Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Barbarian's Heart

I had been wondering about this couple, Stacy and Pashov, for a long time. They are a couple that got together early on in the history of the books, but we never really got to hear their story. This book focuses on them trying to reconnect after Pashov loses his memory of being with Stacy and his son. This book is sadder and more frustrating than previous books in my opinion.

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kamreher's review

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4.0

no comment.

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robinwritesallthethings's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

What It’s About: Pashov doesn’t remember the arrival of the humans on the ice planet after his accident during the earthquake, which means he doesn’t remember his mate or his son. Stacy isn’t sure how to deal with the loss of her mate, because while he might be standing right in front of her, he’s not the same anymore.

Spice Level: A little sad, even though it is incredibly hot.

Realism: There hasn’t been a whole lot of real tragedy on the ice planet, beyond the initial landing, so while this was a hard one to read, it was also new and different. It was heartbreaking to read about both Stacy and Pashov’s feelings and see them struggle to reconnect and build a new life together.

Trope Alert: Amnesia alert! I’ll admit that this is usually one of my least favorite tropes, but honestly, if Ruby does it, I’ll give anything a chance.

Trigger Warnings: Brain injury and memory loss.

Final Thoughts: I liked that there wasn’t a quick fix for this problem. Avid Ruby readers know that the khui can cure a lot, but it’s actually kind of nice that it can’t fix everything.

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kb33's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional

Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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km_reads_and_edits's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

M/F sci-fi romance.

Probably my least favourite novel of the series, to be honest. I was really excited by the premise but unsure about the execution. I sympathised with Stacy's heartbreak over her mate losing his memory, and was looking forward to the ensuing angst.

However, all their early arguments felt a bit forced to me. I'm not sure how necessary it was, narratively speaking, to have them bicker in order to create angst. The angst was already there in the premise. And my frustration at Stacy's snappiness ended up detracting from my original sympathy.

I also cringed a lot at the miscommunication trope thrown in at the end.

I am still having fun with this series overall though and will be continuing with it.

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