Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Barbarian's Tease

I enjoyed this story. Brooke and Taushen are sweet and cute together and I loved their small banter through the first half of the story. And I enjoyed getting a look into the newest group of people joining the tribe as well. I'm excited to see how they integrate into the tribe. I'm still absolutely loving this series.

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ehmannky's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

Overall Brooke and Taushen are kind of a mid-tier couple for me. They've got the standard "trick you to get you away from the tribe storyline," but I did appreciate they worked on being friends first and got to go on a little journey. I was way more interested in finding out more about the new people though! Truly cannot wait to finish off the last flashback books so I can move on to the Icehome series!

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martamae77's review

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adventurous fast-paced

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

2.75

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sidhewitch's review against another edition

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3.75

Audiobook Review. Dual narration. Hollie Jackson does the Harlow-esque voice for Brooke, and I am very much not a fan. It always comes off to me as a bad imitation of Samantha from Sex and the City, and this might have colored my enjoyment of the book and my perception of Brooke. it's for that reason I aired on the higher side of my possible scores.

This was a difficult one to score for me, and one of the major reasons is the way Brooke and Taushen's first sexual encounter (shown in flashback) is handled. Spoilers for VERY early in the book, and CW for discussion of sexual assault in the spoiler tag:

When Brooke and Taushen are locked together on the ship during the events of the last book, Brooke is given what is initially described as an aphrodisiac so that she will have sex with Taushen. Brooke repeatedly describes this both in her narration and later to Taushen as being 'roofied'. A roofie is not a stimulant, it's a tranquilizer. It's popularly used to sedate and rape women. When you invoke roofies repeatedly in your text, that is the baggage you are invoking in your silly fun romance book. Brooke even says at one point that roofies "take away your inhibitions" which is not, on any planet, a true statement. I understand the consent was dubious already given she was chemically stimulated and I can roll with that, because her narration makes it seem like Brooke really is into what is happening and doesn't actually regret it later so much as wanting to put distance between herself and Taushen. But once again, Ruby Dixon introduces heavy real world topics into her work (by invoking roofies, by Brooke making Taushen believe he has basically raped her without realizing) with absolutely no deftness, and in a way that just dragged the whole thing down.

Once you get through that hurdle, however, it's a charming enough romcom to the finish line. We've got all the old stand-by's of the series (refusal to communicate, kidnapping, denial of feelings) but the way it all unfolds is classic IPB hijinx mixed in with some truly stellar smut. I laughed at the ridiculousness of the characters in their pursuit of each other, and while Brooke grated on my nerves sometimes (see audiobook note above, but also there's crap like her getting offended Taushen is checking to make sure she consents), Taushen is an adorable semi-grumpy little fluffball. It's nice to see him finally get a happy ending. Multiple times.

Also this book establishes canonical Sa'Khui thrupples so honestly 10/10.

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folkofthebook's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Taushen & Brooke’s story! It was fun having a sassy, foul-mouthed lead girl. I'm also a sucker for the FMC/MMC hookup from the jump, but afterward, FMC tries to push MMC away (though he endearingly persists). I’m mostly interested in seeing how the series goes forward with the new additions to the tribe, splitting into a separate standalone series, Icehome.

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pb914's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

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