Review: Sunshine & Sammy by Melanie Moreland (Vested Interest: ABC Corp #5)

August 04, 2022

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

"You're going to be trouble for me, aren't you, Lady?" he murmured. "Big trouble."

"I'll try not to be."

He lowered his head, and he cam closer. "I don't think either of us can stop it."

By the time I was done reading Sunshine & Sammy, I had "Cowboy, Take Me Away" by The Chicks (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks) playing in my head on repeat. And yes, indeed, I was swept away with everything Melanie Moreland had to offer in this fifth addition to her Vested Interest: ABC Corp series. This is Samantha Morrison's story, Sammy being the daughter of Vincent and Olivia, aka Van and Liv, from Van (Vested Interest #5). Work as an independent DIY business starter will take her from the family compound in Port Albany and the small place she shares with her sister in Toronto to a working ranch owned by siblings Luke and Rachel Adler in Alberta. This book can be read as a standalone, but there are several recurring characters, so spoilers may abound.

Samantha Morrison excels at what she does, making her quite in demand. When she picks the River Rock Ranch as her next project, it'll mean six to eight weeks of her being on-site in order to help the owners be wholly prepared to expand their business to welcome tourists. The work won't necessarily be easy, but she gets along well with one of the owners, Rachel Adler, and maybe a chance in scenery is exactly what she needs. Sammy, however, doesn't quite expect the welcome she receives from Rachel's older brother. Forty-year-old Luke is ornery and doesn't seem fully receptive to Sammy's ideas, but try as he might, he's drawn to the city girl who's become a burst of sunshine in his lonely life. Can a happy ending be had between this grumpy Cowboy and his pretty Lady?

I admit it: I'm a sucker for the grumpy/sunshine trope, and Melanie Moreland has proven to be an author I can count on for must-read grumpy/sunshine romances. I thoroughly, absolutely, unequivocally adored everything about Sammy and Luke's story. From their first meeting at the airport in Calgary to their happily-ever-after, I couldn't get enough of these two. Talk about tension and chemistry! I loved seeing Luke loosen the tight reins (see what I did there?) he had on his heart, and Sammy was such a fantastic female main character, with a great combination of sass, smarts, and sensitivity. As with the other books in the Vested Interest: ABC Corp series, this was also a story that touched on family and home, and I enjoyed it immensely. Sunshine & Sammy totally deserves five-plus stars.

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Read my reviews for the Vested Interest: ABC Corp series: