"My name is Sparrow," I tell him, and just saying the name fills me with pride. I straighten, squaring my shoulders. "And I'm heading to the city to join the Royal Artifactual Guild."

I expect him to make the appropriate awed noises that such a pronouncement deserves. Guild artificers are exciting, dangerous individuals, the ones stories are written about. They're respected everywhere they go, and every holder employs the best artificer teams to hunt for them. Everyone reveres an artificer.

Not our coach driver. Instead, he looks back at the two of us again and bursts into laughter.

Rude.


Once we’re deposited onto the outskirts of Vastwarren City with our baggage, Gwenna glares at me with anger before I can even take a good look at our surroundings. She pinches my arm, scowling the moment the coach lumbers away. “You absolute fibber! Why did you tell that man your name was Sparrow?”

Squeaker howls for attention in her carrier, the sound loud enough to make people pause in the busy street. I open the specialized satchel and heft the large orange cat into my arms. It's like hugging a sack of flour that sheds, but my pet is mollified once she's held in my arms like a baby. I run my fingers over her white chest fur while she purrs. Poor sweetheart. It's been a terrible ride from home. Bad enough that I had to spend the last three days in various coaches bouncing across the countryside. My poor Squeaker had to spend them in a bag. I couldn't leave her behind, though. She's all I've got.

Well, her and Gwenna.

I frown at my maid. "I'm not a fibber. I told you before. Everyone who joins the Royal Artifactual Guild takes on a bird name. It's to honor the first artificer, who was turned into a swan by a cursed artifact. Everyone in the guild is a bird, and the applicants are called fledglings. I've decided that I like the name Sparrow." I pause and then add, "I know this isn't your dream. It's not too late for you to go home. We can say you were kidnapped. Better yet, I can write you a lovely letter of recommendation that would get you hired at any hold. Just say the word."

Gwenna gives me a narrow-eyed stare. "Why are you chasing me off?"

I resist the urge to raise my fingers to my mouth so I can bite my cuticles. Grandmama thinks it's a disgusting habit-and it is-but I can't help myself. When I get anxious, I nip away. I scratch at them with my thumbnail instead. "I just . . . I appreciate your companionship, Gwenna. Truly I do. But this place isn't for proper ladies, and I don't want you to feel trapped into a fate not of your choosing."

She stares ahead at the bustling street in front of us. People of all kinds crowd the cobblestone ways, and all of them look like they come from the rougher parts of the city. Then again, perhaps all of Vastwarren is rough.

"Do you remember when I was nine and you were fourteen? We were girls and my mother had just been hired into your father's kitchens. We played in the garden together before your tutor came and found us. Remember what you said to him?" Gwenna asks.

I squint at her, because I don't recall this day at all. Most of my days as a child were spent sitting alone in Honori Hold with a tutor, because Father would be away at court. Sometimes it would be a mathematics tutor, sometimes an etiquette tutor. The best tutor was the one who encouraged my interests in Old Prell, and the worst was the one hired by Grandmama who wanted me to sew and "work on my laugh" so I could catch a husband. "I'm sorry, I don't recall. What did I say?"

She looks at the buildings around us, holding a hand to her eyes to shield them from the late-day sunlight. "You asked if I could take lessons with you. That you wanted a friend at your side and you liked me."

I smile softly, because I still don't remember, but it sounds like something I would have done. I was so lonely as a child that I was desperate for any sort of attention. "I don't recall. Did we take lessons together, then?"

"No." Her voice goes flat. "Your tutor said that I was a servant, and there was no point in educating someone destined for a kitchen. That educating me would be a waste." Her jaw hardens and she meets my eyes. "I remember that, and I remember the next day that a position was found for me in the scullery, and I had no choice but to say yes, because my mother needed the coin. I think about that all the time."

My mouth goes dry. "I'm sorry, Gwenna-"

"I'm not. His words made me angry." She sets her shoulders back. "It made me realize I wanted more than just a job. I want to learn. I want to be something. Someone. And I'm going to make my own path if it mucking kills me."


Excerpted from Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon. Copyright © 2024 by Ruby Dixon. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

My Review

Ruby Dixon pens us an elaborate tale of courage, sacrifice, purpose . . .  and steamy minotaur nookie 😉

Do you like stories that are intricate? 

Do you love strong and smart heroines that are underestimated? 

Are you a fan of grumpy/stubborn MMCs? 

Interested in slow burning chemistry that develops into fiery, all-consuming passion? 

Supportive secondary characters? 

True grit? 

Self discovery? 

Found family? 

Humorous dialogue? 

Have I got the read for you!

Bull Moon Rising is all of these things and so much more. I love how courageous Aspeth is and how much responsibility she takes on to save her home and keep their people employed and protected. Having been sheltered all her life, Aspeth gets several wake-up calls, including the one where some small-minded butthead mansplains why her apprenticeship application to the artifact guild is denied because of her gender–despite being more than qualified. 

The story is relevant and relatable, the characters are expertly crafted and the dialogue is witty and oh so entertaining. I absolutely enjoyed it and I can’t wait for the next book!  

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

Purchase Links

Penguin Random House

About the Author

Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction romance. She is a Sagittarius and a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of goofy cats, and can’t think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring. Learn more at rubydixon.com

Release Day Review: Barbarian's Taming by Ruby Dixon

 Happy Release Day Ruby Dixon!

Barbarian's Taming is Book #8 in Ruby's Ice Planet Barbarians series and the latest special edition release through Berkley Romance!

Grab your copy today!

About the Book

The next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon—now in a special print edition with an exclusive bonus epilogue!

There are a million reasons why Hassen and Maddie shouldn’t work, but despite it all, they find themselves unable to resist each other…

As a newcomer to the alien tribe, I’ve struggled to find my place. It might be because I’m a tad headstrong at times. And yes, I might have thrown a few things at people’s heads. But I had a good reason to pitch a fit—my shy sister was stolen away right under my nose. Of course, now she’s back and mated. Everyone’s happy…except me.

I need…affection. Attention.

Okay, I’m lonely. Really lonely.

Strangely enough, the only person that I think understands what I’m going through is the same blue-skinned brute that stole my sister. It’s wrong to hook up with him, even as a mindless fling.

Except…I’m not so good with the whole “rules” thing. And he’s not so great with the “fling” thing. But maybe there’s a chance for us.

Excerpt

 

What Has Gone Before

Aliens are real, and they're aware of Earth. Fifteen human women have been abducted by aliens referred to as "Little Green Men." Some are kept in stasis tubes, and some are kept in a pen inside a spaceship, all waiting for sale on an extraterrestrial black market. While the captive humans staged a breakout, the aliens had ship trouble and dumped their living cargo on the nearest inhabitable planet. It is a wintry, desolate place, dubbed Not-Hoth by the survivors.

On Not-Hoth, the human women discover that they are not the only species to be abandoned. The sa-khui, a tribe of massive, horned blue aliens, live in the icy caves. They hunt and forage and live as barbarians, descendants of a long-ago people who have learned to adapt to the harsh world. The most crucial of adaptations? That of the khui, a symbiotic life-form that lives inside the host and ensures its well-being. Every creature of Not-Hoth has a khui, and those without will die within a week, sickened by the air itself. Rescued by the sa-khui, the surviving human women take on a khui symbiont, forever leaving behind any hopes of returning to Earth.The khui has an unusual side effect on its host: if a compatible pairing is found, the khui will begin to vibrate a song in each host's chest. This is called resonance and is greatly prized by the sa-khui. Only with resonance are the sa-khui able to propagate their species. The sa-khui, whose numbers are dwindling due to a lack of females in their tribe, are overjoyed when several males begin to resonate to human females, thus ensuring the bonding of both peoples and the life of the newly integrated tribe. A male sa-khui is fiercely devoted to his mate.

The humans have now been on the ice planet for over a year and a half, and most have adapted to tribal life. New babies are being born of human and sa-khui pairings, and the tribe stirs with life once more. The last of the human castaways resonate, and the remaining men despair of ever having a mate. Josie, who ran from her resonance to Haeden, stumbles across the wreckage of the spaceship that Kira destroyed and discovers the unthinkable: two more human women are trapped in stasis there. Josie and Haeden return to tell the rest of the tribe, and a rescue party is sent out to retrieve the new women. Sisters Lila and Maddie cause issues amongst the tribe's hunters the moment the women arrive. Hassen steals Lila in an attempt to force resonance, only for Lila to run away from him. She's rescued by Rokan, who resonates to her, and they make their way back to the tribe.

Meanwhile, Hassen is exiled and Maddie remains angry that Lila was taken in the first place.

This is where our story picks up.

Chapter One

Maddie

It's weird when you don't fit in.
I thought that once I hit adulthood, I'd be all done with feeling like an outcast. That once I got past those awful high school years when I felt like the round peg in the square hole, it'd all just be a bad memory. That someday I could look back and laugh at how much it bothered me to be the weirdo on the outskirts.

Sitting here in a cave at a party for my sister, surrounded by aliens, I feel like I'm reliving my high school years all over again. It's pretty garbage, I have to admit. I wasn't popular then, being fat and opinionated. These aliens don't care if I'm fat or if I have a big mouth, and yet I'm still on the outskirts.

It's weird.

Someone dances past me, laughing. His tail smacks against my arm and then he spills a bit of his drink on the stone floor in front of me. Lovely. I absently swipe a bit of my tunic on the spilled alcohol because I don't want someone slipping on it in front of me while I sit and hold down a cushion in the corner of the room by myself.

It's not that people are unfriendly. Heck, it's not even that I'd have to sit alone if I didn't want to. It's that I'm really not sure where I stand with any of these people. I stare out at the celebrating tribe, not paying attention to the people who dance past with a skin of sah-sah, or the woman who pulls her top down to breastfeed not one but two blue babies. I ignore the exclamations over the fruit that they've managed to savor all damn night, and I sure as shit ignore when they start singing again.

Everyone's so damn happy. Everyone but me.

Me? I'm struggling.

In the space of the last month or so, my world has been upended. I went to sleep one night and woke up in the arms of blue space aliens on a frozen planet. Apparently I was kidnapped by bad aliens in my sleep. Apparently they took my sister, too. Apparently we were also stuck in sleep pods for over a year and a half and missed out on the bad guys being shot down.

It seems we slept through a lot.

Even if I thought it was all too strange to be believed at first, it didn't take long to realize this shit was legit. There are two suns, two moons, and endless frost and snow. The people here are blue, covered in a downy fuzz, and act like a blizzard is a nice spring rainstorm. Oh, and the parasites. I don't even want to think about the parasites, especially not the one living inside me now, helping me "adapt" to this alien world.

My sister is thriving, though.

It's strange. Lila's always been a shy introvert and even more of an outcast than me. She was born deaf, and though she got cochlear implants at age twelve and no longer needed me to speak up for her when lipreading was too tricky, I've always felt the need to protect her and care for her. But here? We've been separated and she's been killing it. Lila is usually the lonely, lost one and I'm the bold, outgoing one. I have to be because that's how you Get Shit Done.

Except Lila's doing fine on her own and now I'm just kind of . . . lost. I'm the single human that doesn't have a mate. I don't know the others. They're all pregnant or getting pregnant or juggling babies already and I'm sitting here, twiddling my thumbs with my vacancy sign over my vagina.

Not that I want a baby, mind you. Or a mate. But it feels weird to be the only chick who's not hooked up in this place. Even my sister's lovey-dovey with an alien and mated.

She's happy here despite all the snow and ice and man-eating creatures and lack of toilets. She wants to stay (not that we have a choice).

And me?

I'm just kind of here.

Alone.

I rub at the wet spot on the stone floor while one of the humans-Georgie? Megan? I don't know which one-whips out a boob and starts breastfeeding her child mid-conversation with an alien lady. Lila's not attending the party any longer; she ran off to her cave with her alien guy to go make babies with him. Literally. She's literally going to make babies with him. It's something I'm still struggling to wrap my brain around. It seems that if my chest-cootie wakes up and starts purring, it picks a man I should make babies with.

I'm pretty glad mine is deciding to be mute.

Lila's thrilled to be "resonating," though. Of course she is-now she's one of the baby-crazy crowd of human women who've settled in with the aliens. Now she fits in even more, though she wasn't exactly having a tough time with that. She's mated to a popular guy. She showed up with fruit. She's taken to all the daily life tasks like they're a joy for her. Got a fire that you need made? Lila can do it. Skin a kill? Lila's right there. Make dinner? Arrows? Fucking slings or snowshoes or bear traps or whatever else these Grizzly Adams wannabes can come up with? Lila can do it. She can survive just fine because she's been learning how to be like them.

And they love her for it, too. The tribespeople have been learning sign language to speak to Lila and to make her feel welcome. I'm glad they've accepted her so readily, but it also makes me jealous . . . which makes me a terrible sister.

Everyone in the tribe adores her and they can barely tolerate me. I'm like a stinky fart that's lingering in the cave and everyone tries to ignore.

Not that I can blame them for treating me like a turd-I wasn't exactly Miss Pleasant to be around while my sister was gone. I was frantic with worry about her after she was stolen, and when they wouldn't let me go after her? I was kind of not nice about it.

Okay, I was a bit of an ass.

Well, more than just a bit.

But I was worried about seemingly fragile Lila on this hostile, cold planet. So I took it out on everyone else. I might have picked a few fights and dragged my feet, and okay, I threw a few things at people's heads. So what? Anyone else would have done the same if they were in my shoes, uncertain about the fate of their baby sister.

They don't understand what it's like to be so alone, even in a sea of people.

Everyone here's part of a family. There are happy women with babies, and men utterly devoted to their ladies. As I look over, the chief-Vektal-is tossing his baby daughter into the air and giving her exaggerated kisses just to make Talie laugh. And boy, does that baby laugh. It'd be adorable if it didn't make me feel so sour inside. He's got a wife and a baby. All of the humans here have someone.

I have Lila. Like I have in the past, I'm ready to shield her from the world's harms and interpret for her when someone doesn't know sign language.

Except my sister doesn't need me anymore.

Scared, timid little Lila has returned utterly confident in herself and in love with Rokan.

That leaves me . . . well, it leaves me sitting here by myself on a mat, mopping up someone else's spilled drink.

I sigh and stare out at the entrance of the cave, feeling alone and yet trapped at the same time. I don't fit in with these people, but I also don't have the option to find other people. There are no other people.

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just up and left. Would they hunt me down like they hunted for Lila? Or would they be all "good riddance" and not care because I've been a bitch?

I scowl into the shadows of the cave's entrance. It would be so easy to get up and just walk out while everyone's drunk and partying. But even as I stare, glowing blue eyes blink back at me, and a big, bulky form emerges from the shadows of the cave entrance, spear in one hand, a dead animal in the other. It's a hunter, returning from a late-night jaunt out into the snow.

And not just any hunter.

It's Hassen. The bastard that stole my sister. The one that decided he wanted a mate so much he'd just up and fucking steal her.

Him? He can kiss my fat ass.

Though the look he's giving me right now? That tells me he'd enjoy that far too much. That he'd do more than just kiss it if I bared it for his inspection.

And for some reason, I find myself prickling with arousal at the thought of Hassen folding his big body down to give my plump ass a kiss. Which is all kinds of wrong. He's exiled. He's a dick. He wanted my sister. None of these put him on the "Ice Planet's Most Desirable Bachelors" list.

As I glare at him, his mouth twists into a fang-bearing smile.

I jerk my gaze back around to the fire, scowling. Totally not gonna keep picturing him with his mouth on my ass. Biting one of my rounded cheeks. Dragging his fingers over my body and exploring the fact that I have no tail . . .

I give my cheek a hard slap to bring me back to reality.

Nearby, Farli gives me a startled look. "Are you all right?"

"Just distracted," I tell her. Farli's a good kid, and the closest thing I have to a buddy here, for all that she's, like, fifteen years old. Right now? She's my ride or die, because, well, I don't have anyone else. Even my sister, Lila, is off in a corner somewhere, making out with her new hubby. I can't even be mad about that-she's so happy and she is such a wonderful person that she deserves every bit of joy. I'm thrilled for her.

I'm a little jealous of her radiant happiness, sure, but still thrilled for her.

I'm just a selfish jerk of a sister who doesn't know what to do with herself when she's not needed anymore and suddenly finds herself with no friends. Funny how I always thought I didn't need friends. Funny how being stranded on an ice planet can totally change your perspective on things like that. In a small community like this, not playing by the rules gets you left behind.

Hassen knows all about that.

I peek over my shoulder back at the cave entrance again. Just in case Hassen is still there. But he's not, and I ignore the little stab of disappointment I feel.

The last thing I need is to get involved with the bad boy of the ice planet.

Hassen

It is a cold night for me.

The laughter coming from within the tribal cave spills out into the snow, and I can smell the burning meat cooking for the humans. Someone is singing, and I hear Warrek banging away at his drum. They are all good sounds, happy sounds. My people are light and carefree and full of joy.

That joy does not extend to me.

I stand alone in the snow on a nearby ridge, a fresh-killed quill-beast in hand. And I am torn, because I do not know if I should ignore the punishment the chief has given me and join the celebration, or if I should turn around and leave.

I am exiled. I am nothing to my people now. I did not think I would care, but . . . I do. Their scorn hurts me.

Excerpted from Barbarian's Taming by Ruby Dixon. Copyright © 2024 by Ruby Dixon. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

My Review

In the last book–Barbarian’s Touch–Hassen is left exiled after kidnapping the new human Lila and trying to force resonance (the mating instinct). Lila’s mate was not Hassen, but there are rules in the tribe to prevent this sort of thing from happening and he broke them. So now Hassen must pay the price. This price however, is almost too high.

You see, Hassen lost all of his family members in the khui sickness several years back. All he wants is a mate and family to love and care for. Hassen’s loneliness is too much to bear and in a state of desperation, he does the unthinkable. And taking away the rest of the tribe from Hassen as punishment just exacerbates his loneliness and despair.

Maddie is the second new human in Not-Hoth and older sister of Lila. She’s furious with Hassen for his actions and glad he’s gone.  Well, sort of. Maddie is feeling lost and out of place here in this strange new world. Now that her sister is mated and doesn’t need her help anymore, she’s feeling lonely too. Maddie didn’t make a great first impression on the tribe with the events transpiring with her sister and Hassen, which leaves her friendless and bereft.

As days go by, Maddie starts to realize that she sees in Hassen a kindred spirit. Both lonely and desperate, Maddie befriends Hassen. Yes, it’s complicated. Yes, he kidnapped her sister and yes, he’s in exile. But there’s just something about him. Could be his die hard dedication to the tribe, out-hunting all the hunters. Could be his penetrating stare that makes Maddie all tingly. Or it could be that magic blue baseball bat in his loincloth 😏

Barbarian’s Taming is a great story with a relatable storyline. I enjoyed the colorful way in which Ms. Dixon addressed Hassen and Maddie’s struggles in the book. There’s also some pretty intense surprises and a whole lot of hot barbarian loving. Definitely recommend this and the entire series!

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

Purchase Links

Penguin Random House

About the Author

Ruby Dixon is an author of all things science fiction romance. She is a Sagittarius and a Reylo shipper, and loves farming sims (but not actual housework). She lives in the South with her husband and a couple of goofy cats, and can’t think of anything else to put in her biography. Truly, she is boring. Learn more at rubydixon.com

Blog Tour & Review: Barbarian's Mate by Ruby Dixon

Happy Release Day Ruby Dixon! 

Barbarian's Mate is Book #6 in her Ice Planet Barbarians series and is currently being rereleased in a Special Edition by Berkley Romance through Penguin Random House with pretty new covers! 

If you're not familiar with Ms. Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians it's a series based on human women kidnapped from earth by aliens to be sold into intergalactic slavery. The alien ship had some mechanical problems and had to drop the pod carrying the human women on an ice planet to come back for later. Georgie, a brave human woman, ventures out to find help and encounters a tribe of big, muscular blue aliens with velvet skin, horns, sharp teeth, tails and a shortage of child-bearing females. Chaos and sexytimes ensues!
I highly recommend the series! 

About the Book

The next novel in the international publishing phenomenon the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with a bonus novella!

Josie has always dreamed of finding The One, but the hunter chosen for her is nothing like what she expected (or wanted)—but he might be exactly what she needs.

 

“Resonance” is supposed to be a dream—that’s when your soulmate is chosen for you. And every woman on the ice planet has hooked up with a big, hunky soulmate of their own—except me. So do I want a mate? Heck yeah. More than anything, all I’ve ever wanted is to be loved by someone.

But the soulmate chosen for me? My least favorite person on the darn ice planet. Haeden’s the most cranky, disapproving, unpleasant, overbearing male alien . . . so why is it that my body sings when he gets close? Why is he working so hard to prove to me that he’s not as awful as I think he is?

I hate him . . . don’t I?

My Review

The ultimate enemies to lovers story!

Josie has been a thorn in Haeden’s side ever since the humans landed on Not-Hoth (Star Wars reference, what the humans call the ice planet). Yeah, she’s a little (a lot) talkative and wants to pull her own weight to help the tribe but she’s so small and so… human. Every chance Haeden gets, he reminds Josie of her shortcomings, and Josie, with her quick wit and sharp tongue, gives it right back to him! 

Josie’s a feisty one. She has had to be, especially as a child growing up in the foster care system. Josie’s had a tough life on earth and after her abduction, but she’s never let that dampen her spirit. She's inherently joyful and yes, a bit of a motor mouth. Josie’s just a social butterfly that’s all. And she’s desperate to resonate and finally have the family she’s always wanted. 

But when she finally does resonate, it’s to the one person who hates her and Josie is devastated. Will Haeden get his horns out of his backside and get with the program? Will Josie end up braining his stubborn hard head with a rock?  Or will the couple realize that this burning hatred they share is a hair's breadth away from turning into a fiery passion that’ll consume them both? You’re definitely going to want to read their story! 

I absolutely love Josie and Haeden’s book! It’s heart wrenching and beautiful and I just loved it! You’d never have thought they made sense at the beginning of the series but they totally do! The chemistry between the pair is off the charts! The storyline is exciting and dangerous and full of surprises! I repeat, you’re definitely gonna want to read this story! 

I highly recommend the series for anyone who loves a good Sci-fi/fantasy romance read!

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a complimentary copy of the book generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Excerpt

Chapter One

Josie

I'm the last single woman on the entire ice planet. I watch Tiffany and her new mate, Salukh, head off to their cave as everyone celebrates, but I'm not really in a celebratory mood. I'm worrying. I'm not a big fan of stressing about things I can't change, but this is something that concerns me. Being the singlest single woman that ever singled? It's distressing. Am I going to have a cave by myself? Am I going to be stuck in someone else's cave like a reject? Am I going to have to listen to everyone else make out and know that I'm never going to have a mate because Harlow can't fix the stupid surgery machine?

I stare glumly at the fire, thinking about my stupid, stupid IUD that won't come out, even though it's been over a year and a half since we landed and my cootie's supposed to fix that sort of thing. Around me, everyone's happy and celebrating, but I don't feel like sharing in their enjoyment. It wasn't so bad when I wasn't the last human alone. I didn't feel like a total reject then.

Now? The cheese stands alone and I do feel like a total reject.

It's a feeling I'm kind of used to, after being dumped from a half-dozen foster homes growing up. I've never had family to call my own, and the people that wandered into my life wandered right back out again just as quickly. But I don't dwell on the past. Shit happens to everyone.

Here on the ice planet, though, I felt like I was part of a family, at least for a while. There were twelve human women, and the sa-khui only had four women to their thirty-something men. To them, we were special, a gift from the stars to be cosseted and taken care of. I was part of a group for once, a family. Then one by one, the girls started to pair off with mates. First Georgie, then Liz, then the others-Stacy, Nora, Ariana, Harlow, and all the others. One by one, they paired up with big, hunky, utterly devoted blue guys who think that their fated mates can do no wrong and dote on them at every turn. And now they're all popping out babies and having the bestest time ever on the ice planet.

It's kinda hard not to be jealous. And it wasn't so bad when it was me, Claire, and Tiffany left out of the humans after the initial rush of matings. That was all right, because it wasn't just me being rejected by my cootie-the symbiont that keeps me alive and plays matchmaker.

But then Claire got a mate.

And then Tiffany got a mate, too.

I'm the only one whose cootie has gone out to lunch. The cootie's supposed to be looking out for me. It's supposed to keep me healthy at all costs, fixes up my body so I can withstand the harsh environment on the new planet, and it's supposed to find me the perfect mate. Once it does, I'll resonate-my cootie will vibrate once it gets near the perfect male so I can know that it's chosen, and then we can have really intense, repeated sex until we make a cute, fuzzy blue baby. But I don't resonate, and I know it's because of the stupid IUD stuck up in my you-know-what.

You can't get pregnant if you're on birth control, and you can't resonate if you can't get pregnant.

It sucks to know the exact reason why you're warming the bench and not being able to change it.

I stare into the central firepit. So much for not being a gloomy Gus. It's hard when you see everyone getting everything you've ever wanted-a mate, family, babies-and you keep getting passed up.

A small movement catches my eye and I look up from the flickering fire to see a familiar face scowling in my direction. Haeden. Ugh. My least favorite person in both of the sa-khui caves. He looks pissier than usual, which is kind of a feat for him. If he wasn't such a dick, maybe he'd be handsome. Maybe. He's big, of course, and heavily muscled like all sa-khui men. He's got the big, arching, curling horns jutting from his forehead like a ram on crack. He's got pale blue skin and his forehead is covered with thick, platy ridges that should make him look like a mutant but only emphasize how strong the rest of his features are. And he's got the long, black hair of the sa-khui, but he wears his shaved on the sides and in one extra-long braid over the top of his head and down his back. He might be someone's type, but he's not mine. His tail flicks angrily at the sight of me, as if just looking in my direction pisses him off.

Our eyes lock and he crosses his arms over his chest, as if daring me to get up and confront him.

Whatever. I make a face at him. I don't know why he's got a hate-boner for me but I'm tired of it. I'm a little pleased-and weirdly disappointed-when he stalks away. I'd almost welcome a fight with him, except he doesn't really fight. He mostly spits out a few choice words, glares a lot, and then storms away when I irritate him enough.

I nudge Farli, who's settling in next to me with her paint pots. She's doodling a festive red line down her arm. "So what's with Haeden lately?"

"Hmm?" She dabs a brush in red and then paints a dot on my arm.

"He looks more angry than usual," I tell her, and obediently turn my arm toward her so she can paint an accompanying blue dot next to the red one.

"Oh. He was very . . . sour . . . when he found out you went to the main tribal cave alone. He yelled at Taushen for many hours."

My eyebrows go up. "Why? He hates me." He should have been glad that I'd taken the scary, dangerous journey so recently. He'd probably been hoping that I'd fall into a snowdrift and never come out again.

She shrugs and holds my arm, painting a tickling circle on it. "He is protective of females. He thinks it is foolish to risk them."

Oh barf. So he's a chauvinist. "I was perfectly fine." Sure, it was a little scary, but I handled it. I went because we didn't have a choice. Tiff, Taushen, Salukh, and I were visiting the elders' cave-a crashed sa-khui spaceship from several hundred years ago-when Tiff noticed a big storm coming in. We'd decided to send out runners to warn both the South Cave (my home) and the main cave. Tiff had hurt her ankle, so Salukh stayed behind with her. Taushen took the longer walk back to the South Cave, and I headed to the main cave to warn them, despite the oncoming blizzard and despite the fact that I'd never traveled by myself before.

I'd been pretty proud of the fact that I made it and saved the day, darn it. Sure, I could have died in a snowdrift, but I didn't. I found the cave all on my own and showed that I'm not useless. I'm glad I made the journey and I'd do it again.

Farli draws a bigger blue circle on my arm with her paintbrush. The sa-khui like to paint their bodies with bright swirls when they celebrate, and I love it. It makes me happy just to look at it, and Farli knows she has a willing canvas with me. She doodles on my arm a bit more, then holds on to my wrist to keep me still. "Yes, but humans are weak. He says that risking your life means risking more than just one life. It is potentially robbing another male of his mate and kits."

I gape at her, then realize she's parroting Haeden's words. "Good thing I'm only worth my vagina to him." Joke's on him, my girl parts have a permanent no-vacancy sign on them, alas.

"What is va-shy-nuh?" Farli asks. "I do not know this word."

"Never mind." I probably shouldn't be teaching Farli inappropriate human words. She can't be more than fourteen years old. "He's just a jerk. Always has been and always will be."

"What is yerk?" She draws another circle on my arm, this time a sickly green. "You're fun to paint on, Jo-see. You are pale like Chahm-pee's belly. The colors show up nicely."

Greeeaaaat. I'm being compared to her pet dvisti. "A jerk is a man who thinks with his male parts." It totally applies for scowly Haeden, I don't care what the others say.

She giggles at my words. At least someone finds me amusing.

Nope. I can't go down that path, mentally. I need to think about happier things. Things like the baby Tiffany and her mate are rather noisily making back in our cave. I do love babies, and Tiffany's my best friend here on the ice planet, so I'm totally going to volunteer to godparent the crap out of that poor kid. I stare at the fire, contemplating living circumstances. If Salukh and Tiffany are getting it on twenty-four seven, they'll need a cave of their own.

Farli finishes decorating my bared arms and picks up her paint pots, heading toward someone else. I remain where I am, the paint drying. No one comes over to talk to me. It's not like there's a lot of us left in the South Cave. Half of the cave has already moved back to the main caverns. The ones left are probably not feeling that celebratory, if Taushen's sad mood is any indicator. I don't blame him. He lost out on the girl, and the only one left is me.

Or Farli, but she's a kid still. So he's either got to put the moves on me, or wait for Farli to grow up. No wonder he's depressed. I'm kinda bummed myself. I don't want to go back to the cave, because I'm afraid I'm going to see a lot of Salukh and Tiffany . . . which would be awkward. Maybe I'll go borrow a blanket from Kira and hide in one of the now-empty caves.

I get to my feet. Something soft clinks against my leather boot.

I look down, and there's an object gleaming in the firelight on the tip of my shoe. I pick it up, frowning. It fell out of my leggings. What on earth? It looks like a plastic little Y of sorts, which is weird. There shouldn't be any plastic here in the sa-khui caves. Did it get stuck in my boot from when we were at the elders' spaceship? But if so, how . . .

I gasp as I realize what I'm looking at. It's not from the elders' ship.

It's my IUD.

Somehow, my body has forced it out. My khui must have been silently working on pushing it out of my system. I clutch it in my hand, my heart hammering with excitement.

This changes everything!

Now, I can get pregnant. Now, I can resonate. I can have a mate!

I can have a family, a happy ever after. I can have everything I always dreamed of. I don't have to wait for Harlow to fix the surgery machine back at the elders' ship, because my cootie decided to be awesome after all. Thank you, khui! Thank you! You're the best! I take back all the awful things I said about you.

I look around eagerly at the people in the main cave. Who's going to be my mate? There are several males in the tribe that are attractive and all of them are nice . . . except Haeden.

I'm not picky. I'll let my cootie choose someone for me. It knows best, after all. It's going to pick the perfect male for me so we can make sweet little babies together and I can live a life of joy and happiness. My mood has totally changed and I'm so happy I could shout with pure joy.

Nearby, Vaza catches my eye and gives me a speculative look. To my relief, my khui remains silent. Good. It's not desperate. Vaza's older and he's tried hitting on everything with tits. He's seated next to Bek, and I'm glad that my khui isn't making a sound for him, either. Cootie, you are one smart cookie.

Hassen is probably my number one draft pick at the moment, because he's sexy and all alpha, and I'd be down with that. At the moment, he's nowhere to be found. Taushen, either. Both of them are probably still moping after losing Tiffany. Well, hello, I'm perfectly willing to be a consolation prize. Time to find my guy and make his day.

There are two elders talking off to one side but I'm pretty sure one had a mate back in the day and the other could be my grandpa. Just to make sure, though, I stroll past them. Nothing happens. Whew. No problem, cootie. We still have lots of man-meat in this cavern before we run out. "Anyone seen Hassen?" I ask.

"He's in his cave, packing," Vaza says.

"Super." I jump to my feet and head in that direction before Vaza can decide if he wants to hit on me or not. Come on, Hassen. Be my mate! Of course, even if I don't resonate to Hassen, there's always the guys back in the other cave. I immediately think of Rokan. He's hot, and he's nice. I'd be down with that.

I head for the cave that many of the single hunters live in, and the privacy screen isn't up. "Yoo-hoo," I call out, my voice sweet. I'm excited, and I push away thoughts of Rokan. The other cave seems so far away right now. It's going to happen tonight, I can feel it. Rokan's going to lose out, because he's not here. I feel like my mate is here. My chance.

I'm going to get my happy ever after. Tonight, my life starts. Tonight, I get my family. Tonight, I'm no longer a reject.

Hassen pops out of his cave, a confused look on his face. His gaze settles on me. "Yes? What is it?"

I smile at him, but . . . nothing happens. Rats. Hassen was hottie number one on my list. "Just . . . thought I'd say hi? Have you seen Taushen?"

He narrows his eyes at me, as if trying to figure me out. "He is here."

"Can I say hi to him, too?" Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

"Is this a human custom?"

I keep smiling, because even his puzzled look is not going to get me down. Not tonight. "Yes, yes it is."

Excerpted from Barbarian's Mate by Ruby Dixon. Copyright © 2023 by Ruby Dixon. Excerpted by permission of Berkley Publishing Group. All right reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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