I've been on a Ruby Dixon binge lately (IPB, anyone?) and was utterly thrilled to be approved for her next book! BULL MOON RISING was delightful from start to finish. Aspeth, the main character, was so fun to read. She was equal parts bossy, determined, and naive, which was a fun combination that made her easy to root for. Because of her privileged upbringing, she didn't have a lot of "real world" experience when it came to...pretty much anything. Other characters thought she was spoiled and bratty, but after spending a few pages in her head, it was easy to see the truth. Despite her life as a rich holder's daughter, she was incredibly lonely and also determined to turn things around for her struggling family and the people relying on them.

Her distinct personality was really fun to read, especially with Hawk, aka minotaur husband of convenience, brought into the picture. Hawk was the grumpy non-human love interest I was waiting for. When Aspeth suggested a marriage of convenience meant to help her achieve her goals and help Hawk through the Conquest Moon (when every minotaur goes through a rut--my fanfiction loving self was screaming) I was HOOKED. Like yes, please marry this dude who literally can't control himself around you. The chemistry between the two of them was there immediately, as much as they both tried to deny it, and I loved watching them tiptoe around each other in some ways (emotional) while totally breaking barriers in others (physically). The romance and the plot blended together seamlessly and I shamelessly stayed up WAY too late to finish because I HAD to know what was going to happen!!

Anyway, Ruby Dixon slayed with this one, as per usual. Highly recommend!!
(Social post about the book to come soon.)

🌙 𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 🌙

Title: Bull Moon Rising
Author: @author.ruby.dixon
Release Date: October 15, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶

"𝓓𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝔀𝓴𝓼 𝓱𝓾𝓷𝓽 𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀𝓼?" "𝓣𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶." 🥴

Thank you, @netgalley, @berkleypub, and @author.ruby.dixon for the eARC copy of Bull Moon Rising! This was my first ever Ruby Dixon read and my first archeology read. I loved every minute of it! It was such a fun read.

Aspeth is such a fun, quirky, nerdy, cute character, and Hawk is such a cinnamon roll. He is just the absolute sweetest and gives off alpha-hole vibes but is so caring and gentle. I blushed and may or may not have kicked my feet while reading about these two. The secondary characters are just the cutest and real. Kipp (slitherskin) is absolutely adorable, and I just love him. The character development was so well done. Let's be real, this whole book was done so incredibly well.

The archeology aspect sucked me right in! It was interesting learning about the old prellian and all the different artifacts. Definite Indiana Jones/Lara Croft Tombraider vibes. There is also a chubby orange cat named squeaker 🥹🐈

This is set back in a time when women weren't seen as equals and were heavily discriminated against. However, that didn't stop Aspeth and her friends and our sweet slitherskin, Kipp, from joining the Artifactual Guild. I could go on and on about how much I loved this book.

I will also add that this was my first Minotaur/Human read, and the spice was absolutely hot 🥵

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
🌙 Human / Minotaur (Taurian)
⛏️ Marriage of convenience
🌙Jealous/Possessive/Grumpy MMC
⛏️ Hidden Identity / Royalty
🌙 Size difference
⛏️ Knotting
🌙 Voyeurism
⛏️ Strong/Curvy/Virgin FMC
🌙 Teacher/Student *both are adults* no power imbalance
⛏️ High Stakes
🌙 Found Family

There is a slow start to the plot, but once Aspeth meets the guild the plot moves along nicely. Here the cast of characters expands as well. Not to say that Aspeth and Gwenna are dull, but Hawk and the fledglings balance out the cast of characters. Readers may be concerned or uncomfortable with a minotaur male main character, but let me reassure them that once invested in the story (and you will be) it doesn't matter. Eagerly awaiting the next in the series, and wondering will these be standalones or follow Aspeth and Hawk.

This books is cozy with mystery and intrigue. Those looking forward to a spice filled book will not be disappointed, but should keep in mind this is a slower burn than Dixon's past novels.

Recommend to readers who enjoy Dixon, but also books like The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer (just forewarn them about the spice). If someone wanted to be Evie from The Mummy, be an archivist, work in a museum, or enjoyed mining in Stardew Valley this book is for you.

I wasn't sure what was to be expected from a minitour romance (ok, yes I really did) but I honestly loved every second of this book!

What do you get when you add a group of misfits no one is rooting for, a fancy holders daughter in hiding, a marriage of convenience, and very large minitour about to go into the rutting season?! A whole lot of fun. Come for the story, stay for the knotting. I swear Ruby Dixon is a champ at making me fall hard for things I didn't think I needed in life.

Holy Moly! I was a little nervous because the first bit of the book had a lot of, like, world-building, and I was worried that this would not be a good book for me, but all of a sudden, it was 20% in, and I was HOOKED. This was so fun!!!! Aspeth is SO unprepared for the reality of the situation, but I love that she was always like, well, okay, let's figure out a plan! And I feel like we all need a friend like Gwenna. She was one of my favorite characters. I really loved all the 5. It felt like this rag-tag team of misfits, but they all had each other's back, and I grew to really love them. Hawk... Ooo, I loved how grumpy he was. I loved how he was always so exasperated with Aspeth, and he loved her. They were really cute together. This was such a fun adventure. I ended up really loving the world and the whole adventure; I was really hooked and could not put this down!

I shockingly loved this book! I had never read a minotaur romance before, and honestly forgot this was one until Hawk would flick his tail or stomp a hoof. I loved the marriage of convenience between Aspeth and Hawk. Their relationship was cute as it slowly started to develop. Outside of the relationship, this book had a great cast of characters. There was tons of adventure with the guild, which kept me entertained.

Ruby Dixon has once again proven why she’s my go-to comfort read author with Bull Moon Rising. Having devoured her Ice Planet Barbarians series, I was excited to dive into this brand-new book, and it did not disappoint!

In Bull Moon Rising, we meet Aspeth a noblewoman whose father’s reckless gambling has put their family in jeopardy. To save her family and their magical artifacts, Aspeth decides to join the Royal Artifactual Guild, despite the guild’s restrictive policies against women. Hawk is everything you’d want in a romance hero: rough around the edges but incredibly sweet beneath his tough facade. His chemistry with Aspeth is electric, and I adored watching her evolve as she stands up for what she believes in and fights to achieve her dreams. Their relationship, rooted in a marriage of convenience, blossoms into something much deeper, filled with tenderness and genuine connection.

The camaraderie among the misfit group of adventurers in the story adds another layer of charm to the book. The dynamic of the team working together to retrieve magical artifacts is both engaging, inspiring and entertaining. Dixon’s attention to consent and communication within the romance is also noteworthy, adding a layer of authenticity and depth to the relationship.

Bull Moon Rising is a sweet, engaging read that combines adventure, romance, and a touch of magical intrigue. The blend of rough-hewn romance and a marriage of convenience trope made for a captivating read that I could easily re-read again and again!

What a fun ride! This was my second Ruby Dixon, and I really think I'll give more of hers a shot. I'm a big mythology fan, so this was a pretty great one for me to read. Also, THAT COVER!!!!

Bull Moon Rising

I just love Ruby Dixon’s worlds. From Not Hoth to now the seedy town of Vastwarren and the buried civilization of Old Prell. The way I get lost in her writing and think I’m in a tunnel digging for magical artifacts is astounding.

I loved every character from the weird slitherskin(turtle lizard guy) who doesn’t speak but is probably the sweetest to our MMC Hawk the Minotaur.

The story evolves from our little sheltered rich girl Aspeth needing to rebuild her family’s fortune since her father gambled it all away. She does this by trying to enter the all boys club of the Royal Artifactual Guild and has lil success as women often do.

She finagles her way in by trading away her V-card very wantonly to Hawk who agrees to chaperone her and let her on as a trainee. He marries her because he needs a body to ‘rut’ during the every five year “Conquest Moon” where the male Minotaurs basically go in heat for five days and can’t stop dropping loads on the ladies. There’s an eloquent backstory there but you get the gist.

This book is set in a fully developed world that’s begging to be explored more of. I mean Ruby dropped once that there was fae in this world ONCE towards the end and my eyes bugged out.

All in all, it’s such a fun read that I honestly forget that the concept of knotting gives me the ick because of how much I loved all the characters. Even the excessively shedding cat Squeaker.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ace publishing for the chance to read this ARC. It was easily one of my favorite ARCs this year.

I love anything and everything by Ruby Dixon and this book was no different. Plus, THAT COVER! I know they say don't judge a book by it's cover but it's just so PRETTY!

4.5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This is my first book by Ruby Dixon and it might not be my last. After MGMF, I knew I was probably going to settle in for some good monster books, but I never would have imagined they would be some of the best romance I've ever read.

Bull Moon Rising follows Aspeth Honori as she tries to hide her true identity in the pursuit of magical artifacts. With a group that comprises of fellow women, a turtle person, and a drunk, they face an uphill battle for respect and acceptance in the guild. Enter a Minotaur teacher who is kind, sweet, and...looking to get a little busy. What's a girl to do? Marry him so she can become his apprentice and then find magical artifacts to save her home, that's what.

Truly, this was such a fun read. I loved Aspeth and her ragtag group of guild hopefuls. They had the odds stacked against them, but by damn they did it. I will say, the constant flouting the rules and being surprised that they got in trouble grew tiring after a while, but I would still love to read whatever Dixon has for us next in the series.

"Bull Moon Rising" by Ruby Dixon is a captivating blend of fantasy and romance, set in a world filled with mythical creatures and unexpected love. The chemistry between the main characters is electric, pulling you into their unique and intense relationship. Dixon’s vivid world-building and engaging storytelling make this book a thrilling escape into a fantastical realm.

I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Ruby Dixon's writing but I was not really feeling this one. I would have probably appreciated it more without the Taurian romance aspect or as a Taurian romance without the archeological digging. It truly felt like two disparate stories for more than 50% of the book in my opinion. Every time I would get invested in the archeological aspect I was rudely interrupted by a horny Taurian and student. I still think the writing is well done but it felt like two books forced to merge and it didn't serve either book well. I will continue to read Ruby Dixon's work because I do enjoy her writing, I think this was just a one-off.

This Victorian Era fantasy novel has a little bit of everything. Magic, minotaur's, lizard guys, a patriarchal hellscape that Aspeth tries to navigate in order to save her worthless gambling addict father. In order to join the elite magical artifact guild she must hide who she is and marry a minotaur. However, she is not exactly cut out for hard physical labor and she can't help but fall for her husband.

Loved this book!! Ruby Dixon never fails. I knew the book was going to be great from the cover alone. Can we take just a few more seconds to admire the cover? Holy cow I've never seen a more beautiful book.

As a romance girly I really enjoyed this! Ruby Dixon is just so fun with her writing!
The stakes felt so high but also the marriage of convince made sense!!!
I loved the FMC so much, and loved the romance which was very swoon worthy:)

If I am not on here screaming about a Ruby Dixon book, please come find me because I've been abducted.

Thousands of years ago, Prell was a mighty kingdom full of wizardry and magic. Angry gods struck the land, and it sank below the earth. It turns out that the city itself was built upon a network of caverns, and so the ruins of Prell themselves are scattered in a warren of tunnels.

Aspeth knows the importance of magical artifacts... which is why it's a disaster when her father gambles all of theirs away.

Now that her family is in danger of losing everything, Aspeth decides to join the Royal Artifactual Guild to join those who explore the ancient underground ruins of Prell to retrieve these coveted magical items.

It's a great plan, with one giant problem... the guild won't let her train because she's a woman.

Aspeth needs a chaperone. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own... and also... he's a minotaur... and also her teacher.... And also he's about to go into rut.... And he has no idea that Aspeth is of noble blood....

This book is Indiana Jones, meets Peaky Blinders, meets The Mummy, meets Atlantis The Lost Empire.

It's spicy romance with fantasy and I... am having a conniption... I absolutely devoured it.

I don't know how Ruby does it, but she builds these worlds that are so unique, detailed, and layered and is STILL able to make everything easy to understand and digest. I want to live in this world. I want to explore this world. At the end of the book I was just like... I need more of this world. I really do.

Aspeth's love of ancient artifacts and her fan girl obsession over the history is so fun and reminds me of my own obsessions over books and genres that I love. It's so fun to witness someone else have a passion they're obsessed about and could talk forever on the subject lol. SO RELATABLE.

This book is full of underdogs and outcasts and it makes you feel less alone.

The growth that Aspeth goes through is inspiring. Learning to open up and lean on those you know you can count on and realizing that you don't have to take care of everything yourself is a really important message.

One of my favorite quotes in the book is "a corrupted pool poisons all that drink from it." Make sure you surround yourself with the people who lift you up and make life worth living.

The book is laugh out loud funny. When I tell you the jokes and banter going on here will have you howling. And then a page later you have tears in your eyes over the love and support and courage of this found family.

The supporting characters of this book are incredible. They're such an important part of the story, to call them supporting characters doesn't even truly match how much they bring to the table.

There are parts of this book that are scary, claustrophobic, and that keep you on the edge of your seat. There are epic missions and adventures. This was an action adventure movie playing out in my head and I couldn't get enough of it.

Hawk's nickname for Aspeth had me weak in the knees.

The spice... threw me into hysterics. It was so carnal and profound... honestly you may want to read this book alone....

This book is a story about courage, discovering that everyone brings different strengths to the table, and all of those unique strengths should be celebrated.

It's a story about finding love and accepting it. And that the path laid out isn't necessarily the path you have to walk.

This book makes you dig deep... literally and figuratively. Please don't pass up the opportunity to go on this adventure. Bull Moon Rising comes out October 15". This book is a must read.

I loved this book. As a "relatively" new reader of Ruby Dixon, (less than ten books) I know that her books will have some sort of specialty male, ie: magical, alien or in this case a minotaur, sorry -Taurian and of course a healthy dose of smut. This book does not disappoint. I was surprised at the more fantasy aspect rather than the romance aspect of this book. I actually really liked the world building and thought it was really creative.

The fact that the main character, Aspeth, wanted to basically be Indiana Jones was awesome. She is essentially royalty but spends the whole book trying to hide it. Even going so far as to not use her glasses, which she desperately needed, since only the rich could afford them. She was typically very sheltered except for her passion which is studying this ancient civilization, Prellian. This becomes kind of hilarious when it comes to her lacking any kind of real world smarts and comes off as pretty naive. Thankfully, she meets our MMC, Hawk, who is more than happy to teach her all the things. He is a Taurian and all around really good guy\bull. All Taurians are affected by something called the Conquest Moon where they go into rut and need to bang almost constantly. Oh darn.

My favorite throughout the whole book though, is Kipp. He is a slitherskin, that carries his house around with him everywhere he goes. I kind of imagined a mix between a turtle and a chameleon. Best character and he doesn't even say a word. All the secondary characters were pretty cool and had their own rolls to play. All in all, a very entertaining book with a diverse cast of characters. Oh, and the smut was fun too. Thank you Net Galley and Ruby Dixon for the ARC and the opportunity to read this awesome book.

Aspeth needs run away to become a guild artifact-hunter to save her family, because reasons, and ends up in a marriage of convenience with Hawk, a Taurian (AKA Minotaur). This read as more of a fantasy than a romance to me - it was very much about Aspeth trying to save herself and her family, while also chasing her dreams. There's a great bunch of secondary characters - Kipp, a short frog-like being, was probably my favorite of the whole book!

I absolutely adored this. Ruby hits it out of the park every time for me. If there is one author I can trust to never let me down, it’s Ruby Dixon. Whenever you think “I wonder if she will go there…” she does, and 9 times out of 10 goes beyond there.