by Ruby Dixon
As for U’dron! My big, squishy, adoring puppy-lunk of a hero. He’s just the best. I knew from the moment he started playing his drum when Raven sang that they were meant to be together, but I also wanted to give them other things to bond over. I loved the idea of them sneaking out to watch the stars together (and bonding over the fact that they couldn’t see constellations). I loved that both of them had these big, weighty secrets that were eating them alive, and I loved that they shared them with each other.
Both of these characters had ‘flaws’ that have made them outcasts amongst their tribes (at least in their eyes) so it gave them a deeper understanding of each other. Raven doesn’t like that U’dron risks himself in his proving, but she’s 100% supportive of his need to do it….just like U’dron never tells Raven what to do with her body or that she shouldn’t dance. For me, love is about partnership and belonging, and they’re perfect for each other.
I also liked the dichotomy of secrets and belonging…and introducing new characters! Juth and Pak’s appearance is forcing our divided tribe of little groupings to rethink what it means to be people. Why are outcasts not considered ‘real’ members of a clan when humans are fine? Doesn’t every life matter when most of the world you knew disappeared with the volcano? It’s forcing new questions and new thinking and that’s the kind of shit I love as an author. I hope you enjoyed Juth and little Pak, and rest assured we’ll see more of the two of them!
(Plus, who doesn’t love a single dad? Hello!)
If you’re wondering who is next…it’s not Steph! I wanted her epilogue to show some of her thinking with regards to Juth and Pak, but I do believe Bridget will be next, as I’m getting a lot of calls for her book.
As always, thank you so much for the never-ending support for these characters, and my books, and for just being awesome fans. I adore all of you and thank you so much for giving me reasons to play in this world over and over again. <3
Ruby
PEOPLE OF ICEHOME
The ‘Castaways’ (Icehome Tribe)
Lauren/Lo – Adult female at the beach camp. Once had glasses. Likes to be a problem solver. Resonates to K’thar, newly pregnant. Friend to Marisol.
Marisol – Terrified adult female at beach camp who is fond of hiding. Gets stranded with Lo on the island. Resonates to T’chai. Due to his sickness, their resonance is ‘turned off’ by the healer.
Hannah – Resonates to J’shel when the island tribes arrive. Newly pregnant. Resident busybody. Now assistant to Veronica.
Angie – Adult female at the beach camp. Pregnant with mystery baby when awoken. Gives birth to Glory (a clone female). Resonates to Vordis. Now pregnant again.
Glory - A qura’aki clone baby, implanted in Angie. Newborn and cute as hell.
Willa – Adult female with a southern twang. Lo’s friend. Gren’s most ardent defender. Resonates to Gren. Pregnant.
Gren (rhymes with HEN) – Beastly, feral ex-gladiator male. Attacks on sight. Resonates to Willa. Soft and fuzzy, according to Aayla.
Veronica – Newest healer on the planet. Resonated to Ashtar upon arrival. Bit of a klutz. Needs to work on her bedside manner. Has enlisted Hannah to be her assistant.
Ashtar (Ash-TARR) – Flirty golden ex-gladiator and former slave. Drakoni male who can shapeshift to a “battle form” as a dragon and has the ability to communicate telepathically. Resonates immediately to Veronica. Stud.
Vordis (Vohr-DISS rhymes with Floor-Miss) – One of the red “twins,” ex-gladiators of a race called a’ani. Longtime friends/brothers with Thrand, another clone. The really devoted one. Hot sauce. Resonates to Angie.
Thrand (rhymes with ‘Bland’ - no one tell him this) – One of the red “twins,” ex-gladiators of a race called a’ani. Longtime friends/brothers with Vordis. The hotheaded, competitive one. Ketchup. Resonates to Nadine.
Tia – Teenager at the beach camp. Flirting with Sessah…and probably everyone else. Treats all the unmated men like they’re her personal harem. Transferred to Croatoan for the time being.
Nadine – One of the adult females at the beach camp. Huntress and go-getter. Resonates to Thrand.
Callie – One of the adult females at the beach camp. Harry Potter fan. Resonated to M’tok. Also hated M’tok for a long, long time. She gets over it.
Bridget – One of the adult females at the beach camp. Friend to Veronica. Hooked up with A’tam. Broke up with A’tam. It’s complicated.
Steph – One of the adult females at the beach camp. Former psychology student.
Raven – One of the adult females at the beach camp. Blonde, despite her name. Hippie parents. Likes to sing and dance. Turns out her real name is Louise, she’s not a hippie after all, and was a stripper. Still awesome. Finder of Juth and Pak. Resonates to U’dron.
Penny – One of the adult females at the beach camp. Learning to hunt. Human sunshine. Loves adventure and a good time. Stolen by S’bren. Resonates to S’bren.
Devi – Chatty adult female at beach camp. Scientist nerd. Hair flipper. Loves dinosaurs. Resonates to N’dek and is newly pregnant.
Flordeliza – Adult female at beach camp. Once a nurse. Kind of a clown.
Samantha – One of the adult females at the beach camp. Really fucking loves being on the ice planet, which no one else can figure out.
Daisy - Newcomer! Dropped on the ice planet by Mardok’s old friend Niri. Former slave for over ten years. Very beautiful. Utterly thrilled and ready to mate and have babies, which means everyone unmated hates her.
From the Old Tribe (Croatoan)
Raahosh (Ruh-HOSH) – Hunter of the Croatoan tribe. Messed up horns. Mated to Liz and has 3 daughters, Raashel, Aayla, and now Ahsoka. Generally unpleasant to be around (except to his mate).
Liz – Snarky human mate to Raahosh. Mother to Raashel, Aayla, and newborn Ahsoka. Star Wars nerd. Salty.
Raashel (Ruh-SHELL) - Liz and Raahosh’s oldest daughter. A bit of a tattletale.
Aayla (Ay-LAH) - Liz and Raahosh’s middle child. Fascinated by Gren.
Ahsoka (Uh-soh-kuh) - Liz and Raahosh’s newborn daughter.
Sessah (SESS-uh) – Unmated, lanky, teen sa-khui from Croatoan. Currently dazzled by all the single ladies in Icehome. Upset over Tia’s constant flirting with all unhitched penises.
Rukh (ROOKH) – Hunter of the Croatoan tribe and ex-outcast. His mate is Harlow. Brother to Raahosh, father to Rukhar and now Daya.
Harlow – Mate to Rukh, mother to Rukhar and newborn Daya. She assists Mardok with technology stolen/looted from the broken ships.
Rukhar (ROOKH-arr) – Harlow and Rukh’s young son.
Daya (DIE—uh) Harlow and Rukh’s newborn daughter.
Farli (FAR-lee) – One of the few sa-khui females. Mated to Mardok and has a pet dvisti named Chompy. Pregnant.
Mardok (Mar-DOCK) – Ex-soldier who has chosen to remain on the ice planet. Technology guru. Mated to Farli.
Taushen (Tow (rhymes with cow)-SHEN) – Hunter and mate to Brooke. Recently arrived at Icehome camp.
Brooke – recently mated to Taushen. Hairdresser back on Earth, recently arrived at Icehome camp. Will braid anyone that sits still for more than five minutes. Pregnant.
Bek (BECK) - Hunter and mate to Elly. Recently arrived at the Icehome camp with S’bren and Penny. Utterly devoted to his woman. Kind of a crank-monster otherwise.
Elly - Human female who was kept in alien captivity for over ten years. Very fragile and shy, and tends to regress when uneasy. Adores Gail. Worships Bek. Loves the stars.
The Island Clans
Clan of the Strong Arm
K’thar (Kuh-THARR) – Hunter, de-facto leader of Strong Arm, resonates to Lauren/Lo. Owner of Kki/Fat One.
J’shel (Juh-SHELL) – Young hunter of Strong Arm, resonates to Hannah. Very cheerful. Long braid. Dirty talker.
N’dek (Nuh-DECK) – Hunter of Strong Arm, recently lost a leg in a kaari attack. No longer depressed and sitting around the fire a lot. Resonated to Devi and has prosthetic leg.
I’chai (Eye-shy) – deceased female, mother of Z’hren
Z’hren (ZRENN) – Orphaned child of Strong Arm, now child of Gail and Vaza
Fat One/Kki (KUH-kee) – nightflyer pet of the clan
Gail – adopted parent of Z’hren, older human female, once of Croatoan. Loves to mother everyone in the tribe that will let her.
Vaza – adopted parent of Z’hren, older sa-khui male, once of Croatoan. Loves to give advice, most of it bad.
Clan of the Tall Horn
R’jaal (Arr-JAHL) – Clan leader of Tall Horn. Kinda lonely.
T’chai (Tuh-SHY) – Hunter of Tall Horn, resonates to Marisol.Attacked by skyclaw on the island and nearly dies of wounds, so the healer stops his resonance. Eventually re-resonates to Mari.
M’tok (Muh-TOCK) – Hunter of Tall Horn, resonates to Callie. Likes things neat and orderly. Bit of a sneak.
S’bren (Suh-BRENN) – Hunter, brother to M’tok. He’s the brawn (the Pinky?) to M’tok’s brains. Goober around women. Steals Penny for himself and resonates to her.
Clan of the Shadow Cat
I’rec (I WRECK) – Clan leader. Kind of a shit-stirrer. One of Tia’s flirt targets.
O’jek (Oh-JECK) – Hunter. Quiet. One of Tia’s flirt targets.
A’tam (Uh-TAMM) – Hunter, said to be the handsomest on the island. Not much of a fish hook. Currently messed up over Bridget.
U’dron (Ooh-DRONN) – Hunter. Fisher. All around sporty type. Plays a mean drum. Late bloomer, proving-wise. Resonates to Raven.
Outcast Clan
Juth (joooth) - Outcast male who snags Raven in exchange for goods. Adoptive father of Pak. Currently skulking around Icehome beach but will not join the tribe.
Pak (pack) - Littlest outcast! Adoptive son of Juth.
Want More to Read?
All of my books are in Kindle Unlimited, so borrow to your heart’s content! Here are my suggestions if you’re looking for more to binge on.
Want to start Icehome from the beginning?
Lauren’s Barbarian
…or start from the VERY VERY beginning?
Ice Planet Barbarians
Or maybe you’re in the mood for an epic slow burn with some sweetness and a cat-alien gladiator hero?
When She Purrs
Or maybe you’ve only got a little bit of time to read and want something sweet and safe that stands alone?
The Alien’s Mail Order Bride
Enjoy!