Prison Planet Barbarian

by Ruby Dixon

[Berls]

This was SO GOOD! I delayed a little in writing the review because I read this during our "rolling blackouts" and didn't have enough access to electricity to write it. Now I'm hoping I can remember enough to write a good review....

First off - this is the ONLY book I was able to successfully get lost in during the blackouts, so that says something. Nothing else could distract me from the stress and worry long enough to hold my attention. I tried several as I sat in the dark.

I love the way Ruby Dixon drops you (and poor Chloe) into this alien world and lets you figure it along with the heroine. Chloe is figuring out the world she's in and in the most awful way possible - she was kidnapped to be a human sex slave and in saving herself from that horror she landed in another one - as a prisoner on the prison planet they send criminals to work until they die. And as one of the only females on the planet she's particularly vulnerable - not just from the criminals, but from the guards. In fact, especially from the guards. Chloe has some spine and you gotta respect her for not just crumbling and crying. To be fair, we're picking up after her hellish journey already began and she does reference the days of crying... but she's moved on and is fighting for her life in a pretty hopeless situation.

And then there's Jutari. He's one of the most dangerous killers on this planet of the worst criminals, locked in max security. He's blue, has horns, a tale and some other very *ahem* useful alterations to his anatomy. And he wants Chloe. I love the ways he seeks her out, tries to protect her, and earns her trust. It became very easy to fall for him and hope they'd find their HEA.

This is a shorter book - a novella really - but the story is complete. You have a world build that is not entirely complete, but you've got enough. You have complete characters - not just Chloe and Jutari, but other prisoners - and a relatively gradual romance. There's danger and definite plot.

So yes, I'll definitely be reading more Ruby Dixon and I really do understand why she is so popular! I never saw myself getting into Alien Romance but here I am, hooked!