A Monsoon Rising picks up right where The
Hurricane Wars left off, and wow, what a wild ride!
We dive straight into the whirlwind of Alaric and Talasyn's political marriage, but let me tell you-the romance steals the show! We have enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn, marriage of convenience, one bed and so much more
First off this book was WAY better than the first one. The chemistry was perfect! The first one definitely lacked that so if you felt it was missing the romance, this one is for you. But that cliffhanger will leave you not wanting but NEEDING more

Thea needs to pay my therapy bill for how this book ended. I need book 3 immediately. i loved this book SO much, it was really well written and i was invested the whole time. thank you for the opportunity!

4.5 stars

I enjoyed the first one, but the bumpiness and word vomit of the world building in the first 100 pages was a big obstacle. This second go around was a large upgrade and I couldn’t be happier. The romance is still a nice slow simmer and the world has become more fleshed out. I detracted half a star because the world is still confusing, but it was such a joyful experience.

I can confidently say anyone with an insatiable love for enemies to lovers romantasy is missing out if this isn’t on their shelf right this second.

The Hurricane Wars was, by necessity, thick with political intrigue and worldbuilding details, which I absolutely loved. By contrast, A Monsoon Rising slows it down to really get into the weeds of Alaric and Talasyn’s inner workings and interpersonal relationship.
As a result, this book is heavily character driven, and also spicier 🌶️ than its predecessor.

As someone whose personal preference is for more plot-heavy fantasy, I did find myself missing those elements a little. But I was also so invested in Talasyn and Alaric from book 1 that I was hooked in and along for the ride the whole time. There were some plot seeds that were planted that I expected to see come to fruition but didn’t — but at this point I have so much faith in Thea that book 3 will blow me away, I’m not worried at all. Just waiting in eager anticipation!

If you, like me, generally enjoy fantasy outside the romantasy genre but also love to dive into a good messy romance, this series is a great pick. Thea is a beautiful writer and her characters will have you in a chokehold the whole way.

Guanzon has done it again! ❤️

A Monsoon Rising is the sequel to The Hurricane Wars, following Alaric and Talasyn in their quest to defeat the Voidfell that threatens their nations, all while navigating their growing feelings for each other amongst political machinations.

This was just sublime: the prose was everything. It really beautifully portrayed the emotional context behind all the characters. It adds a really deep flavor to the burgeoning attraction between the two main characters which makes you so invested in the plot.

The plot is pretty well paced: there was some minor lull in the beginning but once the chemistry built up it was a super quick read. It was really captivating the entire way through! The drama was interesting and high stakes which I absolutely love.

The romance was SUPERB: truly enemies to lovers excellence. This is a must if you love the trope. It also reignited my love for the marriage of convenience trope 🥰

I cannot recommend this enough - it should be at the top of your TBR.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I seriously could not put this down. This true enemies to lovers is the best I've seen of this trope. You can truly tell how much research the author put into writing this series, I can tell my vocabulary has been widely improved. Challenging but gripping. I can't wait to read the next one.

I enjoyed this book! I do think I enjoyed it less than Hurricane Wars but I think that’s because of all the extra smut. The relationship to me just didn’t feel very connected outside of physical attraction. They didn’t really know each other that well. But this is an enemies to lovers book and I do love that trope and the way it’s navigated. They do care for each other I just feel it was hard for me to connect to the relationship for some reason. I also feel like not much happened in this book? Like the ratio of plot to smut wasn’t quite working for me and that is the only reason it’s a 4 star not a 5 star. Plus I wasn’t absolutely blown away once I finished. I still love Alaric and Talasyn and the ending was brutal man. I’m still super curious to continue!

This was a fantastic second book in The Hurricane Wars series. I will admit that it took me a while to become invested in the first book of the series, but this one gripped me from the beginning.

The fantasy world in this series is inspired by southeast Asia and has unique magic sources that create a very fun environment. There is a lot of political scheming, romance, action, and amazing banter. I would absolutely recommend fantasy romance lovers to read this series.

Thank you to the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review!

5/5 stars

Disclaimer: I don't have many thoughts to share about this sequel because it would just all be gushing; my rating is almost purely based on vibes, and how giddy I felt while reading.

This sequel had everything I wanted — action, romance (of the idiots-to-lovers variety), poignant moments, quippy remarks (that made me actually laugh), and more dragons than book 1! I could easily envision the entire book being an epic fantasy movie, especially with the cliffhanger at the end.

5/5 stars, I'm ready for book 3 please ♡

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free digital ARC for my honest review!

Okay I really think I f’d up reading then first book by listening to the audio, I’m not a fan of the narration at all. For the second one I got the audio again and was STRUGGLING. Halfway through though I switched to reading it and ATE 👏 IT 👏 UP👏. That ending?! Are you kidding me?! What the fuck is about to happen I need the next book NOW.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the arc of this novel in exchange for my review.

Well geez. That's quite an explosive ending. (And certainly not the one I'd have predicted )


I like the magic and the world. I like the inspiration from Guanzon's Philippine culture. There's dragons! (Could always use more dragons ).

Despite me being too old for the immaturity, I do like Talsyn and Alaric's relationship. Although I get annoyed at the constant "no I don't have feelings" or "stop that you just need to betray him" and all, I do like their dynamic.


Definitely going to have to check out the next to see what in the world is going to happen now.

3.75⭐️s The tension remains as they can deny their attraction to one another. However, the truth of that attraction is still dancing in the air. Is it just physical or is there more? Tala is keeping a fair amount of secrets from Alaric and isn’t sure she can trust him. Not to mention her life is in danger over and over again. Overall, I feel like this is a good series so far. I think I would personally want a little more from the war/action of it. Which could be all in the build up for the next book. I’m curious. Thank you to @netgalley and @harpervoyagerus for the advanced reader copy of A Monsoon Rising. #netgalley #amonsoonrising #thehurricanewars #arc #advancedreadercopy #bookstagram

4.5⭐️

The follow up to The Hurricane Wars was everything I wanted and more. I liked book one, but Monsoon Rising had me hooked!
We have a political marriage of enemies carried over from the first book. But then Talasyn and Alaric are reluctant allies as they join forces and their magic for the good of the continent. They’ve both grown up under the shadow of war and *clearly* have no idea what to do with their attraction and feelings for each other. The two were delightfully awkward and I love seeing their internal struggles. Yes, we get more politics, more dragons, and more spice. Now that ending? Excuse me?! Thea Guanzon has some explaining to do!

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Avon for the arc.

4.25 stars. I liked this book… a shocking amount. When I read the Hurricane Wars, I was so conflicted and unsure if I’d continue the series or not mainly due to some serious pacing issues, but this book fully won me over to the series.

It feels like Thea is more settled in what she actually wants to write in this book. This book is diving ALL into the romantasy and into the characters; we learned so much more about who they are, and I found their pull to one another so much more believable here.

If you preferred the second half of the Hurricane Wars, this is that but better. The war plot and politics take a serious backburner here, but to me it shows in the quality of the book that this is the part she wanted to write. I still think the setting is fun and I especially enjoy the tropical vibes, but to me this was all about Alaric and Talasyn.

The pacing is still not perfect, but I loved it! Enough to go ahead and order the beautiful fairyloot edition.

When people say the second book is never as good as the first they clearly didn’t mean Monsoon Rising. This book was amazing! The first book was beautiful world building and set up of an epic fantasy realm that is struggling in a war that has both magic and technology in it. And like all good fantasy adventures a few dragons too. It’s perfect for fans of story’s like Raya and the Last Dragon or Avatar the Last Air Bender but with more adult topics and themes. This book took the main characters and political, environmental, and personal challenges they set up in the first book and tackled them wonderfully. The plot development and character growth was invigorating and kept you engaged in the Hurricane Wars. I love this series and can’t wait for the next book!

I mean...how to be able to define this amazing story!!

Hurricane Wars was already AMAZING...and the continuation makes the story so whole, so well built and so special that I could not bear picturing finishing this book, and at the same time, I couldn't put it down. The world building, the special features of our great FMC and how the characters evolve while becoming more vulnerable and more dependable, it was a bliss to witness!

I as a good bookish person, I have bought any special edition of this series that I could get my hands on! Add to an amazing story, the most beautiful covers & sprayed edges.

I am so grateful to Avon & Harper Voyager for letting me take a peek early!

This was so good, I was waiting impatiently for this to come out and read it in two days. So now I have to wait for the next book to come out.

This was a fun sequel! I honestly thought the first book in this series was pretty mid (3/5 stars) but this was a real step up for the series in my eyes. A Moonson Rising was less background and more action. I loved the dynamic between Talasyn and Alaric! They are an excellent example of enemies to lovers and the tension was a woah!

I also loved that they both had their own storylines and desires that they were working toward for their nations. The cliff hanger has me needing the next book.

The angst and longing between these two characters is unmatched! Loved this one just as much as the first. This is a romantasy done right - beautiful descriptions, high stakes romance, and believable, raw feelings.

Absolutely fantastic absolutely loved the sequel to Hurricane Wars! need more of everything! Thea Guanzon has done it again love Alaric and Talysan. Immediately bought a physical copy.