Sunshine’s Grump, an Omegaverse contemporary romance, is book two in Merri Bright‘s The Billionaire’s Betasitter Series. Sunshine is in dire need of an escape, and money is paramount for a future that allows her to control her fate, so she takes the only job available through her illegal betasitting service. An NDA must be signed, a yacht must be boarded, and a Grump is found. Grumpy has been grumpy for too long, hiding away his feelings, focusing on work, and protecting his family, but Sunshine walks in, another woman lying her way into his proximity. It’s just a week; they can last a week of snide remarks, obvious disobedience, and fighting the magnetising draw to each other, right?
As this is set in the Omegaverse, I loved how Merri Bright gave you a quick rundown of history on the difference between Beta, Omega, and Alpha’s without making the reader feel overwhelmed by the plot. The history felt organic in the way it was woven into the story, and it immediately had an effect. I felt for Soleil at having her life plans and choices ripped out from under her due to her pheromones. I was able to easily understand her drive to make a place for herself without first needing approval from anyone else. Omega’s have been dealt a hard hand, and they either fight everyone or simper, so I loved that Soleil, who is a natural people-pleasure, wanted to push back. Giovanni had a hand in this as well, considering he was one of the first people she pushed against, fighting her own body and him at the same time; the dynamic between them was entertaining, thrilling, and just a little heart-aching. With him learning more about Omegas (not going from the stereotypes surrounding them) and not wanting to stifle her while fighting his own need to have her. And then you have Soleil wanting him to claim her, no matter what that may bring to her plans made, but her heart breaking just the same because ultimately the choices were his—even if the right choices were being made for her future.
The dual POV of this book helped cement the difference in the way that they are perceiving actions and words for the same situation, and at times I wanted to scream at one of them to just say what they are seeing rather than reacting incorrectly. I think this is also where the natural power play comes into it; he’s the Alpha, so naturally he is more in charge of the decision-making, but as the Omega she can resist, she can say stop, which means she has more power in the spice department. But this power play would shift when they were out of the spice, and miscommunication would ensure. This is because Grumpy is far too stubborn and Sunshine’s far too sweet, so their natural inclination is to not converse and just react poorly. She had this impression he disliked her, and he had the impression that she was already taken and wouldn’t want him due to the age difference. This could have been solved with a simple conversation, but obviously, drama is needed; it was still very entertaining.
Soleil had great growth throughout this book; he made her stronger and more of a fighter; she still fought for what she wanted but also got to have what she didn’t know she craved, and she, in turn, made him less stoic, more open to change, to drop his mask and take what he desires rather than hiding it away. Soleil was very inexperienced in the relationship side of things due to more traditional parents, but Giovanni had been hurt and had a chip on his shoulder due to it and therefore leans into being prejudiced against Soleil; he does remedy, so I have no dislike for him. It’s almost like Soleil’s shining presence crumbles every facade he creates, and this throws him into a tailspin, so while she’s adjusting to her body going haywire due to him, he is dealing with every emotion he suppressed, rising to the surface. I felt some anger towards him on Soleil’s part, but he remedied this. I think his actions in the spice department, his cocksure attitude, and his dirty mouth helped to sway some of the anger I felt towards him at certain points, but I think he was deluded into thinking his way was right. I’m glad he fixed his mistakes and that he, as the Alpha, chose to yield to her.
One of my favourite aspects about Omegaverse is the protectiveness that always comes from both characters; their nature has claimed this person, and they will do anything to keep them safe, but their brain almost wants to fight this biological calling, and this is where you get a lot of tug-of-war between desire and need. So in Sunshine’s Grump, you get this too and throw a lot, but you almost understand the motives behind what they are doing, but you’re nearly begging them just to give in. Plus, I love growling and protective actions, so that helps.
This was the first of Merri Bright‘s books I’ve read, and I enjoy her writing; I think I smiled the entire way through. I felt the anger, pain, frustration, embarrassment, and joy along with both characters. Besides the main characters, I loved the snippets we got from the main characters’ friends and families—enough for me to purchase the rest of the series, and I adored Sylvia! The side-character interactions helped to show the other side to the main characters, rounding them outside of their desire for each other. Obviously, I loved the spice; the scenes had me flushing and giggling, and a few times I just straight up laughed, but I’ve gotten used to the Omega traits now. My only holdup with Sunshine’s Grump was the miscommunication; it’s not my favourite trope, and admittedly every miscommunication was cleared up fairly quickly, but it just felt like one miscommunication after another. Therefore, I’ll rate Sunshine’s Grump Four out of Five stars. I have no doubt I’ll reread this book because I loved both characters. I understood where they both stood in their almost stubborn actions, but I was thrilled with how the story ended.
I’d recommend Sunshine’s Grump to those who first and foremost love the Omegaverse, but also to those who love contemporary romances and want to dip their toe into the Omegaverse genre. I loved the marriage of both genres, as this book had both humour and heat with a heartfelt journey throughout. Things to expect: a fair amount of miscommunication, age gap, ‘It’ll fit’, the breeding kink, true mates (fated mates), and with most of the Omegaverse material I’ve read thus far, the pregnancy trope does pop up, but I haven’t got a problem with it when it fits the story. As with every book in The Billionaire’s Betasitter Series, this can be read as a standalone, and don’t worry, a happy ending is always on the cards. I hope you enjoy reading the journey that Soleil and Giovanni went through to get it as much as I did.
Favourite Quotes
“Fuck it, a dark voice growled inside. None of that mattered. I would let myself have this, have her in my grasp, just once. Touch her, taste her. I didn’t care if she has a thousand fiancés back home.”
– page 49
“But she wasn’t mine. She wasn’t even hers.”
– page 100
“My whole body felt oversensitized, almost raw. Hungry, for this alpha. For his hands on me, rough or gentle.”
– page 117
“I’d never felt so well used. So cherished. So owned.”
– page 121
“She personified her name. She was sunlight, and warmth, and when you were in her presence, she was the only thing you could see.”
– page 142
Finer Details:
Title: Sunshine’s Grump (The Billionaire’s Betasitter #2)
Author: Merri Bright
Pages: 260
Publisher: Bright and Dark Publishing
Publication: 2023
Language: English
Rating: 4/5