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.