When She's Common by Ruby Dixon [Review]

When She's Common (Risdaverse) by Ruby Dixon
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: October 27, 2024

Risdaverse
When She's Ready
When She's Married
When She Purrs
When She Belongs
When She Dances
When She's Bold
The Alien's Mail-Order Bride
Pretty Human
When She's Lonely
Prison Planet Barbarian
When She's Pregnant
When She's Merry
When She's Fearless
When She's Wary
When She's Common - Paperback | Kindle
When She's Handy
When She Wishes

Related Novellas:
Bad Guy
Worse Guy

Ruby Dixon
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

It's lonely for an extrovert on Risda III, the human refuge on the edge of the universe. Maeve craves company and friends, but she knows she can't keep harassing the locals for attention. What she needs is a pet to love on.

What she gets is...a stowaway. Sorta. Zhur is actually a praxiian prince on the run, and the cat alien needs a place to hide out. Maybe not this place, though, because it smells and it has animals and all his bespoke clothes are missing. He needs to get out of here

....Except he can't, because he's stranded without a credit to his name.

They're going to have to work together to fix things. Luckily for Zhur, Maeve has a plan. Maeve always has a plan. Unluckily for Zhur, most of Maeve's plans are bad.

...and this latest plan ends up with them being married?!?

Thoughts on When She's Common: I read this as it came out in serial format and MAN I loved watching Zhur and Maeve figure things out in their messy, by-the-seat-of-their-pants way. Zhur had a lot of growing up to do (understandable given that he's getting his first taste of freedom in his life) and Maeve was the perfect match for him because she really didn't care who he was before, just who he could be now.

Which isn't to say things went smoothly. Zhur is a spoiled, entitled male when he first lands on Maeve's doorstep. Or, well, when she first awakened him from stasis. Regardless, his family status means he's gone through life as a pampered prince with servants and retainers who find a way to provide anything he requires. Maeve is the exact opposite of that. She refuses to wait on him, questions him about things people have never questioned him about, and pushes back in the most infuriating way. Except, it becomes a whole lot less infuriating the longer Zhur spends with her.

On Maeve's end, she might not have ended up with the pet she expected, but Zhur definitely keeps her from being bored. He's arrogant, entitled, and doesn't know how to do the most basic tasks. Despite all that, he somehow ends up growing on her. He gives her something to focus on other than her crushing loneliness and he's not THAT bad of a guy. She just has to keep in mind that he's an alien on the run and he won't be sticking around. Which means she absolutely can't fall for the arrogant guy and his strong arms.

Absolutely not. She wouldn't fit into his world AT ALL. And both of them know this.

An antagonistic beginning, family drama of a rather lethal sort, an unhinged meeting with Zhur's celebrity fanboy crush, a few familiar faces, a spoiled prince in hiding, and a lady who finds Lord Hairball growing on her in the best way. I <3 these Risdaverse stories so hard!