Barbarian’s Heart is the ninth full-length novel in Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series. I wonder if when the author started self-publishing these books back in 2015 she could have imagined that the series would take off and become a hit, and she’d end up getting a print deal with Berkley. From the viewpoint of a reader that started at the beginning, the story has progressed from its first impressions (hot sex with blue-horned aliens) to one with an ever-evolving homeworld and character relationships. I’m no longer going to recap how we got here, but will say that there will be spoilers in this review if you haven’t read book eight, Barbarian’s Taming.

At the end of Barbarian’s Taming, a great earthquake shook Not-Hoth (the human name for the planet, a cheeky Star Wars reference) and destroyed the main cave that the Sa-Khui and humans lived in. This is a devastating occurrence on a planet known for its endless snow and ice, and is even more so for human, Stacy, who is mated to Sa-Khui Pashov. They have been together for two years, and have a young son, Pacy. When the cave collapsed, Pashov was seriously injured, and although he has now come out of his coma, he has amnesia, with no memories of the time since the humans arrived. Finding out he’s mated to one, a complete stranger to him now, and that he has a son, is a shock. He doesn’t know how to act around them, and strains to remember his recent past. As for Stacy, she is devastated that the gentle, loving partner she’s enjoyed being with so much, the loving father and mate, doesn’t know her at all. As the clan seeks to find a new place to live and forge a new future, can Stacy and Pashov find their way back to each other?

Aah, the amnesia trope! I didn’t expect it to occur in this series but when you’ve got such a long-running one, I guess you can fit just about every romance trope you want into their pages. It works well in these circumstances, as the earthquake and subsequent cave-in caught everyone unawares and Pashov had been farther inside the cave and unable to escape in time when the tremors started. The author does a good job of getting the reader to empathize with both Pashov and Stacy. Pashov is tense and stressed, and spends his first days out of medical care with the single hunters because he knows Stacy is sad and upset that he doesn’t remember her and doesn’t want to hurt her by getting too close. And Stacy, the one with all the memories, is full of grief for the loss of her mate and all the little things that made their relationship so special.

Pashov realizes that time amongst all the clan as they are trying to find their way to a new possible home means he will not get the chance to reconnect with Stacy. The only way to do that is to take her and their son to an isolated hunter’s cave to give them a chance to get to know each other again in private. Being able to be alone and be honest with each other, no longer worrying about hurting each other’s feelings as Pashov makes it clear he wants to earn his way back into Stacy’s heart and provide for her and their son, gives them what they need to forge a new relationship.

If I have a complaint it’s that Stacy cries a lot after the accident. She cries about the loss. She cries when Pashov doesn’t react the way she hopes he will. She cries that he doesn’t want to sleep with her and their son, even though he stays away because he can see that when he doesn’t react the way she wants, it makes her cry. I was glad when they got past the crying and back to learning how to be a couple again. As always, the sex is great and, like his tribemates, Pashov proves himself a competent and eager lover. Barbarian’s Heart ends on a happy note for the couple, and for the clan as they begin to establish themselves in their new home. I’m ready for the next instalment!