Sunshine is back! She is not about to let a tequila hangover interfere with her duties. There is A LOT going on in this one. I loved the progress being made with her Levi story (although not a huge fan of the open door scene). Her daughter Aurora is one of my favorite characters. She really shines in this one. And I think I have a crush on her deputy Quincy. I have a weakness for those law enforcement types having been married to one for 33 years. If you have been following this series, you will want to pick this one up. Official release date is December 6, 2022. The quirky captions at the beginning of each chapter will make you laugh out loud. If you have enjoyed the Stephanie Plum books on audio, then you will feel at home with Lorelei King narrating this series as well. Wish I didn't have to wait for Book 4!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I was approved for the ebook copy, I read it furiously. But I knew I would want to listen to this one as well because Lorelai King does an absolutely incredible job with this series and makes it even more fun to listen to than it is to read on my own (which is a rare compliment from me indeed). Everything I said previously about the book still stands of course, but I need to add that if you are at all on the fence about audio books but like this type of light mystery full of snark and fabulous characters, this is definitely a great place to start. King is a fantastic narrator who brings these books to life in a way that is magical!

For reference, here is my content review of the ebook:
The series is just so much fun! I absolutely love these characters.. The plots are crazily intricate and involved, everyone is hiding something, and there's more madcap mayhem than should be allowed by law - and the blend of it all is just delicious. This latest installment could feel like a series end but I really truly hope it isn't. A lot of big questions have been resolved, but I desperately hope we see more of Sun and the Ravinders, one and all!!

This was another great read! I love this series and was thrilled to read the third one. The characters just keep getting better. The story always has series parts but there are laugh out loud funny parts. The audio was great!

My kind of mystery! 4.5.

I didn’t know this was book three of the Sunshine Vicram series, but I didn’t feel like I needed a backstory to love everything about this book!!! Sun and Auri were so likeable, their interactions were some of my favorite parts of the book. It was lighthearted and witty and kept you entertained throughout the story. I felt the mystery part of it was so appropriately tied in with the lifestyles of the main characters.

I definitely want to go back and read books one and two, but if you are like me and happen to pick this one out not knowing it was a series, you’ll still enjoy it!

I switched between physical book, audiobook, and e book thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. Thanks so much for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Jones' writing is always fun and engaging but Lorilei King remains the queen of audiobook narration!

Thank you MacMillan for the audiobook review copy of A Hard Day for a Hangover. I am a big fan of this series, I love Sunny and her relationships at home/with family and at work as well as the broader context of the mysteries. Lorelei King is a wonderful narrator and really brings to life the edgy humorous vibe that pervades this book; I appreciate her style and how she understands the underlying tone and mood of the plot and the voice of each character.
I am a fan of this series because Darynda Jones blends a well developed and realistic mystery with a strong female lead and well developed secondary characters and contexts; she blends humor and mystery seamlessly and this audiobook is a great way to enjoy her writing style

A Hard Day for a Hangover A Novel by Darynda Jones, narrated by Lorelei King is the third in the Sunshine Vicram series and pure lightning in a book! With her daughter Auri barely recovered from her recent near death experience, Del Sol’s Sheriff Sunshine Vicram just wants her daughter to stay safe and for things to settle down. Of course, Levi Ravinder disappearance is weighing on her. And she’s not sure if it’s because she told him that Auri is his daughter or because his Uncle Clay wants to kill him. When Auri discovers a link between an unidentified young woman who had been found near death in the canyon after being assaulted and other missing young women, she follows her mother’s lead and can’t help but investigate. But will Auri be the next victim?

The narrator was flawless and portrayed each person’s character effortlessly. It is a rare narrator who can portray the subtleties of sarcasm, suspense, and teenage angst so well. I enjoyed listening to this book so much that it was difficult to even take a break. I will definitely look for more books with this narrator.

This book is a rollercoaster ride that will make you laugh out loud, fill you warm fuzzies, or stop your heart with the suspense. It was pure exhilaration, one minute I was laughing, the next I was either catching my breath or experiencing the love between Sunshine, her family and friends. I love the quirky characters, the snark and the zany antics of the Dangerous Daughters and Sinister Sons. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) So many of the open questions from previous books were answered in this installment. Please don’t let this be the last book in this series!

Lorelei King was the narrator of this book and she knocked it out of the park with this one. Her character voices are fantastic and each character has their own voice.
The sarcasm and wit of Sunshine and her band of misfits comes through as if they are in the same room as you. Darynda Jones characters and Lorelei King's voice work makes you forget that you are listening to a book, it feels like your curled up on the couch listening to good friends and sipping on your favorite beverage.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audio copy of this book. Sunny is back. This time she is trying to figure out the identity of both a victim found in a canyon and that victim's assailant. Auri cannot help herself from inserting herself into her mother's investigations. Sunny's parents are an ever-present support system, and her relationship with Levi finally comes to fruition with the hopes of a happy (but not boring) family life to come. The book is infused with humor, and reminiscent of Janet Evanonvich's Stephanie Plum series. I look forward to the next title.

This was a surprisingly well written 'investigative' novel. Based on the title (and some of the character names e.g. "Sunshine") I was expecting something campy and "Lifetime" but it wasn't at all! That said, I could have done without the overly descriptive sex scene in the middle of the book. It had no place and ew.

I did often feel I was missing out having not read the previous two books. There were so many references, however the author did do a good job of providing context so I wasn't out of the loop. That said, this book is a "spoiler" so I can't go back and read them.

Recommend for fans of the Morgan Dane and Tracy Crossright series or anyone who loves a case novel that isn't too procedural and incorporates the life of the detective.

Thank you @stmartinspress for a copy of this book. This is the 3rd book of this series and though can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading them in order to get a sense of all the background of the characters.

This book picks up where the 2nd one left off with Sunshine still in love with Levi and all the shenanigans of the town of Del Sol. Part romance and part mystery, I really enjoyed this story. All the characters are likable and Auri, Sunshine's daughter, is such a fun character that ends up in a lot of scary situations.

The narration of Lorelei King was perfect for this book.

Say it isn't so! Book 3 of the trilogy. Well, this one had me laughing my way through it and once I started this one I had a hard time putting it down to carry on with life. Sunshine has a lot going on and after spending her night at the bottom of a bottle of tequila she and her side-kick Chief Deputy Quincy are called out to a stabbing of none other than their local flasher, Doug, who has a knitting needle in his neck. Close on those heels is the call to the canyon where a teenager has been found by a hunter and she is barely hanging on to life. She has been thrown over the guard rail. Sunshine doesn't have time for her hangover and all this closely resembles another victim from a year ago. Of course, her daughter, Auri, has put on her sleuthing hat and decided she is going to solve all the crime including this all while watching over Cruz. Add in the prison break of Levi's uncle Wynn, and his other uncle, Clay, who wants to kill him and there is enough craziness to keep everyone on edge. This one is full of just as much snark and sass and laugh out loud goodness I did not want it to end but when it did it left me with a great big smile. The best part, if this author decides to keep this series going, there is plenty of room to keep it spinning along! Hint, hint, GREAT BIG HINT!

**Received this ARC for review in audio from the publisher via NetGalley** (second time through and loved it just as much this time!!!!!

My husband and I tried to listen to this book while on a car trip and just couldn't. I'm not sure if it was the stereotypes of people in the Sangre DE Cristo mountains that we could t handle or the writing style. We didn't findit humorous. Maybe reading the novel would make it more interesting versus listening..

A day might come when I don’t like one of Darynda Jones’ books, but today is not that day! As much as I love Darynda’s words, it’s always Lorelei King’s voice that brings it all home for me. ❤️
I’m leading an online book club discussion of this book in December when it releases but I could not wait when I saw the ALC listed for review. #noregrets
Anyway, this was another great installment in the Sunshine Vicram world. All the gang was there to solve the current mystery. If you liked the first two books in this series, you’ll love this one too. ‘Nuff said without spoiling any secrets! 🤐
*Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advance reader’s copy.

Sunshine Vicram does not need all the drama on a day when she might have had a little too much tequila the night before. Being sheriff of the small New Mexico town of Del Sol shouldn't be so complicated. There's her daughter Auri, who finds herself in dangerous situations far too frequently for her mother's liking. Not to mention her old flame Levi Ravinder, who has recently disappeared again after Sunshine attempted to put him into protective custody. She also has to deal with a series of young girls who have been missing or turned up terribly injured in the same area. Not to mention the town flasher who has been stabbed in the neck with a knitting needle (OK, maybe Sunshine isn't too eager to solve the last one -- anything to keep the flasher off the streets). Her deputy and best friend Quincy is also fighting with an elusive raccoon that has taken up residence in the police station.

The narrator, Lorelei King, does a wonderful job in bringing all the various characters to life and delivering the funny dialog and amusing interactions. I had listened to her narration of other titles, and she always does a really entertaining job!

I enjoyed the book, and by the second half, there was so much action that I was wondering how it would all be wrapped up. This is apparently the final book in a trilogy, but I do hope we haven't seen the last of Sunshine and her pals.

Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Sunshine Vicram #3
Narrator: Lorelei King
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: December 6, 2023
My Rating: 3.6 rounded up 4 Stars!

I read both Books #1 and #2, "A Bad Day for Sunshine" and "A Good Day for Chardonnay", which were both fun! However, I wasn’t positive about pick up this third book.
When I saw that the audiobook was available and the narrator is Lorelei King, I knew I wanted it.
Ms. King is the audiobook performer for author Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Bounty Hunter series. I have to admit this story totally reminded me of one of Stephanie Plum stories including quirky characters.

Story starts in Del Sol, New Mexico. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram is suffering from a tequila hangover and claims that this has been a very long week. Chief Deputy Quincy Jones reminds her that it is only 8:37am on a Monday morning.
She snaps out of her misery when an unidentified young woman is found near the bottom of a cliff. (Yep! This day is certainly turning out to be a hard day for a hangover!)
With the aid of a helicopter - Sun and the rest of her team rush to the injured unconscious girl to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Sunshine’s daughter, Auri a fifteen year old high school freshman can’t help but get involved (it is the last few days of the school year - not much it happening at school – so figures she isn’t missing anything important). Auri believes the injured girl might be the cousin of a classmate who has not yet arrived for her visit.

Sun is also dealing with Levi Ravinder, the man she has been in love with forever! Yes! he is part of the reason this story starts off with Sun’s tequila handover.

Awww the plot thickens!

These characters are fun! I really enjoyed it but not a fan of the nasty language ~ I am sure most readers found it humorous.

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granted me the pleasure of listening to this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 6, 2022

I love this series and was so excited to listen to this. The narrator is great and I laughed out loud many times. I have everyone at my library using “sin cave”. I can’t get enough of the characters in these stories and I will miss them until the next book. I have the first book in the series on my staff picks and recommend it all the time.

This book has so many twists and turns that it keeps you on your toes. I love how the daughter is so into crime or should I say solving crimes that she helps her mom (the sheriff) solve a couple cases all in one book. Arie is so understanding with the way the her mom got pregnant with her and the ending is super. I really love the way this book kept me interested and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Lorelei King did a great job with the narration! Her voice IS Sunshine. Whenever I hear her on other audiobooks I think, "what is Sunshine Vicram doing in this book?"

The plot on this one was a little bit confusing. There were so many pieces to the overall puzzle I had trouble keeping track. I love Sunshine and Ari so much. I love their relationship. They're a bit like Gilmore Girls.

The ending was a bit too fast but less of a cliff hanger than book 2.

Sheriff Sunny Vickram is not having a good day, week or month. Desperately trying to uncover a lead in a series of missing women, she feels like she’s banging her head against a wall. Then there’s Levi, the love of her life, who just happens to come from a family of unrepentant lunatics whose ultimate goal is to see both Sunny and Levi six feet under and to further complicate matters, Sunny’s daughter, a high school freshman has decided she’s going to investigate the discovery of a young woman, found clinging to life on the edge of a cliff. Sunny and her team are already on the case, but Auri believes she alone can find the culprit. It’s enough to make Sunny hide under her bed with a bottle of tequila. The third book in this series, this is the best so far, with the characters coming into their own