Review: Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh

 

Archangel's Sun (Guild Hunter #13) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: November 24th 2020 by Berkley

Pages: 368

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible| Goodreads

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…