Okay so first of all, I never thought I’d be reviewing a book with minotaur smut in it. How did I get here? Not sure. But honestly overall I’m not mad about it because this was so entertaining. I am still relatively new to monster smut in general but the minotaur thing was interesting.

Bull Moon Rising follows Aspeth, a daughter of a Holder. Her father has gambled away all of their family’s money, and she takes it upon herself to join the artifactual guild to try to bring back precious artifacts that can help her repay debts and save their family from ruin. She is fierce and determined and I loved that she wasn’t afraid to put some of these men in their place. She ends up meeting Hawk - a minotaur who works with the Guild. They end up betrothed in a marriage of convenience, because he wants a wife to spend time with during the upcoming conquest moon, and she needs an easy and full proof way into the guild. Naturally though, feelings develop and we get lots of spicy spice and steamy tension throughout the book.

To be honest, I very regularly forgot that Hawk was a minotaur. Which was great and also surprising. Until they started talking about he and Aspeth not being able to kiss because his face/bull head wasn’t compatible with her human head 💀. I fear this gave me the ick. But otherwise, the spice was enjoyable (listen - Bride by Ali Hazelwood changed me, okay???)

HOWEVER, I otherwise enjoyed this more than I anticipated I would. It was a silly fun time. Certainly not a anything life changing. But, to be fair, does anyone pick up a book about a minotaur and expect a literary masterpiece? Doubtful.

Aspeth was admirable and was a pretty great FMC overall. Hawk was actually so sweet and I loved how protective he was of Aspeth. I have always and will always love a marriage of convenience and this was no different. The plot was engaging at times but also slightly dragged in others. I found that I really did not care about any of the side characters but I can look past that.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted yet spicy read, this is it! (if you can look past the minotaur thing 🤪)

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Romance for this copy of Bull Moon Rising!

This one was such a fun sexy read! I was deeply impressed with the world building here and was as invested in the fantasy element as I was in the love story.

Thank you Ruby Dixon and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for providing an ARC for my unbiased review

Ruby can write about anything and I’ll read it… I mean this proved it

Was I entertained? Yes
Did I like the plot and characters? Yes
Do I want more?? Yes yes yes

I’m about two weeks late in writing this review because ~life~ always seems to get busy around this time of year and I’m constantly playing catchup. However, I haven’t stopped recommending this book since I finished reading it so you might be able to say that I’m a fan. Truly the photo is courtesy of a friend who I gushed about the book to so she went out and got it.

I might be one of the few romance lovers who has yet to dive into Ruby’s Ice Barbarian series, and I won’t lie I picked up this book solely on the description and cover alone and it wasn’t until I was half way through the book that I decided to look at the author. I went in expecting for this to be a fun spicy romcom with a hot Minotaur. Maybe about the same size as Bride by Ali Hazelwood? Not a 400 page genre bending delight. Because not only is it a fun and spicy romcom with a hot Minotaur, but it is also a slow-ish burn, high fantasy with excellent world building and an full cast of characters that all seem to hold their own. Both? Both.

Romance readers are often fans of tropes (not all of us I know, but this one is so hear me out). Walking into this story you are going to be delighted to get found family, a sort of runaway princess, spunky women standing up to the patriarchy, a marriage of convenience, as well said Minotaur husband who is going to be going into *ahem* rut and therefore has needs, oh and magical grave digging archeology.

While this is a fun story, it also hits on some very deep real life learning moments. Our heroine is a thirty year old spinster trying to save her lands ~alone~. Well, her version of alone means with her best friend / lady’s maid, and their complicated relationship makes my heart happy. Because I think often times many of us don’t want to impose on others, or understand their motivations, but others love us despite deserving it in the way we think that is needed, instead they cherish and love the relationship because we are there, as flawed as we are. Aspeth is sheltered, determined, funny and I loved getting to watch her character grow.

I think I am still just so blown away by the history and the archeology element, and while I don’t want to deal with the rats or spiders, I too would follow Hawk her hulking mentor-turned-husband-of-convenience who also needs to learn that others will care for him. His gruff but practical demeanor paired with Aspeth’s romantic yet tenacious ideals were so fun to watch as they dealt with one another. Also hot, this was so very, very hot and deserves all the spice emojis.

I’m not even doing just surrounding the relationships in the crew, which I won’t lie in the beginning I wasn’t sure they’d ever find the trust in each other that they’d need. But this whole story was somewhere between a ‘coming of age’ and a ‘coming to power’ where they each had their own issues, and had to deal with more. While the found family aspect was a side plot, it wasn’t any less important than the romance and probably led to why I was so impressed with the book as a whole. I would probably say that the relationships shined as the star of the writing but Ruby juggled the multiple plot lines, expansive world building, brought in the tried and true conflict of miscommunication, and had all the spice of some of our favorite romcoms.

I was so impressed, and yes I stayed up past 2 am because I just had to finish the story. I hope other have picked it up, or if you haven’t this makes you look closer at doing so because I would love to yell with you about it!

This book was the definition of a fun read. Every moment I read this book I felt the stress of life wash away and a rush of heat take hold of my body instead. It was so interesting because yes there’s the sexy aspects to this story, but there was a lot of Aspeth and Hawk getting to know each other. There’s the parts where Hawk is training Aspeth to become a guild member and pushing her to her limits.

I loved the aspect that while in the beginning it truly is a marriage of convenience there’s something real that builds between them over time. Hawk sees her as this nerdy, incredibly intelligent, maybe even a bit brash of a woman. Aspeth sees Hawk as this physically strong, yet very discerning as a teacher, someone who is very capable and knows everything about his trade. There is an undeniable chemistry between the two of them and the pull they have towards each other only gets stronger as the book goes on.

I loved that the down time between the two of them and the tension between each other increased the impact of the “sexy time” scenes. It felt like they came together very naturally and as much as Aspeth was thinking about it in a casual way, I feel like that detachment is what let her be so open and what allowed genuine love to grow between them.

If you love fantasy and want some sexy escapism to brighten your day “Bull Moon Rising” is a perfect book to pick up. I had the best time reading it!

In a world where ancient magical artifacts are the most valuable currency, Lady Aspeth’s once formidable family is broke. In an attempt to save her family and their people, she leaves home to join the artifact hunting guild. Rejected for being a woman, she finds herself agreeing to a marriage of convenience with a grumpy Taurian (minotaur) in exchange for the chance to train and test for the guild.

I am familiar with Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series but this is my first time dabbling in minotaur romance. I thought that for being the first book in a series, it had more than sufficient world building. While I do hope to learn more about Old Prell in future books, I felt like readers were given enough information on Old Prell, the Royal Artifactual Guild, the politics, and the magical artifacts themselves to not be left confused.

I’d describe this story as generally low stakes and entertaining. I really enjoyed the Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunting and adventuring aspect. I thought their romance was paced nicely, I’d consider this more of a medium burn due to their spicy practice leading up to the rut and the Conquest Moon. I liked the included grumpy mmc turned teddy bear for the fmc, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, and “she’s mine” tropes.

Overall, I found this story to be very enjoyable and exciting. I liked the romance and spice (I’d say about 3.5 on the spice scale). The main characters were fleshed out nicely and even the side characters had some great development. For me, this was a five star read. I went in not knowing the plot beforehand but expecting something fairly low stakes and fun and it definitely exceeded my expectations.

Huge thanks to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me a chance to read and review!

This book was a blast! Slow burn and lots of adventure! The characters were easy to get to know and the lore is magical!

If I have to read about her lost fortune and artifacts again I might literally pull my hair out. I ended up skimming and just reading dialogue to get through to the end. This was my first monster romance, which was the only reason I didn't DNF this book. The spice was thick!

It feels right that ‘Bull Moon Rising’ was my first Ruby Dixon book ever. Why? Because this book is basically The Mummy, but if Evelyn was an aristocrat in hiding & if Rick was a bull. That should be the whole pitch, honestly. (In fact, that is exactly how I keep pitching it to my friends.)

Is this a very spicy monster romance? Of course it is. But it is also very sweet, with a love story that gave me butterflies. Fantasy lore & world-building that is legit very interesting. And a ridiculous found-family that had me crying. I was expecting the spice, but I’m not sure that I was expecting such a lovely, fun, & cozy story that had me (1) buying a physical copy of the book before finishing my arc & (2) immediately pre-ordering the next book in the series (‘By the Horns’). But I am IN.

Thank you to Ace/Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an advanced digital copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

I LOVED this - not only was the romance part fun, the Indiana Jones-esque plot was super fun and had me hooked too.

Ruby Dixon has cemented herself on my list of Insta-Buy Authors. I have been slowly working my way through the IPB series, and am absolutely obsessed with Ruby’s characters. So I jumped on this book as soon as my reading slump was over.
I am obsessed with Aspeth and Hawk’s dynamic. I haven’t read much of the grumpy & sunshine trope recently, and this brought me right back into it. I really enjoyed the marriage of convenience plot in the book, which surprised me as I had read a few books with this trope and ended up not liking them as much.
This book is perfect for those who enjoy Ruby’s IPB series, or other monster romance books!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book was a fun filled adventure!

Aspeth did seem a bit naive and sheltered as she went into this Guild thing, not thinking twice about how this would work.

Hawk was just a grumpy, horny Minotaur that wanted to succeed this once and pay off his debt.

The group of 5 were a good mix and I enjoyed the banter and friendship. There is a bit of a plot twist that I did not see coming, but it made sense.

I’m looking forward to the next book coming out this year!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to receive a copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

*thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This review is my honest thoughts*

Every once in a while, you run across a book with a synopsis so bonkers that you think “That is so ridiculous… I NEED to read that book!”

That was “Bull Moon Rising” for me. And then I went down the Ruby Dixon rabbit hole. And I am very happy I did.

Aspeth Honori is whip-smart in her study of an ancient civilization the local guild retrieves artifacts from, but she is an almost complete innocent of so many other things. In any other character, this would be irritating, but it’s charming and delightful in Aspeth. Where she starts in the story versus where she ends up made me all kinds of happy for her.

Hawk being a Taurian was… interesting. But also intriguing and different and fun. I love it when you have a “monster” character who could be gruff and intimidating, but he’s actually the most logical and responsible person at the guild (his “boss” certainly isn’t worth a pile of spit). I loved getting to know his character, then seeing his state of frenzy at the Conquest Moon. The best of both worlds!

My, my, my. That was very spicy. I've read a few stories before that have knotting in them, but this is the first book that kind of explained it better.
Aspeth needs to get into an artifact guild so she can save her father's bankrupt house. Hawk is a minotaur who is the leader.
They had a very sweet, yet hot relationship and it was eye-opening to see the moon where all minotaurs go into heat. This is definitely the most original monster romance I've read.
Thank you to Ace for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Ruby Dixon's Bull Moon Rising is a laugh-out-loud romcom like I haven't read in a while. Everything about this story felt new and fun.

* I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

I’ve had my eye on this book for a while, and that was simply because the cover was so pretty. (I’m a sucker for pretty covers). When I was able to do a “read now” copy, I jumped on it! And when I actually looked into what the book was about…I love the archaeology and digging for artifacts plotline! Searching for historical artifacts, fighting to be seen as a woman in a male-dominated guild mixed with a Minotaur romance. ❤️‍🔥 Yes please! I can’t wait for the next book!

Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon is a fun and spicy fantasy adventure that blends magical artifacts, a marriage of convenience, and a slow-burn romance. Aspeth, a noblewoman trying to save her family's legacy, teams up with Hawk, a grumpy minotaur guild member, leading to unexpected chemistry and thrilling quests. The world-building is rich, and the characters are engaging, making it a delightful read for fans of romantasy.
If you're into stories with strong heroines, mythical creatures, and a touch of steam, this one's worth checking out.

I enjoyed seeing Aspeth, our FMC, focused on achieving her goals despite everything in her way. And especially the relationship between her and Hawk as he realizes just how much her naïve nature extends to almost every aspect of her life outside of her upbringing. I am curious what will happen in book 2!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚡️/🌶️🌶️🌶️🫑
This is my 3rd Ruby Dixon novel I’ve read and I have enjoyed each of them immensely. They are all different in terms of plot, but still filled with fun, adventure, and spice.

Bull Moon Rising is quite different than Ice Planet Barbarians and Bound to the Shadow Prince, but just as fun.
🌕
Aspeth Honori is the daughter of Lord Honori, a holder, but his hold’s magical artifacts have been sold or depleted and their lands are at risk of being taken over. Aspeth decides she is going to join the artifact guild and find some artifacts to replenish their coffers. However, she has a problem…she’s a female and needs a chaperone.

Hawk is a Taurean (Minotaur) that works for the guild and helps Magpie’s nest of students. The Bull Moon is almost upon them and all Taureans will loose themselves to the “rut”. Aspeth proposes a trade…Hawk will sponsor her, and in return, she will become his wife and help him during the Bull moon. Oh, and she’s a virgin.

What could possibly go wrong?
🌕
This was like Indiana Jones if they were females and Minotaurs.

It was a lot of fun. I loved the found family between the “nest” and the growing feelings between Aspeth and Hawk.

And since it’s a Ruby Dixon novel, it’s obviously quite spicy.

This book was a lot of fun. It had a bit of a slow start to get us established in the world and the story. But Once Aspeth and Hawk join up things pick up and get crazy. I love the world building in this and would love to go on an artifact finding mission. The political type drama between the Guild and the Holders. The tension of the Conquest Moon and making all the minotaurs horny. I loved all the personalities of The Five. I hope there are more in this series and we get to continue to see this world and these characters.