♾️/5⭐ 4/5🌶️

After a few weeks of letting it marinate, I have officially decided that “A Monsoon Rising” is officially my favorite romantasy of the year. This series is a work of art. It was such a freaking emotional rollercoaster: The cost of war. Politics. Betrayal. Ever-shifting alliances. Angst. Pining. Political Marriage. Forbidden love/lust. Dragons. Ancient magic.

I mean this so sincerely, I am still in shock that I was selected to read this eARC. The scream that I hollered when I read the email was not natural. 😂 “A Monsoon Rising”was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I DEVOURED it. The cliffhanger is BRUTAL and honestly I can't wait to start my reread of the series when my physical copy comes in on Pub Day.

More often than not, I find that if I love the first book in a trilogy, the next book tends to have a bad case of second-book syndrome. “A Monsoon Rising” seamlessly continues the plotlines of “The Hurricane Wars” and elevates the deliciously complicated relationships of the characters. The lush, beautiful world building and the complicated politics extend beyond just Alaric and Talasyn; festering old wounds and political conflicts heavily influence the story development and leave the reader with a sense of betrayal lurking in the background.

I really enjoyed the banter and interpersonal relationship building that happened in this novel. Sevraim and Elagbi are the comedic heroes of the book. It was a treat to be able to get to know the characters in a more intimate, humorous way. The chicken scene had me cackling. 😂

There are a ton of nods to the Reylo source material and the microtropes throughout are delightful. The "my wife" was "my wife"ing. The spice was exponentially heavier in this novel and the buildup/tension was perfect. They want each other. They want to fight each other. They want to fight while they explore each other. It is deliciously angsty and a lot of "two-idiots-in-love-but-we-aren't-addressing-it" kinda vibes. Alsooo, Alaric has a filthy mouth and I am here for it.

The angst is amplified by the imminent danger of the Voidfell, they are sworn enemies now political spouses, working together to save the world as they know it. While hopeful to succeed, they both have this looming anxiety about betraying the other after the Voidfell is defeated. It is this battle of duty against desire. It is so very Reylo-coded in the best way.

The cliffhanger was a SHOCK. Out of left field and I very nearly always guess the plot twist. I don't know what to do with myself until the third installation of the series comes out. It is almost cruel. I need it like yesterday. 🐀🐀🐀

Anticipated Publication Day: December 10, 2024

A HUMONGOUS thank you to Thea Guanzon, NetGalley, and Avon & Harper Voyager for this eARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Title: A Monsoon Rising    
Author:  Thea Guanzon
Genre: Fantasy, romance      
Rating: 5 out of 5

After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. Now Talasyn must play the part of Alaric’s willing empress while her allies secretly plot to overthrow his reign. But the longer the couple are forced together, the harder it becomes to deny the feelings crackling like lightning between them. When the time comes to act, can she trust him, or must she ignore her heart for the sake of so many others?

As the master of the Shadowforged Legion, Alaric has trained for battle all his life, but marrying a Lightweaver might be his most dangerous challenge yet. With tensions between nations churning, he needs to focus on the greater threat—the Moonless Dark, a cataclysmic magical event that could devour everything. Only he and Talasyn can stop it, with a powerful merging of light and shadow that they alone can create together. But saving their world from this disaster is a mere preface to his father’s more sinister schemes, and his wife is a burning flame in the darkness, tempting both his loyalties and his desires.

The Hurricane Wars aren’t over. It’s time to choose what—and who—to fight for. The world holds its breath amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets that could change everything.

I’m still loving these books! The world and mythology are fascinating to me, and I really like the two main characters. They actually start trusting each other a little bit here, but there are so many obstacles! And they can’t really trust anyone around them, adding another level of conflict. I found it very hard to put this book down!

Thea Guanzon is a bestselling author. A Monsoon Rising is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 12/11.).

DNF at 60%

I feel like this series went from a fantasy story with good romance to a romantasy. The plot just feels like it was lost almost entirely and the story is only about the relationship, which made me lose interest in what was going on. And on top of that, it is a relationship of denied feelings almost the whole time, so you don't even get the satisfaction of watching two people grow together.

The Hurricane Wars was my favorite read of 2023, and I’m so excited to say that Monsoon Rising is set to be a strong contender for my top book of 2024! It’s quite uncommon for a sequel to surpass the first book for me, but that’s exactly how I feel about AMR!

Similar to the previous installment, this story features a Dual POV Narrative between Talasyn and Alaric as they navigate their alliance and growing feelings for one another while pursuing their individual goals for their respective nations. Unlike the first book, which focused heavily on world-building and political intrigue, this sequel places a significant emphasis on Talasyn and Alaric’s romance. Did this impact my rating? Absolutely not! It worked perfectly for me, and I felt that nothing was lacking in the overall narrative (could this be biased because I adore these two characters more than life itself? Possibly). A notable aspect of this book that was less prominent in the first is the overall character development. In Monsoon Rising, we finally gain insight into Alaric’s upbringing with his father, which greatly illuminates his thoughts and actions. We also delve deeper into Talasyn’s past as she uncovers more about her enigmatic mother and her own upbringing in the Orphanage.

The buildup to what I anticipated would be the book's climax left me in intense suspense, especially since there were still a few chapters left after a major 'event' unfolded. To my surprise, Thea Guanzon delivers an unexpected ending that left me emotionally raw, damaged and feral for book three.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book, and I am incredibly grateful for the chance to read it early. If it had just a bit more political intrigue and court dynamics, it would have easily earned a six-star rating from me!

ARC REVIEW

A Monsoon Rising
Rating: 🌟⭐️🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Alaric and Talasyn are married and a month’s separation brings them back together. As they prepare for the upcoming moment of truth which may determine the Dominion’s survival of the voidfell, the pair becomes increasingly attached. Whether or not they will survive long enough to discern their own feelings is unclear and so many questions scatter both minds.

I’m not entirely sure why this is labeled fantasy. The only connection this story has to fantasy is dragons, which are a minor reference at best. The context of this “romance” could literally take place in any time or place, and honestly this work comes across as a cheap way to slip into the “romantasy” genre while keeping the Star Wars fans happy. I love Alaric, but can’t stand how Talasyn treats him and both’s utter lack of communication skill. Simple conversations would remove 95% of the drama in this story. The world building was also severely lacking in my opinion for a story claiming to be fantasy.
If you’re looking for a drama drenched romance that is frustrating at best and toxic at worst then this is totally for you. I’m sure that appeals to someone but it isn’t me.

This cliffhanger on this book is absolutely amazing! This will be on my mind forever! I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was better than the first book. There is a slow burn that continues from the first book. The monsoon scene was epic. We get to see more romance and the intimacy scenes that enhances the story. I really liked it! The author is doing such a good job about character building and sympathizes with them. I ate this book up. I need the next book now! lol

Highlights
- political marriage
- Who did this to you
- Touch him/her and you die
- Wound tending
- One bed
- Forced proximity
- Banter
- Slow burn
- Dragons

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

I had a fun time with this book! I think this is definitely an improvement from The Hurricane Wars. I was also surprised that I found myself laughing out loud a few times. I'm a sucker for a book that makes me laugh!

We follow Talasyn and Alaric as they navigate their political marriage and attraction to each other. The romantic tension is high, and even though they are married, there is still that enemies to lovers feeling! They are both keeping huge parts of themselves a secret from the other which is horrible for their relationship, but worked for me as a reader. I usually hate a miscommunication trope, but I could understand the "why" behind their behavior, so it didn't bug me too much. They both are pretty immature, which was slightly annoying at times, but if all I knew was war growing up, I might not be the most mature person.

While I was interested in the story of The Hurricane Wars, some parts felt a bit rough, especially in the first half. The second book isn't without its faults, but they didn't pull me away from the story like book one and I was pretty invested throughout the whole thing! This book leans more heavily into romantasy and I think the title is perfect to describe Talasyn and Alaric's relationship. While it wasn't the best book I've ever read, I did finish it in one day because I couldn't put it down! Be prepared for a cliffhanger at the end!! I'm excited to see how Thea Guanzon wraps it all up in the final book!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an early copy in exchange for this honest review.

The Shadow Daddy won me over in this one.

I actually…. Had a good time. It has a perfect ratio of romance to action! Watching them go from enemies to lovers had me giggling and kicking my feet throughout the entire book.

Pros: The pacing is phenomenal and I’m fully invested in the characters. I felt like I understood the world a lot better after this book vs the first one. I also LOVE the dual POVs.

Cons: Some of the dialogue is cringy and took me out of the moment, but I was able to recover from it quickly enough.

If there were other issues, I was having too much fun to notice. Thank you to Harper and Voyager and NetGalley for the arc!

I said The Hurricane Wars was my favorite book of the year, but its sequel is even better!!!!

This book is an absolute ♾️/5 and I just can’t wait to receive the two copies I’ve already pre-ordered 🤭

The banter, the mutual pining, the way they’re having feelings while still being enemies!!!

And the cliffhanger at the end!!! This should be illegal😭 I just need book 3 now!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the e-arc 🥹💞

"One word from you and I let my guard down. I couldn't kill you, either, all those times before....What am I, if I'm not a weapon? What have you done to me?"


Rating: 5 ⭐️

Read if you like:
enemies to lovers
arranged marriage
political intrigue
romantasy heavy on the romance


Can we please talk about the chemistry between Alaric and Tala. There was not a moment when I wasn't sold on these two together, but sheesh the constant mis or lack of communication drove me crazy (not in a bad way) but damnit someone needs to stick these two in a room and force them to talk it out.


Book 2 felt like it was less world building and politics and more focused on the characters, and for book 2 that was fine with me. There were certainly some lags and filler, but if you're used to reading multiple book series then this will seem pretty normal.

Can we talk about that cliff hanger?!? I'm just hoping Thea is working on book 3 now!!!

All in all, I'm still 100% sold on this series.


Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for providing me early access to A Monsoon Rising in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

UM THE ENDING EXCUSE ME HOW CAN I WAIT??

I honestly enjoyed this even more than The Hurricane Wars. this was fun to read, the world building was super interesting, dragons are featured a lot more here than in the first book and lowkey I really like the dragon lore that Thea has come up with! also, while this sequel certainly has its fair share of action and plot heavy scenes, a lot of this book delved into the relationship between Alaric and Talasyn and I really enjoyed reading about them following in love. I’m soft.

THE ENDING THOUGH??? HOW AM I GOING TO WAIT?? I need that third book pronto!

thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC Copy!

I have been looking forward to this book for so long and was so happy to get an advanced copy. Watching the dynamics of Alaric and Talasyn grow from the first book was absolutely mesmerizing. I absolutely love how we were able to really get to know Alaric in this story and grow to to love each of them so much more. I absolutely can not wait for the next book and I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

Oh boy was this book a major blue ball with whether or not those two would finally accept one another. I definitely enjoyed this more book than the first. The pacing was better, the plot was stronger, and it felt like each scene had purpose that the first was missing. These two lovebirds are absolutely horrible at communicating but it was the good type that made sense about why there was so much miscommunication. They still are enemies at the end of the day. I am very excited for want the author has in store for these two lovebirds and the world around them.

“Stay with me,” she whispered. His breath hitched. “You know I will.”

A perfect second installment to this series. I normally find the second books in trilogies boring and just filler but I’m so happy this was not the case here.

The developments in Alaric and Talasyn’s relationship was beautifully done and kept me wanting to keep reading for more.

I do wish there would’ve been some further developments with a certain missing character from the first book but I’m hopeful that will be a more prominent story line in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for the e-arc…I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next book to see what comes after that cliffhanger!

This book was SO GOOD!!!
If you've read The Hurricane Wars, you know that Thea Guanzon is the master of lush world building. A Monsoon Rising continues that beautiful world building tapestry while incorporating political turmoil and swoon-worthy tension.
I loved how this book really dove into the characters and their pasts. We learn what happened to Talasyn and Alaric in their early lives and how their pasts influence their present and future decisions. Their relationship is nothing short of frustratingly perfect tension, making the end result so much more sweet.
If you enjoyed the first book, you will absolutely devour this one!

i wanna throw up. I feel too much!!!

The second book in The Hurricane war series picks up where we last left Talasyn and Alaric. Both are trying to find the balance between what their superiors want, what THEY want and What they think is right. on top of the complicated political chess match in which they are stuck, Talasyn and Alaric are months away from the Moonless Dark, an event that happens once ever 1,000 years and is an extinction level event. And Talasyn and Alaric are somehow the only oher who can stop the void force through a combination of their light and shadow magics.

While book 1 did a lot of world building and introduction of characters, book 2 Slows down a little to focus more on our two main characters and their internal struggles , which are quite plentiful unfortunately.

The story moves quickly enough to keep you from wanting to put the book down but also spends enough time filling out our characters so we don't get whiplash from the fast- moving plot at the expense of the characters.

Be prepared , if you're into spicy scenes - this book has quite a few. HOWEVER, there weren't so many that someone who doesn't like such scenes (me) felt overwhelmed of uncomfortable. To be honest, what made me most uncomfortable is the fact that I have to wait at least a year to find out what happens next!

This sequel was everything I wanted it to be. All of the world-building from the first book truly set the stage for A Monsoon Rising to avoid the second book slump. There are so many layers of character depth and all of the emotional twists do a really good job of keeping you glued to the edge of your seat. The Hurricane Wars is one of my favorite books and its sequel truly lived up to all of my expectations! I can't wait to get my hands on the 3rd book!

while I enjoyed the first book, this sequel did not live up to the Political fantasy intrigue built in the first one. This book seemed to focus strongly on the romance and therefore lost a lot of the plot along the way. Many readers might appreciate this but I found it drifting away from my usual tastes. Dnf-ed at 30%

I should’ve read the first book first! But, this was such a beautiful book. The characters were so strongly defined as they continued their lives after the wedding. And that ending!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I have been looking forward to this book since the moment I finished The Hurricane Wars. I was not disappointed! I loved the sassy interactions between Alaric and Tala and their inner struggles to be with each other. Where the first book was highly focused on explaining the political aspects and way the magic worked, this one was more focused on their relationship. I loved it and will be patiently awaiting the next one!