A Monsoon Rising

A Novel

By: Thea Guanzon

Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith, Jeanne Syquia

""Thea Guanzon’s talent is limitless, and she is the kind of writer that comes around once in a generation. Mark my words: lives will be changed by The Hurricane Wars trilogy.” — Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

Two hearts circle each other in the eye of the storm in this highly-anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller, The Hurricane Wars—prepare for more enemies-to-lovers romance, magical adventures, and political schemes in this Southeast Asian-inspired world.

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.

Better than the first

A monsoon of emotions, time passes, people die, dragons rise and a reylo level romance that keeps you reading. Did not want to put this one down!

The drop at the end!!

I think I liked this one better than the first one. But I did love it. The bickering always is a favorite. But how they both…. Spoilers.

I need more!

Holy shit that ending! I have so many questions and I’m so PISSED there’s not even a release date for the next book! I don’t know if I can wait a year to see Alarics reaction…what he’ll do, that he’ll discover, how they’ll find their way back to each other.

The world building in these books is pretty incredible and seeing the world eater in this one was just glorious! When this series was suggested as a dragon book I honestly didn’t get it during the first one. Now I get it. Now I can see their scales shimmering in the Nenavar sunlight. I love it! I wish there’s was *slightly* more of them, but I also wish that about the spice 🌶️ - both amazingly awesome, both I desperately need more of!

Big improvement!

Monsoon Rising is a big improvement over The Hurricane Wars. The writing feels tighter, the pacing sharper, and the emotional beats land with more weight. The world is richer this time, and the character dynamics keep you turning pages.

What stood out most is how Talysin and Alaric’s arcs deepened. Their choices matter now, and the tension between them is more than romantic—it feels tied to the larger stakes of the story. By the end, I wanted to know not only how the war would end but also where their relationship would lead.

This book finally delivered the balance of action, politics, and intimacy that the first installment promised. Now I’m invested and eager to see what happens next.

Wow. Even Better than Book 1.

I think I loved this MORE than book 1. Which is impressive. Because I adored book 1.

But both Alarick and Talasyn grew immensely in this book. As individuals and within their own relationship. I will be interested to see how book 3 handles all of the secrets and plans they have for each other.