Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
Ice Planet Barbarians 1
Georgie Carruthers was asleep in her bed when she was abducted by little green men. She finds herself the unofficial leader of a group of women, all abducted the same way. They all have things in common, young, healthy, and American. Except for one Canadian. None of them have family nearby and none are pregnant. Except for one poor soul who was two months pregnant and had the fetus literally vacuumed from her womb. When the spaceship transporting them begins to have mechanical troubles, their pod is jettisoned onto the closest planet, an ice and snow covered one with two suns. With only limited food supplies, Georgie goes out into the planet surface in search of water and possible help. She finds it, but it is in the hands of a large blue male who declares her his mate.
Huh. This is a strange story, both engaging and disturbing in equal measures. While on the surface it is just a human/alien romance, there are deeper issues of trafficking, possibly even Stockholm Syndrome in regards to the relationship between the Earth women and the planet's natives.
Mara, aka BooksLikeWhoa, has been a die-hard fan of this series and its author, which intrigued me quite a bit. I've never had an issue with romance and science fiction mixing, in fact I think we need more speculative romances, nor do I get offended by cross-species romances, as long as everyone is willing and able to consent. But this particular situation got a bit too close to coerced emotionally for my taste. After all, without the local natives, the Earthlings would all die, either of freezing or starvation.
That said, I can see the appeal of this series, even if it isn't my cup of tea. The writing is good, the characterization is strong, and the basic story idea is inventive. It is definitely worth a read by anyone curious, although I would warn that YMMV in regards to enjoyment. 3 out of 5
