Thank you, @Author.Ruby.Dixon and @BerkleyRomance for my free @NetGalley ebook. #BerkleyPartner #BerkleyBookstagram #Berkley

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Bull Moon Rising (Royal Artifactual Guild, Book 1) by Ruby Dixon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 432 / Genre: Romantasy
Release Date: October 15, 2024

As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori grew up spoiled and entitled, but also ignored and lonely. So when she finds out that her father has gambled away the magical artifacts that make them wealthy, she decides to run away and join the Royal Artifactual Guild in hopes of finding some more magical artifacts and save her family. Although she’s not used to being on her own in the real world, Aspeth is smart, practical, and quick-thinking. When she finds out she can’t train because she’s a woman, she enters into a marriage of convenience with a grumpy Minotaur, who’s a teacher and in desperate need of a rutting partner for the upcoming Conquest Moon.

Fully aware that this was going to be a super steamy read given Ruby Dixon’s reputation, I was a little disappointed for the first 20% of this book. It read more like a YA adventure. Once it got going, it ramped up pretty quickly though. I really liked Aspeth. She’s bold and motivated but also open to other people’s ideas. She’s also no damsel in distress, she goes after what she wants in a very practical way. I still prefer aliens over Minotaurs but this was an enlightening read nonetheless. Now I’m looking forward to the sequel, By the Horns, due out in September.

Definitely a trickier read for me as the world building is unique but also a bit overwhelming if you aren’t an experienced fantasy reader! This was my first of Ruby’s books that I’ve read and was a freebie scoop up netgalley offered a few months back! It was an entertaining read and the romance was great. It released last October but it was still fun to experience and now I feel like I need to pick up ice planet barbarians asap!

Thank you for making this an open offer and allowing me to read this one!!

Aspeth is a Holder’s daughter meaning that she has always been sheltered and kept away in her Father’s hold. She spends all of her time researching the royal artifact guilds, learning old language and identifying glyphs. When she learns her father has gambled away all of their holds’ artifacts she devises a plan to slip away and join the royal guild with her maid. However unbeknownst to her women aren’t normally welcomed. She finds herself having to go about things a bit differently, like by propositioning a Minotaur into marriage.
Hawk is used to working extra hard and having to prove himself just because he is a Taurine. Although he is suited best for the tunnels and constantly having to assist in rescue missions he isn’t treated well enough by the guild. He has even had to step up recently and teach newcomers because his mentor the notorious Magpie has been failing every single time she is suppose to teach. With a conquest moon cycle approaching he would prefer a partner he knows and Aspeth’s suggestion of a marriage of convenience might be the answer to his most pressing problem.
A very entertaining fast paced romance with a bunch of fun adventuring. I enjoyed the friends Aspeth made along the way, especially her friendship with Gwenna. I also loved learning about the authors inspirations for creating this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This book was truly delightful. I loved the main characters and the secondary characters, and especially the cat. I do feel at some point the romance became separated from the main plot and they became two stories shoved in one. I loved the moments of Hawk and Aspeth together and would have appreciated more of that. Overall, very fun and entertaining adventure story splashed with a Minotaur romance.

MUCH thanks to Ruby Dixon, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beware spoilers

I'm a recent Ruby Dixon fan, and I knew I wanted to read this book the moment I first read the premise and saw the pretty cover last year. Life happened and I wasn't able to read it right away when it came out last fall, but when it appeared in a NetGalley email this spring, I've never clicked a link so fast.

It wasn't what I expected. They very much gloss over the feudalistic setting in the blurb and cover. Opalescent rainbow has no relevance to the story, it's merely eye-catching; constellations aren't so much as mentioned in the story; and the character art does not at all represent medieval-style clothing. The only hint of feudalism in the blurb is vague mention of guilds and holds. I haven't read Dixon's work extensively (give me time) but my impression is that she doesn't do much in a historical-esque setting, more futuristic and alt-modern. So I was expecting something relatively modern, and was taken aback to find horse-drawn carriages, lady's maids, chamber pots, unprocessed food, and rampant sexism. But it was well done, in my opinion. The world-building was fantastic, every unwashed, plague-ridden crevice of it. God, people had to stink back then. The <i>diseases</i>. *shudders*

Hawk and Aspeth's relationship wasn't super well developed; it really felt to me like she was nothing but a pest to him until close to the end, when a switch was flipped--everything she says and does annoys him, he doesn't trust her an inch, they're barely friends, he's just tolerating her, then suddenly garsh-golly-shucks, he lurrrrvs her. He was reasonable, they talked a lot, he was patient with her sexually, he made an effort to establish a relationship--but he never made her laugh. He never went out of his way to make her feel better, unless it was having some form of sex. When it counted, he made her feel worse, actually. He was serious and proud, not an ounce of fun in him. He's a nice, upstanding guy, but I feel like, as silly as Aspeth could be at times, and with her high anxiety, she needed someone who could relax and play a game and <i>laugh</i>. They struck me as an incompatible couple. Perhaps if he'd found out who she was earlier and he'd had more time to get over that betrayal and grow fond of her as her honest self . . . maybe if she'd improved in her training at all and he took note and encouraged and admired her . . . but that didn't happen.

The obvious caveat being the Conquest Moon--he wasn't himself, he was stressed, he was tense, he was frustrated, he was just an overall crabby patty. I understand, but he was still a bore; don't expect me to like him much if that's how he's presented.

Aspeth was more sympathetic but no saint. She kept a lot of secrets, and even after she and Hawk fought over her secret-keeping, even after all her secrets were exposed, she kept more from him right up to the end, which he uncharacteristically overlooked. I was very disappointed in her. It's like no one learned from their mistakes in this book.

I have to mention the cat. I generally like cats, but I don't have one because I know what a mess they can make, not the least of which is the amount of hair they shed. I mentally cringed at every mention of hair coming off that cat. Clumps of it. Everywhere. Stuck to everything. It made my nose tickle just reading about it. Gross.

I wish there'd been more treasure hunting and magic wielding, less miserable weather and training montages. We heard so much about wondrous artifacts and the cool things they could do, but saw very little of them. The Magpie Five were underdogs and had plenty of conflict and setbacks, that's great, but they never got any better. Aspeth certainly didn't. They were incompetent from start to finish, and that's unsatisfying storytelling, for them to go through all that only to wind up exactly where they started or worse. They didn't get stronger or smarter. They didn't even luck into victory at the end. I wanted those human men, all those stuffy, bullying guild members to fucking eat crow. But they didn't. They were proven right, in fact, and boy did that hurt to swallow. Aspeth didn't triumph and achieve her goal against all odds, her family situation just kinda took care of itself. It's almost like the story ended at the black moment plot point, followed by a half-assed denouement to tie up ends. Very unsatisfying, though Aspeth and Hawk did more or less get a happily-ever-after, which was nice. So points for realistic consequences, I guess, but it was disappointing.

While Magpie herself can rot in hell--it's unfortunate the only woman held in any esteem in the novel was a murderous, backstabbing drunk--I loved the Magpie Five, especially scene-stealer Kipp. He was kind to everyone, he was positive, and he never gave up. I <i>adored</i> Kipp. Though I wasn't entirely sure how to imagine him--lizard, snail, human child? He could have been better described. I kept picturing a bizarre cross between a human child and a gecko that lives in a giant snail shell. At one point I wondered if I was supposed to imagine someone with dwarfism, but he wasn't described as a short-statured adult, he was described as adorable and child-sized. So I don't know. Gwenna was no-nonsense and loyal to her dying breath. Lark had no filter but was a team player and grew on me. I kept imagining Mereden as a mermaid more than a priestess; I suppose because of her seaside home and "mer" in her name.

However, I can't say I liked any of them well enough to want to read sequels focused on each of them, but that's Dixon's MO and that's what we'll get. If we get a Kipp book, though, Dixon really needs to work on her description of him, because I can't stomach the thought of a childlike creature having graphic sex. But I have to say, after reading the blurb for By the Horns, which is about Gwenna and Hawk's friend Rapter, I'm intrigued. Even looking forward to it. If any of the Magpie Five is going to shove the guilds' dicks in their mouths, it's Gwenna. If whoever at Berkley is reading this also has power over NetGalley approvals, please approve my request for By the Horns!

who knew I'd read a RD book and want more plot??

while i get that the "conquest moon" was like a fire starter to the rest of the plot happening, it felt so 'meh' by the time we got to it. i wasn't really convinced on their romance; aspeth seemed way too cool for him and hawk was just boring. i wish we had gotten to see more of the five's dynamic and the romance could be more secondary. it felt like, dare i say it, too much smut alongside a pretty decent plot. now i just want a book about Old Prell, especially the couple who gave each other those rings. i don't care about any other Taurians getting partners. i want to learn about the ancient magic, explore the ruins, and see what those artifacts were created to do.

I picked this up on a whim because I needed something different to get me out of a slump and I actually really enjoyed this story. I liked the mix of adventure and romance. Aspeth was such a cunning character and I was invested very early on in both her ability to join the guild and her marriage of convenience with Hawk. I knew from the way Hawk spoke about Aspeth very early on that he was gonna be such a secret sweetheart.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, to NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon is an EASY Five Star Read for me (maybe even the elusive six stars, if I am perfectly honest), and I am so glad that I took a chance on reading this book. If I am honest, it is rare that a Romantasy book rates this high for me, as it is not my favorite genre. I prefer more high fantasy or strictly romance, but this one hit the right notes and made me laugh, cry, and feel all of the things.

I have been thinking about Aspeth and Hawk constantly since I finished the book. The world-building was first-rate in this book, and I love that there was a significant amount of information about the past of the royals and the artifacts, and how everything intertwines together. I need to go back and read this again and annotate all of the history and things that may come back up in the next book.

This was my first read by Ruby Dixon, and it will not be my last. I genuinely cannot wait to read the next installment of this series when it releases. I have already pre-ordered it because I am so excited to see what happens next.

I have been meaning to pick up a Ruby Dixon book for ages, and whew, what a place to start! Aspeth and Hawk are the monster / human couple we all deserve. Marriage of convenience plus The Mummy vibes plus knotting?? Sign me up all day every day! Fun, spicy and a great adventure to boot. Can't wait to continue with her books!

I’m not sure what I expected when I signed up to read a ✨minotaur romance✨ but it certainly wasn’t all this. and by that, I mean a story of archeological adventurers, royalty in disguise, and forgotten magic, with secrets and twists around every corner.

the amount of time spent world-building and character-developing was pretty extensive, and it gave the story so much more depth and interest. I adore Aspeth and all her quirks — with Hawk’s no-nonsense demeanor, they had me giggling and kicking my feet throughout the whole 400+ pages. the side characters were just as intriguing (I seriously need a picture of Kipp the slitherskin), the magic system and the world were unique, and the stakes were just high enough to make this a fun and surprisingly cozy fantasy read.

I now understand how Ruby Dixon can write a 20+ book alien romance series and somehow people are reading all of them. I get it. this was a blast to read. thanks to Berkeley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the copy. I liked it so much (and the cover is so pretty) that I had to go get a physical copy for myself!

📘 𝔹𝕦𝕝𝕝 𝕄𝕠𝕠𝕟 ℝ𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘
✍️ 𝕓𝕪 ℝ𝕦𝕓𝕪 𝔻𝕚𝕩𝕠𝕟
𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕣𝕖: ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕪
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

🌖 Aspeth, an educated heiress leaves her home and joins an artifact hunting guild in the hopes of bolstering her family’s fortunes and saving her people from the perils of conquest. To secure a chaperone for her role in the guild she agrees to a marriage of convenience with Hawk, a Taurian, where she commits to serve as his consort during the heat of the upcoming mating season. Both get more than they bargained for when they catch feelings for each other.

Judge me all you want but I really liked this one. It has an actual, honest-to-god, GOOD plot! And thoughtful, relatable characters with DEPTH! It provides commentary on important social issues like equal rights, discrimination, political corruption, and institutional poverty. It’s clear and coherent and expertly ties up all the loose ends.

And the romance is, frankly, smoking hot.

✨𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝.✨

I know you’re thinking, but she’s a human and he’s a Minotaur. And sure, that’s weird, but I honestly kept forgetting that Hawk wasn’t a human. Occasionally Dixon would remind me with a reference to his fur or his muzzle or his excessive urge to mate, but mostly I just read him as a big, hot man who’s really into his woman. Well done Ms. Dixon.

Check this one out if you’re adventurous, passionate about social injustices, can’t pass up a found family trope, and like your books extra spicy. Pairs well with a glass of ice water, a string of pearls for clutching, and your best church lady fan.

I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did. It was a lot more fantasy and adventure than I thought it would be. There was definitely romance and smut, but more plot than I was expecting.

Minotaur smut wasn’t something I thought I’d ever read, but I’ll definitely continue the series. I loved the romance between Aspeth and Hawk. The entire cast of characters was great too, I’m really glad the second book is going to focus on one of the other members of Aspeth’s group.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do to protect your family’s legacy? That’s the question Aspeth must answer after her father gambles away their heirloom artifacts—symbols of their wealth and the very tools that protect their hold. Determined to restore what was lost, Aspeth and her loyal maid, Gwenna, set out to join the Royal Artifactual Guild. But the guild isn’t exactly welcoming to women, and finding a team willing to take her on proves difficult. When one finally agrees, there’s a catch: she must have a chaperone.

Enter Hawk—a stoic Minotaur and assistant to her potential guild master—who’s facing a dilemma of his own. With the Conquest Moon approaching, Hawk is about to go into rut, and without a mate, the consequences could be disastrous for the team. Aspeth sees an opportunity and proposes a marriage of convenience. But will this union give them what they want—or more than they ever expected?

What I loved most about this book was the richly imagined world. Magical artifacts and Minotaurs? Yes please! At its core, this is a story about preserving legacy—something many of us can relate to. The writing is accessible, the plot satisfying, and loose ends are neatly tied up, which I always appreciate.

At heart, this is a romance, though it may not appeal to everyone. There are several intimate scenes between the main characters, which could be a turnoff for some readers (pun intended). However, for fans of spicy romantasy featuring mythical beings, this book is a definite win.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing/Ace for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review, ahead of the next installment in the series.

4.5

Absolutely OBSESSED with this book!

This is everything I didn’t know I needed—funny, sexy, emotionally satisfying, and just the right amount of unhinged (in the BEST way). Ruby has once again proven she’s the queen of creating wild, imaginative worlds and pairing them with swoon-worthy romance.

The dynamic between the hero and heroine? Chef’s kiss. He’s a bull shifter (YES, really), which somehow makes it incredibly hot, heartfelt, and hilarious. The heroine is sharp, brave, and doesn't take nonsense from anyone—and watching her navigate this bonkers world with sass and grit was pure joy. Their chemistry is excellent, even though this is a slow burn, and I wanted more knotting.

I also really enjoy the laugh-out-loud moments and primal romance. The character development feels real and satisfying, and the relationship payoff is so worth it. Also, the bull clan culture and world-building are bizarre in that perfect Ruby Dixon way that makes you fully buy in and never want to leave.

I devoured this in one sitting and immediately wanted to reread it. If you love fated mates, spicy shifter chaos, and heroines who take charge of their destiny.

♉️❤️‍🔥🌑 Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon 🌑❤️‍🔥♉️
Book 1 of 2: Royal Artifactual Guild
Genre: Fantasy / Romance
Length: 432 pages
Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶🫣
My Rating: ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions here are solely my own.

Synopsis:
Lady Aspeth of Honori Hold is desperate to save her father's legacy that he has almost completely gambled away. She runs away from home with Gwenna (her maid/BFF) to Vastwarren, a rough and tumble city built over top of a lost city of hidden/buried magical artifacts. Aspeth signs up for a slot to train and become a royal artifact hunter, hoping to zero in on something that will provide power/money to save Honori Hold from its debts.

Her substitute trainer, a Taurian (minotaur) named Hawk, is gruff, angry, and highly doubts Aspeth, Gwenna, and her other 3 untrained new friends will make the cut. In a quick, irrational impulse, the only way Aspeth can be allowed to train to become an artifact hunter is to make a pact to marry Hawk. The marriage of convenience for both of them is about as rocky as the underground caverns they are training to excavate. As the Conquest Moon approaches, Hawk becomes more and more irritable, but also more and more physically drawn to his new wife. Will Aspeth achieve her goal of becoming part of the artifactual guild, or will the heated chemistry between her and Hawk cause more problems than she had at the start?

Opinion:
I honestly decided to read this because I saw that it was by Ruby Dixon, who wrote the Ice Planet Barbarians series (which I guiltily love). I loved the fantasy world that she has created and the hierarchy that makes it. The story has a great message about how you should not give up on your dreams, even if society tells you that it isn't appropriate for your 'station'. Aspeth had such a determination and desire that it made her character so easy to cheer for. I wasn't sure if I would buy into the minotaur/human love story, but yet again, the dual species romance got me (Haha!). Can't wait for the last book in the duology!

Thank you, Berkeley and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved this book! I have been excited to read it, but a couple of days ago, I decided I needed a monster romance, and I went for Bull Moon Rising. OMG! It has everything.

I am a big fan of marriage of convenience, forced marriage, arranged, marriage, etc. This book includes a marriage of convenience between a Taurian (half-bull, half-man) and human woman. She wants to save her family's hold and the people who live there. He needs a mating-partner for the upcoming Conquest Moon - 5 days of rutting. So, she suggests marriage.

Throughout the story, Aspeth (the human) is disregarded and dismissed by the men around her, but Hawk (the half-bull, half-man) is just so sweet with her. Their mutually beneficial relationship blossoms so beautifully, and I just enjoyed it so much.

As a Taurus, I felt like this was a must-read when it was announced, and I'm so glad I took the plunge. I am re-entering my monster romance era.

I haven't read many of Ruby Dixon's books, but when I saw that this book was about a Taurian (minotaur), I knew I had to read it; let's say it was calling to the Taurus in me. 😉

Aspeth is a strong-willed woman who is determined to make it in the men's world of digging for Magical Artifacts with the Royal Artifactual Guild. However, women are not allowed unless they have a chaperone. Now, where can she find one of those????

Aspeth is on a mission to save her Family's Holdings, which her father is about to lose thanks to his gambling habit. When she learns that Hawk needs someone to go through the next Rutting Season with, she proposes a marriage of convenience that would benefit both of them.

I really enjoyed this book, and it's one of my top reads for 2024. I am looking forward to seeing where the author takes us next. I am hoping to see some of the secondary characters get their HEAs as well. They made this story so enjoyable that I can only imagine the fun they'd have in their own book.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy any of the following tropes:
Marriage of convenience
Golden Retriever MMC
Strong, Independent, and Scholarly FMC
Plus Size FMC
Virgin FMC
Inter-species (Human and Minotaur)
Mating season (Full Moon)
Teacher/student
Knotting
Found Family

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the phenomenal job both Felicity Munroe and Hiro Diaz did narrating this story; they brought Hawk and Aspen's world to life.

Happy Reading!!!

I love this book! It’s the right amount of wild and intriguing to keep you on your toes throughout. I think both of our characters are endearing and I loved reading their journey and how they ended up working together.

My first and probably last Minotaur smut and the compelling storytelling pulled me along until, uh, the climax, which was too many orgasms for me. I fell over, exhausted. This isn't my genre but I got an excellent education and absolutely recommend at least trying this book on if cozy, cat-hair covered protagonists with hearts of gold, loins of steel, and a realistic and at times poignant portrayal of adult feelings are things you're into.

Bull Moon Rising was my first monster romance, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a minotaur MMC—but this book completely won me over. It gave me major adventurer’s guild anime vibes (think isekai energy), with a found family dynamic, magical worldbuilding, and a slow-burn romance that genuinely surprised me.

There’s clear sexism in the world, but the women are fierce, capable, and absolutely shine. I adored the friendships just as much as the romance—Lark’s sass and Gwenna’s loyalty stood out in all the best ways. Hawk, our grumpy love interest, remained respectful even while questioning the FMC’s intentions, and their dynamic had so much heart.

The story includes betrayal, tension, satisfying character growth, and a villain you’ll love to hate. I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but now I’m eagerly looking forward to what comes next in this world.