Yeah, I could have skipped this one.

I only read it because I was hoping for more information about the overall story line from the series, but it pretty much is an isolated story about what is going on in Africa that has Titus and Sharine (The Hummingbird) doing their best to stop the undead that had managed to contiune and repopulate in the area. A last bit of legacy left from Charisemnon and Lijuan that refuses to just die.

There really is no interaction beyond a couple of phone calls and "cadre calls" with the others in the series. I truly wasn't interested in any of the romantic feelings that grew between the couple.

The only bit of truly useful to the series information we get happens at the end in the last couple of chapters.

Skip the book unless you really like the main characters, or if you read each book in the series as a rule. At least wait until you can borrow it from a library. There is nothing really going on that would make reading it NOW important.

There is no Rafael, Elana, or anyone else from New York in it. It's just Titus and his African crew whom we never have met in previous books, and Sharine (The Hummingbird). Although, to be honest we get a lot of insight and backstory on Sharine and why she was the way she was, what it was that happened to make her "break".
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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
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The devastating archangelic wars are over and the evil archangels defeated, but the aftermath might be almost worse especially in Africa. Many angels and archangels were gravely injured and forced into sleep to heal. Those that are left have many more tasks to complete in order to rebuild than there are hands to complete them.

Africa was especially hard hit since it was the home of Charisemnon who left armies of reborn behind when he was defeated. Archangel Titus and his people bear the brunt of the cleanup because Titus is now the Archangel of all of Africa. He and his people are spending all of their time trying to clean out nests of reborn before they can infect those who remain.

The Cadre decides to send Lady Sharine, who was once known as the Hummingbird, to Africa to help him. The Hummingbird is a treasure among the angels. She is their greatest artist. But she spent centuries shattered in her mind and heart. In this story we find out why her mind and heart were shattered and see how she healed.

Titus is afraid that the Hummingbird will be more of a burden than a help. He doesn't have time to cater to a delicate angel who needs to be protected. Luckily, Lady Sharine isn't that angel anymore. But it takes time before Titus comes to see that.

This was a wonderful episode in the Guild Hunters series. I loved getting to know both Titus and Sharine and watching them fall in love. I also enjoyed the mystery aspects of the story as Titus and Sharine try to discover what Charisemnon's end game really was and how they can defeat his plans.

The story was emotionally intense and fast-paced. Fans of the series will enjoy this episode even though they don't get much of a chance to see other favorite characters from earlier books in the series. ( )

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. ( )

The devastating archangelic wars are over and the evil archangels defeated, but the aftermath might be almost worse especially in Africa. Many angels and archangels were gravely injured and forced into sleep to heal. Those that are left have many more tasks to complete in order to rebuild than there are hands to complete them.

Africa was especially hard hit since it was the home of Charisemnon who left armies of reborn behind when he was defeated. Archangel Titus and his people bear the brunt of the cleanup because Titus is now the Archangel of all of Africa. He and his people are spending all of their time trying to clean out nests of reborn before they can infect those who remain.

The Cadre decides to send Lady Sharine, who was once known as the Hummingbird, to Africa to help him. The Hummingbird is a treasure among the angels. She is their greatest artist. But she spent centuries shattered in her mind and heart. In this story we find out why her mind and heart were shattered and see how she healed.

Titus is afraid that the Hummingbird will be more of a burden than a help. He doesn't have time to cater to a delicate angel who needs to be protected. Luckily, Lady Sharine isn't that angel anymore. But it takes time before Titus comes to see that.

This was a wonderful episode in the Guild Hunters series. I loved getting to know both Titus and Sharine and watching them fall in love. I also enjoyed the mystery aspects of the story as Titus and Sharine try to discover what Charisemnon's end game really was and how they can defeat his plans.

The story was emotionally intense and fast-paced. Fans of the series will enjoy this episode even though they don't get much of a chance to see other favorite characters from earlier books in the series. ( )