🧡 Grumpy x sunshine
💙 Single dad
🧡 Slow burn
💙 Found Family



Quotes could change by repub date:

“You got this spark of life that nothing and no one has taken away despite the things that have happened to you, and I don’t understand how you still manage to . . . be you.”

“Because being around you is like being around the sun.” 🥹



This has been out for a while from what i can tell but it’s being rereleased in Jan 2024 with new content and a new cover! I did get this book from NetGalley so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book!

Aurora or Ora is starting over after seperating from her famous singer partner of 14 years. He kept her as secret and only those closest to them knew who she was to him. He told her to leave and that they were over. She packed her stuff up and started driving cross country and ended up back in her hometown in Colorado. She is renting out the studio above a garage and when she arrives she’s able to use the lock box to get in. After settling in for a few minutes voices are heard coming up the stairs & she thinks that she’s being robbed. Turns out the son of the property owner was secretly going to rent out the apartment while his dad was out of town for a month in order to make money. Tobias Rhodes was extremely angry and reluctant to allow her to stay for the month but when she offered triple he begrudgingly said yes but that she was out after a month.

Aurora started a new job where her old friend works at a sporting goods store and she knows absolutely nothing about the outdoors. Forgetting any knowledge she had 20+ years before when she still lived in Colorado. It. Was. Rough. At the new job

Tobias is a major grump but is especially rude when it comes to his son around Aurora. She’s a stranger so I’m not surprised. She comes home one day to Amos in pain while his dad’s at work as a game warden and has no reception to get his calls. She ends up taking him to the hospital where his uncle meets them when he’s called since his dad still wasn’t getting service. When Tobias arrived he was horrible to Aurora when she probably saved his life.

Each day her sunshine wears his storm clouds away until they finally end up together. Big slow burn here!!

Her nicknames from him are Buddy & Angel and stop the reasoning is the cutest. I can’t wait of you to read that part. 🥹

The romance was beautiful as always by the author. 🥹 can’t wait to read more from her!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Well…Mariana Zapata is one of my favorite romances authors for a reason. She literally never misses…like ever. This was soooo good!! It had so many of my favorite MZ tropes (age gap, grump x sunshine, forced proximity, pining hero), but it felt very different when compared to her other romances (her sports romances in particular). She was able to uses her familiar tropes and make a completely new and engaging romance, and I’m here for it. I really enjoyed the mountain setting and got a kick out the bait & switch tactic that dropped Aurora into Rhodes’ life. Mariana Zapata is the Queen of Slow Burn…I don’t make the rules, it is what it is. If you haven’t enjoyed MZ’s previous books…then I can’t imagine you’d like this one anymore. But if you are already fan or aren’t sure where to start in her backlist, I definitely recommend picking this up.

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I assumed, after all the intense hype surrounding All Rhodes Lead Here, that I would eat it up. Just slow burn, angsty goodness. It was everywhere and it seemed everyone loved it! Unfortunately it would I was incorrect. This wasn’t slow-burn, just a true test of my patience.

All Rhodes Lead Here is a single PoV, slow burn romance between a young woman and an older man after she rents the room above his garage from his son. Rhodes, our older man, is unaware of this arrangement and is understandably grouchy about it. Aurora has come to town to hike trails her mother loved before her disappearance, an attempt to reconnect to her spirit and recover after a nasty breakup.

It seems like an excellent pitch! I like the idea, but sadly execution was severely lacking for me. The book opens with Aurora making the comment that’s she’s moving “… to the state no one has heard of”. It’s Colorado folks, everyone has heard of Colorado. I’m betting money that quite a few non-Americans have heard of Colorado. That kind of shallow attempt at being quippy is fairly consistent through the book and really indicates the type of writing and character we have. I also found Aurora’s obsession with Rhodes’ age to be very strange. It was commented on every chapter, at least once if not twice and just… yikes?

Rhodes himself was a bit of a flat, grouchy stereotype for me. That’s perhaps more of a me thing as I tend to dislike single PoV romances for this reason. The love interest never comes across. Most of side characters weren’t exceptionally interesting and I overall was pretty disappointed in this one. I can possibly see how this reads quickly and how someone could enjoy it for a very surface level read, but I can’t say I recommend it.

2.5 Occasionally mentioned Hikes out of 5

Side note - Can we stop with the heroines who are weirdly afraid of bats. It’s a personal pet peeve (as someone who loves them, has a couple tattoos of them) for sure. But honestly. Grow up.

I enjoyed this book, but it was not my favorite by Mariana Zapata. All of the characters in the novel were likable and experienced growth throughout the story. Rhodes was a grumpy older guy who is a workaholic, especially with his job as a park ranger. He has this thick exterior that we get to see Aurora slowly chisel away. I loved how Aurora grew throughout the book and slowly started to feel like she was home. Amo’s was probably my favorite character. He was a unique kid who is a very unique dynamic with his parents.

The romance was a bit cheesy at times but I was excited that the romance wasn’t completely at the end of the book. I know Mariana Zapata writes long books, but this one felt like it went slower than some of her others. The conflict that happened in the woods on the hike Aurora went on felt like it should have occurred at the end of the book instead. Since it occurred earlier, it felt like the ending just kept dragging on and on.

You should definitely add this to your TBR to read at some point, but if you are new to Mariana Zapata, start with The Wall of Winnipeg and Me or From Lukov With Love.

Another masterpiece from Mariana Zapata. She is such an amazing writer and I am so exited to see her being traditionally published.

I think this is my favorite MZ!! Felt like the grumpy/sunshine was executed perfectly - where the grump wasn't actually rude or mean or anything, just quiet and tentative, and then growing from there. Loved.

I’ve been meaning to read this one for a while now, so when it popped up on NetGalley I jumped on it. Since this is a republished book (being self published prior), I am unsure on what (if anything) changed from the original.

Overall this was a super sweet romance that centered around the FMC finding herself after a twelve year relationship ended. Aurora finds herself returning to her hometown, which she left as a young child. As she arrives to the garage apartment she rented, she gets confronted by a man who thinks she’s trespassing. After some confusion between the two, it’s discovered his teenage son rented the apartment out without his father’s knowledge. Aurora is able to stay as long as she follows Rhodes’ rules. Aurora slowly begins to bring down his walls during her time there.

I was unsure about the age gap at first, especially since the FMC, Aurora, assumed Rhodes was much older than he was. Once their ages were finally revealed, it was fine for me (for anyone curious, it’s about a 9 year gap).

Read if you like…
• grumpy sunshine trope
• small towns
• a strong FMC
• found family
• grumpy man who’s a teddy bear for the woman he loves <3

This is a very, very long book a little too long. Her mother went missing at a young age her “Husband“ the money was everything. he had an emotionally abusive mother and this ex Navy. His son ends up, renting an apartment to her without his father’s permission she moved to town to be closer to her past. There are times the book does get heavy however, overall a solid three star

A nice addition to the rom-com genre that devotees will enjoy. Lots of angst, witty repartee, chemistry, and drama will keep readers turning the pages and have them wanting more after the last page. Recommended!

What a great book to get a girl out of a reading slump! This was such an incredible slow burn. I was obviously chomping at the bit for them to get together, but it didn't feel too drawn out. It was perfectly executed.

I loved all of these characters. I feel like most times the child of the single parent is a plot device more than being a fleshed out character, but I didn't feel this way about Amos at all.

DILF of the year award has gotta go to Rhodes. We love a broody overprotective dad.

I love a single dad romance. This book too slow burn to a whole new level. Sooooo slow. I'm excited to read more MZ books

🥾All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata🥾

Jan 30 2024, Avon and Harper Voyager

Aurora De La Torre is ready for a fresh start when she returns to the small town she once lived in as a child in Colorado. Fresh off of a bad personal and professional breakup, Aurora is eager to begin again on her own terms. With the help of her late mother’s hiking journal and her reluctant landlord, Aurora is able to heal her heart and begin to live her own happily ever after.

This was a reread for me and I loved it even more the second time around. No one writes a grumpy male main character as well as Mariana Zapata does. She should teach a masterclass on it. Rhodes is my favorite MZ hero and he is even easier to fall in love with the second time around. Plus that bonus epilogue was worth the wait and full of sweetness.

If you’re unfamiliar with Mariana Zapata, the most important thing to know going in is that she writes slowwwww burns. The build up of tension is so well done in each of her books but especially shines here. The way that Aurora brings Rhodes out of his shell and gently coaxes him into a fuller life by her side is truly remarkable and beautiful to witness.

Recommended for every romance reader but especially those that enjoy: 🐢 slow burns 🦇 grumpy/sunshine 🦊 a silver fox single dad 🤭 age gap (9 years) 🥾 being seen, known and loved for who you are

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I often put off MZ's books. I know they are super slow burn and they are so very long. But every time I pick one up, I am sorry that I waited so long. I loved Rhodes and Ora and Amos and basically everyone in this book (except the ex). Watching all of them grow and love each other and find their own way through this super grumpy/sunshine romance was heartwarming and page turning. I don't think I could do this slow of a burn from any other author but MZ knocks it out of the park.

This book was delightful and truly showcased Mariana Zapata's expertise in crafting slow-burn stories. The novel explores themes of romance, found family, personal growth, and grief but was truly enjoyable and fast-paced. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

Mariana Zapata is excellent at crafting a slow burn love story, even though for a good chunk of that slow burn, it leaves a reader screaming to pick up the pace. But the patience definitely pays off with an excellent love story that feels grounded and real.

I loved Rhodes and Aurora's story so much. Their respective struggles felt true and heart wrenching. My only wish was that we got a bit more of Rhodes to begin with because for the first chunk of the book, I was wondering if I was ever going to be won over by him. I shouldn't have worried though. He's great and I loved seeing him gradually come out of his shell as he demonstrated more and more how he shows love and affection.

I also loved every side character in the story and would be happy to read any book that chooses to follow their own adventures. I will freely admit to hoping for a Jackie and Amos love story eventually, but I'll take what I can get.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata!

After an unexpected and abrupt breakup with her long time famous boyfriend leaves her heartbroken and lost, Aurora travels across the country to Pagosa Springs, Colorado where she grew up. Her mother had been everything to her... her best friend, her inspiration, her hiking partner, until one day she disappeared. Now twenty years later Ora is ready to relive some of her mother's favorite hikes. But there seems to be a problem with her rental when she shows up to her garage apartment and the homeowner accuses her off trespassing. Tobias Rhodes is a gruff and grumpy game warden distrustful of strangers, even when his teenage son is the one that caused the misunderstanding. He makes her promise not to let him even know she's there but after weeks of tiptoeing around, Tobias himself seems to be the one coming to her rescue. He can't resist her sunny personality and the develop a strong friendship that develops into the love of a lifetime.
I followed the booktok hype in reading the Wall of Winnipeg the first time and fell for Mariana Zapata's slow burn style and her grumpy heroes with huge hearts and overprotective instincts. All Rhodes is now the seventh book I've read by this author and I'm just as in love with Rhodes as I was Aiden Graves! I love the beautiful new bright cover on this edition!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I decided to DNF this after nine chapters. This is the third book I've tried to read by this author and I didn't like any of them, so I think I'm giving up. I always hate the characters and the writing and dialogue.

I’m all aboard the Mariana Zapata fan train. I can see why people adore her and her books so much because she writes romance very distinctly and I’ve been craving more original stories. This book was refreshing because the characters are older and opposites but their dynamic works very well. I enjoyed the nature descriptions- it felt like I was transported directly there. And I loved the little kid- the entire cast of characters actually. I knew Mariana Zapata was the slow-burn queen but this book just proved it was for good reason- the banter, the tension, and the build-up. *chef’s kiss*

I love a good slow burn, but I feel like this book could have benefitted from some editing down. 572 pages for a romance? I think this story could have been told well in 350. I found the characters compelling, but this book was tough to get through.