Saturday, January 20, 2024

Series Review - Sunshine Vicram #s1 and 2

Title:   A Bad Day for Sunshine
Author:  Darynda Jones
Series:   Sunshine Vicram #2
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   400
Date of Publication:   St. Martin's Press
My Rating:   4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

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, strong cups of coffee - and, now, a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff - thanks to her adorably meddlesome parents who nominated her--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 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 and a kidnapped prized 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 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 terrorizing her beloved hometown - without falling head over high heels in love . . . or worse?


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Sunshine Vicram is still scratching her head when she learns that she has been voted in as mayor in a small town in New Mexico. With years of policing under her belt, she takes on this new job with pride. Her very first case is quite serious.. A teenager is missing and there is a kidnapper that is plaguing the small town. Sunshine has no choice but to hit the ground running, with hopes that they find the teen alive, and that no other kids are snatched.

I went into this book and trilogy with the strong idea that I would love it and I was not disappointed. Sunshine is a real treat. She is sarcastic, funny, kind and loving. She is the mom to a teenage girl named Auri who follows just a bit too close in her mother's footsteps. I also really love Sunshine's parents in all of the books in this series. Then there is Levi, Sunshine's major crush since forever. Lastly, there are other characters, including those on Sunshine's small team, who are just as enjoyable in this delightful first book in the series.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Title:   A Good Day for Chardonnay
Author:  Darynda Jones
Series:   Sunshine Vicram #2
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   416
Date of Publication:   July 27, 2021
My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff--and even fuller-time coffee guzzler--Sunshine Vicram, didn't get that memo.

All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that's about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)

Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny's got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he's not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She's seen it. Once. Accidentally.

Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn't know when to quit, Sunny's life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.

Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Sunshine Vicram is back in book to of a truly enjoyable trilogy. Sheriff in a small town, with a job she thought would be rather laid back, Sunshine finds herself busier than ever. While Sunshine cannot help but think of her past often when she was kidnapped, she is getting closer to find out who the kidnapper was. Meanwhile, Auri, her now fifteen-year-old daughter is running her own investigation of sorts. Auri is getting more and more like Sunshine, and has a knack for going a bit too far when looking for answers.

In the first book, Sunshine thought she might finally have gotten closer to her crush Levi, and in this second book the pair do start to explore their forever long feelings for one another. The intrigue, action, humor never let up in these delightful books by Darynda Jones. Then, when you factor in family, as well as the bonds of friendship, this next installment in this fun series was impossible to put down. The first book was a great read, but this second book was just so much better. 

Many thanks St. Martin's Press to and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

NYTimes
and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, certain they went away the better for it. She penned the international bestselling Charley Davidson series and is currently working on several beloved projects, most notably the Sunshine Vicram Mystery Series with St. Martin's Press and the Betwixt and Between Series of paranormal women's fiction. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

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