Having been a big fan of the author’s previous Charley Davidson series I was eager to start her new one, thanks to an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and the publisher. Sunshine Vicram, as the new sheriff of her home town (a job she didn’t want)and her daughter are faced with solving a kidnapping on her first day on the job. I loved the sometimes snarky humor, the characters, and how a mystery from Sunshine’s own past impacts her current investigation all work to create a fast paced, fun mystery. Looking forward to more!

If you read the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones and enjoyed those, I am sure you will enjoy this as well. Very different characters but still the same level of humor that makes it an easy, enjoyable read. I look forward to the author continuing this series.

I've been a huge fan of the Charley Davidson books, and I was so excited to learn that Darynda Jones had a new series out. Sunshine Vicram does not disappoint. Sunshine returns with her daughter to Del Sol to become Sheriff, a job she did NOT want, but knows that it's time to face her past. The community had plenty of charm and antics to add humor and the Ravinder family adds plenty of danger of suspense. Plus, Levi Ravinder is hot Hot HOT (I do love me a mysterious bad boy). Not to mention that we get a storyline and a little romance for her teenage daughter as well. The book does leave a lot of loose threads, even for a series, which I don't love, but I anticipate reading the rest of the series. My only other issue was the formatting. There were no spaces between POV changes, but I'm sure that'll be fixed before the final copy comes out!

This is one long laugh out loud blend of heady comic entertainment with crime fiction, the first in a new series by Darynda Jones set in Del Sol, New Mexico, a place that teems with the strange and the bizarre. Sunshine Vicram has returned home with her beloved teenage daughter, Auri, after leaving a town where she experienced harrowing trauma. She is not sure how this all happened, her parents are behind her election as sheriff, which means she will be working with her best childhood buddy, Deputy Quincy Cooper. Her first day is one hell of an initiation, with a rooster, Puff Daddy, roaming free, resident local flasher Doug, a visit from Mayor Donna Lomas threatening to get to the bottom of her odd election as sheriff, an escaped fugitive at large, and a teenage girl, Sybil, has been abducted and the clock is ticking.

Oh and Auri's first day at the local school is no piece of cake either as she is branded a narc and is the target of some mean teens, led by Lynelle, although there is the cool and edgy Cruz, who just can't keep his eyes off Auri. Her hopes of meeting up with a girl, Sybil, she had met in the holidays crumbles to ashes when she becomes aware that Sybil has been kidnapped, and there is no way she is not going to investigate. Sunny finds herself still carrying her childhood heart stopping attraction to Levi Ravinder, now running a successful corn whiskey distillery and the best tracker in town, skills needed when his autistic nephew, his sister Hailey's son, Jimmy, goes missing. As Sunny finds family secrets spilling out, she turns to the Book Babes, a bookclub actually for gossip, socialising and drinking, for information, she finds herself surrounded by hot men, and puzzled why she cannot ever get hold of one Lieutenant Bobby 'Bo' Britton.

This is my first read of Darynda Jones, and I had a whale of a time acquainting myself with Sunny, Auri and the entire town of Del Sol with its quirky eccentric residents. This is a great novel to read if you are feeling even a hint of the blues and in need of a lift. The mother-daughter relationship of Sunny and Auri is a joy to behold, particularly as Sunny becomes aware of just how much Auri knows about her past. All in all, this is kooky, fun and entertaining crime fiction and for sure I will be returning to this series. Many thanks to St Martin's Press for an ARC.

I struggled with this review. I had a hard time figuring out what the book wanted to be. Romance? Comedy? Police procedural?

I think the storyline was good and had a lot of potential but suffered from too many attempts at humor during situations where humor would not be appropriate. The main character is in her 30s and is supposed to have been a police officer for years, yet she has panic attacks during stressful situations and spends an inordinate amount of time drooling over attractive men and often becomes tongue tied in their presence. As the character is written, it’s just not that believable that she she’s attained so much respect in her profession with her lack of maturity and professionalism. I did enjoy the book but would have given it a higher rating with more realistically drawn characterization and a bit more focus on what genre it wanted to be. A bit less focus on sex and more on the investigations would have helped in that regard.

Thank you NetGalley for for the reading opportunity.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book I was planning on reading because, even though I wasn't a fan of how she ended her last series, I really liked her writing style. I was hoping this would be still filled with strong characters and a great plot, and was not disappointed. Though there were some parts I caught onto partway through, I don't think it was bad in this case. There's still something satisfying in knowing (or thinking you do) and wanting desperately to see how the characters will react.

In case you haven’t read the blurb, Sunshine is a single mom and cop who comes home after winning an election she didn’t run for, and is now sheriff. There’s a missing child, that throws back to an investigation from years ago: her own missing persons case. Through the current case, she comes to terms to what happened to her and starts to open the Pandora’s box that is her past.

There are answers given if you pay attention and know where to look, but I really can’t wait until I get a chance to read the next one- I look forward to watching these relationships and secrets, and whatever next crime she helps solve.

A Bad Day for Sunshine is the title and the reality that Sunshine Vicram is living in this book. Sunshine is the new sheriff in her hometown of Del Sol, New Mexico. She is thrown in to chaos from the first few minutes on the job. The action in this is nonstop for both Sunshine and her daughter, Auri. I enjoyed the ride immensely. I look forward to the next book in this series to see how things turn out with all the folks living in Del Sol. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

I have liked just about everything Darynda Jones has written so I really liked this and am already looking forward to the next book in this new series. I have been waiting for a new series from Ms. Jones since her Charley Davidson series wrapped up. As usual this book is snarky, funny and a little zany. The world and writing style is similar to her other series but without the ghosts. I really liked the characters and their relationships with each other. There are a lot of quirky people in this town which makes it interesting for Sunshine as the town’s new sheriff. Overall a fun read. The cliffhanger at the end ensures that there will be another and there are plenty of other mysteries that have yet to be solved. I’m ready for the next one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A new series starter from Darynda Jones, A Bad Day for Sunshine is okay. Which is, sadly, not okay for a series starter because there are just so many. You have to offer something different, something that's new, even if it's in a small way, and that's not here. Fans if the author will probably like this, but is A Bad Day for Sunshine going to bring in hordes (or even a crowd) of new readers? No. For Darynda Jones die-hard fans only.

This is a refreshing novel.
Quirky characters, a little romantic , a murder, a kidnapping ( actually two ), and a mother daughter combo. Mom is the sheriff and the daughter is a pretty good investigator.
The small town they move to is just hilarious with Northern Exposure kind of sense of humor. The police blotter blurbs alone are worth the price of the book.
Highly recommend.

So I’m a little torn on this one. On the one hand I totally loved reading it and didn’t want to put this down. Snarky and zany and just totally fun read. I especially loved the little sayings at the beginning of each chapter. Such as:


Go ahead! Try starting you day without coffee! Our deputies need a few more arrests to make their quota. —Sign at Caffeine-Wah

Or

Autocorrect has become our own worst enema. —Sign at Del Sol Cellular

Totally LOL! And just lovely and let’s you see the spirit of this novel. The characters were just amazing and Auri totally stole the show.

Why am I torn them when I so obviously loved it? Well... it’s just that these are the exact elements of Charlie Davidson series. Wacky crime solver with zany best friend. Super hot unattainable dude. Shady past elements and traumatic childhood events that need to be gotten to the bottom of. I mean. Sure. There aren’t any ghosts but there still is crime to solve in a fun and zany way. So it felt fun to be back in a world so familiar to us who loved her last series. But it’s just the exact same formula with a few little details changed up and it feels a bit stale and like the author was just dialing it in a bit.

Still. The characters are super awesome and fun and the books are a formula I did enjoy ( I stayed to the end of her last series) so I will likely carry on. If you are looking for the same ol, same ol - you sure did find it. If you wanted something new, or didn’t like Charlie Davidson. Well look elsewhere because this is that exactly part II.

This book couldn't decide on its genre: paranormal, quirky comedy, suspense, murder mystery, family relationships, family secrets. The biggest disappointment was the ending that left you hanging.

Had this novel ad a focus, I would be looking for the next book, but wading through the paranormal town and supposedly funny quirky characters I will pass on it. Sad because there really were some excellent parts, especially those involving Sunshine & her daughter Auri.

What a great ready, kept my attention all the way through, I couldn’t put it down ......and the ending....oh no.......I want more I fell in love with the characters....
I so hope this is going to be a series

Good tense mystery. It kept me guessing right until the end. New sheriff, Sunshine, was elected to office even though she didn't run for the position. that is not the only odd thing about the town of Del Sol, New Mexico. More than one person has premonitions, someone sends muffins to the sheriff's office when things are about to get busy, one deputy can't be located and other quirks that keep it interesting. I hated to put this one down.

This review is not going to be long. I am not a huge fan of a review rehashing the entire plot and spoiling it for everyone.

I loved Darynda Jones previous series. I love this book! It was fast paced with intrigue, action, and humor. I was not able to put down for long :-). All the main characters are easy to relate to and very entertaining,

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A winner!! Fast paced, fun read. Characters are realistic and conversational,story is fluid, and it leaves an open end for more to follow. Not sure if this is part of a series already, but it easily reads as a stand alone. Jacket cover is great, but it is so much more fun than the cover implies. Sort of reminds you of 'StephaniePlum' without a lot of potty mouth & sex. Read and enjoy.!!
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review.The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the ARC.

A riveting yet totally hilarious story. Sunshine has had the absolute worst happen to her and now she is forced to return to the scene of the crime. Sh is the new tough as nails Sheriff with a daughter and a town to protect. His first day turns into a nightmare that wants to break. With the help of her best friend and the department they set out to solve an abduction. You will laugh at the silliness that occurs between the characters and never see the bad guy coming. The story is cleverly told from the perspective of Sunshine and her daughter as they both try to settle into their new life while solving the case.

2.5 Stars


Let me start by saying that I adore Darynda Jones’ Charley Davidson series! I devoured each book and cursed nonstop with each ending in a cliffhanger. After 13 books, the series ended (kinda), and I was so excited to learn about a new story she was developing. Now if you are like me and was an avid fan of Ms. Jones’ writing style in the Charley Davidson series, you may enjoy A Bad Day for Sunshine, so don’t let my opinion sway you on giving the book a shot!

Now you are probably asking if I enjoyed the snark and humorous storytelling, why did I only rate this book 2.5 stars. Because for me, the snark and humor only carried this story so far…

In the beginning, the banter between Sunshine and her daughter and others was familiar territory, but perhaps too familiar. It had the feel of Charley minus the paranormal elements, and half way through it meandered so much that I was confused, and there was no end in sight. Yes, you will be left with a cliffhanger feeling when you reach the end. Sorry, you have been warned!

The other problem I had may be an age thing with me…I’m in my 40’s, and honestly, I was getting an ick ick ick feeling reading about Sunshine’s 14-year-old daughter and the (insert every adjective you can imagine for sexy/hot/cute) wanna be boyfriend. Now if this is a marketed YA novel, I’d totally understand, but it’s not (is it?), and I really don’t want to spend every other chapter reading about how sexy this high school boy is…ick…

As to the actual plot, I believe there is a mystery Sunshine and her deputies are attempting to solve, but between her drooling over the boy (now man) that got away (at least for now) and the drama of her past “accident” playing in the background, I just couldn’t keep track and felt like I needed a flowchart to keep pace with the changing storylines.

As with all books/stories, some appeal to readers and others do not. This was a no go for me, and I will not be continuing the series (sad to say). But if you are a fan of Darynda Jones, give Sunshine Vicram a try! While not mine, it could possibly be your next fav read…



**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

At only 5% in and I was laughing my head off. As a mom of a 14 year old (and younger. all girls) this is the type of relationship I envy. It was easy close banter between them. I loved the duel point of view. Sun has come a long way since her teens, but I'm excited to see more of this mystery. As always with Darynda books the sarcasm is strong. But honestly, that's what I love. Sun has all the makings of a great heroine. And Auri is a genuinely great kid.

I absolutely love anything written by Darynda Jones. A Bad Day for Sunshine is another hit. There is suspense, humor, romantic attraction and witty dialogue. Sunshine and her daughter Auri have a great Mother/Daughter relationship. I like that Sun calls Auri Bug Bite. Quincy and Sun's relationship is almost dysfunctional. They have been best friends forever and they are more like brother/sister. Then there is the relationship between Sun and Levi. Steamy! Lots of interesting characters. The build up at the beginning, so we get to know everyone's backstories, is the right amount of time. Darynda does a great job of keeping the reader guessing what is happening to Sybil. You really have no clue until the end. I can't wait to see what happens next with Sunshine and Auri. Especially with Sunshine and Levi.