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Review: A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones

A Hard Day for a Hangover 

Darynda Jones 

 Sunshine Vicram Series, Book 3

Hardcover, 352 pages
Expected publication: December 6th 2022 by St. Martin’s Press
Some people greet the day with open arms. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram would rather give it a hearty shove and get back into bed, because there’s just too much going on right now. There’s a series of women going missing, and Sunny feels powerless to stop it. There’s her persistent and awesomely-rebellious daughter Auri, who’s out to singlehandedly become Del Sol’s youngest and fiercest investigator. And then there’s drama with Levi Ravinder—the guy she’s loved and lusted after for years. The guy who might just be her one and only. The guy who comes from a family of disingenuous vipers looking to oust him—and Sunshine—for good.

Like we said, the new day can take a hike.

A Hard Day for a Hang brilliantly ties up all lingering questions while giving us mystery, romance and humor. 

Waking up with a hangover is only the beginning to what Sunshine‘s day entails.  Finding a young woman who’s been assaulted and barely conscious, a daughter, who is just as smart and intuitive as she is starts, digging into the case from a different angle. Not to mention the ongoings with the Ravinders, and her feelings for one in particular.  The town of Del Sol is an interesting place, and Sunshine is the one that keeps it running.

Darynda Jones perfectly concludes this series in the best ways possible. With humor, emotions, and just a bit of weirdness to tie it all together. Del Sol is a unique town as are the people that live within it.  Without giving too much away let me just say that we are given a story that also wraps up a series in a way that is perfectly fitting for the story. A Hard Day for a Hangover has mystery, action in a story that connects a family together. Darynda has the way that makes us fall in love with her characters and that doesn’t fall short here with Sunshine and her crew.

Review: A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones

A Good Day for Chardonnay

Darynda Jones 

Sunshine Vicram Series, Book 2 

Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: July 27th 2021 by St. Martin’s Press
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.

4 Stars

 Humor, a few mysteries, fun and a lot of sarcasm. A Good Day for Chardonnay is a jaw dropping, laugh out loud story. 

Sunshine Vicram leads a very busy life. Being a mother to a teenage daughter, the running of her small town,  investigating a cold case murder and trying to piece together a few things from her. She’s got a lot on her plate and that’s just the beginning.  A Good Day for Chardonnay has so many things going on but it keeps the reader that much more intrigued into the book. We start out with a major accident involving Sunshine‘s one true love, Auri Finds herself in the mitts of what could be a serial murder case and teenage love sprouting its roots. There is a lot of growth for both Sunshine and Auri. The back-and-forth between these two it’s truly comical. I love the way they interact and you can tell that the daughter is a chip off of her mother’s shoulders and that they truly do care and love each other.  Sunshine is the type of person that you want to be your friend and it shows in everything she does. From the way she is a mother to the way she cares for others and the way that she feels with every part of her being. Even with several storylines going on I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable book. Even if we readers we’re left with a bit of a cliffhanger.

A Good Day for Chardonnay is classic Darynda Jones in every way. You will laugh, you will feel, and by the end you just may be drowning yourself in coffee or a nice bottle of Chardonnay

Blog Tour: Graveyard Shift by Darynda Jones

The Graveyard Shift, an all-new, incredible, out of this world novella in the award winning paranormal Charley Davidson Series by New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones, is available now!

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Guarding a precocious five-year-old who is half-human, half-god, and 100% destined to save the world is no easy feat.

Garrett Swopes was the ultimate skeptic until he met a certain hellion and her husband. They vanished after stopping a catastrophic event and left him, a mere mortal, in charge of protecting their gift to mankind. But when she disappears as well, he needs the help of another breed of hellion. One who can see past the veil of space and time. One who betrayed him.

She will get a truce in the deal, but she will never earn his forgiveness.

Marika Dubois’s son—a warrior in the coming war between heaven and hell—was foreseen long before his birth. But to create a child strong enough to endure the trials that lay ahead, she needed a descendant of powerful magics. She found that in Garrett Swopes and tricked him into fathering her son. A ploy he has never forgiven her for. But when he knocks on her door asking for her help, she sees the fierce attraction he tries to deny rise within him.

And Marika has to decide if she dares risk her heart a second time to help the only man she’s ever loved.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

The Graveyard Shift ipad available now

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Excerpt

Charley Davidson, a god with a penchant for maiming first and asking questions later, was going to kill Garrett. No, that wasn’t right. Charley’s husband, Reyes Farrow, also a god with a penchant for maiming first and asking questions later, would start the whole process by ripping him to shreds, then letting Charley finish him off. Gladly. And with much glee.

Garrett had one job. One. Fucking. Job. Watch his best friends’ daughter, Beep, aka Elwyn Alexandra Loehr, a kid who just happened to be destined to save the world from a catastrophic demon uprising. He was supposed to guard her with his life. To keep her safe. To protect her from all the ghosts and goblins—metaphorically speaking since he didn’t have a supernatural bone in his body—hell-bent on doing her harm before she could prevent said catastrophic demon uprising.

He failed.

Yesterday, at exactly 3:33 p.m., the precocious five-year-old was running across a sun-drenched field of sagebrush and wild grasses when she disappeared right before his eyes. One second she was tripping over, well, absolutely nothing—so much like her mother, it startled him—and the next, she was gone.

If he hadn’t been looking right at her, if his gaze hadn’t been laser-locked on the long, dark tangles cascading down her back, if she hadn’t disappeared between his strategically placed blinks, he would’ve questioned the entire event. But there was simply no doubt about it. She’d vanished into thin air.

The way she disappeared would suggest a supernatural influence, especially considering the fact that she was the daughter of two gods, but her celestial parents had placed a shield over the entire area. No supernatural entity could penetrate it. Was there some loophole they’d missed? Some escape clause they’d overlooked?

Garrett didn’t hesitate. He immediately called in his entire team, but even his most preternaturally enhanced members couldn’t figure out what had happened, and one of them was a bona fide angel. Well, former angel.

After thirty-six hours of scouring every inch of Santa Fe and the surrounding area for even a sign of the little hellion, a storm had rolled in, and the search had to be abandoned. Garrett left his team at the compound, as well as the Loehrs, Elwyn’s grandparents, panicked and scrambling to figure out what’d happened. In the meantime, he went in search of the only woman he knew who could see past the veil of not only space, but time as well.

He had one clue to go on. Elwyn’s last words before she took off across the rugged New Mexican terrain.

Surely, he’d heard her wrong. He prayed he’d heard her wrong as he fought the winds and icy pelts of the desert storm, then raised a fist and pounded on the door of his ex, Marika Dubois.

About Darynda Jones

DJones1


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, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that legacy. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. 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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Website: https://darynda.com/

 

 

 

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Review: Graveyard Shift by Darynda Jones

 

Graveyard Shift 

Darynda Jones 

Charley Davison series, Book 13.5

Paperback
Expected publication: June 9th 2020 by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

Guarding a precocious five-year-old who is half-human, half-god, and 100% destined to save the world is no easy feat.

Garrett Swopes was the ultimate skeptic until he met a certain hellion and her husband. They vanished after stopping a catastrophic event and left him, a mere mortal, in charge of protecting their gift to mankind. But when she disappears as well, he needs the help of another breed of hellion. One who can see past the veil of space and time. One who betrayed him.

She will get a truce in the deal, but she will never earn his forgiveness.

Marika Dubois’s son—a warrior in the coming war between heaven and hell—was foreseen long before his birth. But to create a child strong enough to endure the trials that lay ahead, she needed a descendant of powerful magics. She found that in Garrett Swopes and tricked him into fathering her son. A ploy he has never forgiven her for. But when he knocks on her door asking for her help, she sees the fierce attraction he tries to deny rise within him.

And Marika has to decide if she dares risk her heart a second time to help the only man she’s ever loved.

Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.

 

 

 

 

 

4 Stars

 

Darynda Jones just knocked my socks off. Graveyard Shift is a must for any fan of the Charley Davison series. 

 

Garrett is a human charged with a godly mission. When said charge is as unpredictably predictable as her mother, Garrett knows the lengths he may have to go to keep her safe. Or so he thought. When Beep vanishes and can’t be found on any plane of existence, Garrett swallows his pride, so to speak, and asks the one person for help who both makes and breaks his world.

 

Garrett is so much more than I gave him credit for. His layers are deeper than I could have put together. Marika was something more than what allows people to see. Together they were each other‘s best friend and worst enemy. Working together to find Beep shows them just what they truly were for one another. 

 

OMG- I even begin to describe this book. So much OMG. Darynda Jones gives fans a caffeine fueled, action packed, moment we have all been waiting for kind of story with Graveyard Shift. Reunions, epic battles and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.  Anyone who is a fan definitely needs to read this one as soon as they possibly can.

 

Review: A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones

A Bad Day for Sunshine

Darynda Jones

Sunshine Vicram Series, Book 1

Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: April 7th 2020 by St. Martin’s Press

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.

 

 

 

 

4.5 Stars

 

Whether it be contemporary or paranormal, Darynda Jones knows how to engage her readers, entertain them and have them laughing before they even know what’s going on with the story. A Bad Day for Sunshine is a fantastic beginning to what I am sure will be another winning series for Ms. Jones.

When anything and everything can possibly go wrong on your first day of your new job…….

Sunshine Vicram is my new favorite female lead character. She’s sassy and smart with a job she didn’t even apply for. I love that her mind wanders and she still harbors a crush on the one she shouldn’t. The love for her family shines through all that she does. Her strength and confidence are something truly remarkable. Sunshine’s dedication to her job is a whole different level of loyalty. Sun’s daughter, Auri shares the narrative of this story as well and you can’t help but to fall in love with them both. I love the relationship that the mother and daughter share. You don’t realize what a big part of the book it is until you realize it is.

A Bad Day for Sunshine is a laugh out loud, jaw dropping, gasping, suspenseful yet endearing read. Ms. Jones gives her reader nothing short of pure entertainment with this newest title. If you enjoyed the Charlie Davison series, you will love Sunshine too.

 

 

First Grave on the Right!

firstThis whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual.
Or a diagram of some kind.
A flow chart would have been nice.

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an entity who has been following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can’t she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, First Grave on the Right is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.

REVIEW

We all know that coffee and a good book go hand-in-hand. When you add an abundance of laughter to the mix that makes a great book. Darynda Jones did just that in First Grave on the Right.

Charley Davidson is a part time private investigator, full-time Grim Reaper.  She is the kind of person I would want to have for a friend. She is smart, strong-willed, daring, a strong sense of doing what is right and a coffee addict. She uses humor to get through the tough parts of life. She will put her self in harms way to save someone in danger. She will fight to get what she wants and will not back down. One tough lady!

Secondary characters Uncle Bob, Charley’s assistant Cookie, Garrett and Reyes add the substance that every paranormal novel needs. The mysterious maybe bad guy that is just too hot for his good. The assistant that can pull anything out of thin air find out what you need to know and take care of Charley in ways that she didn’t even know she needed. Cookie also make sure the caffeine flows which is a plus in my book.  Garrett adds tension to Charleys life but I believe helps keep her on her toes and then some at times. Uncle Bob is the man have on your side. Knowing some Charley secret, Uncle Bob works with her to help make wrong things right.

Ms. Jones does not slack in any aspect of this book. The suspense is high and keeps you turning the pages to find out what is going on. The humor is beyond amazing. I love the banter between the characters. I love the one-liners that come out and the wisecrack comebacks. We also get a new way of looking at what a Grim Reaper is in this book.   Ms. Jones also gives us some steamy heat throughout this book. I can’t say much more that will just give away the book but I tell you what is definitely worth reading.

I don’t think I have laughed so much while reading a book. First Grave on the Right gave me everything I needed in paranormal suspense and then some. Thank you Darynda for writing a wonderful story  that contains characters that love coffee as much as I do. I am very much looking forward to reading more in the series.

4 Star rating!