I was a little Leary about this book, I thought I was going to hate it because I wanted more grave books and more Charlie but I was so wrong. This book was amazing......funny.....charming. How can you go wrong with a character called Doug the flasher. This book will not disappoint.....grab it up quick you will thank me later.

This book completely surprised me. I *loved* it and read it in one sitting. The characters are very realistic, the story is compelling, and the action is addictive!

***4.5 Stars***


A Bad Day for Sunshine is a good way to start off my reading for the New Year. The novel is about Sheriff Sunshine Vicram and her daughter Auri Vicram. The series starts off with Sunshine winning an election that she didn't actually run for as she just moved back to her hometown, and from there we get all the wacky things that go on in Del Sol, New Mexico. The series follows Sunshine as she's working against time to solve a kidnapping case of one of her daughter's friends that just moved to the small city. She's not only dealing with that, but threats from the mayor, another missing teen, her crush on the town's bad boy Levi, and working on her own criminal case secretly from an incident that happened when she was only 17yrs old. I enjoyed that Darynda has two main characters, in that we not only follow Sunshine's life but, also her 14yr old daughter Auri and the hardships she goes through being not only a teenager, but also the Sheriff's daughter. The interactions that they have with each other are heart warming and funny, they have excellent chemistry as a mother and daughter team. The supporting characters are wonderful too, Quincy(Sunshine's best friend), Levi(crush) Hailey(Levi's sister & Sunshine's nemesis) Jimmy( Hailey's son who's also autistic), and Cruz( Auri's friend and crush) and let's not forget how wonderful Sunshine's parents are. The ensemble cast adds a great dynamic to the story making it very well rounded.

But, let me tell you, it took me a pretty long minute to finish this book. I loved the Charley Davidson series and thought this book would capture me from the beginning as it predecessor did, but that wasn't the case. I initially started reading the book back in November and then picked it back up on and off in late December and then finally read it consistently for the past 5 days. In my opinion the beginning of the book started off a little too wacky and a little slow, and that's where my reluctance on reading the book fell in. Although the pace was steadily moving as the author had to do the groundwork on the characters, it didn't really pick up until around 50%. Even though, I didn't really start enjoying the story until the latter half of the novel, it is still a great book to start off the New Year's with and kept me wanting more. It's like now I'm regretting starting the series so early and that the book doesn't actually come out until April, and I'm over here anticipating for the second book, which I will definitely be reading. It has a good premise and I actually think it will become better than her Charley Davidson series. I'm not going to lie the ending although not too much of a cliffhanger, still leaves me wanting more. I will definitely be adding this to my blog pages2bigscreens.com as it would it would be a great addition to a TV lineup.

Darynda Jones begins a new series with a brand new set of characters. Sunshine has just been nominated sheriff, and on her first day she has a real big case to solve. Be prepared for a great mystery with a witty main character and a host of charismatic sidekicks that keeps the story moving at a quick pace.

I really enjoyed this book! I am already a fan of Darynda Jones, so j was excited to see she started a new series! This book was written well, had a great story with twists and turns and I loved the characters! I would highly recommend!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review

A well planned mystery! I haven't read this author's previous series but I intend to seek out her older books and hope to enjoy them as much as I did this one. I also liked the secondary mystery and it kept me wanting to learn more about the characters.

Excellent new book from Darynda. Took me a little while to get into it but wow once I did I could not put it down. Another winner here.

I could not connect with the characters in this book, even though I found the plot interesting. The writing style was exceedingly informal as well, which I found jarring.

A friend convinced me to ask for this book & I'm mostly glad I did. I love mysteries & this had so many elements that I loved. Sunshine is the newly elected sheriff of a small county in New Mexico. On her first day at work a teenage girl goes missing, which brings back a lot of trauma from Sunshine's own past.

I liked the story and the characters. I loved Auri & Sunshine together. Unfortunately, there are as some weird sexual content in there that was completely out of place. The writer also seems to be trying to build on the !mystery of Sunshine's assault years prior, but it's kinda obvious. While I enjoyed this book, I don't think I would continue the series.

What a nice surprise this book is! It starts cheerily as Sunshine and her daughter Auri move back to Sun’s hometown of Del Sol, New Mexico. Sun is beginning her first day of work as the new town sheriff, and Auri is going to high school. Chaos erupts, and together they look into the case of a missing teenager. There is a solid cast of local characters, a bit of romance, the dialogue is witty, and I couldn’t help but smile at the wry little blurbs at the beginning of each chapter. As an extra, I loved the shout-out to Lisbeth Salander. Ms. Jones is a new author for me, and I look forward to reading more of her books, hoping that this is the start of a new series. 4-1/2 rounded up to 5 stars.

ARC/Ebook/Mystery: I would like to thank NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. If doesn't come out for a long while, so no spoilers here. I had to fight myself not to compare Sun to Charley Davidson in a "What would happen several years from now to Charley and Beep" scenario and let this non-paranormal form for me. After I got through that, I warmed up to the characters better.

I was hoping the title was part of the book and everything would happen in just one day, but it is over about three days. The bad guy was handed to the reader so easily, I felt that it had to be someone else. I was wrong. There are still too many questions in the end so that make it so there has to be another book. As far as the writing, it is quick with no extra filler.
I definitely recommend this as I liked its quick wit. There are some funny and charming moments in the book and with several plots going on all at the same time.

I loved Ms Jones’ series about Charley so I was uber excited to see the start of a new series. And the fact that I received an ARC made it even better (thank you to the publisher and #netgalley).

That being said, I wanted to love Sunshine, and I kind of did. But not as much as Charley. If I hadn't compared, maybe I would have loved her more.

Sunshine is funny, witty, smart and really thinks on her feet. However, she seemed a bit flakey at times, and I had a hard time with the story of HOW she became sheriff.

The story and the characters are fun, and it's a quick read. But I think I was expecting just a little bit more.

Sunshine Vicram is a detective who is suddenly going to be sheriff. How the heck did that happen? No one seems to know but she is going to roll with it....for now. And then her bad day really gets going!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Sunshine is a great character. She has a history that no one can fully explain. She has a teen daughter she loves with all of her heart. There's a man she has been in love with forever but he doesn't know it and besides, his family might be tied to organized crime. Her parents are loving and a little bit suffocating. And now she has a whole bunch of cops that work for her and a couple of crazy crimes to solve.

This story had a great main crime story that ended in an interesting way. There are lots of crazy, goofy side stories that all make sense. The author did a good job giving readers a sense of the weirdness of the town where the story takes place. There is a lot of room for the characters to grow and develop in future stories.

I thought the mystery that is Levi Ravinder is a little annoying. I know, it's setting up a long term story but I still found myself shaking my Kindle looking for a little more info. I have lots of theories but we'll just have to see what happens in the next book.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, fast paced contemporary story. There is a love story but it is not a romance book. This is like crime lite.

This book has fun and chaos in equal measure. not having read this author before wasn't sure what to expect. A plot line that keeps you wanting to read to the end. Holds your interest and keeps you guessing to the very end. Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let me preface this by saying that I loved Ms Jones’ series about Charley. Loved it.
I wanted to give Sunshine Vicram the same love as a character - and there are similar elements to the characters - Sunshine is witty, quick thinking, resourceful and smart as a whip.
However.... I found the narration to be scattered and inconsistent and I found the pacing threw me off my groove several times (to the point where I let it be a DNF for a long time).
I’d love to see this be refined and a bit less scatterbrained because I truly feel that Sunshine could be a powerhouse of a character.

Title: A Bad Day for Sunshine
Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Sunshine Vicram, #1
Pages: 400
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date: April 7, 2020

Summary:

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.

Review:

I love the Charlie Davidson books and I never thought the author would be able to write anything that I would enjoy as much.

I was wrong. I know. Shocker, right?

These books are so funny. They are set in a normal, not paranormal, world, but I use the term normal loosely. Del Sol, is a weird town. Even, no especially, the sheriff knows that it is weird. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram was raised in Del Sol, but left home when she was a teenager. Now in her thirties, she has returned to raise her daughter in the town she loved as a child. Let the drama ensue.

I love Sunshine’s snark. It really reminds me of Charlie. And I love how she has entire conversations in her head. I love how no one in the town seems completely normal, but they are all pretty much accepted anyway. I think I would like to live in Del Sol, but only if I could be friends with Sunshine. She is definitely a woman you want on your side.

My only problem right now is I received this book several months before publication. I have already read it twice and cannot wait for the sequel. There is not a cliffhanger (hate, hate, hate cliffhangers), but there is definitely more of the story to be told.

Just like the Charlie Davidson books, the Sunshine Vicram series is on autobuy.

This book was sent to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A combination of Nancy Drew, The Gilmore Girls, and a cozy romance mystery (but with four-letter words).

Sunshine Vicrum is the new sheriff of Del Sol, New Mexico. Though she grew up in the small village she has been gone for years and forgotten what a peculiar place Del Sol could be.

Peculiar doesn't even begin to describe it.

There is some fun stuff here: A prize winning rooster named Puff Daddy has gone missing. The mysterious, possibly nonexistent, police officer that no one will discuss. The Book Babes, a drinking club with book problems. Cursed muffin baskets... and then there's the not so fun stuff.

An escaped fugitive in the area. A missing teenage girl, possibly abducted. Dark secrets from the past... and Del Sol's preeminent crime family, the Ravinder clan.

Despite all that and Sunshine's precocious daughter Auri, who has a tendency towards snooping, there is remarkably little going on in this book. There are several subplots that don't amount to much more than setting up possible storylines for future books.

I'm going to cut right to the chase here, most of the mysterious stuff isn't terribly difficult to figure out, a lot of the witty conversation falls flat or comes across as too snarky, and the author never seemed sure whether this was a cozy mystery, a serious thriller, a coming of age story, or just a plain ol' romance novel. At times it was almost hilarious in an unintended way.

As the story unfolds poor Sheriff Vicrum keeps getting all "tingly" in "her girly bits". And, honestly, who can blame her when there is such an abundance of "studly" "startlingly handsome" "infuriatingly exquisite" examples of "male perfection" who have "warm eyes" with "impossibly long lashes", "brandy colored" "shimmering irises" and a "glistening gaze" that holds on her "a microsecond longer than necessary" that " linger a moment too long" these "godlike"creatures who are " chisled" "like a bronze statue"?

It's a wonder the poor woman can function at all!

Needless to say, this book was not for me. That's okay, I am fairly certain I'm not the target audience. I did manage to finish it and I can understand that some readers will enjoy it, even love it - no judgements from me. If you are still interested after those quotes then, please, enjoy.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was funny and some of the twists I honestly did not see coming. The plot of the book was a roller coaster, and I can't wait to see how deep into the occult Jones dives with this series, if at all; there was only a little taste of it, but I'm hoping for more in the future.

It should be noted that if you're looking for a book that will give you a glimpse into how a sheriff's office really works, keep looking. You will have to suspend disbelief on the outset.

However, if you are a fan of Jones, this book will not disappoint. The humor, sass, and tone felt a little like the Charley Davidson books, and Jones clearly has a thing for bad boys - I could draw a lot of parallels between Reyes and Levi (and Charley and Sunshine), but the characters did have enough differences that their voices were unique.

That being said, there are a few things that seem very obvious to me, re: Auri's parentage, who kidnapped Sunshine, who saved her, what happened with Levi, etc. I'm hoping that there will be a HUGE twist coming in the future novels that prove I'm not as smart as I think I am, because I'd be slightly disappointed if I figured out Sunshine's greatest mystery at book one.

Overall, a fun, fast read that has a nice balance between mystery, family drama, and budding romances to keep you turning the pages.

Darynda Jones writes books that are fun and full of entertaining characters. Bad Day for Sunshine is the first book in her new series featuring Sunshine Vicram, the newest sheriff that has no idea how she got elected. One of the best things about Darynda Jones' books are the many characters she uses to tell a wicked good story. Every day in Sunshine's life is a new adventure full of questions ranging from why everyone avoids the muffin baskets to what the book club will screw up next. Along the way, the deputies solve crimes...or commit them? If you loved Charley Davidson and Beep, you will definitely love Sunshine. It's very easy to become a Jones' fan for life!

Fun and chaos in equal measure!

When Sunshine Vicram’s well-meaning parents get her elected as sheriff of small town Del Sol, she doesn’t expect her first day to include a child abduction, a runaway rooster, a car barreling into the sheriff’s station and almost running her down, and a run-in with her first crush, Levi Ravinder.

And the fun has just begun!

This is a fast-paced read with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments interspersed with touching scenes between Sunshine and her daughter, Auri.

Levi is swoon-worthy- the bad boy done good. Handsome as sin, moody as hell, and a soft touch when it comes to those he cares about.

This is my first Darynda Jones book and I loved it! I can’t wait for the next one in the series to come out now, lol.

I give A Bad Day for Sunshine 5+ lovely kisses- Unputdownable!

“I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”