oh my heart - why have I not read anything by Mariana Zapata before?? This book was so much more than a romance and it sucked me in almost immediately.

As a romance, the burn is slooooow, but entirely worth the wait to see Aurora and Rhodes together. I loved watching the start of their rocky relationship grow to understanding then to love. It was just beautiful. And Rhodes is the grumpiest and a man of few words but he does so much to show he cares through his actions - especially for Aurora and his son, Amos. It really pulled at my heart strings watching him being a dad to Amos after missing so much of his life.

Then Aurora, her path from restarting her life after a divorce and her ex stopping her career to her finding a home in Colorado, the same town her mother went missing from? Her struggle with grief and the lack of closure really hit me so hard. I couldn't imagine the strength she has in being so positive with all the pain in her life. She was really this ray of sunshine that really balanced the story in the best way possible.

I just adored this book.

Another solid Zapata book for me, and one I may have even enjoyed… more than Winnipeg? I always have to prepare myself for her slow burns, and this one was entirely worth the wait. There were other plotlines I was less enthused about — I found myself skipping over scenes with Aurora’s ex and his mother just to get back to moments with Rhodes, tbh, and the resolution involving Aurora’s mother felt a little shoehorned in at the end of the book. I also felt like the third-act breakup was a bit contrived — Rhodes and Amos’s reactions to learning the truth felt somewhat extreme, but overall there were enough delightful scenes here to keep me engaged.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Absolutely loved it. At first it was a little slow and hard to get into but after a couple of chapters Aurora really captivates you and you feel every emotion she goes through the entire book. And hello Mr. Rhodes, made me feel some sort of way that this man could take care of me forever and a day. 4.5 stars!

I really love Mariana and her ability to write a really excellent slow burn. Her stories unravel in a way that keeps me wanting more from her. I adore the characters in this book and how they interact with each other.

All Rhodes Lead Here was my first Mariana Zapata book but it won't be my last. If you're a fan of slow burn romance, single dad tropes, grumpy/sunshine, and a solid friends-to-lovers storyline, then you should check this out as well.

After a bad breakup, Aurora moves back to her hometown of Pagosa Springs only to befriend, and then fall in love with, her landlord Rhodes. Rhodes son Amos, the setting of Pagosa Springs, the Colorado backdrop and all the hikes, make All Rhodes Lead Here such a fun read. Aurora is a happy MC despite the sad things that have populated the last several years of her life and it was fun to experience her POV. Some readers may find her a bit hard to believe or perhaps immature but I enjoyed her as a character.

A fun read and the perfect way to start spring, thinking of new beginnings and spending the days outside.

I have not read a Mariana Zapata book in a while. I am glad I read this one. If you like small town romance, slow burn, silver fox heroes this book is for you.

You know that feeling when you finish a book and you're absolutely sure about where it stands? It's either fantastic, average, or downright terrible, no questions asked. Well, MZ's books always leave me in a state of uncertainty. Most of the time, it's fantastic, occasionally just average, and rarely outright boring.

I truly wanted to adore this book to the fullest because it checked off all the boxes for me:

The sunshine/grumpy dynamic.
A single dad, which is quite unique in this story.
A charming small-town setting.
A slow-burn romance. Despite the minor frustration I'm about to express, I genuinely enjoyed the romantic aspect. Was it agonizingly slow? Yes, but I knew what I was getting into.
It had the potential to be perfect.
However, there was an excess of inner monologues and repetitive information that we were already familiar with.

I feel like I'm going to really be in the minority with this one, but I was disappointed. It took way too long for me to even remotely be interested in the main characters and that's a huge problem for me.

This author is always such a treat to read. I usually leave her books for when I can sit and read this straight through because usually once I pick one up, I don't want to put it down until I get to the end. They aren't quick reads either - she always creates characters that are complicated and layered and situations where you get side characters that are interesting and important and situations that are never exactly as they seem. She always tends to write slow burns, but the stories are so good that you just don't care. All Rhodes Lead Here is not only not an exception to any of this, but it's actually now my favorite book of hers and I can definitely see myself reading this again at some point. I loved all the characters that we meet and the world that she's built. I was in the mood for a real romance where by the end you are almost swooning for the Hero and I got exactly that with this one. I can't recommend it enough - it's just that good!

This book started slow for me but really warmed up and I ended up enjoying the story and the characters. Main character was a little too perfect, but the supporting characters were great! I was put off by how often main character said she wasn’t a creeper when offering to help with main guy’s teenaged son.

This book is classic Mariana Zapata: an incredible enemies-to-lovers dynamic, single-dad trope, grump/sunshine, and relationship of convenience. This book is such a great one to bring on a trip or to read when you just need to escape into another world!

I requested this one after seeing so many positive reviews. I was a little hesitant after reading Zapata's THE WALL OF WINNIPEG AND ME, only for the reason that her books are HEFTY. 300-400 pages is the sweet spot for romance books I love, and this one being almost 600 pages was quite daunting. I ended up really really enjoying ALL RHODES LEAD HERE, and truly the only thing holding this back from being a 5 star read was the fact that it was too long. I typically enjoy slow-burns, but this one was a bit too slow.

Aside from the length, I absolutely loved this book. The characters were lovable and the grumpy/sunshine trope was done so well. I adored Aurora's relationship with Amos and loved how Rhodes came around :) the family dynamics added an interesting element that provided more character depth.

I will definitely be reading more of Zapata's work!

First I’d like to say thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book!
I ultimately gave this book three stars. It was an enjoyable read, the love interest was a catch and I was hooked on him pretty much right away. I am a big fan of slow burn romance so that aspect of this was great as well as the small town vibes and the father/son dynamic shown throughout the book. Unfortunately the writing / storytelling style was not for me. I found the writing to be quite repetitive, and the pacing felt off for my preference. In some cases there were scenes that felt unnecessarily long and detailed while others that would have been fun to explore alongside the characters were skipped over completely only to get a quick recap of the events in the main character’s inner monologue.
Ultimately I had a enjoyable experience and would recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet small town, slow burn romance.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

Enemies-ish to lovers, opposites attract, grumpy sunshine romance between a sort of celebrity songwriter and a game warden. Aurora (nicknamed Ora, which I found annoying) moves in to the garage apartment of Tobias Rhodes, without him knowing (his son posted it on AirBNB or something). Rhodes is not happy and grounds his son for 6 months (WTH??). Aurora is dealing with an ex, his crazy mom, and the disappearance several years back of her own mom.

I've read this author before, and I liked her older work. Her last couple books have been misses for me, so I honestly regret even trying this book. I hope a lot of the things I didn't like about it were fixed before the final book was published. The plot itself was fine, but the writing was just not the best. (She referred to Rhodes's son as "the teen" or "the teenager" so much, I was like JUST USE HIS FREAKING NAME! )

I really wanted to like this one but it just didn't work for me. 3 stars because I did finish.

It's been a hot minute since I've read Mariana Zapata and I forgot how slow her burns are lol. All in all a good story about coming home and about finding one's self. After losing herself in her last relationship and finding out that she may not have mattered as much as she thought, Ora finds herself coming home to where it all began, where all her losses began, in the hopes of figuring out who she is, who her mother was and who she may become. Colorado is the beautiful setting for all of her self discovery. Is it a wild ride? No, it is most definitely a slow burn, but it is a story that teaches us that we all have a place in this world. I enjoyed it and will have to make sure to get back to this other more often.

the first of many books I will be reading by Mariana Zapata 🥰 especially if all her men are as precious as Rhodes and her women are as quirky as Aurora.

the slow burn was literal perfection. the plottttt. it was about love and loss and MZ captured it beautifully!

And while Rhodes and Aurora's relationship was everything, I loved Aurora's relationship with his son 🥹

This was my first Mariana Zapata book and wow, I was not prepared. I didn't realize her writing and her pacing was so slow, it was a true slow burn. I wanted things to happen sooner, for steps to be taken and fun to take place between these two. Once I put my own expectations out, I was able to enjoy it a lot more! Can't wait to read more from Mariana Zapata!

I fell in love with this book from the 1st chapter. A songwritter who is returning to her roots and stumbles into a silverfox game warden, who is also her landlord.

All Rhodes Lead Here
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Mariana Zapata

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: The people we lose take a part of us with them…but they leave a part of themselves with us too.

Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.

But after breaking up with her longtime famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.

Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.

My Thoughts: This slow burn romance is exactly what I needed. Zapata has a unique writing style and this story stays true to that. Zapata typically writes slow burn romance with a wondering plot with character tension, and this one was no exception. Ora (Aurora De La Torre) just ended a very public relationship with a famous musician and needed to get away, so she moves back to her hometown. This comes with its own issues of reminding her of her mother, however, she is looking forward to the peace. Enter Tobias Rhodes who is very standoffish and protective of his family, keeping outsiders always at a distance. Over time, Ora and Rhodes begin a friendship that becomes unbreakable and soon evolves into a love story like no other. This follows the tropes of grumpy/sunshine, small town romance, single parent, found family, and a bit of friends to lovers.

This story is narrated by Ora, in her POV. Since Ora is solely narrating this book, we get a really in-depth look into her character. While we do explore Rhodes’s character in the second half, I would like to have seen more in-depth in the first half. Ora is full of sunshine, has a backstory of trauma, is compassionate, and just exhibits so much positivity. Ora learns to stand in her truth and has an amazing character growth throughout the story. Rhodes is very broody, very grumpy, very sexy, and will protect his family at any cost. The supporting character of Rhodes’s son, Amos, really elevated our MCs. The characters overall were created with depth, had witty banter, chemistry, and were absolutely intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, slow burn, funny, yet serious, swoony, and just beautiful. I love how the author delivers things in pieces, as you need to know them, just perfect timing.

This has triggers of the loss of a parent and grief. This was a wonderful slow burn romance that kept me invested cover to cover. I absolutely adored the characters and loved their HEA. I would recommend picking up or borrowing from the library today.

OK, Mariana Zapata, I see you.

This was my first book by this author and I am in LOVE ❤️ with this entire book. Absolutely everything about it. I cannot wait to read more from her! Aurora and Rhodes are just everything I want in a bookish couple. Aurora is sweet, funny, and a little bit clumsy. But also lost. Rhodes is grumpy, standoffish but, also sweet and protective over what he loves.

When Rhodes' son secretly rents out their garage studio apartment without his dad's knowledge, these to characters come together in the perfect storm of grumpy sunshine. 10 out of 10 recommend 👌