Review: A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones

Author: Darynda Jones
Publisher: St. martin's Press
Publication Date: July 2021

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.

A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second book featuring Sherriff Sunshine Vicram.  This one picks up a couple of months after the events of the first book.  Honestly, I wouldn't read this one if you haven't read A Bad Day for Sunshine.  That book is kind of spoiled in this one.  This time around, Sunny is busy solving why a man was stabbed in a bar fight, dealing with a rogue raccoon, and a daughter who is keeps sneaking out and finding trouble.

I loved this one just as much as the first one.  It has the perfect mix of laughs, drama, suspense and romance.  I love the relationship that Sunny has with her daughter as well as her parents.  I laughed out loud so many times reading this book.  In fact, I ran through a range of emotions within the short span of a few chapters.  The momma bear in me just wanted to hug Cruz and never let go.  Man that one scene toward the end wrecked me.  I don't want to spoil anything, but there are so many secrets exposed and questions answered.   You won't want to stop reading.  I hope the next book comes out very soon.  That ending left me craving more.  I highly recommend this one.  It's definitely going to be in my top 10 for this year!