I read all of the Ice Planet Barbarian Books… so you… still should

This is truly the book that introduces you to the ice planet, the females, and the aliens. I can honestly say that I went into this book with no expectations and was surprised by how fast I breezed through it. Was it in your face smutty? A little. But was there also good writing to go along with it and likable characters? Yes. Do I think Georgie adapted far better to her situation than I ever could’ve? Also yes.

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

Harlow came to the planet sick- so she really treats crashing on the planet like a second chance at life. Rukh is not a member of the tribe but instead is related to someone who was alienated from the tribe and thereby has some connection to a few of the remaining members. He decides to steal Harlow away to a cave by the ocean where they slowly but surely fall for each other. Their love is not perfect Rukh is unwashed and not used to normal interactions, they have a communication barrier, but in the end, love seems to be the only thing that matters. They do struggle with immersing themselves back into the tribe so they decide to utilize Harlows mechanics to help the tripe at the elder’s cave. I think that this was similar to Liz’s story but different enough to feel unique on its own.

Kira and Aehako definitely are on the sweeter and emotional side of the love stories. There is a lot of sadness and backstory that Kira brings with her prior to her crash landing on the planet that she is reluctant to open up about. For Aehako though he just cares about her and wants to be there for her. While their cooties are slow to burn and Kira is slow to open up, their love is evident from the start. This is one for sure has a lot more of a storyline and plot than some of the others and I think that it makes for an overall sweet read and change of pace.

This was a really fun 25,000-word novella about the holidays… or as this planet likes to call it “no poison day” I thought that this was a super light-hearted and festive read and I breezed through it in one sitting. We went into a little bit of Clair’s backstory and her unsuccessful pleasure mate arrangement. We were then introduced to Clair and Ereven who were the polar opposite together. I think the only downside to this book was the fact that their love story was intertwined because it didn’t feel like enough attention for their love story.

This was a book that was a bit more emotional. Tiffany and Salukh worked through so many different issues together and it really was a beautiful thing to read. Tiffany was working through some trauma that made accepting love or even comfort hard for her. I do think at times you were really rooting for Tiffany to push past this because she did read as a bit hot and cold- but considering what she went through I think this is also valid. Salukh was just an absolute sweetheart. Genuinely one of the nicest of the males and I think he just is a gem.

This love story was on the longer and more complicated side. I mean after a couple of the males stole away the females it would make sense that Hassen would think the same thing would work for him… except it doesn’t. Lila is deaf and has an overly protective sister Maddie who has her quite sheltered from the world. But when Lila has stolen away from Maddie she really comes into her own and finds love in her patient mate Rokan who is actually the one to find the cave Hassen has stolen her away from. I really liked this one as I am someone who is hearing impaired- I especially appreciated the fact that Ruby didn’t try to immediately “fix” Lila and instead accepted her for who she is and gave her a mate that did the same. Overall I thought even though this was a longer read, it was well worth it in the end.

Josie and Haeden was the book I had been hoping for. There is nothing my heart loves more than an enemies to lovers story. Haeden has a complicated past that has made him closed off and come across as brutish… Josie is a bit of a hopeless romantic who from the start didn’t get along with Haeden… so when their cooties decided they were going to be mates Josie did the only reasonable thing and tried to ignore it. I can’t go into it much longer without giving too much away but I will say at times Josie drove me crazy with how stubborn she was being. But in the end, I think the patience was worth it and they to this day have one of my favorite love stories out of the series.

Maddie and Hassen truly had a relationship that from an outsider’s perspective didn’t make much sense… but considering they both felt like outsiders it ended up making perfect sense. This was definitely one of the smuttier books in the series. Maddie is a character that seems to really be in touch with her sexuality so because of this it starts off as a friends with benefits situation and sort of blossoms from there. I think once we got past the initial shock with Lila it was overall a fun and sexy read!

For the sake of transparency, this is when I started to burn myself out of the series. I had just been reading all of these books back to back to the point that by the time I got to this point I stopped around 30% I think this was partially my fault and also because of the fact that I didn’t care for Asha. With that being said- after a couple of months and books in between I restarted this book and had a newfound appreciation for it. I think Asha is hard to like in the other books, but her story helps you understand why. I think it is pretty easy to judge from the outside but I also think that isn’t fair especially considering what Asha and Hemalo went through. I think this is a more emotional and imperfect book but it is for those reasons it is important.

This was a short story that I was super happy we got. To be honest, in the beginning, I was a little confused as to why some of the instant resonances were just being accepted as such and with no real back or present-day story. So when I got to this story, I was happy that this novella did just that. Megan and Cashol are just a really sweet couple and I think that with the addition to Haeden and Cashols hunting we were given a deeper look into not only how much Cashol adores Megan, but also how much Haeden truly cares for Josie. I thought this was a sweet read with a really cute ending.

This slice of life story showed Nora and Dagesh and their twins Ana and Elsa. It also touched on the insecurities a lot of new moms feel with their changing bodies and changing relationships with their partners. I think that this story is super sweet and that the twin’s names are adorable. This also gives a little more of an insight into who Asha is as a character and I thought, all in all, it was a sweet read. I do however with there was a bit more of the before in Nora and Dagesh’s relationship and not just the present.

I am going, to be honest, this wasn’t my favorite. While I like second chance romances I think that I struggled with this one a bit due to the fact that Pashov went through something traumatic is lucky to be alive- and Stacy seems more concerned with the fact that he doesn’t remember their relationship. While I get it is something to work through I just at times felt as though Stacy was cold and almost selfish which Pashov was trying his best to be there for her through something that wasn’t his fault. I think Stacy is a likable and fun character especially with her love of cooking and in other books, but this wasn’t the greatest version of her. In the end, I would say I liked but didn’t love it.

This slice of life story was around the healed Maylak. I think Maylak is a really sweet character that gives the sort of old soul feel. I also think it is interesting the negative side of being a healer… I could not imagine feeling responsible for every single tribal members life. While Maylak finally gave birth in this story, it was clear that this was more of a filler story to hint at something bigger looming. I would describe it as a huge helping of foreshadowing with just a hint of sweetness. I think that this was pretty middle of the road for me- because of this I was glad that this was a shorter story.

This slice of life story was one of the more intense ones. We saw how Vekhtal and Georgie are being tested in their leadership roles, how Harlow and Rukh were being affected being away from the tribe, and we saw the tribe come together after loss and injury. This was not only a book that changed the pace of the series but it also uprooted the home they have built and pushed them to adapt to these changes. It was interesting to see how everyone reacted to their world falling apart.

I am going to be honest I wasn’t too sure how I would feel about a Farli story just because in so many of the other books she was so young that I thought it might feel weird to see her love story even with the jump in time. But by the time we got to her story I felt like she had sort of matured with the story and I was ready to see her fall in love. I feel like at this point most of the aliens had been matched so the remaining seemed to be invested mostly because it feels as though they are running out of chances… that is until a ship crash lands and Farli has her sight set on someone from an entirely different planet. This is an insta-love on Farlis’s side and a more reluctant love on Mardok’s side. In the end, Farli has to make a huge choice, and other passengers on the ship are asked to do a favor from some of the remaining male aliens. This book truly had a bunch of turns but in the end, I am glad Farli was given a love story even if it was not what I expected.

So you know the favor I was alluding to just a few lines ago? Well it turns out Bek is the one that asked it and the favor was for the spaceship captains to buy a couple of human females. Bek I feel like is one of those characters who you almost want to shake… you feel like they make every wrong choice but the root of the reason why he makes that choice is that he is lonely. I think this book really shows Bek’s more gentle side. Elly is someone who has been a prisoner for quite sometimes so she has put up walls and created defense mechanisms that have made her quite feral such as biting and not bathing in an attempt to be undesirable. Bek is able to see beyond these walls and just simply wants to take care of Elly in whatever way she will let him. Elly is very shy and doesn’t open up much throughout the story, but it is sweet to see Bek’s character development.

Harrec and Kate were a slower-to-burn sort of love. Kate has some insecurities from earth that she seems to have brought onto this planet that make her think that anytime Harrec is flirting with her- he is instead making fun of her. Kate is a taller female with a more athletic build which makes her feel less desirable than some of the other females who are smaller. I think that this is a real insecurity a lot of females feel because a lot of the time we are trying to feel as dainty as we are conditioned to be. I like how they worked through their issues and even helped each other face their fears. I do think that this follows the same sort of predictable hideaway and then come back in love storyline but I do think that if you don’t mind the repetitive nature you will think it’s a fun read like I did.

Warrek and Summer were on a journey when they noticed an unknown spaceship land… honestly at this point I was a little tired of the spaceship landings as I thought it was a little played out and a predictable way to introduce new females. With that being said I thought that they were really clever in their formulation of attacks. I thought that this was a fun read, and I liked how Summers’s talkative nature filled in the Warreks naturally more silent nature. I thought this was on the more adventurous side and I liked it but I also think at this point I was starting to wonder how or even when this series was going to end.

Brooke and Taushen have a more complicated love story to say the least… I think that this book had an interesting start that created a lot of problems for the characters to work through. While I thought I appreciated how different this story was from the rest, I couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for the characters and how their relationship started. It made it hard to root for them because they both were sort of forced in an unfortunate circumstance. In the end, I was glad they were able to be there for each other and communicate but I think it was complicated, to say the least. I also think at times Brooke was so hot and cold and then blamed Taushen for reacting to her moods or giving her space so it was one of those books that was almost frustrating because communication wasn’t really there for the first half. I have mixed feelings for this one.

This was a super short and sweet book! We got to know new characters better, as well as check-in with some of the OG characters. We also got more Elly and Bek time which I thought was super sweet. This was just overall a fun and festive read where it was evident how much the mates care for each other. It was also super cute to see all of the kids and the next generations so to speak interact and go about their day-to-day lives.

This was a more emotional read. Ariana was one of the OG girls who had was sort of pushed off by having an instant love story with Zolaya and then we didn’t really hear much of besides her being kind of a cry baby and annoying. She was similar to Asha in the sense that it took her own book to really get to know and understand her. Ariana struggles with an anxiety disorder which since coming to this new planet she has had to live with without medication. Zolaya refers to the times when she is having a harder time as her mind having an avalanche. I think that Ruby does a great job of depicting mental illness. This book is mostly done in flashbacks so we can see their history as well as a bit of their present. I am glad Ariana has Marlene to be her friend especially during the times when Zolaya is away and she needs help getting through her day-to-day life of being a mother and part of the tribe. Overall I liked this one and I think it was the perfect demonstration of this series and its range.

This was such a fun read! After being on the ice planet for so long it was important to Maddie and Josie to remind Haeden and Hassen why they fell in love. Hassen has been gone with the other tribe for a really long time so Maddie being the minx she is just wants to have a spicy reunion, while Josie feels like after having so many kids she and Haeden haven’t been keeping the spice alive. Overall this was a fun and spicy read! I love these characters so it was fun to revisit these two couples!

I love how bold and promiscuous Marlene is and how she perfectly balances out Zennek. This is another couple that was a part of the original group but we just now are seeing their love bloom. I loved how they were off that bat in love but how the more they got to know each other the more they discovered they actually liked each other past just a sexual basis. Marlene didn’t have much left for her at home, so I loved how she was accepted into Zennek’s family. I also loved the angel signs sprinkled throughout the book. Overall this was a spicy read that made me nostalgic for the series beginning!

I enjoyed getting a deeper understanding of Megan and Cashol’s relationship. I think that this is the perfect example that not everything or every relationship is as it seems. Megan had a lot to work through and it made it so they were almost putting on a front in the beginning. I loved how Cashol was there every step of the way to help her work through her trauma. I will say I did think the whole foot thing felt a bit forced and awkward at times. It was really nice to see an original couple have a full story though!

This was just sweet… well and a little spicy because thats to be expected. But Nora and Dagesh are trying to navigate their relationship and while Nora is looking to spice things up, Dagesh thinks Nora is sad she missed out on the traditional Jewish wedding. In the end they end up on the same page and things take an interesting turn, to say the least. Overall this was a fun way to end the series.

Wow…. Okay so not going to lie this took me way longer than I expected it to. I am talking I sat here for 6+ hours trying to put the pictures together and articulate my thoughts. For some reason when I uploaded the pictures some of the pictures uploaded out of order so I am going to include a reading order a the bottom of this post for reference. I also discovered that there’s a special collection of honeymoon novellas which I will have to add to my list.

There were days when I would read 2+ of these stories. I just think they are fun and like I said in the beginning an easy way to pass the time. Not going to lie once I got to Asha’s I was burnt out and needed to take a break, and then by the time I picked the series back up again it took a little while to become familiar again with the characters. I will also say that towards the end I was tired of the whole ship crash=new girls, and even the stealing the female away to make them fall in love things. So I was sort of happy the story with these characters came to an end and we accepted this tribe for what it is. With that being said-I will be interested to see if the author does a time jump for the kids and revisits for their love stories in the future because I think that could be interesting. I also plan on eventually getting to the spin-off series but I think I am going to wait until my next slump.

I also will say that I am loving the new covers. I think that while the older covers are fun in their own right- I think the new covers arent as easy to assume that these are just purely smut, and instead give readers the chance to find out that they are so much more.

I hope you guys enjoyed! This took me a really long time to get to, and a really long time to write out but I am hoping this is a helpful reference in case you are wanting to see someone’s reaction to the whole series (minus the honeymoon novellas because that was a surprise to me today haha) I will be posting two of the books onto my Instagram feed this week in case you want to check them out! They will be with Berkley’s new covers! Please let me know what you think in the comments below or on my Instagram @readandramble! I have a couple more posts I want to get to this week so I hope to post those soon! (This will however be the longest though haha) Hope y’all have a great week🥰

📚Reading Order

1.Ice Planet Barbarians

2. Barbarian Alien

3.Barbarian Lover

4. Barbarian Mine

5.Ice Planet Holiday

6. Barbarian’s Prize

7. Barbarian’s Mate

7.1 Having the Barbarian’s Baby

7.2 Ice Ice Babies

8. Barbarian’s Touch

8.5 Calm

9. Barbarian’s Taming

9.5 Aftershocks

10. Barbarian’s Heart

11. Barbarian’s Hope

12. Barbarian’s Choice

13. Barbarian’s Redemption

14. Barbarian’s Lady

15. Barbarian’s Rescue

16. Barbarian’s Tease

16.5 The Barbarian Before Christmas

17. Barbarian’s Beloved

17.5 Barbarian’s Valentine

18. Barbarian’s Seduction

19. Barbarian’s Treasure

20.Barbarian’s Bride

The final thing to note and then I swear I am done rambling: this whole series can be found on Kindle Unlimited! The new edition of Ice Planet barbarians can also be found in Barnes and Noble and I have also seen it at Target!