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.

This one took me a bit to get into, but I ended up really loving it!

The world building was so unique. It was also fairly complex which is why I was slower to become really invested, but ultimately I was HOOKED.

The characters are where this book really excels though. I truly enjoyed all of them and all their stories. This was overall a really fun read and I want more from this world.

Loved this book so much, it was genuinely such a good time. The writing style was unique and fun and I couldn’t put it down.

So this was a freaking spicy delight - Bull Moon Rising is my first foray into Ruby Dixon's oeuvre and I will absolutely be going in for more. Aspeth Honori, an aristocrat's daughter, has been obsessed with Royal Artifactual Guild and artifacts for as long as she's been able to read. After she finds out her father and her hold is essentially broke, she escapes to the Guild with her best friend and servant, Gwenna and they both attempt to join, only to be foiled by the fact that they're women. To get around this, Aspeth desperately tries to find a sponsor and enters a marriage of convenience (great trope) with a Taurian, Hawk, who is an instructor (her instructor) and needs a wife to get through the upcoming moon that will send him into rut.

I loved that we got both some great adventures while the crew is trying to get through Guild school, rife with corrupt guild members and politicians, while also getting some absolutely great steamy scenes between Aspeth and Hawk. We see some great development from both of them both on a personal and sexual level. Highly recommend if you're looking to dip your toes into the monster romance side of cliterature while enjoying a great story to boot.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Berkeley for the advanced copy.

Thank you so much to @berkleypub @berkleyromance for the free NetGalley Uncorrected ePub (accessed on March 26, 2025) to enjoy for review!
"Bull Moon Rising" is the first book in the Royal Artifactual Guild series (duology). This was my first Ruby Dixon book (I know, how can I not have read the "Ice Planet Barbarians" series yet...), but she has my whole heart now, as most Berkley authors do. "Bull Moon Rising" follows (Lady) Aspeth Honori, a Holder's daughter attempting to be a female guild artificer, and Hawk, an overqualified minotaur Guild Master's assistant. Through an utterly steamy, slightly chaotic marriage of convenience, Aspeth and Hawk work together so that Aspeth can join the guild's fledgling training program with Hawk as her chaperone, and Hawk can have a partner for the Conquest Moon (an every-five-year mating period). Aspeth also befriends the other four guild artificer fledglings (recruits) who form a "Five"- your assigned training team during cave ruin explorations to find artifacts. Ruby Dixon crafted an intriguing, rich feudal fantasy world using delicious, descriptive prose. I loved reading about the evolution of Aspeth and Hawk's romantic relationship. The steam was definitely steaming *blushes*. I also found myself rooting for Aspeth and Hawk individually as they independently navigated and overcame prejudice (Aspeth, for being a woman; Hawk, for being a minotaur).
My appetite for this world was whetted after reading "Bull Moon Rising"; the sequel "By The Horns" is now one of my most-anticipated reads this year. Side Note: The Author's Note at the end enriched my reading experience even more. I really appreciated it!

The side characters reminded me of standby me or the goonies. The romance was bleh.
The pacing, plot, writing was definitely Ruby Dixon. It was fast paced and straight to the point.

Perfect if you like:
Who hurt you? Followed by I might hurt you.
Slowburn Enemies to Lovers
Animals loving animals
Elemental Magic
Dark Adventures

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this arc!

This was a great lighthearted escape. Silly and silty and easy to read. The kind of book meant for folks who don’t take themselves too seriously and enjoy a story just for the sake of entertainment

I believe I saw a quote, "I came for the monster $ex, but what really drew me in is a beautifully poignant story." That line couldn't have summed up this book better, but, since it was that quote that drew me in to read this book, I'll put my own thoughts into how I felt while reading it.

Aspeth is what I'd call nobility, or rich within this fantastical world. She is headstrong, determined and she has set out to be part of an organization that finds relics, or magical artifacts buried within caves and tunnels. Considering she is a rich woman this type of job is well beneath her, not to mention the fact that she is also a woman. Aspeth is facing insurmountable odds, but she never lets anything stand in her way. So while her character alone makes this story interesting, it isn't only her character within this organization that makes this book worth reading. This book also contains Minotaurs, and other monster-like creatures who get some serious page time. This world is also mixed with Ancient Egypt vibes that are also splashed with celestial lore all it has the feel of being set back at least a hundred years or more. Overall, it's a great mesh of genres and tropes that I never would have thought up, but all in all it totally works and it works well.

The leading man, Hawk, is a Taurian, or Minotaur, who is a bit grumpy, but he’s also kind and extremely patient. His race is, oftentimes, treated as a second class citizen even though they are a strong and an intelligent people. His race is not the only one to be treated this way. The other monsters, women, basically anyone who is not a human male is just beneath and even though Aspeth comes from nobility, she still lacks power and choices and understands Hawk more than he realizes. So when Aspeth barrels her way into his life, she treats him with the respect he's earned as a teacher and certainly as a person. A good decent person. They have great chemistry for all kinds of reasons, but even with his grumpiness, mutual respect is built quite easily between them even before chemistry begins.

The entire ragtag group, Aspeth's friends and nest-mates, are quirky and fun and really add a lot of great color and depth to the overall plot. They are just as important to the entire story as Aspeth and Hawk are and each one is quite unique and I found myself rooting for them just as much as I was rooting for Hawk and Aspeth. 

If there was any complaint, it would be...Hawk promised that his rut instincts would make him a bit crazed leading up to the Conquest Moon day, but he was pretty controlled, with all things considered. Shame, I do love a man on the edge 😏. And Aspeth knowing Hawk would need her on one specific day, literally had one job in their agreement, was a bit obsessed on her own quest, but truthfully she still had everyone's best interests at heart, so she is still super sweet. I truly did love this entire world and would love to return.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing/Ace for the advance review copy and all opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🐂x 👩🏻‍🏫

This book fed so many parts of my soul! I loved experiencing Aspeth’s journey from touch-starved, isolated noblewoman with a heart of gold to beloved friend and wife with a future.

Aspeth is determined to save her family home despite the neglect she’s suffered her whole life at the hand’s of her father. She journeys with her former maid-turned friend to join the Guild, discover magical artifacts and launch the career of her dreams. But when she arrives, she discovers the Guild isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, her idol is an unreliable drunk and she needs a chaperone to even begin training. Enter Hawk, a Tauren in need of a mate before his rut strikes. They enter a marriage of convenience that quickly becomes so much more.

Equal parts sexy love story and treasure hunt, this book was everything!
Found family? ✅
Romance? ✅
Archival research for this wannabe librarian? ✅
Danger and suspense? ✅
Betrayal and justice? ✅

I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

4.5 🌟
This was such an entertaining read. Marriage of convenience turned 😍😍

Hawk and Alspeth's characters were so fitting. He's the exact level of grumpy I'd imagine a minotaur would be and she's sunshine with a backbone.

The characters were easy to fall in love with. Even the side characters. And I never realized how interesting I would find the actual artifact hunting.

I really like Ruby Dixon's writing style. It's catchy and can have the perfect mix of lighthearted and deeply connecting.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Ruby Dixon for a copy of this book! Per usual, my review and opinions are 100% my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was so surprising in the best ways! This is one of those where you should not judge the book by its cover (good or bad)! I wasn’t sure what I’d walk into but this was a cozy adventure story mixed with some monster (bull) romance and an interesting “magic” system!

I loved the way Aspeth knew she was a sheltered noble and yet also sooo naive on certain things in the most endearing of ways. She’s smart and resourceful despite being pretty helpless when it comes to actual artifact hunting. Hawk is just… solid? I can’t think of a better word right now to describe him. So gentle and sensible and caring. He is a bit grumpy mind you, especially when he realizes he’s stuck training a group of 4 women and a lizard, but he always does what is best for them to give them the best chance at success. And the way he goes all in at some point on his feelings for Aspeth is sweet.

This was both less and more spice than I thought it would be? There wasn’t as much by way of total pages/content, but where it happened it was a lot. That Hawk has a mouth on him 😏.

Overall, this was such an enjoyable book! I can’t wait to read book two in September! (Please approve me for this arc 🙏 lol)

I've seen this book around and heard nothing but good things about it, so it's safe to say I went into reading this book blind. And I'm happy to say I enjoyed this read

Who can explain why it’s so hard to write reviews for books you loved? This isn’t my first Ruby Dixon book; I’ve already read her Ice Planet Barbarians series, which I love. So when I saw this one, I couldn’t pass it up.

It was fun, funny, and steamy (in the best possible way).

Aspeth Honori’s noble family is on the verge of ruin after her father gambles away their fortune and magical artifacts. To save them, she secretly joins the Royal Artifactual Guild—where women aren’t allowed to train. Her only option? Marry a grumpy minotaur who needs a favor and agrees to take her on as his apprentice.

He doesn’t know she’s noble. She doesn’t know if she can survive his rut—or the dangers of the Guild’s trials. But with her family’s future on the line, Aspeth is ready to risk everything…

I totally fell for Hawk. He’s like a grumpy cinnamon bun—warm, a little soft, and definitely something you’ll want to cuddle (but maybe only if you’re brave enough). I loved Aspeth’s kind heart and her sharp mind. She gave off Jane from Tarzan vibes, with a little bit of Evelyn Carnahan from The Mummy thrown in. The book’s atmosphere was fantastic, and Aspeth’s quirky crew was the perfect mix of oddball and lovable. Plus, the themes of sexism, disability, and responsibility were handled with just the right amount of seriousness... and the perfect dash of humor.

The funniest thing? Squeaker reminded me so much of my own cat.

Tropes:
— monster romance
— human & minotaur
— marriage of convenience
— grumpy & sunshine
— found family
— minotaurs
— curvy heroine
— knotting
— voyurism/exhibitionism

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did I have minotaur romance on my bingo card for this year? No, but I really had a good time with this read!

Aspeth is a noble whose family has fallen on hard times. In order to save their lives, Aspeth must join the guild and find artifacts that will restore their fortune and protection. But in order to do that she has to have a guardian. Enter Hawk, a minotaur, who will marry her and give her the sponsor she needs in exchange for her help during his rutting season. Things are about to get interesting!

This book was an adventure. There was a lot more plot surrounding the search for artifacts than I was expecting. It also had a great found family element. Hawk and Aspeth were cute together as they learned about the other's backstory and coming struggles. I also liked the looming Crescent Moon where Hawk was going to become a rutting bull. It added a lot of tension to know that event was coming. If anything this book could have used a bit more spice and a little less artifact history. I will happily read the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ace Publishing for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.