Bull Moon Rising is an epic romantasy by Ruby Dixon. Aspeth runs away from her holder family home in order to join the artifact guild and hopefully find a strong magical artifact for her father as he has gambled away all of theirs, and now their lives are in danger as another family may try to take over their holdings if they ever find out. However, a woman must have a chaperone, so she marries the Minotaur Hawk, who is also her teacher as he needs a partner for his upcoming rut. As their work lives and personal lives mix, will Aspeth and Hawk fall in love or be torn apart by secrets?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt the world building was great. There were a few characters I wish were more fleshed out, and I would have liked to learn more about her team members. 4.5 stars out of five!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to a copy in exchange for my honest review.

3,75 ⭐️

I had never read a monster romance book before, so I had no idea what to expect—but I can confidently say that my first experience was a great one!

Aspeth is a noble, but after her father loses all their money and magical artifacts to gambling, her family is in danger of losing their hold. Determined to save them, Aspeth secretly joins the Royal Guild in search of new artifacts. Her loyal servant Gwenna follows her into this adventure. The only problem? The Guild doesn’t allow women to train. The only way around that? Marry a minotaur who’s already a member.

I really enjoyed the characters and how their relationship developed gradually over time. Aspeth, though a noble by birth and at times seemingly frivolous, proves herself brave, hard-working, and deeply loyal.

Hawk may come off as gruff and commanding at first, but deep down he’s sweet and caring. The way he looks after Aspeth completely melted my heart—I kept forgetting he was a minotaur! And don’t even get me started on his hilarious reactions to Squeaker, Aspeth’s cat—they had me giggling every time.

As for the side characters, Gwenna was my favorite. She was not only a great companion but also a true friend to Aspeth, so I’m really excited that the next book will be about her. I’m definitely continuing with this series!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
✓romantasy
✓curvy heroine
✓marriage of convenience
✓found family
✓minotaurs
✓grumpy / sunshine

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group (Ace) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This wasn’t my usual kind of read, but I did enjoy reading it. Plus, the book is absolutely stunning.

My Selling Pitch:
A formulaic, cozy fantasy romance that’s just a little bit smutty.

Pre-reading:
What do we pick up after a life changing book? A silly goofy time. I haven't read Dixon yet, but I've heard great things about her alien smut, and Holton, Lemming, and Nascosta have all been delivering for me.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Why is the cow red? But yay, character art. (Because he’s like red-brown, but the saturation was really turned up on that art lol.)

Immediately reminds me of India Horton.

HA. I would manage to pick up another Wren book.

We’re info dumping, but it’s digestible enough.

I like how the book is “I’m a librarian” energy! And then like ps cows be fuckin’ haha.

I love dual audio.

Not her saying he smells like leather lmao

…I’m having a good time.

I'm sorry WHAT.

I really hope Magpie didn't get raped or something and is only holding on with alcohol.
Or is she Tommy Shelby tunnel PTSD?

I hate that this works for me haha.

This is just like Bride. I love these silly, smutty little books.

Turtle boy keeps sending me.

Over a man??? A man???

This is well-written and well-structured for what it is.

Is this a Shrek onion joke? Because it feels like one.

The dungeon crawling reminds me of Stardew Valley.

I'm a little checked out now. Like the book is fine. I've just read so many that follow the exact formula, and le gasp, I might be smutted out.

Post-reading:
This is solid. It does exactly what it tells you it will do. It’s formulaic but satisfying. All these cozy fantasy romances kinda feel the same. They work just enough. They’re good palette cleansers, but they’re nothing life changing or all that memorable.

This book had quite a few anachronisms but didn’t lean into its campiness. It took itself relatively seriously. Y’all know by now that I’m always an advocate for camp. If you’re gonna write something absurd and smutty, just own it. I needed more humor from the book. If it had some witty banter or jokes that made me laugh out loud, we’d probably be creeping into four star territory.

The sex scenes were pretty average for the genre. They felt a little repetitive. The dirty talk felt a little fetishy because it constantly emphasized how he was an uncontrollable beast, and she was his wife so that’s a tacit agreement to sex. I didn’t love that, but it’s also pretty expected for the genre.

It’s good but not great. I think you’ll have fun with it if you enjoy the genre, but you’re not missing out on something amazing if you skip this.

Who should read this:
Smut for the lols readers
Cozy fantasy romance readers
Stardew Valley fans

Ideal reading time:
Anytime

Do I want to reread this:
No, but I’d continue the series.

Would I buy this:
No, I don’t need it.

Similar books:
* Bride by Ali Hazelwood-urban fantasy romance, marriage of convenience, alternative anatomy
* That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming-cozy fantasy romance, satire, smut
* I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming-campy sci-fi smut, alternative anatomy
* The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Romance by India Holton-cozy fantasy romance
* Morning Glory Milking Farm by C. M. Nascosta-urban fantasy smut, alternative anatomy
* Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett-light academia, cozy fantasy romance
* Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis-cozy fantasy romance

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had so much fun with this! I loved the archeological aspect to the story and the romance! The spicy scenes were so good, but the two of them falling in love slowly was just so sweet to read. I also kept forgetting he was a minotaur until the story would bring it up again 😅. Also that cover! It's gorgeous! I can't wait to read the second one!! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital copy!

3.5 stars rounded down to 3

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest opinions!

I am a big Ruby Dixon fan, and with the gorgeous special editions and it being sold separate and not being on KU, my hopes were high. I was a little letdown though. I think I would of enjoyed it more if it was like 75 pages shorter. It got really slow in the middle and towards the end, and very repetitive. I feel like she re-explained the same things so many times. The characters just didn't have that Ruby Dixon charm I love so much.

I did overall enjoy this. I was rooting for Aspeth, I thought she was brave and strong willed. The grumpy MMC was likable but bland and I felt their connection was lacking. I know the second one is coming out soon and I'm not sure that I will read it. I wish there was more of the actual treasure hunting, the plot wasn't really plotting. I think there was a lot of potential here that just fell flat.

Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon is the first in a fantasy/monster romance series and a new favorite of mine!

Aspeth Honori is the daughter and heir of a Holder, which means she has the expected duty of marrying well and having children to manage the hold. Aspeth has dreams of joining the Royal Artifactual Guild and decides to join to find artifacts that can restore the wealth of her hold that her father gambled away. She did not know that the guild did not allow women to enter without a chaperone. Hawk is a guild member and as a minotaur, he is about to go through a rut cycle and needs someone to help him through it. Aspeth and Hawk make a deal to get married to help each other.

I absolutely loved this book! I had so much fun reading about this new world Dixon made, but especially the relationship between Aspeth and Hawk. I love a good marriage of convenience, especially when the characters develop their relationship over time like Aspeth and Hawk. I also enjoyed the relationship between the side characters and watching their friendships bloom.

If you like marriage of convenience, monster romances, forced proximity, and minotaurs, then this book is for you!

Thanks to Ruby Dixon and NetGalley for the ARC! I can’t wait for the next one!

4/5

* Read via NetGalley

This book is so freaking fun. I started reading it because I heard the sequel was going to be released.

Plenty of sexy times yes, obviously. The characters and magic system are great too. The hunting for artifacts is intriguing and the whole society being built around it is interesting to read about.

The characters really make the story. Hawk and Aspeth's relationship and back and forth is well done. The side characters shine too, especially Kipp who I don't know why but I imagined him looking like that Richard Scarry worm carrying his apple car on his back.

A surprising humorous read with some great twists and turns too. Looking forward to the next book.

Honestly, the cover is what drew me into this book! It's gorgeous and I went in completely blind from there. I really enjoyed this book and it felt like something new to the fantasy genre!

First, I absolutely love Ruby Dixon! I will read anything that she writes because I know it will be fabulous. I was so excited to read Bull Moon Rising when I first heard it announced. The world building and characters were top notch as always! I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

This was a lot of fun and engaging. I enjoyed the world building, Ruby Dixon gave the reader information about this world in perfect doses, not info dumping.
It was on the long side but Kit the Slitherskin kind of made of for it.

I'm going to be honest, I downloaded this book for the memes, expecting it to be silly, but I was so invested the whole time. I thought the plot was super interesting, the world-building was well done, and the characters were much more complex than what I've previously read in monster romances. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

First of all.. gasp* how stunning is this cover and special edition pages?! I’m in love 😍

Hands down, Ruby Dixon is my most-read author by far. I went down a rabbit hole years ago while browsing her ice planet barbarians series, and after binge reading the entire world, I haven’t looked back,

I was so excited to read her latest monster romance, which centers around Aspeth who has to save her family’s hold.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-the perfect escape read!
-slow burn
-Morning Glory Milking Farm vibes
-monster romance
-Minotaur romance

*many thanks to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

While this wasn't really my jam, I am glad I gave it a try. I do think it will absolutely find readership at my library, so we will purchase for the collection. I have some patrons in mind already that will love it.

Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon has been on my TBR list since it came out. The cover was so sparkly and gorgeous and I’d been primed for minotaur romance after finishing Morning Glory Milking Farm. I thought I knew what to expect, but I was wrong in the best way! This was much more than just a romance. There was great worldbuilding, palpable history behind the narrative, and incredible characters that were memorable and well-rounded.

Going into this, I thought this was going to be all about Aspeth and Hawk building their relationship and a ton of spice and bedroom lessons. That is such a minimal portion. This is much more of a slow-burn with bits of spice between actual plot. Seeing how they interact in the world, do their job, and then slowly build up this fake romance marriage of convenience was so great to read. They felt like actual people who lived in an actual world. Aspeth’s naivete was endearing and her awkwardness relatable. She grew up with words and books, not love and hugs. So it made sense for her to be pragmatic when it comes to sex and love, as well as naive. She doesn’t know what to make of Hawk, if he is sincere, if this means as much to him as it does to her. Meanwhile, Hawk is so used to be prejudiced against, being constantly reminded of his status as less than in society, as being viewed as mindless brawn, that he thinks he has won the lottery at having someone throw out the barest minimum in agreeing to marry him. Having Aspeth treat him without prejudice but as an equal forces Hawk to realize he is worth more than what society dictates. Watching them build each other up was extremely satisfying. There are some moments of angst in their relationship – that one bedroom scene killed me – but they are addressed fairly quickly. Also, I love that they addressed something I feel like is never address in monster romance, esp with non-humanoids – kissing! How do those mouth parts work??

Side characters were great. I loved how ride-or-die Gwenna was for Aspeth and cannot wait to read more about her in the second book of the series. My favorite side character, however, has to be Kip. I want a book where he is our MMC. He’s so interesting and I am desperate to know more about slitherskin culture. I want to see what his little house is like. Ugh, I love him so much.

Plot-wise, that was where I got emotional. Aspeth as an only daughter whose only value is in finding a fruitful marriage. She is so smart and it doesn’t matter simply because of her sex. Throughout the book, she works at changing herself, and works at saving her homeland and undoing her father’s foolishness. The ending, despite it being a Happily Ever After, destroyed me. I was ruined. I cried. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll put the rest under a spoiler tag. The fact that after everything she did, it didn’t matter at all. Her father still disowned her. She still lost her status as heir. The mistress came in and took her role and named an unknown child as heir. It destroyed me that she gave so much and no one appreciated it. And that’s why I loved this so much. Because it felt much more realistic. Yes, there’s a happy ending, but it is melancholic – for me. She herself is fulfilled and happy, but boy am I bitter and angry on her behalf for doing so much for her family/people and not having a single one of them acknowledge her, see her.

If you’re looking for a book that is a solid fantasy and a solid romance put together, I definitely recommend Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon. There isn’t as much smut as you’d expect out of a minotaur romance, but it is definitely there and definitely spicy. There is a lot more worldbuilding and bonding than the typical romantasy. Definitely loved this!

**Review will be posted/crossposted May 2nd**

A monster romance with Indiana Jones vibes! Alspeth was a smart character that refuses to take no for an answer. I appreciated her wit and stubbornness.

Laugh out loud funny, and incredibly endearing.

Huge thank you to Berkley Publishing Group / Ace for the Read Now copy of this ARC. It’s been on my TBR since I first saw the beautiful cover, and I’m so glad I picked it up!

Speaking of the beautiful cover, if you saw the cover and thought, “Is that a Minotaur and a woman?”, your eyes did not deceive you. This is indeed a paranormal romance and no, he doesn’t occasionally transform into a beast, he is quite literally a Taurian 100% of the time. So if that suits your fancy, you absolutely have to read this book.

Aspeth is an incredibly naive heiress from high society that’s trying to join a guild of treasure hunters. It’s been her lifelong dream, and now that her family is secretly poor, it seems like the perfect time to disappear and start a new life. Unfortunately, she’s going to have to earn her place in the guild and its current members think it’s no place for a lady.

Bull Moon rising takes the vibes of Indiana Jones and smashes them into a historical romance. It was such a fun mix of two genres I enjoy. Aspeth is so out of her league despite how much she wants to be part of The Guild. Where she lacks the physical strength and dexterity to actually navigate the treacherous tunnels, she more than makes up for in brains. I loved her tenacity! Despite how challenging joining the guild is, she doesn’t give up. She’s got so much stacked against her. Including a terrible mentor, and a team of fellow recruits that don’t entirely believe in themselves, and a brooding Taurian who doesn’t want to help them.

Only Lady Aspeth refuses to let any of that stop her. She comes up with the crazy idea to marry the Minotaur in exchange for his mentorship. He can’t be any worse than Guild Master Magpie, who’s too intoxicated to teach their team.

I was fully sucked into this world and loved the Indiana Jones-esque quality to it. I was fully invested in the treasures they were finding. Although the storyline was slow at times, I flew through the audiobook. The narrators did an incredible job bringing the characters to life, and I found myself blushing up a storm when the Conquest Moon finally arrived. Aspeth had no idea, what she was signing up for.

This book was truly adorable. The ending was so sweet, and I loved the way the story unfolded. I’m very interested to see where the series goes next.

A mucking good time with a surprisingly solid plot. The characterizations weren’t my favorite but Ruby’s unwavering commitment to her craft kept me reading.

3.5⭐️

**thank you NetGalley for the ecopy!!**

Hawk is a surly minotaur and instructor for the Royal Artifactual Guild, a semi-archaeological program that teaches people to find magical artifacts. Lady Aspeth Honori is the daughter of an aristocrat and lover of history. Aspeth’s father gambles away their generational wealth and Aspeth is determined to save her family’s fortune by becoming an expert artifact hunter. In order to join the Royal Artifactual Guild, she needs a chaperone or a husband. She enters into a marriage of convenience with Hawk, who is looking for a partner for the upcoming Conquest Moon, the big “heat” that happens to minotaurs every five or so years.

Bull Moon Rising is an interesting debut for Ruby Dixon’s new series. I was very confused by the lore and world-building in the beginning of the novel. It wasn’t immediately clear that the artifacts they were hunting for were magical, and I wasn’t sure of the intended purpose. I was also very confused by the setting and time period. As the story continued, the plot became more engrossing and the climax was full of action and surprises. I’m glad I stuck it out. I do feel like the romance took a backseat in this story. I didn’t feel much of a relationship between Hawk and Aspeth outside of lust. I’m hoping the next book has more romance and a little less archaeology.

Bull Moon Rising was absolutely amazing! Minotaur smut is something I never expected to be into, but here we are. The book was so well written that the romance didn’t overshadow the main plot. I loved the teacher-student dynamic, the training aspects, and the themes of found family and marriage of convenience. The ending was perfect – it wrapped everything up so beautifully, like a bow on a thoughtful gift. I’d rate it 100/10!