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.

This was big Indiana Jones vibes and I absolutely adored it. The characters were fleshed out and witty which is my favorite. I look forward to continuing this series

Aspeth has snuck away from her noble family to join the Royal Artifactural Guild, a place she has studied and dreamed about being a part of her whole life. Joining and finding artifacts to help her broke family is her mission, but she arrives and finds out that women are not welcomed. In order to get a chance at becoming an initiate she finds herself marrying a minotaur teacher, one who is about to go through a few days of uncontrollable rutting when the Bull Moon rises every five years. She doesn't expect herself to start having actual feelings for him, or to become such fast friends with her fellow group of fledglings.

Okay, this was a fun read. It was super spicy with a plot that kept me invested, a great magical world system, and a FMC that I enjoyed following. I had no idea minotaurs could be so sexy. Digging for magical artifacts in a buried ancient civilization was so unique, I loved the variety of powers that artifacts could possess (from an endless supply of peeled onions, to controlling the ocean tides). There are also really cool lizard people named "slitherskins," and i think Kipp has a piece of my heart (but he has to share that honor with the fluffy orange cat). What a gorgeous cover reveal as well. Dixon did such a great job at world building, and the way she has given the characters so much personality is wonderful.

If you like Indiana Jones-esque books with a lot of action (of every kind lol), you should give this a try. It's very Grumpy/Sunshine and Marriage of Convenience. There is knotting. I am excited to see that this is book 1, because I will gladly read more in this setting! I received this book as an eARC for my opinions.

4.5 Stars

3.5 - good book but had some underdeveloped areas that dragged.

I enjoyed this book, read it quickly but maybe didn’t enjoy it as much as her Ice Planet books. The archeology plot was super interesting! Loved having our FMC be so knowledgeable and table about old languages and learning about the Guild and trailing was all so fun! We could have had more of that plot line and less repetition of our FMC secrets and insecurity imo. Their romance was sweet and I appreciated that she didn’t jump right into sex with a virgin but they experimented and talked to one another. I think the side characters stole the show however. They were fantastic! Our little lizard friend may be the favorite.

There were a couple things that needed fleshing out a bit more. I like Hawk, our MMC, however his being a Minotaur didn’t work. It just wasn’t fleshed out much and honestly I mostly forgot he was one until she’d kiss his nose.

Overall a good book but not as strong as the others I’ve read by this author.

Y'know, I didn't think about minotaur romance before this book. I don't know if I'll go out of my way to read another minotaur related book, but if I had to read one I would definitely pick this one. I loved the characters - they had a depth to them i wasn't expecting but definitely appreciated. I think this is an interesting Fantasy Romance book, and I think it deserves a read!

This book was so stinking cute. That is the best way I can describe it.

I love the FMC. Aspeth is so nerdy, so clueless about life, so spoiled, so fun, and is out here living her best life trying to learn from her mistakes.

Hawk is so nice. He will do anything for Aspeth. He is a minotaur, strong AF, will do anything for his guild, and has the best character ever!

The side characters are what makes this book even better. I want to know more and more. Kip, like I need to see some character art of this house. Aspeth's best friend, Gwenna, I want everything and more for her.

If you like fantasy, with romance, and an array of characters this is a book that is definitely worth checking out! Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Quote:
"I'd rather take an honest man with no kisses. Then a liar with a sweet tongue."

4/5 ⭐
5/5 🌶️