Sophia Rose Reviews: A Good Day For Chardonnay by Darynda Jones

Today Sophia Rose is reviewing A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones. 
Enjoy!

A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones

#2 Sunshine Vicram

Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press

Published:  7.27.21

ASIN:  B08BYBD278

Pages:  416

Rating: 4.5

Format: eARC

Source:  Net Galley

Sellers:  Amazon/ Barnes & Noble/ Kobo

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

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.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

A small New Mexico mountain community might seem a sleepy backwater place from a law enforcement point of view, but not even a day off for a blind date can be uneventful for Sheriff Sunshine Vicram.  Madcap humor, B&E, murder, moonshiners, an escape artist raccoon, and the rumor of a secret society are only a few tantalizing bits that awaited me.

 

After book one, A Bad Day for Sunshine, I was rarin' to delve back into the kooky, hilarious, and engagingly twisting romantic suspense that picks up where that book left off.  For those coming new to the series, make sure you start at the very beginning.

 

Sunshine has her hands full in this one.  Her parents are setting her up on dates, the mayor wants her to find proof of some legendary secret group, her best friend is hiding something from her and brought the trouble-maker raccoon, and now her mysterious secret crush Levi Ravinder gets her involved in a murder investigation in which things are definitely not cut and dry.  But, wait, there's more, on the side and definitely on the down low, her daughter, Auri, is sneaking out with her friends and investigating a serial killer cold case that heats up quickly and, the kicker comes when Sunshine is offered a devil's bargain to get the truth about her teenage abduction and rape that she desperately wants to have the truth because she suspects Levi was involved.

 

There is a lot going on and I enjoyed much of it.  I have to admit that Auri, as bright as can be in some areas, was woefully naive and it up-scaled into real trouble just as I feared.  I'll give the author respect for making Auri feel the consequences so she can truly learn from her mistakes.  Auri's side story was superseded in my mind by all the advancements in the series that were begun in the first book.  I didn't expect to get so far forward with The Daughters mystery, Sunshine's past, or the scorching hot romance that was sparking to life between her and Levi.

 

The book set it all up well so that the big climax was solid gold and even afterward there was a nice finish and set up for the next book that has me excited to grab it up.  This is only book two so a good time for those who enjoy tons of humor, spicy slow burn romance, and a twisting suspense altogether in one place really should get on board.

 

Author Bio:

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, certain they went away the better for it. She penned the international bestselling Charley Davidson series and is currently working on several beloved projects, most notably the Sunshine Vicram Mystery Series with St. Martin's Press and the Betwixt and Between Series of paranormal women's fiction. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

Click here to read one of the more popular short stories by Darynda called The Monster:
https://theneverneath.com/2018/02/02/...

She can be found at http://www.daryndajones.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Darynda

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Sophia’s Social Media Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose