Review: By the Horns by Ruby Dixon

By the Horns
Royal Artifactual Guild #2
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ruby Dixon takes us back into her magical world of artifacts, secrets, and larger-than-life heroes with By the Horns—and I had such a fun time with this one! Honestly, I think I enjoyed the overarching plot here even more than book one. Between Gwenna’s dangerous magical secret, a possible artifact thief, and a murder mystery woven through it all, the stakes felt higher and the storylines came together seamlessly by the end.

Gwenna was such an endearing FMC—prickly at times, determined, and fiercely loyal. Pair her with Raptor, the cocky Taurian who flirts like it’s his full-time job, and you’ve got an irresistible dynamic. Their banter, button-pushing, and explosive chemistry made me laugh, swoon, and want to yell at them in equal measure. It’s insta-lust for sure, but their eventual emotional growth and building trust were worth the slow reveal of all their secrets.

The pacing worked well for me—structured in a way that let each plot thread breathe—and the reveals were timed beautifully. I maybe wanted just a little bit more in the ending, but that’s probably just me being greedy because I didn’t want it to stop. The audiobook narration was another standout: lively, emotive, and honestly impossible to pause once I started listening.

That said, I do have two frustrations. First, Gwenna is repeatedly described in-text as plus-sized—even at one point as “round”—yet the cover art shows the slimmest heroine imaginable. It feels disingenuous, especially when representation matters so much to readers. Second, there are multiple moments of non-queer deadnaming, with some self-correction but very little reflection. It was jarring and unnecessary, and I wish it had been handled with more care.

Still, this series is proving to be a really fun ride—horny, high-stakes, and full of found-family vibes. I can’t wait to see where Dixon takes us (and these characters) next.

Check out my interview with author Ruby Dixon

Genre: Monster Romance
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 (5+)
Tropes: secret identity, insta-lust, knotting, forced proximity
POV: Dual, 1st person, present tense
Content Warnings: misogyny in the worldbuilding, non-queer deadnaming