Claimed by the Alien Barbarian by Ava Ross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can a lonely woman build a new future with a fierce alien male on a world far from Earth?

Kerry: After I’m taken from Earth and dropped in an alien forest on a distant planet, I resign myself to never going home. There went my dream of finding someone to love. Then a gorgeous, blue-skinned and severely wounded alien stumbles into my campsite and collapses on the ground beside me. As I nurse him back to health, I start wondering if this seven-foot-tall, muscle-bound guy with shadows flickering in his teal eyes could be the one.

Nevarn tells me he was traveling to the clan he grew up in, that he was banished for a crime he didn’t commit, and that he’s going to prove his innocence.

When he asks me to help him, I realize there’s no place I’d rather be than at his side.

Nevarn: After I was banished from my birth clan, I created a new life for myself in the forest far from home. But my banishment is over, and I’m determined to find out who framed me and find justice. On the way, I’m attacked and left for dead, and a beautiful human woman, Kerry, saves my life. When a symbol appears on my wrist, I know she’s my fated mate. She agrees to travel with me, and I see this as my chance to show her all a Zuldruxian male has to offer.

But someone is following us, and it’s clear they’ll do anything to keep us from reaching our

Claimed by the Alien Barbarian

Abducted, Armed, and Absolutely Unimpressed

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️🩷
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 🙁😋🥰🤣
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

🧡 The Heroine – Kerry

Kerry’s childhood, shaped by a single mother who frequently took her camping and hunting along the Appalachian Trail, instilled in her an impressive survival skill set. Her mother’s lessons in self-reliance, navigation, and wilderness living prove unexpectedly vital when Kerry’s life takes a drastic turn. While hiking alone, she is abducted by robotic enforcers (“robocops”) and transported to an alien spaceship. Soon after, she is jettisoned in an escape pod and crash-lands on an unfamiliar alien world.

💪 The Hero – Nevarn

Nevarn is a Zuldrux warrior living in exile after being falsely accused of murdering his mate—a crime orchestrated by an unknown adversary. His leadership of a group of fellow exiles reflects both his resilience and his tactical acumen. While returning to confront his birth clan and seek justice, Nevarn is ambushed and seriously injured. He ultimately stumbles into Kerry’s makeshift camp, where the two worlds—and two wounded lives—collide.

🍷 The Storyline

Like the earlier installments in the series, this entry follows the familiar pattern of a human woman being abducted and sent to an alien planet, left to fend for herself. Kerry’s wilderness background allows her to navigate the planet’s hazards: scaling trees to evade predators, crafting rudimentary weapons, and starting fires without assistance. Her independence contrasts sharply with the sudden arrival of Nevarn, whose injuries compel her to extend her survival skills to protect them both. The narrative weaves together themes of survival, trust, and fated companionship.

🔎 Strengths
• Resilient Female Protagonist: Kerry is resourceful, capable, and portrayed as genuinely self-sufficient—a refreshing deviation from passive or overly dependent heroines in similar genres.
• Instant Fated Connection: Nevarn’s recognition of Kerry as his fated mate, marked by a symbolic sign on his hand, establishes immediate emotional stakes.
• Lingering Mystery: The antagonist shadowing Nevarn adds a layer of suspense that connects the romance to the broader series’ conflicts.

⚠️ Weaknesses
• World-Building Gaps: The series continues to leave major plot elements underexplained—particularly the rationale behind the “robocop” abductions and why human women are dispatched to alien planets. The implication that it’s for cross-species mating is insufficiently developed.
• Convenient Communication: The fact that Kerry and Nevarn can understand each other instantly undermines the realism of first contact and robs the story of potential cultural and linguistic tension.

🎧 Narration & Performance

The audiobook employs dual narration from Ross Pendleton and Alexandra Cohler, with alternating perspectives to reflect the story’s multiple POVs. Pendleton delivers a steady and clear performance, though his pacing may feel sluggish to some listeners. Cohler’s reading is dynamic and expressive but occasionally overly loud, which may detract from immersion. The contrasting styles sometimes clash rather than complement each other.

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