"Bed of Roses" by Caylee Hammack and Carolyn Brown can be so corny at times. I guess this is an accompaniment to a country album? It sure feels like it could be, country bumpkin-type of plot. It is like The Hallmark Channel vomited all over this story. Don't get me wrong, I love a good cheesy, cozy, comfy, fluffy small-town romance novel, but this one did not do it for me. The main character, Sam, gets stuck in a small town called Homestead, TX, after her dad's vintage car breaks down, and she decides to see where life takes her while she's there waiting for it to get fixed. She gets a job at the local bookstore, owned by Noah, whom she is instantly attracted to. Unfortunately for Sam, Noah has a girlfriend, and she is not about to be "the other woman," especially considering *she* was recently cheated on by both her ex-boyfriend and her best friend. Still, that doesn't stop her from admiring him from afar...and vice versa. The authors make Noah's girlfriend the worst person she could possibly be: a literal dog-kicking, small-town-hating liar and cheater, so we, the readers, empathize and sympathize when Noah and Sam's budding friendship that eventually turns into more. I wasn't convinced because they have absolutely no chemistry with one another. To me, their forced proximity was just that: convenient. Sam is in town, possibly temporarily, and Noah happens to live there. She is recently heartbroken. He is recently heartbroken. Bing-bang-boom-coupled-up?? I never once felt anything other than an extremely surface-level friendship between the two of them. Heck, he had more friendly chemistry with his ex-girlfriend's mother! While seemingly waiting for Noah to decide to break up with his girlfriend, a woman whom he has clearly expressed disinterest in on multiple occasions, Sam casually sees a man named Jack, even though she (and everyone in town) knows he is a scoundrel, a jerk, a cheater, and a terrible person. This led me to question everyone's thought processes!! Why are these people sitting around wasting their time like this?! If you dislike someone so much that you don't want to be with them, just break up with them and move on! It's not rocket science! If you know a guy is bad news, don't date him! If everyone in town is telling you, "this person is awful," don't date them, even casually!! If you were recently cheated on, don't turn around and do the same thing to someone else, even if they kicked your dog! This story is also simultaneously too short and too long. It is all over the place in terms of its story, and I didn't find the writing anything to, well, write home about. The authors keep piling on the melodrama to the point where it all starts to feel like a midday soap opera. I also did not love the audiobook narration by Cassandra Myles. There was not enough differentiation between the characters' voices for me to be able to keep everyone straight. I am sorry to say I did not like this one.

I received an advanced listener copy of the audiobook for Bed of Roses. This is a Podium production, and is performed by Cassandra Myles. Her voice is amazing, comforting like a hug from grandma. This turned out to be such a cozy, heartwarming story! Sam's journey from heartbreak to rebuilding her whole life in a new town is inspiring! This is a wholesome story with lots of laughs along the way! Some tropes include: Small Town, found family, slow burn friends to lovers, HEA.

Wonderful Story & Listen! Sweet & Heartwarming! “Bed of Roses” is a charming small town romance that captivates your attention and warms your heart. The characters are realistic, relatable and easy to connect with, easy to root for, too. Sam’ had her heart broken when she caught her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend, a double heartbreak. She needed to get away, so she packed up and took her dog Nibbler on a road trip in her vintage ‘65 Mustang, against her father’s advisement, heading to her cousin’s place in Arkansas, except her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Texas, not too far from Homestead, a quaint small town. Luckily, the only mechanic, Jack, in miles saw her stranded and brought her and her car to town. She did not get the best vibes from Jack, but with limited cell service, she had no choice but to put her trust in him. Leaving her car at the mechanic, she set off for the one B&B in town, The Rose Garden. On the way there, she met Noah, the owner of the local bookstore and there was a spark between them, but it couldn’t go anywhere, since he was involved with someone and she was nursing a broken heart and was not looking for a rebound. The ladies at The Rose Garden B & B were very welcoming and, knowing her car situation, they offered her a job and accommodations. Sam fit in well with the locals and made friends, including Noah, and it was great to learn more about them all. I loved all the layers of this beautifully written and plotted story, and how it all played out, with the perfect balance of drama, heartwarming moments, heartfelt emotions and a slow burn, but so worth the wait romance. Carolyn Brown and Caylee Hammack, thank you for this wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride. And for the audiobook narration, Cassandra Myles did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, giving each their own voice, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. She covered the voices for all the roles and was great with the male voices and delivered the back-and-forth dialogue effortlessly, never missing a beat. Her portrayal of each character was spot on, grasping their personalities and demeanor perfectly, and she was a natural in Sam’s role. She set the right tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. Myles is an entertaining storyteller and her performance holds your attention captive and elevates the story to another level.