This is book 10 in this series. I just love these stories. This one also has a few novellas at the end.
These stories are more around the loss of a child, infertility, grief over all of the above. As well as the relationship problems from anger, grief and frustration.
As usual, I definitely recommend! They all have been very different and very entertaining.

This book hit me completely off guard and in the best way. I did not expect the tears and emotion I would have for the characters and how much this story would speak to me. Please be very aware of your triggers before going into this book as it deals heavily with infant loss and fertility. 

Asha has always been a peripheral character and one that I never really thought about but now is an absolute favourite. I loved seeing her journey and the pure pain and emotions she had throughout her story. Her tentative friendship with Claire and the rebuilding of her relationship with Hemalo. Though short this quickly became my favourite of the series, and I will forever be a fan of Ruby Dixon for these books. 

I can’t tell you how many times I have recommended these books and I will continue to sing their praises for a long time to come.

I loved seeing Asha and Hemelo reconnect! It's amazing how this series about big blue aliens addresses child loss, but it does it so well. Asha and Hemelo's relationship dissolves after their daughter dies. Yes, Asha tried to cheat (as displayed in Kira's book), but she felt she was barely connected to her withdrawn mate. In her mind, he kept leaving her!

As this story progresses, they learn how to communicate and comfort each other. The reconciliation was great.

Reread 4/29/25: Still a wonderful story where I grew to love Asha a lot!

"The next novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing phenomenon - now in a special print edition with bonus material!

Asha and Hemalo's relationship has never been easy, for there is just as much hurt between them as there is love. Will they find their way back to each other, or will they let tragedy keep them separated for good?

Seasons ago, I resonated to the quietest of tribesmates, a male content to love me from afar while I was the center of attention. We could have been happy. Despite our differences, I loved him and he loved me.

But then a terrible thing happened...and my world was never the same again.

Now resonance is giving us a second chance, but...I'm afraid. What if our bond is too broken to be fixed? What if there's no hope left for us at all?"

You KNOW you've been longing for the new Ice Planet Barbarians book!

This book follows Asha and Hemalo, two sa-khui who were once bound by resonance but torn apart by a devastating loss. Years later a new resonance draws them back together. As their paths intertwine again, they must confront the wounds of their shared past and find a way to heal as they move forward in the present.

I was so excited for this one because this is the first alien x alien romance we get to read firsthand in the ice planet barbarian world. I loved getting to read about Asha coming out of her anger and find her mate again. Also, enjoyed the side plot with Claire and their friendship. Beks role in this book was cute, so glad for them to have made up and how he went about it.

I enjoyed this just as much as I did the first time I read it. Ruby Dixon is my favorite author, her ice planet barbarian books will always be a comfort for me. I know I can always go back and have the best time!

Thank you to Net Galley and Ruby Dixon for the ebook.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a book in the series, but I really liked this addition. From what I can tell, this is the only book in the series that focusses on two aliens as the protagonist rather than having an alien female pairing.

Asha and Hemalo are mates, who separated after having a child die. The novel focusses on healing their relationship, and the trauma both endured from their loss. In my opinion, this was very different from the other books in the series, making it very unique.

This novel focuses very much on rebuilding trust and communication meaning the expected smut is a much smaller dosage compared to earlier novels in this series. While I thought this lack of smut took away from the story in book 6, I think in the case of these two protagonists, it served its purpose and was important that they waited so long.

I read this out of order from what is chronologically published and I think that saved the book for me. Asha was not a pleasant person. She wasn't deliberately cruel in this but she certainly wasn't fun to be around. And compared to Hemalo, it was easy to see why people seemed to choose his side over hers. I know in earlier books, Ashe attempts to cheat on her mate with other mated males, and yeah, that's not going to endear her to anyone. Barbarian's Hope explains the thought process there (or lack thereof) and gives a supposed villain an origin story.

I like Asha. I understand Asha. No mental illness excuses treating people badly, but there aren't any therapists on Not-Hoth either. And sometimes people don't do the right thing when they're hurting. I love the chemistry between Asha and Hemalo. He was the quiet to her rage. They worked so well together when they actually communicated.

Honestly, the only thing that I didn't really care for in this book was Claire's POV. It felt more like filler and took away from Asha x Hemalo as the focus. I understand the addition, but I didn't care for it. I know, based on the reviews, I am in the minority in that thinking but it is what it is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so special and such a treat to read. Barbarian's Hope somehow makes a story about two aliens having a second chance at their marriage feel totally relatable. This book deals heavily with tough topics like death of a baby and infidelity, and while the topics are hard they're written with so much care and grace. Ruby really brought us something special here.

Probably my least favorite out of all the books but as someone who does not feel a pull to be a mother I didn’t totally connect to it. I’m glad we got Asha’s story but wby did we need Claire’s pov? It was like two books in one and felt very rushed. Also was the least spicy one out of all of them and tbh that’s the only reason I read these books.

Second chance romance following a heartbreak and major miscommunication.

Asha and Hemalo are a Sa-khui couple who had resonated in the past and had a kit together. Unfortunately, their kit only lived for a few days. She came too early and wasn't strong enough to survive. They were heartbroken, and in the hurt, there was miscommunication. Asha believed all was her fault and that Hemalo left because he didn't care and hated her. Meanwhile, he was just as heartbroken and believed she couldn't want him.

Resonance calls for them again. Will they be able to come together and out their past behind them to build a future? This book was a beautiful story of healing and honest communication, even in fear.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This series is so fun! And as you move through the books, and the alien part isn’t as much of a novelty, the emotions of the characters really hit you. This one in specific, really made me cry. I felt for Asha and her pregnancy loss, her nervousness to attempt for another baby, and her resolve to fix her damaged relationship with her mate. It all felt so real, so human, that you forget you’re reading about aliens at all!

The subplot with Claire and the holidays was such a sweet bonus. Kind of wish I had read this closer to the holidays here on Earth.

Loved it. If you’ve been reading about the Sa-Khui, this one is not to be missed.

Also I’m loving the new special print editions for this series. The covers are so cute!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for sending me an ebook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

New Cover coming for “Barbarian’s Hope”, part of the Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon. The re-release of Barbarian’s Hope with the new cover art is April 29, 2025! They are gorgeous!!! There's also bonus content :)

This is 4.5 starts and 2 chili peppers for the spicy scenes. I adore Asha & Hemalo’s story. They struggled through grief to make their way back to their happy ending together. Asha and Hemalo faced loss and abandonment issues and their story was very complex. I loved to see how they worked through their problems and it was very touching. They are both aliens, which is different from the previous stories of a human woman and barbarian male. Their story was very touching and relatable.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ruby Dixon for the ebook.

3.25/5 stars! I have disliked Asha since she was first introduced as a character. I was skeptical the author would be able to make me like her in this book. In some ways, I was right. I still don't like Asha, but I do think I understand her motivations better. I loved Hemalo and parts of me think he deserves better than Asha. I enjoyed the side characters that we've met in other books, but Hemalo and Asha's story was just ok to me.

This book is what I have been waiting for in the Ice Planet Barbarians series. It dives into Asha's tragic and emotional past and helps you to understand her character better. The love story between her and Hemalo is one that is full of tragedy, pain, anger, and guilt. Watching their story unfold and watching them slowly find their way back to each other was hopeful and endearing.

Mandy Harris
Angel Wings Bookstore

Hemalo and Asha were mates once upon a time, but after a terrible loss, they’ve struggled greatly to stay together through their grief and it had torn them apart. Seasons later, their khui’s begin to sing again for one another and they’re given a second chance, but is it really that simple?

This is the first book of Ruby’s I had read where both characters were of the same alien race, and it was interesting to see how their relationship dynamic was different from the alien and human couples. Although, there are a few things that were influenced by what they had seen, or heard of, the humans doing with their mates that had me sweating just a bit 🥵.

Asha and Hemalo both process their grief in different ways and it seemed to make their communication with one another more difficult throughout their healing process. Their story pulled at my heartstrings and I was rooting for them the whole time because they deserve their happiness with one another more than anything.

Ruby Dixon is an absolute gem, and I’m forever grateful to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the eARC of this book. This review is filled with my honest opinions of the book.

Ice Planet Barbarians is the ultimate comfort read—and I will die on that hill.

I absolutely loved Asha and Hemalo’s story! It felt like all the previous books were quietly building up to their moment, with little glimpses of them sprinkled throughout the series. That slow build made their happily-ever-after all the more satisfying.

Getting Asha’s point of view was such a treat. I found myself really connecting with her coping mechanisms—they felt raw and real. Ruby Dixon has a talent for weaving deeply human emotions and desires into a completely alien world, and she does it so naturally.

I get that the explicit scenes might not be for everyone, but I promise there is real plot and character depth in the IPB series. Barbarian’s Hope is a perfect example of that balance. If you're comfortable with the steamy content, I can’t recommend this series enough. It's a pure comfort read for me—one I know I’ll return to again and again.

review: barbarian's hope by ruby dixon 💫❄️🏔️

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✨ MY THOUGHTS ✨

⚠️ cw: death of a child, grief, pregnancy, & abandonment ⚠️

if you love spectacular world building, slow burn romance, strong female protagonist, found families, lots of feels & spice this book might be for you!

alexa play bigger than the whole sky by taylor swift 🎶

🌟 RATING: ★★★★/5
spice rating: 🌶️🌶️ (mostly plot, some spice)

a bit of an emotional detour from the usual ice planet spice, but definitely one of my favorites in the series! asha & hemalo's story dives deep into grief, healing, and the power of second chances. it was a is raw, real, & full of heart! 🤍🤍

This has been my least favorite of the series and I am honestly so shocked by this. Thank you to Berkley for the free book, at least the updated covers continue to be amazing. I was tearing up at Asha's background, of CW losing a child. I fear it may have been too heavy of a topic to be in this series. Ruby definitely treated it with care, I want to make that clear, but the tone felt disjointed. Especially having just read a marriage in crisis/second chance with the book immediately before this one, Barbarian's Heart, which I LOVED and cried multiple times. This unfortunately felt like filler and I feel like it wasn't fair to Asha to have her own story after being the villain, just didn't sell it for me. She could've had a growth arc still as a side character, but I think this series really shines with a human MC paired with an alien. Also, because the writing had to be in the stilted alien style POV x2, just didn't feel as charming.

I was really excited to read this story!!! I feel like we’ve seen aspects of Asha and Hemalo in previous books and I was happy it was finally their time.

I love a good second chance romance and I loved that Hemalo was trying to give Asha what she needed by giving her space to grieve, but that he always wanted her and hoped to make his way back to her.

Barbarian’s Hope 🧊❄️🌨️
3⭐️
3🌶️

Thank you to Berkley for the free advanced copy!


This book was very different from the other Ice Planet Barbarians books. This is the first story of the series set around two sa-khui characters rather than a human and a sa-khui.

Based off of the previous books, I was not a fan of Asha or her demeanor as a character. This book gives some explanation as to why her character was that way, and it was really nice to see her growth and development.

Let’s be honest- nobody is reading IPB for the story- we’re here for a paranormal romance. This book is VERY light on the romance and heavy on infant loss and PTSD. I think that Ruby Dixon did a really nice job at handling this, but I don’t read paranormal romance for real life topics to be included.

Overall, this is my least favorite book of the series. But I did enjoy it for what it was!