Thank you to Ace and Berkeley Publishing Group for the eARC approval through Netgalley.

I do judge a book by its cover, although it has bitten me in the past (TGUWG I’m looking at you). The main lure of this book for me was the beautiful first edition which will have special endpapers, stained edges, foiled case and a shimmering jacket. A book with all these things shows publisher confidence and in a sucker for the color pink.

The writing is good and you are thrown into the world immediately as things happen and bits are explained as we go. At times it did drag with the info drops, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve read, it was decent enough.

The characters are interesting and keep you entertained enough. The main character has gusto and kick to her, so you don’t mind following her journey.

The Minotaur love? It didn’t seem to really play a huge role…

The part I don’t like is relationships that start out with huge secrets… and there is one, which when revealed might mess everything up. But it does bring drama and suspense so I can’t fault the use of this trope either.

This seems like it will be the first in a series and I am interested in the characters enough to read the next installment!

I enjoy Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians series but I had a hard time getting into this book and dnf'd at 30%.

I was completely obsessed with this book! Ruby Dixon just never disappoints. The mix of a fresh fantasy concept, a minotaur hero, and a tall, plus-size FMC with glasses had me hooked right from the start. I couldn’t get enough.

I don't need super complex worldbuilding to enjoy a story; in fact, overly detailed worlds sometimes feel overwhelming. But Ruby crafted a truly fascinating fantasy realm here—complete with gods, ancient ruins, power struggles over magical objects, and even a feudal political system (which I feel is so rare!). The scenes of digging for magical relics deep underground had my heart racing—being trapped beneath layers of earth is terrifying to me—but the whole idea of a guild dedicated to recovering these sought-after artifacts was so exciting. Plus, the FMC’s dawning realization that they’re essentially grave robbing? Such a fun twist!

This was such a fun fun FUN read. Have you ever wanted to read a Gumpy x Sunshine but Grumpy is a bull? Look no farther! I’ve read a lot of Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series so this wasn’ too much of a change for me. Bull Moon Rising has a lot of world building and fantasy elements, many more than even I was expecting. Because of this like many fantasy books the beginning felt slow as I tried to adjust to all the lore and world building. But once I was cemented… boy was I really enjoying myself! This is my first read where the MMC is a bull (shocking I know) but I really really enjoyed Hawk’s character, though there were many moments where he annoyed me. I could feel the tension between him and Aspeth the entire book and loved their interactions with each other. Definitely a must read for Dixon and Monster romance fans!

Ruby Dixon is the queen of monster/alien romances, and Bull Moon Rising is such a wonderful example! Aspeth wants to restore her family name— she’s got some secrets. Hawk is wary of her… and he’s a Minotaur. A *smexy* one!

If you want a romance that is filled with spice, humor, and makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into an Indiana Jones fantasy with excellent world building (not to mention Aspeth’s character growth) — this has to be on your list!

I’ve already bought this as a Christmas gift for several friends, and I know they’re going to love it. Go pick this up!

This was so good. Really fun world building, loved the plot, the found family and really fun side characters- i hope there is more coming in this series! It had me swooning and laughing out loud the entire time

Ruby Dixon is an autobuy all time favorite author and this? THIS was everything. I am so excited to have a new world and the mix of historical steam punk vibes were fantastic.

This was SO GOOD. I guess this is the sort of "Romantasy" I can get behind because it marries monster romance and fantasy. There are actual stakes and a fascinating plot running alongside the marriage of convenience between our hero and heroine.

Aspeth is a Lord's daughter who longs to work for the Royal Artifact Guild because she's a bookish heroine but also because her father's Hold is in trouble. There are no artifacts to protect the Hold or money. She was supposed to be married to Barnabus but he disrespected her and he was only in it for the money and there is none so she breaks the engagement and heads to Vastwarren with her maid Gwenna to try to enter the Guild and try to acquire treasures for her family. Women are not exactly allowed in the Guild and so Aspeth propositions Hawk, the Taurian who works for the Guild and needs a partner for the Conquest Moon that is approaching. A group of five rag-tag teammates study and train to become guild members and all the while there's sabotage, plots and political machinations. Aspeth and Hawk deepen their attraction to each other in anticipation of the Conquest Moon and a lot is revealed about many characters. Let's just say this book has found family, an adorable cat, and you can file it under "never meet your heroes." When the intimate scenes happen, you can count on them to be hot and steamy like in any other Ruby Dixon book.

I cannot wait to see what Ruby Dixon does next in this series. I hope we get more from Gwenna, Aspeth's maid and bestie. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

The world building in this is incredible and not something that I’ve seen in other books. It’s very unique and often times I forgot that I was reading a monster romance.

However, I will also say that I come from reading primarily ice planet barbarians and so I’m used to short stories with a lot of of spice. This was definitely on the longer end and the pic only happened. I would say in about 10% of the book. Set your expectations going in and you won’t be disappointed.

Are you:
-Someone who also had a passionate obsession with The Mummy that led to a lifelong interest in archaeology and treasure hunting?

-Looking for a fun, refreshing romance with heaps of spice and underground labyrinths?

-Someone who doesn’t mind MMCs with hooves?

Then call Ruby Dixon for a good time.

Bull Moon Rising was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and while it was fun, spicy, and interesting enough to make it an easy, entertaining read, I was left a bit wanting in terms of the plot and the pacing. It took me a lot longer than usual to get through this one, and I chalk that largely up to a bit of a meandering, redundant plot – but then again, you pick up a book about underground treasure hunting, there’s not a whole lot of worldbuilding that’s going to happen outside of that, ya know?

The story here is about Aspeth, heir to a struggling kingdom due to her father’s relentless gambling. A lifelong book nerd with a penchant for the historic ruins, language, and culture of the civilization that existed before theirs, she decides to take matters into her own hands by joining the archaeological guild to hunt down magical artifacts that would protect her and her father in the event the vultures start circling.

Enter: a delicious marriage of convenience with a Taurian – a minotaur species that are relegated to rescue missions underground and offered limited opportunity to rise in rank despite their unmatched skill in Underground Stuff as her entree into the guild.

Aspeth is in need of a chaperone to gain acceptance into the prestigious guild, and Hawk is in need of a wife to see him through the Bull Moon – a particularly virile time for Taurian males as they enter…The Rut. YES, THERE IS RUTTING. THERE ARE KNOTS. THERE ARE COPIOUS FLUIDS. Minotaur romances are not for the fainthearted in that regard, but if you’re on the hunt for some A+++ scorching monster smut? You’ll love sweet, feral Hawk.

Ultimately this was good, but it just lacked the fun, zany spirit that Ruby tends to weave into her stories, and the plot felt rather plodding for its length. It was still a satisfying ride, though – so pick this up if you’re in the mood for a treasure hunting minotaur to sweep you off your feet. And then knot you.

4 Stars

Take wild adventures of India Holton’s books, mix in the spicy romance of the feminist regency ladies in Evil Dunmore’s books, then add a dash of Monsters U (the band of misfit monsters led by Mike and Sully), garnished with Ruby Dixon’s trademark magical monster love and BOOM YOUVE GOT THIS BOOK.

The fantastical world of magical artifact retrieval was so fun and well fleshed out, and I just adored the entire cast of guild apprentices. Their journey alone made the story riveting. But honestly, the marriage of convince and the knotting is what kept us all engaged AND YOU KNOW IT.

What I didn’t expect to love was the subtle commentary on discrimination as well as the timely arguments made against archiving and history (and who should own it).

Ruby Dixon’s books are so bingeable and engaging and honestly they just keep getting better and spicier. Give me alllllll of her books.

Wow! This was such a good book. I will now be reading everything by the author. Beautifully written!

Bull Moon Rising is a book about a magical archeological dig that features a marriage-of-convenience trope between a minotaur and a human noblewoman on the run. Only Ruby Dixon could make me read this. Only Ruby Dixon could make me like it.

Lady Aspeth is a Holder in need of an artifact to save her family's hold. So she ventures out to become a member of the Royal Artifactual Guild and that's when the trouble begins. (1) She's female, (2) hard work is not in her nature, (3) book smarts are not enough. Because she's female she needs a chaperone and with Hawk, a Minotaur, is getting ready to go into rut, they agree to marry.

The romance was sweet with grumpy Hawk quickly becoming obsessed with Aspeth, and Aspeth has no idea what she's in for. The secondary characters quickly bonded together and became a family willing to risk everything for Aspeth.

This book was much better than I anticipated. I found the characters delightful and laughed out loud throughout the book and eagerly look forward to the next installment.

I received this advance review copy from NetGalley & the publisher for my honest review.

Some may already know this, but I'm a total sucker for Ice Planet Barbarians. It’s mindless smut and ridiculousness, but I just eat it up. Going into this book, I expected a similar vibe—short, steamy, and to the point. But this story didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I didn’t go in expecting a deep plot or major character development, but even so, it just didn’t flow or have the “wow” factor as I’d hoped. I found myself bored and ready for it to end. Unlike Ice Planet Barbarians, which keeps things simple and focused, this book felt unnecessarily drawn out, with too much happening just to stretch the story. The premise had potential, and I really thought I’d enjoy it more, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

Ruby Dixon has already been one of my comfort authors and with this book, she solidified her spot on that list. This isn't my first Minotaur smutty read (a sentence I never thought I'd write) but this one was so much better than anything I could've expected. It blew me away and I had such fun! It's gonna be one I re-read at some point.

This sub-genre isn't my favorite, but I enjoyed it for the most part. The world-building is good, with interesting potential. But I couldn't get over my annoyance with Aspeth.

I love Ruby’s ice planet barbarian books! I’m up to book 8 so far.
Had to grab this one cause I’ve always been fascinated by Minotaurs. Just love how Aspeth who is a highborn daughter, who runs off and tries to save her family. She’s awkward but lovely with horrible eyesight and only nobles have spectacles. She’s just squinting and getting close to everything lol so no one notices.
Hawk the Minotaur needs a group of 5 recruits and he somehow ends up with her and 3 other women and a lizard. They are a laughingstock to the guild cause apparently women aren’t allowed except one who is a drunk now.
Aspeth talked Hawk into being her chaperone by marrying her cause there’s a conquest moon that puts the Minotaurs into heat so he agreed. There’s also talk of rutting and knots and these two are just adorable as they explore their relationship.
The exploring for artifacts in caves and trying to pass all the tests is fun and frustrating at times cause they aren’t given a fair shot.
Definitely add this to your list if you like fantasy, romance and adventure!

This was extremely unhinged and very entertaining and I ended up liking this book more than I expected. There was such good tension between Aspeth and Hawk and I loved that Aspeth was able to hold her own against him. She's quirky, resilient, and funny and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked her character. Hawk, on the other hand, is grumpy and obsessive and I thought he was a solid character. The side characters were also a nice addition to the story and I loved the way they developed into a team. I always love a good found family trope.

I was satisfied with how Hawk and Aspeth's story wrapped up at the end of this book and I definitely plan on reading more books in this world.

Ruby Dixon welcomes us to a new world in Bull Moon Rising. The book starts a bit slow because there is a lot of world building. Like her Ice Planet Barbarian series, this has a non-human male lead. In this case, a Minotaur!

I liked the plot and the characters! The romance feels a bit more like side plot, and oddly, I was okay with that. The story was interesting and kept me turning pages. I adored Aspeth! She is so endearing. I enjoyed the archeology vibe as well (it reminded me of Indiana Jones, but with monsters).

Bull Moon Rising could have been shorter. It felt like it dragged in places and it took away from what was a good plotline! On a personal note, I hate the term "rut" or "rutting". Its just not attractive at all. So, that kind of turned me off. This book had good bones-interesting characters, exciting plot-and if a few things were changed, I would have absolutely adored it! It was still a solid read for me!