Ice Planet Barbarians #1-10, A Series by Ruby Dixon

The Gist: This viral sci-fi erotica series follows a group of women abducted by aliens who crash land on a planet stuck in an ice age as they learn to survive in their new circumstances and fall in love with their ice planet barbarians.

About the Series

Most of the books in Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series centre on a human woman, her fated alien mate, and their trials of becoming a couple while surviving on a planet colder than the arctic tundra.

Each of the books concludes with a happy-for-now (HFN) ending. Because the series follows a tight-knit group, the reader gets casual updates on the lives of couples from previous books. When a review (below) mentions “[the couple’s] story continues in:” it means those books are told (at least in part) from the perspective of that couple.

The series review includes reviews on the following books (listed in order of release). Each book listed as a sub-bullet point (e.g. Book 7.1) must be read after the book it’s listed under. To read books 7.1 and 7.2, you’re supposed to read Book 7 first.

Books with a 🌟 beside them are some of my favourites in the series! Important to note is that in each book review, I note where the book and couple rank in the 20 book series (with 1st being the best). Since the series follows a close-knit community, many couples are prominently featured in later books, which may explain why a lower-ranked couple is higher-ranked (see Barbarian’s Alien, for example).

Order	Title	Couple(s)
Book #1	Ice Planet Barbarians	Georgie & Vektal
Book #1.5	Ice Planet Honeymoon: Vektal and Georgie	Georgie & Vektal
Book #2	Barbarian Alien	Liz & Raahosh 🌟
Book #2.5	Ice Planet Honeymoon: Raahosh and Liz	Liz & Raahosh 🌟
Book #3	Barbarian Lover	Kira & Aehako
Book #3.5	Ice Planet Honeymoon: Aehako and Kira	Kira & Aehako
Book #4	Barbarian Mine	Harlow & Rukh 🌟
Book #4.5	Ice Planet Honeymoon: Rukh and Harlow	Harlow & Rukh 🌟
Book #5	Ice Planet Holiday	Claire & Ereven, Georgie & Vektal
Book #6	Barbarian’s Prize	Tiffany & Salukh
Book #7	Barbarian’s Mate	Josie & Haeden
Book #7.1	Having the Barbarian’s Baby	Megan & Cashol
Book #7.2	Ice Ice Babies	Nora & Dagesh
Book #8	Barbarian’s Touch	Lilah & Rokan 🌟
Book #8.5	Calm	Maylak & Kashrem
Book #9	Barbarian’s Taming	Maddie & Hassen 🌟
Book #9.5	Aftershocks	Harlow & Rukh, Georgie & Vektal, Stacy & Pashov
Book #10	Barbarian’s Heart	Stacy & Pashov

Note: Each book in the series is Standalone unless otherwise stated.

Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians, #1)

Release Date: April 3, 2015

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3.5-stars

Couple: Georgie & Vektal

I really enjoyed Ice Planet Barbarians when I read it back in 2015. The premise was unique – a bunch of abducted human women crash-landing on an alien planet in its neolithic period (hence the barbarian trope). The first book is a bit darker than the rest of the series, as the author still played with the overall tone she wanted to set for the world. Ice Planet Barbarians also differs from the rest of the series in that it leans more towards erotica smut than HEA erotica, meaning the emphasis is on sex at the expense of reality. A simpler way of differentiating between ‘erotica smut’ and ‘HEA erotica is that it’s more insta-lust than insta-love.

There is also a nice survival plot, as we learn that human women need to ingest a symbiotic parasite to breathe on the alien planet, and Vektal’s tribe suffers from a severe lack of women. For a book that privileges the sexy times, I loved how the author spent the time fleshing out the world-building and creating some really interesting circumstances with the tribe.

My only asterisk with Georgie and Vektal is that Ice Planet Barbarians is the only book I like either of the characters 😅. Because Vektal is chief, he makes many decisions later on in the series that I find annoying. And Georgie gets it into her head that the only way to be the chief’s mate is to support him unequivocally – ever heard of groupthink? It’s helpful when leaders are exposed to different opinions and perspectives 🙄. Georgie is also judgmental in later books. Georgie is quite frustrating in the rest of the series because I don’t think she’s a good leader, but I digress.

Ranking of Book: 17th of 20

Ranking of Couple: 20th of 20

Georgie & Vektal’s story continues in:

Barbarian Alien (Ice Planet Barbarians, #2)

Release Date: July 24, 2015

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3.5-stars

Couple: Liz & Raahosh

Raahosh instantly felt resonance with Liz when the human women were first discovered. However, Liz is not happy about needing a parasitic “cootie” to survive on the very cold alien planet. After Liz realizes Raahosh is her mate, she decides avoidance is the best solution to her new 6ft+ problem. However, Raashosh decides to take their resonance into his own hands by abducting Liz and taking her to a cave where they have no choice but to get to know one another.

I enjoyed Barbarian’s Alien, but while Liz’s attitude is very realistic (after being abducted and abandoned on an alien planet in its ice age), it got quite frustrating since I read these kinds of books for escapism. However, they became a great couple once Liz and Raahosh overcame their misunderstandings.

Liz and Raahosh are my favourite couple because they’re so similar that they’re opposites in some ways (I know, that sounds contradictory). Both are stubborn and introverted, but in Raahosh, that manifests in being a grumpy, stoic wallflower, whereas Liz is loud and brash. And, despite Liz’s jovial disposition, she’d rather hunt most of the year than hang out with the rest of the tribe in their cozy caves.

Another reason Barbarian’s Alien isn’t my favourite is because of how the Tribe treated Liz and Raahosh once they returned. This book was also the start of Georgie’s downfall since, instead of standing up for what Liz wants, Georgie was all, I can’t contradict my mate (even though she’s supposed to be the leader of the humans 🙄).

Liz and Raahosh are prominent supporting characters in many of the following books, which contributes to their awesomeness as a couple. Also, I love how Liz is so blunt – honestly, it often feels like she keeps the Chief, Vektal, in check because she doesn’t sugarcoat her opinion; she holds the Chief accountable.

Ranking of Book: 14th of 20

Ranking of Couple: 1st of 20

Liz & Raahosh’s story continues in:

Barbarian Lover (Ice Planet Barbarians, #3)

Release Date: August 28, 2015

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3-stars

Couple: Kira & Aehako

Barbarian Lover was OK but not great. It also had a heroine I didn’t connect with, which is why it is my least favourite in the series. I at least liked Georgie when I read her book.

Kira is miserable on Ice Planet. She’s dealing with the trauma of being abducted by aliens who used her to communicate with fellow abducted humans and is not doing a great job dealing with the news that happily-ever-afters on Ice Planet are achieved through resonance… which means baby-making and Kira can’t have kids. I understand that life isn’t great, but considering the are girls from the alien ship who went through way worse and aren’t freaking Eeyore, Kira’s perspective was exhausting. She worried about everything, wasn’t very personable with her tribemates (what is with the tribe leaders getting with the women who are horrible leaders?), and she’s quite judgemental later on in the series (I don’t remember if that’s true for her book).

While Aehako is the bubbling flower to Kira’s wilting weed, the Hero of Barbarian Lover is one of my least favourite characterizations. He never gave Kira space. He always thought he knew best, and because Kira was so freaking gloomy, of course, Aehako did know best. It never felt like they were in a partnership; Aehako came across as annoying, and Kira was a Debbie Downer.

However, Barbarian Lover is well-written and has an interesting plot. I enjoyed catching up with Liz and Raahosh (by the way, Liz calls Kira Eeyore, which is another reason why Liz is my favourite)!

Ranking of Book: 20th of 20

Ranking of Couple: 19th of 20

Kira & Aehako’s story continues in:

Barbarian Mine (Ice Planet Barbarians, #4)

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3.75-stars

Couple: Harlow & Rukh

Le Sigh… how I love Harlow and Rukh! They’re one of the best couples in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, probably because Rukh is the strong, silent and wants his mate all to himself type ☺️.

Harlow meets Rukh after he abducts her, caveman style. She finds herself alone, resonating with this stranger, and they can’t understand each other. Barbarian Mine reminded me of one of my favourite historical romances, Transcendence by Shay Savage, which also has the no-shared-language trope.

Harlow and Rukh’s relationship develops slowly as they get to know each other and try to survive away from the main tribe (since Rukh was raised thinking they were evil). Despite the push both felt from resonance, I enjoyed how Harlow set her boundaries and ensured Rukh knew she wanted to take time to get to know him, even with their language barrier. It made for a deeper connection between them.

You find out at the beginning of Barbarian Mine that Harlow was diagnosed with a brain tumour back on Earth. While her “cootie” is fighting the c@ncer, it starts to falter once she gets pregnant. What results is a decision that will upend Rukh and Harlow’s quaint life; they need the tribe’s healer, but can Rukh overcome his bias?

While I loved Harlo and Rukh as a couple, I felt the book struggled a bit with their lack of communication—besides Transcendence, I don’t think I’ve seen a no-shared-language trope done well enough that it doesn’t detract from the plot. Ruby tried to fix this problem by adding a time jump, but the time jump made me sad that the reader missed some important parts of their relationship. The plot felt a bit disjointed, detracting from my enjoyment of the book.

Ranking of Book: 11th of 20

Ranking of Couple: 3rd of 20

Harlow & Rukh’s story continues in:

Ice Planet Holiday* (Ice Planet Barbarians, #5)

Release Date: November 27, 2015

*Not intended as a Standalone. You need to read Books 1-4 in the series first: see Ice Planet Barbarians.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3.5-stars

Couples: Claire & Ereven, and Georgie & Vektal

Ice Planet Holiday is my least favourite novella of the series because it has Georgie’s perspective 😅. She’s so judgemental, which is one of the worst traits of a leader. Like, how she frames Ariana – who has social anxiety – as simply “annoying” frustrates the ever-living crap out of me.

“The other humans are near the center of the cave, by the bathing pool. I see Nora (pregnant), Stacy (pregnant), Liz (nursing her cute little Raashel), Ariana (pregnant and annoying), and Megan (pregnant). Marlene must be sleeping in.”

Georgie in Ice Planet Holiday (p. 11)

Georgie also calls Liz “moody” when really Liz is just blunt. When someone says moody, I think like a teenager with oscillating emotions (happy one minute, grumpy the next)… someone like pregnant Georgie 😂. OK, I promise that’s the end of my anti-Georgie spiel.

Ice Planet Holiday was the first time I understood why all the women don’t like Bek; he comes across as almost abusive towards Claire in this book. I enjoyed Claire’s perspective and agree with most reviews that wanted Ereven’s perspective as he and Claire get to know each other (and eventually resonate). Their relationship was really cute, and I wish Ice Planet Holiday was mostly about them instead of having to share page time with Georgie.

Claire and Ereven’s romance made this book, and I skimmed Georgie’s parts.

Ranking of Book: 19th of 20

Ranking of Claire & Ereven: 14th of 20

Barbarian’s Prize (Ice Planet Barbarians, #6)

Release Date: February 5, 2016

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4-stars

Couple: Tiffany & Salukh

Reading Barbarian’s Prize, we finally get Tiffany’s POV, and it made me realize how unfairly treated Tiffany is in the tribe! The book also solidified why I found Georgie and Kira to be absolutely crap leaders. While no one in the tribe knows that Tiffany was r@ped by aliens on the spaceship that abducted the women from Earth, I found it absolutely ridiculous that none of the women – besides Josie – picked up on how uncomfortable Tiffany was around the men.

Tiffany was described in the past few books as gorgeous and a flirt. As of this book in the series, Tiffany and Josie are the remaining uncoupled women. This means the single men are showering Tiffany with attention, which is the last thing she wants. Tiffany doesn’t feel safe; she only goes along with the flirting because she doesn’t want any lash back. I think many women can relate; how many times have you smiled to pacify a guy instead of risking their anger? It’s not uncommon for violence (from verbal abuse to physical assault) to be the response to a rejection. Tiffany is also trying to heal from the trauma she survived on the spaceship, so not even her sleep is a safe space.

What I loved so much about Salukh was how he saw Tiffany. Besides Josie, he was the only one to notice how uncomfortable Tiffany was around the single men of the tribe. Anyone who paid attention to her body language would have realized how unsafe she felt. And, when you feel unsafe and don’t trust the people around you, it’s very hard to state your boundaries (especially when they go against the culture).

Barbarian’s Prize wasn’t rated higher because of its nonsensical plot. To get the single men to stop stalking Tiffany (you know, instead of Georgie or Kira just telling them to stop it already), Josie makes up a human courting ritual—a competition—to distract the men. This part of the plot was incongruent with the dogma that “resonance chooses.” If resonance makes the choice, why even bother with the competition? It made no sense!

To be honest, I felt that Georgie and Kira actively perpetuated r@pe culture in Barbarian’s Prize – both always blame the women when a couple causes tension in the tribe. They both like to sit comfortably in their assumptions, preaching from their high hill instead of asking critical questions and looking at body language and inferred cues. For instance, Georgie and Kira subtly rebuke Tiffany for having the competition and causing a mess with the single men when she obviously likes Salukh (who’s not competing). But neither stop to ask why Tiffany doesn’t stop the men’s behaviour. They just judge, assuming they have all the answers 🙄.

Salukh was so freaking great in Barbarian’s Prize. He befriends Tiffany, gains her trust and affirms what Tiffany wants and how far they go (which, to be honest, should be the bare minimum).

Ranking of Book: 8th of 20

Ranking of Couple: 9th of 20

Barbarian’s Mate (Ice Planet Barbarians, #7)

Release Date: March 25, 2016

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4-stars

Couple: Josie & Haeden

Josie and Haeden’s story is an enemies-to-lovers romance. Still, they’re enemies only because of misunderstandings (and an inability to communicate on Haeden’s part). Both Josie and Haeden have rough pasts that influence their behaviour. Josie has survived parental abandonment, neglect and abuse in her foster care homes and is looking for The One that will give her the home she’s looking for. Haeden is healing from the death of his family and his previous mate from the “cootie” sickness. His lack of control in the situation has created anger inside him.

Unfortunately for Josie and Haeden, whenever Josie does something risky, Haeden’s concern manifests through anger and derision. However, Josie doesn’t understand that his derision is for himself because he’s convinced he’ll never find a new mate and, if he does, that he won’t be a good one since his first mate was so opposed to being his mate, she swore to never give in to their resonance.

Haeden eventually realizes that all he’s been doing is hurting Josie. And despite Josie’s ability to stand up for herself, she doesn’t need yet another person trying to tear her down. She needs someone to support, care about her, and be her partner.

I didn’t rate Barbarian’s Mate higher because I don’t enjoy enemies-to-lovers romances. Typically, if you declare someone your literal enemy, there’s a mighty good reason for it, making the “to lovers” part unconvincing. Most commonly in romance, the “enemies” part is just a bunch of misunderstandings and petty grudges that could easily be fixed if the couple talked to each other instead of jumping to conclusions. Of course, Josie and Haeden fell into the latter category.

Ranking of Book: 9th of 20

Ranking of Couple: 12th of 20

Josie & Haeden’s story continues in:

Barbarian’s Touch (Ice Planet Barbarians, #8)

Release Date: June 11, 2016

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4.5-stars

Couple: Lilah & Rokan

The only part I didn’t like was Lilah’s reaction to finding out what resonance was. It’s partly Rokan’s fault because he didn’t explain that resonance ≠ love (as Asha and Hemalo’s relationship illustrates).

However, I really liked Lilah and Rokan as a couple and enjoyed how their journey allowed Lilah to learn how to be self-sufficient on the Ice Planet.

I also appreciated how Lilah’s hearing impairment was never treated as something that needed to be fixed. Rokan and the rest of his tribe make sure to learn ALS. While the power of the khui suggests it can heal almost anything—it healed Harlow’s brain tumour—it’s still TBD whether Lilah will get her hearing back. But the book’s point is to show Lilah is perfect and confident just as she is.

Ranking of Book: 3rd of 20

Ranking of Couple: 6th of 20

Lilah & Rokan’s story continues in:

Barbarian’s Taming (Ice Planet Barbarians, #9)

Release Date: August 31, 2016

Format: Kindle

Rating: 5-stars

Couple: Maddie & Hassen

Barbarian’s Taming was such a surprise! Considering that Hassen abducted Maddie’s sister in the previous book, hoping to resonate with her, I did not think I’d enjoy this book. The fact that the Hero preferred the Heroine’s sister when meeting them both for the first time is not something I want to read in a romance book. However, I’m sure Hassen picked Lilah because she’s quiet and avoided Maddie because she’s boisterous 😂. I didn’t mind Hassen’s blunder partly because of how confident and understanding Maddie was. It helps that they didn’t avoid it either; they had an honest conversation about Hassen’s mistake.

I loved how, after the drama of the previous book settles, Maddie and Hassen connect because they both feel like they’re on the periphery of their tribe. Hassen is being punished for abducting Lilah, and Maddie feels alone since her sister is now mated. The rest of the women avoid her because of the fuss she kicked up about Lilah’s abduction. (This is yet another example of how judgmental some women are in the tribe 🙈.)

While Maddie’s confidence allows her to proposition and start hooking up with Hassen, she’s completely blindsided by Hassen’s plan to convince her they’re meant to be. Hassen was a sweetie pie, and I loved how he was Maddie’s biggest supporter.

Barbarian’s Taming also had an interesting subplot that forever alters the tribe. However, Vektal and Georgie’s treatment and judgement of Hassen and Maddie demonstrate how horrible they are as leaders. To expand, Hassen was being punished for abducting Lilah in the previous book, yet Vektal thinks it’s his right to ensure Hassen doesn’t get to be with the woman he loves. This also happened in Liz’s book. It felt very dictator-like. Also, Hassen’s punishment was decided before he and Maddie were a couple; therefore, that should be the extent of his punishment. Leaders can’t just add to a sentence because they feel like it… at least not in a community with positive peace.

Ranking of Book: 2nd of 20

Ranking of Couple: 4th of 20

Barbarian’s Heart (Ice Planet Barbarians, #10)

Release Date: June 11, 2016

Format: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 3.75-stars

Couple: Stacy & Pashov

Wow, Barbarian’s Heart was so angsty. Stacy and Pashov were some of the first people to resonate in the first book, Ice Planet Barbarians. We revisit their story almost four years later after an earthquake collapses their tribal caves, almost killing Pashov. Due to Pashov’s injuries, he’s lost all memories of the humans landing on his planet, including his mate, Stacy, and their son, Pacy.

Barbarian’s Heart is the definition of an emotional romance; it’s narrated from both Stacy’s and Pashov’s perspectives, so the reader understands where they are coming from. To Stacy, Pashov has become a stranger wearing her mate’s face, and until he gets his memories back, it feels like she’s cheating on her mate if she treats the new Pashov as her mate. Stacy’s perspective is much more understandable once you acknowledge it’s only been a month since Pashove regained consciousness.

“I know I’m being unfair to him. I love him. I know he’s trying. I just… I just can’t. Every touch tht doesn’t have our old routines behind it feels like a betrayal. Maybe that’s crazy of me, but until I can shake it, and until he gets his memories back, that’s how it has to be.”

Stacy in Barbarian’s Heart

However, reading Pashov’s perspective, I could understand how surreal and complicated the situation was. His family was telling him he was mated and had a son with an alien who he has no memories of. It wouldn’t seem real. It also doesn’t help that to protect herself, Stacy doesn’t allow Pashov the opportunity to get to know her again – or their son. It annoyed me that Stacy was lamenting how difficult it is to be a single parent… You can’t force Pashov to love you again, but he’s Pacy’s father! Pashov should’ve been introduced to Pacy, and Stacy should’ve helped foster that connection.

To be fair, it’s such a complicated situation; every conversation is laden with their forgotten shared history. Stacy consistently gets her feelings hurt because she constantly forgets Pashov doesn’t have his memories. But I wondered, what if Pashov’s memories don’t return? Does this mean Stacy gives up on him? Stacy has taken Pashov’s amnesia as if it was a deliberate choice on his end, a betrayal. There’s a reason why marriage is “for better or worse”… it includes amnesia! I guess I wanted Stacy to be more proactive about her relationship; I wanted her to fight for Pashove, to demonstrate that she’s so happy he’s alive, and given time, they can work through the forgotten memories by building new ones and connecting with each other again.

Eventually, Stacy realizes how unfair she’s being. I really enjoyed the book once Stacy and Pashov decided to fight for their relationship. I also found their dynamic with their son cute.

Ranking of Book: 15th of 20

Ranking of Couple: 17th of 20

Curious about the rest of the series?

Read my series review of Ice Planet Barbarians, #11-20!

Ice Planet Barbarians #11-20, A Series by Ruby Dixon