I adore this book and want to give all the characters (well, all but two) giant hugs. Aurora is absolutely perfect - she’s a balance of messiness, happiness, adventure, and fun. Rhodes is the classic grumpy man that slowly learns to show his soft side. Amos is perfectly written and I love the connection between all his parents. Mariana Zapata certainly is the queen of the slow-burn, but it really worked well in this book. I loved how Aurora slowly regained herself and made new friends, along with reconnecting with Clara, and the romance wasn’t rushed. I didn’t want to put this down and throughly enjoyed the entire book. Maybe Mariana Zapata could mention bodily functions (peeing in this book, passing gas, or burping in others) a little less, but that’s a small personal preference. Overall, amazing book and I loved the extra scene and the epilogue! 5⭐️, 2🌶

Oh boy. This was my first Zapata book and I get all the hype! Her characters are SO relatable, the humor is so fun, and the slow burn tension had me by the THROAT. Additionally, there is so much more happening within the book beyond Aurora’s desire to climb her new landlord like a tree. There is real character growth; moving on after a break-up; working through grief about a lost parent; testing your comfort levels while seeking your own happiness! I especially enjoyed the small town Colorado setting and the use of hiking as a part of Aurora’s healing journey. Additionally, there’s a wonderful musical theme which brings Aurora closer to Mr. Rhodes’ teenage son, Amos, as they are both song writers/musicians.

Now, the romance. Oof. Mr. Rhodes is a retired Navy now Game Warden silver fox focused on raising his teenage son. Yet he repeatedly supports and shows up for new garage apartment tenant, Aurora, in ways that make any person swoon. Quiet, consistent, patient, and reverent, their connection slowly builds into a solid foundation for a new relationship. It’s a beautiful heartfelt journey that was easy for me to believe and root for! While there is some delicious on page steam, be warned that Zapata makes you WAIT for hundreds of pages until you’re ready to reach through the pages and smash their faces together 😂. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon publishing for my advanced copy in exchange for my review! Romances lovers of age gap, single dad, landlord/tenant, grumpy/sunshine, and slow burn romances should absolutely read this book soon.

Such a slow burn, but so worth it! I feel like this story is so much more than a romance and it had me hooked immediately. Aurora’s story of self discovery and how she connects with her mother’s memory is so beautiful, so much so that I would sometimes forget about the underlying romantic connection she was nurturing, which I’m shocked I was ok with. As the story builds, her relationship with Rhodes is so perfect, the slow burn has you begging for just the slightest touch, smile, ANYTHING!! I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from the author.

Well, this was a good romance. Good starting over story. There are long chapters. I felt like I’d read a good amount, but in reality, it was only six chapters. It was slow progress. The grumpy sunshine was perfect! Rhodes was the epitome of a sexy, grumpy man. I wanted more of them together. It was the slowest burn ever. I thought it was going to be no burn, but it did finally come 👀once. It took forever, but more disappointing was the lack of even kissing. I understand putting off sex. I don't mind closed-door sex. But even a kiss took for-freaking-ever! For grown adults for me it’s unrealistic.

5 Stars!
Aurora De La Torre is feeling a little lost lately. Her life is in chaos after her fourteen year relationship ends with her famous musician boyfriend. She needs a fresh start and thinks of the only place that ever truly felt like home. She takes a road trip and heads to the small town in Colorado where she grew up. She wasn't sure what the future held, but for now she wants a slower pace and to feel close to her late mother. Pagosa Springs holds precious memories, but also painful ones. She's ready to live in the moment, and that starts with the garage apartment she's rented for the month. What she didn't expect was the grumpy, hot landlord. Turns out Tobias Rhodes didn't rent her the apartment. It was actually his teenage son, Amos. The single dad isn't too welcoming, but she sure still enjoys the view. The more time she spends in the mountains, the place just feels right. She's found peace, comfort, and new possibilities. As she tries to move on and build something new, has she finally found the place where she belongs?

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata is a unique story about family, beautiful friendship, and an unexpected once in a lifetime kind of love. It's a small town, neighbors, grumpy/sunshine, slow burn, single dad, friends to lovers romance that captivated me from start to finish. I read a new edition of this story with exclusive bonus content. This was my first read by Mariana Zapata, and just WOW! I was completely blown away by her writing and can't wait to read more of her books. I've really been missing out. I'm sure I'm not the only one asking, but I'd like to officially beg for a book for Amos!!! <333

Zapata is an instead read author for me! I loved these characters and how real they were. I thought the story was definitely a SLOW burn, but it was worth it completely in the end. This is a 5 star romance!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. This is my first Mariana Zapata book and I love her writing style. This book follows the story of the female main character Aurora and her move back to her home town after major changes in her life. This story is a very slow burn romance and also a story of someone starting over. This book does a great job establishing the main character as a person and slowly gives us insight into the male main character Rhodes. Once I started this book I could not put it down. I will definitely be getting more of Mariana Zapata's books.

I have said a handful of times before that a book was 100 pages too long. I have never, ever said that a book was 200 pages too long.

This book was 200 pages too long. Maybe even 250 pages too long.

Highly repetitive scenes that could have easily been combined, so much rambling inner monologue, and just a ton of mundand details the reader doesn't need.

Clearly, I'm in the minority here (based on book reviews), but I was bored senseless.

450 pages in with almost no chemistry, a hero whose term of endearment for the heroine was "buddy", and they hadn't even kissed yet.

My sincere thanks to Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read All Rhodes Lead Here and give my honest opinion of it in the following short review.

What is your love language? One thing I love about Mariana's books is how her characters display their love languages before they even know they are in love. In this book we follow Rhodes who is in his early 40s and Aurora who is 33. They meet when Rhodes' son rents out their garage apartment to Aurora without his father's permission. This does not go over well, but Aurora is allowed to stay when she offers to pay more and not interact with them. Aurora has come back to the small community she left as a young girl after her mother went missing on a hike in the mountains never to be seen again. She has gone through a bad breakup following a 14-year relationship and wants to feel connected to something or someone again. The last place she remembers truly feeling this was when she lived in Colorado with her mom. She's not sure what she is going to do there other than try out some of her mother's favorite hikes as found in the notebooks her mom kept. Keeping away from Rhodes and his son Amos is more difficult than anticipated. Aurora is a sunshiny people person, and it is just not in her nature to ignore those around her. This leads to her rescuing Amos in a time of need and Rhodes finally seeing that she is nothing like he originally pictured her. Watching their relationship grow from that point was a delight.

I love the friendship building in this book, both Aurora's friendship with Rhodes AND with Amos. As their friendship grows, you really see the grumpy Rhodes start to display his love language of acts of service and time. He begins to see a different future for himself, and Aurora heals from a relationship where she was treated like a dirty secret. Rhodes allows her to grow and figure out what she wants before declaring his feelings. I loved the slow burn. This is much more than a fluffy romance and I really enjoyed it.

My Rating: 4.75 ⭐️ | 1 🌶️

Summary: After a tough breakup with her famous musician boyfriend, Aurora De La Torre decides to move back to Pagosa Springs, CO – a small town that she once called home. Moving to this small town gives Aurora (“Ora” to her friends) the opportunity to hide out and find herself and reminisce about her late mother and old life in CO. Her hot, older landlord across the driveway is also a nice distraction from the heartache. Too bad his, Tobias Rhodes's, grumpy demeanor sometimes clashes with the sunshine Ora exudes through her personality, kindness, and care for others. But over time, their relationship blossoms to more than him just being her landlord.

Tropes:
x Grumpy Boy, Sunshine Girl
x Single Parent
x Hidden Identity
x Friends to Lovers
x Small Town Romance
x Slow Burn

My Review:
This is an upcoming re-release of a new edition with bonus content that I received as an eARC from Avon Books.

This is the third book by Mariana Zapata that I’ve read and so far, my favorite. Everyone bills Zapata as the queen of slow burn, which yes this is true. More accurately, though, her books depict a more nuanced understanding of how love builds between her characters through small moments and gestures that are rife with tension and steam but aren’t overtly sexual. All Rhodes Lead Here is no different and I enjoyed Ora’s and Rhodes’ character developments throughout the book.

As a reader, you notice when Rhodes’ skepticism of Ora’s personality and kindness changes to admiration and then he falls for her. He first adopts “Angel” as a nickname for Ora which she promptly rejects because of misreading his intentions. He then calls her “Buddy” – which I admit was kinda weird; I assumed it’s because she rejected his “angel” nickname. Rhodes later explains why he calls her “Buddy” but that still made me cringe slightly. Nonetheless, you notice the change in his demeanor toward her, his falling for her, which I think Zapata does very well in writing this through the single POV of the FMC.

The love that grows between Ora and Rhodes is subtle and, as Ora notes later in the book, done through actions rather than spoken words. Don’t be mistaken though- when Rhodes puts into words his love for Ora, it’s that much more impactful as a reader.

As much as I loved this book, it is not without its faults. One thing I did not enjoy – and just don’t understand in many books – is when the FMC doesn’t pick up on the nonverbal (even sometimes verbal) communication by the MMC in a book. So, in this book, Ora can clearly read Johnny’s nonverbals but not Rhodes’? Yes, Rhodes’ demeanor is absolutely grumpy, but he’s not a total ass to her and he does send her verbal and nonverbal cues about his interest in her (i.e., calling her “Angel”) that she rejects (“Angel is not my name”) or misses entirely. That baffles me when reading a book. The whole “Buddy” nickname is also just super cringe; the explanation behind it is sweet, but still… The second thing I was confused about was Ora’s rationale for her hidden identity. I felt that was a little off. I won’t get into specifics to not spoil parts of the book, but I wasn’t sold on the "why" that was explained later on. I 100% accept the whole *wanting to get away and start a new life* as a full rationale. The last thing I felt was lacking was Ora's interactions with her Ex. I would have really liked to have “flashback” scenes to get a better sense of that relationship dynamic. Whereas we get more of a fleshed-out relationship with the mother of the Ex. And that makes sense given Aurora's unspoken desire for more female/mother-like relationships throughout the book.

Overall, I loved this book. Even the FMC’s inner monologue. Of the books I’ve read by Mariana Zapata, I feel Ora’s inner monologue in this book is warranted more so than the others; or at least I am not as put off by it in this book rather than the other two. I think that’s because of the role of grief and mourning in this book by Ora. Grief is very personal and takes a lot of inward reflection and therapy, in many cases, to work through that emotion. I think Zapata does an excellent job with Ora’s story in this book, in terms of grief.

The bonus content was great. I enjoyed having this in the book because the epilogue skips further ahead than where the main story ends between Ora and Rhodes. The Bonus Scene provides the “Oh, that’s how that happened” content that helps to provide another layer to the HEA for the MMCs.

Let me start off my saying this is a republication of the book (new publisher). I am emphasizing this early on so those of you who are fans of this author are aware that this is the same book for 99% with just some bonus scenes at the end (this way you don’t buy the book twice).
The queen of the slow build romance has just knocked another one out of the park. This book has it all: humor, strong female main character, sunshine vs grump vibes, single dad, age-gap, a slow simmering burn, and so much emotion ( I can’t emphasize that enough). I love, love, love it.
Ora is going home, or her version of it anyway, after a bad break up. After a long trip she reaches her rental only to find out it’s not actually a rental and the person who was renting it online was actually a teenager (the stuff of nightmare). Surely Mr Grumpy pants (aka Rhodes) will understand, right? Suffice to say Rhodes doesn’t like strangers, or most people , especially pretty ones, but Ora slowly wins him over. And his son Amos, well he’s the perfect mix of angsty teen and helpful pal, letting Ora recover that part of herself she thought was gone forever (her music). As previously mentioned this author is the BEST at a slow build so the relationship between Ora and Rhodes is just that, a relationship between 2 adults that have both been dealt some rough hands in the game of life, but their interactions are so amazing, just slow compared to many stories nowadays. You will alternately laugh so hard you feel like you’re going to pee your pants ( let’s just say it’s a toss up between the bats and the “chicken” scene) then cry a river that will have you finishing a box of tissues. I love how real their relationship feels. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of heat simmering between these two but at a slow simmer. The supporting characters in this book are also amazing (and not just Rhodes’ son Amos). If you want a book that will have you feeling it all you must read this book. This is a 5 plus stars book that I highly recommend ( along with most books by this author). Remember this is a rerelease, just a different cover for those who think that this book seems familiar.

Aurora heads back to the town where she grew up after a bad breakup from a 14 year relationship. She rents the garage apartment of a grumpy Colorado game warden and his 16 year old son. Determined to enjoy the hikes her mother did prior to her disappearance when she was 13 and to reconnect with an old friend, Aurora starts out on a journey of personal growth.

This book was a CLASSIC Zapata and perhaps my new favorite of hers. No one does a slow burn like her. Also, I typically hate single person POV throughout a book, but for some reason all of Zapatas books never leave me feeling lacking. I am 10000% obsessed with Rhodes and I loved him from the first moment I met him. I loved that this book had me laughing and crying. Ora’s growth throughout this book was so beautiful to see and I loved experiencing her falling in love with Rhodes and Amos. Absolutely 5 stars from MZ and one of my favorite books ever!

“being around you is like being around the sun”
Hello? that’s literally best thing ever. It’s giving Gus from Beach Read’s “when I watch you sleep, I feel overwhelmed that you exist” Rhodes’ quiet love and the way he cared for his son and Aurora is my favorite thing ever. I felt the connection between Rhodes and Aurora so much and the fact that it was slow burn and they didn’t kiss until like 375 pages in just made their relationship so much more meaningful. I also loved Aurora’s relationship with Amos and I adored the side characters in this book too. I don’t think I’ll ever get over Rhodes and this book and I can’t wait to read more Mariana Zapata books in the future. ❤️
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!

This was my first Mariana Zapata book and wow was it a ROLLERCOASTER! I've never been a fan of the single-parent trope, but Tobias Rhodes has CHANGED MY MIND!

The only negative for this book was the length. I believe the book could've been shortened 100-150 pages for a quicker wrap-up instead of dragging the storyline.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

MZ does it again!!!! The absolute epitome of a slow burn!! I’ve read a few of hers and it hits every time.

Someone asked what constitutes a “slow burn” and I would give them this as an example. The first 30% is completely and utterly mundane. And I am LIVING for it. 57% in and we’ve got a finger graze. The friendship and emotional relationship between the main characters really develops before they finally give in. It amps up the tension and was executed beautifully.

As for the characters, Rhodes is a *literal* DADDY. I loved that his backstory was completely unexpected and he was such a caring and nurturing man, even if standoffish.

Aurora came off as a fun and flighty, go with the flow kind of girl but then to learn how deep in her grief she was, it was a really beautiful and humanizing moment for her as a main character.

The whole book was *chef’s kiss*.

This is my second book by Zapata and I already love this author! I could not put this book down today! It was a slow burn, age gap, grumpy sunshine story that was so much more than a romance.

Aurora returned to the town where she spent her early years so that she could start over. She meets Rhodes and his son Amos when she rents the apartment above his garage. She reconnects with old friends, makes new ones, and sets out to experience new things. Along the way, she forms a bond with Amos and starts to get to know Rhodes better.

Aurora's journey throughout this book leaves you awestruck at how she handled everything that is thrown at her. Rhodes is perfect for her and I was dying for something to happen between them.
Despite my impatience, everything unfolded perfectly and Zapata created a masterpiece.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely love Marianne Zapata's writing! Her slow burn romances are favorites of mine. I have read and I have listened to most of her books. I saw this on NetGalley and thought I'd read it, but didn't find it on my kindle so I requested the book as fast as possible. After beginning it, I recognized the story and went searching more. I had listened to this before, finding it in my Audible audiobooks. I have to admit that I'm super curious about the new audiobook/narrators.

I did not want to put the book down when life interrupted. I was completely engaged in the storyline and characters. I smile, cried, cheered, laughed (out loud), frowned, cried some more, and sighed in perfect contentment by the end of this book. There is a reason I own all her audiobooks and most of her ebooks. They are worth rereading! There is so much heart in this book. The extra content made me smile. An excellent read!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the ARC of this book. This is my voluntary and honest review.

I’m torn with my rating on this one because I really enjoyed the overall story and the romance between Aurora and Rhodes but I didn’t mesh well with the writing. I felt that the overuse of ellipses and the over explanation in some parts took me out of the story quite often. But I really enjoyed the plot and the relationships formed both romantic and otherwise.

The QUEEN of slow burn. like every MZ book, this book is so comforting. i just love how well MZ builds the friendship between the two mc’s which leads up to a beautiful relationship. i just loved aurora and rhodes!

Mr. Rhodes is one of the best male characters ever. You can’t change my mind.

This one is S U P E R slow. Like really slow. Just know this one will take you through the mountains on multiple hikes, a few emergency’s, a good couple of arguments, and one eagle encounter before the MC’s even touch hands. (That’s a bit exaggerated but you get what I mean). I live for the slow burn so I loved it
Things I loved...

• Single dad vibes & grump x sunshine - Mr. Rhodes has a hard exterior that is slowly broken down by our happy, optimistic, sunshiny female MC Aurora
• Mysteryish subplot - Aurora moves back to her hometown after leaving because of something that happened (I won’t spoil it for you). This plot point added an extra element to the book that I really enjoyed
• Nicknames - Just like all her other books MZ does not disappoint with the cute names (although I did find it odd that Aurora thought he was saying her name wrong the entire time)
• Auroras background - Again, similar to her other books, MZ reveals things about the characters as you read the book. You may be, (rather you probably will be) a bit confused for a while but it always gets cleared up

I would recommend this one if you’re looking for a book that will make you smile and swoon!!