I picked up a copy of Ruby Dixon‘s Ice Planet Barbarians from Amazon when it was free.

Description from Goodreads:
You’d think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you’d be wrong. Because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they’ve left their cargo of human women – including me – on an ice planet.

And the only native inhabitant I’ve met? He’s big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me…

Review:
You might not know this about me, but the Mars Needs Women trope is a guilty pleasure of mine. Kind of in the same vein as staying up late to watch cheesy, B-grade science fiction movies on the Sci-fi channel. Give me a bottle of red and a made for TV movie, at 2am and I’d be a happy camper. Laughing maniacally, but happily. You can’t take that shit seriously and the same goes for most well written Mars Needs Women themed books.

Ice Planet Barbarians is one such book. It is written with tongue firmly in cheek. It’s not that there aren’t serious bits, but the book doesn’t insist on taking itself seriously. Which always seems to feel like it gives me permission to laugh at it, as if I’m laughing with it. It’s freeing.

It’s not without missteps. The conversant computer is a little too conversationally chatty and well informed, not computer-like at all. The alien physique seemed a little too specialized to human female pleasure to be believable. Even without many females, I have a hard time believing every it’ll-feel-good practiced hadn’t been explored in some way. So, teaching him to kiss was eye-roll worthy and I don’t know that the rape in the beginning was necessary to make being kidnapped by aliens for an unknown purpose terrifying enough.

For the most part though, this was a fun space romp. You just have to remember what it’s meant to be (and not be) to enjoy it. It helps if you’re already familiar with the trope. I’d happily pick up more, just for the fun of it.