When people say the second book is never as good as the first they clearly didn’t mean Monsoon Rising. This book was amazing! The first book was beautiful world building and set up of an epic fantasy realm that is struggling in a war that has both magic and technology in it. And like all good fantasy adventures a few dragons too. It’s perfect for fans of story’s like Raya and the Last Dragon or Avatar the Last Air Bender but with more adult topics and themes. This book took the main characters and political, environmental, and personal challenges they set up in the first book and tackled them wonderfully. The plot development and character growth was invigorating and kept you engaged in the Hurricane Wars. I love this series and can’t wait for the next book!

I mean...how to be able to define this amazing story!!

Hurricane Wars was already AMAZING...and the continuation makes the story so whole, so well built and so special that I could not bear picturing finishing this book, and at the same time, I couldn't put it down. The world building, the special features of our great FMC and how the characters evolve while becoming more vulnerable and more dependable, it was a bliss to witness!

I as a good bookish person, I have bought any special edition of this series that I could get my hands on! Add to an amazing story, the most beautiful covers & sprayed edges.

I am so grateful to Avon & Harper Voyager for letting me take a peek early!

This was so good, I was waiting impatiently for this to come out and read it in two days. So now I have to wait for the next book to come out.

This was a fun sequel! I honestly thought the first book in this series was pretty mid (3/5 stars) but this was a real step up for the series in my eyes. A Moonson Rising was less background and more action. I loved the dynamic between Talasyn and Alaric! They are an excellent example of enemies to lovers and the tension was a woah!

I also loved that they both had their own storylines and desires that they were working toward for their nations. The cliff hanger has me needing the next book.

The angst and longing between these two characters is unmatched! Loved this one just as much as the first. This is a romantasy done right - beautiful descriptions, high stakes romance, and believable, raw feelings.

Absolutely fantastic absolutely loved the sequel to Hurricane Wars! need more of everything! Thea Guanzon has done it again love Alaric and Talysan. Immediately bought a physical copy.

I have said this before, I have loved this story for so long! I read it in its original fanfic for format. This is a couple I will always root for, a dynamic I crave! Thea has done such an amazing job transitioning this fun fanfic into a great romantasy series! I knew where this one was going to end and I was screaming. I am so excited for book three.

I just finished this arc after seeing Thea last night at a book sign event and ma’am you made me feel things with this book.
I rarely think sequels are better than the first installment but this one is! I’m am soooooo obsessed with Alaric and Talasyn and I was really not really for that ending. WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME???

At this point I’m just praying to Talasyn’s gods so the next book doesn’t take too long 😭

I thought this book was so much better than the first! I loved it! I loved seeing Tasalyn grow as a character and the slow burn was so good. I loved how fast paced it was and can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you Harper Voyager for the gifted copy!

A Monsoon Rising
Thea Guanzon
Publishing Date: December 10, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You guys. This book is SO GOOD. Second book slump? NOT HERE. In fact I liked this book even more than the first! I also had the pleasure of seeing Thea on Tuesday at Barnes and Noble Union Square, in conversation with Ava Reid, Alex Aster, and Katie Wu. What a treat! They were all absolutely delightful 💛

A Monsoon Rising picks up right where we left off at the end of the Hurricane Wars. Talasyn and Alaric are navigating their politically driven marriage. The Moonless Dark is fast approaching and they need to hone their skills to prevent that from destroying everything.

Some things you can expect here: Political intrigue and scheming, looming betrayals, mommy/daddy issues, DRAGONS, a unique magic system, stunning world building, vivid imagery, well developed side characters, and of course.. slowwwww burn enemies to lovers ❤️‍🔥 romance. At the event last night Thea said we can thank her editor for the spicy scenes that were ramped up at her insistence, so THANK YOU.

I loved everything about this book. The character development and back stories really added to my investment in these characters. Alaric broke my heart a bit. I am so so rooting for a happy ending for these two. That ending though… good grief Thea.. I hope book three is coming along fast!

"A Monsoon Rising" by Thea Guanzon is a captivating epic fantasy with Filipino-inspired world-building and a unique weather-based magic system. The story follows Aluna, a young woman struggling with duty, love, and her own powers, in a fast-paced plot full of political intrigue and unexpected twists. With well-developed characters and a vibrant world, it's a must-read for fans of strong female protagonists and intricate magic.

Huge thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC of this gem! 💙 A Monsoon Rising picks up right where The Hurricane Wars left off, and OH MY GOSH, 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! 💖🔥

✨ Tropes & Themes ✨
✧ Enemies to Lovers 💘
✧ Forced Proximity 💗
✧ Marriage of Convenience 💍
✧ Slow Burn 🔥
✧ Mutual Pining 💓
✧ One Bed Trope 💖
✧ Political Intrigue ⚖️
✧ Dragons 🐉
✧ Slow-Build Sexual Tension 💕
✧ Hot, Sizzling Chemistry 💋

Okay, first off—this book was WAY better than the first one! 🙌 The chemistry between Alaric and Talasyn? ELECTRIC. The slow-burn romance? Chef's kiss! 😘 If you liked the first book but felt the romance was a little lacking, this one? It hits all the right notes. But that cliffhanger at the end? If there's no third book, I swear I’m throwing hands. 🤬 Like, seriously—don’t leave me hanging like that! 😩

Now, while the romance was everything, I can’t pretend the plot didn’t still take a backseat. The focus was definitely more on the relationship dynamics (which, I’m not complaining about 😍), but I was kinda hoping for a bit more plot development. That said, Talasyn’s character growth was SO worth it. 👏 She was a whole new person in this book, and I loved it! And Alaric? From brooding mystery man to full-on swoon-worthy hero. Sigh. The banter between them was next level, too! 😩

The world-building definitely stepped up its game—more political drama, alliances, and twists. The layers of complexity were super interesting, but honestly? The romance and chemistry were the main event. 💖 If you love romantasy, this book has EVERYTHING. It's like watching a blockbuster movie in your mind, and I’m living for it.

Bottom line: This book was way better than the first one. Sure, I wanted a little more plot, but the romance was TOTALLY worth the ride. Now... about that ending... What. Was. That?! 😩 Can't wait for book three! 💥📚

A Monsoon Rising was really a step up from The Hurricane Wars, it didn’t have the awkward debut moments, but really developed the story further and delivered on the plot while also finally giving in to that slow burn. I enjoyed the tension and learning to trust each other. I was expecting some kind of betrayal at the end, but not how it all went down. While I am still processing that cliffhanger, I am really looking forward to how it gets resolved in the next book.

You Can Expect:
Light vs Shadow Magic
Saving the World
Dragons
Enemies to Lovers
Marriage of Political Convenience
Tension & Banter
‘My Wife’
Scheming & Betrayal
Reylo Inspired
Early 20s MCs
Dual, 3rdP POV

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC for my honest opinion. A hard copy has already been preordered!

This was such an amazing follow up to The Hurricane Wars. I did not expect the ending!! Can’t wait for the next book! Alaric and Talasyn have such an amazing connection, I love their relationship and I really love their inner conflict about one another. The politics in this book are fantastic, I love Alaric’s view and want for a world where people are able to live well and work together without conflict, his struggles to come out from under his father’s crushing control. It’s such an amazing read.

Tala & Alaric are back baby!!! I LOVED the enemies to lovers banter we got in this!!

I also really enjoyed the development we got from both sides as they start to see that while their reasonings for protecting their people are right, war may not be their only option.

The world building still fell a bit flat for me again in this one :/

This series is getting better & better & im so pumped for the next installment!!!

The second book in the Hurricane Wars series, this story focuses on Talasyn and Alaric trying to save the world (rather than trying to tear each other apart). Now that they're married, they're focused on trying to prevent the Voidfell from taking out all of their people with rot/death magic. This book has more spicy scenes though they are still far outnumbered by battle scenes so if that was your jam in the first book you shouldn't be disappointed with A Monsoon Rising. I enjoyed this book more than the first since it did focus a bit more on the relationship elements, both between Alaric and Talasyn and with Talasyn and her friends/family. Of course, there are still enough lies and intrigue that the (hopefully) third book will have plenty of cliffhanger material to work with!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the advanced reader copy!

Thank you @harpervoyagerus and @librofm for an early ALC and early copy of A Monsoon Rising!

Absolutely 5 stars for this wonderful fantasy romance book. Not only is this story so interesting and intricate, you have one of my favorite romance stories ever! It’s always scary for a 2nd book to slump from the first but this story got even better than book one. Alaric and Talasyn’s relationship is turn paging good, trying to find out what one of them is going to do next.

I need one million spicy scenes written by Thea! She is a MASTER of her craft. Those scenes are my favorite spicy scenes of the year! And the things that Alaric says are SO GOOD!!! I cannot wait for the next book!

Audiobook 5/5! The narrators are wonderful and it flows so well. It’s wonderful to hear the words pronounced the correct way and they keep the energy high in the book that makes you want to keep reading! Great audio!

Overall 5/5 book, and if each book is better than the last, I can’t wait to see what happens next. Plus that ending!!!

This one is for the forced proximity / arranged marriage fans! Thank you to Harper Voyager & LibroFM for the review copies!

Series Info: This series needs to be read in order! Start with Book 1, The Hurricane Wars.

Review: I want to be clear that I mean this as a compliment, but this felt like fanfiction. Now, I haven’t read a lot of fanfiction, but what I like about what I’ve read is that the plot tends to move quickly, but it also feels character driven. There is also a certain balance of spice to plot that tends to be fun.

The romance had a delicious “will-they-won’t-they” energy, that had little moments where the relationship progressed, while still feeling like there is so much more to see develop between them.

And the fantasy elements were all fantastic - the plot is pretty focused, which made this one easy to listen to via audiobook, which I often struggle with. The writing felt very clear and I could easily visualize where the character were and what was happening - which, again, I often struggle with listening via audio! My favorite element of this world is that Talasyn’s country is a matriarchy - something I wish we saw a lot more of in fantasy!

🎧 The narrators fit the characters very well! For sure pick this one up in your preferred format - but don’t be afraid to try the audio even if fantasy by audio is sometimes difficult for you!

I’m glad I haven’t done any end of year wrap ups yet - I think this was my favorite fantasy/romantasy that I’ve read this year! I think you’ll love it if you liked the 2nd half of The Hurricane Wars, once they are in the palace. If you haven’t started this series yet, I would recommend it if you liked ACOMAF, and wished there was a little less war in ACOWAR.

I got an eARC from ##netgalley of #amonsoonrising by @theagwrites
I loved loved loved #thehurricanewars so I have been so excited for this book.
The banter was top notch. The politics were intriguing. The stakes were upped. Easily another 5 star from Thea Guanzon. Now to go reread The Hurricane Wars and then A Monsoon Rising so I can experience it perfectly.

A Monsoon Rising picks up not long after the end of book one and we start to see the gradual plotting on both sides really picking up, the stakes getting higher. Especially now that Talasyn and Alaric are not only married, but have clearly been developing feelings for one another (against their wishes I might add). It makes what they’re doing even more stressful but also adds to the angst factor and makes the slowburn romance x10 more potent. If you’re a fan of slowburn romances and don’t like when the couple get together in or right after book one (specifically in a series, or in this case a trilogy), then you’ll love slow building of tension between the two as they try to navigate the political landscape of their two nations and battling against their better nature and falling for one another.

It is way more character-driven than plot, although we do get to grips with more of the politics and there are some pretty big moments that drive the story forward and keep the pacing fairly quick - which is needed as the book covers several months.

A lot of the book deals with the preparations for the Moonless Dark, so I was expecting a lot more from the chapters dealing with this. I didn't feel like the tension was built up quite enough just before and it was over so quickly with no real in-depth follow-up.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I have to say that The Hurricane Wars is still my favorite of the two. As I said, this book moves at a bit slower pace since it is so character focused and I just prefer a little bit more action.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review via NetGalley!