⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WE NEED MORE STARS FOR THIS ONE!!!

I am UNWELL.
I loved book every bit as much as Hurricane Wars, and it had me falling even harder for Talasyn & Alaric (which I didn't think was possible.) Every single interaction, every look, every quip, every heated exchange… It was all perfection. I want to live in this world with these two. 😭

This installment definitely focuses more on character development, and the relationship between Alaric and Talasyn. Which I LOVED. Their dynamic is the heart and soul of the story, so having it front and center was a balm to my soul. There’s still plenty of the action, political intrigue, and Sci-fi goodness that we loved from book 1, so don’t you worry. But there’s definitely a deeper dive into the characters, so the pacing was a bit slower.

That. Freaking. Ending. No you did not, Thea! How I can I possibly wait for the next book??!! 😭 Damn- if you haven’t picked up the series yet, I highly advise that you do. The enemies to lovers arc is executed PERFECTLY, and the the beautiful prose and effortless dialogue will have you in your feels. Cannot recommend this enough.

Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for my review copy. 🙏🏼

3.5 ⭐️
A Monsoon Rising is the second book in the Hurricane Wars Trilogy and this story mainly centers around Talasyn and Alaric as they balance the tension in their new marriage of convenience. Just as the first book, there were so many cute moments and HOT moments between these two! The banter and tension between them is truly unmatched! While I loved the romance I hated the constant “will they won’t they” because we got enough of it in the first book. This second book definitely leaned more romance heavy than the first book did, which I didn’t mind, but the plot, magic system, etc I loved in the first one did suffer a bit because of it. Certain points felt to drag on, there was unnecessary filler, and nothing truly happened until the end. The training sessions were cool but also felt like they were just thrown in there. Overall, this was still a fun read but it did feel like the “middle book syndrome” we all dread at certain times. I will be picking up the last book in the series to see who this all wraps up because I truly do like these characters!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review♥️

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

I greatly enjoyed jumping back into Talasyn and Alarics love story. It was also enjoyable that they were finally willing to be more lovers than enemies.

The politics and inner conflict was really well done. You could feel the tension and stress between both of them!

I do think the plot took a back seat in this book. This was heavy on the romance. I am excited to see where book 3 goes and how the author wraps everything up!

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's definitely a romantasy, so while there are fantasy elements the plot centers mostly around the romance, but I found the romance very enjoyable. It was a very quick read, I found that I was flying through this book both because I wanted to know what would happen next and because I found the writing style very easy to understand and digest.
There is a large miscommunication trope in this book, a lot could be resolved if the two main characters just spoke to each other, but in this case that makes sense. They cannot speak openly because they are on opposite sides of a war and if they did one could easily kill the other with the information they shared and lose the war for that side.
This book also ends on a major cliff hanger and I need the next book right now!

4.14!

"Whatever better world you think you’ll build, it will always be built on blood."

I had so much fun with this book and honestly I do think if I wasn't reading high fantasies with minimal romance consecutively I would have liked it less because one thing that I despise in romantasies is when there's barely any fantasy but I do find it enjoyable if the romance hits and that's what happened here, The romance in this book was so damn good! I honestly think that reading high fantasies made me just crave for romance that when I picked it up, I was fully immersed with it because to be honest the fantasy/plot was only like 10% and it was heavily based on their romantic relationship. I also think that this was very important for the story because I didn't enjoy the first book that much, my main problem was how it felt disorganized and how the romance lacked chemistry. I do think if it wasn't for the reading situation that I was in it would have been 3 stars objectively but this made me realize how much I missed reading romance.

The sequel while didn't really work on the organization between I didn't really mind since it was mostly focused on the romantic aspect and oh my god it was so well done that it actually felt so fulfilling?? I didn't feel the need for there to be more plot, I feel the way it was written improved so much? because I liked it a lot! It felt like such an improvement from book 1 that I just loved reading and honestly I wasn't free this week but whenever I picked it up I flew through it. Also this was more focused on the characters development as well and the plot was sacrificed for it and since it is a series, I dont mind it.

Talasyn, I was really annoyed with her in the first book but she really improved, she didnt do a lot of annoying things, they were there but with a decreased amount that really shaped her character towards improvement and I honestly enjoyed reading about her character more and I would like to learn more about the rebellion that she joined and the things revolving around it more, we got robbed off that in this book :( but her emotions regarding Alaric and how she felt and the gradual change in it was so fun to read. Alaric, we needed so much from him in the first book where the character failed to deliver but in this one he ate! I loved his development, how we discovered glimpses of his past and how his emotions changed regarding Talasyn, I also just loved the constant back and forth between them, the bickering, everything was just so fun when it came to him. He was broody yes but he match her broodiness lol and it just made such a good dynamic.

The romance was easily the best part of this book also the saving grace of this book, in any other circumstance the book is usually not more than 3 stars if it's barely has a visible plot point but this one's romance and the chemistry was off the charts, it was amazing, It was hot and it was explosive so I obviously had more fun, I liked the constant denial of feelings, the mutual pining, the forced proximity, the marriage of convenience and the one bed trope. It made everything bump up a notch and took things to another level, I feel like the banter between the characters and the way they would feel around each other and the slowww burnn was agonizing. The pay off for the slow burn was so well done. The spice was well written as well and it ventures off into the adult category rather than YA which what I think was the first book. I also liked the worldbuilding, it improved while not that significantly the subtle touches were nice to read, I also liked the tropical setting of this book. The fight scenes were done well as well!

Overall, it definitely isn't for everyone but I really enjoyed this one, much more than the first one!

3.5 🌟
2.5 🌶️

Monsoon Rising is the second book in The Hurricane Wars series. We pick up where we left off at the end of the Hurricane Wars. Alaric and Talasyn continue to fight their growing attraction, the building sympathy between them that clashes with their ingrained places on opposite sides of the war. Add in the political machinations by the Regent (Alaric's father), Talasyn's grandmother (She Who Hung the Moon), and the rebel forces hiding in the islands and plotting on the mainland. There is a lot of excitement, making the pace quick and the action moving from scene to scene. All the while, we learn just how difficult Alaric's life is and how he feels regarding everything, including the loss of life. It very much continues in the vein of Reylo fanfic, and I'm not sad about it, but it does color my perception of the characters and what is happening in the book. Some may have no issue with this, but I could not keep my mind from dropping Star Wars characters onto the characters in this book. I don't know if I will continue the series, but I may. It's a solid read, and many people have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Voyager, for the eArc. These opinions are mine.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 12/9/2024. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

Someone please tell me how I am supposed to wait for book 3?!?!? Holy smokes. I had enjoyed The Hurricane Wars but always caution readers that it is the slowest of burns I’ve ever encountered. I didn’t know what to expect from A Monsoon Rising but this book was an absolute delight. We still have the very intense political marriage between Alaric and Talasyn as they try to navigate preventing the Voidfell from completing the darkest night eclipse that will kill almost everyone. Except this time these idiots (said with so much affection) cannot keep their hands off each other. Their verbal sparing is truly foreplay. I loved that Guanzon decided to explore if people can change and we spend all of book 2 watching our MMCs try to figure out if they can work together to make a better world even though their idea of how to achieve that goal is significantly different. I enjoyed our cast of side characters and seeing glimpses of them throughout the book. I won’t spoil it but this book ends on a cliffhanger and I would be lying if I said I didn’t scream “noooo!” as I read the last sentence. I cannot wait to return to this world and see how our characters fair.

A Monsoon Rising is book 2 in The Hurricane Wars series. This scifi book is full of politics and is an enemies to lovers trope. What started as a political alliance now has Alaric and Talasyn wondering if there could be more to their marriage. I loved the tension between Alaric and Talasyn. They bicker with the best of them.

The story itself was a bit slow at times but I still had a good time with this. I really enjoyed seeing them use their powers and exploring that while trying to save everything. The main thing I wanted was for them to just get together already. You can tell they longed to, it just took a hot minute to get there. If you're a fan of scifi with enemies to lovers you need to read this series.

3.5/5
Book #2 of the Hurricane Wars series - the story returns to Alaric and Talasyn as they try to figure out their tension filled "marriage of convenience" amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets. They don't even like each other... or do they. The have to decide what—and who—to fight for.

Some of the best parts of the book were the banter and tension between the two main characters. As with the first book, I struggled with the world building. I just can't envision the world they are in for some reason. There's light and dark magic. There are dragons, though they seem like an add on. The pacing of the book didn't help me. At times, the plot moved at a nice pace and then other times it dragged. While I enjoyed this book slightly more than the first, I found myself mildly disappointed as I realized this wasn't a duology and there was a cliffhanger ending.

Perhaps with a re-read or audio listen, I might follow the fantasty realm a bit better and like the story more as I do think this series has potential overall.

Welcome to my spoiler free review of my FAVORITE book of 2024, and what is surely going to be one of my favorite series of all time🥹

♾️⭐️s!!!

All the stars and love for this incredible sequel to The Hurricane Wars. Alaric and Talasyn are two of my favorite little idiots (said with the utmost love, respect, and adoration) of all time. I seriously adore them. I finished AMR Friday and have the mental capacity for nothing but this book.

A Monsoon Rising is the PERFECT follow up to The Hurricane Wars. Without spoilers, you get everything you want- continuing plot, magic, romance, PINING, developing relationships, fun side characters, the BEST banter, need I go on? I just love how these characters interact! I have laughed, I have cried, and I am now begging for the next book. Because that ending? We are about to go on a JOURNEY in the next book🔥

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you’re in the US, grab your copy TOMORROW when it releases! I will be dutifully showing up to Barnes and Noble first thing in the morning to snag my special edition copy🫡

Congratulations Thea, this was a beautiful masterpiece❤️‍🔥

Thank you to Thea, @harpervoyagerus, and @netgalley for the eARC!

📚A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon
📖Pages: 336
📗 Genre: Fantasy
⭐5/5
🔥3.5/5
📝CAWPILE: 70/70
💥 Read Dates: 11/22/24 through 11/30/24


Synopsis: 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.


Review: First off! I would like to start with my disclaimer and thank you to Net galley for providing me with an ARC of my most anticipated 2024 release! All the thoughts and opinions are my own and boy howdy do I have some!

This book. Best thing since sliced bread. Am I being a wee bit silly? Yes. It's how I'm choosing to cope with the fact that I've been left on a horrible cliffhanger that I will have to wait a year to get answers to. This is devastating.

I cannot begin to describe how amazing this book is, it had me laughing, and tearing up, and swooning, and on the edge of my seat. This series is one I always recommend and will continue to do so because it's just that good. The writing, the world, the characters, the dynamics... And what I will say, is that I really was happy learning more about some of our supporting characters and their personalities, and I found myself giggling at things they said and did. I cannot wait for the next book to dive deeper into this world and take me with it.

A Monsoon Rising started out slow but drew me in around the middle! The tension between Talasyn and Alaric increases so much more in this novel, and they finally act on their build-up after the events of The Hurricane Wars. Much of this book deals with romance and politics, especially saving their world from the Moonless Dark.

I liked the additional world-building in this novel and how Alaric was literally a cinnamon roll in some parts of the book. He also respects Talasyn and is utterly spellbound/enamoured by her. He literally thinks the world of her. Despite Alaric’s advances, Talasyn still struggles with her loyalty to the rebels and her attraction toward her husband.

In all, the story was climatic and also cinematic in the way clothes and fashion were described. I enjoyed how the magic system also showed some interesting effects and worked differently with Talasyn in terms of memories and reveals. I absolutely loved the part where brave Talasyn fought to save her world, and Alaric was right there beside her. (Alaric takes his vows seriously) 😆

As for the ending, I was shocked that it ended on such a cliffhanger. Then again, the foreshadowing was always there right from the beginning. The writing was fantastic and I can’t wait for the final book!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review!

A Monsoon Rising is book two in The Hurricane Wars series by Thea Guanzon.
And this book was beyond anything I’ve ever read before!
The writing immediately captivated me and the world building was so wonderful and lush. I really like that such an epic fantasy managed to stay very character-focused.
I absolutely adored the world building and the characters.
There were definitely some surprising twists and moments that had me on the edge of my seat.

This is an Angsty Romance with a capital A and a capital R. The writing is so vulnerable, with sweetness, pathos and humor, that even as you want to strangle these two idiots, you can’t help love them. Both Talasyn & Alaric are caught between what they *might* want, should want, deserve to want, while surrounded by powerful people they cannot trust - even those they thought they could.

Monsoon Rising picks up shortly after the ending of Hurricane Wars. Both Alaric & Talasyn are grappling with the agendas at play on each side - some they support, some they’re unwillingly tied into. The most immediate threat, however, is still the impending Voidfell eruption that it’s up to them to stop. As the two are forced to continue to work together, the more the walls come down between them…and the more dangerous the game becomes.

The subtle shifts and displays of power between all the various courts were complex but not confusing. I haven’t read an “enemies to lovers” romance where I thought to myself, “How the HELL are they really going to make this work?” since Bridge Kingdom.

All this angst, emotion and stress all serves to make the spice so, so earned - it hits on multiple levels. Alaric’s filthy talk will live in my brain rent free forever. And yes there is more spice than the first book! Yay!

The worldbuilding continues to be amazing - the Southeast Asia inspired food, clothing, places all GORGEOUS. Take me to Nenavar.

Justified or not, however, the tension and misconceptions between Alaric & Talasyn will make you want to scream - especially since the first book is also rife with the same dance. The relationship does progress emotionally but it’s SLOW. If that’s not your cup of tea I can see this getting frustrating. I was able to go with it, buoyed by the excellence of the writing and world, but I am definitely ready for them to lay it all on the table in book 3.

This was a great next book after the hurricane wars. I was nervous it wouldn't live up to the love I have for the first book but it really did. This is definitely a must read!!

Middle books in a trilogy are notoriously hard to write. But you wouldn’t know that from reading this one because Thea Guanzon absolutely killed it. Wow. WOW. What an utterly fantastic second book. As with the first book the descriptions are vivid and detailed, bringing everything to life off of the page. I am FERAL for Tala and Alaric. Getting to see their relationship grow and deepen while still holding on to their respective secrets? Chef’s kiss. THIS is how you write a true enemies to lovers. The supporting characters are also incredible, fully obsessed with all of them. The spice was well written and the perfect amount. The pacing was excellent and the story moved so well. There was not a single wasted minute or wasted word. And the end. THE END? How dare you. HOW DARE YOU?! Well deserving of a rare five stars. WOW.

A Monsoon Rising
by Thea Guanzon

I want to start by saying thank you to NetGalley & Avon/Harper Voyager for an eARC.

DNF at 25%

I was trying to remain hopeful for the 2nd book in this series. I thought Hurricane Wars was very weak overall, but I was giving the author some grace as it was their first novel. I hoped going into book 2 that the writing may have improved. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I think the story has a lot of potential but never delivered.

The author’s penchant for detail sometimes works against the narrative flow. While a rich setting can enhance a story, here, it often feels excessive, bogging down the reader with descriptions that do little to advance the plot or develop the characters. This overemphasis on detail leaves little room for more significant developments that could enrich the reading experience.

Moreover, many of the characters lack depth and complexity, preventing readers from forming genuine connections with them. Characters come across as flat or clichéd, which detracts from the emotional stakes of the story. Without fully fleshed-out characters, it becomes difficult to care about their journeys or the outcomes of their conflicts, leaving the narrative feeling hollow.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I LOVED this book! It had me invested right from the beginning and kept me invested the entire time. This book is a great balance of romance and fantasy and I would definitely recommend!

A Monsoon Rising tracks Alaric and Talasyn's relationship as it goes from mostly-political to something far more intimate than either of them dare to name, all as secrets and allegiances shift on both sides of the war.

Guanzon always gets points for making her ETL banter funny without being cringe, balanced by the softness between our main couple in the quiet moments when they're vulnerable exclusively to each other. Does that stop them from being really bad at talking about their feelings? No. But bad communication doesn't stop them from getting things done with flying colors.

This is the book where they really crank up the raunchiness dial, so spice lovers rejoice! But it's also the book where the stakes have really mounted even higher, with dangerous secrets teetering closer to the edge of discovery, and I'm just a little bit stressed for the next book. I might know how the original fic ended, but Guanzon has really expanded upon her unique worldbuilding (i.e. she added lots of dragons, which I love) and the political stakes at play in the best way, so who knows?

Oh my gosh! What a whirlwind this story was. And that cliffhanger?! The next book can’t come soon enough. The Hurricane Wars established a complex magic system and world that did take me a bit to understand. And I did have to go back and skim through first book before diving into A Monsoon Rising. But once that was all settled, it was such a good burn seeing the relationship between Alaric and Talasyn develop while knowing they each had to betray the other after they first saved their lands from being destroyed. And in the end, the plot twist came completely out of nowhere. I will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next book because that ending caught me completely by surprise!