A Good Day For Chardonnay picks up a few months after the events in book one of the series. Sun is still sheriff and still dealing with the wackiness of the town but she's pretty sure she's adjusting, mostly, on good days. A man gets stabbed in town and it opens up a lot of questions for Sun and her officers. Levi is involved in the goings-on but he is as reluctant as ever to be forthcoming. And Auri decides she knows best and goes on an adventure with huge consequences. Her adventure is a separate storyline from Sun's. Be prepared because this book actually made me cry. I know! Mostly I laughed and tried to figure out the mystery but there's this one scene.....that's all I'm going to say about that.

I like how straightforward Sun is in most situations. The author doesn't bother to go into gory detail about every single action Sun takes but instead shows Sun's thought processes by weaving the results into the story. For example, Sun needs to hire another officer. You'd think the author would take the easy route and have Sun give an existing officer the job but nope. Sun has a unique hiring style (see Poetry Rojas from book one) that seems to work pretty well. This writing style allows the story to dominate instead of lots of introspection and deep conversations between characters. That means that the story flows off the pages and there is never a boring or wasted bit of writing.

Levi remains a mystery. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail on this. He doesn't really grow that much from the character sketch in book one except that he and Sun get to have one major interaction that could change everything between them. I can't say more because I think it's kind of pivotal to this book and probably the next.

This book has a lot of space dedicated to Auri. A LOT. Let me get this out of the way. Auri was a total pain in this book. Yes, her actions were necessary to push forward a lot of part of the bigger story but I just wanted to smack her upside the darn head. I think the author did a great job eliciting that response from me. So bravo.

There are a lot of side characters in these books. You get lots of information about a lot of people. I'm hoping that as the series progresses that each character will get their moment and the readers will see the past as well as the future. What can I say? I like a happily ever after.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun contemporary story. This is not a love story although there are elements of love stories. This is about a sheriff solving crimes/mysteries but it's not strictly that. There are small-town shenanigans but it's not strictly that either. In the end, I can recommend it because it makes me smile. Oh, and occasionally makes me want to hit someone upside the head. It's a good day either way!

Personally, I prefer a crisp Pinot Grigio, but the heroine of our story, Sunny Vicram, is partial to Chardonnay. And in this second novel by Darynda Jones, Sunny more than earns whatever drink (or seven) that she wants. I first discovered this author and her wonderful characters last year during Covid, and I was so happy to discover this follow-up. For anyone who hasn't read A Bad Day for Sunshine, I'd recommend reading it first before diving into A Good Day for Chardonnay. It's where you'll be introduced to some of the coolest, most attractive, witty characters in modern fiction. There's Sunny, who is the sheriff of Del Sol, New Mexico. Her sassy teenage daughter, Auri. Her best friend and Chief Deputy, Quincy. The secret love of her life, Levi Ravinder. Her doting parents. And a whole townful of quirky, interesting characters.

In this outing, Auri is on the hunt for someone she believes is a serial killer, and you know that can't end well. Secondarily, Sunny gets more clues about her own abduction as a teenager. The action is fast and furious, and I was so sad when I got to the end and there wasn't more to read. It was also a big bang of an ending that has me craving book three to find out what happens next. Read this book if you like a good mystery with a good dose of humor. I loved it as much or more than book one.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. And thank you for introducing me to Darynda Jones and Sunshine Vicram. I'm a big fan!!

My first book by Darynda Jones, this one was quite a wild ride. I picked it for the title, I mean, it was calling to me, Chardonnay, who could resist that! Unfortunately, there was not as much Chardonnay as I thought in the book and a whole lot of craziness going on instead. After I received this book from NetGalley, I read that I should read the first book in the series first, but I had no trouble following along with all the shenanigans that occurred with the characters.

Sheriff Sunshine Vicram has a lot on her plate with her sheriff’s department in her quirky small-town, her wild-child daughter Auri, her out-of-control parents, and her love-interest from childhood, Levi Ravinder. The storyline was bit convoluted with several cases occurring at once all being intertwined with the past and present and all seem to involve Levi.

This book was full of snark, and I love snark. It was also full of mystery and suspense involving Sunshine’s past when she was abducted when she was seventeen. I was captivated enough that I plan to read book one and look forward to the next in the series. I thank NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for opportunity to read this book. I gave it three and one-half stars rounded up to four.

Darynda Jones brings her trademark sarcasm to the second book of the Sunshine Vicram series. Sun continues her quest to find out what happened during her abduction when she was a teenager, ensure her daughter stays out of trouble (not likely), and navigate the joys/downsides of small-town life. Throw in sassy coworkers, a couple of enigmatic heroes, a cold case, and work deadlines for a mix of chaos, love, and laughter.

Upon finishing this book, all I could think was "when is the next book coming out?" While Sun gets some clarity on her abduction, more mysteries/heartbreak/shenanigans reveal themselves, and I look forward to seeing what happens next with the residents of Del Sol.

Oh my you are an evil woman Ms. Jones! With an ending like that I was screaming, "No, that can't be the end!"

I LOVE anything Darynda Jones writes. She is one of my favorite writers, not only for her ability to tell a story but the snark and fun she puts on the pages for us readers to enjoy. This second book in the Sunshine Vicram series is all that. I do recommend you start with the first book in the series so you get to know the characters a bit more. It is definitely worth your time in reading!

This story has it all. I love the humor and, the quirky characters. Sunshine is trying to be a good Sheriff and a good mom. Her daughter has a boy in her room, is sneaking out at night and now she is breaking and entering with her friends. Sunshine has loved Levi since she was a child and that hasn't changed in all these years. What do do about that? When his uncle, who is in prison, wants to see her, things start to go down hill. There are stabbings, dead bodies and her daughter and friend end up in the hospital. How can she keep order with so much going on. Sunshine is starting to remember bits of what happened when she was kidnapped as a teenager. She has had amnesia about that time for years. Why is it all coming back now? Will she finally find out the truth?

This is a good series. I haven’t read the first installment, but I have it. It’s probably a good idea to read it before reading the second book, but a reader can glean enough information not to be completely lost. First, I am thoroughly addicted to female police officer series. I’ve lost count how many I am reading. Secondly, I love the setting in New Mexico. I just recently visited the Land of Enchantment so it’s easy To visualize the terrain. I loved all the scenes between Sun and Levi. The characters are all personable and interesting. The ending has a cliff hanger which makes me impatient for the next book to become available so I read what happens next.

My Thoughts

Sheriff Sunshine Vicram’s character along with her family, by blood as well as by choice, are back and this time boy are things hopping in the tiny town of Del Sol!

The three plot points that twine throughout this particular story all come together in ways that raise eyebrows as well as give a few answers to questions from book one.

However, not all the answers fit so it is left up to Sunshine’s investigative skills to find the real truth before she can sit down and totally enjoy that glass of chardonnay she craves.

On a different note am just going to say thank goodness never had to raise a teenager!

Sunshine Vicram may be the series main character but her daughter Auri stole the show in this story.

Also Levi Ravinder and Sunshine’s two-step romance may have finally found a way to become everything they both need and want.

I can’t wait to find out in book 3, whenever it comes available.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I loved everything about this book. The attitude, the sass, the banter, the what-just-happened moments, everything that I've come to expect and love from a Darynda Jones book is present and accounted for. And that's not even getting into the interesting puzzles that are the several cases that Sunshine is working on as all the fun and excitement take place.
I laughed out loud several times, I cried a couple more, and I highlighted a couple of lines that I'm totally stealing and plan to use. I swear I'm not exaggerating when I say that this book has everything.
But this book isn't just about the sass, it's about how incredibly relatable every single character is and how Jones gets readers to care deeply about the things that happen to them. She even makes you care about characters that seem like throwaway caricatures of small-town living and shows that everyone has depths and histories should look a little harder.
Is the moment right after finishing a book that isn't even technically out yet too early to beg for the next book?

Many extremely happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the phenomenal early read!

I received a free copy of A Good Day for Chardonnay from Netgalley.

Darynda Jones is executing a tight rope act here. This follow up to A Bad Day for Sunshine takes the first book as a jumping off point and then jumps off the cliff. There's more of everything here: fighting, making up, almost dying, sex with lurid detail, even some pretty stupid scenes. A number of times I was shaking my head--this is a book of excess and Jones pulls it off despite a few slight misses. Do I recommend it? Absolutely. It's funny, sappy, sexy and fun. This is my favorite series by Jones despite there only being two books so far. I hope they keep coming and given the great ending to this book, y'know there's at least one more!

I love this series! It's got a great cast of characters, the relationship between Sunshine and her daughter and her parents is great, Sunshine's childhood best friend is adorable, her romantic interest is hot. Need I say more?

Yes, I need to say more. The continuing mystery of Sunshine kidnapping when she was a teen keeps you guessing AND this book will make you laugh (unless your funny bone is broken). And that's why it's a 5 stars for me. I'm keeping my fingers & toes crossed that there is more in Sunshine's future. I've love, love this series. It case you missed my first sentence.

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Last year, on a whim, I put in a request for the first book in a new series on NetGalley, a comedic novel about a Sherriff in quirky Del Sol, New Mexico. I'm pretty sure of the new-to-me authors I tried last year, Darynda Jones was y favorite. The combination of clever comedy, tense crime drama, slapstick, romance, sweet mother-daughter ness, and a splash of sexiness*. With that list of ingredients, you either have yourself a very tasty dessert or a giant mess—A Bad Day for Sunshine was the former.

* I don't normally look sexy in a book, but if it's done right, I can appreciate it. This was a bit too much for me, but it was tolerable.

This brings us to...

WHAT'S A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY ABOUT?
A typical day—as far as you can consider any day "typical" in Del Sol--is underway when Sunshine is called to the scene of Levi Ravnder's bar—he was involved in breaking up what looked like a bar fight and things went very, very bad.

The investigation into what actually happened opens up a veritable Pandora's box. There's the fight (which leaves an old friend of Ravinder's near-death) but soon, Sunny finds herself looking into a couple of cold cases from her past, forced to consider she might have been wrong. Meanwhile, she's dodging the follow-up attempts of one of history's worst blind dates.

Oh, yeah, and Sunny's still digging into her abduction from her adolescence—and what she learns and remembers in this book makes the revelations we got last time out seem like nothing.

AURI
As great as I think Sunshine is as a character, ditto for almost all the other characters in this series. They all pale in comparison to Sunshine's daughter, Auri. Her spunk, intelligence, and humor just endear her to me—and the relationship (particularly the conversations between the two).

We know that she's done a Veronica Mars-kind of thing at her old school, and she played an active role in one of the investigations. This time out, speaking of cold cases, she's got it into her head that one of the more colorful citizens of Del Sol was a serial killer decades ago and sets out to prove it (dragging her best friend and boyfriend along with her).

That might sound a little wacky, and it was at the beginning, but in the end, it was one of the richest storylines in the novel. Auri does some foolish, foolish things—but she does so with great intentions and care for others. It's hard not to cheer for someone doing that—even if it lands her, her friends, and others in peril.

WOW, SHE REALLY DID THAT?
Beyond telling a pretty fun story, ABDfS set up a lot of interesting ongoing arcs and introduced a great cast of characters that I was expecting to enjoy reading for a few novels. And Darynda Jones pulled the rug out from under my expectations.

Not all of the characters from ABDfS survive this book and more than a couple of the ongoing arcs were resolved. This didn't seem like the kind of series where that kind of thing was going to happen.

Clearly, I was wrong—and, as per usual when an author surprises me, I liked the way Jones did all of those. While I was expecting two of the arcs to go on for another book or three, I was relieved and pleased they didn't. There are new characters and arcs to take their place--and I'm eager to see what happens to all of them.

MY MOTHER
Yeah, this is odd for me to talk about, but I have to throw this in. Last week on our road trip, my wife and I listened to the audiobook for ABDfS, and I was taken aback by how racey it was. I vaguely remembered it, but my memory was a little off.

But this book? It's, um, more detailed. Which isn't my thing, but I get what Jones is doing and am sure that most of her readers will appreciate it. All I could think of as I read those sections was, "My mom is going to read this." She's going to read it because I bought her the first book. Not only is she going to read this book, but she's also going to know that I read those scenes. And then I wanted to burst into flames.

Which is just a long way to say, if you like reading that kind of thing—Jones does a pretty effective job,

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY?
Short answer—I think I enjoyed ABDfS a smidgen more than this one, but that was probably the joy of discovery because I think this was a better novel. Either way, it doesn't really matter, because this was a blast.

Jones throws everything into the pot—crime, romance, teen romance, family drama, dumb comedy, clever wordplay, and more—and it works. It all works. I laughed, I felt the tension, I even got a little misty at one point—well, okay, I got very misty at one point.

Darynda Jones and Sunshine Vicram are a dynamite pair and I hope to be reading them for a long, long time.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

Sassy, quirky with multiple problems that need solved, Sunshine, the Sheriff of Del Sol, New Mexico has her hands full.
Her parents keep setting her up on blind dates. Trouble with her teenage daughter who is more like Sunshine than she wants her to be. A bar fight that leads to a hit and run. Plus she keeps having improper thoughts regarding ‘hot’ Levi that she has has been crushing on since they were both kids. She is also having flashbacks about her abduction that happened fourteen years ago. There are still blanks in her memory, but why can’t she remember who killed her abductor.
All she wants is a quiet day off that leads to a quiet evening with a glass of wine. But a mystery, a little romance and a whole lot of trouble keeps getting in her way.
A toast of Chardonnay to Author Darynda Jones for a very entertaining book. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

I was given an advanced ebook copy of A Good Day for Chardonnay written by Darynda Jones by Netgalley. I had read the previous book in the series A Bad Day for Sunshine and REALLY enjoyed it. This one, I’m sorry to say, I enjoyed but what spoiled it for me was some of the language used by Sunshine in conversation with her 15 year old daughter, Aura. AND the chapter where Sunshine and her heartthrob, Levi, “get together”. I feel that scene did not need to be spelled out in detail. I came very close to stop reading the book at that point. Thought this series was supposed to be in the category of Cozy Mystery, not “COZY” Mystery. I did continue to read it though. I enjoyed the rest of the book and hopefully Ms. Jones continues the series, but without the steamy details.

This book was so much fun to read. The characters in this series always make me laugh. It was such a good read. I highly recommend this book and series. I can’t wait for the next book!

4 stars - It was really good

Trigger Warnings: child kidnapping, critical injuries to minors, murder, violence. References to rape.

Turns out being a sheriff is a lot harder than Sunshine Vicram expected, but she still loves it. Sunshine has another unresolved mystery on her hands with the return of one of her very first cases as a cop, a child kidnapping. Her teenage daughter, Auri, has her own case hunting an unsolved serial killer case.

This was another action packed, hilarious, scary, and a little bit steamy adventure for Sunshine and the gang. Sunshine is still struggling to deal with her feelings for the bad boy Levi, who frequently is interrupting her crime scenes. The mystery in this book was fascinating and I really enjoyed seeing Sunshine and Levi actually work together to solve it. We also get some closure for Sunshine’s kidnapping when she was a teenager, which I figured out in the first book but it was still wonderful to see how it played out.

Auri has her own case for uncovering a cold case about the town's serial killer. I love that we continue to get Auri’s POV in this series. I don’t usually love a teenager's POV but she is just so smart, and so much like her mother, that I can’t help but love her. Her burgeoning love is also really sweet and I really can’t wait to see what will become of it in the next book.

Like I said, this was a great mystery for the gang. It was also a very emotional one though. There are a lot of very emotional scenes towards the end of this book that really were gut punches because I wasn’t expecting them, especially since they involved the kids. I would suggest if you have any triggers that deal with kids getting injured, you should be a little careful reading this book.

Overall, this was a wonderful sequel to the first book! I am really loving the direction this series is going and I can’t wait to get my hands on book three.

When Sunshine Vicram became the sheriff of small town Del Sol, New Mexico she didn't think it would require as much on-the-clock work. As it stands, Sunshine barely has a life outside of work, hence why her parents have started setting her up on blind dates.

But solving a bar fight turned into attempted murder, finding a missing child, and solving her own kidnapping and disappearance years earlier, Sunshine has enough on her plate.

When her teenage daughter Aurora decides to take it upon herself to solve a decades old case involving a serial killer, there's not enough coffee in Del Sol to help Sunshine handle it all, which makes it A Good Day for Chardonnay.

After being a huge fan of Darynda Jones's Charlie Davidson series, there was no way that I was going to miss this new series. I liked that in this new series it's a pretty lateral move for Darynda Jones. The mystery aspects are still here, the many twisting storylines. The unknown that needs to be solved. The banter and chemistry between the characters. The only thing missing is a supernatural aspect and I was honestly fine with that.

A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second book in the series. I'd almost say you could read this on it's own, the main mystery is contained within the pages, but you'd miss out on some overarching storylines.

That said, I was happy to get back to Del Sol. This time around Sunshine is investigating a bar fight that left a man nearly dead and the boy he was caring for missing. As far as mysteries goes it's a tangled web and as I sit here after the fact getting my review out I'm finding it difficult to remember how everything connected leading us from one point to another. I'd say of the three mysteries we tackling in this book (because in a Darynda Jones book there is always a lot happening) this one suffers the most for me personally not being as invested as the others.

Meanwhile, there's also the matter of Aurora, Sunshine's teenage daughter, taking it upon herself to solve a series of murders that occurred in Del Sol decades ago. It was always believed the wrong man was convicted and Aurora is determined to set things to right. As much as I didn't mind Aurora settling herself into her mother's investigation in the first book, it was really irksome this time around. Especially as things progress. I feel like Aurora's actions severely violated safety101. I don't know if a point was being made that even though Aurora is a smart girl - she's a sheriff's daughter so she should be well aware of the dangers out there - that one can still get caught up in trouble. I would keep increasingly cringing as we went along on this one.

Of course the big mystery is that of Sunshine's own kidnapping and disappearance years ago of which she's only recovered bits and pieces of her memory. I like the ongoing storyline with Sunshine and figuring out her past. There's a lot of headway made in this regard, but the thing is, when all was said and done, and revelations were made, I wasn't really surprised by them. I had most things figured out from the middle of the first book. I feel like all the pieces were there, they all added up how they should have. It makes me wonder if it's more about Sunshine finally being ready to accept her foggy memories. Since the book is told from Sunshine's perspective I can see how that would be the case and readers are kind of along for the ride while she processes and comes to terms with things. I also have the feeling of things being "too easy" like waiting for the other shoe to drop. That they'll be some kind of other revelation that comes to light that no one saw coming. I guess we'll have to wait to see.

Where the book excels, and honestly where Darynda Jones has always excelled, is in the characterization. Seriously every interaction between the characters is so lively. The banter and back and forth, you can feel the comradery and the love between them. It's why I can't completely dismiss Aurora when she makes terrible decisions, or Sunshine for that matter either. It's why every interaction between Sunshine and Levin Ravinder just spark. It's what makes me care about all the secondary characters in this small town setting. I'm so interested in the goings on that those were the most interesting parts of this book for me. The further glimpses we get into life in Del Sol.

As I said, this book wraps nicely for it's main mysteries, but the overarching storyline still has some loose threads that could definitely be a bit tidied up in a third book. I haven't heard yet if there will be more, but I hope so because I do love spending time in Del Sol.

I jumped for joy when I received this ebook, I had read Darynda Jones #1 in this series, A Bad Day for Sunshine and could not wait to hop back into the story of Sunshine, Auri, Levi and the town of Del Sol, New Mexico , which Sunshine just happens to be sheriff of. I love the humor sprinkled throughout this book as our MC Sun or Shine or Apple blossom as she gets called, tries to solve the newest crime in town. And to my pleasant surprise, this one was even better than #1!!!
This book continues along with the story of Sunshine still investigating who kidnapped her when she was a teen and is that same person the father of her spunky teenager? She is also given the task by the mayor to find the members of the Dangerous Daughters , the group of women who supposedly and secretly run the town. She is pulled in different directions while at the same time her daughter decides to do some investigating of her own! it truly is an exciting roller coaster of a book!
I was super excited by some of the reveals in this book and with the way the book ended, there had better be a #3!!! This is a series I look forward to continuing. This is my favorite series by Darynda, even better than her 13+ series of our favorite Grim reaper Charley Davidson.
Recommended for fans of mystery thrillers, crime, romance and of course HUMOR!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this ebook!

Oh, Darynda, my queen! How do you do it every time? 5 stars!

I adored this sequel in the Sunshine Vicram series. I was so excited to see the return of Sunshine and Auri!

This book was full-tilt with action galore. Sunshine is investigating a bar fight that went array. Auri is hunting a serial killer. Sunshine is also still trying to process the mystery of her own abduction. All of her evidence is pointing right to Levi Ravinder and Sun just can't quite figure out how everything connects. The only thing she does know is that Levi couldn't possibly be the bad guy in her story.

Every character in this series is so well-written and each adds some extra flair to the books. All the fun details make these books even more enjoyable. Sunshine's life is no walk in the park and her crazy shenanigans make for a great read! I can't wait to read the next book since the end left me with quite the cliffhanger!

I really love this series and feel very strongly we all need more than one book a year! Sunshine and her cast of characters are investigating a stabbing which leads to her first case when she was in Santa Fe and in between she’s still piecing together what happened to her years ago and her daughter sets out to prove an 80 year old woman is a serial killer. A lot going on, but it is all woven together so well. And the ending? Ugh - I need the next book stat!

I received a copy of this book to read and review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.