⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🌶️🌶️

Overall I liked this book. This book had the same Ruby Dixon vibe as IPB but more fantasy vibes. I loved the FMC. She was easily likable. I loved the banter and the Tension.

There was still spice in Bull Moon Rising but obviously not the same as IPB.

I read fantasy mostly and I loved this version of Ruby’s writing. I would recommend this book fantasy readers that are wanting to get into IPB.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was amazing! I saw someone describe it as Lara Croft meets Pride and Prejudice and I absolutely loved that description! As someone who loved books like Morning Glory Milking Farm, Bride, and monster romance books in general, I knew Bull Moon Rising was going to be a win for me.

The slow burn was done beautifully. Then the down-to-earth, nerdy, FMC was so sweet and I was rooting for her from the beginning. When the spice started happening, I loved every second of it. Then there was the banter and connection between the FMC and MMC was adorable to read.

I want more books in this world. Ruby Dixon will always be one of my favorite monster/alien romance authors. Forever an auto-buy author for me.

What to expect:
Dual POV
Lara Croft type FMC
He's her instructor
Marriage of convenience
Forced proximity

I really enjoyed this blend of historical, paranormal, and rom-com. The characters were sweet, the story was spicy, the plot was fun.

As an Ice Planet Barbarian fan, I was a bit nervous that Bull Moon Rising wouldn't live up to its predecessor. But all my fears were put away in just a few chapters once the topics of a female in a male-dominating workplace and marriage of convenience were introduced. I found Aspeth to be a highly likable character because of her drive and ability to form strong friendships.

This mythical world will have your imagination running wild and wishing that you also had a hot minotaur teacher/husband. I highly recommend this novel for fans of paranormal/fantasy/monster romance who like a little suspense!

Thank you Berkley & NetGalley for the ARC for review!

Ruby Dixon has a hit or miss reputation for me, and Bull Moon Rising lands squarely in the middle. With a rather slow start, I really didn't hit my stride until about 30% in. That being said, this is overall a really cozy and spicy slow burn that gave me The Mummy/adventurous vibes (positive). I think this could have been a lot shorter, but I did appreciate the attention to detail for the worldbuilding overall.

yo wut? I'm sure a lot of others would like this, but it felt like too much animal smut to me. I'm fine with the shifting, but this one was like true animal. It wasn't for me, But I know some people who loved it.

Steaming hot open door NY Times instant bestseller & USA Today bestseller.

As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.

It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.

Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with.
It’s time to dig deep. Literally.

The author has become a cult favorite with her romance erotica series Ice Planet Barbarians and readers of that series and fans of hot and erotic fiction will be fast fans of Aspeth and Hawk and their adventures in the Royal Artifactual Guild. I do love romantasy, and a fun world to live - this one was simply sizzling hot and I could not put it down. Looking for that hot read that has a great MC with a heart of gold who meets her perfectly loyal and simmeringly sexy Minotaur mate? Look no further. This was my first book by this author, and I think I will delve into the cult favorite series Ice Planet Barbarian very soon.
Don’t read if you can’t handle super spice - this is 🌶️🌶️
I loved the underdog to champion storyline and would read the next - see the author notes for the inspiration behind the story (cool).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What’s your favorite spicy book?
#romantasy #arcreader #spicybooks lol

Thank you to Ace and Berkeley Publishing Group for the eARC approval through Netgalley.

I do judge a book by its cover, although it has bitten me in the past (TGUWG I’m looking at you). The main lure of this book for me was the beautiful first edition which will have special endpapers, stained edges, foiled case and a shimmering jacket. A book with all these things shows publisher confidence and in a sucker for the color pink.

The writing is good and you are thrown into the world immediately as things happen and bits are explained as we go. At times it did drag with the info drops, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve read, it was decent enough.

The characters are interesting and keep you entertained enough. The main character has gusto and kick to her, so you don’t mind following her journey.

The Minotaur love? It didn’t seem to really play a huge role…

The part I don’t like is relationships that start out with huge secrets… and there is one, which when revealed might mess everything up. But it does bring drama and suspense so I can’t fault the use of this trope either.

This seems like it will be the first in a series and I am interested in the characters enough to read the next installment!

I enjoy Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians series but I had a hard time getting into this book and dnf'd at 30%.

I was completely obsessed with this book! Ruby Dixon just never disappoints. The mix of a fresh fantasy concept, a minotaur hero, and a tall, plus-size FMC with glasses had me hooked right from the start. I couldn’t get enough.

I don't need super complex worldbuilding to enjoy a story; in fact, overly detailed worlds sometimes feel overwhelming. But Ruby crafted a truly fascinating fantasy realm here—complete with gods, ancient ruins, power struggles over magical objects, and even a feudal political system (which I feel is so rare!). The scenes of digging for magical relics deep underground had my heart racing—being trapped beneath layers of earth is terrifying to me—but the whole idea of a guild dedicated to recovering these sought-after artifacts was so exciting. Plus, the FMC’s dawning realization that they’re essentially grave robbing? Such a fun twist!

This was such a fun fun FUN read. Have you ever wanted to read a Gumpy x Sunshine but Grumpy is a bull? Look no farther! I’ve read a lot of Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series so this wasn’ too much of a change for me. Bull Moon Rising has a lot of world building and fantasy elements, many more than even I was expecting. Because of this like many fantasy books the beginning felt slow as I tried to adjust to all the lore and world building. But once I was cemented… boy was I really enjoying myself! This is my first read where the MMC is a bull (shocking I know) but I really really enjoyed Hawk’s character, though there were many moments where he annoyed me. I could feel the tension between him and Aspeth the entire book and loved their interactions with each other. Definitely a must read for Dixon and Monster romance fans!

Ruby Dixon is the queen of monster/alien romances, and Bull Moon Rising is such a wonderful example! Aspeth wants to restore her family name— she’s got some secrets. Hawk is wary of her… and he’s a Minotaur. A *smexy* one!

If you want a romance that is filled with spice, humor, and makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into an Indiana Jones fantasy with excellent world building (not to mention Aspeth’s character growth) — this has to be on your list!

I’ve already bought this as a Christmas gift for several friends, and I know they’re going to love it. Go pick this up!

This was so good. Really fun world building, loved the plot, the found family and really fun side characters- i hope there is more coming in this series! It had me swooning and laughing out loud the entire time

Ruby Dixon is an autobuy all time favorite author and this? THIS was everything. I am so excited to have a new world and the mix of historical steam punk vibes were fantastic.

This was SO GOOD. I guess this is the sort of "Romantasy" I can get behind because it marries monster romance and fantasy. There are actual stakes and a fascinating plot running alongside the marriage of convenience between our hero and heroine.

Aspeth is a Lord's daughter who longs to work for the Royal Artifact Guild because she's a bookish heroine but also because her father's Hold is in trouble. There are no artifacts to protect the Hold or money. She was supposed to be married to Barnabus but he disrespected her and he was only in it for the money and there is none so she breaks the engagement and heads to Vastwarren with her maid Gwenna to try to enter the Guild and try to acquire treasures for her family. Women are not exactly allowed in the Guild and so Aspeth propositions Hawk, the Taurian who works for the Guild and needs a partner for the Conquest Moon that is approaching. A group of five rag-tag teammates study and train to become guild members and all the while there's sabotage, plots and political machinations. Aspeth and Hawk deepen their attraction to each other in anticipation of the Conquest Moon and a lot is revealed about many characters. Let's just say this book has found family, an adorable cat, and you can file it under "never meet your heroes." When the intimate scenes happen, you can count on them to be hot and steamy like in any other Ruby Dixon book.

I cannot wait to see what Ruby Dixon does next in this series. I hope we get more from Gwenna, Aspeth's maid and bestie. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

The world building in this is incredible and not something that I’ve seen in other books. It’s very unique and often times I forgot that I was reading a monster romance.

However, I will also say that I come from reading primarily ice planet barbarians and so I’m used to short stories with a lot of of spice. This was definitely on the longer end and the pic only happened. I would say in about 10% of the book. Set your expectations going in and you won’t be disappointed.

Are you:
-Someone who also had a passionate obsession with The Mummy that led to a lifelong interest in archaeology and treasure hunting?

-Looking for a fun, refreshing romance with heaps of spice and underground labyrinths?

-Someone who doesn’t mind MMCs with hooves?

Then call Ruby Dixon for a good time.

Bull Moon Rising was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and while it was fun, spicy, and interesting enough to make it an easy, entertaining read, I was left a bit wanting in terms of the plot and the pacing. It took me a lot longer than usual to get through this one, and I chalk that largely up to a bit of a meandering, redundant plot – but then again, you pick up a book about underground treasure hunting, there’s not a whole lot of worldbuilding that’s going to happen outside of that, ya know?

The story here is about Aspeth, heir to a struggling kingdom due to her father’s relentless gambling. A lifelong book nerd with a penchant for the historic ruins, language, and culture of the civilization that existed before theirs, she decides to take matters into her own hands by joining the archaeological guild to hunt down magical artifacts that would protect her and her father in the event the vultures start circling.

Enter: a delicious marriage of convenience with a Taurian – a minotaur species that are relegated to rescue missions underground and offered limited opportunity to rise in rank despite their unmatched skill in Underground Stuff as her entree into the guild.

Aspeth is in need of a chaperone to gain acceptance into the prestigious guild, and Hawk is in need of a wife to see him through the Bull Moon – a particularly virile time for Taurian males as they enter…The Rut. YES, THERE IS RUTTING. THERE ARE KNOTS. THERE ARE COPIOUS FLUIDS. Minotaur romances are not for the fainthearted in that regard, but if you’re on the hunt for some A+++ scorching monster smut? You’ll love sweet, feral Hawk.

Ultimately this was good, but it just lacked the fun, zany spirit that Ruby tends to weave into her stories, and the plot felt rather plodding for its length. It was still a satisfying ride, though – so pick this up if you’re in the mood for a treasure hunting minotaur to sweep you off your feet. And then knot you.

4 Stars

Take wild adventures of India Holton’s books, mix in the spicy romance of the feminist regency ladies in Evil Dunmore’s books, then add a dash of Monsters U (the band of misfit monsters led by Mike and Sully), garnished with Ruby Dixon’s trademark magical monster love and BOOM YOUVE GOT THIS BOOK.

The fantastical world of magical artifact retrieval was so fun and well fleshed out, and I just adored the entire cast of guild apprentices. Their journey alone made the story riveting. But honestly, the marriage of convince and the knotting is what kept us all engaged AND YOU KNOW IT.

What I didn’t expect to love was the subtle commentary on discrimination as well as the timely arguments made against archiving and history (and who should own it).

Ruby Dixon’s books are so bingeable and engaging and honestly they just keep getting better and spicier. Give me alllllll of her books.

Wow! This was such a good book. I will now be reading everything by the author. Beautifully written!

Bull Moon Rising is a book about a magical archeological dig that features a marriage-of-convenience trope between a minotaur and a human noblewoman on the run. Only Ruby Dixon could make me read this. Only Ruby Dixon could make me like it.