Red-Haired Ash Reads

Trigger Warnings: anxiety, panic attacks. 

In the seventeenth book of the series, Ruby Dixon takes us back to the couple Ariana and Zolaya. Ariana struggles daily with her anxiety and panic attacks, which cause her to believe everyone hates her. She struggles to find her place in this new world but Zolaya is the only one who seems to understand and help. 

I adored these two! I loved how this book started in the present then jumped back in time to the beginning of their relationship and resonance. While Zolaya hasn’t been around someone who has had anxiety before he immediately takes steps to help Ariana. He never blames her for her mental illness and frequently stops her from apologizing or blaming herself for it. He knows it isn’t her fault and does everything he can to help her, and I adored him for it. Zolaya was just an extremely sweet man who was perfect for Ariana. 

Ariana was a weepy character but it was understandable. Her anxiety overwhelms her so quickly her body doesn’t  know how to release the emotions besides weep. I actually didn’t mind all the crying because I understood it completely. Also I thought their son, Analay, was adorable. 

Overall, this was a great alien romance that did a wonderful job at discussing the struggles of anxiety. 

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Previous books and reviews for the series:

#1 Ice Planet Barbarians
#2 Barbarian Alien
#3 Barbarian Lover
#4 Barbarian Mine
#4.6 Ice Planet Honeymoon
#5 Ice Planet Holiday
#6 Barbarian’s Prize
#7 Barbarian’s Mate
#7.1 Having the Barbarian’s Baby
#7.2 Ice Ice Babies
#8 Barbarian’s Touch
#8.5 Calm
#9 Barbarian’s Taming
#9.6 Aftershocks
#10 Barbarian’s Heart
#11 Barbarian’s Hope
#12 Barbarian’s Choice
#13 Barbarian’s Redemption
#14 Barbarian’s Lady
#15 Barbarian’s Rescue
#16 Barbarian’s Tease
#16.5 The Barbarian Before Christmas