Possible Spoilers:
The fourth installment in Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series follows Harlow, a mechanically minded human woman, and Rukh, a big blue barbarian alien who has grown up isolated from the rest of his tribe. After being abandoned on an ice planet by cruel aliens, Harlow finds herself resonating with Rukh, who lives in the wilderness with minimal communication skills and knowledge of the world due to being orphaned at a young age. Their relationship starts off dramatically—Rukh literally knocks Harlow out and drags her to his cave—but the story explains this behavior within the context of his isolation and lack of social norms.

While the premise is compelling, I found myself rating this book lower than the others in the series. My main issue was with Rukh’s childlike nature early in the story. His limited understanding and lack of communication skills gave him a vibe that felt unsettling when paired with the romantic aspects of the story. However, this does improve in the second half, where Rukh matures and their dynamic becomes more balanced.

On a positive note, I appreciated the realistic portrayal of Harlow’s struggles with the fear of her brain cancer returning, particularly during her pregnancy. This added a layer of tension and depth to her character. That said, the unresolved questions about the advanced computer from earlier in the series—like why it missed Harlow’s tumor and whether it’s reliable—left me wondering if it actually successfully removed Kira’s translator, with its tracker, in the last book. 

Overall, while Barbarian Mine is a solid entry in the series, it’s my lowest-rated so far. It’s still worth reading for fans of alien romance or those following the series, but it didn’t quite “resonate” (haha) with me as much as the earlier books.