Review: Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon

Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon

Series: Royal Artifactual Guild #1

Publication date: October 15th, 2024

Pages: 432
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

In a world of magical artifacts and fantastical beings, a woman determined to save her family joins forces with an unlikely partner, in this steamy romantasy by USA Today bestselling author Ruby Dixon.

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.

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Review:

I have recently gotten into reading along with the audiobook when I know the narration style will be a duet. It is a little slower reading than if I am doing it on my own but I like getting a bit of a feel for the characters through the voices of their narrators. I will divide my review between the book itself and the audiobook narration so that I can cover my critiques on both.

Firstly, the story overall was unlike any I had read before. I was a dabbler in the Ice Planet Barbarian series without having completely read the series back when they were shorter novella form. But I remember the author having a way of creating these worlds that were completely foreign but no less intriguing. Ruby Dixon did the same here. The world was a lot more similar to our own world but with minor tweaks to make it otherworldly in its differences. In this world there is no such thing as magic in the physical sense but for Aspeth and her Taurian husband, Hawk, magic is a long forgotten skill that clung to the items of a time forgotten. There are crews of tomb robbers who dig into the world of their ancestors for magical artifacts meant to help with their day-to-day lives. These highly sought after items are then rooted firmly in a political world of bureaucracy and subterfuge. The more artifacts one had, the more prestige they wielded. As long as they held onto the artifacts, that is. The loss of them is what turned Aspeth's world upside down and set the tone of desperation and determination that gave the character her fire.

I thoroughly enjoyed Aspeth as a character. Albeit, there were times when I had to slap my forehead at her naivety. I think that same innocence is why she entered into her agreement with Hawk without much trepidation. I don't believe she realized what she was offering up nor how different such experiences would be from what she may have dreamed of as a woman made to desire love. Her naivety made her both frustrating to watch but also delightfully refreshing. Her relationship with Hawk transformed the bullheaded man (literally) into someone who was learning to care for another despite his jaded feelings on his job and even the frustrating time of the Conquest Moon. Even while he was acting like he couldn't stand her, there was a fire inside him that called to her own. They were a delightfully paired couple.

A lot of people might be squeamish of the fact that the main male character is a minotaur but that is not all that Hawk is. Getting past the fact that this woman was essentially falling in love with a man who has bull features was surprisingly easy. I am not one who usually subscribes to monster romance but this book was a lot more than just that. I would say to anyone who thinks they may not like it simply because the male lead as hooves and horns to give it a shot before you dismiss it entirely based purely on prejudices. 

The story overall was top marks entertainment and the narration only made it all the better. Felicity Munroe was able to slip in and out of a proper English accent to an American one with different embellishments that made none of the most present characters sound the same. Even if I looked away from the pages of the book I could tell who was speaking without being prompted. She encapsulated Aspeth's naivety and innocence perfectly. Hiro Diaz also did a fabulous job even if his range of voices did overlap a lot. The scene where Hawk was under the control of the Conquest Moon must have ruined his throat, but it is a scene that will live inside my head for a long while. Anytime I think the world 'mine' it will likely be accompanied by thoughts of Hawk's rough growl. The narrators did the story and characters proud.

Overall, I believe the book and the audiobook narration to be some of the best I have read in a while. Ruby Dixon outdid herself again and I have to hope this series gains in popularity as Ice Planet Barbarians did so that I have many many friends to discuss every bit of it with. 

 

Book Blitz with Teaser: A Gingerbread Christmas by Mary Oldham @GiveMeBooksPR

A Gingerbread Christmas by Mary Oldham

Publication date: November 28th, 2025

Synopsis:

Liza Morgan works for one of New York's most elite, high-strung wedding planners. Her career is on the line when a celebrity client, a notoriously demanding Hollywood star scraps her lavish Valentine's Day plans and demands a spectacular, one-of-a-kind Christmas wedding that looks like the North Pole.

Liza's only hope is to return to her charming hometown, Silver Falls, utilizing the colossal, life-sized gingerbread house built every year by The World Famous Swete Gingerbread Factory.

But returning to Silver Falls means facing the past she ran from--specifically, Stephen Swete, her high school sweetheart. Stephen, now a widower and singer father of two, runs the factory and is the only person who can grant permission for the wedding. Liza hasn't seen him in years and knows she is about to put him "in the center of her crosshairs".

Can Liza manage a celebrity Christmas wedding in a literal gingerbread house while navigating the complicated feelings for the man she never forgot?

Available at:

MARY OLDHAM is an award winning author, and three-time Golden Heart Finalist with the Romance Writers of America in the areas of Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense. She is a 2023 Maggie Finalist for her book, CRUSH. Mary lives in Portland, Oregon when she is not sitting on her deck and looking at the Pacific in Yachats, Oregon, the Gem of the Oregon Coast.

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Book Blitz with Excerpt + Giveaway: The Skeleton Faerie by A.P. Mobley @author_apmobley @XpressoTours

The Skeleton Faerie by A.P. Mobley

Series: Children of the Death Gods #1

Publication date: November 8th, 2025

Synopsis:

Faerie folklore meets a nuclear post apocalypse in this dark mythological fantasy woven with secrets, treachery, and star-crossed love.

Ninety-nine years after the Nuclear War of 1989, twenty-one-year-old Gus Brandon should only be interested in the survival of humanity and the expansion of his compound. But he's obsessed with legends from the distant past, superstitions of an expired people.

While searching forbidden ruins for the scraps of stories lost to time, he stumbles upon a mysterious young woman covered in scars. Her name is Saoirse, and their meeting sets off a bloody chain of events--one in which Gus discovers that the folklore he loves just might be real, and that it's tied to mankind in ways he could have never imagined.

Soon the lines between myth and reality blur, as do the lines between realms.

Gus will have to rely on his knowledge--and Saoirse--to survive the horrors awaiting him... in this world and the next.

Available at:

Excerpt

When Gus and his teammates were a mere mile from the compound, the sun had almost finished setting, and the temperature had dropped significantly. A breeze grazed the back of his bare neck and arms, sending chills through his body. In every direction, all that was visible were trees, the only noises those of his and his companions' boots and their animals' hooves crunching against shriveled grass and fallen leaves. Occasionally, crows--some of them genetically altered, their feathers stained a pinkish color--flapped from branch to branch, their harsh caws piercing the quiet.

Maybe it was because of the extensive amount of folklore he'd been reading, but these days, the dark played tricks on Gus's eyes, making him see monsters when nothing was there.

Nothing could be there, after all, as the stories he so loved weren't real.

And even if there was a chance that they were real (and he knew there wasn't), his compound was on the western side of a mountain range called the Black Hills, located within the fallen United States of America--far, far away from the places those magical tales took place.

Yet he still found himself imagining all manner of malevolent faeries prowling the woods at night. He saw them skulking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

In masses of collapsed cottonwoods, he imagined there were redcaps hiding, plotting to slaughter any stray travelers passing by.

In murders of crows, he imagined there was sluagh flying, scouring the forest floor for the next unlucky fellow whose soul they might devour.

In fast-moving streams, he imagined there were kelpies biding their time, anticipating the moment a person came close enough to drown and eat.

Thankfully, the logical side of his brain knew he had nothing to worry about--even as far as nonfictional threats went. The worst anyone on scavenge-duty had encountered in the last year was a couple of mountain lions and some rattlesnakes, and although he and his teammates had never run into anything like that, they knew how to take care of it as easily as the other people of the compound had: with bullets.

No one left the compound without a loaded gun and extra ammo.

Gus and his team were safe.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and if it weren't for the smog blanketing the sky (a lingering effect of the Nuclear War, which the elders said should clear up any decade now), the moon and stars might have lit up the night. The temperature fell even further, clouds of breath filling the air in front of Gus's face and fogging up his glasses.

"Guess we should have packed our coats," Nancy remarked as she walked in front of Gus, guiding her pig along. She began to shiver. "I hate when the weather gets like this. Hot during the day, cold at night."

Twigs cracked to the left. Hand flying to his holster, Gus looked that way, his goat bleating, Nancy's pig squealing.

A flash of movement in the trees, there and gone in an instant.

"What the...?" Oliver tossed his bundle of birds over his shoulder and retrieved his flashlight, his teeth chattering. He and Adam stood several feet to Gus's right. "Did you guys see that?"

Adam drew his handgun. "Probably a mountain lion. We're almost home, so just keep your eyes peeled and your weapons ready."

"Maybe speed it up a little too," Gus added, and he and Nancy pulled out their handguns. The team continued toward the compound.

Not five minutes had passed before more branches snapped behind them. Again, the goat bleated, and the pig squealed.

Everyone swung around, preparing to shoot. Oliver shined his flashlight into the trees.

The glow revealed a creature that made Gus's skin prickle with goose bumps.

A. P. MOBLEY is the Halloween-loving, rock-music-obsessed author of dark fantasy inspired by mythology. She doesn't only write about her favorite myths, folklores, and fairy tales in books, though; she discusses them on her podcast, Myths (& Folktales & Fairy tales), as well as on her blog and newsletter. She grew up in Wyoming and Nebraska and currently lives in South Dakota, and when she's not up to her elbows in research for her next project, she can be found consuming dangerous amounts of coffee, reading speculative fiction, or rewatching The Good Place.

Never miss an update from A. P. by signing up for her newsletter. Full list of books and Content Warnings on her website.

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Review: King of Wrath by Ana Huang

King of Wrath by Ana Huang

Series: Kings of Sin #1

Publication date: October 20th, 2022

Pages: 398

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

She's the wife he never wanted... and the weakness he never saw coming.

Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

The billionaire CEO never planned to marry--until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.

It doesn't matter how beautiful or charming she is. He'll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.

There's only one problem: now that he has her... he can't bring himself to let her go.

***

Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family's ticket into the highest echelons of high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn't her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty.

Craving his touch was never part of the plan.

Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

King of Wrath is a steamy arranged marriage billionaire romance. It includes explicit content and profanity.

Recommended for mature readers only.

Available at:

Review:

When I was organizing my bookshelf I enlisted some help doing so. During the organization process we discovered that I had several books by Ana Huang in piles all over my room that needed to be rehomed on my shelf. It became a funny situation to state the author's name with exasperation at how many books I had of hers that needed to be wriggled into the shelf when I alphabetized. I decided to start decluttering my shelves by reading all my unread books and deciding whether they were keepers or ones that I would donate to my local secondhand bookstore. My daughter had overheard the joking about my abundant Ana Huang collection and impishly grinned as she pulled this one off the shelf. Far be it for me to deny the desires of my 10 year old.

There is an undertone throughout the book that I didn't truly catch and understand until closer to the end: the way culture played a firm factor in how things unfolded. With a name like Vivian Lau I don't know what I didn't realize it to begin with but the fact she was impossibly submissive and subservient to her family should have tipped me off. I do believe the book touched on the importance of respecting elders to the point of sacrificing one's own wants and desires in the Chinese culture. It made Vivian's determination to please her parents all the more real when you realized it wasn't just her desperation to be their perfect daughter but the fear that if she didn't she could lose everyone she ever loved. I liked that the author used that but also had Dante's own upbringing shed a light on how differently one would see the interactions especially between Vivian and her father. It was a fascinating tidbit that explained a lot of the reasoning for the FMC's actions but also the struggle between differing cultures. What is the usual for one is outrageous to the other. The fact that was so subtle it was almost missed was a nice garnish to the already great book.

Dante's hot and cold antics with Vivian were the customary for control freaks who feel like they are losing control at every turn so have to snuff out the cause of it. It was infuriating to watch though. Vivian was so sweet and charismatic that it was hard to see Dante even able to be indifferent to her at all. In those moments I hated Dante but I never lost hope for her. Vivian cracked his shell bit by bit until we got to see the real man underneath. He was a lot more soft spoken and sweet than the armor he wore. That evolution followed a very believable ebb and flow even if it broke my heart to see Vivian constantly feeling like nobody truly loved her for who she was. That insecurity spoke to me and made my heart ache. 

This would have definitely been a five star book for me if it weren't for Dante being a little... less feral than I would have liked him. Sure, he could throw around some dirty talk and growl once in a while, but I didn't feel that desperation pour off of him for Vivian. Which is completely valid. Not every male lead has to be borderline caveman. And Dante seriously tried to live up to my expectations, but he fell short a little. That is really all I can critique about the book and it was simply based on my own preferences.

This was a great start to what I expect to be a really good series of various couples in the same universe finding their happily ever afters. Even through all the pitfalls and obstacles along the way telling them to ignore their hearts completely.