Moist for Her Minotaur

by Evangeline Priest

When pastry chef Magdalena “Lena” Reyes opens her dream bakery, Moist, in the bustling monster-friendly city of New Vegas, she expects long hours, too much caffeine, and occasional existential dread about her choice of bakery name. What she doesn’t expect is Thorne, her grumpy, ridiculously large Minotaur landlord, who treats his building rules like sacred law and looks personally offended every time she accidentally sets off the fire alarm.

Moist for Her Minotaur is the first story in the Monsters of New Vegas series, and set in the Obsidian Rift Universe. This warm, funny, sugar-sweet romcom is filled with delicious Filipino pastries, delightful bickering, and a grumpy Minotaur who just wants to keep his little baker safe.

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2026

About the author

WRITES "LOVE AT FIRST BITE" PARANORMAL ROMANCE FEATURING GROWLY ALPHA HEROES AND WOMEN STRONG ENOUGH TO TAME THEM.

Reviews

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, super sweet, and steamy!

BTW Moist is the name of the FMC’s bakery 🤣🤣🤣

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧:
- human + minotaur
- pastry chef + landlord
- grumpy x sunshine
- size difference

[Anastey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you BookSprout, and Evangeline Priest for sending me this advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was one of the sweetest books I've read in ages (literally). Don't read this if you are hungry, because the tasty noms in these pages will have you running to grab snacks.

The sunshine/grumpy dynamic is so perfect. I loved every minute of watching Lena crack Thorne's hard exterior to find that warm cinnamon roll center.

Naming your bakery "Moist" is hilarious, and fit Lena's character so well. She is such a golden ray of silly sunshine. I adore Thorne's love of woodworking too. I totally understand how sanding a beautiful piece of wood feels, and Evangeline described it perfectly.

I read the abridged version from BookSprout, and I'm looking forward to reading the full version of this book when it comes out in December!

[April Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The big question are you going to like do you want to even read it etc ... Yes and no. This was a short read that took me less than a couple of hours. The first problem was trying to make heads or tails of the actual building. There were a few statements here and there. The details but yet lack of details. The amount of time and knowledge that went into writing about the baking and heritage is top tier. That alone makes it worth a read. The story felt as if it was focused on baking and less on the actual relationship. there was a bit of spice nothing to write home about. There's definitely a missed opportunity with the minotaur. I would say this more beginner friendly monster loving. Just cozy and sweet. The side of BookTok I'm on has the minotaurs shed in a vastly different light. If you're on the other side of BookTok this might not be for you. Palatte Cleanser.

[Spicy Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good grumpy/sunshine story, and this was no exception. Thorne was the quintessential grumpy minotaur, stomping around and fuming. Perfection.
Lena was the best blend of sass and sunshine. I just loved her character!
Their short, low-angst story was both fun and spicy. It's the perfect before-bed read. The spice level was just right for the story.

I have to add here that I absolutely love the word Moist in this anthology and specifically in this story. I love that all the authors are putting THE word that everyone hates out there like this. It's hilarious and weirdly perfect! 😍

Spice 3🌶️ rating 5 ⭐.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sydnee Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute little read.
We have a fun and bubbly human baker Lena. She bakes from the wonderlust of her family and their heritage of the Philippines. Her grumpy but hot Minotaur landlord Thorne is a woodworker.
They team up to help her win a baking competition and in the process things get heated in the kitchen in more than one way. They have both been into each other for months and now after some late nights and work they let things progress beyond landlord tenant relationship.

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great grumpy/sunshine romance and I loved seeing Lena and Throne interact. He was perfectly grumpy, and as a minotaur, that included lots of stomping to go with that grump. Lol! Lena was sassy but just all sunshine. I really liked her - and her whacked idea for a bakery name ;P If you're looking for a fun, fast read that's low on angst but high on fun and spice, this is definitely the one ;D

[Cynthia Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 Monsters of New Vegas Story of pastry chef Magdalena “Lena” Reyes and Minotaur landlord Thorne. This one had me laughing at how these two are attracted to each other, the way to win a Minotaur is baked goods and a few mishaps with baked goods. Sign me up.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kari Blocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun single sitting read about a grumpy Minotaur and his chaotic human tenant who breaks down his barriers and steals his heart. Super sweet with just a dash of spice and a lot of baking. If you’re looking for a fun, quick read, definitely check it out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sara Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet as Sugar

This was a great book for the beginning of 2026! It was sexy, funny, emotional, competitive, and sugary sweet! I loved the grumpy minotaur who turns out to be the sweetest, sexiest, supportive monster! I hope all my book boyfriend of 2026 can live up to his standards!

[Summer Steelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful story! I loved it and couldn't put it down! Devoured each and every word and will definitely check out more works by Priest.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[nikitatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and cute. It was nice to see an Asian FMC and the culture actually represented. Was a little weird that all of a sudden the video footage was found, so the plot hole there without explaining that was strange.

[Veronica LaRoche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read that had me glued to my kindle. I love a good grumpy/sunshine book. Definitely Lena and Thorne will have you hooked from page 1.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good. I did like the interactions between the mains. They were fun and spicy and I wasn't at all hungry when I finished.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet, steamy…. That’s what you will get with this novella.

Monsters
Novella
Grumpy/sunshine

[Vishous · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
cuteness overload.