Mari's Mistake by Ruby Dixon [Review]

Mari's Mistake (Icehome #11) by Ruby Dixon
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: July 19, 2020

Icehome
1. Lauren's Barbarian
2. Veronica's Dragon
3. Willa's Beast
4. Gail's Family
5. Angie's Gladiator
6. Hannah's Hero
7. Devi's Distraction
8. Nadine's Champion
9. Callie's Catastrophe
10. Penny's Protector
11. Mari's Mistake - Paperback | Kindle
12. Raven's Return
13. Bridget's Bane
14. Steph's Outcast
15. Sam's Secret
16. Daisy's Decision
17. Flor's Fiasco

Ruby Dixon
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

I’ve ruined everything.

I had a mate. Resonance. Happiness. But then T’chai’s attacked by ravenous sky-claw and almost killed. To help him recover, I tell the healer to turn off our unfulfilled resonance. It's temporary...or so I think.

Big mistake. Because now my khui acts like it’s dead and it hates T’chai. But I still love him. How do we move forward when I can’t bear his touch? Is there a way to get back our happiness together, or is it time to give up on what we once had?

T'chai has other plans, though. He's not giving up on us. If it means crossing the world, he's ready to do it at my side.

Thoughts on Mari's Mistake: Oh my GAWD. This book hit me hard in my emotionally stunted heart. I kinda knew it would after Mari's confession to Callie that all her emotions were weirdly muted ever since she's had resonance turned off so T'chai could heal from his attack, BUT STILL.

The hardest thing to deal with (and by "hardest", I mean the thing that made me all mushy every time I read it) was how Mari still loved T'chai, she just couldn't get her heart, her mind, and her body (or, more accurately, her khui) to line up. How awful would that be to feel all the lovey-dovey feelings for someone and yet be physically repulsed by their touch? To remember what it was like before and desperately want that back all while knowing your decision to turn off this fundamental thing was probably the reason your honey was alive now?

UGGH. It's killing me all over again.

Where Mari is beating herself up and sunk in guilt and despair, T'chai has a slightly different outlook (possibly brought about by wise words from one of his clan mates, but still). He's willing to throw himself all in to them as a them even if it means he and Mari can't be physical anymore. Man, these aliens are THE BEST.

They find a workaround. They work that workaround. Yes indeed, they get sexy in unconventional ways. YES!

In the meantime, we get to see a whole bunch of familiar faces (I really like revisiting the originals, guys. REALLY LIKE IT.) and get a hint of something new and unexpected on the horizon. Am I excited for what's to come? YOU BET. Not-Hoth/Icehome makes me happy (even when it's tugging at my cold, dead heartstrings) and I'm totally ready for more.