Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

How it works:

She assigns each Tuesday a topic and then posts her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.


I was excited when I saw this week’s prompt. I have a few books on my Read list that have made me laugh. I love humor in a book. It makes reading go by so much faster and makes the book more enjoyable to read. So, here’s my list. Let me know what books make you laugh!!

  1. Young Love by Paige Peters
Young Love

2. Nobody Gets The Girl by James Maxey

Nobody Gets the Girl (Whoosh! Bam! Pow!, #1)

3. Bare Ass in Love by Sasha Burke

Bare Ass in Love (Hard, Fast, and Forever, #1)

4. A Bad Day For Sunshine by Darynda Jones

A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram, #1)

5. A Highlander in a Pickup by Laura Trentham

A Highlander in a Pickup (Highland, Georgia, #2)

6. Forever My Duke by Olivia Drake

Forever My Duke (Unlikely Duchesses, #2)

7. Naked Mole Rat Saves the World by Karen Rivers

Naked Mole Rat Saves the World

8. Southern Sass and Killer Cravings by Kate Young

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings (Marygene Brown Mystery #1)

9. A Highlander Walks Into a Bar by Laura Trentham

A Highlander Walks into a Bar (Highland, Georgia, #1)

10. The Duke is But A Dream by Anna Bennett

The Duke Is But a Dream (Debutante Diaries, #2)

A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram: Book 1) by Darynda Jones

A Bad Day for Sunshine: A Novel (Sunshine Vicram Series Book 1) by [Jones, Darynda]

3 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: April 7th, 2020

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Sunshine Vicram

A Bad Day for Sunshine—Book 1

Where you can find A Bad Day for Sunshine: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book 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.


First Line:

Sunshine Vicram pushed down the dread and sticky knot of angst in her chest and wondered, yet again, if she were ready to be sheriff of a town even the locals called the Psych Ward.

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones

My Review:

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read A Bad Day for Sunshine. It kept popping up on my NetGalley homepage. Then I got a Read Now email from them and decided to bite the bullet.

I was surprised at how I felt about the book while reading it. Usually, I either like it or hate it right from the beginning. But in this case, I was neither about it. That “meh” feeling continued throughout the book, and it did play a massive part in why I gave the book a 3-star rating.

I felt that the plotline was dragged down by too many secondary storylines (no matter how brief). I wanted full attention on Sybil’s kidnapping and Sunshine’s past kidnapping. I kept getting overwhelmed with information while I read. I also felt that I should have kept notes because there was a point in the book where I couldn’t keep track of everything.

Saying that I did like the characters. They were all well written, and each had an individual personality, which appealed to me. Sunshine was amazingly strong in overcoming what she did. I also liked that she wasn’t stupid, and she was able to piece together clues fast. She did have a weak spot for attractive men (her BFF, Levi, the other agent), but I didn’t hold it against her. It made her more human in my eyes.

I thought Auri was adorable. She was determined to find out what happened to her friend, Sybil, no matter what. I loved how tough she was also. She dealt with a lot in this book. I won’t go into it, but how she dealt with everything that was happening to her was a testament to her inner strength.

The mystery angle of the book was well written. The author did a great job of keeping who the kidnapper was and why Sybil was taken under wraps until the end of the book. I was shocked by who it ended up being.

Sunshine’s kidnapping was brought up frequently in the book. By the end of the book, it had become one of those plotlines that would be stretched across a couple of books. I know I sound jaded, but I have a feeling I know who took her and who Auri’s father was.

The end of the book was ok. The main storyline, Sybil’s kidnapping, was wrapped up. The author set up for the next book. Do I want to read the next book? Maybe. I am interested in seeing if my theory about Sunshine’s kidnapping is correct.


I would give A Bad Day for Sunshine an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread A Bad Day for Sunshine. I am on the fence if I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave (Charlie Davidson: Book 12) by Darynda Jones

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave: A Novel (Charley Davidson Series Book 12) by [Jones, Darynda]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: October 31, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal

Number of pages: 283

POV: 1st person

Series: Charlie Davidson

First Grave on the Right – Book 1 (review here)

For I Have Sinned – Book 1.5

Second Grave on the Left – Book 2

Third Grave Dead Ahead – Book 3

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet – Book 4

Fifth Grave Past the Light – Book 5

Shimmer – Book 5.5

Glow – Book 5.6

Sixth Grave on the Edge – Book 6

Seventh Grave and No Body – Book 7

Eight Grave After Dark – Book 8

Brighter Than the Sun – Book 8.5

The Dirt on Ninth Grave – Book 9

The Curse of Tenth Grave – Book 10

A Very Charley Christmas – Book 10.5

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight – Book 11

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave – Book 12

Untitled – Book 12 (expected publication date – October 30th, 2018)

Where you can find The Trouble with Twelfth Grave: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series.

Ever since Reyes escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley accidentally trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the feral being that used to be her husband, she also has to deal with her everyday life of annoying all manner of beings—some corporeal, some not so much—as she struggles to right the wrongs of society. Only this time she’s not uncovering a murder. This time she’s covering one up. 

Add to that her new occupation of keeping a startup PI venture—the indomitable mystery-solving team of Amber Kowalski and Quentin Rutherford—out of trouble and dealing with the Vatican’s inquiries into her beloved daughter, and Charley is on the brink of throwing in the towel and becoming a professional shopper. Or possibly a live mannequin. But when someone starts attacking humans who are sensitive to the supernatural world, Charley knows it’s time to let loose her razor-sharp claws. Then again, her number one suspect is the dark entity she’s loved for centuries. So the question becomes, can she tame the unruly beast before it destroys everything she’s worked so hard to protect?

Trigger Warning: None

Continue reading “The Trouble with Twelfth Grave (Charlie Davidson: Book 12) by Darynda Jones”

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson: Book 1) by Darynda Jones

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1)

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: February 1st, 2011

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Romance. Suspense

Number of pages: 321

POV: 1st person

Series: Charley Davidson

First Grave of the Right – Book 1

For I Have Sinned – Book 1.5

Second Grave on the Left – Book 2

Third Grave Dead Ahead – Book 3

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet – Book 4

Fifth Grave Past the Light – Book 5

Shimmer – Book 5.5

Glow – Book 5.6

Sixth Grave on the Edge – Book 6

Seventh Grave and No Body – Book 7

Eighth Grave After Dark – Book 8

Brighter Than the Sun – Book 8.5

The Dirt on Ninth Grave – Book 9

The Curse of Tenth Grave – Book 10

A Very Charley Christmas – Book 10.5

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight – Book 11

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave – Book 12 (expected publication date: October 31st, 2017)

Charley Davidson #13 – Book 13 (expected publication date: October 31st, 2018)

Where you can find First Grave on the Right: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

This 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 a 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.

Trigger Warning: None

Continue reading “First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson: Book 1) by Darynda Jones”