A very funny mystery story, very well written. It has lough out loud moments, very cozy feeling. Really good characterization, engaging writing.
I really loved it.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Sunshine Vicram is a single mother of a fifteen year old daughter, Aurora, and Police Chief of a small, quirky town in New Mexico after her parents somehow arranged for her to be elected and brought her back from her job in Sante Fe. Sunshine was abducted when she was seventeen, held for five days before being rescued by someone who killed her abductor. Nine months later Aurora was born.
A laugh out loud at times read and throughly enjoyable

I enjoyed A Bad Day For Sunshine, so i was really pleased to pick this book up!

Like the first book about Sunshine Vikram, this book blends serious police work with humour and a finely drawn cast of truly eccentric characters. Levi continues to smoulder and intrigue, Sunshine's teenage kidnapping lingers in the background and a present day stabbing and Auri's investigation of a cold case keep this book moving along fast despite the length.

A great read, already looking forward to the third instalment.

The Author has done it again- produced another enthralling book - one with laugh out loud moments , one with moments of terror and one where the past begins to resolve itself .

Her parents have done it again - set her up with a useless date , a 'pest controller no less ........ a phone call from her Deputy and childhood friend rescues her and the story takes off from there .
A man beaten badly outside a local pub sets up a train of twisted connections to the past - a past that involves a missing child and her love Levi - what is he holding back about the injured man ?
Meanwhile her daughter decides to investigate a cold case of missing people , all who had stayed at a local B & B ......... is there a serial killer in their midst ? With her friends help the case leads to a dangerous conclusion , will they survive ?
Will her past kidnapping ever be fully resolved ?
Will Levi's Uncles take things to another level ?
Will Levi forgive Sunshine for arresting him ?

This is another fast paced story full of laugh out loud moments , many twists and turns and moments of terror for Sunshine's daughter and friends - well worth reading
I look forward to the next book in the series

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gilmore Girls, but if Lorelai was a sheriff and actually had good relationship with her parents, and Rory was a redhead with a propensity for justice and amateur crime-solving.

There was a violent attack in Del Sol, so Sunshine Vicram (aka the Sheriff) has to find who's behind it. But the case gets more complicated by the second and having to reign in her feelings for Levi Ravinder (who's in the middle of the investigation, of course) and monitoring her adolescent daughter who only looks innocent to an untrained eye doesn't help. Then there is the mayor who insists she finds out more about the Dangerous Daughters (infamous group of women who supposedly rule the town), her best friend Quincy definitely hiding something from her and her parents trying to set her up with another stranger...

I've had a blast reading this book. I blew through it, I had a laugh, I was emotional at times and tense at others. It's realistic enough to keep you engaged, but doesn't try to imitate life too closely (hence the Gilmore Girls analogy, plus the humour is very, VERY similar). Sunshine is a fun character to follow, she is honest, ridiculous, noble and just. She navigates her work and private lives with dedication and sarcasm in equal measures. Her daughter, Aurora, has everyone in her pocket, but is pure-hearted, smart, naive and head-over-heels for her boyfriend, Cruz.
The mix keeps you hooked, entertained and giggling, just like a good Gilmore Girls episode did.

This is the second book in the Sunshine Vicram series, I was not aware of this and felt I may have had a better time reading if I had read the fist book, however I was still able to read this as a standalone.
Being a mood reader the title of this book emulated my mood upon requesting an arc and it did not disappoint, it was hilarious, fast paced and well packed with a lot going on and with lots of witty characters.
I'm now tempted to go back and read book one in the series.

I'm a huge fan of Darynda Jones and she never fails to deliver highly entertaining and gripping stories.
This one is no exception and it's a page turner I couldn't put down, I loved a Bad Day for Sunshine and adored this one.
Sunshine is a great character: she's strong willed, funny and with a strong sense of justice. The women in Daryinda Jones' stories are always great characters. people you would like as friend.
There's plenty of quirky characters but there's also plenty of emotions and they're all well thought and likeable.
Ms Jones is a master storyteller, the plot flows and there's a lot of twists and turns. I laughed, rooted for Sunshine.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I knew I would love these books, as I have always loved Darynda’s writing, her strong and sarcastic women, books that are funny, action filled, serious and romantic at the same time.
This series is entertaining crime thrillers that really will have you hooked, trust me I don’t count thrillers as my usual genre but I adore these. Fantastic


Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy for an honest opinion

My thanks to Little, Brown Group U.K./Piatkus for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Good Day for Chardonnay’ by Darynda Jones in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in Darynda Jones’ new series featuring Sunshine Vicram, the sheriff of a small town in New Mexico. I hadn’t read the first in the series, though plenty of the backstory was provided.

I was very pleased to reacquaint myself with Darynda Jones’ writing. I had enjoyed quite a few of her Charley Davidson series of urban fantasies. While there are no paranormal elements in this series, it proved to be fast-paced and great fun. Like Charley, Sunshine is a sassy protagonist and I quickly became invested in her story.

As for plot I won’t say much in order to avoid spoilers. It’s multi-stranded and also includes Sunshine’s desire to understand aspects of her own history.

Novels like this do have a fair amount of romance with its female characters becoming a bit fluttery about the physical attributes of the men who catch their interest, whether it’s their abs or the length of their eyelashes. Also, Jones is very skilled at writing the occasional steamy scenes.

I enjoyed this very much and I certainly plan to read the first book, ‘A Bad Day For Sunshine’, very soon and will be on the lookout for news of a third book. There’s also a few of the Charley Davidson books that I now want to catch up with.

Overall, an effervescent reading experience with this quirky American police procedural with elements of romance and comedy.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Having loved Darynda’s Charley Davidson series, I knew I would enjoy this book.
There was the same sense of humour and banter between characters that I love.
Sheriff Sunshine Vicram is called out after a stabbing and hit and run is reported.
She is shocked to find out Levi was involved and is worried about him as he’s the love of her life, yet he doesn’t know it yet.
Sunshine’s daughter Auri also plays a big role in the book and again there’s great banter between the two of them.
I haven’t read the first book, but there was enough information about what had happened in the past to Sunshine to fill me in.
There’s not too much police procedural details in this book but they still aim to catch the killer.
Quincy tries to keep Sunshine on the straight and narrow but struggles with her strong personality at times.
This is a fun crime thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazingly funny book though the storyline was quite serious this book was written to enjoy

The characters were easy to get to know and were easy to fall in love with, sunshine’s parents must have been having a laugh calling her that but on the whole a good solid read, with goodies and baddies galore

Can’t wait for the next book in this series

Having reread A Bad Day for Sunshine in preparation, my expectations for A Good Day for Chardonnay were extremely high. Needless to say, Darynda Jones exceeded them, again! She always does.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are fun, and of course I already love most of them from the previous book. The plot is excellent - both that of this individual book, and the overarching plot of the series. I was kept reading well past my bedtime! I absolutely love the community, both the physical setting and the collection of people. I love the relationships between those people, especially Auri and Sun. Their banter is spot on, and their love for each other (in fact, the whole family’s) shines through so strongly. The heat between Sun and Levi has been turned up to sizzling (can’t say more without spoilers).

This story is fun, funny, heartwarming, and most of all, will grip you the whole way through. Sun and Auri will worm their way into your heart and refuse to leave. This book is the absolute best. I can’t wait for the next one!

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

A Good Day for Chardonnay is a funny, mystery-filled story with a decent size of romance.

Sunshine Vicram is one of my favourite characters. I love how sarcastic, funny, smart and quick-witted. You never know what is going to come out of her mouth. And how this has basically infected all the people around her to do the same. It also makes her work environment interesting. I wish I was funny as Sunshine and Auri.



The main mystery in A Good Day for Chardonnay involves a current stabbing that connects to the first case Sunshine had as a detective. I liked the case as it has a couple of different things going on with it. With Auri on her own investigation and sunshine also find out more about her kidnapping.

There is great action, romance, humour and even emotional moments.



A Good Day for Chardonnay has everything I want in an easy to read, fun mystery book.

My rating for A Good Day for Chardonnay is 5 out of 5.

A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second book in Darynda Jones' Sunshine Vicram series, something I was not aware of when I first picked it up. While having read the first book, A Bad Day for Sunshine might have made things a little more clear from the outset, the author incorporated enough detail about Sunshine's past into this book to make sure a new reader could follow what was going on. The book has a decidedly humorous tone, and is definitely a light hearted read, but be warned there are some darker moments too and a late sex scene that felt a little out of keeping with the rest of the book. I really enjoyed the characters, Sunshine and her fellow townsfolk were really fun to read about and the author really portrayed small town life very well. Where it faltered for me was the number of different storylines that were crammed together, none of them felt like they were given enough space to really breathe and develop as much as they could have. It felt a little choppy and disjointed as the book flits between one story and another, but that being said, I would probably revisit these characters again if another book in the series came my way.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the Publisher, all opinions are my own.

A crazy town full of hilarious characters, action pact, with so many things happening at once you feel just as frazzled as Sunshine does and so damn good I could not put it down! I feel like I have waited forever for more of the brilliant Sunshine, smoldering Levi, intrepid Auri and the rest of the gang that makes reading such a joy! Sunshine definitely has almost more than she can handle going on in this second installment, even with her beloved chardonnay in hand. It seems like her little corner of the world is a town full of secrets, eccentricities and a deep abiding sense of solidarity to each other. It's intense, hilarious, passionate, full of surprises and action pact and I am about ready to cut a b***h for more! Like right now!

The second in the series that introduced Sunshine Vicram Sheriff of Del Sol New Mexico. You will become addicted to this family very quickly. Quirky Characters you can really care for with laugh out loud moments between mother and daughter. An abduction when she was younger is still just out of reach of Sunshine’s memory but it brought her the love of her life her daughter Auri. Could her memories resurface and also bring bad boy Levi closer. Auri a chip off the old block who is looking into an old cold case. Could there be a serial killer who is still in Del Sol. A rollercoaster story that never lifts off the gas will keep you absorbed till the end and beyond. Never was Chardonnay so needed. The raccoon Randy is really the star of this show but hopefully Sunshine will be a star for many more stories. This will be a series that is just perfect for many rereads.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Good Day for Chardonnay, Darynda Jones

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Romance 
Genre: Sci-fi and Fantasy

Well, I saw Darynda's name and requested. I adore the Charley Davidson/Grave series, and stupidly didn't realise until part way through this that there's an earlier book. I think if I'd read that I'd have got “into” this story much quicker, instead of trying to puzzle out who's who and how they fit it. Darynda does give enough info that I could work out the gist of earlier events, but I think I'd have got more from this if I'd read that one.
I reread the CD/Grave series recently and enjoyed the earlier books even more now I know how the story goes. I'm a fan of rereading good ( to me) books and adore a whole series to go through.

Anyway, what a great cast of characters. Sunshine reminds me so much of Charley, that same quirky sense of humour that appeals to me, the way she does the right thing regardless of personal cost. It always ends right, but via a somewhat tortured route, and brings in some chaotic events.
Levi ( swoon) feels like Reyes ( swoon again!!) and Aurora could be Amber. They share so many characteristics. I really enjoyed the story, a mix of humour, sensitivity, dangers and the pathos of growing up.
I adored Cruz, and the relationship between him and Aurora, he was so protective. And of course Sunny's Parent talk, Mr Penis and the Devils Doorbell had me in stitches. I could just imagine poor Aurora's face.
Under the humour and zany actions though are real events, dangers, bad, greedy people and then a bit of heartbreak at the end with Cruz', beautiful poem and the way he read it. That gave me a tear.

Its a series I'm going to continue with, less pressuring in a way that the Grave books, no supernatural baddies popping up but of course humans can be pretty nasty too.
And book one is definitely going on my list of reads too. I think I know most of the background but I'd like to see it play out in real time.

Stars: Four, though I do think if I'd read book one it would have been a five. Its a great read, solid mix of plots, life events and humour.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

This book is packed to bursting with humour, crimes, town secrets, sex, family drama, more humour and did I say sex? Yes, it's there in all it's glorious, explicit, sweaty detail. *clears throat and mops brow*
I absolutely love this series, but the ending. What? That happened way too fast, I was ready for a couple of hundred more pages.

Roll on book 3. My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Having loved the first one in Darynda Jones comic Sheriff Sunshine Vicram series, I was looking forward to this. I enjoyed this one too, even if on occasion the humour turned a little towards the cheesy side, and the novel rather overstuffed with content. Set in the small mountainous town of Del Sol, New Mexico, it opens with Sun on a blind date, organised by her parents, with pest control technician Carver. She is not impressed, but he is going to prove to be a hard man to shake off. She heads to bestie and Chief Deputy Quinn Cooper home, along with seemingly everyone else including the women from the bookclub, where a racoon is on the loose.

After this, Sunshine finds herself racing towards a serious incident that has ex-military Keith Seabright seriously attacked by 3 men, and the love of her life, Levi Ravinder injured after he went to Keith's aid. Mayor Donna Lomas is insisting that Sun identify the Dangerous Daughters, rumoured to secretly run Del Sol, and to do it soon. Sun's daughter, 15 year old Aurora aka 'Arie, demonstrates just how like her mum she is as she leads her boyfriend, Cruz, and her best friend into grave danger as she looks into a cold case of murder and disappearances. Hanging over everything is Sun's historical abduction when she was 17, of which she has no memory, and which resulted in her becoming pregnant with Aurie. The murdered body of Brick Ravinder was found near the scene of the crime, and she knows Levi knows something.

One of the most joyful aspects are the interactions and banter between Sun's police team, which includes Deputy Tricia Salazar, the ace shooter Zee, and 'newbie' Poetry Rojas, whom she blackmailed into becoming a cop, and who is turning out to have stellar instincts and spot on judgements. Sunshine makes for a terrific central protagonist, but what really lifts this series is the wide array of offbeat supportive characters that lift this series from the ordinary. This is a wonderfully entertaining and fun read that I recommend to others, although I am aware that humour can be a strange affair can work for many people, but can leave others cold. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I can’t believe I haven’t come across this author before - this book is seriously amazing! It is so funny, I had a constant smile in my face as I read it. Absolutely loved all the characters, but especially Sunshine, Levi and Aurora who have so much personality they just jump off the page and into your heart. I can’t wait to read more of this series and from this author in general!