After 15 years, Sunshine Vicram returns to her hometown of Del Sol, New Mexico and is more surprised than the town mayor, Donna Lomas, to discover she had won the election for town sheriff and she hadn’t run for the position. Her parents are delighted and seem to have rigged the election in her favor. Sun has always had a contentious relationship with her parents who pay no regard to letter of the law. Her parents are pleased that Sunny returned home with her teenage daughter, Auri.

From the first book, we learn that Auri doesn't know her father and this novel has Sun reflecting back to the time when she discovered she was pregnant. It felt like a lifetime ago and Sun still has trouble remembering the traumatic event she experienced when she was abducted at 17 years-old. She still has her oldest friend, Quincy Cooper, in which she confides who recalls how in love she was with Levi Ravinder whose family had been involved with some shady distillery business. As she tries to uncover who abductor her all those years ago all evidence points to Levi which she has trouble accepting. You would think that life in a small town would be peaceful and less than exciting but not in Del Sol! From a menacing racoon to handling assaults, she has to reel in her daughter who seems to be drawn to trying to solve crime as well. The story has serious topics which are addressed with mystery and just the right amount of sarcastic humor which makes Sunshine a character you want to have a happy ending. ( )

A Good Day for Chardonnay
Sunshine Vicram, Book 2

Re-Read:
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: HC Public Library
Dates Read: 2/10/24 - 2/11/24
Stars: 5

This has been my third read of this book and it still hit me with an emotional ton of bricks. Darynda Jones makes it so easy to fall in love with her characters. They are so brave and care for each other so deeply, even if they don’t always admit it.

I honestly don’t think this will be the last time I re-read this story. ( )

I KNEW IT!! ( )

A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second book in the Sunshine Vicram series and I enjoyed it quite a bit. There are a lot of quirky characters in this town which made for some entertaining moments, but there were also some cringe-worthy moments as well where it is hard not to roll your eyes. I'm not really into all that romance, so I don't really care who ends up with who therefore, all of the pining for a certain set of abs sort of washes right over me, even if I can appreciate it.

I don't mind Sunshine as a main character as she's both funny and sarcastic. Dealing with a variety of things from a small town can't be easy, everything from an escaped raccoon to the more serious drug laundering stuff, certainly keeps her hands full. A rebellious daughter also keeps her busy, but only in the sense that she keeps getting herself into trouble by checking into things herself rather than letting the police officers do the work, setting herself up for some serious shenanigans. I like Sunshine's daughter, but as smart as she is, she doesn't seem to learn from any of her mistakes and escapes far too easily from her grandparents' watch. And there never seems to be consequences for her actions, something that does rub me the wrong way.

There was actually a lot going on in this book, but my biggest concern is the cavalier way with which most of it was dealt. You have mob affiliations, past murder, secret alliances, characters dealing with PTSD due to traumatic events in their past, characters who are not quite was they seem, people who were paid off, and the list goes on. Personally, I didn't find it overwhelming or anything, but you certainly have to pay attention to the details. I understand the story line is supposed to come across as lighter, but the lack of accountability rubbed me the wrong way throughout the book, I don't care how whimsical the plot. Even humourous, cozy mysteries have consequences, and this one seemed to tread on the light side of that line.

Verdict
A Good Day for Chardonnay had some interesting moments, but it also some moments that I was questioning. I'm not a fan of the whole abduction story line and the way it's being played out, but I would like to see how his Uncle Clay is taken out at some point. And while I didn't mind the banter in the story, I did think it tried too hard to hit that lighthearted note, that it went a bit too far and didn't exact enough consequences for those who actually crossed the line. So, while I did enjoy it, I'm not sure I will be rushing to read the next book in the series. ( )

3.5 - 4 stars ( )