Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Kira und Aehako

Almost DNF’ed this one but then decided to sprint through it to find out the ending. What a waste of time. What was the fucking point of the aliens?? Kera trying to keep it a secret was bullshit nonsense. These girls have no braincells in their heads—they’re too full up on breeding.

Also you don’t need to be able to have kids to lead a fulfilling happy life. You are not a broken person if you’re unable to birth children. You are no less worthy of love.

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c0urtn3yy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Really enjoyed this one. Although it might not've been as spicy as the other 2, I really loved the story & I really loved Kira & Aehako (especially Aehako). Also: can't forget about the epic courting gift. I LOVE how funny these books are!

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missbliss's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I Can't Quit You IPB

Clearly I have a problem I am addicted to this series and devouring them at a problematic pace but dang they are so much better than I expected and I am in Central Texas summer and I am all about sexy smut in wintery worlds. Kira/Aehako pairing are fantastic and again I can't say enough how much i love the distinctive characters that Ruby creates. Aehako was introduced in the last story and loved how he immediately stands out as playful. I was also delighted by the character development of Kira and really seeing a quiet character find courage and strength. I also was practically yelling AMEN when the male lead talks openly about never shaming a woman for having had previous partners, or finding her own personal pleasure, or her breedability. I get incredibly tired (and disgusted) by the fixation in many books of the romance genre that put the highest value on virginity and making babies. It was nice to have characters discuss these topics openly. Especially in a culture where sex does not seem to be shamed. I think some folks felt certain fears of the characters were stupid and unfounded but I disagree as I really feel that through each voluming we along with the characters are still learning about how humans fair on this world and how everything works with the khui. It is fascinating to see the building community and culture as folks are getting settled in. I will say that although I continue to enjoy the narrators Hollie's voice started to grate a little. In her attempt to make the character voices distinct she struggles to infuse them with emotion so there is a lilt in all dialogue I associate with how one sounds when being casual or joking that is used in moments of pain and fear that feels incongruent to the moment and pulled me out a little. Again she is far better than many others but just something I noticed. I am continuing to my binge of this series and went to Ruby Dixon's website so I can read/listen to all the books in the suggested order since it seems there are several series in the same universe.

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lilalhreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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lacee's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My favorite so far! Aehako my beloved, my man! I couldn't stop smiling while reading this book! Kira and Aehako were just so perfect, I love everything about their relationship. I felt they balanced each other perfectly and the focus on establishing a relationship without resonance was refreshing and sweet. Surprisingly, there was actually a plot in this installment and some decent action.

I'm glad the baddies are gone. I'm a little peeved at how Harlow's disappearance was handled. I've mentioned the logic of the characters in my other reviews but I find it completely ridiculous that they assumed she ran away. There are dangerous alien predators that eat people on this planet yet they resort to thinking she's a coward instead of being, I don't know, possibly a Metlak's next meal!? The way these characters think sometimes is just plain dumb.

Side Note: The honeymoon novellas just aren't that good. Just like in <i>Barbarian Alien</i>, Kira, and Aehako's novella walked back some good character development.

I was hoping Kira and Asha would become friends. The main story hinted toward this just to revert them back to enemies in the novella. Lame.

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shaykay's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Barbarian Lover is my favorite book in the series so far. I loved this book, and I loved Kira. Kira was a character that I didn't see becoming a favorite because she was kind of quiet and standoffish in the first two books. But she's gone through a lot, and we got to see her deal with her feelings in this book. Before this one, we already knew Aehako really wanted her, but she never showed any reciprocation. They also never resonated, so that was another thing that pushed her away from starting anything with Aehako because she felt like she would lose him one day. She wouldn't be able to handle it. It was all so intense to see play out in this book, and we learn a few more things about Kira that makes all of her hesitations make more sense. In this one, we also see the return of the green aliens, and I loved seeing how she handled everything. I've been waiting for the aliens to come back, and it was os much fun to see how they dealt with this issue.
As for the spice, these books are known for this one was lacking on it, but I honestly didn't miss it because this book had so much going on in it. I really liked seeing this story play out, and it's just my favorite in the series so far. I am doing a series review on my blog and keeping track of a favorites list. I've been updating it whenever I finish one of the books.

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thelilgriffin's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Very repetitive. One character got on my nerve. Reads like a fanfiction.

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georgiaisreading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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