I received this book as an arc from NetGalley.

This book was amazing. The world is amazing, the characters are great, the spicy is spicing! I started this book and then stopped and went to read the first book and came back. I’m so happy I have found this series!

where to even start?! this was devastatingly good in every way. thea guanzon created such a unique world filled with an incredible magic system, and even more incredible characters. talasyn and alaric have the most intriguing enemies to lovers banter i’ve read in ages, and this may very well be the best i’ve ever seen it done. this is a SLOW burn — but it burns so deliciously. the growth of these characters both independently and together from book one to book two was done so well, you can just *feel* it without it even being acknowledged. their happiness is everything to me!!!

I feel absolutely honored to have been given the opportunity to read this before it’s release this coming december. I somehow managed to love this one even more than the first, which I never would’ve thought possible. I hope everyone else has the opportunity to love and enjoy this story as much as I do!

Okay, this was one of my HIGHEST highest highest anticipated reads of 2024 and it did NOT disappoint. “A Monsoon Rising”, sequel to “The Hurricane Wars”, picks up right where we left off at the ending of THW. I couldn’t not put it down at all. As soon as I received the email from NetGalley that I was approved for the ARC, I literally put every other read on pause until I finished this one.

I don’t want to say too much. I cannot wait for everyone who loved THW to read this. Talasyn and Alaric have my freaking heart!!!! The angst!! The pining!!! THAT ENDING!!!! Obsessed is an understatement. 5 glorious stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

* Spoiler warning *


So I re-read The Hurricane Wars immediately prior to starting A Monsoon Rising, and this second book at times felt like a "middle child" novel, where there's a lot of buildup for a climax (which works well for the story), but when reading the book on its own, you're left wanting more (also that cliffhanger was EVIL).
Don't get me wrong, the story is still excellent and I am loving the character development (especially Alaric's), it's just sometimes rough to read a book like that for a series that is still in progress.

- I absolutely ADORE Talasyn and Alaric's personalities and interactions with each other. I think having the dual POVs that show you the little changes they're having on one another made it all the more sweeter to read, while still being unpredictable (e.g. Alaric getting jealous at the masquerade ball. It's pretty clear at that point that we have 2 Idiots In Love, but his reaction was still surprising to me).
- Prince Elagbi getting drunk with Alaric was something I was NOT expecting and made me LMAO.
- I love the amount of detail that Thea goes in to when describing things, and I think it makes for very immersive storytelling while not being over the top. I personally have extreme difficulty imagining things in my head, but with the way she writes I find it much easier to do compared to many other series I've read in the past.

All in all, although I do have small hangups about this book, I am very very excited to see where the story goes. We have a massive conflict approaching, not only between Talasyn and Alaric, but between Sardovia/Nenavar and Kesath too, as well as several plot points that need to be resolved (Talasyn's mom, Urduja being super sus, Alaric's mom, Gaheris fucking with the Shadowgate, the Rebels, freaking Khaede!! etc.), and I feel that all this buildup will absolutely be worth it in the books to come.

Excellent work Thea!! <3

Thea delivered such a beautiful and heart wrenching follow-up to The Hurricane Wars. I will be thinking about this book probably for forever.

Talasyn and Alaric are the perfect reflection of each other, forcing themselves to see what they do not want to admit is inside of them already. This book brings up the hardest question to answer: How can you love someone that is your sworn enemy and stands against everything you believe in? Can you separate feelings from war? Talasyn is struggling with her attraction to Alaric and the feeling of betraying her people she swore to protect and help. Alaric is trying to juggle feelings for his wife and obeying his fathers commands. The result is a slow burn that is almost agonizing and a love story that is so satisfying it had me giggling and kicking my feet.

The stakes in this book are so high, it has you on the edge of your seat for the entire time. The character development is just so good, I love seeing them open up to each other and give in to the desires they realize they both share. The world Thea has built is beautiful and unique, I love all of the different aspects of it! Also I just love Elagbi, he is so funny and perfect at making things awkward. Alaric is SO down bad it's hilarious to see how much he is lusting over his wife when on the outside she doesn't seem to want to give him the time of day. Their bickering is my favorite.

I have been waiting for this for SO LONG it did not disappoint. I've been reading this story since it was a fanfiction and somehow it just keeps on getting better and better. I would read probably anything Thea writes. Getting this ARC made my whole year! I am seriously counting down the days until we get the third book.

A massive thank you to NetGalley, Avon and HarperCollins for this ARC!!

Huge thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.25 stars -I was a little let down by this sequel. I was first up to bat when it came to defending the first novel in this series but A Moonsoon Rising definitely leaves something to be desired. Where I hoped and expected Thea Guanzon to expand and hone her craft in the sequel I felt there’s was little improvement. The plot felt all over the place, the pacing too fast in some parts, too slow in others, and I felt disconnected from the characters driving forces. The basis of the story is about these two fighting their developing feeling while being on opposing sides, but 95% of the book they were on the same side! It really disrupted the tension and makes it harder to believe the divide between them. I will pick up the next book in hopes that this is just a case of second book syndrome, but I really need Thea Guanzon to shape up the story a bit.

Thank you Avon/Harper Voyager & NetGalley for this wonderful ARC!

The Hurricane Wars had been sitting in my Kindle library for lord-knows-how-long, so getting access to this ARC finally kicked my ass into reading it - and thank GOD because I was missing out on a great series!

I loved this book! It was such a fun read; I was both nervous AND giddy to turn each page. I love Alaric & Talasyn <3 I'm rooting for them HARD.

Love love love. Such a great follow-up in an awesome series! I need the 3rd book 5 minutes ago!

I forgot how unique this whole world is!!!
I really enjoyed being back with Alaric & Talasyn. The culmination of one of the story points from the first book builds and builds throughout this story and is balanced nicely with the romance elements.

The longing and tension is really well written, the spice is the perfect amount of descriptive yet not overdone. It also added to the plot most of the time which is just how I like it.

I will say, I find this serious quite wordy at times. I think sometimes the writing can get lost in the over descriptive passages - and as someone who has aphantasia I did find myself skimming parts when they felt bogged down.

Overall I did really enjoy this sequel and with that ENDING?! I can’t wait for the 3rd book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon & Harper Voyager for access to this E-ARC.

*Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The review can be found on Goodreads*

This book was absolutely fantastic and a step up from the first book in the series. Initially I struggled with the world building and the enemies to lovers aspect, but this book did a fantastic job of filling in some of the concerns I had while reading the first book.

I also very much appreciated the pacing of the book and that I was fully engaged throughout. The cliffhanger at the end was absolutely brutal (in the best way) and I need the next book asap.

This was everything I wanted in a sequel and more. 🥰
Talasyn and Alaric are the best enemies-to-lovers/marriage-of-convience tropes that I have ever read.
The magic and politics were intriguing. The spice was everything we have been waiting for. 🔥
And the ending, oh my goodness, the ending! I'm already screaming for book 3 when book 2 isn't published yet. 😂

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the Arc!

I always get nervous for a highly anticipated second book… but A Monsoon Rising did NOT disappoint. The author does a phenomenal job writing enemies to lovers/forbidden romance. I’m a huge fan of books with tension and boy did this book hit the mark. The world building and writing is only getting better. The characters continue to be lovable and I am absolutely looking forward to the next one! Truthfully I’ll be thinking about that cliffhanger for the next 3-5 months.

After reading The Hurricane Wars, A Monsoon Rising was a highly anticipated read for me this year so I was delighted to have the opportunity to receive an ARC to review! This book did not disappoint! In fact, I enjoyed the story so much that I didn’t want it to end. The story picks right back up where book one ends and flows seamlessly back into the conflicting situation that Alaric and Talasyn find themselves in.

Thea Guanzon’s writing painted perfect pictures of the setting which I absolutely loved. I was able to visualize the beaches, castles, the creatures, the dresses…you name it. I absolutely love when writing can turn into a full-on high definition film in my head and A Monsoon Rising did that for me!

Alaric and Talasyn…ah, I live for the tension which was perfect if I do say so myself. I loved getting the inside scoop of Alaric and Talasyn’s inner thoughts. I was on the edge of my reading chair wondering what their next emotional and/or political act was going to be! I love when a story keeps me on my toes as to which character I CAN TRUST OR NOT!

This book is going to live in my head rent free until the next one. I truly loved it!

Once again Thea Guanzon has done it again! Ugh I can never get over a good enemies to lovers story! The interaction between Talasyn and Alaric was just everything in this second book normally second books are a hit or miss for me it really determines if I’ll finish the series or not but this one had me all over the place! the ending has me dying knowing how long it will be until the third book comes out! Definitely a must read series!

Wow, wow, wow! This sequel to Hurricane Wars was amazing! I was engrossed in the story that I couldn't stop turning pages. I stayed up all night to read this and finished it in one sitting!

I am highly impressed and happy that this one didn’t fall prey to second book syndrome. The highs and lows kept me on the edge of my seat, my heart raced with every interaction between Talasyn and Alaric, fear ate at me over what will come to pass between all the plotting between them, with others, and against them. And the ending has me dying knowing how long it will be until the third book will likely come out.

Thank you to for granting me this highly anticipated ARC that left me completely speechless and lived up to my own anticipation!

I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion given voluntarily. I have read the first one and it was extremely hard to get through with the throw up of information constantly and I was hoping the second time around the author grew out of that. Fortunately the information dumping wasn’t present but unfortunately the very descriptive monologues were also present. I wish the editor was more thorough in scaling back on literal pages of descriptions of rooms, what the character was feeling or seeing. The plot is strong enough to compel me to read the third book but I just wish there wasn’t so much fluff. The plot does not come into play until sixty percent of the book and then it leaves a huge cliffhanger. I understand it’s to further the series but when the plot isn’t even part of the book till the last few chapters it leave me feeling confused on why there was so much.

IT’S HERE! I was sooooo lucky to get an ARC of A Monsoon Rising (The Hurricane Wars book 2) from @theagwrites @harpervoyager and @netgalley. I have been WAITING for this book since last year when I read the ARC for THW and YOU GUYS IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

The stakes are raised, the spice starts spicing, the plot is getting thicker and my man Alaric…bless him, he just wants to show is wife some affection for goodness sake. Talasyn, on the other hand, doesn’t even know where to begin with accepting and coming to terms with the fact that she might feel something for this man.

I’ll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but there is one thing in particular that really stood out to me in this book. There is a lot to say about the miscommunication trope and many people have strong feelings about it (myself included! Like can we please just act like adults??) This book portrays the secrecy trope where both MC’s explore a romantic relationship while carrying HUGE secrets from each other, knowing that they’ll eventually have to betray each other. Talasyn and Alaric’s emotions are portrayed SO WELL when it comes to them harboring these secrets from the person they care about the most.

Alaric has the absolute BEST character development and storyline in this book. Talasyn refuses to believe she has feelings for him while he begins to just roll with it. He loves messing with her and poking fun at her and has some of the best one-liners 😂 this man had me cackling.

The ending 🤯 THE ENDING?!? Bombs are dropped and the cliffy’s are hangin! You guys don’t wanna miss this!!! I can’t wait for everyone else to read it!

This is for sure going to be my favorite book of the year!
I have read many enemies to lovers but never have I felt them have such a genuine reason to be enemies. I understood their inner conflict throughout the whole book and the angst was perfection.
I felt such compassion for both main characters and underwood why the acted the way they did.
The world building was unique and I loved the folklore aspect of it. This was such a magical experience being able to read this and I don’t know what to do with myself until the next one.

I cannot express how much I enjoyed this. I devoured in less than 24 hours, because I just couldn't stop reading. Talasyn and Alaric are such enchanting characters to follow, and are written so genuinely and so earnestly that you cannot help but not only root for them but really be in their shoes. The writing is so beautiful and masterfully done that you feel as though you standing with them, solving problems with them and truly experiencing their lives with them. Similar to the writing I also found the pacing to be spot on, I never felt lost or confused as to how and why the story moved in which it did. The Hurricane Wars was a such wonderful read that I truly dragged on to make it last with how much it captivated me that I was excited to see how A Monsoon Rising would hold up to a book that made me feel things I hadn't in a while. And oh boy did it far exceed my expectations. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good book, fantasy, romance, political intrigue, do not get me started on the political intrigue, and of course a swoon worthy MMC. I will be gushing about this from now until the end of time.

I loved the first book in this series and was so excited to get an ARC of the second installment. The author does an excellent job of writing enemies to lovers. The tension was undeniable. I really enjoyed seeing Talasyn and Alaric's relationship develop and grow. It speaks to their overall personal growth as they learn to work together toward for the greater good. Forbidden romance and enemies to lovers are my favorite tropes and the author's mastery of writing them is undeniable. The world building is excellent, the magic system awesome, and the political intrigue is riveting. This stuff can get really heavy quickly and Guanzon does an excellent job of providing depth while making it accessible and easy to understand. I was expecting a cliffhanger as I knew the series wasn't over, but that was a real doozy! Fans of the first book will absolutely not be disappointed by this second installment.