A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones

From the New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones comes the second novel in her laugh-out-loud Sunshine Vicram mystery series, A Good Day for Chardonnay.

Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff—and even fuller-time coffee guzzler—Sunshine Vicram, didn’t get that memo.

All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that’s about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)

Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he’s not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She’s seen it. Once. Accidentally.

Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn’t know when to quit, Sunny’s life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.

Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Sunshine Vicram series!
For book one, A Bad Day for Sunshine, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and I can assure you that you absolutely have to read book one first. In fact, in advance of reading this installment, I went back and reread A Bad Day for Sunshine. I hardly ever do that, but I remembered it as an excellent read and that it was complex, so I just wanted to indulge myself for a change! And I have to admit it was a good thing I did, as I had misremembered a couple of key points – interestingly, possibly for my own sanity, I had made some decisions about what happened, so I could feel okay about things. Thankfully, this book addressed those floating issues, and I was not far from the mark!

I utterly adore the character of Sunshine, she has just the right level of strength, vulnerability, wit, and values. Her daughter, Auri, is pretty amazing too – and definitely gets some free rein in this book. The ever present and vigilant Levi is a sight for sore eyes, and so loyal, so caring, and, I think to the reader, so obviously involved... it is just understanding the how and the why.

I am still somewhat devastated that her memory loss over her kidnapping and rescue has resulted in so many years of confusion. I am not sure how I would feel about those around me knowing, if I were her. I keep rationalising it, but it is a lot. Thank goodness the clues help her process much of it as it comes back to her in flashes, and that her family and friends are near.

I rather raced through the book, desperate to get the key parts of the story revealed, and warn you that it is a danger, so make sure that you are well prepared to do little else than read once you have started. There are lots of crazy sidelines, but the main story is strong enough to carry the distractions. I am going to have to get friends to read this, so I can discuss how we would feel in these circumstances. It has been playing on my mind and will for a long while to come – I get the logic, I get the sense of it, but I still think it is horribly sad.

A much anticipated read, and it did not let me down. I will be looking out for more – ever hopeful!


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
This book had everything I love in the story. Mystery, action, danger, an amazing love story, great friendships, lots of fun and crazy characters, and it is all set in a small town. This story gave me all the feels. Sometimes I laughed at crazy antics, other times I was on the end of my seat as various characters were in grave danger, sometimes I swooned because Levi is just everything, and an incredibly moving scene towards the end of the book had me crying so hard I woke up my husband who was sleeping beside me.

Sunshine is a pretty amazing woman and you’d need to be amazing to be the sheriff of this crazy town. There is so much going on in Sunshine’s work and personal lives, I don’t know how she managed to keep all the balls in the air, but she does.

I loved every single minute of this story whether I was laughing, cringing, or crying. A Good Day for Chardonnay is a brilliant story, but it can’t be read as a standalone. This is an ongoing series so if this grabs your attention, make sure you start off by reading the first book in the series, A Bad by for Sunshine. I don’t know how many books the author plans to write in this series but I hope there are still many more to come because this is one of the best I’ve ever read and I want more.


Shelby – ☆☆☆☆☆
A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second book in the Sunshine Vicram series. These books need to be read in order, and I highly encourage it as this builds on the first.

I have loved every book I've read by Darynda Jones, and this is no exception.

Sunshine is a small-town sheriff, she is a [single] mother (of an awesome child), she is an amazing daughter, and she is head over heels in love with her high school crush. She has no downtime or ‘me’ time. Knowing this, I need to mention that she has the best sense of humor and seems to just roll with the punches.

I love every single character in this series, and they all have distinct personalities. There is never a dull moment mainly because the town is a bit zany, but also because there are so many situations that need Sunshine's attention.

Aurora really shines in this book and is coming into her own. Wanting to follow in her mom's footsteps, she (along with her boyfriend and best friend) have their own case to solve.

I can't really classify this story under just one type: it’s partly mystery and suspense, it's humorous but sometimes serious, there is drama and romance, but bottom line I couldn't put it down.

I really want more Levi, and can't wait for the next book!


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
Two books in and I have girl crush levels of love for Sunshine Vicram. Smart, funny, and growing in confidence, Sunny manages to be both fierce and relatable.

Caught between eccentric parents and her wildly imaginative teenage daughter, Sheriff Sunny attempts to impose a little law and order on both her family and her strange little town. The results are often laugh out loud funny. Sunny’s creative policing is oddly successful. There’s a fantastic balance between silly and serious in this book. In this second book, Sunny’s investigations are exciting and well-paced. Running alongside the series storyline about Sunny’s historic abduction is a second investigation into a violent attack in town.

While I enjoy Sunny’s investigations, it’s the development of relationships in this book that I love. Sunny and Auri, Sunny and her parents, Sunny and Levi… The relationships in this book are complicated, messy, loving, and life-affirming. I expect that every woman over 35 will find something to enjoy in Sunny’s perfectly observed and immensely relatable life. I’m already looking forward to the next book.

 

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author DARYNDA JONES won a Golden Heart and a RITA for her manuscript First Grave on the Right. A born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

Connect with Darynda

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Facebook Group: The Grimlets

 

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram #2) by Darynda Jones to read and review.