The next installment in the Sunshine Vicram series has it all. Suspense, murder, humor, and a little romance. I love these laugh out loud books.

This is an excellent addition to the Sunshine Vicram series and, dare I say, almost better than the first. I may still be riding an emotional high after the final few chapters, but I still think this stands as a strong sequel.

The quirkiness and humor continue in the town of Del Sol as Sunshine tackles a few different mysteries along the way. For some reason I've started this series with the feeling of cozy mysteries, but Darynda Jones quickly shoves those ideas aside with dips into darker plots and sexier times than I anticipate. Honestly, I'm here for every minute of it.

Just like when I flipped to the final page in the first book, A Bad Day for Sunshine, and absolutely couldn't wait for the follow-up book, I felt the same when the final minute ticked away in A Good Day for Chardonnay. Count me in as a huge fan of this series.

As for the audio part of this audiobook, Lorelei King is an excellent narrator. She hits the right tone for every scene and creates great voices for most characters - but I really disliked her voice for Auri. It just comes across as younger than Auri actually is and it bothers me. As great of a job that King did (and it was excellent), that single part just may be enough for me to flip back to reading the next book in the series instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I will start this by saying I didn't read book one but by the end of the first chapter I was hooked and laughing and there was no way I was stopping to go back. Sunshine is the sheriff of this small town and there is so much going on from a racoon on the loose that her deputy wants to keep to her daughter who cannot be contained (and takes after her mother). Bodies are dropping all over the place and Levi seems to be in the middle of it. I loved this one and listened to it on audio and LOVED it. I highly recommend this one!

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.

Let's face it, Lorelai King has narrated quite a few of my favorite books/series. There are only a handful of audiobook narrators I know by name and hers is one. She does a great job mainly with Sunshine and Aurora. Being able to alternate between younger and older and give distinction between each character is not an easy task, but King manages to do so seamlessly. I love her kind of no-nonsense delivery which I feel highlights the more serious aspects of the story/series.

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.

📚If you refer to your librarian as your dealer, this is the place for you.📚
-Del Sol’s public library

A good day for Chardonnay
By Darynda Jones
5/5 ⭐️

This is the second instalment in @daryndajones new series and it’s just as fun as the first book, A bad day for sunshine!

Sunshine Is the sheriff of Del Sol, New Mexico. She had a hectic start on the job and the chaos hasn’t stopped! Her daughter, Auri, is trying to hunt a serial killer, there’s a raccoon who’s become a bonified menace, and Sun is still trying to solve the mystery of her abduction from years ago.

She knows Levi, the town resident bad boy, knows more about her disappearance that he’s telling her. She’s trying to get the information from him, but is wildly distracted by their mutual attraction. They have a fun, banter-filled, chemistry and I’m into it!

✨Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for a free copy of the audio book, in exchange for my honest review.✨

The publishing date is July 27, 2021!

This is so funny. It made me laugh out loud several times. Sunshine is the sheriff of Del Sol, NM and what a job. She chases raccoons that land on her face, her daughter who loves the town hunk, Levi Ravinder. She only gets a couple sips of wine before being called out each time.
The narrator was awesome and made Sunshine Vicram come alive.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC.
#Netgalley #StMartinsPress

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 love Sunshine Vicram. She is sarcastic and so funny! I cannot wait to read more in this series. I’m fact I need the next book immediately. This one answered some questions I was excited about. I enjoyed the story. I highly recommend this. Thank you so much to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for this audio arc in exchange change for an honest review!

Sunshine is back with her witty and wisecracking ways and the narrators handles it beautifully! The banter between Sunshine and her daughter, Auri, is first rate (think Gilmore girls). With new cases and some secrets revealed, this book is action packed and enjoyable from start to finish. This book picks up right where A Bad Day For Sunshine left off, so it would be best to read that one first. Ending on a cliffhanger it looks like we will be seeing more of Sunshine. I’m hoping for much more!! There’s nothing like a little Sunshine to brighten any day!

I really like this series; even though it is a bit racier than I typically like and there is quite a bit of language, the story and the mystery and the banter really overshadows all of that. There is just so much humor amongst all the murder and chaos and that really makes these books shine. The relationship between Auri and her mom Sunshine is both hilarious and endearing and I love all their interactions with each other. Sunshine's story is thought-provoking [I am not sure I would have been able to handle all she has been through as well as she has] and I love the relationship she has with her bestie Quincy and with her parent's [though it might be noted that she will never let them set her up on a date again!]. SO looking forward to another one in this series - very well done.

I was thankfully given an audiobook [from NetGalley] for this book [I was so glad as I listened to the first book and just loved the narrator] and it was all I expected it to be. The narrator is excellent, she does voices well [I never roll my eyes at any of them] and she moves the story along at a very good pace. Lorelei King has become one of my new favorite narrators!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Darynda Jones, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillian Audio for providing this ARC and Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

*5 Stars!

A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second installment in Darynda Jones's Sunshine Vicram series. This series follows Sunshine Vicram who, in the first book (A Bad Day for Sunshine) somehow unbeknownst to her has become Del Sol, New Mexico's new Sheriff. If you have never read Darynda Jones you are truly missing out. She can write some of the best characters! Sunshine's character has that wit and sarcasm of Lorelai Gilmore. I can't go into to too much detail about the events of this book because of spoilers, so I do recommend that you read them in order. This storyline follows quite a few different things. There is a kidnapping cold case that is somehow connected to a barfight gone wrong and we get more answers about Sunshine's abduction when she was a teen.

One of the best things about this series is the cast of characters. Sunshine is a single mother and a kick butt female. I love seeing her relationship with her daughter (very Lorelai and Rory-esq). And all of the side characters bring so much to the story!

As for the audiobook itself-Lorelei King is one of the best narrators. I have listened to quite a few books she has narrated and each one has been fantastic. She brings Sunshine to life. Audio is 100% the way to go with this series in my opinion!

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an early recording of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Ok Darynda! I need another Sunshine Vicrim book ASAP! Joking aside, I loved this one! Normally I’m into psychological thrillers but this was such a nice break from that without getting to far away from it.

I love all of her beautifully attractive characters and their personalities. I don’t often come across a book where I don’t hate at least one of the main characters.

Thank you Darynda for your literary talents and for allowing escapism through your books! I loved the Charley Davidson series as well!

Sunshine Vicram is back! I was so excited to get the ebook and then the audio from the publisher. I ABSOLUTELY recommend reading A Bad Day for Sunshine first. Although the mystery is stand alone, I believe the storyline of the main characters is necessary to be read in succession. I LOVED both books and most definitely one of my favorites. I've been a fan of Darynda Jones since I first picked up Charley Davidson books ten years ago!

I'm so happy some of the "questions" from book one got wrapped but and im stuck again on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book. Quincy might be my favorite character. Yesssss to more Levi and Sunshine. I love Cruz but Auri had a tendency to drive me nuts. The unraveling of the Dangerous Daughters has me excited for more to come.

Lorelei King is the perfect narrator for Sunny's the sassy one-liners.

A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones
2nd book in the Sunshine Vicram series. Mystery series with a bit of romance and a lot of snark. Best read in series order. Alternating chapters from Sunshine and Auri, mother and daughter.

Sunshine investigates more of her past while life in the small town in New Mexico is unraveled by Auri, Cruz, and a full cast of characters.

I LOVE the humor and snark in this book. More, I love the relationship between mother and daughter which is open and sweet.

Excerpt:
“Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t beat you to death with a feather duster?”
“I made you bacon the other day.”
Dam[ ] it.”
Excerpt from A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones

Chapter Heading:
Driver reported he served to avoid tree. It was later discovered it was his air freshener. Del Sol Police Blotter.

🎧 I read both an ebook copy and then listened to an audiobook copy. The narrator is Lorelei King and she does most of the books by this author.
I love this narrator! She does an exquisite job on the timing, the humor and dry wit of all the characters. The voice variance between Sunshine and Auri is so distinctive, it’s hard to remember it’s the same narrator. It’s like listening to a live conversation between the two. I love reading the book but this narrator takes the experience to the next level.

I received both the ebook and audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher.
Thanks to #StMartinsPress, #MacMillanAudio.
I also purchased all formats available to share, gift and reread.

Sunshine Vicram is an amazing sheriff with a smartass comeback to almost any pithy comment lobbied her way, she also has a heck of a lot on her plate! She is investigating a murder that was possibly committed by a man she's had a crush on for years -Levi Ravinder, a nasty bar fight involving Levi, and her own abduction she can't remember the events of 16 years prior that possibly involved Levi. Oh and her teenage daughter who has a penchant for getting into trouble - (all with the best intentions) is determined to hunt a serial killer with her boyfriend who she keeps
sneaking in her house and sneaking out of her house to see.

There is so much going on in this book you have to take notes to keep up. But I loved it! It was full of humor, action and suspense and it really had some good twists that you will never guess. It was so many things to unpack that there was never a dull moment.

I really liked all of the characters in the book, especially the women.They run the small New Mexico community. Sunshine is a very competent sheriff with deputies that defer to her and never question her authority.

This book with its humor and endearing characters felt like a cozy mystery with violence happening off the page - UNTIL IT DIDN'T in a very big, shocking, and heartbreaking way.

Another thing that ripped the veil off the cozy mystery impression was a scorching hot sex scene. I read romance novels regularly so I love scenes like this but I never expected it in this book. It was 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Overall I enjoyed this book so much and I can't wait to read the next in the series and the first one on the backlist. Thank you Netgalley and @macmillan.audio for my advance listening copy.

I listened to an audio version I received from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I have to say that the narrator, Lorelei King, is in my list of top 10 narrators. That said, I noticed a distinct similarity to the voices she uses in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. The grandma voice is universal I guess. She still does a good job and I probably like it more because of her performance.

I think I like this one more than the first. There is still a lot going on in this book but some of it came in chunks. That is, the main mystery ended at about 66%, then, if I recall correctly, we got a sex scene, then it moved on to something else, etc. Two big pluses, the author doesn't drag out, ad finitum, a couple mysteries that started in the first book. The major one being Sunshine's kidnapping/Aurora's parentage.

The book seems like a light, fluffy read because Sunshine and Aurora are so perky, the quips and the fun ads at the beginning of the chapters, but what happens is very dark. Lots of death, lots of murder, theft, betrayal, yet it all seems so superficial.

Another fun quirky light read from Darynda Jones. Multiple times I found myself laughing out loud while I was walking the dog. I am sure people think I am crazy!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Whoa! This one wild ride. There are laugh out loud moments and places where I cried. I snorted a few times at cheesy one-liners.
I love the narrator - Lorelei King. She brings the irreverent heroines Darynda Jones creates to life.
Sunshine Vicram is having a busy time as sheriff of Del Sol. Levi Ravinder is injured in a knife fight at his family’s bar and a former military man is nearly killed. Investigating what is happening leads Sunshine into her past.
Ari, Sunshine’s daughter, is getting up to her own high jinks.
The past comes calling in a big way.
Heat level: open door sex
Tears needed two hankies.
Ending - well let’s just say the author knows how to tease. I’m fairly sure there are more stories to be written about Sunshine.

I received an ARC of this audiobook to listen to through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones is the second book in her Sunshine Vicram series.
It would be best if you listened to the books in order. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram is back and what she thought was going to be a day off turns into a roller coaster of mystery and danger, and of course, it all somehow revolves around Levi Ravender, the guy she can’t forget. She’s dealing with a bar fight that may turn into a murder investigation, a teenage daughter who's on the hunt for a possible serial killer, the missing child case that still haunts her has fresh leads, memories of her own abduction as a teen are beginning to surface, and Levi is in danger. I adored this book and stayed up way past my bedtime listening because there was no way I could go to sleep without finding out what happens next. The narrator is excellent. Steam Level: Medium Publishing Date: July 27, 2021
#AGoodDayForChardonnay #StMartinsPress # MacMillanAudio #DaryndaJones #ContemporaryRomance #MysteriesAndThrillers #MysterySeries #bookstagram #bookstarammer #NetGalley #AudioBooks

“A Good Day for Chardonnay” by Darynda Jones
Book 2 in Sunshine Vicram series
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audiobook 🎧
Release Date: 7/27/21

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book! I read book 1 on audio last summer and loved the mix of comedic one liners and mystery. When I saw this pop up on Netgalley I knew I had to try and get it! It did not disappoint! A lot of Sunshine’s personal storyline carried over from book 1, so I highly recommend reading in order. A lot of my questions were answered in this book! All I can say is “WOW” I did not see that coming! The narrator is the same for both groups and great!
Sunshine Vicram is the sheriff of a small town in New Mexico. The excitement never ends. While she runs the town she also is a single parent to her teenage daughter Auri. Luckily for her she has her parent to help raise her daughter while she’s fighting crime. Sometimes the crime is stabbing and hit and run outside of a bar and sometimes it’s the local menace Randy the Raccoon.
While Sunshine is trying to find out what happened outside the bar and how her longtime crush Levi is involved her teenage daughter is trying to hunt a serial killer that is after a mysterious antique necklace. This book is witty, intense, and charming! Don’t miss it!