Mariana Zapata is my queen of slowburn romances!! A huge thank you to HarperCollins & Mariana Zapata for allowing me to preview this eARC of All Rhodes Lead Here. I am a diehard fan of Mariana Zapata and have been looking forward to her recent releases, especially when they feature new bonus material. This book is a contemporary romance that starts off with Aurora De La Torre, our FMC, trying to find a place where she belongs. She has come out of a long relationship, and finds herself renting a room from our grumpy MMC, Rhodes. This is such a heartwarming story of how to earn a friendship and eventually someone's heart in span of a few months. Aurora is a strong FMC that can be fearless at times, but also vulnerable. Rhodes, is such a great father to his teenage son, and an all around caretaker for his family. His stoicism at made him extremely intimidating, but once we got to know him better, we realized what a gem of a man he is. I absolutely adore these characters and was so happy to revisit them! The bonus material was the cherry on top of this slow burn sundae that just provided the perfectly fit context. I am not sure how she does it, but Mariana was able to pack a lot of additional information in that bonus section that made me so giddy.

This was a well-written, entertaining book. It was fun, sweet and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by this author.

[ B O O K • R E V I E W ]
📖 All Rhodes Lead Here
🖊️ Mariana Zapata
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a heartwarming read! My insides were all gooey towards the end of this book and I absolutely love the slow build and burn of Aurora’s relationship with Rhodes & Amos.

From having minimal family to being surrounded by people that genuinely cared about Aurora and her well being, it was truly a beautiful story.

I loved being a part of Aurora’s story of finding herself, loving herself, and finding people that loved her for who she is alone. It was inspiring, breathtaking, and encouraging. Shedding light on mental health and all the highs and lows of it, this is a powerful story that I believe can help give hope to those in similar situations.

Thank you so much @netgalley, @Avonbooks and @HarperVoyagerUS for this advanced reader copy of this new cover edition of All Rhodes Lead Here in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 out of 5 stars!

Aurora Dela Torre returned to her childhood town, a place she hoped to find comfort and peace. Having been stripped of her livelihood and her sense of worth, Ora just wants to find a place to stay and a job that makes her happy. Finding the garage apartment for rent was a godsend. Except, it was a teenager who rented it out, much to the chagrin of his father. Tobias Rhodes was a grumpy teddy bear of a man who was fiercely protective of his family, especially his son Amos. Ora promised to never bother them, but certain situations has Rhodes helping her. Throughout the book, Ora and Rhodes developed an unlikely friendship. Little by little Rhodes thawed out around her. They danced around their attraction for each other for a bit and their romance was slow burn. But oh the anticipation! I loved that he ran after Ora, telling her she needed to stop running when the going got tough, letting her know that communication was key. Sigh... I didn't want to like Rhodes because of his gruffness, but I fell in love with the teddy bear he only showed to those he loved most.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and voluntarily left this review.

This is so exciting for fans of Mariana Zapata because TODAY is the day her book ALL RHODES LEAD HERE will be available nationwide for everyone to grab from local bookstores as a traditionally published book. I first read this book back in 2021 and was just floored with the way MZ writes. And it is STILL A 5 ⭐️ read for me.

Mariana Zapata has my heart in her hands. You know when you think you’ve reached the summit and know the ending of a story? And then the author just takes you further and further? I just want to live in Zapata’s world. All Rhodes Lead Here has everything: heartache, depression, loss of a family member, romantic love, love for family and friends, friendship…everything is so well planned that there are no loose strings, no accidents. You will feel compelled to read page after page. To be sure, All Rhodes Lead Here is a slowburn without even a single touch for sixteen chapters, but MZ had me eating out of the palm of her hand. And when it does happen? The world will be set on fire. The tension is electric, and helping that is the single POV from Aurora, letting the reader feel everything through her eyes. Fans of the grumpy/sunshine trope will gobble this up. Tobias Rhodes is the epitome of a “book boyfriend” that’s the caregiver, touch her and you die, I will take care of you type of hero.

If you have never read an MZ, this would be a great place to start. All of her books are standalones but there are little Easter eggs for her diehard readers scattered throughout.
And I promise that if I can read a book over 500 pages in a matter of days, that you can too, and you’ll love it. I will continue to sink into these types of stories.

Another winner by Mariana Zapata! Aurora is a strong and caring friend and daughter seeking out a deeper connection to her late mother and a place to put down roots. Aurora is an inspiration - someone who is willing to pursue friendship even with all she has lost, and encourage others to take risks that will make their lives more fulfilling. She sees the deeper beauty within many circumstances, which is a testament to how deeply she feels things in general - a true artist!

If you love a strong female lead and an HEA, this book is for you.

Enjoyably simple read with a sloooooooow burn. I loved Rhodes and Amos. Their dynamic and chemistry were on point. The ending was satsifying, though I do wish it had been a tad bit faster to get there. This is my first Mariana Zapata book, and I liked it enough to want to read more from her.

POV: Single FMC
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

This book is girthy with the slowest of slow burns and I loved that I really got to settle in and enjoy this world that the author created. At first, I did wonder if there was going to be any romance or if it was more of a women's fiction type read, as the first half really is about Aurora trying to figure things out and start over in life. Once I was okay with that, I really enjoyed seeing Aurora grow and develop friendships in the small town she escaped to. I prefer dual POV, but Aurora is a really funny and relatable character, with such a positive outlook, that it made me feel a little more optimistic just being inside of her head for a while.

Once the romance does hit, it's great, and I was relieved to finally learn more about Rhodes and his teenage son Amos. Rhodes might be the silent and grumpy type, but him and Aurora really are great together, and I loved watching them go from enemies to friends to eventually lovers in a very mature relationship. There is one open door spicy scene towards the end of this book, so if spice really isn't your thing you could probably skip that one part and be perfectly fine with the rest of it.

With Aurora dealing with her mother's death, this book is absolutely heartbreaking at times, but is balanced perfectly with some funny and light moments as well and I really enjoyed the author's style of writing. I also loved the bonus content included in this re-release!

This was an enjoyable grumpy/sunshine slow burn romance about two people who want connection and want to be loved. Aurora de la Torre returns to her childhood hometown hoping to heal from a painful break-up and get back to her roots. She rents the garage apartment owned by single dad Tobias Rhodes, only it's not Rhodes who has rented it to her, it's his son, Amos. This initial misunderstanding is the start of a great friendship and later romance. I loved the wilderness setting and small-town vibe, and enjoyed reading how Aurora finds a place and people who accept her for who she is while also learning to accept herself and heal from past trauma.

this is not a book you'd read when you didn't have the time to sit with these characters and watch them grow through the nuances of life. could this book have been 200 pages shorter? sure. but we wouldn't have gotten to know these characters as closely or get to hear their thoughts and feel their feelings as well as we did.

Zapata is the queen of slow burn, and my favorite part of reading her novels is pinpointing the tiny hints here and there the characters start catch feelings for each other. and usually I struggle with the single parent trope but since Amos is an older teen, this was really not an issue for me.

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Quite literally no one writes a slow burn like Mariana Zapata! Though this is only my second of her novels, she has solidified her spot in my auto-buy authors. Well-developed main and side characters, interesting story lines, and swoon-worthy romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon/Harper, and Ms. Zapata for the opportunity to read this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

It seems like this book was released in 2021 and is being re-released by Avon/Harper with a new cover and an epilogue. (Frankly, I preferred the older cover with the mountains to the new trendy bright and colorful cartoon people cover, but that’s me.)

I was surprised that the Avon/Harper editorial staff didn’t give this a good shakedown, frankly. They could have cut a hundred pages or so without sacrificing the beloved MZ slow burn. Moreover, the writing was – at times – painfully awkward. It was so stilted at some points that I had to do a quick search to see if All Rhodes Lead Here was Ms. Zapata’s debut novel.

Here are a few choice quotes, and mind you, these are complete, unabridged sentences:

Chapter 32: “Instead, it was Rhodes who slowed down first. Him who, once we were over the curb and onto the sidewalk that ran around the school, came to a stop and slowly turned us around.”
… Him who?

Epilogue: “Yuki, though, gave me a look that reminded me of how many times I’d found her passed out on the couch that Rhodes had eventually put in the garage apartment for guests. Of which she was one of them.”
…All hail King Sentence Fragment!

Extra epilogue: “But the topic hadn’t left my mind. I’d been thinking about it every so often since. Not in the way that I wondered what it was that I needed – because honestly, it was everything – but how everyone else in my life showed their love. Which then made me feel so lucky, I cried over that too.”
…What? I had to re-read this one several times.

OK, so I understand that it’s difficult to glean context from excerpts, but my point is: the author would have significantly benefited from some editorial cleanup. She had a good concept and plot but some blips in execution.

Making things exponentially more difficult (for me, at least) was the fact that All Rhodes starred a Manic Pixie Dream Girl™, my all-time least-favorite female main character archetype. Aurora is worse than the usual MPDG™ since she’s in her thirties. Frankly, and this might be harsh or biased or judgmental, but after all her life experiences and years of living I would have expected her to have a little bit more maturity. I mean, for God’s sake, her MOTHER DIED HIKING ALONE. And yet Aurora repeatedly thinks that she, an out-of-shape beginner, can handle dangerous hikes alone, especially after she repeatedly gets injured/lost. Sigh. I felt a lot of sympathy towards Aurora due to her painful break from Kaden and from the loss of her mom, but I also felt very annoyed by her.

Lest someone feel that I’m completely trashing the book, there IS a lot to enjoy here. I loved Aurora’s rediscovery of nature. I enjoyed the rebirth of Aurora’s friendship with Clara, and her existent friendship with Yuki. I LOVED Amos. He really gave me some solid authentic teenage boy vibes. And Rhodes, with the exception of his absolutely abysmal nicknaming choices, was a great MZ grumpy male lead. Picture Aiden, but with a job working outside, a military background, and ten to fifteen years older. The typical MZ slow burn is in effect, although there’s a more explicit scene here than I’m used to seeing in MZ books (and it happens before the 90% mark, which is also atypical).

My favorite thing about this book was the way Aurora acknowledges and processes through her grief for her mom. That part really resonated with me. I felt moved by Aurora’s drive to reconnect with her mother through nature. Grief is the most complicated emotion and Aurora experiences many facets of it in this story. I liked this quote: “Missing the people you love, and knowing you’re never going to see them again, has that effect on people. It’s the most bittersweet gift that love leaves you with.” Aurora is referring to the feeling of loss and emptiness left behind. Not usually my favorite part of a romance novel, but there you go.

Solid ⭐⭐⭐ for me (some highs and some lows) but I’m sure the MZ autoreaders will absolutely love this.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Mariana Zapata is queen of the slow burn romance. There is so much depth and nuance to her writing and I have loved all the books I've read from her. This story is no different. I loved the relationship with Aurora and Amos as well as her and Rhodes. It was so pure and beautiful. I'll happily read anything MZ writes.

Aurora is starting over. After leaving her former life as an unofficial songwriter for her long time boyfriend and country music star, she finds herself back in a small Colorado town from her childhood. She is determined to hike the same trails her mother did before she passed away. She even scored a small studio apartment in town.

However, the landlord is none too pleased about his surprise guest and it determined to prevent like she doesn't exist. Tobias Rhodes is comfortable with his son and his small town life. He doesn't need some woman coming in and making waves. But he can't help being drawn to Aurora's sunshine.

Grumpy x Sunshine.
Slow burn.
Small town romance.
Single Dad.
Fate.

Rhodes is adorably perfect, overprotective, caring and will do anything for family. The way he demonstrates what the hearts desires is swoon worthy. Who wouldn't fall head or heels with this man? He pitched a tent, built a fire and found cookies just to make some sort of smore.

Mariana Zapata well I guess what I am adding your backlist to my TBR.

Thank you, Avon.

Marianna Zapata does slow burn like no other. She has a knack for writing characters with depth and complicated backstories. Aurora and Rhodes fall into this category. There were so many swoony moments between these two and Rhodes officially owns my whole heart. There is nothing like a broody, single dad to act out every possessive fantasy we want in a book boyfriend. I do typically turn to a more darker, spicier romance as my norm but Mariana Zapata is one of my go-to authors for a highly emotional and romantic palate cleanser and this book is indicative as to why. The only downside to the book was that it felt a little too long. In the end, it was worth it but I did mentally drift a few times while reading.

This is my first read by Mariana Zapata and I was disappointed. I really enjoyed the plot of this story. Aurora after losing her mom at a young age returns back to Pagosa to try to settle down after her divorce and ends up befriending her neighbors of the garage apartment she's renting.

I found the characters enjoyable. Aurora's happy positive personality was inspiring. After everything she's been through and having to start over and she made it happened. You could really see her character growth throughout the book which I appreciated. Rhodes was a prick let man but you meet his dad and get snippets of his childhood and you understand why he's wary of trusting anyone. Yet some how Aurora breaks down his walls. I think they complemented each other well.

Now I will say this book was slow. I found myself having a hard time picking it up because of how slow some parts felt. I still found it to be a really good read that had me tear up in a few spots.

3.75 ⭐️

There were many things I really loved about this book and a few things I didn’t so let’s get into it…

• I’m always here for a grumpy/sunshine trope and Aurora, our FMC, is the most sunshinest, Buddy the Elf (more on this later) girlie and Rhodes, our MMC, is just the absolute grumpiest of grumps with a heart of the purest gold.

• The Single dad trope is not something I always love but MZ does it perfectly. I adored Amos and the 3 of them together just made for the best trio.

• The scenery. This takes place in Colorado and the way Aurora was fan girling over nature? So relatable. It had me itching to take a road trip to do my own hikes and see some waterfalls.

• But the thing I loved the most overall is the relationship Aurora has with her mother and how it develops throughout the book. The way MZ wrote about grief with such visceral awareness of the wild unpredictably of it. The way Rhodes sits with Ora’s grief with such sweet empathy was healing in a way I didn’t know I needed. My favorite quote from the entire book is, “Grief was the final way we had to tell our loved ones that they’d impacted our lives. That we missed them so so much.”


The not so great…

• Remember when I said we’d get to Buddy the Elf? Well, we’re here. The MMC nicknames the FMC “Buddy” and for the vast majority of the time he calls her that we don’t even know why. He also calls her “angel” which is fine and a couple times we get “sweetheart” which is by far the superior nickname. BUT BUDDY? I just couldn’t vibe with this.

• There was a pacing issue that started around 56% where I felt like the book was lagging but also glossing over things I would have liked to see more of like the rest of the Thanksgiving dinner.

• I’m down for slow burns but this was glacial. For a while I was honestly wondering if a love interest was going to be introduced because the MCs didn’t have any chemistry for like… a good percentage of the book. In the end though, MZ made it work and when the fire started it certainly burned bright.

Overall, a very sweet and warm hug of a book! Not my favorite MZ book but still all the goodness we’ve come to expect from her. If you’ve enjoyed her others this is definitely worth the read!

4.75⭐️
I know this is just a re release but wow I loved this. everytime I put it down I kept thinking about it. this is my second MZ book and I definitely will be adding more to the tbr. I adored Rhodes and Amos. I laughed out loud so much. honestly this book pulled every emotion out of me. I don’t always read slow burns but honestly it didn’t feel like a slow burn if i’m being honest. I feel like it flowed so well.

As we all know Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow-burn romances and this was such a good one. I don’t even know which book would be my favorite from her but this is for sure up there. From the first chapter, I was already loving this book. I loved the writing style and the way the character was introduced to the story. I enjoyed the Colorado setting, especially with how much the FMC traveled in this book. The conflicts were great and kept the story very entertaining. This is also a very thick book but I have to say that once you start the book, it’s so hard to put it down. This book is told from Ora’s pov.

Aurora is recently divorced and moved to Colorado to follow her mom’s journey but to also find a home. I loved reading about her and seeing her develop throughout the book. She went through so much and I loved seeing her find true friends who care for her. Then we have a lot of side characters. The main ones are Rhodes and Amos. Rhodes is AMAZING and the guy you want in your life. I loved seeing his feelings develop and how much he cared for Ora. Amos was also a sweetheart and I loved seeing how much he began to open up. Many other side characters were truly wonderful. The romance is an age gap, single parent, rich woman, and slow burn with some very few steamy scenes. I loved the romance part of the book and I have to say that Zapata knows how to give her readers butterflies.

The ending was cute and I really enjoyed the HEA that these characters had. This was such a great book and I really enjoyed it. I recommend checking this one out as it does not disappoint.

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

If you haven’t read Mariana Zapata you need to start right now!

Aurora (Ora) De La Torre had finally returned to Pagosa Spring, Colorado, the place she called home after her divorce for her singer boyfriend because it was the last place she saw her mother before she disappeared during a solo hike. But she didn’t expect to find out that the garage apartment had been rented out without permission of Tobias Rhodes by his sixteen-year-old son Amos.

Tobias Rhodes didn’t want a tenant because he didn’t like strangers after being a game warden but there was something about Aurora De La Torre that finally drew him in especially when she always was happy.

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata is a really slow burn romance which works for Oro and Tobias because they both have to open their hearts just a crack to realize what they have.

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