Penny's Protector

Icehome #9

by Ruby Dixon

S’bren doesn’t realize what a mess he’s stepping in when he steals me away. He just wants to resonate. Sweet, right? But his methods are all wrong and resonance doesn’t look as if it's happening anytime soon for either of us.

So I’m going to use this time away from the camp as an opportunity. We’re going to go exploring and not return to the beach camp until I'm good and ready. It's one part punishment for him - being my guide - and one part adventure for me. We'll have fun, swing from some vines in the fruit cave, and then return to Icehome when we're good and ready.

What's not part of the plan? Falling in love. Matters of the heart are tricky when the khui gets the final say...and mine is totally silent.

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Aliens, Audiobook, Fantasy, Science Fiction Romance, Paranormal Romance

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2019

About the author

Ruby Dixon is an author of Science Fiction Romance. She likes fated mates, baby-filled epilogues, and cinnamon roll heroes. She also likes to write biographies of herself in the third person, because it feels more important that way.

Ruby also loves coffee and dirty books and will probably be a cat lady at some point. :)

Reviews

[Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this book was delightful!!!

I loved, loved both Penny and S’bren!!!

Penny for her sunny disposition and want to find the best in everything! She's such a positive character!

S’bren because he's soooo clueless!! His brain work in a very literal way! Here's a situation that made me laugh like crazy:

During a discussion Penny wants do do something and offers to S’bren a bargain: if he would do wat she wants, she'll either kiss him or give him a b**w-job...
Here's his reasoning:

And she offered me kissing in exchange for me taking her there. She offered to blow on my skin, too, but that seems less exciting than kissing.

See what I mean?


And the whole book is full of this kind of moments!!!

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Giver!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Romance: 💚🖤💙❤️💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘
World building: 🪐🛸🚀☄️
Character development: 🤖👽🥰👽

The heroine: Penny - she is one of the human females that was abducted from Earth before the ship crash landed on the Ice Planet. Penny has more curves than some of the other women, but has a sunny personality and takes things as they come. She loves to flirt, but is sort of over the fact that many of the men are basically fighting with each other over the unmated females.

The Hero(es): S’bren - Big and very awkward with a huge crush on Penny. He is of the tall horn clan and many of his clan mates treat him like he is stupid, but really he is shy and quiet. He watches Penny closely and keeps near her. He has always been the muscle in the tribe while others are more clever. This never bothered him until lately when his tribe has been interacting with the females.

The Story: Penny pities S’bren because he is awkward and latched on to her. She likes to flirt and he isn’t good at flirtation, he just comes out and says what he wants with no bones about it. She thinks he is a big goober with a big heart. Though she starts to think differently about him when he saves her and takes care of her while she recuperates.

Penny enjoys her independence, she likes hunting and being out in nature and is very easygoing. When S’bren drugs her and takes her away from camp to be alone with her because he fears she will resonate to someone else, she is angry with him but understands that did it without any malicious intent and she accepts the fact that he regrets what he did. The two decide to use their time away as an adventure and a vacation.

Like all the other books in this series, this one was told in dual points of view by dual narration. Which means the male narrator does all the voices in the chapters told in S’bren’s point of view and the female did all the voices in the chapters told in Penny’s point of view. I do like duet narration better, where the male does all the male voices and the female does all the female voices. However, Sean Crisden and Felicity Munroe do a great job and I like their voices. The story lagged a bit in the middle though. I guess I wanted a bit more conflict in the book. It did pick back up though.

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[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

** First Read** 1️⃣
Jan 21, 2020.
⭐⭐⭐
3 stars.



** Reread** 2️⃣
August 18, 2022.
⭐⭐💫
2½ stars.



Still a good read…. But with some issues such as the heroine has issues with internalized body-shaming and is self-deprecating about her body.

S'Bren (the hero) did a dumb and thoughtless/misbegotten thing when he kidnapped/drugged Penny (the heroine).
He is such an innocent and naive but also socially awkward hero …. that would never purposely hurt Penny or any other female.....
But also…. he is literally from another planet and had no clue what he did was wrong.
(But I can understand why some readers would be triggered.)

But he is so remorseful and regretful when he understands what he did was very wrong and that it could have been dangerous.
He also does Not have a malicious bone in his body and is confused and very self-flagellating/self-punishing.

S'Bren worshiped Penny and was sweet and attentive.
S'Bren was an interesting character.



Penny was harder to like …. Even though she was also an interesting character … she was So negative about herself.
About herself and her body.
She did try to grow as a person and did kind of try to change her negative thoughts about herself.
And she was an easy going kind of person …. If she was just more confident and less negative about herself she would have been a really good and intriguing heroine.













*This is a story/book I will Not reread in the future*

[Izzie d]

At the start
'A quick warning!
A note about this plot line. I wanted to play with the concept of an alien hero doing something unfathomably awful (in human eyes) with far more innocent intentions. So the hero drugs the heroine’s tea and steals her away.
I KNOW. I KNOW. It’s awful and wrong and my meta-brain thought EXACTLY! WE’LL DO THAT AND SHOW AT SOME LEVEL JUST HOW HE ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT GET IT! You foolish, foolish hero!
It’s one of those moments where the writer cannot see the forest for the trees. When I conceived this storyline a few books ago, it didn’t occur to me that I was triggering some people and sending them to a horrific place.
I’m sorry.
If it helps, please know that I’ve tried to handle it sensitively and honestly from the characters points-of-view but if you absolutely cannot read this without going to a bad place, I UNDERSTAND. Please just skip this one. :)
The next book will not feature any such storylines and I’m going to be more careful/thoughtful in the future.
xo
Ruby'

[Ivy Deluca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick(ish) Review

Possibly my favorite Planet Blue Balls ever. The tea plot point could have been horrific but S’Bren is so remorseful and innocent I couldn’t be mad. Penny is confused but her desire for adventure is delightful and I loved it. So glad I hopped back on this train and I’d recommend it if you’re into alien sci-fi rom.

[Angela (Angel's Book Nook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny’s Protector is book nine in the Icehome series by Ruby Dixon.

The series should be read in order.

If you read Callie's Catastrophe then you probably are wondering what happened to Penny and S’bren. Last we heard, Penny had been drugged and carted off by S’Bren so he could woo her. And, if you’re familiar with Dixon then you are familiar with her blue aliens and that they don’t think like we do.

Penny is one of the human women who was abducted and crash landed on the Ice Planet. She’s got a sunny personality, takes things as they come, and has more curves than most of the women.

S’bren is of the Tall Horn Clan. Many of his clan mates treat him like he is stupid, but really he’s shy, quiet, big, and awkward. He’s had a crush on Penny and watches her closely.

We see a different side to S’bren and so does Penny once he saves her life and takes care of her while she recuperates. Then, S’bren does something he shouldn’t, but thinks its ok! So, while these two are away from everyone else they take the time to explore and vacation. Giving them the time they need to build their relationship. These two are great together and their romance is a slow burn with a lot of sexual tension.

I found S’bren to be sweet, adorable and cute; especially in how he try’s to show affection too Penny. The middle did get to be a bit boring with nothing really happening. As with all the books in this series they are told in duel POV’s.

Penny’s Protector was an enjoyable read. I can’t wait to read on in the Icehome series. I just love coming back to this planet and it’s sexy alines. If your looking for Sci-Fi Romance than I highly recommend Ruby Dixon.

Rated: 3 Stars

[Zero · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty dull. Penny and S'bren are nice, but they're not interesting to read about. The only interesting parts for me were the Elder cave, the falling star, and the other characters.

[Kimmylongtime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yesss !!!

I loved this story and everything about it. I’ve been waiting for S’Bren to have a happily ever after. This rocked my whole freaking world 🌎 🧊. These barbarians are fabulous and he is big and attractive and he’s got tall horns. I’m sooo in love with him and I want things to go well. And they had a wedding 💒 👰 and return characters. 🥰😍🥶😱.

[Corandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

S'Bren pertenece al clan de los cuernos altos y se ha enamorado de Penny. Él la quiere como su compañera, pero se siente como un tonto a su alrededor.
Además, de que no logra pasar tiempo a solas con ella con todos los demás machos alienígenas tratando de llamar su atención. Entonces su hermano M'tok se le ocurre la horrible idea de drogar y secuestrar a sus chicas.

Penny es una romántica empedernida que desea su feliz para siempre, pero también quiere disfrutar de su independencia por un tiempo más. Cuando se despierta lejos del campamento no se lo toma tan mal y le propone a S'bren explorar.

Aceptan ser solo amigos y fluye una relación bastante relajada entre ellos. Con el tiempo Penny empieza a tener sentimientos más profundos por él. Pero tienen miedo de que al regresar al campamento puedan resonar con alguien más.

Forman una pareja bastante tranquila y despreocupada,no hay dramas sólo dos personas conociéndose a través de su expedición.

Me encantó volver a ver a Bek y a Elly, los extrañaba.

Disfruté bastante de esta lectura. Ahora a leer el libro de Mari, tan esperado por mí.

[Serena Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si mantenerla a salvo sólo me da una o dos sonrisas... aún merecerá
la pena.
Porque las sonrisas de P'nee lo son todo.



Pennie's Protector de Ruby Dixon serie Icehome 10

Mí humilde opinión:

Para S'bren no hay otra para él en la isla de Icehome que la humana Penny. Pero solo puede soñar con ella, con ser su compañero y que ella le de su corazón.

Solo la observa de lejos, porque la quiere proteger, es lo que un compañero haría. Él no es sociable, es el hermano torpe, no tiene el cerebro de M'tock. Así que cuando él le viene con el plan de secuestrar a las hembras que desean no duda en seguirlo. ¿Qué podría salir mal?

Penny quiere enamorarse y que la amen de verdad. Ningún hombre la quiso nunca, ellos solo querían un momento con ella y nada más. Le rompieron cada vez su corazón. Pero esta vez, gracias al khui, debe resonar con su alma gemela.

Solo que aún no ha sucedido. Hay muchos aliens azules de muy buen ver en Icehome pero ninguno le llama la atención hasta que S'bren la salva de ahogarse. Allí lo nota y le encanta lo protector y transparente que es el alien del clan Cuerno Alto.

Pero cuando se despierta desnuda, desorientada, sobre él, se da cuenta que ha sido no solo drogada sino también secuestrada!

Debería estar enfurecida con S'bren y obvio le echó la bronca pero se le ocurre que es la oportunidad perfecta para ir en una aventura; visitar la curva de las frutas y la de los ancestros. No le cuesta mucho convencer al arrepentido S'bren de llevarla a pesar del tremendo frío de la temporada brutal.

Mientras viajan juntos, poco a poco se van conociendo hasta enamorarse ahora solo queda el temor de regresar y que resuenen con alguien más.



Amo a Ruby Dixon!

Me encanta la forma de entrelazar tramas y personajes en sus libros. Los menciona durante las series y cuando llega su historia es una sorpresa descubrir quienes son y que hay en ellos para contar.

Me sorprende siempre su gran imaginación y habilidad para crear mundos fantásticos.

No es uno de mis favoritos de la serie pero me gustó.

Estuvo bien la historia de S'bren y Penny. No fue guauuu quedé flasheada por su historia pero es disfrutable.

Al sacar sus personalidades puedes ver porqué serán perfectos para el otro. Cómo se van a complementar y llenar el vacío de sus vidas.

Estuvo genial que se vayan conociendo y encariñando de a poco, que no fuera brusco, lo hizo más emocionante.

Hubo aventura y diversión. Los dos me hicieron reír mucho.

Y por supuesto hay romance, del dulce y del caliente. Esa pedida de mano? Ese beso en la cueva de las frutas? Este libro tiene muchos momentos lindos.

Sí, momentos cursis pero no me molestaron.



S'bren fue un tipo de lo más dulce e inocente, sencillo, me gustó que no fuera tan intenso como los demás.

Lo que no me gustó en este como en el anterior fue el tema de la droga.

No está bien, despreciable la idea.

Son aliens, no son humanos, nunca harían mal a una mujer, se arrepintieron, se castigaron pero lo de la droga no me pareció bueno.

No lo mencioné antes pero lo hago ahora.

Pensamiento aparte, creí que había caído una cápsula con alguien dentro por un momento! Me dije, oh no, otro más que cae en el planeta bárbaro, que giro a la historia le dará Ruby? Pero fue decepcionante al final saber lo que había ahí dentro en realidad.

En definitiva, este libro me gustó un poco más que el anterior. Fue una historia simple pero estuvo linda.

Quiero más libros de esta serie por favor!!!

[Fanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Penny' s Protector es una novela un poco mas basica de lo que nos tiene acostumbrada Ruby Dixon, senti que a la trama le falto esa chispa que la hiciera mas inolvidable, de igual forma, Penny y S' Bren fueron una pareja dulce pero bastante sosa.

Me hubiese gustado saber mas de el pasado de ella en la tierra, tuve la impresion de que lo unico que menciona Penny de su vida anterior es sus desamores y eso le jugo en contra, ya que ocasiona que el lector no conecte con ella.

De S' Bren tengo menos pegas, su personalidad no es la mas atractiva o impactante, sin embargo, me gano con su sencillez y por ser tan tierno, es un soplo de aire fresco comparado con los otros protagonistas masculinos que resultan mas " intensos ".

En definitiva, Penny' s Protector no es el mejor añadido de esta saga pero tampoco es la peor historia de las que llevo leidas, si no le pongo mas puntuacion es porque extrañe que me atrapara mas con lo que narraba, pese a eso, espero con ganas los proximos tomos.

2.5 Estrellas!

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny’s Protector and the previous book Callie’s Catastrophe are a bit of a mini dulology in this series. So, if you’ve read Callie’s Catastrophe then you’re probably wondering what happened to Penny and S’Bren. Last you heard, Penny had been drugged and carted off by S’Bren, so he could do some wooing. Yes, you read that right. Drugged. However, if it is possible to innocently drug someone, S’Bren did it.

So, I had a little bit of an issue to the whole drugging thing in the previous book, which I talked about in my review. So, as this book and the previous one are happening in tandem and the stories are connected, including the drugging, I need to talk about it in this review as well.

The beauty of an alien romance book is that you can have a completely clean slate. Your characters aren’t bound by the same social mores that will be present in a contemporary romance. Ruby Dixon has done a fabulous job of setting up the ice planet, both in this series and the Ice Planet Barbarians series. We know how the Sa’Khui think. We know their reverence of women and their bone deep disgust of anyone who would do violence upon them. It’s well established and part of the charm of these books. So, when I say S’Bren makes a really stupid mistake by slipping her something extra in her tea, and he did it innocently not knowing the connotations this has, as it is this author, this character and this world, it really is true. Do I want Dixon to do this again? No. But, it didn’t stop me from enjoying this book and, honestly S’Bren has proven to be one of my favourite IceHome heroes.

So, now I have got my thoughts out on this, lets talk about the book and my gorgeous, awkward and adorable S’Bren. It isn’t often that you get a shy and kind of awkward hero, if you’re after a shay, awkward heroine, there’s a battalion of them in romance. But heroes? Not so much. Which, is why I adored S’Bren. He’s been crushing on Penny and trying to court her in his own clumsy way since he first saw her. Only, it isn’t quite working, he can’t quite say and do the right thing. My heart just melted for him!

Penny is just getting used to the world and is fed up of all the restrictions put on her because she’s a female. So when S’Bren kidnaps her and then immediately remorseful about his methods, Penny, gets him to take her to all the places she has been forbidden to go. I loved these two together, although it wasn’t a slow burn, it was as slow burn as these books get! The sexual tension built up as Penny and S’Bren really got to know, and fall in love, with one another.

I really enjoyed this book, as always it was sexy and romantic. S’Bren really won me over in this book, he likes the simple things in life and wears his heart on his sleeve, adorable. So, although this book has its issues and I would completely understand if you decide to skip them, for me, this is one of my favourites in the series so far.

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I like your face."
"I am glad. I cannot do much about it," he murmurs, eyes still closed.'



Still not a fan or in agreement with the drugging idea, but S'bren was a better character who was convinced by his more scheming brother to go along with the plan . . . and he was overall a much more understanding and good-hearted character so it made his apology and actions actually believable. I really hope the kidnapping your mate plot arc of these books dies away because these boys have been around humans long enough to know by now to ask, take no for no, and just try to understand the girls rather than making the girls understand them.

[Elle ♡ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as an audiobook over a couple weeks. This was fine. I liked the premise of a girl who wanted to experience the world a bit before she resonated and got pregnant…but then *spoilers* she resonated and got pregnant 🧐 lol but it was still kinda cute. Although I wish the falling star mystery at the end had been more interesting.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

S'bren & Penny's story

This couple is a lot sillier than most other couples in the series. The flirting was very cute, and the general vibe was fun and goofy. I chuckled at most of the jokes as well, so it was a pretty feel-good story overall.

[Sheri Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny and S’bren’s story! So, S’bren got the great idea to steal Penny away from his brother M’tok since it had been a bit of a tradition on the ice planet. Their story was a bit of a cliffhanger from the last book, so I had to find out what happened! Penny of course had to explain how he did a very bad thing but he didn’t understand it was bad, so he was crushed by that. Penny wanted an adventure, so they turned it into a long sightseeing trip during the brutal season. Per all of these books, it ends in a happy resonance and I just loved them as a couple and how much he adored her.

[sof · Rating 3 out of 5]

ruby dixon never disappoints
i loved seeing elly and bek and want to read their book so bad!!💗

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

Same issue as with Callie's Catastrophe... please, do NOT drug women. Thanks so much.

[Joy Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two were SO FUN TO READ ABOUT!!!

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to binging some of the Icehome series and the I left off on book 10, Penny’s Protector. This was the romance between Penny and S’bren and it was honestly so sweet! S’bren had that cinnamon roll hero vibe even if he first drugged and stole away his lady. 😅

S’bren has been taken with Penny from the start, he just wants to be there for her and help, whether it’s teach her how to fish or hunt, or bringing her surprise tea because he overheard she likes surprises. While Penny would love to get married and have children one day, she isn’t ready to resonate on the ice planet. She still wants to explore, adventure, and be independent for a while. So while she’s not against S’bren she just doesn’t want to give him false hope either. When S’bren’s brother has the idea to drug their women and steal them away so they don’t resonate with any other males, S’bren goes along with it. When Penny wakes the next morning and talks to S’bren about what happened and how awful that was, he is ashamed of his actions immediately and wants to return her to the others. Penny realizes he’s got a kind heart and didn’t mean any harm, so she asks if they can just use the time to explore together…starting with the fruit caves!

They end up both liking one another and actually wanting resonance to happen because they want to belong to one another and can’t imagine others being “the one”. I liked their time at the fruit cave, S’bren is super sweet and romantic and wants to woo her. Penny is a teeny bit older than S’bren (she’s 29, he’s 27) and had always been kind of used and discarded by human men in the past. I liked seeing Bek and Elly again! And then getting to have a human wedding on the planet!

[♛ Garima ♛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating:
3.5 stars

Cover:
It's okay

Trigger:
The same as last one - drugging and kidnapping

Short review:
While I didn't like Icehome #9, and I thought it would be same but Penny and S'ben are fun characters to read. I really enjoyed it after digesting bitter pill of initial kidnapping bit.

Review in image/gif:


Recommended:
Yes and No - I am undecided

Aftermath: (possible spoilers)

[Madly Creative · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. Just nope.

Only 1/10 of a star better than callie’s book, which is not saying much when it’s not even a whole star. I can’t believe in any universe that there is a woman so desperate that she finds being kidnapped drugged and taken away a blessing from heaven, and views the guy as a hero for the indignity. Wouldn’t you at least TRY to leave? I couldn’t believe it when I read it the first time. Callie’s story was a whole new level of wrong. Just wrong. Then to read this one on top of that? With Penney fawning all over the lowlife with the excuse that he just couldn’t help himself, for the sake of the author being able to pack another project away? I don’t know what the author was thinking. It’s not got as much to do with the drugging, although that’s a major problem, as it does with the fact that both these women are supposed to be grateful for being treated like cattle, like the slaves they were when they were supposedly rescued? How is a reader supposed to empathize? They would have fared better being left with the alien slavers, if that’s what they were looking for. To not even attempt to go outside or find a way to defeat these guys and leave? I just can’t understand the rationale. Are there actually people out there who like reading this and think this is adorable? They’d have to be pretty asocial and emotionally undeveloped.

[Ｋａｔｅ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, fun & oh so sweet, Penny & S’Brens story ticked all the boxes I’ve come to love from this series.

I smiled, laughed & swooned my way through this alien-smut fix & greedily gobbled up the couple of Easter eggs included! Soooooo good! Can’t wait to see how they play out in the coming books and now that I’ve caught up, I’m filled with anticipation for just which couple on the Icehome Beach will be up next!


****
Straight up, I personally didn’t have an issue with “the trigger”. This said, I respect that unfortunately some readers, with valid reason, will, and why.
For me though, Ruby handled “it” by having the big blue dude show the same innocently unmalicious curiosity, followed by genuine confusion, followed by deep regret, and finally self flagellation & contrition. The same way she has any time the human & alien worlds have collided with a halting, deep, needle-across-the-vinyl, type scratch.
****

[phoebess · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know what to think about Penny's Protector. If it was written after Ruby Dixon realized this one and previous book were full o triggers for some people, it could explain a lot—the main issue (drugging and kidnapping) was skipped over basically in one chapter, which I didn’t like at all.
And the whole storyline was missing everything I love about Ruby, like she was trying to make it as trigger-less as possible…
This was the first time I was so bored, I was considering skipping the pages, just to get it over with.

[AKA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this last week and then caught a cold so this will be short. 😁

S'bren was nearly perfect. Sweet and attentive plus, he wasn't stupid just socially awkward. Penny was great too. Easy going and really open. Loved her reaction to the spiked tea.

Very light on drama but lots of forward movement for the Ice Home inhabitants.





Safe mostly- H is a virgin, h is not. We get a few details about her past (guys used her and dropped her on earth).

[B.E.Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. I know some people had an issue with the hero and what he did but I gave him some slack since he's literally from another planet and had no clue this was wrong. Once he finds out what he did is wrong he is horrified. I loved the hero and heroine in this book. This is a great summer or stuck at home read

[Bookish brown girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
This handled the kidnapping and drugging better than the previous one. Mainly coz the hero is very sweet and contrite immediately, feels horrible and wants to make amends. I loved how their relationship developed, their adventure exploring the island together.
And we also got a small glimpse at how Icehome ties into other series.

All in all, this was an incredibly sweet and charming read about 2 good decent earnest people. And despite the at times cheesiness it reminded me why I love Ruby's writing and continue to read on in the series.

[Jen (Nesta's versión) · Rating 3 out of 5]

S'bren y Penny
Son muy lindos el esta enamorado de ella y ella tiene miedo de abrirse a una relación, para que al final la resonancia la envíe a otra persona.
Me gusta que volvieron aparecer Bek y Elly.
También como Niri (amiga de Mardok pareja de Farli) al parecer sobrevivio al ataque de la nave por piratas y le envio un mensaje y regalos.

[Jodie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

They were so cringey cute. I love S'bren

[nihaarika · Rating 2 out of 5]

don't ask. that's it. that's the review.