4.5/5 Stars This is the romantasy series of my dreams. The tension that tensed. The banter that banted. The romance that romanced. Also there were more dragons???????? COULD WE HONESTLY ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE?????

What I liked: The two books of consistent character building that led up to the cliffhanger was INSANE. The heavier relationship focus in book two was what I needed! The further political machinations brought more depth to what can sometimes be a book two drag. I liked the emotional depth and background we got to explore in both the main characters (and even some side characters) that helped explain their actions.

What I didn't like: I'm still confused how the magic works, but that might be a me issue!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

WOW. I inhaled this book and so very grateful I waited to read The Hurricane Wars right beforehand. Because this story consumed me. The beauty of the world Thea developed, the tension between Alaric and Talasyn, the angst, the banter, I loved it.

I think I read somewhere this was loosely ReyLo fanfic inspired and honestly I am HERE FOR IT.

It also crushed any predictions I had, which I love - it kept surprising me with the twists and turns. I will be sharing and recommending this one for a whileeee.

Tropes/Elements:
- Enemies to lovers
- Arranged marriage (royalty)
- Warring kingdoms
- One bed/cave 😏
- Unique magic system
- Possessive MMC
- Virgin FMC and MMC

Note: Thanks to the NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC. The decision to read/review was my own and represents my honest opinion.

I flew through this book and now I feel like my life is over because I have to wait 9q03840928340982430923 years for the 3rd one. HUURRRYYYYYYY THEA WE NEED MOOOOREEEE.

This was an amazing sequel. I love the story of these two.

This was an awesome follow up to the first book. The plot and political intrigue were on point and I enjoyed reading about Alaric absolutely simping over his WIFE (as hard as he tried to deny it). Thea does an amazing job at world building and setting a political scene. I really liked seeing the relationship between Alaric and Gaheris and almost wish there was more of it. It helped me better understand their dynamic, Alaric's trauma, and connect to Alaric as well. I was absolutely swooing at the scene following Gaheris' punishment! My only other feedback would be I think it may be beneficial to not hear or have Talasyn repeatedly say something along the lines of "but we can't/shouldn't" after they give in to their attraction and bond, whether snuggling/kissing/etc. I think initially it works, but overtime it became a little repetitive. It's somewhat along the lines of showing not telling, which I do typically prefer showing, and we see that from them when they pull away from one another after giving into their desires so I don't feel as though it always needs to be said. Other than that it's a solid follow up and the ending left me wanting to read the next book asap! Thank you again for the opportunity to read this arc!

An excellent sequel! I loved this! I really like the rich and lush world-building. It's very atmospheric. I adore Alaric and Tala, and I love the dynamic of their relationship. This was definitely more character-driven than the first book. It also focused more on the romantic relationship. I wish there was a little more plot to this. There was a lot of build-up for the ending, but I didn't feel like it paid off. The ending fell flat for me and was very anticlimactic. Also, some of the dialog, especially the spicy scenes, felt very forced and unnatural.

Let me first say, I liked this book and will ABSOLUTELY read the next. That being said, this one didn't hit the way The Hurricane Wars did.

It felt like Guanzon wrote this one for the romantasy girlies vs the fantasy girlies and I think that explains a lot of my feelings about the book as I definitely fall into the latter category (with zero judgment of the first category to be clear). So much of this book focuses on Alaric and Talasyn's relationship and attraction to each other, to the detriment of the overall plot. The first half is all inner strife and denying their feelings and the back half is just a lot of banging. Which to be clear, there's nothing wrong with copious sex but I like a little more world building and plot development.

For instance, the Moonless Dark reveal was honestly underwhelming because the Bakun mythology is too under developed. I totally understand the use of easter eggs and not spelling things out for the reader but I'm pretty sure Bakun isn't mentioned at all in this book until the reveal (and its not like it was a central focus in the first book). And it just felt too neat for something that was this central, driving conflict for 1.5 books. Also the cliffhanger at the end really came out of no where -- there needed to be some work done to seed the idea of an internal Nenaverene revolution that would target Talasyn in that way. It felt super out of left field and while I'm sure the next book will explain it, I don't love books that introduce MAJOR plot developments with zero context just to have a dramatic cliffhanger-y ending.

I think my hopes were a little too high for this one, which is on me, not the book. Guanzon is a very talented writer and I'm still super excited to see where this goes next even though this review sounded super negative.

Being back with Alaric and Talasyn was like breathing clean air again. I loved them so much and the will they/won't they/when is it finally gonna happen tension woven throughout this book was just SO good. The ending surprised me so much and I can't WAIT to see what happens next.

A Monsoon Rising is the second book in The Hurricane Wars series and continues the story of Alaric and Talasyn's alliance. While I really enjoyed parts of this book, it was also very difficult to get through. The writing style was so complex that it took a lot for me to get though each paragraph.

~~What I liked~~
-The storyline was good, continuing what happened in The Hurricane Wars.
-We continue to learn more about Alaric's history, better helping to understand his thoughts and motives.
-The relationship between Alaric and Talasyn also continues to develop and I thought I was reading a YA novel, but those ❤️ scenes are NSFW.

~~What I didn't like~~
-The hardest part for me to process what the writing style. As an avid audiobook reader, I really struggle with books that are overly wordy, and this novel was overly wordy in spades. For example:
Obsidian energy from aetherspace twisted into eel-like bodies that unleashed the guttural shriek of the Shadowgate with lions’ maned heads and galloped through the air on antelopes’ hooves.
It was like this the WHOLE book.
-I also felt like the tension between Alaric and Talasyn was overdone. Already having one entire novel devoted to them fighting their feelings for each other, it was hard for me to stomach an entire other novel of the same vein.
-The pacing was pretty slow.
-The ending was a cliffhanger and left me pretty unsatisfied...😞

Overall, I liked the second installment, not as much as the first, but I will definitely be reading the last book to see what finally happens to (hopefully) end the war.

I can’t even. I devoured this book and absolutely loved it. The first book I struggled to get through at the start with all the world building but really enjoyed the last half. I will say this book was my favorite of the two. I enjoyed it from start to finish. One of my favorite parts of this series is that the relationship between Alaric and Talasyn seems really unique to other books I’ve seen. The romantic scenes are done so well for two people who are doing things for the first time. I truly enjoyed every moment they were together. But that ending… I need book 3 like now!!

I've recommended Hurricane Wars to all of the fantasy readers at the bookstore, and I can't wait to tell them that Monsoon Rising was even better! Thea Guanzon has done a remarkable job of building on this world and its lovable, frustrating characters. There are twists, turns, and romance in every chapter, and I'm dying to know what happens next.

Thank you NetGalley for access to this ARC!

Alright let's get started, first thank you to Net Galley and Harper for allowing me to read this ARC.

This book picks up where the first book left off, Talasyn and Alaric are married, enemies to almost lovers in the last book (their wedding night was uh awkward)
The world building in the first book sets the tone for this book, you need to know who the players are for this book to come together properly.

Down to the review of this one. This book was much more on the romance side than the fantasy side, of things, less politics, more storyline and character development. We get to see the two of them learning to navigate their pull towards one another, there's a lot of push pull, a lot of banter, and a lot more spice in this one. The two can't seem to be able to keep their hands off each other.

Talasyn has more character development in her becoming the Lachis'ka, she is coming into her own as a ruler, as a leader, and as a Lightweaver. After standing up to her grandmother, she took the reins in taking on her role and doing her best for her people.
Alaric seems to develop more in the sense of he is starting to push back against his father, and acknowledge his feelings. There's one line in the book that I felt really defined him as a character "be kind to me".

Between the. two of them, you're starting to realize that she is going to ruin him. While they are both involved in plots to dismantle the other, he seems to have fallen much harder and faster than she has. While I was reading, through the whole book, I was waiting for the Sardovians to come and the double cross to happen, the ending of this book threw me off. I was definitely surprised, I didnt see that coming,

The world ending, doomsday, moonless dark build up was kind of lack luster for me. I understand it, I get that it let the reader get to know the two characters and give them time to get to know each other. I don't quite understand the whole thing with it, was it surprising yes, but was it relevant to the story in any way, I am not sure yet. I hope that plot twist ties in some how later, otherwise it will feel like a waste.

I hope that the next book is Alaric burning the world down for a "you touched her you must die" set up because he's dreamy and I could totally see him going on a mass killing spree to get her back.

For what it’s worth I rated the Hurricane Wars three stars but the world building and setup in the first book is the price you pay for the perfection that is ‘A Monsoon Rising’

I could have devoured this book in a day like I did with the first, but I took my time. I savored it. I found myself wanting to save the next chapter to prolong the fun.

The setup for the forced marriage of Alaric and Talasyn is a driving force that keeps the banter and tension going for the whole book. Not even mentioning EVERYTHING else that is going on.

There was a perfect balance of a doomsday plot, steamy romance, political intrigue, fantasy, action, and character development. How it ended has me very excited for the next book. I’m only sad that I’m an ARC reader and since I’m one of the first will have an even longer wait than everyone else for the next installment in this series.

I went and immediately ordered a shelf trophy of this book. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read it first.

Rating - 3.75 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early copy!

A Monsoon Rising follows the aftermath of The Hurricane Wars. Talasyn and Alaric are now married and they must navigate the court politics, learn to weave their magic together before the night of The World-Eater, all the while deceiving each other. Will they succumb to their feelings during this? I really liked the progression of their relationship and I appreciated how the author didn't downplay the effects of war. This is also a bit steamier than the previous book. I also found the writing to be easier to read as that was my main issue with the previous book, where it was very clunky. As for the negatives, I found that there were few interactions with other characters, which made them seem very one-dimensional. A lot of the time, we were told about them and what happened rather than being shown. I would have loved to get more depth in the interactions. I also found the great event anticlimactic, but that ending really left me curious.
All in all, this was a decent sequel to The Hurricane Wars.

This book is exactly what the Romantasy genre needs right now. The plot twists and turns and you’re never quite sure if enemies have made it to lovers. The world building and magic system are just as superb as the character building. And it’s full of humor and pining. I can’t wait to recommend this book! Series lovers rejoice!

This book was everything.... Definitely within my top 5, maybe even top 3 of this year.

The story continuation was amazing, I seriously love Alaric's character.

I feel like there is so many misunderstandings going on and I am so glad Talasyn is seeing them.

The ending is a huge cliff hanger, and having this as an ARC.... the amount of time I will be waiting is going to be rough.

Loved this book and the first one so much. I love the characters and the internal and external tensions. I love it being dual POV so you can understand both characters motivations, fears and secrets which makes it so much more interesting as they both try to navigate around each other and each other’s nations. I do wish we got to see Talasyn in Alaric’s home and arena more this book as I was kind of expecting and was excited to see how she would manage being there and what she would learn and how they would interact in the more “oppressive” environment. Great series and fun reads that keep you wanting to find out how all will play out!

THIS BOOK GOT ME OUT OF MY READING SLUMP. ALL HAIL THEA GUANZON. Seriously, she is writing a marvel of a series and I can't wait to see how this finishes. Shadow daddy Alaric has my heart already. Rhysand who? Xaden who? Draven Brothers who? I read this over the course of a day and was blown away by how good it is.

OMG this book was so swoony!

I liked it much better than the first. It has a softer magic system but the romance was chefs kiss right out the gate. While I do think the writing style is easy to read, I had trouble noticing when the POV changed which is a problem I had with the first book too.

And omg Alaric’s line “Be kind to me” crushed me in the best and worst way.

2🌶️

Holy cliff hanger. That ending was something else. The entire book was great, follows the first one, and wrapped up some questions. Then the last chapter decided to throw a curve ball at my face!! How am I going to survive until book three?

An excellent sequel to her best-selling "The Hurricane Wars," this novel dives right back into the wonderful world that Thea Guanzon created. Anyone who likes their romanasty 'sizzling' - look no further than this series. I really enjoyed this sequel and am so thankful to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me access to the second book! I couldn't wait to see these characters again, as I became very fond of them in the first book. Highly recommended and I believe this will be another big hit of 2024!