Book Blurb:
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.
My Review: 3.75 stars
Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon is the author of the Ice Planet Barbarian series which many readers told me I had to read. I delve into fantasy but not a ton of it. When I saw on Instagram that Dixon announced her traditional deal for a romantasy book, I thought I’d dig in. The book blends sci-fi/paranormal and romance with a mythological twist to it.
First, don’t let the pretty cover fool you. this book has all of the things Ruby’s books are known for: a fun, low angst monster romance with spicy scenes featuring ‘unique’ male anatomy (did someone say knotting?!) and lovable side characters.
The book takes place in a Victorian-era/medieval fantasy world and follows Aspeth, a noblewoman with dreams of becoming a magical archaeologist, and Hawk, a minotaur who serves as her mentor. They enter into a marriage of convenience—Aspeth needs it to gain entry into the Artifactual Guild, while Hawk requires a partner for his rut, which is fast approaching.
As with any first book in a new series, the world building and backstories take a bit to get into, but as the book progresses, and we get more of Hawk’s POV, I couldn’t put the book down. I do think the book could’ve been a bit shorter (with a little less of their internal monologues), but overall, this series has so much potential and I can’t wait to see where Dixon takes it! I recommend it for any reader who likes some mystery and adventure with their spicy, monster books! – Guest Review by Lacey Guy
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