A review by pastryghost
Barbarian's Mate by Ruby Dixon

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

It was fine, disappointing after I liked Tiffany's book so much. The plot was compelling, but I was frustrated at the end when it was passed over for the climactic romance scene. But that could be a plus for some readers!

I think this book would please fans of the, um, breeding plot, and readers who enjoy this series mostly for the spice and the resonance trope. There is some very important world-building (and series advancement) that is ultimately overshadowed by the spicy romance.

I was expecting Josie and Haeden to try to resist their resonance, or keep it a secret, for longer than they did. The book pretty much immediately dives into the "everyone knows we resonated" pressure as soon as it happens. I wanted a bit more of hiding-our-resonance-because-i-hate-you-but-we-still-wanna-kiss antics. Similar to the other books, the plot allows the leads to have prolonged alone time to emotionally connect and reckon with their feelings. And lots of smutty scenes.

I liked Tiffany's narration in the last book, so unfortunately it felt a bit of a letdown to go back to a narration that feels very similar to the other books in the series. The girls use a lot of the same slang. And once again, there are dozens of examples of the "Rhetorical question? Obvious answer." writing style. This kind of unnecessary question style? Well, it's my biggest pet peeve of Dixon's writing. And honestly? She could just use a comma instead.

Overall, not for me. I'm interested in
the two sisters who were freed from the stasis pods, the main characters of
the next two books, but I should probably peter off this series now. Urgh.
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