3.5 stars. So to set the context, I am a HUGE MZ fan. Wall of Winnipeg is one of my all time favorite books. I love her slow burns and her characters. Kulti and Lukov are way up there too. This one just did not do it for me quite as much. It took me until 50% to even start to care, which was not the case at all in the other books. I felt the spark between the others from the beginning even though it wasn't love yet. I felt nothing for these two.

A lot of it had to do with Aurora. Her inner monologue was so monotonous and immature. I felt like I was reading a 16 year old with two brain cells rather than a 33 year old who had been through some things. It got super repetitive. I was also bored with all of the hiking. This could have easily, easily been at least 100-150 pages shorter, and I never say that about her other books that are just as long.

I did love Tobias and Amos, and the supporting characters like Yuki. Once they get started being friends first, which was lovely, Tobias and Aurora have a really great relationship. I love the way her relationship with Amos develops too. Again though, this felt like such a cut and paste of her other books that isn't really executed as well as the others. Many, many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Avon for this early copy in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,🌶️🌶️

small town
Single dad
Grumpy x sunshine
Found family

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS!!! I loved this book so much!!

Aurora was the most amazing fmc, the sunshine of this book! Truly an incredible friend, supportive, & so funny! I couldn’t get enough of her character and laughed out loud so many time while reading this book at the random things that she would say. As Rhodes said you think you know what she might say and the exact opposite happens! I loved the friendships she built but I love most how she was with Amos! Their relationship was so amazing to watch grow and I love the confidence she slowly helped him build!

Rhodes was the most grumpy dad ever! No one can quite do grumpy sunshine like Mariana and I love it every single time! I loved the pacing of this story and how you really got to see the progress Rhodes made as a character, he grew so much emotionally & was really able to connect with his son & Aurora in a way I wasn’t expecting!! The ending of the book and the seen with the ex will live RENT FREE in my mind!!

it was a thicker book but every page was worth it, not only did I love the characters so much but I really enjoyed the storyline and the much needed closure these characters got!! The ending of this book was so beautiful!!!

Edit: I was approved by NetGalley to review an ARC with bonus content in exchange for an honest review. My original complaint about this book is that it's too sweet for my taste and the bonus content, which takes place between the final chapter and the Epilogue, was even more sugary sweet than the rest of the story.

Actual Rating = 3.5

To start, I would like to say that I love Mariana Zapata. She is without a doubt my favorite romance author and, in my opinion, one of the most skilled writers on Kindle Unlimited. This novel, like all her novels, was insanely well written. That said, it wasn't my favorite of her works.

Let's break it down.

"All Rhodes Lead Here" follows MC Aurora who is returning to her hometown after a very long-term relationship ends. Aurora lost her mother when she lived in this town and returns there as something of a memorial. She rents an above-the-garage apartment from a game warden named Rhodes and his teenage son Amos.

Pros:
- AMOS OWNS MY HEART. Cutest 15-year-old boy ever and I loved the relationship between him and Aurora.
- The musical subplot was really interesting. Without spoilers, Aurora has a really strong background in music that very few people know about. This subplot almost reminded me of an inverse of Zapata's novel "Rhythm, Chord, and Mhalykin." I won't say anything else 'cause spoilers but...you'll get it.
- As always, every character in this book is well-developed and believable. I think one of Zapata's great strengths is writing characters that feel like people you might run into on the street, and that holds true here.
- This is one of Zapata's few novels that doesn't take place in Texas, being set in rural Colorado. It was really interesting to see her explore a very different setting, and I thought it was well done.

Cons:
- This novel was a bit longer than it needed to be. Zapata is the queen of the slow burn, so her novels are always on the longer side for romance. That said, I think 50ish pages of this could've been cut without really losing anything from the story. The extra length messed with the pacing for me, and I was ready for the story to be over maybe 2 full chapters before it actually ended.
- The following comment is 1000% personal preference, so take it how you will. This book is a little too sweet/sappy for my taste. One of the things that makes Zapata a must-read author for me is that all of her novels feel different - you never feel like you're reading the same story over and over. This makes it inevitable that she'll have a few stories that don't work for every reader. That's the case for me here. Aurora and Rhodes have a very sweet, gentle relationship that will appeal to a lot of readers but just wasn't overly interesting to me. For reference, my favorite Zapata novels are "The Wall of Winnipeg and Me" and "From Lukov With Love."

All Rhodes Lead Here was kind of painful for me to read. I know that Mariana Zapata is the queen of the slow burn but this plot just wasn’t it for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

amazing iconic slay as always i love daddy rhodes and obvi i love aurora im so happy for mariana zapata getting republished like this and loving all the bonus content!

BOOK REVIEW: All Rhodes Lead Here by @Mariana Zapata

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Im obsessed this was such a great read I really enjoyed it so much!!!

An excellent slow burn romance! Aurora was a wonderful heroine to follow - the heartache of her story just highlighted her strength of character, and I found myself rooting for her from the very beginning! Rhodes was the perfect DILF hero. I loved the found family vibes, the country music aspect, and especially the setting. Mostly, I loved the banter and how Zapata makes every scene so charged, you're practically buzzing by the time the couple gets together. Definitely recommend!

"It's never too late to find a new road." I first read All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata two years ago on a long car-ride. Not only was it one of my first single dad romances (omg) but it was also one of my first silver fox/age gap romances. I honestly loved everything about this book. Zero critiques. Only glowing praise.

Ora returns home to her small hometown of Pagosa Springs after a very public breakup with her long-time famous musician boyfriend. While the town holds bittersweet memories since the death of her mother, she decides it's the perfect place to regroup and heal, out of the spotlight. She rents a small garage apartment, but unfortunately, the owner, Tobias, didn't approve the rental. His son, Amos, rented it out behind his father's back. Needless to say, they get off to a rocky start.

Zapata really focuses on developing the relationships between her characters, taking her time, building the tension. She writes real, relatable romances, and I honestly can't get enough. Honestly, this book is all about relationships. The relationship between Tobias and Amos. The relationship between Amos and Ora. The relationship between Ora and Tobias. Parents. Friends. Lovers. All the different kinds of love are all real and important.

From the first time we were introduced to grumpy Tobias, I knew I was a goner. He's just so fiercely protective of his small little family, and he's so gruff and grumpy. Gruff, grumpy men are my kryptonite. Especially single dads. Especially if they have gray hair. Bottom line: I'm a total simp for him.

If you love slow burn romances, single dad romances, small town romances, age gap romances, or any combination of those, you're going to LOVE All Rhodes Lead Here. I'm so glad it's getting a traditional pub re-release. The new cover is adorable, and it's honestly just the best book. I can't wait for more people to read it.

I absolutely loved this book. Rhodes is by fart one of the best love interest I've ever read, and their relationship is so sweet, slow-burning, and still hot. He is so protective, so so protective. And everyone knows that is my undoing.
They also make such a good team and friendship which makes their love story so much better.
I will also say this is for sure the healthiest relationship Mariana Zapata has written and one of the healthiest I've ever read.
All the characters were well done, the pace felt pretty good, and the writing was very immersive.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
The bonus scene was also pretty sweet and exciting.

I really loved some elements of this book. I think the main character was sunshine-y in a way that was realistic and relatable- I usually get irritated with sunshine characters in the grumpy/sunshine trope, but that definitely wasn’t the case here. She was quirky, interesting, and complicated. However, I could not completely get over the fact that she referred to the male MC as Mr. Rhodes for like 200 pages. It is less offensive when it’s revealed that there’s a thing about his first name, but it distracted me for almost half of the book. Also, calling women “angel” and “buddy” was not my favorite either. Otherwise, I liked “Mr. Rhodes” and I loved the friendship that developed between Ora and Amos. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

Raise your hand if you love slow burns!
If your hand is raised, then you must already know about the Queen herself, Mariana Zapata. This book is my favorite of hers, hands down and this new cover is just lovely. I could talk about this book all day, but here's the short version:

If you're ready for some wholesome journeys of self-love, healing, and growth then this is the one for you.

Let's start with of FMC, Aurora. This lady goes on a journey to self discovery, and I was inspired by her every step of the way. She almost made me want to start going on 5-10 hour hikes...almost. But seriously, the emotional growth for Aurora in this story is perfection. She's a badass who finally realizes the love she deserves hasn't been the love she's received.

Now our hero, Rhodes...well...give me all the grumpy single dads, thank you very much. Rhodes occasionally felt more like a side character because, again, this book was about Aurora but when he showed up, HE SHOWED UP. The romance in this one was the slowest of slow burns, but it was so worth it. Aurora and Rhodes are it. period.

So if you're a fan of any of the things I talked about, plus a cute kiddo, then this is the book for you.

Did this book just make me enjoy an age gap + single dad trope???? I normally do not like these, but this book did a really good job with both of these tropes!

I love a slow burn and every Mariana Zapata book I've ever had has had the slowest of burns and this one was no different. I loved everything involved in the development and growth of the characters and of all the relationships in this book BUT I do think this book could've been a lot of shorter. A lot of the inner monologuing started to feel really repetitive and every detail did not have to be explained to the detail that it was explained.

Overall, super enjoyable book but I do wish it hadn't been 600 pages.

A grumpy/sunshine slow-burn romance is my catnip. Add in a found family and I was hooked from the beginning. My only complaint was that the slow burn was a little too slow and the resolution seemed to come a little too fast.

OMG😭😭😭, bonus content was wholesome, i cant get over it!!

Rhodes is the ultimate MMC
I loved there character development
I loved her interaction with his son
their tension is 😩

“𝑊𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑.”

“𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠, 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑. 𝑇𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡.”

This will always be my favorite book ever.
♾️⭐️

4.5 stars!

After breaking up with her boyfriend of 14 years, Aurora moved back to her small hometown to reconnect with herself and try to find answers about her mom's passing.
What she didn't expect was to meet her handsome landlord Rhodes and that changed everything.

I really enjoyed this book and the chemistry between Aurora and Rhodes was amazing. Aurora's connection with Rhodes' son Amos was super sweet and I loved seeing their interactions. I do wish the chapters were slightly shorter, as 20 minute chapters are very overwhelming. I also found the story line a bit hard to follow at times and I found myself rereading a few parts over and over. Other than that the story was great and I will continue to read anything and everything Mariana releases.

loved this romance between this couple. loved that it happened slowly and she was able to help Rhodes and Amos. loved her friend. would love a yuki romance. Loved that she was able to find her mom and do some of the same things that she did.

This was amazing! That’s all I can really say. If you’ve read MZ before this book gave me Winnipeg and Kulti vibes for sure. Aurora was simply awesome, I think she’s the oldest heroine MZ has written and her character shows that. this book made me smile, laugh, tear up and I know I’ll be rereading it a lot in the future. And that bonus scene was so cute! This is definitely a top fave by MZ!

Aurora move away from her ex to Colorado she leaves everything behind to come back home where her mom disappear when she was a child to find answer and to live her life the way she wanted and not what it was expected from her or her image especially because her ex was a famous singer and was only using her for her song writing so she book a room only to find out it was a teenager who authorized and never told his father and nowhere to go she beg the owner of the house to let her stay. So he let her but gave her rules not to go near his son and stay away from them.
Until one night changed things for them because Aurora took Amos to the hospital because he was having pain and had to have surgery. So they start to hang out especially because Aurora was putting her life at risk because she was planning to go hiking and she wasn't experience and every time she will go out she was getting hurt and Tobias Rhodes was rescuing her. Until one hiker found body remains and it was Aurora mom and she was relief because now she knows her mom never left her behind.

5 stars!!

Mariana Zapata does it again! All Rhodes Lead Here is the perfect slow burn, grumpy-sunshine romance book. It follows Aurora, who is looking for a fresh start, and Rhodes, her new landlord. Mariana Zapata books always bring a sort of comfort to me and this one was no different, it is a little longer than a regular romance book, but it reads so well, that you don't even notice it. MZ writes her characters with such realistic qualities and her books don't have weird time gap between the chapters, so it builds a connection with the characters.
I feel like I could talk about this book for hours and I've already had a few request for this book.

All Mariana’s books lead to the best HEA.
Mariana is the slow burn ninja master. This book captures you and won’t let you go till the end with all the feels, all the love, all the giggles, all the heartaches wrapped in one book from beginning to end. From the dialogue to the connection with multiple characters to the dynamic family and friends. Her words make you feel for these characters. Her heroines are someone you aspire to be and she writes the best book boyfriends. You never know what you get with a Mariana Zapata book but you can always guarantee that it will be one of your favorites. Another great sunshine/grumpy story with an emotional overload. Definitely recommend this book. I received this book for my honest review.