Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Feeding the Grump
AUTHOR: Jax Calder
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 76 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 18, 2025
BLURB:
I’m fairly sure that when I’m on my deathbed, I’ll still be cursing Benji Gange’s name.
My neighbor paints his gate purple. His experiments with organic farming drift onto my land. He feeds me casseroles while we argue about everything from water rights to rugby selections. For five years, I’ve told myself he’s the worst thing to happen to farming since foot rot.
Then my orphan lamb escapes, and we end up tangled in a hedge together (don’t ask), spying on something that turns my whole world upside down. Suddenly, I realize that all the vegetables I leave on his doorstep and the casseroles he makes me might not be just neighborly gestures. And maybe the way my pulse races during our arguments isn’t about the disputed thistle paddock at all.
Is it possible that the biggest thorn in my side is exactly what I’ve been missing all along?
Feeding the Grump is a 16,000 word enemies to lovers novella that features a grumpy farmer and his sunshine neighbor. It was first published in May 2025 as part of a charity anthology and no additional material has been added.
REVIEW:
What an adorable story! I really loved this 🙂
David and Benji are neighbors. They are both farmers, but David has inherited his bachelor uncles place which is next to David’s generational farm. There is an odd bit that a section of land was included in both deeds and traditionally, the two farms have swapped control of that piece every 2 years. Benji has come from Aukland and has his “city-slicker” ways, but turns out he does actually have a degree that sets him to be successful in sustainable agriculture. He’s always trying something new. Like painting a fence purple!
David and Benji have spent several year arguing about how to be work their places. But over that time, David has started growing vegetables in his greenhouse that Benji has talked about. Benji has helped David after his father passed and when machines have broken down or fences and droughts have occurred. He’s also taken the food that David has given him and made delicious food that he then drops off for David.
David is always arguing with Benji. They disagree about just about everything. But in the end, the do the neighborly thing – looking out for and helping each other. David is also loathe to admit that some of Benji’s ideas have merit and he’s quietly adopted some new ways also 😉 Lance, David’s brother, has watched this go on now for so long. He really wonders why everything Benji does seems to raise David’s hackles.
Maybe all of this arguing and friction is really something else??
Love love loved this story! Poor David really is clueless as to what’s been going on between him and Benji for literally years. Only when they are confronted with an unexpected and very surprising situation is David shocked into seeing what’s been in front of him all along. Benji has been very patient 🙂 There is little angst, not a lot of drama, just a realization of the missing pieces of a puzzle that David wasn’t actually trying all that hard to solve. Benji is a bit of a firecracker and loves working David up 😉 Their chemistry is lovely. David’s brother and SIL are sweet and accepting and in the end, these two are right where they belong. A really sweet and romantic heartwarming novella. Highly recommended 🙂
RATING: 
BUY LINK:
