This book leaves off where Hurricane Wars left off. Talasyn and Alaric are newly wed and have been tasked with protecting the realm from the moonless dark, as well as dealing with all the politics that their union has brought. This, on top of their undeniable attraction while keeping secrets from each other. This book was incredibly hard to put down with all the action, angst, and sexual tension! I honestly can’t wait for the third installment of the series!!!

In this book you will find:
- Forced Proximity
- Arranged marriage
- Slow burn
- Forbidden romance
- Marriage of convenience
- Royal/political intrigue
- Reylo book
- Dragons

This was such a fun Romantasy read! If you enjoyed the Hurricane Wars, then this book is for you!

I want to thank NetGalley and HarperVoyager / Avon Books for in exchange for my honest review.

This book felt a little slower than the first one but still enjoyable. It ends on a huge cliffhanger!

I loved being back in this world! I loved that the romance was amped up compared to book one but they continued to have that same banter that we get in the hurricane wars.

I feel like both Talasyn and Alaric had such good character growth in this book and I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens to them in the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-book ARC of this new release. I enjoyed Hurricane Wars but actually liked the sequel more because there was far less world building needed (I’m not a huge fan of the adjustment period of world building in fantasy). This is a medium spicy romantasy and I felt like it got the enemies to lovers/forbidden love part right, specifically how they are held up from loving each other due to their own personal traumas.

I did not realize this book would end on a cliffhanger and I now I’m a tad bit disappointed that I have to wait for the next book! Overall, I think Thea is an excellent debut author in the romantasy genre. Her characters are complex and the sexual tension is present! I still love the relationship the main character Talasyn has with her long-lost father and the dynamic between her father and Alaric was quite hilarious in this sequel.

I found myself laughing, on the edge of my seat, and rooting for the main characters to embrace vulnerability and confess their love for each other. This book was a very entertaining romantasy read.

Thank you to Netgalley & HarperVoyager for the digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

There were too many issues with the story for me to find myself truly immersed and having an enjoyable time. There was too much romanticizing of the colonizer (as other reviewers note as well). Additionally the majority romance plot seemed to overshadow the fact that there is a war going on in the story...I understand that is the point of romantasy- romance being at the forefront but when the political machinations are left underdeveloped it allows the story to fall flat.

"She kept her eyes shut as his touch lingered, then drifted away. Briefly, she wondered, what it would be like to live in a world where she was allowed to take his hand."

4.5 rounded up!!

it was a little crazy to me that The Hurricane Wars took place over nearly a full year, but A Monsoon Rising was entirely within like 4-5 months.

A Monsoon Rising begins a little over a week after The Hurricane Wars ends. Alaric is still in Kesath, but preparing to return to the Nenavar Dominion. Talasyn is now running her own household on the island of Iantas, spending most of her time there or at the Belian Sever practicing her aethermancy.

I loved that the romance was allowed to exist more presently in this book, versus the first one. while the book is definitely “romantasy”, where the romance carries the story, the plot outside of the romance is still very captivating in my opinion. I was excited to see how the Voidfell Sever scenario went, but am even more excited to see what happens when Alaric and Talasyn both find out about the plans happening on either side of their loyalties.

[insert Marie Kondo saying "I love mess" here]

the book does end on a cliffhanger, and I truly wouldn’t mind it, BUT.

I feel ROBBED that we didn’t get a scene at the very end showing Alaric’s reaction to what happened to Talasyn. ROBBED. THAT would have been a PEAK ending for me. I am begging that there’s a special edition out there that has that as a bonus scene because I need it now.

plot: ★★★★☆
there isn’t much new to share in terms of the plot—everything that’s happening are following the events and planning from the first book. we follow Talasyn and Alaric as they struggle to navigate their individual political courts, plan/train to save half of the world from the Voidfell Sever, ANDDDD trying to convince themselves that their attraction to each other is only skin deep. I do kind of wish that we could have handled the Voidfell Sever earlier in the book and gotten a bit more out of the book, but if we had to drag out that task in order to get all the fun romantic scenes we had, then so be it.

writing: ★★★★☆ (3.5 rounded up)
the writing does struggle, similarly to the first book as well. it gets repetitive frequently. the ways of describing things are almost always the same, down to the same exact wording. but if it’s one thing Thea Guanzon can write the hell out of, it’s two people desperately yearning for each other and I am HERE for it.

pacing: ★★★★★
I’d say this one is just a hair on the slower side, due to us going through a shorter timespan than the previous book, but it’s still a quick read.

romance: ★★★★★
PLEAAASSEEEEE the way I was getting SO stressed out every time someone interrupted Talasyn and Alaric I was going to turn feral. I love them in their sweet moments so much. their dynamic is genuinely so much fun for me to read. I can feel it in my bones that Alaric will be the one to confess his feelings first and I will be screaming at the top of my lungs when that happens.

while the concept of them trying to hold on to the persona that hates the other person does start to get a bit old the longer their romance goes on, I do enjoy that their way of holding on to their personas is to pick a fight with each other that often turns to something else.

characters: ★★★★★
the way that Sevraim was absent for so much of this book should require jail time. he is quickly becoming a favorite character of mine, and I NEED to see him and Talasyn form a friendship.

it feels weird to not have seen Vela as much. I know it’s hard for Talasyn to see her, but IDK, it still feels like for such an important character, she should be more present?? like we lose some of the war-focused side of the story when Vela isn’t around. in the same breath, it feels weird for Gaheris to not be super involved, with how controlling his character is made to be, but I have a feeling we will see that change soon.

also, who’s taking care of Guava while Alaric is with Talasyn????? if that bird dies, I’m rioting in the streets.

over-all: ★★★★★ (4.5 rounded up)
I loved it!!! I can admit that the story could use more structure/fleshing out at times, but I just genuinely have so much fun in these stories that I don’t mind at all. however, I’m devastated that I have to wait an unknown amount of time for the next book to come.

I wanted to throughly enjoy this installment, but unfortunately it feel flat for me. I attempted to DnF many times. This is 100% a me thing. Please give it a try

A Monsoon Rising picks up right where The
Hurricane Wars left off, and wow, 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! We have enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn, marriage of convenience, one bed and so much more
First off this book was WAY better than the first one. The chemistry was perfect! The first one definitely lacked that so if you felt it was missing the romance, this one is for you. But that cliffhanger will leave you not wanting but NEEDING more

Thea needs to pay my therapy bill for how this book ended. I need book 3 immediately. i loved this book SO much, it was really well written and i was invested the whole time. thank you for the opportunity!

4.5 stars

I enjoyed the first one, but the bumpiness and word vomit of the world building in the first 100 pages was a big obstacle. This second go around was a large upgrade and I couldn’t be happier. The romance is still a nice slow simmer and the world has become more fleshed out. I detracted half a star because the world is still confusing, but it was such a joyful experience.

I can confidently say anyone with an insatiable love for enemies to lovers romantasy is missing out if this isn’t on their shelf right this second.

The Hurricane Wars was, by necessity, thick with political intrigue and worldbuilding details, which I absolutely loved. By contrast, A Monsoon Rising slows it down to really get into the weeds of Alaric and Talasyn’s inner workings and interpersonal relationship.
As a result, this book is heavily character driven, and also spicier 🌶️ than its predecessor.

As someone whose personal preference is for more plot-heavy fantasy, I did find myself missing those elements a little. But I was also so invested in Talasyn and Alaric from book 1 that I was hooked in and along for the ride the whole time. There were some plot seeds that were planted that I expected to see come to fruition but didn’t — but at this point I have so much faith in Thea that book 3 will blow me away, I’m not worried at all. Just waiting in eager anticipation!

If you, like me, generally enjoy fantasy outside the romantasy genre but also love to dive into a good messy romance, this series is a great pick. Thea is a beautiful writer and her characters will have you in a chokehold the whole way.

Guanzon has done it again! ❤️

A Monsoon Rising is the sequel to The Hurricane Wars, following Alaric and Talasyn in their quest to defeat the Voidfell that threatens their nations, all while navigating their growing feelings for each other amongst political machinations.

This was just sublime: the prose was everything. It really beautifully portrayed the emotional context behind all the characters. It adds a really deep flavor to the burgeoning attraction between the two main characters which makes you so invested in the plot.

The plot is pretty well paced: there was some minor lull in the beginning but once the chemistry built up it was a super quick read. It was really captivating the entire way through! The drama was interesting and high stakes which I absolutely love.

The romance was SUPERB: truly enemies to lovers excellence. This is a must if you love the trope. It also reignited my love for the marriage of convenience trope 🥰

I cannot recommend this enough - it should be at the top of your TBR.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I enjoyed this book! I do think I enjoyed it less than Hurricane Wars but I think that’s because of all the extra smut. The relationship to me just didn’t feel very connected outside of physical attraction. They didn’t really know each other that well. But this is an enemies to lovers book and I do love that trope and the way it’s navigated. They do care for each other I just feel it was hard for me to connect to the relationship for some reason. I also feel like not much happened in this book? Like the ratio of plot to smut wasn’t quite working for me and that is the only reason it’s a 4 star not a 5 star. Plus I wasn’t absolutely blown away once I finished. I still love Alaric and Talasyn and the ending was brutal man. I’m still super curious to continue!

This was a fantastic second book in The Hurricane Wars series. I will admit that it took me a while to become invested in the first book of the series, but this one gripped me from the beginning.

The fantasy world in this series is inspired by southeast Asia and has unique magic sources that create a very fun environment. There is a lot of political scheming, romance, action, and amazing banter. I would absolutely recommend fantasy romance lovers to read this series.

Thank you to the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review!

5/5 stars

Disclaimer: I don't have many thoughts to share about this sequel because it would just all be gushing; my rating is almost purely based on vibes, and how giddy I felt while reading.

This sequel had everything I wanted — action, romance (of the idiots-to-lovers variety), poignant moments, quippy remarks (that made me actually laugh), and more dragons than book 1! I could easily envision the entire book being an epic fantasy movie, especially with the cliffhanger at the end.

5/5 stars, I'm ready for book 3 please ♡

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free digital ARC for my honest review!

Okay I really think I f’d up reading then first book by listening to the audio, I’m not a fan of the narration at all. For the second one I got the audio again and was STRUGGLING. Halfway through though I switched to reading it and ATE 👏 IT 👏 UP👏. That ending?! Are you kidding me?! What the fuck is about to happen I need the next book NOW.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the arc of this novel in exchange for my review.

Well geez. That's quite an explosive ending. (And certainly not the one I'd have predicted )


I like the magic and the world. I like the inspiration from Guanzon's Philippine culture. There's dragons! (Could always use more dragons ).

Despite me being too old for the immaturity, I do like Talsyn and Alaric's relationship. Although I get annoyed at the constant "no I don't have feelings" or "stop that you just need to betray him" and all, I do like their dynamic.


Definitely going to have to check out the next to see what in the world is going to happen now.

3.75⭐️s The tension remains as they can deny their attraction to one another. However, the truth of that attraction is still dancing in the air. Is it just physical or is there more? Tala is keeping a fair amount of secrets from Alaric and isn’t sure she can trust him. Not to mention her life is in danger over and over again. Overall, I feel like this is a good series so far. I think I would personally want a little more from the war/action of it. Which could be all in the build up for the next book. I’m curious. Thank you to @netgalley and @harpervoyagerus for the advanced reader copy of A Monsoon Rising. #netgalley #amonsoonrising #thehurricanewars #arc #advancedreadercopy #bookstagram

4.5⭐️

The follow up to The Hurricane Wars was everything I wanted and more. I liked book one, but Monsoon Rising had me hooked!
We have a political marriage of enemies carried over from the first book. But then Talasyn and Alaric are reluctant allies as they join forces and their magic for the good of the continent. They’ve both grown up under the shadow of war and *clearly* have no idea what to do with their attraction and feelings for each other. The two were delightfully awkward and I love seeing their internal struggles. Yes, we get more politics, more dragons, and more spice. Now that ending? Excuse me?! Thea Guanzon has some explaining to do!

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Avon for the arc.

4.25 stars. I liked this book… a shocking amount. When I read the Hurricane Wars, I was so conflicted and unsure if I’d continue the series or not mainly due to some serious pacing issues, but this book fully won me over to the series.

It feels like Thea is more settled in what she actually wants to write in this book. This book is diving ALL into the romantasy and into the characters; we learned so much more about who they are, and I found their pull to one another so much more believable here.

If you preferred the second half of the Hurricane Wars, this is that but better. The war plot and politics take a serious backburner here, but to me it shows in the quality of the book that this is the part she wanted to write. I still think the setting is fun and I especially enjoy the tropical vibes, but to me this was all about Alaric and Talasyn.

The pacing is still not perfect, but I loved it! Enough to go ahead and order the beautiful fairyloot edition.