I have said this before, I have loved this story for so long! I read it in its original fanfic for format. This is a couple I will always root for, a dynamic I crave! Thea has done such an amazing job transitioning this fun fanfic into a great romantasy series! I knew where this one was going to end and I was screaming. I am so excited for book three.

I just finished this arc after seeing Thea last night at a book sign event and ma’am you made me feel things with this book.
I rarely think sequels are better than the first installment but this one is! I’m am soooooo obsessed with Alaric and Talasyn and I was really not really for that ending. WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME???

At this point I’m just praying to Talasyn’s gods so the next book doesn’t take too long 😭

I thought this book was so much better than the first! I loved it! I loved seeing Tasalyn grow as a character and the slow burn was so good. I loved how fast paced it was and can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you Harper Voyager for the gifted copy!

A Monsoon Rising
Thea Guanzon
Publishing Date: December 10, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You guys. This book is SO GOOD. Second book slump? NOT HERE. In fact I liked this book even more than the first! I also had the pleasure of seeing Thea on Tuesday at Barnes and Noble Union Square, in conversation with Ava Reid, Alex Aster, and Katie Wu. What a treat! They were all absolutely delightful 💛

A Monsoon Rising picks up right where we left off at the end of the Hurricane Wars. Talasyn and Alaric are navigating their politically driven marriage. The Moonless Dark is fast approaching and they need to hone their skills to prevent that from destroying everything.

Some things you can expect here: Political intrigue and scheming, looming betrayals, mommy/daddy issues, DRAGONS, a unique magic system, stunning world building, vivid imagery, well developed side characters, and of course.. slowwwww burn enemies to lovers ❤️‍🔥 romance. At the event last night Thea said we can thank her editor for the spicy scenes that were ramped up at her insistence, so THANK YOU.

I loved everything about this book. The character development and back stories really added to my investment in these characters. Alaric broke my heart a bit. I am so so rooting for a happy ending for these two. That ending though… good grief Thea.. I hope book three is coming along fast!

"A Monsoon Rising" by Thea Guanzon is a captivating epic fantasy with Filipino-inspired world-building and a unique weather-based magic system. The story follows Aluna, a young woman struggling with duty, love, and her own powers, in a fast-paced plot full of political intrigue and unexpected twists. With well-developed characters and a vibrant world, it's a must-read for fans of strong female protagonists and intricate magic.

Huge thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC of this gem! 💙 A Monsoon Rising picks up right where The Hurricane Wars left off, and OH MY GOSH, 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! 💖🔥

✨ Tropes & Themes ✨
✧ Enemies to Lovers 💘
✧ Forced Proximity 💗
✧ Marriage of Convenience 💍
✧ Slow Burn 🔥
✧ Mutual Pining 💓
✧ One Bed Trope 💖
✧ Political Intrigue ⚖️
✧ Dragons 🐉
✧ Slow-Build Sexual Tension 💕
✧ Hot, Sizzling Chemistry 💋

Okay, first off—this book was WAY better than the first one! 🙌 The chemistry between Alaric and Talasyn? ELECTRIC. The slow-burn romance? Chef's kiss! 😘 If you liked the first book but felt the romance was a little lacking, this one? It hits all the right notes. But that cliffhanger at the end? If there's no third book, I swear I’m throwing hands. 🤬 Like, seriously—don’t leave me hanging like that! 😩

Now, while the romance was everything, I can’t pretend the plot didn’t still take a backseat. The focus was definitely more on the relationship dynamics (which, I’m not complaining about 😍), but I was kinda hoping for a bit more plot development. That said, Talasyn’s character growth was SO worth it. 👏 She was a whole new person in this book, and I loved it! And Alaric? From brooding mystery man to full-on swoon-worthy hero. Sigh. The banter between them was next level, too! 😩

The world-building definitely stepped up its game—more political drama, alliances, and twists. The layers of complexity were super interesting, but honestly? The romance and chemistry were the main event. 💖 If you love romantasy, this book has EVERYTHING. It's like watching a blockbuster movie in your mind, and I’m living for it.

Bottom line: This book was way better than the first one. Sure, I wanted a little more plot, but the romance was TOTALLY worth the ride. Now... about that ending... What. Was. That?! 😩 Can't wait for book three! 💥📚

A Monsoon Rising was really a step up from The Hurricane Wars, it didn’t have the awkward debut moments, but really developed the story further and delivered on the plot while also finally giving in to that slow burn. I enjoyed the tension and learning to trust each other. I was expecting some kind of betrayal at the end, but not how it all went down. While I am still processing that cliffhanger, I am really looking forward to how it gets resolved in the next book.

You Can Expect:
Light vs Shadow Magic
Saving the World
Dragons
Enemies to Lovers
Marriage of Political Convenience
Tension & Banter
‘My Wife’
Scheming & Betrayal
Reylo Inspired
Early 20s MCs
Dual, 3rdP POV

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC for my honest opinion. A hard copy has already been preordered!

This was such an amazing follow up to The Hurricane Wars. I did not expect the ending!! Can’t wait for the next book! Alaric and Talasyn have such an amazing connection, I love their relationship and I really love their inner conflict about one another. The politics in this book are fantastic, I love Alaric’s view and want for a world where people are able to live well and work together without conflict, his struggles to come out from under his father’s crushing control. It’s such an amazing read.

Tala & Alaric are back baby!!! I LOVED the enemies to lovers banter we got in this!!

I also really enjoyed the development we got from both sides as they start to see that while their reasonings for protecting their people are right, war may not be their only option.

The world building still fell a bit flat for me again in this one :/

This series is getting better & better & im so pumped for the next installment!!!

The second book in the Hurricane Wars series, this story focuses on Talasyn and Alaric trying to save the world (rather than trying to tear each other apart). Now that they're married, they're focused on trying to prevent the Voidfell from taking out all of their people with rot/death magic. This book has more spicy scenes though they are still far outnumbered by battle scenes so if that was your jam in the first book you shouldn't be disappointed with A Monsoon Rising. I enjoyed this book more than the first since it did focus a bit more on the relationship elements, both between Alaric and Talasyn and with Talasyn and her friends/family. Of course, there are still enough lies and intrigue that the (hopefully) third book will have plenty of cliffhanger material to work with!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the advanced reader copy!

Thank you @harpervoyagerus and @librofm for an early ALC and early copy of A Monsoon Rising!

Absolutely 5 stars for this wonderful fantasy romance book. Not only is this story so interesting and intricate, you have one of my favorite romance stories ever! It’s always scary for a 2nd book to slump from the first but this story got even better than book one. Alaric and Talasyn’s relationship is turn paging good, trying to find out what one of them is going to do next.

I need one million spicy scenes written by Thea! She is a MASTER of her craft. Those scenes are my favorite spicy scenes of the year! And the things that Alaric says are SO GOOD!!! I cannot wait for the next book!

Audiobook 5/5! The narrators are wonderful and it flows so well. It’s wonderful to hear the words pronounced the correct way and they keep the energy high in the book that makes you want to keep reading! Great audio!

Overall 5/5 book, and if each book is better than the last, I can’t wait to see what happens next. Plus that ending!!!

This one is for the forced proximity / arranged marriage fans! Thank you to Harper Voyager & LibroFM for the review copies!

Series Info: This series needs to be read in order! Start with Book 1, The Hurricane Wars.

Review: I want to be clear that I mean this as a compliment, but this felt like fanfiction. Now, I haven’t read a lot of fanfiction, but what I like about what I’ve read is that the plot tends to move quickly, but it also feels character driven. There is also a certain balance of spice to plot that tends to be fun.

The romance had a delicious “will-they-won’t-they” energy, that had little moments where the relationship progressed, while still feeling like there is so much more to see develop between them.

And the fantasy elements were all fantastic - the plot is pretty focused, which made this one easy to listen to via audiobook, which I often struggle with. The writing felt very clear and I could easily visualize where the character were and what was happening - which, again, I often struggle with listening via audio! My favorite element of this world is that Talasyn’s country is a matriarchy - something I wish we saw a lot more of in fantasy!

🎧 The narrators fit the characters very well! For sure pick this one up in your preferred format - but don’t be afraid to try the audio even if fantasy by audio is sometimes difficult for you!

I’m glad I haven’t done any end of year wrap ups yet - I think this was my favorite fantasy/romantasy that I’ve read this year! I think you’ll love it if you liked the 2nd half of The Hurricane Wars, once they are in the palace. If you haven’t started this series yet, I would recommend it if you liked ACOMAF, and wished there was a little less war in ACOWAR.

I got an eARC from ##netgalley of #amonsoonrising by @theagwrites
I loved loved loved #thehurricanewars so I have been so excited for this book.
The banter was top notch. The politics were intriguing. The stakes were upped. Easily another 5 star from Thea Guanzon. Now to go reread The Hurricane Wars and then A Monsoon Rising so I can experience it perfectly.

A Monsoon Rising picks up not long after the end of book one and we start to see the gradual plotting on both sides really picking up, the stakes getting higher. Especially now that Talasyn and Alaric are not only married, but have clearly been developing feelings for one another (against their wishes I might add). It makes what they’re doing even more stressful but also adds to the angst factor and makes the slowburn romance x10 more potent. If you’re a fan of slowburn romances and don’t like when the couple get together in or right after book one (specifically in a series, or in this case a trilogy), then you’ll love slow building of tension between the two as they try to navigate the political landscape of their two nations and battling against their better nature and falling for one another.

It is way more character-driven than plot, although we do get to grips with more of the politics and there are some pretty big moments that drive the story forward and keep the pacing fairly quick - which is needed as the book covers several months.

A lot of the book deals with the preparations for the Moonless Dark, so I was expecting a lot more from the chapters dealing with this. I didn't feel like the tension was built up quite enough just before and it was over so quickly with no real in-depth follow-up.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I have to say that The Hurricane Wars is still my favorite of the two. As I said, this book moves at a bit slower pace since it is so character focused and I just prefer a little bit more action.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review via NetGalley!

🩶❤️ A Monsoon Rising ARC Review ❤️🩶

Thank you so much to Thea Guanzon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

A Monsoon Rising is a fantasy novel and book two in the Hurricane Wars series. As always, this review will be as spoiler free as possible, so if it feels vague - that’s why. After forming an unlikely alliance, Talasyn and Alaric now find themselves pushed closer together. But in the midst of the Hurricane Wars, can they really trust each other or will they be each other’s downfall??

I love this series so much! Talasyn is such a strong character and I love her story! Alaric is just so fantastic and I adore him! The rivals to lovers vibes in this book are absolutely stellar. This is such a cool world and the magic system is so unique

Overall this was a fantastic 5 star read! I love this series and these characters so much!! I can’t wait for the next book in this series!! This book does have some heavy moments, so please check triggers if you’re sensitive. This book was a smidge of a slow burn, but had some wonderful tension and spicy moments, so overall three flames for spice

If you’re a fan of beautiful world building, strong characters, and all the enemies to lovers vibes, then absolutely pick this series up!! As this is a continuation of the story started in the first book, I advise reading The Hurricane Wars first.

This book had no business being this good. Before I rave about how amazing it was, I need to say something. Why are you wasting time reading this review? GO READ THE BOOK RIGHT NOW!!! I’m still in shambles over that ending, but I’m going to pull myself together enough to write a somewhat coherent review. This was one of my favorite reads of the entire year. Talasyn and Alaric were amazing in the first book, but this one too it to a whole other level. The sheer amount of angst, pining, longing, and yearning in their slow burn romance was ridiculous in the best possible way. They use fighting to flirt with each other, because they refuse to admit that they have feelings for each other and are actually in love. They’re both so broken, alone, and abandoned, and I just want them to be happy. Drunk Alaric was the cutest and funniest thing I have ever read. This is exactly what I’m looking for in a romantasy. The world is vibrant and unique, the magic system is interesting and complex, the court politics and longstanding war are difficult for the characters to navigate, and the enemies to lovers romance is EVERYTHING. I’m obsessed with this story, and I might actually perish from stress waiting for the next book to come out.
🖤
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🖤
Read if you like:
▫️enemies to lovers
▫️morally grey, broody, damaged hero
▫️sassy, stabby heroine
▫️grumpy x sunshine
▫️arranged marriage
▫️light and shadow magic
▫️dragons
▫️reluctant allies
▫️court politics
▫️dual POV
🖤
Thank you to Avon Books, Harper Voyager, Thea Guanzon, and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed The Hurricane Wars (and probably liked it even more on reread) but something was holding me back from loving it. I think I was a bit distracted by all the world building and making Star Wars connections and it wasn't until about half way when the book became something sort of exciting that I was all in. Luckily I was all in from the beginning with A Monsoon Rising. I really like being in both Talasyn and Alaric's pov. This is a real ENEMIES TO LOVERS story where both of them are planning secret betrayals and are at opposite sides of a war yet still are drawn to one another--nevermind that they are you know...married to one another.

The bulk of this book is them having to work together to save pretty much the entire world and it was sort of nice to have them teaming up instead of being on opposite sides. But the fact that they are at such cross purposes really keeps the tension super high and I was so nervous for how this book would end. Still, even though I thought I knew how this book would end, something totally surprising happened and I am absolutely FERAL for the next book.

The heart of this book is Talasyn and how much she has grown since being that rebel fighter. It is so interesting to watch her become a political leader and stronger fighter. Alaric too won me over in this book and the two of them have so much chemistry it is sort of excruciating.

I am desperate for the next book.

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ok Thea, I see you with that cliff hanger of an ending! Where in the world did that come from?! How am I expected to wait to KNOW!

Ok, to start this out, this is the second book in a series and if you haven't read The Hurricane Wars yet, I recommend reading it first because this review will contain spoilers for book 1.

The political intrigue continues quite clearly in this sequel, the enemies-to-lovers are still very much warring enemies despite their political marriage. Alaric and Tala both hate and desire in equal measure and the sexual tension written through out this book is delicious. The balancing act that Alaric and Tala have to navigate is intriguing. The demands of both their own countries, Tala's secrets as she struggles deeply with the fact that all her promises are lies as she is torn between her loyalty to her homeland or the feelings that are quickly developing for Alaric. And Alaric, who despite being the Emperor still takes orders from his father, is torn between his loyalty and his own growing feelings. He wants to bring in change, but the traditions are a hard grasp on his own country.

The chemistry between these two enemies is undeniable, beneath the banter and their own self admonishing they can't seem to stay away from each other. We see the once forced political marriage start to become real as you watch their emotional depth grow and feel so authentic between them.

Thea really built on her world building in this book. You get a clearer look at the Southeast Asian inspired setting, the magic system is still slowly being forged and changed as the characters themselves manipulate it to their own desires. The overall arching plot line of the world-ender however was a little lacking despite how long it took to solve, it didn't hit as much as I felt it needed to. It's clear it wasn't going to be the end-all, but I was left with wanting...more.

Overall, this sequel checked a lot of boxes and it truly leaves you on the edge of your seats, a tipping point coming where Talasyn and Alaric can no longer ignore the scheming happening behind each others back. Just when you think you know who all the players are, Thea has thrown in a curve ball and I was left utterly stunned.

The plot is only thickening, and no one can be trusted, I highly recommend picking up this book if you were left unsure at the end of The Hurricane Wars, there is so much story left to tell.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for giving me an E-Arc, all opinions are my own.

Oh. My. GOODNESS! I thought I loved Hurricane Wars, but then I read this! It is SOOO freaking good! The drama, the slow burn and its inevitable climax (pun very much intended), and the surprises. Everything was bumped up about 10 notches for this book and I was here for it! Tala and Alaric are just amazing. Their arguing and banter is the best. I especially love when they manage to do that during intense, near death moments. It gives off Legolas and Gimli vibes, but sexier (or maybe not if you’re a Gimlas shipper). I feel like this book had really great moments of comedic relief and I loved it. The plot itself was fascinating and continued to catch me by surprise a few times. I really like the Voidfell twist, and I would love to see that somehow play out more as the series continues.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Thea Guanzon for the ARC opportunity! 🫶🏻 After the ending I basically need book 3 immediately. Pretty please? 😆

A Monsoon Rising was quite a shift from The Hurricane Wars in a lot of different ways. The focus definitely moved from the politics and war to moving the romantic progression forward.

This was entertaining and I liked the new pacing. My only gripe is that it didn’t really answer many of the questions we were left with after book one. Alaric’s character seemed to soften a lot this book which felt a bit quick but not necessarily in a bad way. The little snippets and one liners we get from a lot of the fringe cast bring me a lot of joy. I’m just curious because it felt like more could have happened in this book.

The cliffhanger ending has definitely left me on edge waiting for announcements and news for book 3!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.