I got this book An exchange for honest review.

This book is so good. I love It. I will say the first couple of Charters was a lot of world building and was a little slow. But once the two main characters start to really interact with each other, it started to pull me in, and it started to get good. I literally read this in a day. I love this book.I love the 5 team members and their different personalities. I love the two main characters, Aspeth and Hawk. You could see the growth they both made at the end of the story as people and as a couple. It had plenty of hot scenes and also a bit mystery to it.(just when you think someone is good or bad it would go in a totally different way)For the real "good stuff" (Minnotars knots😍). I would say its a bit of a slow burn, but along the way it still had plenty of heat thrown in. If you like Ruby Dixon, then this is good or better than her other stuff. It has a similar feel to her Aspect books.

Also I hope we see more in this world. Is Gwenna or the others having story too? I loved Gwenna and her friendship with Aspeth. You could tell she really cared for her.

This was a good book. I really love the world building and the characters. The pacing was really good and it was an interesting story to read

IM SO EXCITED I GOT TO READ THIS FANTASTIC MONSTER ROMANCE WHEN I TELL YOU WHEN I TELL YOU!!!! FIVE STARS. FIVE STARS. OMG.

For fans of Ali Hazelwood's Bride and CM Nascosta's Morning Glory Milking Farm but... like it's Raiders of the Lost Ark/Lara Croft meets Pride and Prejudice. Fanfuckingtastic. AHHHHHHHHHH. Seriously. I am so excited to get my pretty physical copy of this book.

Ok anyway seriously, here's my spoiler-free review-

30 year old spinster Aspeth runs away from home on a quest to save her family's hold and ends up embroiled in guild and tomb raider politics while finding herself in a marriage of convenience with a grumpy Minotaur... who's also her teacher... on the lunar eve of his mating season.

This was slow burn (for a monster romance - but not surprising considering this is *gasp* the first trad pub Minotaur smut?), perfectly knotty, and so so so sweet. I loved our down-to-earth, nerdy, and steadfast FMC, the fiercely loyal found family she gathered along the way, and the most endearing and steadfast of Minotaurs for an MMC.

The plot was solid, the romance and spice top tier, the world so richly built, and everything just came together so well. I love how everyone just seriously wanted to be loved in this book - even that monster of a fat cat that sheds everywhere. I binged this in 2 sittings (and only cause its like 432 pages and I started late the first day) and Urgently Need More from this world.

I loved the fact that she was basically blind without her spectacles (relatable) though she tried to pretend she could do without, that she was unapologetically plus size with totally valid insecurities (and made relatable jokes about this too!), and that there was casual, and normalized queer rep (but I'm not saying anything more cause spoilers!)

[....istg if ppl who aren't monsterotica readers pick this book up and say its too weird and rate it low simply because this is being aggressively marketed as "romantasy" as if the book cover doesn't show you its literally a damn MINOTAUR im gonna scream.]

My first ARC review !
*Bull Moon Rising - Ruby Dixon*

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️ 🌶️🌶️.5

We follow the FMC Asbeth Honori on a Journey to save her home from her father’s poor choices . She’s come up with this “perfect plan” to help her lands by joining the guild. This Guild is known to find artifacts that essentially help guard kingdoms from being over thrown. (Like her own will be if she doesn’t succeed). She’s studied and feels ready to join when she’s slapped in face with the reality that because she’s a woman she cannot join without a sponsor, which is where the MMC, sexy Minotaur Hawk, comes in. Without spoiling it there’s adventure, a twist, and a lot of building up to some smutty monster smut!

My Thoughts -

Ruby Dixon is one of my favorite authors so in my eyes she really could do know wrong! I love her series, they are always captivating and truly easy to envision the worlds she sets up in her books. This is no different. I really enjoyed this world it being set in “the past” with some figure elements. The banter, between the characters had me laughing and the smut build up was so sexy. If you love ruby Dixon, or want to get into her books or this genre of books this stand alone (although i hope she continues to make books in this world) would be a great start to dip your feet in!

Feedback (spoilers) - Would’ve loved to get more information about other monsters and their anatomy / preferences / etc . Hopefully this does become a series. Would love to see if magpie is redeemed, how Asbeth and Hawk take down her ex (throwing out theories) . Maybe Asbeth bestie getting with the other Minotaur, and her journey with the rest of the team as repeaters” . So much to expand on!

There was very little information out there when I excitedly requested this book, but when I picked it up to read and saw the content warnings I realized it's in my best interest to not read it. I want to thank the publisher so much for giving me the opportunity, and I deeply apologize that it didn't work out. I highly recommend that this author include the content warnings on their website so people don't buy the book and then have to return it after. Even though I didn't read this, Netgalley is requiring a star rating. I've selected 3 as a neutral pick.

Ruby Dixon is one real queen! The chemistry between Aspeth and Hawk is palpable, filled with moments of sass, warmth, humor, and emotional depth. The author's vivid descriptions has me live vicariously through these characters.

Ruby Dixon has this quality about their writing that pulls you in. When I read the synopsis on this book I was intrigued (who wouldn't be, a trad publishing deal for the author of ice planet??) but not sure if this would be for me. What you will find in this book:
-Found family (which is adorable, our little band of misfits will melt your heart)
-Marriage of convenience- literally one of the best tropes out there
-Omega verse- yes you read that write, it extends to minotaurs now- why? Because Ruby said so.
Overall I enjoyed it, the world building was very well done- there were some things that I got a little lost in, but I found my way through. I really like the idea of a fantasy spin on archaeological work. I am excited to see how it expands throughout the series, which characters it follows and such, I do hope that we see Aspeth again. One thing to note, if you are new to the Ruby Dixon verse, this novel is quite steamy and it is definitely monster sex. For those of us who liked the ice planet barbarians series, you'll be fine, but please just make sure you know what you are going into!
Overall, great vibes- fun storyline and I will see you all back here in October :)

This was a charming romp with a few plot holes and several truly very smart moments--the bit about Aspeth's desire to keep her morality vs . live was, I felt, a particularly effective note. Also, more authors should have characters who don't have their whole plan figured out yet. It made sense in the plot and stopped things from feeling too convoluted when it didn't serve.

I love Ruby Dixon and anything they write. This was no different. Great world, great spice, great drama. 10/10

Aspeth (FMC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
daughter of nobility, hoping to help her family out financially. Has a pet cat named Squeaker and a maid that is her best friend named Gwenna.

Hawk (MMC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Minotaur, teacher. Has a tail 🫣 About to go into rut, wants to connect with a female.

The Bull Moon Rising story begins with a lot of back history to explain The Royal Artifactual Guild, which Aspeth is hoping to join to help out her family.

There are a lot of terms, people, and places that I did not really understand. Maybe further in into the series things will start to make sense.

I enjoyed the Ice Planet series and am hoping for good things out of these stories as well!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title!

I absolutely love Ruby Dixon. I will say that this one was a little slow for me on the actual romance portion of the book.