4.5

The world is still reeling from what was wrought by Archangel’s Lijuan and Carisemnon. In Africa, Archangel Titus is tasked with not only rebuilding his own territory, but also that of his now gone enemy. The war may be over, but small battles are still raging as nests of the undead are uncovered across the continent. Titus’s patience has been running thin and aide is scarce.

When Lady Sharine, known throughout angelkind as The Hummingbird, is sent to help, Titus knows it’s only because there is no one else available, and doesn’t really expect an angel who has been lost in her own world of memories to offer any real help. The angel who stands before him, however, is not at all what he expected.

Sharine is a beloved and cherished fixture in angel kind known for her beautiful paintings, but a series of past tragedies and traumas left her mind broken. Sharine has finally started to clear the fog. Started to live again. She is determined to not let the past continue to influence the future including dealing with overbearing archangels.

But if Sharine is not what Titus expected, the same can be said for Sharine’s own expectations when it comes to Titus. Sometimes the most unexpected thing is what you needed all along.

Despite the ongoing battles peppered throughout, Archangel’s Sun feels like a cooling off period after the back to back intensity of Archangel’s Prophecy and Archangel’s War. Focusing more on the revelations discovered while people and places are still in a state of recovery.

Sharine and Titus’s story is one I didn’t ever think about, they are a pairing I wouldn’t have pinpointed but they turned out to be absolutely perfect. I liked how Sharine is initially underestimated. Being soft, not a warrior, she’s a “treasure” who should be spared any talk of blood and fighting. She’s a singing example of soft not being weak. I loved how she was quick to embrace modern technology and would offer insights that younger angels couldn’t even think of. If anything, I wish Sharine’s wisdom and experience had been explored further. Titus is constantly forgetting that Sharine is older than him by millennia because she’s learned to live more in the present and embrace changes that come with the passing of time. I always love the idea of these long-lived creatures and the history they each have. I just wish we got a bit more of that this time around.

As far as Sharine and Titus, I just like the ease of their relationship. I like that she pushes his buttons and to a lesser extent he pushes her, but them being together is never about filling some kind of void but rather just something that enhances their lives.

I enjoy when we get this kind of break and in such a long-running series I think it’s important to have. Of course, Nalini Singh always gives enticing indications of where we’ll go next and I’m really eager to see what plays out next.

I absolutely LOVED Archangel’s Sun!
The Hummingbird is a treasure to the angelic race. Her artistry has no equal and her gentle kindness and motherly love has no ending. But her soul was shattered long ago and she lives inside her own world, wholly broken.

Archangel Titus is the archangel of southern Africa. He is a mighty warrior, loud and boisterous with sharp edges. An honorable angel with no time for the duplicitous and is fiercely protective of his people and his lands.

So you may be asking yourself, however would these two be a good match? Yes, yes indeed! Ms. Singh has brilliantly crafted this harrowing and exciting tale of mystery, intrigue and danger. I couldn’t put it down! There’s so much going on! So many surprises! So much action! Steamy chemistry! I loved it!

If you’re a super fan of the series like me or new to the books, you’ll be instantly whisked away on an adventure you’ll most certainly not forget! I don’t want to say anything else because I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s an exciting, engaging, enjoyable, beautiful and heart-wrenching read! And I whole-heartedly recommend Archangel’s Sun, the entire Guild Hunter series and any one of Ms. Singh’s books!

Let’s be honest, I will read anything Nalini Singh writes with a huge smile on my face (when I’m not sobbing, or falling in love with a fictional character, etc.). When she announced that Titus and the Hummingbird would be the hero and heroine of the next Guild Hunter installment, I gasped! Then I got really excited. Two characters we know a tiny bit about, but still so much room for growth and discovery. I was especially intrigued by the Hummingbird, which was good because this was very much her book.

I think SUN was the perfect follow-up to ARCHANGEL’S WAR. The huge battle is over, but that doesn’t mean everything is fixed. Titus and Hummingbird – aka Sharine were forced to work together, and it was everything! Every time Sharine completely baffled Titus, I laughed out loud. They had the cutest interactions and relationship. I expected Titus to be a little more alpha and macho than he was, but he had that grown man confidence and had no problem seeing Sharine as a true partner. The ultimate romantic gesture!

The best parts of this book, and where I think Nalini shines, are the quiet or smaller moments, and this book was filled with them: Titus’ grumbling, Sharine learning how to use a cellphone (LOL), Elena’s gift to Sharine. It all created such a rich story and was an excellent bridge to what I am assuming will be a new chapter in this series arc. Plus, it gave me the warm fuzzies I needed after the intensity of WAR.

The only reason I took off one star was the slow, slow, WAY TOO SLOW burn. Maybe I’m selfish, but Nalini does romance so well, I just wanted to experience it more throughout the story. I felt like I was holding my breath at times, just waiting for them to give in to their attraction. Because the romance happened closer to the end, I felt like I didn’t get enough time with Titus and Sharine as a couple (like I said, I’m selfish!)

Overall, this was another excellent addition to a wonderful series. I would like Berkley to sign Nalini Singh to at least another 1000 books in any series, please and thank you!

**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**

I reread Archangel’s War before reading Archangel’s Sun but I actually think this book could be read as a standalone if you don’t mind spoilers from the rest of the series. Archangel’s Sun picks up after the events in NYC during Archangel’s War. However, this story is focused in Africa and the aftermath of dealing with the reborn. Sharine, the heroine, is better known as The Hummingbird throughout the series. When we first meet her, Illium’s mom is clearly in her own world and not in touch of reality. At times, she thinks Illium was still a child and it was clear that the parent/child relationship was flipped between them. However, as the series progresses, Sharine comes out of that fog and is put in charge of healing Lumia (events in Archangel’s Heart). In Archangel’s Sun, we see her heal even more and step away from the moniker of The Hummingbird and truly be Sharine, or even better, Shari to Titus.

Sharine gets sent by the Cadre to assist at Titus’s court. The warlord and boisterous Titus isn’t happy but is taken aback when Sharine isn’t a delicate bird but a fierce woman coming into her own and determined to help. It was enjoyable to see Titus concerned about being too rough with Sharine and seeing Sharine hold her own against the loud Titus. This book, like some of ones in the series without Elena and Raphael in the center, show us different glimpses into the angelic world. Titus has three typical and annoying older sisters who completely ignore him being an archangel and continue to act as big sisters. The relationship between Titus and Sharine is a slow burn and it has to be. Initially, Titus is ashamed of the sexual thoughts he is having about angelkind’s beloved Hummingbird. But as she grows into Sharine over the course of the book, so does the relationship between the two grow. In between the slow burn is the hardships that Sharine and Titus must undertake as they try to destroy the reborn, heal Africa, and discover the truth about what the Archangel of Death and the Archangel of Disease created.

As much as I love the relationship between Titus and Sharine (and I especially love how it plays out in the end), this is really the story of Sharine healing, paralleled with the healing of Titus’s land. We learn of her trauma and what caused her to slip from reality, into the kaleidoscope. In this, I saw some parallels to Sahara in Heart of Obsidian. Both created mental ways to escape and cope with traumatic events. In Archangel’s Sun, Sharine is allowed a chance to confront and best one of those past traumas, in the form of her former romantic partner. Even more so, alpha Titus does not force his way in to protect her and Sharine gets to handle it on her own, showing her continued growth.

There was no doubt that I wouldn’t love this book, as I love all of Nalini Singh’s books and I did. Raphael and Elena have been the focus of two intense books lately and it was great to give them a break and a chance to heal while getting the story of two other beloved characters. Sharine and Titus don’t initially seem right for each other, being on the surface polar opposites, but beneath that beats strong hearts and ones who desperately love each other. Another beautiful story from the master of paranormal romance.

You know who's dependable? Nalini Singh, that's who. Not gonna lie, I was a little worried about The Hummingbird being the heroine of a book in this series. Her being so broken and just, I don't know, retreating from her own life and living in her own small world made me a little nervous. Yes, we saw major improvement in ARCHANGEL'S WAR but that didn't make her heroine material. Boy, was I wrong.

With Sharine the author gives us a heroine with the kindest heart and a steely will that is so up to par with all the others. Her transition from the untouchable, ethereal Hummingbird to a woman who stood up for herself was so utterly satisfying. Her ability to see beyond Titus's "in-the-face" personality, his brash, loud demeanor and arrogant swagger and recognize his beautiful, caring heart after the rocky road in the beginning was my favorite thing.
This man, this archangel, he kept surprising her with the depth of his heart.

Titus was awesome and a just, compassionate, kind ruler of his continent. His surprise when he saw that the famous and revered Hummingbird was actually an opinionated, outspoken woman brought on the hilarity. And that was what was most surprising to me - how often these two made me smile and laugh. They had such a natural connection, it was heartwarming and delightful to watch these strong, powerful people fall for each other.
Did nothing terrify her?
“Are you certain you’re not still insane?”
In truth, he was sure that she’d never actually lost her sanity—she’d just lost herself for a period.

Sharine's relationship with all her sons, natural and adopted, her care for Illium, Aodhan and Raphael was a thing of beauty. She made no difference between them. She loved them with her whole being.

The plot follows the aftermath of the war we saw in the last book and the cleanup and termination of the remaining nests of reborns. The story doesn't have as much action as the last books, BUT it's not boring and after the heartbreak of the last installment we deserve a breather. I think Nalini Singh did a beautiful job preparing us for the next part of this journey by giving us a book that focuses on the love of two very likable characters. Now, I have no idea where the story takes us next but I can't wait to find out!
Fire in her eyes, oh such brilliant fire. It scalded him. And it made him hunger to burn himself in it.

4.5/5 Stars

I will say now that if you're not caught up on the series, stop reading this post now. There will be spoilers for Archangel's War ahead. But man! Oh, man! This book was good and literally the most unexpected storyline I would never have predicted.

After the last book, I was curious to see where Nalini Singh was going to go with this series after the events of this last story arc wrapping up with the big showdown between Lijuan and Raphael. The big bad may be gone and the Cascade over but there is a lot of clean up to do now that the war is over. The whole world literally is devastated but more areas need help than others.

Every time I learn there's a new Guild Hunter book coming out I try to figure out if it will be about Elena and Raphael or one of the Seven. I had made bets on it being another Raphael and Elena book after the last book but I couldn't have been more wrong. I for sure didn't see the Hummingbird getting her own book at all even though I have been curious about her story since she went to New York to visit Illium.

The Hummingbird is one of angelkind's treasures and a truly neutral party. But she is broken and has been lost in the fog of her mind for centuries. Being appointed as the Guardian of Lumia and the repository of art found there has been slowly bringing her out of it and into the real world. She is picking up the pieces of herself and learning how to be Sharine again. And being sent to help Titus clear his territory of the Reborn and the other messes Charisemnon left behind is just the thing she needed to do that.

It was delightful watching her come into her own and going from this slightly fragile person to a strong fighter who knows her mind. I had always wondered about how she became how she was as the Hummingbird and I was a bit heartbroken for how hard her life was. I'm not completely sold that she had to lose herself in her mind but I will accept it.

As for the romance, I would never had paired her with Titus in a thousand years but it worked so well! When I learned this book was about Titus too, I was so excited! I've loved what bits and pieces we've learned about him as the series progressed and I couldn't wait to find out who this warrior archangel with the booming voice was! I really enjoyed him as a main character and I kind of liked seeing him get a kick in the butt from reality because of his stereotyping of the female gender as a whole was so wrong. It took Sharine coming on the scene to adjust his way of thinking.

I really enjoyed their banter and how they slowly came to care about each other as they worked together. It's definitely a slow burn as they learn to look past their preconceived notions about each other. I will say there were a few instances where I thought Sharine didn't treat Titus right but it didn't take away from the story too much. It takes most of the book for really anything romantic to happen. I won't say anymore about how that happens except that I loved how willing Titus was to wait for Sharine to be ready to be his. It was everything!

I will say that this book was not my favorite of the series but I still loved it. It would actually work as a good entry point for a newbie to come into the series. What I'm really excited about is that this book is that bridge book that is starting to set up a new arc for this series and I'm excited to see where that new batch of stories takes us.

I know I've said this with each of the last few books in the series but I seriously can't wait to see who the next book is about. I really want it to be Illium's book and I really want it to be him and Aodhan paired together. I don't think we'll get it because it's looking like Nalini is starting to set up Aodhan with someone else. Which is kind of disappointing because I really do feel like the whole series has been setting everything up for the two friends to end up together. Anyways, I think we're getting closer to either of them having their own book and I'm so beyond ready for it. I know I'll probably love whatever Nalini decides to do with their stories but I'm still going to keep my fingers crossed over here until we see how everything shakes out.

I have been waiting for this book for what seems like forever, especially once the cover art was posted. The Guild Hunter series always tends to be on the darker side of paranormal, and while this book certainly lives up to that in some respects, it’s also an adorably sweet romance and a nice breather after the mayhem of feels that was Archangel’s War.

“No one was ever wary of the Hummingbird. She was meant to be lightness and gentleness and kindness and no threat at all. All that was part of her nature, it was true. But Sharine was part of the Hummingbird, too, and a long time ago, Sharine had been far more than an artist with her head in the clouds.”


Sharine’s life has been formed by loss from the time she was a young angel. It left her craving love, to the point where she accepted a relationship that didn’t allow her to be herself. She hid so much of herself, made herself smaller, to fit in the box that others put her in that she couldn’t cope when that still didn’t work and they withdrew their love. About the only thing that was left of herself was her art, and so she became the Hummingbird, beloved of all angelkind but also broken. This book is very heroine-centric, in that a lot of it is Sharine relearning her worth and confidence. But, my god, she is FIERCE. This does affect the romance in that it leads to a slow burn romantic arc. It’s necessary for Sharine to be secure in who she is now before she can enter into a relationship with an archangel.

“Men who call strong women shrews,” she said in a tone formed of sugar syrup and molasses, “are often men scared of a woman’s strength.”


One of the things I really love about Rafael and Elena’s arc (despite Rafael being nearly 100% alphahole in the first book) is how Elena insists on their relationship being a partnership despite their differences in power. Titus is starting out way lower on the alphahole scale, and from the beginning Sharine has no issues setting him straight on how she expects to be treated. She’s used to being treated as a fragile and already mostly broken treasure, something that needs to be coddled and protected. Titus and his people fall in line with that – with a bit of minor grumbling because, seriously, who sends a defenseless artist into what’s essentially a war zone? – but Sharine is done with being the fragile Hummingbird. Titus is left struggling to reconcile what he’s heard about the Hummingbird and the woman in front of him, and, oh, also dealing with this pesky attraction to someone who’s an Ancient, even if she doesn’t act like one. There’s some particularly humorous scenes of Sharine learning to use modern technology like cellphones that I thought were absolutely golden. And Titus, despite being an archangel, is a person who loves deeply, especially

“What’s it like to be so arrogant?” she asked musingly. “Do you spend at least an hour a day imagining all the ways in which you are wonderful?”


Of course, all this is happening while Titus is attempting to rid his territory of a particularly dangerous strain of Lijuan’s Reborn. To add insult to injury, he’s also adjusting to ruling Charisemnon’s territory as well, including figuring out who in the former archangel’s structure can be trusted. There’s some particularly pointed – and timely – words about people in positions of power who keep quietly doing their jobs, even when those above them are committing atrocities. They may not be evil themselves, but doing nothing is in and of itself a choice.

For the first time since she’d begun to store memories, she didn’t—what was that statement she’d heard one of the young townswomen say?—yes, that was it: she did not give a shit. And it was glorious.


As for previous couples, there’s not too much in the book, but the tidbits that are there are gold – particularly Elena’s gift to Sharine. We do get some time with Illium and Aodhan and their relationships with Sharine, and there’s definitely some teasers for who the next book might be about.. All I know is that I now have to wait another year, at the least, for another Guild Hunter book.

Overall, I loved this book, and it’s both the perfect follow-up to the last book and the perfect book for 2020.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Archangel's Sun
Guild Hunter - Book 17
By Nalini Singh

Berkley Sensation - November 2020

Urban Fantasy


This review assumes that the reader has read the previous books in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, and does contain spoilers to those books. It is strongly recommended to read this series in order.

They called her the Hummingbird. Admired for her artistry. Cared for by all. Seen as a broken angel, one who had to be protected by all. But she had awakened. She was Sharine. Mother of Illium, a powerful angel. Overseer of Lumia, where angelic treasures were stored. It should have been an artist haven, but the previous angel had traumatized the citizens. She had slowly gained the residents trust, and was settling into this new life when she had been requested by the Cadre, the ruling archangels, to go to Africa and work with the Archangel Titus.

The Hummingbird. They were sending the delicate, artist, angel everyone loved to him. Considering the last angels that had arrived were now running scared from him, Titus didn't foresee anything good with the Hummingbird's arrival. He knew her unhappiness could create enemies. What he needed were warriors to help fight the hybrid monsters their enemy had created and keep the disease they carried from spreading further.

The Hummingbird she might be, but Sharine did not act like the angel Titus and the world had known these centuries. She was stubborn, a fighter, passionate... No, he couldn't dare think of The Hummingbird in that manner. What she quickly was turning into was a partner. Helping him investigate, and when necessary, fight. She was not scared of his loud voice, and willing to stand up to him. She was someone he wanted to be able to turn to forever.

Archangel's Sun shows readers the aftermath of the events in Archangel's War. The Hummingbird has long been a favorite of angels, vampires and readers, and it was thrilling to finally read her story. I loved Titus’s reaction to learning of her arrival, and his expectations of what her needs would be. She befuddled him from his first sighting of her. Seeing Titus's court was fascinating, and I would have liked to have seen more of Lumia. I hope that we will return to see them again.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

Readers probably thought that Archangel's War was the last (and somewhat anti-climactic) finish to Singh's Archangel series--but they were thankfully wrong. Singh has moved past Elena's and Raphael's neverending love story and taken us to Archangel Titus in Africa. His copilot? The Hummingbird.

Sharine--known as the slightly nuts and enormously talented artist The Hummingbird--is dispatched to Titus' citadel in order to act as somewhat of a liaison. While she's there, she discovers quickly that she has overcome her painful history to become a true leader, a strong woman, and a courageous mother. Titus, though surprised by what he saw in The Hummingbird, just as swiftly realized that she was more than the flaky artist--she was Sharine, and invaluable not only for her art, but in her own right.

I love the intertwining stories of this series, but it had become a little stale. Archangel's Sun brings forward previously sidelined characters and refreshes the whole series.

Archangel's Sun takes one month after Archangel's War and it focuses on the aftermath of the archangelic war against Lijuan and Charisemnon. Instead of New York, this novel takes place in Africa that is complete territory of Archangel Titus now that Charisemnon is dead. Not only that but Charisemnon left armies of reborn behind when he was defeated. As a result, Titus and his people are the ones hunting down the nests of reborn before they can infect others. However, many angels and archangels were gravely injured in the war or forced into sleep to heal. The ones left are too busy rebuilding their territories and are unable to help Titus hunt down the reborn so the Cadre decide to send Lady Sharine, the Hummingbird, to Africa to help him. Titus is not happy about it especially because the Hummingbird is known as a great artist but a broken angel so he sees her as a burden. However, the fog that has clouded Sharine's mind has gone away. When Raphael asks her to go help Archangel Titus, she accepts so she can finally push herself out of the isolated world she spent centuries in and regain her confidence that she lost. Boy, Titus is in for a surprise, Sharine isn't that broken angel anymore. 

Overall, Archangel's Sun was a great hit! I'll admit I did not expect the Archangel Titus and Sharine pairing. It never crossed my mind and I still didn't believe it when the Archangel's Sun blurb was released. However, while reading and getting to know their personalities and watch their banter, I thought they were perfect for each other! Now its time to wait for the next installment but I'm looking forward to what Nalini Singh has in store for next!

Whew!!!!! Every time I pick up a book by Nalini Singh I am amazed by her world building and word craft. There is a reason for her being my favorite author and this book is just one of them. While this story is not as frenetic as the previous 2 books in this series, it was nice to have a slower pace. Archangel's Prophecy and War were fantastic, but there was never a moment to take a breath. This story, while still jam packed with action, gives you that well needed breath. The Cascade was wild. Dealing with the aftermath, while still intense seems more manageable.

Sharine and Titus - who would have placed them together? And, yet, they work. They are perfectly complementary to each other. It is wonderful seeing the Hummingbird come back to life, and Titus is so well suited to her. It is also so wonderful to see Ilium and Aodan in a different role - that of a child instead of the strong warriors we know them to be. This book is a beautiful love story about two strong-willed characters meeting their match and becoming better because of it.

Received as an ARC from Netgally and Berkley. Thank you so much.

While I will admit I am partial to the Guild Hunter stories that focus on Raphael and Elena, I did enjoy this love story between Titus and Sharine. If the name of the heroine doesn’t sound familiar, we’ve known her a long time as the Hummingbird, Bluebell’s mother.

Sharine has been a fragile, broken thing since the beginning of the series. Illium and Aodhan love her dearly, but had to take care of her as much as she took care of them. And we never really knew why. This book finally reveals the source of her broken heart... and now she has put herself back together enough to move on.

Everyone in this world is still reeling from the events of Archangels War and the havoc created by Lijuan and Charisemnon’s reanimated dead. The reborn are tearing through all the continents, but Africa is getting it worst of all. And they seem to have some kernel of intelligence rather than the mindless killing machines operating everywhere else. Africa is Titus's territory and he needs help tamping down the threat, but his no nonsense and overbearing approach keeps scaring away the angels that the rest of the cadre is providing him as aid. So Raphael sends him Sharine.

It might seem like an odd choice. It does to Titus. But the thing is, she is an ancient. And now that she has her mind back, she is very powerful. Pair that with the universal love her fellow angels feel for her and she is an invaluable ally. It was interesting to see her get her sense of self back. She’s not just a gentle flower. She says what she thinks, she has absolutely zero time or energy for posturing or ridiculousness. and she is willing to embrace new things, which is so rare among the truly old.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but I will say that Illium’s father is part of the story and their history is dealt with. In the meantime, Titus and Sharine make a good team. She softens his hard edges and he may be the first man to truly see her and value who she is as a woman. He is confident in himself and doesn’t need other women or promises she’s not ready for to feel like a big man. All he wants, all he needs, is her love.

I did miss Raphael and Elena, to be sure. And I am ready for Bluebell and Sparkle to just get over their rift. But I believe good things will come to those who wait. Nalini Singh has rocked every book in the series and I’m so glad the installments are still coming.

I'm a long time fan of Nalini's books, and the latest installment of her Archangel's series didn't disappoint! If anything, it only cemented her place in my auto-buy list, and I can't wait to get my physical copy to add to my shelves!

After the events of the past books, (no spoilers, promise!), I wasn't sure what direction Nalini would take the world of the Guild Hunters... but as always, she nailed it. I really liked the fact that she touched on mental illness in this one, and didn't' shy away from showing the effects it can have on a person. That and the romance between Titus and the Hummingbird... whew, prepare to fan yourself now!

Archangel’s Sun is the 13th book in the Guild Hunter series, a series that jumps between a few different couples and a conflict between Angels. The last two books focused on Archangel Raphael and his consort Elena in their war against devastating forces who wanted to perpetrate horrible crimes. Now it is the aftermath of that war and there is still a lot of cleaning up to do.

The Hummingbird, Sharine, is known as a great artist and a broken angel. But she has come out of the fog she lived in for centuries and is starting to pick up all the pieces in her life. Still slightly fragile, she is asked by Raphael to go and help Archangel Titus in his territory of Africa since everyone else is busy with the devastation in their own regions. The Hummingbird is ready to spread her wings and see if she can pull herself even more into the real world for this.

Titus didn’t understand why Raphael would send him the Hummingbird; she is not known for her fighting skills. He didn’t expect the woman that showed up in her place. Where is the broken but wonderful angel he has heard so much about? She isn’t what he expected, but she is definitely what he needed. Never has he thought of claiming a woman for longer than just a tryst, but this woman is one he can see himself being with for much longer.

Besides the romance, which was fun and took some time to gain traction, Titus and Sharine have to deal with new horrors Charisemnon left for them, including a few a new strain of the virus and reborn that are worse than anything seen previously. As they work together, the heat between them banks and grows until it becomes a fire.

This is a series that must be read in order and after the seriousness of the last two books it was nice to have a new love story. Titus is cute as he is trying to woo our hummingbird. There is some seriousness happening but overall the tension is more around the romance than the Angel’s conflict. If you’ve read the rest of the series, there isn’t any reason why this one shouldn’t work for you as well.

Archangel’s Sun finally answers the questions regarding the Hummingbird’s background & why she was so mentally fragile. AS also gives us a view of Archangel Titus’ life & why he speaks with such a booming voice. This book is obviously the bridge to the Guild Hunter’s series after the war. My only disappointment was the lack of Raphael & Elena, as well as answering how Andrea is doing following death of her grandfather as well as I assume her parents in the war. Overall another wonderful GH installment, anxiously awaiting the next!

The Hummingbird is no longer "broken" and she is feisty. We are going to need to change her nickname.

We have met Illium's mom several times of the past 12 books in this series. The Hummingbird was a fragile, broken woman that everyone treated with deference and respect because her art was so beautiful.   Two things turned Sharine into a fragile women.  The first is that her parents decided to sleep when she was only 80 years old and abandoned her at what would be the equivalent of a human abandoning their 12 year old to raise themselves.  Then Sharine's first love, Raan, simply died in the middle of the night.  Angels don't just die.  Remember, these are creatures that can be beheaded and they're like "No, no, it's not a problem.  Leave him.  He'll be fine in a few hundred years."  So for Sharine to wake up and find Raan dead was frightening, especially since she was still rather young.   But it was Aegaeon's cruelty that finally shattered her, but even shattered, she took care of young Illium and Aohdan and raised them to the men they are today.  So she was never completely broken.

But Sharine has started to reclaim herself after being given the task of caretaker for the city of Lumia and their great art treasures.   Lumia is one of the few places on the planet  that survived unscathed by Lijuan's and Charisemnon's attacks.   All of the Archangels who survived Lijuan's attack on New York are exhausting themselves trying to deal with the aftermath of Lijuan's reborn and the destruction of their lands.   So Raphael comes to Sharine and asks her to travel to Southern portion of Africa to help Titus.  The war against Lijuan is over but Titus is still losing humans and vampires in his territory.  Charisemnon used his cascade given gift and enhanced Lijuan's reborn so they are smarter and more dangerous.  Titus and his people have been trying to destroy the nests of reborn without being caught in their ambushes.

Titus has asked for help in his territory and although he knows that the other archangels are very busy with their own territories, he is not excited to find that Raphael is sending The Hummingbird to his court.  He doesn't have time to rest, let alone try to entertain the fragile angel but he knows he cannot be rude to her since she is a treasure to angelkind.   Titus  has prepared himself and his household as best he can for the Hummingbird's arrival but he is flustered when she arrives in comfortable clothes more for a warrior than the flowy robes of delicate lady.  She actually has the archangel of Africa quite flustered for most of the story.  As Sharine works with Titus to locate the hiding reborn, she rediscovers more and more of herself and the powers she has inside that she has long let atrophy.

While I try to avoid other reviews before I write my own so not to be influenced, I did catch a couple of comments which I found entertaining which were basically discussion of Sharine being Illium's mom and they weren't excited about the old lady getting a romance.   When we get into stories where the characters are literally ageless,  we have to remember it is not just the main characters like Raphael and Illium who will appear in their mid- to late twenties.   If we were casting this series for a movie, neither Sharine nor Caliane would be cast by older actresses.  They would physically look as young as siblings to their grown sons.  It is also possible for Sharine and Titus to have a baby of their own before we even get a romance for Illium since, again, they are ageless.  My favorite example of this agelessness was in Jessie Lane's Big Bad Bite series, where one of the men is checking out the hot redhead in the miniskirt and makes a comment to his friend about how hot she is, and his friend's response is a very angry,  "Hey, that's my Babuska!"  In a fantasy series like this when everyone stays young and sexy, MILF takes on a whole new meaning.

I loved Titus with the loud booming voice.  He just isn't a character that can fade into the background.  I also loved watching Sharine reinvest herself from the woman we have know through the prior 12 books.   And when we finally get a showdown between Sharine and Aegaeon, it is perfect for the strong woman she is becoming.

Ms. Singh has a singular way with words such that they fire a reader's imagination and sweep them into her stories so that they live, eat and breathe with her characters.  Reading an excellent book by this author is a given but some books transcend excellence and really make an impact such as this book did for me.  The Hummingbird has been a ethereal character who has drifted her way across the pages of some of the earlier books in the series but she really comes into her own in this book.
 In the author's words -  " Shedding of the skin, remaking, resurrection, they were all just words. What mattered was that she was becoming someone new, a woman she’d always had the potential to be—an angel of whom her son could be proud . . . and an angel who could look herself in the mirror and smile."
From the moment that the Hummingbird took over as the Angelic leader of team guarding the Luminata stronghold she's been changing and evolving.  It's almost as though an electrical current ignited her when Elena armed her with a knife and trained her in protecting herself with knife throwing. Now the angel who has been volunteered as an ambassador to Titus's court is very different from the artist lost in her own world that she's going to surprise quite a few people including the archangel Titus. 
Africa is reeling from the aftermath of war and the infestation of an intelligent strain of reborn. As Lady Sharine travels on the wing, she takes note of happenings on the ground and evaluates the people in leadership at various points. Her intelligence gathering is superb and definitely a surprise for Titus who is expecting a delicate flower as is her swift action on the ground near his stronghold while he is busy destroying a nest with his soldiers. It is so much fun to see the bombastic and loud Titus taken by surprise. 
Seeing these two come together is a delight. Poor Titus he is attracted to Sharine from the get go but also afraid to pursue his attraction in fear of what the other archangels might say or do since the Hummingbird is considered a national treasure. Between Titus's sisters and the letters from his mother, his compassion and his endearing adoption of technology so he can stay in touch with Sharine, Titus emerges into a very likable archangel who just might be good enough for the hummingbird. 
The world is slowly recovering and most importantly thanks to Sharine and Titus there is hope for a better, healthier tomorrow.  Can't wait to see where the series will go next. The blue pulse on Raphael's forehead definitely bears watching....

The world is rebuilding from war, but also the Hummingbird, Lady Sharine, is rebuilding her life after centuries spent in her own broken mind. Here we learn her past, and the traumas that caused her to retreat from life. And here we (and she) learn who the Lady Sharine truly is. A woman of strength and humor, courage and tenderness, she turns out to be the perfect person to help Titus and his people. It is wonderful to see her become herself, to discover her strengths and what she can do to help not only the world, but the people who she loves.

Just as Sharine is not who we necessarily expect her to be, Titus has layers and hidden depths that make him a brilliant general, a compassionate leader, and a good man. He's more than the loud and gruff soldier we met in earlier books, but is far too used to his own way. Watching him spar words with Sharine, and his reactions as she treats him just like anyone else instead of the Archangel of Africa, is entertaining every time.

As you would expect from a book by Nalini Singh, Archangel's Sun is beautifully written, intense, and thought-provoking. The relationship that develops between Titus and Sharine is wonderful, and the scenes between Sharine and her sons (adopted and born) are beautiful. The reader sees the world through the eyes of an artist, and descriptions of the land and its people are rich in color and beauty. Archangel's Sun picks up after the events of Archangel's War and it will definitely help the reader to have read that book, if not others, before starting this one. But if this is the first Guild Hunter book someone is starting with, while a few of the people referenced won't mean anything to them already, Archangel's Sun is still a fascinating and intense story of rebuilding life. A must read!


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

As a devoted Nalini Singh fan, I look forward to new releases in this series but some are stronger winners for me than others. This new addition was wonderful, I couldn’t put it down and I loved getting to know Titus and the Hummingbird!
Sharine is still finding herself and healing after a difficult past. She is a legend among angelkind known for being artistic, ancient, and gentle. She is deployed to Titus’s territory in Africa because he desperately needs assistance to fight the reborn in the region and she is the only powerful angel available. We are along for the ride as she regains her confidence and explores her talents, surprising Titus and also herself.
Sharine brings wit and a spark and she is willing to go toe-to-toe with Titus, who comes across as brash and loud. Together, they make a great team as they face worse fears than originally imagined, and eventually acknowledge a mutual attraction.
I loved each of them individually as well as their dynamic together, and how their families and Titus’s people contribute to the story. I also appreciated that this covers an important facet of the aftermath from the events of the prior books, but it was a bit of a break from the epic war in that it felt contained and had a lightness to it. I felt the parts toward the end that integrate this story back into the overall timeline were not quite as strong, but the book was still a winner for me. I devoured it with glee and I can definitely see myself rereading it in the future!

The latest book in the series takes the spotlight off of the New York tower and moves it to Africa where the Archangel Titus is working to clean up all reborn left over from the battle thanks to Charisemnon leaving hidden nests of reborn. With so many still recovering from the final battle there is only one powerful angel to come and help and that is the Hummingbird. Titus knows of her and doesn’t believe she will offer much help since everyone knows she is mentally fragile. It turns out that the haze has left Sharine’s mind and she is becoming grounded in the present. What seems to have helped her was taking charge of Luminata and restoring order to the area.
Sharine decides to push herself and become stronger while helping Titus defeat the reborn. Both learn to respect one another since Titus is so much younger than her and she didn’t know him when she was grounded in the present. Respect and then love does blossom between them. The story is nice and you get more background on the Hummingbird. If you don’t mind spoilers to previous books this is a good intro to the story universe since it is two characters that haven’t had much of a spotlight on them before.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley