When She Dances

Risdaverse Series

By: Ruby Dixon

Narrated by: Mason Lloyd, Jillian Macie

I never expected to spend my days as a dancing girl...but it beats the alternative. In the window of a filthy space station cantina, I gyrate my hips and hope for better days.

When I'm bought by the most intimidating alien on Three Nebulas Station, those better days are on their way. Zakoar of the Broken Back is a cyborg who deals in black market prosthetics. He's terrifying to look at, with a metal jaw and a fearsome demeanor. He intimidates everyone in the galaxy...except me.

Zakoar doesn't want my name. In fact, he doesn't want anything from me...except a little bed sport. In exchange for my willingness, he'll take me to a human-friendly planet where I can live unafraid.

Love isn't part of the bargain, but every moment that I spend with him, I learn more about the male beneath the metal...

...and I'm suddenly dreaming of a very different happy-ever-after for myself....

Contains mature themes.

©2020 Ruby Dixon (P)2021 Tantor

Great story! I didn't want to hit pause.

Very engaging storyline. I got so involved with the characters I was crying with her at one point. Loved the story and the actors did a great narration.

From Cold Steel to Molten Metal

Wowza this story took me by surprise and grabbed me right away. This feels like a variant on the grumpy sunshine dynamic but even more brutal than the last. With two survivors who are even more hungry and set in their struggle than many characters before. I really loved Zakoar and Tessa and loved that this male was very different than some of the other male characters and appreciated the realness of their struggle to find pleasure and solace with one another--it isn't insta romance and connection. Their dynamic feels hard won and hot as all get out. The spice in this story feels so honest and true to the characters and raw in a way that isn't over romanticized. This was also the first story where I wanted more spice than Ruby gave she teased and hand waved a few spicy scenes that I desperately wish she would have written because they were scorching set ups. I also loved this new world Ruby described and getting to see another side of the galaxy. This would have been a 5 star for me and is my utter favorite in the series thus far but the ending almost killed the entire thing for me. Brought all the heat to ice cold and felt so odd and forced and unnecessary. It did not feel like it added anything to the story and took me away from my favorite couple. I also again am saddened by Jillian's narration especially when she does the spice scenes as I would in all honesty be happier with Mason narrating the entire piece. Jillian will always sound more like a swooning teenage heroine in a YA story to me, and not like the intelligent, scrappy, vulnerable survivor that is Tessa. The world building, character creations, and spice are top notch and not to be missed. This is tops so far in this series.

When She Dances

I enjoyed listening to this story about Tessa, who is a slave and made to be an exotic dancer. I love that she found her true love after a terrible life on a space station. I can't wait to listen to more stories from this series.

4 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The premise and the dynamic between the characters was intriguing. This is fiction, set in a different culture, featuring a part-cyborg alien, so the problematic aspects of the plot didn't bother me like they did other readers (check out the 1 and 2 star reviews.)

What I enjoyed most about this story was the gradual change in goals/desires of the main characters. As their feelings for each other developed, they both wanted nothing more than each other.

Great

Love this story, really happy to find it on audio, love the female narrator, my only qualm is that the male narrator sounds weird sometimes. It’s pretty ignorable tho.