Darynda Jones

A Bad Day for Sunshine

Denaiir

This book's balance of mystery and family drama was perfect, with a little steamy cherry on top ;)

Sunshine is a single mom to 14-year-old Auri, and the secondary mystery revolves around them. When Sunshine was in high school she was abducted and then "returned", but no one knows who the abducter was and she can't remember anything.

The story is split between Sunshine and Auri. Auri’s story revolves around her starting in a new school, a mystery around her dad, and yet another problem: the friend she made while visiting the town disappeard. Auri’s character is endearing and her relationship with her mom is great, I loved reading about their bond. 

This was a fun and entertaining read that made me feel both happy about all the wholesome relationship and intrigued by the various mysteries and cliffhangers, and I'm excited to read the next installment.

Raven Walker

Where do I even begin with this book? I guess I'll start off by saying that a few years ago, I read the first two books in Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series and really liked them. I liked them enough that I proceeded to go out and buy the rest of the series. I haven't gotten around to reading them yet (a problem I generally have with series - I like to wait until the series is complete so that I can buy them all and binge read without having to wait for the next one to be released, only to wait forever to actually pick it up.) But, alas, I remember liking the first two books. 

So, when I picked up A Bad Day for Sunshine, let me tell you, I was absolutely TERRIFIED that I'd wasted a sh*t ton of money on a bunch of books that I'm never going to actually read when I bought the Charley Davidson series. When I started this book, I was shocked at how much I hated the writing style. The humor and dialogue was immature and the writing itself was so cringy that I almost couldn't finish the book. Every time Sunshine opened her mouth, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how ridiculous whatever she was saying was. Seriously, if the book would have been 100 pages longer, I would have pulled an optic muscle for sure. 

And the plot, f*cking hell, that plot. That was possibly the most predicable narrative I have EVER come across. No kidding, I had the whole thing unraveled by the half way point. And don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with a mystery that solves itself before the end of the book, as long as the plot acknowledges that they mystery has been solved and gives us something, anything, else to work with afterwards. Like, if you're going to reveal who the bad guy is, as well as what his motives are, while at the same time basically giving up all the answers to the side mystery too, at least move on a dedicate the rest of the book to taking down the criminal or something. Or AT LEAST setting up a new plot line for the second book. 

But no. Darynda Jones gives up all her secrets 3/4 of the way through the book and then keeps chugging along like nobody knows what's going on. 

So, to sum it up: The writing was bad, the characters were annoying, and the plot itself was nothing to write home about. 

I will say, though, this book's only saving grace was Levi Ravinder. He was a pretty solid and interesting guy. It's just a shame he didn't show up more in the book. And despite the fact that he basically carried the whole book on his back, he still wasn't interesting enough to make me want to read the next one. 

All that being said, I did go back and read a little bit of First Grave on the Right, just to make sure I hadn't entirely lost my mind when I decided I liked that book. Good news - Charley Davidson is far superior to Sunshine Vicram.

danielle bush

** spoiler alert **
           This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020 and it did not dissapoint.. 
I loved all of the characters.. i smiled, and laughed out loud, and also got some second hand embarrassment 😅 
We get lots of sass, and funny banter.. it a just works together so well.. 
Sunshine and her daughter Auri just moved back to Del Sol New Mexico. Some how Sunshines parents got her elected sherif. 
Many years ago, Sunshine was kidnapped and held for ransom for a week, when one day a stranger drops her off at the hospital.. she had head trauma and after spending about a month in a coma wakes up to find her self not being able to remember the past 2 months, but also pregnant.. Fast forward to when she comes home, and she plans on looking into the case.. 
We also have the case of the cursed muffins, the missing /stolen chicken and a missing 14 year old. Whom is friends with Sunshines daughter.. 
This is definitely going to be one of my favorite series I can already tell, right up their with Darynda Jones Charlie Davidson series.. i already can't wait for the next book to come out..

'Laugh-out-loud funny, intensely suspenseful, page-turning fun' Allison Brennan _____________ Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, strong cups of coffee - and, now, a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff, expecting nothing more than a quiet ride. But now a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter's new school, plus a kidnapped rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny. But even clouds have their silver linings. This one's got Levi, Sunshine's sexy, almost-old flame, and Quincy Cooper, a fiery-hot US Marshall. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol's normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger. Can Sunshine face the call of duty - and find the kidnapper who's terrorising her beloved hometown - without falling head over high heels in love . . . or worse? 'A Bad Day For Sunshine is a great day for the rest of us' Lee Child 'From the creative genius who brought you Charley Davidson comes your newest obsession: Sunshine Vicram. Mother. Sheriff. Warden of weird' Susan Donovan

'A great day for the rest of us' Lee Child

B. K.

Kind of surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I had mixed feelings about the first book in Jones' Charley Davidson series and chose not to continue with it. The tone here is exactly the same - mystery mixed with romance, and humor that is sometimes witty but often cheesy - but the story worked better for me. We're introduced to a lot of side characters, too many and too quickly for me to really care, and it made me roll my eyes how many of them just happened to be super hot/beautiful. But I liked Auri and for the most part Sunshine (minus her obsession/constant horniness for Levi). Not sure if I'll go the audiobook route for the next book, but the narration was decent.

A Bad Day for Sunshine

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