Aurora is headed to her home town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado for a fresh start after the end of her 14 year relationship. She rents an apartment over someone’s garage. When she gets there she meets Tobias Rhodes, the owner of the home who discovers that his son, Amos, had rented out the garage apartment against his wishes. He reluctantly lets Aurora stay. As Aurora gets accustomed to her new life and the trials she forces herself into to reconnect with her past, she begins to break through Rhodes’ grumpy demeanor and becomes an integral part of the Rhodes family.
There was a lot going on in this story, with the life lessons, the found family, the terrible ex and traumatic history. But it all came together to build such a lovely story. I of course loved the grumpy/sunshine dynamics between Rhodes and Aurora and their snarky sarcasm. The friend characters like, Yuki, Clara and Amos had great personalities and really added to the story and specifically to Aurora’s character development. The portions that dealt with grief had a fantastic message and I liked the way that was written into the plot. There was a lot of sexual tension and build up in the story and it was worth the wait. The epilogue was everything I want in an epilogue and answered questions I didn’t even know I needed answers to. Plus the bonus chapter was an extra special look into Rhodes and Aurora’s love story. I would definitely recommend this book.

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

“I’m going to love you today, tomorrow, and the rest of my life.”

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Rating: ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
Tropes:
- GrumpyXSunshine
- Roommates to Lovers
- Single Dad

Review:

All Rhodes Lead Here is a story about Aurora De La Torre, a woman who’s just broken up with her famous musician boyfriend and moved back to her hometown Pagosa Springs, Colorado. After renting a garage apartment from Tobias Rhodes, Aurora starts her new adventure on seeking out a restart to her life.

I loved the contrast of Aurora and Tobias. I’m a sucker for the grumpyxsunshine trope. The use of the nickname “Angel” almost from the start was just so perfect! Mariana did so well with their relationship. I also loved how Tobias’ son Amos was not just a plot device, but actually really involved in the story. He added humor and a side to Tobias that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. The bonus material of the special moment between Ora and Rhodes was so sweet, and I urge everyone to read it!

Throughout the book we have very important storylines. This story has to do with the loss of a parent and finding strength in yourself. Aurora is such a strong protagonist, she struggles through the story but she still tries her best at every twist and turn. You can’t help but root for her.

This was the first Mariana Zapata book that I’ve read and I was not disappointed! This really was a slow-burn romance and I was rooting for them the whole time. I love how Tobias kept his moodiness throughout the story, but you could sense the love he had for Amos and Aurora. If you’re a fan of slow-burn romance, single dads and deep storylines, this is definitely for you.

“Love wasn’t always enough to get you through everything, but devotion—true devotion—was. It was everything.”

Thank you NetGalley and author Mariana Zapata for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Mariana Zapata, she has quickly become an auto buy author for me. All Rhodes Lead Here makes the fifth novel of hers that I've read and I loved it.

We have another incredible slow burn romance from the queen and she nailed it, yet again. She has a formula, it works so she sticks to it. Rhodes is your grumpy caretaker and Aurora is the sunshiney heroine whose nursing a breakup. Put them in the beautiful outdoor setting and this is a homerun for me.

Grumpy Sunshine + Slow Burn = Happy Me

Thank you to Avon Books, Harper Voyager US, and NetGalley for the arc.

When I first read this book in 2021 I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now that it has been rereleased, I decided to read it again and I found that I loved this story just as much the second time around. Mariana Zapata knows how to paint a picture and make the story come alive.

All Rhodes Lead Here is a slow burn, emotional story with realistic character development. The two main characters Rhodes and Aurora, are confident, successful people, but they also have insecurities in some areas of their lives.

Aurora is recovering from a breakup that left her devastated. She had no power or control in her last relationship and is now on a mission to achieve some goals she has set for herself to regain her self esteem. Aurora is slowly learning to believe in herself again, face her fears and regain her confidence that her last relationship destroyed. She has nowhere to go and nothing to show for the years she wasted on her past relationship so she decides to move to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. She meets Rhodes when she rents an apartment from him.

Rhodes is the strong silent type and he keeps his emotions hidden behind his stoic demeanor. He is perfect for Aurora because he is protective, has a big heart and he is willing to wait to give Aurora the time she needs before starting another relationship.

I enjoyed reading Rhodes and Aurora’s story, they have loads of chemistry and I loved all of their interactions. These two cautious people are perfect for each other. This beautiful story is filled with emotion and yearning and it immediately drew me in. I cared about the characters and I couldn’t stop reading until they found their happily ever after. I loved this endearing story and I think you will too.

i always love books that involve grief and my god Rhodes was the perfect mc I always love a grumpy man but not to the point where he comes of as a douche. I also want to talk about how this was my first MZ book and I LUVVVV her writing I wasn't reading just a romance it had a hint of women's fiction!!

Mariana Zapata can do no wrong. This is by far a top three favorite. Rhodes and Aurora have the most incredible slow burn romance. I cannot stop re-reading passages of this book and obsessing over them

The queen of the slow burn has done it again!!

I 👏🏻 freaking 👏🏻 love 👏🏻 Rhodes!!! He is so patient and sure and loving in his own way. Everything about him screams caretaker under the grumpiness. The way he shows love is a lot like my husband so that was special as well.

Thank you NetGalley for the ACA!

This is my third Mariana Zapata book and I swear these books just get better and better. I can’t explain my intense love for this book enough. I have thought about this book every single day since I finished it.

This book was incredibly beautiful. The characters, the development, the side plots, the emotions… all of it was just amazing. One of my absolute all time favorite tropes is grumpy x sunshine and I felt like this was the perfect execution of it. I haven’t kicked my legs giggling like a crazy person in a long time and I swear I did that most of this book. Aurora and Rhodes were absolutely perfect together… I swear I want exactly what they have. It was so beautiful.

This book was a slow burn. Like a very slowwwwww burn. And yet it was the absolute perfect pace for this story and these characters. Truly perfect. The romance in this was so sweet, tender, gentle, and quiet. It sneaks up on you in the best possible way. These are the stories that truly tend to resonate with me.

Overall I am beyond in love with this story. This will be a book that I reach for over and over as a comfort story.

*Thank you Avon and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

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!