Bed of Roses

by Myranda Henty

Blake and Harriet are happily married with a baby on the way. Busy with life and work, they stretch themselves to help their neighbor Rose with her ailing elderly father. Rose is kind and sweet, but her ongoing dependence on Blake sets Harriet on edge. Will Blake do the unforgivable?

A new novella that explores the themes of emotional affairs, forgiveness, and mistakes. If you like over-the-top OWs and repentant heroes, this book is for you.

Genres: Second Chance, Contemporary, Marriage, Novella, Mental Illness, M F Romance, Contemporary Romance

98 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 19, 2025

Reviews

[Nikki ღ Navareus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this story so much. I'm a huge sucker for idiot Heroes, who are too stupid to see they are being taken in by the evil OW. This story fit that bill perfectly, and it had some infuriating episodes where Blake was a straight up fucker when his wife voiced her concerns about how much time he was spending with their new neighbor. Blake gaslit his wife multiple times, texted inappropriately with the neighbor and then erased his crimes from his phone because he knew he was doing wrong. Blake's situation blows up in his face, he just about loses his marriage completely, and then he has to deal with the lunatic he was spending time with. I loved the entire ride. I got all the feels I wanted from this very angsty/enraging read, with a lovely & believable HEA ending.

[Paula (in & out)]

Having just read a similar story with a clueless hubby that I semi liked, this unfortunately didn't do anything for me. The MMC just annoyed me with his secret texts with OW, lying to FMC and constantly running to OW when ever she called. This was definitely emotionally cheating on his part unlike the other one I read and I had zero sympathy for MMC whatsoever. Only reason I finished it was for FMC who didn't take shit from him and I wished she had found someone better.

MMC BTW is a plumber and I kept envisioning butt cracks everywhere! 😅

[Juniper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently it’s the author’s first published book and it was pretty good. It had some editing errors but for such a short book it was satisfying with not being rushed or giving flat characters.

Spoiler:

Harriet and Blake are happily married and expecting their first child. The neighbor across the street is an older man, Colin who has been experiencing health issues and his long lost daughter, Rose has moved in to care for him. His young, beautiful psycho daughter that is.

Blake the dumbass starts out by helping Rose with Colin when he can’t get up from a chair, etc. Soon, he is constantly getting texts that take him over to Colin’s house to help while increasingly neglecting his pregnant wife.

Harriet’s protests are met with dismissal and even anger. He’s just helping their struggling neighbor! Nothing is going on and he’s offended she would even suggest such a thing. His best friend Mick also tries to warn him but Blake knows best 🙄

It all comes to blows when Harriett finds out from Colin that Blake and Rose kissed. Well, Rose kissed Blake and he immediately pushed her away and set her straight but, Harriet is done. She leaves and I absolutely loved this woman’s backbone and anger.

There is an HEA between Blake and Harriet but she makes him work for it and does not forgive easily.

There is no physical cheating on Blake’s part but some unintentional emotional cheating. He’s an Idiot but don’t worry, he pays for his dumbassery.

This book resonated with me because of the actions of the FMC, Harriet. She was angry, petty and unforgiving. Just like me! 😃

[Jac K · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This was a fun little read, but you really need to be in the mood for drama-llama not realistic angst. This will be short and sweet because the book is only 100 pages.

The blurb sets it up, Harriet and Blake are expecting their first child when Rose moves in next door and suddenly needs Blake’s help all the time. There’s a steady stream of drama because Blake is a dumbass, Harriet is no pushover, and Rose is bunny boiler crazy.

Bottom Line- I enjoyed, but there’re no heavy feels. There’s no physical cheating (or attraction from Blake), but he does cross lines and emotionally cheated even if it was platonic IMO.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delusional

Boy that woman Rose was crazy! And Blake was an idiot. He said he wasn't attracted to her but then why did he continually text with her. And then delete the texts. He really annoyed me. I don't understand it. I did think the wife may have dragged it on a little bit but my husband cheated on me before we were married and I still am angry about it. And I still bring it up. It really pisses him off. And I guess it was 48 years ago so I should let it go but.... Lol. I can't! Call me crazy! Glad they worked out at the end!

[Tmstprc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining!

Pregnant wife, TSTL husband, and bunny boiler wannabe OW.

[Lidia's Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Yawn*

I didn’t care enough to finish the last 10%.
No angst, just a dummy MMC; a ‘Fatal Attraction’ other woman; and a strong FMC. Maybe that was a bit overdone because ultimately he never cheated, not even emotionally. As I said, he was just dumb. If anything, I think he was insensitive towards to FMC for a short period of time and that’s the extent of his betrayal. But she REALLY made him pay for that. He was selfish and learned his lesson (the hard way). Nothing exciting here.

2.5 Stars - rounding up because the grovel was well done

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly short and satisfying read about a clueless as hell H emo cheating on his wife with a total wingnut manipulating neighbor lady. We get to see the H have a few epiphanies about just how clueless he is, with a little help from the h, his friend/employee, the h’s bro, the neighbors, and finally, a counselor. It took *that* many helpers for the lightbulbs to come on. But all of that leads to some delicious angsty moments for this OG angst whore reader!

[Amee · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 51%

[cajareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

He insisted that he’s not cheating, emotionally nor physically until his friend knocked some sense into his tiny brain. All 3 stars for the fmc only because the mmc deserved nothing, not even his own heavily pregnant wife that he neglected. He did everything a cheater does and putting his own wife in a dangerous situation getting involved with a cuckoo, deranged woman.

His only reason? Because he wanted to help the poor old man (the psycho woman father). Okay, good for you, help the man and get the hell out. That’s what you should have done. But instead, you were spending your time that should’ve have been spent on your pregnant wife to someone else. The deleted texts, the nicknames (yuckkk), and everything else that led to the kiss. And the most disgusting thing was that; everything he did actually looked a lot like leading the deranged woman on.

I loved the side characters especially the neighbors and the fmc’s brother. I loved that the fmc told the mmc to leave the house instead of her. She did everything to ensure her own happiness. Honestly she shouldn’t have taken him back in the end. I said what I said 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Irene · Rating 1 out of 5]

final update low grovelling max cheating, and low grovelling was shadowed cuz of OWs craziness

Update 3

He was going through a particularly bad patch, and Rose was distraught. She’d begun messaging a lot again lately, and I wanted to help her so I lied sometimes when her messages came through and then I deleted them. It gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, but it was only for Haz’s benefit. This would stress her unnecessarily and there was no way I was going to add to her mental load with this.

You dishonest/disgusting man

Update 2


but she’d fallen pregnant almost straight away, and I realized that I’d wanted, or needed, a bit more time. I definitely wanted kids, but my business was relatively new. Haz planned to take at least a year off, leaving me as sole provider. The thought was nauseating sometimes. What if work dropped? It’s not like I had a set wage and paid leave entitlements. I was self-employed. The responsibility was huge, and I was feeling it push down on me heavier every day. We had decent savings, but if everything fell apart, how long would that last? Haz would be forced back into the workplace, and we’d have childcare costs. It was all beginning to feel like it was too much.
Ping.
Rose: Hey Bear. Just wanted to see how you were doing. You seemed upset last night. You still worried about work dropping? You’ll be fine. Everyone has these nerves when they’re heading toward parenthood

HUH?????


Update 1


Blake’s phone chimed. A smile spread across his face.
“Who is it?” Mick asked.
“Just Rose. She sent a thank you and a meme of a kid with his head stuck in a chair,” Blake laughed.
Hmm. Why didn’t I like that? It was manners to thank someone. Why did she text Blake for help though?


I don’t know. I’m trying to help, Harriet. Don’t let your preggo hormones create something that isn’t there.” His tone was hostile. He must be pissed off because he never said my full name. I was “Babe” or “Haz.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I just think if you’re going to be bringing bins in, you could bring ours in.” I don’t think I was being unreasonable.
“Fine, next time don’t take it upon yourself to bring them in and I’ll do it,” he snapped, leaving the room.
Ping.
His phone went off. I couldn’t even see his face to know if his patented “Rose smile” had appeared, but I imagined it in my head and it pissed me off.

Well it started 😃 I’m already pissed as hell

[Tessa]

I don't really know what to rate this... The hero was a huge dick to his wife and continued his "friendship" with OW even when she crossed major boundaries. The fact that he was still gas lighting the h and making it seem like she was unreasonable after the OW kissed him makes me dislike him even more. He did end up going to councling... I think the OW turning completely psycho towards the end felt like overkill.

[Soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★. Blake was so stupid that you actually can’t hate him. The man full well did not realize emotional cheating was a thing because he loved his wife so much. Harriet was everything.

For my safety readers; Blake emotionally cheats. He had no clue it was tbh. He does grovel A LOT and you can feel his remorse. The OW was insane.

[Beeg Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You’ve been prioritizing her and gaslighting me since we met her. You’ve deleted texts. Missed appointments. Lied to my fucking face. You stood in this house an hour ago and got angry with me for suggesting anything was going on,” she yelled, pushing some clothes into her case…”

“I didn’t fucking cheat. I know I’ve done shitty things but I’m sick of being accused of cheating like I’m some kind of Bill Clinton.”
“You’re exactly like Bill Clinton. You think not having ‘sexual intercourse with that woman’ is the mark of not cheating. I may be a dumbass tradie, but I know this much. You put effort and time into a woman who wasn’t your wife. You pushed your wife aside for her. You lied to your wife to cover your tail, so you obviously knew you were being a piece of shit. You deleted messages, even though they were apparently ‘innocent.’ Why? Have you ever deleted innocent messages from me? You continued to help this woman, even after you knew you’d crossed a line. You say she just kissed you, but people don’t do that. Never have I been randomly kissed by a stranger, even in a club. There’s pre-gaming. You talk to them. You get close. You open the door. In your case, you let a vampire in, but you opened the door, and you need to own it. It’s cheating. Whether emotional or physical, you let Rose into your life into a space that should have been Haz’s alone. You ignored warnings, hers and mine. You scoffed at us, got angry with us. Whether you meant to or not, you gaslit her; hell, you gaslit me. You still haven’t even blocked that bitch,”

I know my actions were cheating, but I didn’t know it at the time.

I’d done a lot of reading since Haz kicked me out on cheating, emotional and physical, and been forced to admit that I’d done both. Even though I didn’t initiate or continue the kiss, it was my fault that Rose had kissed me.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I added another shelf for emotional cheating because I absolutely consider this cheating but some delineate emotional from physical cheating. The mmc doesn't see what he's gotten himself with as cheating as he feels he's helping out the crazy stalker neighbor but his wife warns him several times that he's crossed a line. His heavily pregnant wife has had enough gaslighting and only when she walks away does the mmc see the light.

I thought this story was well written and engaging

[Margerm, Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book that concentrates on the relationship between the H, h and OW and the aftermath. The H is a plumber and married to the h who is pregnant. The OW moves in to care for the neighbour who lives across the street. The OW begins to frequently ask for and depend on the H's help in caring for her father who has dementia. The OW interferes in their lives communicating regularly and pushing boundaries. The H refuses to see the red flags pointed out by both the h and his partner. He feels he is being a helpful neighbour who is having a difficult time. He justifies his questionable choices e.g., deleting texts from the OW. The h is no doormat. When the list of emotional cheating behaviours gets longer and longer she leaves. The OW's increasingly unhinged behaviour makes it impossible for the H to ignore what has been going on and his part in encouraging the OW's delusions. The OW threatens the safety and security of the h and H and their newborn. A compact story that keeps the focus on tension and stress.

[⚓ Basil ⚓ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Redemption novella

I enjoyed this novella. I like a quick read sometimes that still has a full stoey. It was well written and kept my attention. I liked the multiple points of view.

[Alina]

Dumbass mmc Blake emotionally cheats on his pregnant wife Haz with ow and neighbor Rose. and ignores his wife's protests and calls he insecure and hormonal and got mad at her Infront of ow for being upset that they made plans and didn't tell her.
ow kisses him, he pushes her away yet still continues to be in contacte with her and not block her immidiately nor did he tell his wife until he was exposed.
he would have been redeemable if he ultimately chose to focus on his wife and HER feelings before the ow kissed him and shown her colors .
he told her intimate details about his marriage and about his wife's past and trauma and the ow threw it in her face.
he chose ow's needs, feelings above his wife's untill the ow showed her psycho.
he even did chores for ow that he didn't do in his own home, deleted messages that ow sent him and even asked her for more pictures of her in a sexy dresss so he can approve it for her " date ", he also gave her a nickname on his phone. and he had no valide reason for any of his choices.

in the last cheating book i read aka "push " by aubrey whitten the mmc justified his cheating as his wife being distant and he was weak and needed to be " needed " which ow gave him.
but this dude had a good loving pregnant wife, he was needed at home yet he CHOSE to give his help, time, and affection to ow and lie to his wife about it.

he held off building HIS OWN CHILD'S NURSERY FOR MONTHS because he was so dedicated to helping the ow,yet he got so sad when his bestfriend and brother in law helped the fmc build and paint it and said " it should have been him and she should have asked him" EXCEPT SHE DID . and again the author threw him a pitty party and made him out to be Rose's victime, when he actually was a willing participant. the only victime was Haz for how much Rose harrassed her.
i loved the fmc though xD she was petty and hilarious:
"Blake, I’m in my third trimester of pregnancy. I’m working full time and living alone. I’m tired and emotional. Why should I go through counseling when I’ve done nothing wrong? What do I have to contribute other than having to go through all the horrible things you’ve made me feel and think? You want me to cut myself open to help heal you, but honestly, I don’t even know that I want to save us, so why should I go through that,"

his bestfriend Mick also really pounded his ass for what he did, this was after Rose harassed Haz:
"Don't bother. It's sorted. I knocked on Glenn Close's door and told her to fuck off and stay away from Haz. Sorry though, I didn't coddle Rose's feelings like you would have."

i know i had more quotes of Harriest being petty in this review but oh well

I could picture myself in a rocking chair in my 80s, enjoying an open fire with Blake and asking him to make a cup of tea.
“Sure, Haz. Just give me a sec,” he’d say.
“Why? Do you have a text from Rose?” I’d snipe back.

[Gilroy Garlic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm new to this Author's work... and she didn't disappoint 🙌
I really enjoyed it, it was a quick read. Blake was a blind idiot who couldn't comprehend that he did infact cheat on his wife. I loved how his BFF Mick & Sean (BIL) put him in his place:
“Hey, Sean.” This was not going to go well. I could feel it. “Hey asshole. What the fuck is going on? Why did my sister call me in tears to cancel Thursday night?” “Well … um … we had an argument and—” “It was a rhetorical question fuckwit. She told me the reason. Are you fucking kidding me? Are you with that bitch now?” “No, it was all a misunderstanding. I didn’t ever—” “So, you didn’t lie to my sister? You didn’t receive sexy selfies from a random slut? You didn’t share her childhood trauma with a stranger? You didn’t skip out on an appointment for your baby to help her? You didn’t kiss this bitch and lie about it to Haz?” “Yes, all of that happened, but it was innocent. I didn’t cheat.” “That is cheating,” he yelled. I’d never heard Sean yell. He was a chill guy. “All of that is cheating! You’ve got a fucking nerve to defend it.” “I’m not defending it. I know I’m in the wrong. I’ve tried to talk to her but—” “Innocent? Didn’t cheat? That’s defense, you c*nt.” Ouch. He never used that word. “I don’t know what to say or do, Sean. I fucked up; I know it. I’m trying here but she won’t speak to me.” “Then respect what she wants. I’m not ringing to intervene. I’m certainly not ringing to help you. I rang to tell you to fuck off, fuck off again, and fuck off once more. You mess with my sister again, or try to approach her when she’s not ready, I’ll fucking kill you.” He hung up.

Conversation between Blake & Mick: I wandered into the living room and flopped onto Mick’s sofa. “I don’t know what to do. She barely speaks to me. I need to fix this soon. It’s not good for her to be so upset while she’s pregnant.” “Well, maybe not cheating on her would have been a good idea,” Mick said, not taking his eyes off the football. “I didn’t fucking cheat. I know I’ve done shitty things but I’m sick of being accused of cheating like I’m some kind of Bill Clinton.” Mick turned to me. “You’re exactly like Bill Clinton. You think not having ‘sexual intercourse with that woman’ is the mark of not cheating. I may be a dumbass tradie, but I know this much. You put effort and time into a woman who wasn’t your wife. You pushed your wife aside for her. You lied to your wife to cover your tail, so you obviously knew you were being a piece of shit. You deleted messages, even though they were apparently ‘innocent.’ Why? Have you ever deleted innocent messages from me? You continued to help this woman, even after you knew you’d crossed a line. You say she just kissed you, but people don’t do that. Never have I been randomly kissed by a stranger, even in a club. There’s pre-gaming. You talk to them. You get close. You open the door. In your case, you let a vampire in, but you opened the door, and you need to own it. It’s cheating. Whether emotional or physical, you let Rose into your life into a space that should have been Haz’s alone. You ignored warnings, hers and mine. You scoffed at us, got angry with us. Whether you meant to or not, you gaslit her; hell, you gaslit me. You still haven’t even blocked that bitch,” He seemed to get angrier the more he spoke. “You’re my best mate. I’m always here for you and I hope this works out for you but sitting here and making yourself a victim is not helping. You are not the victim. If you want to apologize and make things good with Haz, I’m all for it. But have a real fucking think about what you’re apologizing for, or it won’t mean a damn thing.”

Anyway, Hero grovels goes to therapy... finally accepted his wrong doings. Both H &h work on rebuilding their marriage w/the help of Shelly (therapist) . They do get a HEA and I honestly believe Hero learned his lesson and will never fuck up again.

As for the OW, Rose? She was bat shit crazy 😅. we do get 3 chapter in her POV and girl needs serious help. She does get her comeuppance: Rose Fennech, 25, of Galberg was sentenced to five years in a psychiatric corrective institution for assaulting her former psychiatrist, Dr. Vincent Conti. Conti, who specializes in treating personality disorders, was attacked by a naked, enraged Fennech as he left his office in October last year. While the doctor and his wife have not spoken publicly about the incident, it is believed Fennech became obsessed with him during her stay at the psychiatric wing of Galberg General Hospital. Despite Conti’s withdrawal as her care provider and the lodging of protective orders, Fennech continued to stalk the psychiatrist. Conti escaped serious injury from his former patient’s attack with a chain, but Fennech’s prior record for stalking was cited by Judge Ruth Hienman as a serious consideration in the determination of her sentence.

[I’m a Paula too… Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good psycho story…

This is a new-to-me author, and I found that I enjoyed her story very much. What was most interesting to me was that this could be real life. While I’ve never had neighbors like Rose, it seems likely that neighbors can get too close. And husbands don’t see the same things wives see… nor do they always believe what they’re told.

Rose is definitely mentally unstable and our MMC had no clue. Our FMC was uncomfortable with Rose’s behavior, and I completely agreed with her. Rose turns out to be one of those women who obsesses over men who are polite to her.

KU read. This was very well done and I’ll look forward to more from this author.

[Mariana Ponce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Está entretenido, más que nada por los corajes que este hombre me hizo pasar. Lit quisiera verlo para agarrarlo a cachetadas por su estupidez🤬, la verdad me quedó resentimiento contra él. Yo detesto la infidelidad y él lo fue. Emocionalmente, pero lo fue y no se olvida.😑

[Kerry Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novella

[Aseel · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing style in this book isn’t very good, and reads like a book written by a grade 6 student. There isn’t detail, or build up or angst, and the MMC annoyed me too much. I ended up only getting through 61% of the book. Definitely not worth them time to read this book.

[connie eubanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

forgiveness is a gift

Great story about how blind a man can be about a young attractive woman. Haz and Blake have a great marriage and are expecting their first baby. Enter Rose, the next door neighbor’s attractive daughter. Blake thinks it’s all innocent, Haz doesn’t let the issues pile up. It’s interesting and you get the otw’s point of view a few times. Good read. Does need some editing.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a realistic view!

Normally these books with OWD just make me sick. Woman beats down on herself, forgives with a simple apology, never tosses it in man’s face, never brings up if she did or does exactly the same, and bam back together HEA. Not this book! Tough, relatable MFC and reality of screwing up. Enjoyed the book. Short and missed nothing!

[Miki’s⚠️ Safety Reviews & Rants⚠️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid!
The H was horrible and way way way out of line.
The h needed to get her a new man.
Everything this guy did was really bad and he got off easy.

‼️This could have been ok if there was MEGA GROVEL like mega bloody knees GEOVEL
BUT THERE WAS NONE! 🔪💀Not even redemption.

He basically said sorry a million times
He gave her space
He did what a he should have done from the start and acted like and father and husband.
Thats not worthy of getting his wife back! Sorry it’s just not.

HE NEEDED TO BE ON HIS KNEES AND BEGGING then he needed to spend at least a year working hard to relearn her back.

See this is what’s wrong w pregnancy and betrayal books. She has to see him and take him back into her life. It’s a cheap way to force forgiveness.

Yes she stands up for herself but she forgives way to easy with little change from him. He basically just went back to pre Rose.

⚠️NOT SAFE⚠️
Missed opportunity.
Emotional Cheating
Physical cheating- a kiss
And a lot of deleted inappropriate texts and photo exchanges.
The man was stupid and was def gonna get into a full blown affair
He defended OW constantly and his poor pregnant wife was left to fend for herself.

Bad man this was bad!

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

RE-read

[Claudia]

This book was definitely a bit different from what I usually read. It wasn’t about physical cheating, but more emotional cheating—and honestly, that hit just as hard. So we’ve got Blake and Haz, a married couple who seem genuinely happy. Haz is pregnant, Blake’s a plumber (can’t remember what Haz does), and everything seems normal… until this new neighbour, Rose, moves in across the street.

Rose is this younger girl looking after her elderly dad, and for whatever reason, Blake decides to get overly involved. He starts driving her and her dad to appointments, she’s asking him for advice on what to wear for her dates, and he’s just constantly available for her. Meanwhile, he’s ignoring Haz—he even misses antenatal appointments to help Rose out.

What made it worse was that he knew it was dodgy. He was deleting texts, hiding things from Haz “so he didn’t stress her out,” and when she brought it up, he made her feel like she was overreacting. Even his workmates warned him that Rose was bad news, but he just convinced himself he was “just helping.”

Turns out he was also telling Rose personal stuff about Haz—like things from her childhood. It all comes to a head when Haz borrows his iPad while having a bath and sees all the messages. Rose sending pics in her sports bra, outfits for dates, him missing appointments with Haz to help Rose instead. She gets out, confronts him, and tells him she’s done. Calls him a cheating bastard and leaves to stay with her friend.

Blake tries to act like it’s not a big deal and says sorry, but she’s heartbroken. What hurts more is the lying—he knew it was wrong. He was gaslighting her, putting off building the nursery, and choosing another woman over her when she was pregnant. But Haz handles it really well. She’s mature about it. She comes back home, tells Blake to move out, and says he can move back in two weeks before the baby’s due. She’ll let him be at the birth, but they’re not together, and she doesn’t want to think about their relationship until after the baby’s here.

So Blake moves in with a colleague, who (fun twist) ends up helping Haz put together the nursery. Meanwhile, Blake’s finally realising how badly he screwed up. He keeps saying he didn’t have feelings for Rose and didn’t see it as cheating—but slowly it hits him that it was cheating. He was prioritising another woman over his pregnant wife. He’s remorseful, and he knows he’s in the wrong.

We also get Rose’s POV, and she is completely unhinged. She genuinely thinks she and Blake are having a thing, even though he’s never led her on like that. She keeps trying to stir drama between him and Haz. There’s also some messy stuff about her dad not really being her dad, and her mum being a gold digger. Eventually, things get so bad they take out a restraining order on her.

In the end, Haz forgives Blake, and they work on rebuilding trust. I thought it was a good read. It made me think, like, what would I do in that situation? It was sad, especially because Haz was pregnant through all of this, and it just made her heartbreak even heavier. But I did like that Blake didn’t get off lightly. He had to really reflect and take responsibility.

The writing style didn’t completely pull me in—it felt a bit flat in places—but the story kept me hooked. I’d definitely be open to reading more from this author.

[ThEAnGrYrEaDeR55 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: Bed of Roses by Myranda Henty
⭐️⭐️/5 - Rounded up but 2.5 stars

Another Wattpad-to-KU read. I read the author’s other book first, which I preferred. This one? Just okay. Short, frustrating, and the male main character (Blake) is never truly redeemed. I mean it hooks you with the drama which is why I read it but maybe it made ME hormonal because the way this guy treats and talks down to his pregnant wife is astounding.

The story follows Harriet (“Haz”), 16 weeks pregnant, and her husband Blake. Enter Rose—their new neighbor—moving in to care for her father Colin, an elderly man with dementia. Rose is the product of Colin’s past affair and, conveniently, Harriet resembles Colin’s old mistress, stirring up tension.

Rose quickly becomes dependent on Blake. Texts, favors, long conversations—emotional affair territory almost immediately. Harriet expresses discomfort, but Blake gaslights her, blaming her pregnancy hormones. He constantly defends Rose, even after their friends and family flag the inappropriate dynamic. Meanwhile, he’s venting to Rose about his marriage, hiding texts, deleting messages, calling her pet names, and complimenting her body. Classic emotional affair—eventually crossing into a physical one with at least a kiss (that he denies, of course). He even rates her BODY while she's sending him sexy photos inappropriate clothing with nipples showing. Yet, he keeps telling Harriet she's over the line.

Things unravel when Colin, in a confused episode, reveals Blake and Rose kissed. Blake disappears from the scene, and Rose unapologetically admits it “just happened,” while blaming Harriet for neglecting her husband.

It gets messier:

Blake admits he was flattered by Rose’s attention.

He lies, gaslights, and minimizes every boundary crossed.

Rose goes full stalker—delusional, manipulative, even creating a nursery in her home.

Despite all of this, the book ends with a happy-ever-after. Blake and Harriet sell the house, have their baby, go to therapy, and start planning baby #2. Honestly? Too tidy for the mess he made. There’s no real grovel or proper accountability. I mean sure, Harriet kicks him out of the house for a few weeks but since the author makes Rose a full on crazy person, it seems like Blake's mistakes get brushed off because Rose is dangerous.

The writing was decent, but the resolution didn’t match the emotional damage. Harriet deserved better.

[Shannon Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This is a marriage in trouble novella.

Additional tropes:
✅ Cheating
✅ Other woman drama

Detailed spoilers/trigger warnings (if any) and final thoughts can be found below.

Harriet and Blake have been married for several years and she is currently pregnant with their first child. They seem to have a loving marriage but soon the cracks begin to show. When the daughter of their elderly neighbor moves in, they both welcome her with offers to help when they can but she takes a strong liking to the MMC.

The text messages are a lot, but it’s the missed appointments, time away, and gaslighting that have the FMC most frustrated and concerned. It is revealed that the MMC and the OW kissed and the FMC is done. She places boundaries immediately and the MMC finally sees the extent of what he has done. He begins to grovel but the other woman is no where near finished with her obsession. The stress of all of this is a lot for Harriet. She wants to forgive her husband and focus on their family but how does she do that with an other woman who won’t take no for an answer.

⚠️SPOILERS/SPICE/DETAILED TRIGGERS⚠️

*The other woman drama in this one is off the charts. She causes a lot of problems. We get a couple of chapters from her perspective that allow us to see just how crazy and delusional she really was.
*Very brief mention of childhood abuse. No details provided.

Final thoughts: I liked this one. It was short and sweet and to the point but I didn’t feel like I missed anything. The buildup to the betrayal was good and the grovel was good. There was lots of other woman drama scattered throughout. There was secondary character involvement that added some angst to the story.

I love that that the FMC stood her ground and didn’t relent. I wish there had been a little more confrontation with her and the other woman but that’s just me. The writing didn’t knock my socks off but it was easy to read and not complicated at all. A nice steady flow. There was a pretty egregious error with character confusion that affected the rating for me but overall if you like other woman drama, this is a must read because there’s a lot.