Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Barbarian's Beloved

The more times I read this book, the more I like it. This is one of the less plot plot-heavy IPB books, but in exchange the character work developing Ariana and Zolaya is phenomenal. Their son Analay is adorable, too, with his emerging “knowing” powers. There are some timeline inconsistencies with the other books. Without them, I would probably give this a full five stars.

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bbygirl21's review against another edition

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challenging emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

This is my definite favorite book in this series so far. In fact it will most likely be very difficult to top this one for me.

I absolutely adored Zolaya and Ariana and of course they're little boy Analay. They're the sweetest family and I loved seeing the start of Analay's knowing sense.

I also absolutely loved how patient and understanding Zolaya is when it comes to Ariana's anxiety. Even before they resonate he's the first one to go up to her to see if she's okay, rather than get annoyed and frustrated by her crying like the others did. He showed up as her friend first and foremost and that's what I really enjoyed about him. They are my absolute favorite couple in this series.

It goes without saying that I would highly recommend this book.

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30something_reads's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

4.0

4⭐

In this flashback story, we learn the story of Ariana and Zolaya – who resonated immediately back in the beginning. We get to see what was going on with Ariana (up until this point the only thing know that she was a heavy crier). And here we learn about her diagnosed anxiety/ panic attacks and how she’s trying to cope while no longer having her medication. And we meet Zolaya… sweet, sweet Zolaya who is kind, patient, and observant. He is fiercely protective over Ariana and goes out of his way to help her adjust to life on this new world.

I’m not sure why exactly, but Ariana and Zolaya feel like a better version of Elly and Bek, whose codependence feels unhealthy. (Even more so after the last novella). Bek is kind of rude and thoughtless to everyone else and Elly doesn’t take care of herself when he is not around. So these two have started to feel icky to me.

Ariana and Zolaya though… this feels more like a partnership rather than codependence. Yes, Zolaya is her “safe space” but rather than him taking up the mantle of being her ONLY safe space and protecting her from the world, he helps her build routines to mitigate her anxiety and gives her space to stand alone. He understands her anxiety but also emphasizes her own strength. And I absolutely love this about them.

Something about this couple just really resonated with me (honestly, no pun intended). Ruby was very aware that Ariana might not be for everyone, but I really connected with her. I understood her motivations and fears (maybe almost too well). And Zolaya was just so great. The original consent king (it would seem lol).

Series Rankings:
Book 1: Ice Planet Barbarians - (Georgie/Vektal) 3 ⭐
Book 2: Barbarian Alien - (Liz/Raahosh) 4.25 ⭐
Book 3: Barbarian Lover - (Kira/Aehako) 3.75 ⭐
Book 4: Barbarian Mine - (Harlow/Rukh) 4 ⭐
Book 4.75: Ice Planet Holiday - 3 ⭐
Book 5: Barbarian's Prize- (Tiffany/Salukh) 4.25 ⭐
Book 6: Barbarian's Mate - (Josie/Haeden) 4 ⭐
Book 7: Barbarian's Touch - (Lilah/Rokan) 4.5 ⭐
Book 8: Barbarian's Taming - (Maddie/Hassen) 4.5 ⭐
Book 9: Barbarian's Heart - (Stacey/Pashov) 3⭐ (begrudgingly)
Book 10: Barbarian's Hope - (Asha/Hemalo) 3.75-4 ⭐
Book 11: Barbarian's Choice - (Farli/Mardok) 3.75⭐
Book 12: Barbarian's Redemption - (Elly/Bek) 3.75 ⭐
Book 13: Barbarian's Lady - (Kate/Harrec) 3.5⭐
Book 14: Barbarian's Rescue - (Summer/Warrek) 3.75-4 ⭐
Book 15: Barbarian's Tease - (Brooke/Taushen) 2.75-3 ⭐
Book 15.5: The Barbarian Before Christmas- 3.5 ⭐
Book 16: Barbarian's Beloved - (Ariana/Zolaya) 4 ⭐

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kbairbooks's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

3.0

This was fine. I didn’t care for this story as much as others because despite the reasoning Ariana’s character was really annoying to me. Her mate was really sweet and lovely though. Also the timing of this book was funky although I understand stylistically why the author did it but it was different.

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