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Sunday, March 1, 2020

A Bad Day For Sunshine Review



Series: Sunshine Vicram #1
Genre: Romance Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date:  April 7, 2020
Purchasing Link:  Amazon

My Rating:  4 Witty Hearts

*A special thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book via Netgalley.

New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones is back with the brand-new snarky, sassy, wickedly fun Sunshine Vicram series!

Synopsis:

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:
Newly elected Sheriff Sunshine Vicram rolls back into Del Sol, New Mexico with her fourteen year old daughter Auri and a suitcase full of bad memories and karma.  She'd left this whimsical little town in her rearview at age seventeen - running from a traumatic, life-altering experience and a broken heart with no intention of ever returning to the scene of the crime.  And yet, here she is having won an election she didn't enter.  Is that even legal?  One's thing for sure, the most action this place ever sees is from resident flasher Doug, an escape artist rooster called Puff Daddy, or a group of eccentric old ladies called The Book Babes.  Piece of cake, right? lol  Think again.  On Sunshine's first day on the job, all hell breaks loose when a girl is reported missing and an escaped convict is spotted around the outskirts of town.  Sunshine and Deputy Quincy Cooper, a childhood friend, begin their investigation and, of course, one of the first people they need to interview is Sunshine's ole flame Levi Ravinder . . . one of THE Ravinders.  And no surprise that nothing's changed between them as sparks, flames, and ugly, hurtful words fly.  What is his problem?!  Buckle up y'all - you're in for one hell of a ride!

A Bad Day For Sunshine is told through two points of view - that of Sunshine and her daughter Auri.  The results are alternating chapters and intertwining dual plotlines that will keep readers on their toes.  Auri is faced with her own drama from being bullied at school plus she's a wanna-be sleuth with a tendency to jump in the deep in without a backup plan.  Strangely enough, it's often Levi that rides in on a white horse to rescue her.  Yes, there's a story there too.

Multiple plot lines and muti-dimensional characters help set a fast pace in A Bad Day For Sunshine.  It's an entertaining read with lots of witty banter, quirky characters, and one-liners.  I will say that all the snark had me concerned early on as it was spread a bit thick.  I found myself searching for the plot line and thinking is this all there is?  No need for concern as the story soon settles in, and I quickly became immersed in hunting for clues to the kidnapper's identity and a link I felt I was missing.  Character-driven stories such as this one with a star support cast generating a great deal of suspense are among my favorites.  Jones trademark wit is evident throughout creating laugh out loud scenes even in the midst of a kidnapping investigation.  I did feel at times as though the urgency of the case was sacrificed to the humor as main characters meandered off course frequently, but in her usual magical manner this author makes it work.  There's an overall story arc that obviously continues into the next book, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it leads these characters and readers.` All in all, A Bad Day For Sunshine is a great start to a fascinating new series by the beloved Darynda Jones.  Highly Recommended!


My Rating:  4 Witty Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra



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