A Hard Day for a Hangover
by Darynda Jones


Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Sci-fi & fantasy

I missed book one and maybe that's why I found this one a struggle. I loved the second book, love Darynda's writing and the fabulous Grave series, and I felt there were strong echoes of the characters, which I adored. This time though it felt almost manic, we seem to lurch from one crisis to the next without really understand ( well, I didn't) what was going on, what had been resolved, what was left hanging and it got for me a bit muddled. Like I said, maybe if I'd read book one – my bad, I acknowledge that.
Its still a fun read, with some terrific characters, lots to mentally swoon at, lots of excitement, crises, plenty of those, and the humour is fabulous, very understated – which it was I love. I don't want humour where I'm mentally seeing a clapboard coming up Laugh Now! Applause!
Its not one I'll reread like Grave, that's been through several rereads now, always stays fresh and fun, but I am glad to have had the chance to read this. Maybe one day I'll get round to book one and give it another go, see if that changes how I feel. I did enjoy it, just didn't love it. We all enjoy different things though, and its a terrific read for many people.

Stars: Three, a fun read but for me a little manic and rushed.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

I am so , so sad for this is the final book in this fantastic trilogy featuring Sherriff Sunshine Vicram - this is a series that should be read from the beginning to fully understand the characters .
If you enjoy romantic suspense with eccentric , quirky characters , family drama and laugh out loud moments aplenty then this is the series for you .

The story starts soon after the last book - where Sunshine had arrested and handcuffed the love of her life , Levi Ravinder , and placed in him in the backseat of a squad car .............. a squad car that he somehow steals and disappears once more .
Sunshine and her colleagues are called out to the discovery of a body on a steep incline in Copper Canyon - she is alive , but barely .......... who is she ? who could have beaten her so badly ?
As the investigation gets underway her daughter and mini me , Auri , has a hunch as to who she is , although texts show she is on a skiing holiday ......... but Auri is determined to investigate further despite the possible dangers
Whilst all these investigations are proceeding Sunshine stills has her thoughts on Levi and the danger that he is in from Uncles , who want him out of the way permanently !
All these plot lines come to a fiery culmination , where good will finally overcome evil and we get our longed for HEA

I love everything this Author writes , her books are full of suspense , romance and humour which make for extremely enjoyable reads - I can't wait for her next offering

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I’m so sad to say this is the final book in the trilogy featuring Sunshine Vicram, carries on not long after the end of ‘A Good Day for Chardonnay’. You definitely need to read the previous two books as these are best read in order, don’t recommend as stand-alone books. But I absolutely loved this despite my sadness to see them go, Like all previous Darynda Jones books, I can’t wait to see what she does up with next

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion

My thanks to Little, Brown Group U.K./Piatkus for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Bad Day for a Hangover’ by Darynda Jones.

This is the third and final book in Jones’ trilogy featuring Sunshine Vicram, the sheriff of Del Sol, a small town in the mountains of New Mexico. It takes place not long after the events of ‘A Good Day for Chardonnay’. While some background is provided as this is a continuous story the books are best read in order for plot and character development.

Sunshine and her deputies are called to Copper Canyon as the body of a young woman has been spotted lying partway down the steep incline. They rappel down and find that despite being severely beaten and unrecognisable, she is clinging to life. While Jane Doe remains unconscious, Sunshine and her team investigates.

Sunshine’s fiercely rebellious daughter, Auri, has a hunch about Jane Doe’s identity. This person is supposedly on a skiing holiday and friends have received texts. Yet Auri isn’t convinced these are genuine and conducts her own investigation, despite possible danger. There’s a number of other plot lines from the previous books that are resolved.

This was a fast-paced crime thriller filled with eccentric characters, wry humour, and quirky situations. In addition, Jones again demonstrates her skill at writing steamy encounters. She doesn’t overdo this aspect, but brings just enough spice.

However, as I noted in my review of ‘Chardonnay’, Jones’ women tend to go weak at the knees over the physical attributes of the men they are attracted to. Thankfully it tailed off after a while though caused me to roll my eyes a bit. There’s a time and place.

Overall, ‘A Bad Day for a Hangover’ proved a satisfying conclusion to this effervescent American police procedural trilogy that skilfully blended family drama, comedy, romance, and plenty of thrills.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

Why, oh why, is this the last book in the series???
This is the third book and the last one according to the author…

I love the banter, the mysteries and the relationships! The characters are great and I fell for them all.

4,5 stars

This is the third book in the Sunshine Vicram series it continues on from book 2. I recommend that if you have not read book 1 &2 go back and read them first as this is not a standalone story.

It is a fun mystery with a lot of laughs, it has a few dark moments but all in all a fun romp.

The story continues about Sunshine the reluctant Sheriff of Del Sol, New Mexico, her daughter Auri who is fun and love the interaction between mother and daughter. Levi is Sunshine's love interest and they have a long history that you read about through the series.

I have loved this series, and definitely feel i will read again and again as the writing is so easy to read and it makes me laugh. I definitely recommend the series to read and enjoy,

Absolutely gutted that this is the last book in this series! It kind of reminds me of the screwball comedy films of the 1940s, mixed with the quirky humour of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books and topped off with the sweetness of The Gilmore Girls tv series. While you can jump in, without reading the previous books, ( I did this with book 2)., for full enjoyment I’d recommend savouring them in order. The plot is fast paced and hilarious, with an awful lot going on for Sunshine, her fabulously fun daughter Auri and her love interest, Levi. As always there is a full cast of quirky friends and neighbours, with some new additions. I absolutely loved this book and am keeping my fingers crossed for another amazing series from this author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of A Hard Day for a Hangover, the third novel to feature the Sheriff of Del Sol, New Mexico, Sunshine Vicram.

Sun has a lot to cope with with a hangover, there’s the young woman found badly injured in the mountains, her teenage daughter, Auri’s unofficial efforts to help her mother, her unrequited love for Levi Ravinder and sundry other crimes requiring her attention.

I have not read this series before, so entering with the final novel is probably not my best idea, although I didn’t realise it was part of a series when I requested it. I simply thought it sounded like a fun read and it absolutely is, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. I might have missed some of the nuance in the relationships, but almost everything historical is explained so I think it works as a stand-alone.

A Hard Day for a Hangover is a fun read, albeit a busy one. There is a lot going on and while it is never difficult to follow, there is more than enough to keep up with. Zany is the word that comes to mind about the plot. There may be a serial predator on the loose in Del Sol, there is definitely an escaped convict, there may be a plot to kill Levi and there is definitely a burglary at her mum’s friend Wanda’s house. So much crime, so little time when Sun has a few personal crises to deal with. I was glued to the pages, deeply immersed in her world.

I don’t know where to start with the humour. There is plenty of wisecracking between Sun and just about everyone, there is a certain amount of situational comedy, like the novel opening with the local flasher in hospital with a knitting needle in his neck, the resolution to which is pure slapstick and the there’s Auri, a fifteen year old wise beyond her years and always ready with a smart retort. I could call it good, clean fun, but that would be a lie as there are enough double entendres to cancel out the clean.

The characters are, on the whole, likeable. Sun and her BFF Chief Deputy Quincy Cooper have a strong friendship and their banter made me laugh but it is Auri who steals the show with her personality and charisma.

A Hard Day for a Hangover is a fun read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Darynda Jones is one of the only two authors where I buy their books without even reading the blurb (Gail Carriger is the other). So I was very excited to get my hands on the third, and final, book in the Sunshine series, A Hard Day for a Hangover.

I loved this book so much. I love this collection of characters, and the quirky town they live in. I especially love Sunshine and Auri, and their relationship. I was pleased to read the developments in Sun and Levi’s relationship (can’t say more because spoilers!).

The plot was (as always) a brilliant one that kept me turning the pages. It’s really such a wonderful blend of the cases Sunshine is trying to solve (and Auri too, for that matter), and the personal stories too. And of course it’s full of fun banter and the chapter headings that we all love!

Overall, this was everything you’d expect from a Darynda Jones book, a page-turning plot, her trademark humour, and sizzling romance, all crammed into one delectable package.

I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

Three and a half stars.

The finale to the Sunshine Vicram trilogy. I guess it is possible to read this as a stand-alone (I haven't read the first book), but I wouldn't recommend it.

Sunshine Vicram is the sheriff of her small hometown, a single mother of Auri, a precocious teen who insists on trying to investigate mysteries on her own. (view spoiler)

A call comes in that a young girl has been found half-way down a ravine by a hunter, badly beaten and barely clothed, Sunshine and her team have to mount a rescue, assisted by the mysterious Levi Ravinder, Sunshine's long-term crush. No-one can identify the girl, who is in a coma, but Auri recalls the school mean girl mentioning a cousin who was supposed to visit and never arrived - could this be the girl? Then Sunshine hears of two other girls who have either gone missing or been injured near the ravine - are they connected?

I haven't looked back at my review for the second book, but I suspect it says something very similar to this one. There is just too much going on, it's unnecessary and, in my opinion, not very funny. First off, the secret society - totally unnecessary. Second, the 'humorous' signs which start each chapter - funny once, thereafter irritating and bear no resemblance to the plot. Third, the rivalry between Levi and his no-good uncle and his other uncle being in prison for a crime he didn't commit - should have been resolved in the previous book and ended in a totally ludicrous OTT scene. Finally, would a precocious child, like Auri, really get words confused all the time?

I suspect that this sort of thing works a bit better in Darynda Jones' paranormal series Charley Davidson where characters are expected to be OTT and enigmatic - doesn't work so well for a small-town businessman. I see that Darynda says this series was intended to be Gilmore Girls meets Fargo, I think the issue with that is that the Gilmore Girls was all about the dialogue and the plot was quite gentle, trying to smash it into a decade-old abduction mystery, a romance, several disappearances, and a family feud is just manic.

In my opinion this would have benefitted from a few plot strands being ditched, maybe just leaving a wise-cracking sheriff?

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The third act in this series is a joy you don’t want to let go. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram has had more on her hands in her small town of Del Sol, New Mexico than she ever had as a Detective in the big city. Her daughter Auri will be in the thick of it when local women go missing. The wisecracking laugh out loud moments really take you through the the book at breath-neck speed. The quirky characters in this small town just make you want to move there immediately. The thread of Levi Sunshine’s on off love family disputes will come to a jaw dropping conclusion. There is so much squeezed into this finale you will be spoilt for choice.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Darynda Jones skilfully ties together all the threads in her final addition to her hilarious trilogy featuring Sheriff Sunshine Vicram of Del Sol in New Mexico. It is a joy to once again renew my acquaintance of Sunshine and her disparate cast of quirky and offbeat supporting characters. This includes her beautiful, determined amateur detective daughter, the 15 year old Auri, unfazed by the danger that comes her way as she insists on making her inquiries, and who expresses her desire to join the FBI in the future. Then there are Sun's able deputies, including Chief Deputy Quincy Cooper, Tricia Salazar, Sniper Zee, Poetry Rojas with his super power of recognising those have spent time in prison and her newest recruit, Keith Seabright, who has now in the process of settling in the area.

And of course, we cannot forget the love of Sun's life, Levi Ravinder with his colourful family, he runs the distillery that his villainous Uncle Clay is intent on wresting from him by nefarious means. It all begins with Sun waking up with one hell of a hangover, and her day progressively getting more and more challenging. A hunter rings in, he has managed to spot a seriously injured and sexually assaulted young girl at Copper Canyon, she is barely alive when she is rescued and taken to hospital. It is not the first time a young girl has encountered trouble in this spot. As Sun awaits news at the hospital, a prisoner suffering from a heart attack is brought in, only for chaos to ensue when he manages to escape. He is no stranger to Sun, it is Wynn Ravinder, she had been responsible for facilitating his move to the local prison. Sun's mother's group, Book Babes, want to experience ridealongs with her deputies as research to help them in writing a book, and Wanda wants Sun to help in the return of a sewing tin taken from her home.

This is an enthrallingly comic and entertaining crime read, there is plenty of wit and banter, along with some great slapstick moments, such as Quincy chasing the station's resident raccoon. I am sorry that this series is no more, I think Jones has created a genius group of characters that I came to adore, a town with its Dangerous Daughters and Sinister Sons, a group working behind the scenes to protect the place. However, I suspect it won't be long before the author comes up with a new book with another set of brilliant, engaging and mesmering characters for us to read about soon. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Such an easy five-star read. This is number three in the Sunshine Vicram series, and I am so sad that it’s the final chapter of the trilogy. But what a final chapter and who knows maybe we will get another series set in Del Sol, they have so many characters who live there. This one has it all, smart comments, funny quips and people that will blow you away, even those who are in prison. This one has some darker content, and some darker people, but sunshine always shines through like the brightest star in the universe. I must admit I love me some pirate romance as well, but that other series mentioned, that’s an easter egg I can’t ignore, and neither should anyone else. I am sad to say goodbye to Sunshine, but honestly, I feel like I am waving goodbye to a bunch of friends I won’t forget and hope to see again soon. There is just something about the way this author creates characters that has you care so deep for them you don’t care which way is up anymore. Now where is the Tequila I feel the need for a Tequila hangover.