A solid 3.5.

The world-building in this series is amazing, and when the characters actually step outside of their own heads for two seconds, they can be a lot of fun. While this was a major step up from the first book, I still felt it lag until the last couple of chapters. And the cliffhanger was absolutely diabolical! I am intrigued enough to want to see where this series is going, and the world-building and overall concept are amazing. I just keep thinking that it needs a little more of something else. I am hoping I will know by the time the next one comes out. The author is brilliant in their own right, and I cannot wait to read more from them!

If Thea Guanzon writes it, it's safe to say that I'm going to absolutely love it and A Monsoon Rising was no different. This book was just as magical as the first book. The way that the plot for this one comes together will draw you in and keep you wanting to burrow within the pages as the story continues to unfold all the way up until the last page. When I finished this book, I was rendered speechless and am absolutely desperate for book three.

The world that Thea Guanzon has built is one of the most beautiful ones that I have read about in a long time. The way that she describes each location and scene leaves a vivid picture of it in your head as you’re reading and helps you fully immerse into the world as Talasyn and Alaric are moving through it. That same descriptive writing is used when talking about the unique and impressive magic system that I’m still obsessed with, especially after a certain major scene in this particular book.

The enemies to lovers trope carries on throughout this book but in a different sort of way. There are a lot of secrets and a lot of them holding themselves back because of these secrets until they finally reach that moment of "screw it". The stakes are high and you can feel it all throughout A Monsoon Rising. I still don’t think anyone can top the complicated and history-worn relationship, the ebbs and flows between Alaric and Talasyn, and I love the fact that this book continues to have both of their points of view because it really allows us to see the complexities of their feelings as they navigate each step and how they orbit each other. It continues to be a delicious slow burn full of banter and epic levels of pining that will leave you feeling every single emotion that you can possibly imagine.

I love this series and I always worry that the second book won’t live up to expectations of the first book but this book was amazing and I think it was even better than the first.

Really the best thing about this book was the romance, I feel like the plot was a little lost but who am I to judge.

4/5⭐️

I LOVE this series so far, A Monsoon Rising is my favorite of the series so far and I cannot wait to read the rest to come! Really got me back into my Fantasy reading

This book was AMAZING!! I loved the fantasy setting in this book, the world building was wonderfully done! The characters were well done, and the interactions was flawless and kept me interested the whole book! I would highly recommend this book!!

I loved the continuation of this storyline. The intrigue of what was going to happen next had me at the edge of my seat. Alaric and Talasyn are nothing but pawns in the pending war between their countries, but the chemistry these two have (even though they fight it) makes it all the more worth it.

I can't wait for what's next. I need to see these 2 stand on their own and fight against the forces that are using them. I think if they do, they'll be a force you do not want to reckon with.

Unfortunately, I will not be continuing this series. Book 1 was not compelling and I did not feel like the world building was good and the magic system lacking. It felt like a barely formed fantasy book.

Ugh, the will they/won’t they is getting annoying but I love it!! Enemies to lovers is slow going!!! Alaric and Talyasin are enemies forced to marry, they are able to create a shield with their magic together so both families think it’s a good idea for an alliance of sorts. War is going to happen, but hopefully they can help save lives.

Thank you, Harper Voyager for the e-arc!
Unfortunately, I really struggled to keep going in this series! Tried picking this back up a few times, but I think it is time to call. I liked the first book, but I struggled to get back into the storyline and connect again with the characters. The romance was good, and I liked the premise/magic system, but I think this ended up just not being for me.

I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have received a review copy of A Monsoon Rising from the author, and Avon and Harper Voyager! 🫶

A Monsoon Rising truly has such beautiful and incredible world building! 🥹💕 I truly was blown away by the level of intricacy and details of how the author paid attention to every single detail. Also, the romance is truly *chef's kiss* and I loved it!

4.5 ⭐ Solid continuation of the series! So much relationship development and I was not disappointed with the yearning and actual physical moments! I was screaming and shocked! Thea really brought her A Game with this installment! I love how the story progressed and each moment the Main Characters were together was so much fun to read! I want to see more of that in the next book!

The world building is unique with a magic system that is combined with combat that I enjoyed! I was surprised in moments in the books that tie to the whole over arching War that is currently going on.

I can't wait to see how this story will end!

I received an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. Unfortunately, I didn't care for this novel as much as I enjoyed the "Hurricane Wars" debut by Thea Guanzon. I know sequels can be challenging for many authors, and in this case I felt the characters were far more difficult to engage with than in the first novel. The sex scenes felt a bit over the top, and I also didn't enjoy the plot devices as they developed. Overall the novel is a solid sophomore effort, but a bit of a let down following the Hurricane Wars. Many fantasy & romantasy readers will enjoy this novel, but it wasn't a big success with me.

Fantastic sequel! Really love the development of the story, the character's journey, and how rich this world is. This is such a great series.

As far as romantasy second books go, I think that A Monsoon Rising really hit the mark. There's a good balance of romance and spice (spice that makes sense mind you, not just random excuses to have spice). There's also some plot and world building.. its weaker than it was in Hurricane Wars, however. Disappointing but unexpected. I will say the big, big battle felt a little confusing? and over too quickly. I had a really hard time picturing what was going on, and I almost wonder if the author did too. It was still an enjoyable read and a solid 3.5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced review copy of A Monsoon Rising.

This is one of the few cases where I found myself substantially more invested in the sequel than the first book of the series. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic of Alaric and Talaysn became even more elevated with a “marriage of convenience trope”. Watching two people clearly fall in love while needing remain “enemies” due to respective family pressures but also forced proximity due to their marriage commitments was absolutely fascinating. Layering that with pressure from family to be in this marriage is convenience but also having that pressure from political and war reasons than third parties having a cheesy romantic stake in the relationship was also a fresh take on that.

However, similar to the first book, I felt the world building very unclear and uninteresting. In general, I find the trope of needing two combine powers to defeat a bigger bad to be a valiant enough fight, but some of the logistics of the magic itself are unclear. Though the cliffhanger ending had high enough drama with Talaysn losing her powers for her own sake, the scope of that heartbreak was missing without a full understanding of how this sets them against the bigger war.

Thea created a world I don’t want to leave. I love her style of writing but the development from book one to two was amazing. I don’t want to give anything away but the tension, the anger, just. Everything.

The author definitely knows how to write chemistry between two love interests. The chemistry between the two MCs is really good. However, I am not a big fan of miscommunication, and I felt like these characters definitely need more communication skills.
These series is just ok for me.

I absolutely devoured book 2!!!! The cliffhanger at the end was enough to drive me CRAZY but I got everything I wanted out of this book and MORE. This series and author have me in a chokehold and I can't wait to see where the story takes Talasyn and Alaric!!!

Where is book 3?? My favorite romantasy series yet! Your honor I love them. Even better than the first book!

So, I did really enjoy the first one of this series, but after rereading it and then diving into this one, I fell back into this world so easily! I can't wait to see what happens in book 3 after all of the back and forth and surprises from book 2! Another must read for romantasy lovers!