Archangel's Sun (Guild Hunter #13) by Nalini Singh
Publication Date: November 24th 2020 by Berkley
Pages: 368
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★★½
My
Thoughts:
Archangel’s Prophecy steps away from Raphael and
Elena as the center and instead focuses on Titus, and Lady Sharine, aka The
Hummingbird.
Titus, Archangel of the African Territory, is knee deep in dealing
with the havoc created by Lijuan and Charisemnon in their attempt at world
domination, and to aid in this Raphael sends The Hummingbird to help. At first
Titus is put out because he doesn’t see how The Hummingbird will be any great
help. Sure, she’s a renowned artist, her works a thing of beauty, but she’s rumored
to be a fragile, fractured being. Titus
doesn’t have time to pamper and dance around a woman when his land and people’s
survival is at stake.
Ha! I had a feeling Titus was about to get schooled and it
was going to be fun!
Lady Sharine was a broken creature for many years, but she’s
come a long way. She’s even helped restore order and peace to Lumia, becoming their
beloved angelic leader. When Raphael asked her to go to Archangel’s Titus’ aid,
she’s eager to help, knowing all the territories desperately need all the help
they can get. Yes, she’s spent a lot of her life being occupied by creating
beauty, but underneath she’s a capable and powerful woman ready to help her
angel-kind recover.
It was inspirational to witness Lady Sharine transform into
this strong, powerful angel! Much to Titus shock, she’s no shallow woman, expected
to be waited on and coddled. She proves a valuable asset to Titus and his
efforts. They compliment each other beautifully. Where he’s often brash and like
a bull in china shop with the ones inherited from Charisemnon’s territory, she helps
smooth the way between him and his acquired people. A surprisingly, she’s a
warrior!
Of course, my favorite part is the romance, and this was a
slow burn. First with Titus and Sharine
getting to known each other, having their misconceptions cleared away leading
to respect and admiration, and then the spark of attraction. I loved seeing Titus fall helplessly for this woman,
because the attraction is not only based on the superficial, but the knowing of
someone deep down. He’s ignited by passion and want every time they’re together!
The same for Sharine, but knowing Titus’ past with women she sort of resigns
herself to loving and losing, eventual hurt inevitable.
So much to love about this story! The thrilling fights, the
mystery of Charisemnon’s deadly creation, Titus and Sharine’s romance, but I also
loved seeing the familial support, and their fun exchanges! Titus with his deadly
sisters, and Sharine with her son Illium, and her sort of surrogate sons Aodhan
and Raphael.
Archangel’s Sun is book thirteen in the series, and I
don’t think this would work well as a standalone, because Titus and Sharine are
dealing with the aftermath of the previous two books. I will say that you could
go back and read the Raphael/Elena books (there are seven) and then this one
and get the full effect. Last year I
binged on the Raphael/Elena books, getting through seven of the books in less
than three weeks by listening to the audios, which are fantastically performed
by Justine Eyre. There are seven Elena/Raphael books, each
one having a source of conflict introduced that’s wrapped up by the end, but
there’s the continuing story arc of the Archangel’s Prophecy weaved through. The
other books in the series are like Archangel’s Sun where it focuses on the
story and romance of side characters, like here with Titus and Sharine.
*If you want a more in-depth explanation of the series I
explain it a little better in my review of
Archangel’s Prophecy HERE.
Some of it is a little spoilery, but not more than you’d get reading the book descriptions.
4.5 Stars
Book description:
A horrifying secret
rises in the aftermath of an archangelic war in New York Times
bestselling author Nalini Singh’s deadly and beautiful Guild Hunter
world...
The Archangel of Death and the Archangel of Disease
may be gone but their legacy of evil lives on—especially in Africa,
where the shambling, rotting creatures called the reborn have gained a
glimmer of vicious intelligence.
It is up to Titus, archangel of
this vast continent, to stop the reborn from spreading across the world.
Titus can’t do it alone, but of the surviving powerful angels and
archangels, large numbers are wounded, while the rest are fighting a
surge of murderous vampires.
There is no one left…but the
Hummingbird. Old, powerful, her mind long a broken kaleidoscope. Now,
she must stand at Titus’s side against a tide of death upon a discovery
more chilling than any other. For the Archangel of Disease has left them
one last terrible gift…
