A review by booksandbraids
Barbarian's Taming by Ruby Dixon

5.0

Despite my big realization below, this book was great. I really loved their relationship in this one. And I absolutely LOVED

that twist at the end. I’m so excited to see what happens with the tribe as they begin this new adventure. Will they get plumbing?!?

I was thinking about taking a break after this one but now I absolutely can’t!

And now for my big realization…

Don’t get me wrong, I fully admit to loving these books. I am going to continue reading them. But I’ve started to question why the heck I enjoy them. I was pondering how I would react/feel to landing on this alien planet. I’ve come to the conclusion that in reality this is just about the worst romantic situation I can imagine. I’ve decided that I would probably kill myself. I would hope that I would kill myself before my khui chose someone and make doing so most likely impossible. 

1) Let’s start with the most obvious negative that all the humans hate. The cold and general living conditions. I hate the cold. My body isn’t made for the cold. My hands and face dry out and start to crack and bleed. It’s extremely painful and uncomfortable in the winter. Only humidifiers and lots of lotion can save me, which is sort of a struggle because I hate lotion. But I do it. Because I wouldn’t be able to survive without it. What would I use instead of lotion on this alien planet? I would have to use some sort of animal fat. Which leads me to…

2) I’m a vegetarian. Sitting comfortably here without my life truly on the line, I would like to say that I would rather die than begin eating meat. The idea revolts me. What would I eat on this alien planet if I continued to refuse to eat meat? Those potato things? They found fruit in the last book but not-potatoes and the occasional piece of fruit would not be enough to sustain me. And what would I wear? They always wear furs. Filthy disgusting furs. The idea makes me gag. And that leads me to…

3) I’m extremely OCD about cleanliness. My OCD might just drive me to suicide on its own from not being able to take a shower. From wearing those awful furs and sleeping in a dirty bed of furs and having my only option to bathe be in a communal pool of water in the center of the community? Thank you but no. And don’t get me started on the lack of plumbing. I will go to many lengths to avoid using a port-o-pot. I would not do well on a planet without flush toilets. 

4) then let’s talk about the romance aspect. Sure, they get matched up with someone with whom they have insane physical chemistry and typically a wonderful emotional connection as well. But why does that happen?! TO FORCE THE PRODUCTION OF CHILDREN! Idk why this took 6 books to actually sink in and click. I guess I was focused on that insane physical chemistry. The idea of being forced to have a child IS AWFUL! I hate children. I hate the idea of motherhood. Nothing about it sounds enjoyable. I never want one. I don’t even like visiting them or being around them. I actively try to avoid them. I’m going to get a lot of hate for saying this if anyone ever actually reads this, but it’s true. And I’m not the only one to feel this way. But it’s like saying you don’t like dogs (which I also do not like, by the way). If you don’t like dogs or children you are a psychopath. At least the dog is only a 10-20 year commitment (I’m actually not sure how long they live). Think whatever you want, but you will never convince me that having a child is a truly enjoyable experience. Sure I can imagine a few moments of happiness (less so for me than most) but those rare moments are not worth ruining my life. I would much rather be happy doing something that isn’t a lifelong physical, mental, and financial drain.

And here you thought you were coming for a review on this book instead of a rant on how awful children are lol. I think that might be why I am now realizing that this “romantic” scenario is actually hell. There are now too many babies. It’s becoming harder and harder to ignore them and just pretend the romantic tale ends with them uniting and solving their problems. I always mentally skip over the “and now we are pregnant” parts at the end.