4.25*
A positively refreshing read! Just exactly what I needed!🕺💃🏽

Listen up partner, there’s a new sheriff in town!

Sunshine Vicram has returned to her hometown, with her 14 year old daughter Auri in tow. Somewhat stunned, Sunshine has just been elected the new Sheriff for Del Sol New Mexico. She’s clueless how this happened, given the fact she never actually entered the race!?

It’s her first day on the job, and thanks to some cursed blueberry muffins she has her first case. A missing teen who warned everyone she’ll die on her fifteenth birthday. With only a few days left before the girls’ birthday, Sunshine has her back against the wall, with precious time ticking away. Can she find her before it’s too late? Will this journey lead her to unlocking some of her own secrets from the past?

The witty banter between Sunshine and her daughter will keep a big grin on your face from cover to cover. I was smiling and giggling throughout.

This book was so much fun! A thoroughly delightful read!

For those looking for a light mystery novel that will lift your spirits and keep you smiling, saddle-up and follow along with Sheriff Sunshine!

I cannot wait to see what Ms. Jones comes up with next! I believe this is just the beginning to what will be an extraordinary new series!

A buddy read with Susanne that we both enjoyed and kept us laughing throughout!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Darynda Jones for an ARC to read and review

I said NO MORE SERIES!! Yet, here we are and I enjoyed every page I laughed out loud so much my husband is now reading it. The best part of this for me was the blotter entries at the beginning of each chapter I thought those were very clever! Great story
Everyone needs to read this I highly recommend! Enjoy

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.


SYNOPSIS from book
Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.

Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, its strong cups of coffee—and a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff--an election her adorably meddlesome parents entered her in--and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of it's reminding Sunny why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that trouble at her daughter’s new school and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and Sunshine has her hands full.

Enter sexy almost-old-flame Levi Ravinder and a hunky US Marshall, both elevens on a scale of one to blazing inferno, and the normally savvy sheriff is quickly in over her head. Now it’s up to Sunshine to juggle a few good hunky men, a not-so-nice kidnapping miscreant, and Doug the ever-pesky flasher. And they said coming home would be drama-free.

Sunshine Vicram is many things - mother of a teenage girl, daughter of kind but meddling parents, a clever and talented investigator, a woman with a massive crush on the bad boy from her youth, victim of a kidnapping when she was in her teens, and the newly minted sheriff of Del Sol, New Mexico - a town where strange things happen.

It's Sunshine's first day on the job and she's investigating a kidnapping, trying to find an escaped convict, and butting heads with the town mayor over her election. Sunshine's cases and her role as Sheriff are drawing her back into her past and the town she fled as a young adult, reminding her of what she loved about Del Sol - and why she left.

Sunshine is a fun, competent heroine who is easy to root for and the cast of characters and the various tensions between them promise for plenty of entertaining hijinx in the future. A Bad Day for Sunshine is a bright, witty, compulsively readable debut for Darynda Jones's Sunshine Vicram series and I eagerly anticipate the next entry in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc.

If you need a break from the current COVID-19 chaos in the world today, perhaps this read about the chaos in Del Sol, New Mexico will help you as much as it helped me.

This was a HOOT!. A true bag of mixed nuts. Yet, I found myself caring about them all. It all started with some jinxed muffins and ramps up from there. The plot was fast paced, the characters were... mixed nuts. The mystery(ies) were somewhat complex enough to keep that element interesting throughout Even the teenage angst and drama was satisfying. The family relationships really shined for me. I hope to see many more Sunshine stories!

4.5 stars

This was not a book for me. I wasn't invested in the characters or the mystery.. It might be that I picked up the book at the wrong time for me.

I read this author’s previous series as soon as I could get my hands on them. I have hopes this series will evolve in much the same way.

Fabulous! Every time this author writes something new I just eat it up! Every. Single. Time. I went into this one with some reservations because I’m so used to her paranormal stories, I was afraid I wouldn’t like this one, being just a mystery. Needless to say I was sucked into the story from the first chapter. I couldn’t put this down. And I loved the little Charley Davidson Easter egg!!! Well played Ms. Jones! This author creates funny, likable characters, and a great story every freakin time!! The mystery was great too! I didn’t figure it out until towards the end!!! I can’t wait to see what Darynda Jones has in store for these characters in the next book!

A fabulous start to the Sunshine Vicram series. I loved the character interaction, the back and forth had me compelled to keep reading. The story was exception and engaging and I highly recommend you go grab a copy, while I wait anxiously for the next book

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Publishing and Darynda Jones for giving me the opportunity to read and review A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE. I met Darynda Jones at a Book Lovers Con last year in New Orleans and she is friendly and gracious.
Sunshine Vicram has had some bad days in the past in Del Sol, New Mexico, but still has decided to move back there with her fourteen year old daughter, Aurora Dawn aka Auri. She wants to see if she can clear up horrendous events from the past that she still cannot fully remember. She becomes sheriff of the small town thanks to some sneaky maneuvers by her parents.
She is thrust back into dealing with a notorious family in town and not sure if Levi, the supposed "good guy" who want to make the family business legit, is a saint or as bad as the rest of his clan when he tries to help her with the disappearance and abduction of one of Auri's new friends.
I loved the Charlie Davidson series with its mixture of mystery, paranormal and lol humor. A BAD DAY FOR Sunshine has the trademark funny sayings at the beginning of each chapter. There is not much paranormal happenings, expect a few woo-woo moments about how someone can see parts of their future. The love scenes are more full of longing than the super steamy ones with Charlie Davidson novels.
The author slowly reveals the back story to the characters, but certainly leaves a lot to still be discovered in upcoming books in the series. The small town atmosphere lends itself to people knowing others business, but also keeping secrets.
One of my favorite parts of the story is when Auri takes a friend's advice and suddenly schoolmates have a new respect for her and the worst of the bullies slink off. Any of us who have ever faced bullies or "mean girls" wish we has done that in our early days.
Even if you have never read anything by Darynda Jones before, you will want to grab this book and get lost in an entertaining and compelling plot.

Butterflies in your stomach the day you start a new job is par for the course, even if you’re the newly returned, hometown girl who made good. Sheriff Sunshine “Sunny” Vicram left Del Sol, New Mexico, when she was a teenager. In the intervening years, she honed her craft and burnished her reputation, making her a worthy candidate for sheriff. Even so, her first day on the job is a challenge when a kidnapper brings unwanted attention to the small town.

The kidnapper’s purported victim is Sybil St. Aubin, a teenager whose parents are new to Del Sol. It’s everyone’s worst nightmare. Is this really the opportunity Sunny wanted?

Let’s back up. A Bad Day for Sunshine is the first in a new series, blessed with a magnificent location. Del Sol is not to be found on Google maps, but New Mexican towns just like it exist. Darynda Jones has a gift for magical descriptions like the brilliant sight that greeted Sunny before her first day of work.

Thick clouds soaked up the vibrant colors of daybreak and splashed them across the heavens like a manic artist who’d scored a new bottle of Adderall. Orange Crush and cotton candy collided and dovetailed, making the sky look like a watercolor that had been left out in the rain. The vibrant hues reflected off the fat flakes drifting down and powdering the landscape.

A complicated backstory that informs the present day is another hallmark of a sticky series hook. Readers learn that when Sheriff Sunny was a teenager, she was the victim of a trauma that she is still reluctant to revisit. She’s a widow and single mother. Del Sol is packed with her family and friends; there’s even an old flame with some smoldering embers: Levi Ravinder. He’s a tall, cool drink of water, and Sunny has his every feature memorized.

And though she couldn’t see his eyes, she’d dreamed about them almost daily. The rich, tawny color like whiskey in the sun. The long, dark lashes she would have given her left kidney for.

Whoa, it’s feeling hot in Del Sol. Adding to Levi’s appeal, in her absence, he went from bad boy to entrepreneur in one generation. Not bad. Sunny fixates on his truck.

It had a custom wrap with his company’s logo on it, Dark River Shine, and pride swelled inside her.

He’d actually managed to take his family’s illegal business—and recipe—and turn it into an insanely successful career as a distiller.

According to the mayor, Sunny’s conniving (over-exuberant?) parents fixed the outcome of her election for sheriff. Every series needs a villain—not necessarily someone who should be behind bars but a constant thorn in the side of our hero. Mayor Donna Lomas “was that girl in town all the other girls wanted to be when they grew up. Pretty. Perky. Popular.” On Sunny’s first day on the job, Donna is waiting in her office, ready to make a deal.

“You get me the names of the Dangerous Daughters, and I’ll let the whole thing slide.”


That time, Sun didn’t even try to suppress her snort. She let it rip and then gaped at the woman in front of her. “The Dangerous Daughters? Would you like Santa’s address while I’m at it?”


Donna stood unfazed. Her temerity was sobering.


“You can’t honestly believe they exist.”


“I do,” she said. “How else do you explain your win?”

Sunny’s daughter, Aurora Dawn Vicram, aka Auri, is a chip off the old block. She’s preternaturally smart and sensitive with secrets of her own, just like mom. Auri is more than an amateur sleuth; she’s a high school student who can break into computer programs with one hand tied behind the keyboard. She’s so in sync with her mother it’s scary.

“Aurora Dawn Vicram. You broke the law. And you had plans to break it even more. Since when do you hack into someone’s computers?

The sting in the backs of Auri’s eyes caused her frustration to spike even further. “I can help, Mom. I’m very good at getting information when I need to, and Sybil is missing. Isn’t that all that matters?”

Auri’s parentage is another mystery to be solved. The Sunshine Vicram series has rich/poor, indigenous/newcomer dynamics that complicate crime-solving. Sunny seems like a good leader, but it’s intriguing to meet the folks who are always in her corner. There’s comic relief in the person of fabled rooster Puff Daddy and fabulous sustenance like the food at the Shed, “an amazing breakfast-and-lunch place that served the best breakfast burritos this side of the Pecos.” Del Sol is a town that has it all. Its multi-generational stories and threads will keep readers glued to Sheriff Sunny Vicram’s playbook.

This was a fun and intriguing read! I’m a fan of this author, and her stories are always a mix of laugh-out-loud hijinks, suspense, and mystery. Her characters are so entertaining and endearing, and this story was no exception. Like some other readers, I had trouble getting into it - but once I did, I couldn’t put it down.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Wow, once I started this book, I could not put it down! There were so many things going on and I did not see the identity of the kidnapper at all.

There were some funny parts, some deep, hard parts, and some sad parts to make this a great story. There were enough clues throughout the book to have an idea of what happened to Sun when she was abducted but all the facts were not revealed in this book.

I have to say the part where Sun storms into the principal's office and fights for Auri and Cruz was great and the way the students got behind Auri and Cruz was so satisfying!

I kept waiting for the big moment with Sun and Levi but I guess that will have to wait for another book. And Hailey and Sun's investigation into Clay is still ongoing.

Sunshine is the new sheriff of her hometown. Funny thing, she never ran for the position. She and her teenage daughter move back. Both are conflicted about this turn of events. Sun has an interesting background that give rise to questions about her daughter's father. On her first day on the job her daughter's new friend is kidnapped and thing are off an running. Great characters, with plenty of humor and twists kept the pages turning.

So. Much. Fun!!!! Thanks to COVID-19, I've had the time to catch up on some of the books in my TBR pile, and I couldn't have picked a better book to lift my forced-isolation spirits. What great timing! I generally read books in the suspense/thriller genre, which doesn't give me much of an opportunity to laugh. A Bad Day for Sunshine had me smiling and laughing from the first page to the last.

The story takes place in Del Sol, New Mexico where we meet Sunshine Vicram, aka Sun or Sunny. Sunny and her delightful 14-year old daughter, Auri, have just moved to Del Sol and are living with Sunny's parents. Sunny's parents have accomplished the impossible by getting Sunny elected as Sheriff of Del Sol even though she wasn't even aware she was running!. Despite her unawareness, Sunny somehow won the election, thus her move back to her native town.

On her first day in office, a car crashes through the front wall of the police station. The driver is a mother whose own 14-year old daughter, Sybil, is missing. In explaining Sybil's disappearance, the mother relates that Sybil has had a years long foreboding that she will be murdered on the occasion of her 15th birthday, which is only days away. This case brings up bad memories for Sunny, who was also abducted as a teenager in this same town.

Thus begins Sun's search for Sybil, with which she is aided by her best friend and deputy, Quincey, and a former frenemy, the absurdly handsome, brooding Levi. In a secondary plot, a prisoner has escaped from a nearby prison and is believed to be in Del Sol. The characters in A Bad Day for Sunshine are lovingly developed by author Jones. There are a lot of characters, and each is beautifully developed. The storyline is also expertly plotted. However, what sets this novel apart is the humor. Sun is hysterically sarcastic, as is her daughter. For example, early on in the novel, Sunny tries to encourage her nervous daughter about her first day at a new school by telling her if anything happens to just ask herself WWLSD, What Would Lisbeth Salander Do, a routine they've obviously developed over the years. In fact, almost all of the characters are funny. I especially enjoyed Sunny's mother's book club!!

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's an excellent mystery, and reading it is a hoot! This is the first book I've read by Darynda Jones, but she can now count me as a huge fan.

I’ll come straight out and admit that I had a hard time getting into this book. I actually tried both, first the eARC and then the audiobook, both gave me trouble, but I persevered. Especially when I saw all these amazing reviews coming in. Because it was clear that I was missing something.

The tide turned when I got to the halfway point. Around 50%, the novel picked up. I started connecting with characters, really caring about the outcome, and enjoying the banter between certain best friends, excitedly expecting the hot sexual tension between the heroine and her love interest, and really loving her daughters own teenage love story – swoon, just saying!

HERE ARE THE THINGS THAT REALLY STOOD OUT FOR ME:

The book was quite funny, thanks to the awesome banter between Sunshine and her long time best friend Quincy. They had history, and a rapport that only comes with a life long friendship.
Sunshine and her daughter were wonderful together. They had such a great mother/daughter relationship. And Auri, her daughter, had this teenage crush on bad boy Cruz, which was ADORABLE. I can’t wait to read more about them.
Sunshine and Levy – wowzer! The air sizzled whenever they were in the same room. Their “whatever they had” relationship felt like forbidden fruit to me, an attraction that apparently started in high school – oooooh – and hasn’t diminished at all since then!!! I’m officially hooked, and can’t wait to see where they are going from here – because this is exactly my cup of tea!
I was also surprised by the mystery aspect of the book, and the different subplots that kept me guessing and wanting answers. Some where revealed at the end. Others are still open. But the overall execution of plot, and characters was well done.

This is definitely one of the books that finished stronger than it started for me. I’m super glad I didn’t give up on it, because the way I felt at the end – wanting to read the second book ASAP – that’s just an awesome way to end a book.

Ravinder-vs-Reyes Stars!!

The only thing about reading an early copy of this book, is that now I need to wait even longer for the next installment! 😫

I loved everything about this new Darynda Jones story. From the hodge podge of characters to the beautiful scenery painted in my head. From the serious issues being dealt with to the secrets and mysteries of the locals and the town. Darynda's humour is front and centre for this novel and, like Charley Davidson and her friends, things can move pretty quickly so you need to pay attention.

Definitely worth a read. I can't wait for the next one!

Ms Darynda Jones never fails to deliver an entertaining and engrossing read liked this cozy mystery.
This is a fun read that made me laugh and kept me guessing till the end.
I loved the quirky and well thought cast of characters, the settings and the plot that flows.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing till the end.
I can't wait to read the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

4 Stars

A Sarcastic, Sassy, & Smart Read! In short, “A Bad Day for Sunshine” has it all!

Del Sol, New Mexico has a new Sheriff. Her name is Sunshine Vicram and she is bad a$$. Sarcastic, smart as a whip and sassy to boot. She and her teenage daughter Auri are quite the pair. Let’s just say that their relationship is the bomb. They are quirky, hysterically funny and their witty banter makes them the envy of friends and foe.

Sunshine and Auri make a great team as well, which is an asset when a teenage girl who has befriended Auri goes missing. Then it’s all hands on deck. Good thing the Sheriff works with her trusted best friend Quincy, who is good for laughs as well as for being a brilliant detective.

Then there’s Levi Ravinder. He’s the best tracker in Del Sol who gives Sunshine heart palpitations. If anyone can find the missing teen, it’s Levi. Unfortunately for Sunshine, she’s had a crush on him forever and now she has to work with the guy.

From start to finish, “A Bad Day for Sunshine” by Darynda Jones was brilliant. The witty back and forth banter between Sunshine and Auri brought an instant smile to my face. I adored this mother and daughter pair and thought to myself: If only all mothers and daughters were like this! The sarcastic humor laced throughout the novel often made me laugh hysterically, whether it was between Sunshine and Auri, Sunshine and Quincy or any other characters in this novel. You can tell that the author crafted the relationships very carefully and they worked beautifully. Even though Sunshine has had a crush on Ravinder for a long time, other potential relationships were explored and each one was scintillating! I was hooked! Having loved both Sunshine and Auri I must say that I can’t wait for the next novel in this series to be published and will be waiting with bated breath for its release!

This was a fabulous buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Darynda Jones for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 4.18.20.

In A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE, by Darynda Jones, Sunshine Vicram has recently relocated to Del Sol, New Mexico, where she grew up. Her parents orchestrated the election for sheriff and Sunshine won, to her surprise. On Sunshine's first day there is missing children, a prison escapee on the loose, a police lieutenant nowhere to be found, and her daughter is drowning in drama at her first day at her new school. Can Sunshine solve all the problems surrounding her, or will she be overwhelmed and throw in the towel on her first day?
Jones has a knack for witty banter and a general ease in her style of writing. The characters all seem very real and relatable. Jones spends, as she should, a good deal of time on the relationship between Sunshine and her daughter, Auri. Their connection is clearly strong, unique, and special only to them. As the novel progresses, there are several subplots introduced and some that seem to have no bearing on the rest of the story. I think the idea was to portray Sunshine as a strong, intelligent person that can handle many things at one and succeed at them all, but the reader at times has a hard time not only keeping up with it all, but also emotionally investing in so many different people and situations. The book does have an exciting ending and some satisfying reveals, along with just enough things unresolved for the reader to read the next book in the series.
Quirky, sexy, and fun are words I would use to describe A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE. A nice beginning for a series of books that show lots of promise.

In true Darynda Jones style, this was quirky, funny, and entertaining. Sunshine has returned to Del Sol as the newly elected sheriff. There’s never a dull moment as she’s faced with solving an abduction, dealing with past demons, and raising her daughter Auri as a single parent. All the love for a new Darynda Jones series!