Reviews with content warning for Child death - Barbarian's Hope

It is so easy to hate Asha. Don't get me wrong- she hasn't been the kindest Sa-khui to anyone. What we don't get is that she is a mother is grieving and has yet to overcome the grief of losing her child right after birth. We hear about it in earlier books, but never much beyond that the event made her bitter. It makes her actions understandable but not excusable, especially the way she treats Hemalo. I am glad they were able to talk out their feelings and work together on their relationship and their communication. No mother or parent should experience the loss of their child.

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crondeau_yvr's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.5

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katiekeske's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense

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

4.75

This is finally Asha and Hemalo's book. This one is sad and emotional, but I enjoyed it and was glad to see Asha and Hemalo work their issues out. Major trigger warning for grief and talk of child loss.

This one is a very slow burn. The couple has a lot of trauma to deal with before they can get back together in a healthy way, but they do get their HEA.

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readyourrights's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

I loved the addition of friendship POV into the formula and the healing journey of Asha!

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hannnah_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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robinwritesallthethings's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

What It’s About: This book focuses on Asha, a rather surly character we’ve encountered in previous stories. It delves more into why she is the way she is and gives her a second chance at a happy ending.

Spice Level: There isn’t a huge amount of spice in this one, but it is between two aliens, which is something interesting that we’ve never really seen before in this series.

Realism: This is probably a more real volume than most for our big blue aliens. There’s a lot of grief here, but it makes sense, considering the situation, and it makes sense that this couple has drifted apart because of it.

Trope Alert: Second chance romance.

Trigger Warnings: Asha deals with the previous death of her child pretty explicitly in this book. The subject is handled very delicately, but it might still be too much for some readers. There are also some injuries to be had.

Final Thoughts: Once again, I’d like to say that Ruby made both a character and a topic I honestly didn’t want to read about palatable. I’ll always give anything she writes a chance because she has the ability to make anything appealing.

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roorooreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I feel like this could have been half as long and still gotten the point across. It was very emotional though and I choked up a bit at times with the deep sadness out FMC felt.

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