Tangled Up With the Grump: A Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine Christmas Romance

by Silla Webb, Concepts by Canea (Illustrator)

Winter

I hate Christmas.

Every single strand of tinsel and twinkling light and the jolly jingles too.

But going home to the small town of Whispering Peaks, North Carolina is tradition, even if I'll spend the holiday alone.

At least, that's the plan until my childhood enemy, Nick Frost, forces his way into my small cabin, calling a truce to our lifelong rivalry with a kiss beneath the mistletoe.

Nick

I haven't seen Winter Snow in years, but she's coming home for the holidays.
The moment she lays eyes on me, her beautiful face a hard scowl, I realize she probably hasn't forgiven me for teasing her as a kid. But I'm a man on mission, and that's to make Winter mine.

Can I melt the ice around Winter's heart or will I spend Christmas tangled up with the grump?

Genres: Christmas, Ebooks, Second Chance, Contemporary, Novella

37 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2025

About the author

Silla Webb is a Kentucky native, raised in the heart of the Eastern Kentucky coal fields. A coal truck driver's daughter, and a railroader's wife, the coal fields own a special place in her heart.
She is a work at home, Super Momma to three rowdy boys, who keep her on her feet from daylight to sunset. As a pass time from her everyday life, Silla started a blog-Momma's Secret Book Obsession, for reviewing romance novels. From there, she realized that not only did she have a natural love for reading and reviewing, but she found that lost love of writing that she once had as a young girl.
When she isn't conquering the world as a wife, momma and Super Woman, Silla loves to lay on the front porch swing and read while sipping sweet tea, just passin' the day away.

Reviews

[Tammie P ℓօรƭเɳαɓօօҡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

​3 out of 5 stars: A Quick, Cheesy Dose of Holiday Cheer

​❄️Small Town
❄️Childhood Enemies-to-Lovers (using "lovers" loosely)
❄️Low-stakes romance
❄️Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine

The premise is exactly what you’d expect from a seasonal novella featuring main characters literally named Nicholas Frost and Winter Snow . Winter is the anti-holiday heroine who hates Christmas, driving her to escape the city every year. Her destination is her family cabin in her small North Carolina hometown, Whispering Peaks. This year, however, her anti-Christmas bubble is popped when she encounters Nick, her childhood enemy and the bane of her existence, whose ulterior motive derails Winter's quiet plans.

The narrative is structured primarily through Winter's first-person POV (five chapters). ​The inclusion of a single chapter from Nick’s perspective is a particularly satisfying element. It is well-placed and necessary, offering a crucial explanation for the roots of their childhood rivalry and clarifying his current motives.

This novella delivers precisely what it promises: a quick, Hallmark-esque Christmas story. Since I personally love Christmas stories, I came into this with a bias, and the book successfully delivered the predictable holiday fix I was looking for.

The book does contain a few minor typos (e.g., "I close the computer and go into the kitchen the make a cup of hot chocolate."). But these are infrequent and did not prevent me from completing the story.

​If you're looking for a quick, low-angst holiday fix and don't mind a few typos, you can give it a go.

[Marit :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ngl i got so excited downloading all these free kindle books but why are they 40 pages🫡 still vv christmassy cozy🎄

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ebook. Purchased. I really did not enjoy this premise. Childhood enemies to lovers (?) is one thing but this had a tinge of too much cruelty and too little actual growth/communication.

[Allie Andersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay

This was just OK. For 37 pages, it was good. But… it shouldn’t be 37 pages. It needs… more. More of everything. More development, more yearning, more hashing out this disgruntled feelings that morph into forgiveness, interest, etc. With as short as the story is, Nick really just feels like a creep, and Winter’s sudden interest in him is not believable.

[Zariareads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naa I don’t think I liked this one. It should have been much longer to fully feel like a good plot.
He hade been an bully towards her in her whole childhood and she easily forgave him as an adult when she had only meet him in an day..
For me to like this one, it should be more development between them and the plot. They didn’t talk much and when she said he made her childhood hell, he said basically to her that she should stop being grumpy and forgive him.
I did like her but not him😕

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Cute!!

Childhood frenemies to adult frenemies until he blows her socks off with a smooch to end all smooches lol

This gem is only six chapters and I get the feeling is a prequel to a bigger story.

I liked the characters. Nick is golden retriever energy on max and she is a sweet black cat. Spicy until you get to know her 🥰

[Amber van Buuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice and joyful read. But I wanted more of his pov...

[🐉 PrinZessBookDragon 👑🌶️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Nicholas Frost & Winter Snow" great names for the MMC & MFC.... 🤭 I enjoyed this book. There was no sex.....That means I'm down in the dumps.... That's the only time I enjoy Christmas romance. I like the reverse grumpy vs sunshine trope Webb used here. A great twist on one of my fave tropes. Winter was a perfect grump. I'm a novella queen, I love novellas more than YOU 👀 or anyone for that matter BUT this is a rare time I wanted this story to be longer.... I wanted a full fledged happily ever after.
I would recommend this book especially if you're one of those spice haters *side eye*....

.5🌶️/5🌶️ 🌕/ 5🌑

[Ashley Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, short book. Not spicy, but just a quick feel-good story.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was honestly so excited to read this. I needed a short, sweet Christmas read, but sadly this let me down.

I loved Winter in the first half of the book. I tend to really love a grumpy main character that becomes all mushy. I honestly began to hate Nick (and the book) when I got his pov. I understand there is a stereotype where boys tease girls because they like them, but I’d say this was basically bullying.

Winter literally says “Are your memories as painful as mine?” And “You taught me every negative emotion a girl can feel.“ but two paragraphs later she’s questioning if she just needs a friend. Someone she can spend her life with. Girl…it’s definitely not Nick. He wasn’t even a friend before.

I decided to give this book 2 stars when Nick declared Winter WILL talk to him and hear him out. He didn’t explain anything and then turned it on her… like I wouldn’t trust your one act of kindness after years of knowing each other either. Nick is a red flag and Winter is lonely.

I understand this is a novella so it’s short, but the actual relationship stuff seemed so left out. Even 1-2 more pages of Nick and Winter talking things out or having a deeper meaning behind all past events could have turned the book around.

Instead this felt like a lonely woman settling for a guy she’s known (and hated) her entire life because she doesn’t think she’s going to find someone else.

*the book also had a few obvious typos*

[Barbara Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really short Christmas treat just in time for the holidays.
Winter Snow owns a publishing company in the city. She hates Christmas but is looking forward to having two weeks off to work on her book. She is traveling to her small mountain hometown to stay at her childhood home and avoid everyone and all things Christmas.
She gets a flat tire and none other than her childhood nemesis shows up.
Noah Frost is just as handsome and cocky as she remembers. He made her childhood unbearable. These two are total opposites. Can they put childhood situations in the past or will she continue to hold her grudge?
Expect reverse sunshine/grump, mutual childhood pining, enemies to lovers, closed door romance and helping find lost Christmas spirit.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tangled Up with the Grump: A Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine Christmas Romance, by Silla Webb, author is a short story that gave me a laugh several times and left me with a smile.

The first laugh was their names, Winter Snow for the grump and Nick Frost the sunshine character were perfect. Winter was a stuborn, set in her ways workaholic with a hate for Christmas and a good reason is given. She still remembered her employees at Christmas with a gifts, so she wasn't a total grump.

Nick was funny, persistant and totally into Winter and I loved the ending, although it would have been better with more detials about a happy ever after to satisfy my romantic side. I still enjoyed it with the humor and fun characters. A perfect read on the day before Christmas.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute Christmas Novella

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella
Tropes: hometown Christmas, grumpy FMC/Sunshine MMC, snow
Spice: glimpses and kisses
Content Warnings: bullying
POV: 1st person POV, alternating between MMC and FMC
Medium: e-book owned, read on my Kindle e-reader

Winter hates Christmas. After a tough year, she returns to the old family cabin in the mountains to wallow in pity for the holidays. She is annoyed to find that the nemesis from her younger days is there every time she turns around. Nick has a secret plan - to make up for how he wronged his old crush, Winter. Can Nick bring holiday cheer to Winter?

This was short and cute Christmas-themed novella.

[Tammy - · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short and sweet holiday novella with an enemies-to-lovers vibe.

Winter Snow hates Christmas, and more than that, she despises Nick Frost. He teased her relentlessly as a child, but now he's all grown up and trying to make amends.

If you're looking for a quick read to add to your Christmas TBR, you'll want to get Tangled Up With the Grump.

[Leanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Het had veel potentie voor een volledige novella. Gezien het aantal bladzijdes wist ik vooraf dat dit een kort verhaal was maar het voelt ook gehaast en hakkelig.

De karakters zijn leuk maar de pagina's aan achtergrond verhaal zouden ruimte kunnen maken voor meer gebeurtenissen in het nu. Vond het te gedetailleerd voor zo een kort verhaal.

[Emilie Bienhoff · Rating 1 out of 5]

This would have ended in a DNF if it weren't just 37 pages. Could have kept it a novella and doubled the pages and it may have been better, it certainly started out like it would be! Second half was just a WTF moment and the tone did not match the first half. I am glad I read this during a fit of insomnia, I would have been mad that I gave up 20 minutes of daytime hours for this.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ms.Grinch

Cute Christmas themed story with reverse Grumpy x Sunshine small town vibes. The FMC is a very work-oriented boss lady who goes to her hometown for the holidays to escape all the holiday cheer and focus on completing work but bumps into a childhood “frenemy” who works at bringing the grump into the spirit of the holiday.

[Erika with a k · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute enough.
I understand it's a novella and is therefore short, but it seemed to move too quick. Not only that, but Winter's bad attitude felt over the top and forced.
Im all for a happily ever after.
Cheers!

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, short Christmas novella ideal for a quick breaktime read. It's not spicy, but the feel-good romance vibe is enough for the length of the story. Nick and Winter's enemies to lovers HEA is good although a bit abrupt.

[Cindie Wenger · Rating 1 out of 5]

wow

Wow, just wow! This was a short undeveloped story. There was no plot to it. It was truly just a waste of time. The character characters were not likable. There was nothing redeeming in this waste.

[Leighann Word · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate that this book was VERY short, but it was annoying at how much it pushed the fact she was a grumpy b*tch. Like I dislike Christmas too but damn LOL This is one of those books that you only read to get closer to your goal of books read for the year.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute quick read. I definitely wish it was a little longer though! I want to know how the rest of Winter's time off was with Nick!!
I liked the characters. Nick is golden retriever energy on max and she is a sweet black cat.

[Katie Gillott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. This was just barely enjoyable but it was SUPER short so only took me like 30 mins to read. Both characters are pretty unlikeable and with it being so short there's 0 background info and 0 opportunities for character growth.

[Keasha M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐

Short but funny in some areas. Winter had come back home for her two week writing sprint and runs into Nick. She can't escape him and he intentionally forces his way into her life.

[Princess Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laughing Out Loud

5 stars, because this is literally my life! It's a short story and does what it's supposed to do, grab my interest. I'd like to read how this plays out.
I hope it turns out well for Ms. Snow and Mr. Frost.

[Lorey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful holiday story. Winter and Nick's story is a quick, reverse-grumpy read and not long enough, in my opinion. Their connection is real, whether Winter likes it or not. I hope we get more of their story. 5 stars!

[Marcia Esders · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had possibilities

This had possibility, but unfortunately it was too short to get to know the characters and too short to understand the grumpiness toward Christmas by the fmc.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not complete

This would be a great book if it was longer, I kinda feel like things moved on a bit too quick.

[Laura Usher-Matson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Bryony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sweet Christmas Novella that was easy to follow. Had a really good time following Nick and Winter from enemies to lovers kinda... <3