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

Comforting, heartwarming, scenic.

Watching Rhodes go from grump —> to softy for Aurora was rewarding.

And he can call me angel any day 🫶🏾

“I always wondered what it would be like to have a sugar mama.” my dream is for a man to say this to me lol.

This is a DNF at 5%.
First I want to be clear: this is not a hate review! I am not trying to bash the author or the people who love this book. And I would normally not rate a book that I DNF so early on, but I have THOUGHTS and FEELINGS, and I don't see many people sharing these opinions.

The writing is absolutely NOT it for me with this one. The book starts with a 10-page monologue...I'm sorry, but NO. I'm immediately checked out. I'm normally not picky about this--I don't mind if a book is a "slow burn" or takes a while to get to the action...but 10 pages of just her sitting in her car THINKING? It's giving boring. It's giving info dump. It's giving poor editing.

Not to mention that the monologue was confusing af! It was absolutely convoluted. There were WAY too many components going on for it to be that early in the book. Like, save a little bit of it for later! Draw out some of the details; let us get invested in ONE storyline before you layer another one on top of it. She's divorced. Something happened with her mom. There's some aunts/uncles/cousins that are a part of her story. She needs to go on hikes for some reason? And on top of it, there's a romance! That's TOO MUCH to keep track of, especially in the first 5% of a book when I'm literally just curious about who the main characters are. My brain hurts.

Honestly, there's more I could say. But I don't want this to become a ranty review--I mean this as a genuine critique from a literary standpoint. I obviously don't know if the plot gets better; it probably does! But the issue is that the writing--FOR ME--makes me so frustrated that I don't want to continue to find out.

Mariana Zapata has a way of making you read a slow burn in one sitting. It’s 3 am and you’re on page 300; they still haven’t kissed but you can’t. stop. reading.

This book is a small town, single parent, slow burn romance that is perfect to get you in the fall mood. I loved each character in this book. Their character development and complex backstories tugged at my heart. The love the two main characters have for each other is so wholesome.
I do have to dock it a star rating because I really didn’t like the third act breakup, but the rest of the story is amazing and perfect.

Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burn romance and this is one of my top favorite books from her. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC!

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: several open door scenes
TWs: death of a parent, grief, gaslighting, emotional abuse, missing person, depression, divorce, uninvolved parents, child abuse, mental illness, parental abandonment, manipulation
standalone: yes
final thoughts: okay I was swooning for Rhodes from start to finish and I love a grumpy silver fox DILF who is fiercely protective of the people he loves 🥰😍. I LOVE MZ books but this one felt a little disjointed for me. I felt like there were missing chapters/scenes and every time I started a new chapter I had to recalibrate myself to where I was and what was going on. Aurora didn’t read like she was a character in her 30s and Rhodes felt the same way so maybe this was a character/style choice rather than an inconsistency? BUT I’ll get back to the swoony moments of Rhodes because it really saved this for me – he’s a grump who shows his love and affection in different ways and it was adorable

read this book if you love

🔀 opposites attract
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
🏝️ forced proximity (same living arrangements, one tent, one bed)
💓 slowburn
🔎 adventure
❓ mystery
😡 grumpy/sunshine
🫡 big MMC
🔢 age gap (33/42)
😬 angst
🏡 small town
👮 blue collar MMC (cop)
🥰 nicknames
👩‍👦 single parent
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
🎸 musician FMC
🤫 hidden secrets

This book is my absolute favorite from Mariana Zapata. Full of sweetness and emotion, All Rhodes Lead Here is a book I will be returning to again an again. These characters are strong and real with rich descriptions and backstories. I fell into this book- and ended up reading it in one sitting. Absolutely addicting. I fell in love with the perfect slow burn romance I never wanted to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This is my first Mariana Zapata but it won’t be my last! Super fun.

This is my first Zapata read and it absolutely will not be my last. The author has tremendous skill at the slow burn romance and I'm so here for it. I also think it will be widely popular at my library, so we will purchase a couple copies for the collection.

Mariana Zapata books are really immersive and they suck me in way more than slow burns usually do! That said, (mild spoiler here), finding out he called her "Buddy" because she.....reminded him of Buddy the Elf (I can barely even type it) is SO TERRIBLE. It truly sucked me right out of the experience because it's just that terrible.

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.

The Queen of Slow Burn does it again. There is something about the way Mariana Zapata builds relationships that feels so real and raw and messy and perfect. I adored the meandering, realistic way Ora and Rhodes connected the clash of their personalities, and the satisfying way they started to trust and care about each other. Beautiful!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

The level of excitement I get when I have a fresh, 500+ page Mariana Zapata book to read 😏🤩

I forced myself to pace this one out- 200 pages a day- so that it could last me the whole weekend. I wanted to savor it. I’m sorry to say that I failed miserably at that. There’s just something about her books that are so addicting. I can’t get enough!

Like everyone else, I am in my Pedro Pascal-loving phase, and immediately pictured him as Rhodes. It made the experience so much better! Mariana Zapata blew me away once again with this book. Her books may be long, but they give the readers a chance to really feel the connection between the main characters. I live for the small, mundane moments between characters, and her books are filled with them! The strangers, to friends, to lovers in All Rhodes Lead Here is so perfect and natural. Mariana Zapata really is the queen of slow burns.

All Rhodes Lead Here is up there as one of my favorite MZ books!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the advanced copy!

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.

This is the perfect book. Can I say that? I loved it. Grumpy sunshine at its best. Gimme all of it! This is definitely top tier romance with all of the feels. Also it makes me want to rent a cabin in the woods and disappear. So there’s that lol.

Thanks to Netgalley, Avon, & Harper Voyager for the E-ARC! OMG!! Loved this so much!! The characters were so well-written. Loved the setting too. A new favorite author.

I can’t say enough about how much I love this book 🥹🌄 I loved it when I first read it 2 years ago and I love it even more now after the re-release.
•Found family
•Small town Colorado setting
•Grief + re-finding yourself after loss
•The slow burn ROMANCE 🤗❤️

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for a copy of this ARC!

I loved the original version of this book and was so happy that it got picked up. Rereading this made my heart happy and I love how connected they get before anything romantic happens. At times I wish we got more into the head of Rhodes because he was so silent and broody. But overall it was a fun experience

I have read quite a few of Zapata's books but this one is by far my favorite. The queen of slow burn does an amazing job bringing together a couple of my all-time favorite tropes: single dad and grumpy/sunshine. It felt real the way that Rhodes handled Amos, even though their situation was unique to the typical father/son relationship. And to have Aurora have her journey after leaving a toxic relationship in the mix of everything was perfect. I love a romance book that tackles more difficult themes because romance in real life has its ups and downs; it isn't "perfect".

I know not everyone is a slow burn romance lover, especially one where the book length is 500+ pages and they don't get together until the VERY end. But All Rhodes Lead Here pacing made sense as you saw the main characters learn to get along and become friends before moving on to something more romantic. If you are okay with that slooooow build-up, I would highly recommend this or any of Mariana Zapata's books!

Mariana Zapata does it again!!!!!

This is my 4th Mariana book and they just keep getting better! The slow burn was delicious in this one! I love being engulfed in a plot where the author SHOWS you the couple falling in love. There are such beautiful small changes in the emotional and physical relationship of the main characters that let you know their feelings are growing without the need to keep saying it.

Rhodes was such a good grumpy single dad. Just absolutely chef’s kiss! Aurora was a strong multi faceted FMC whose growth is beautifully described. And, we can’t forget the side characters who made this book even better!

An absolute recommend! Five stars all the way.

Thanks NetGalley and Avon books for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Reviewed on Goodreads 10/20/2023

This is one of my all time favorite romance novels. Zapata never fails when it comes to crafting the perfect slow burn romance. I’ve read so many of her books and plan to continue reading each new one. I highly recommend if you like romance that includes life situations the main character is going through, resulting in growth throughout the novel.

Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burn romance- she delivers in the best way. She handles this single dad, small town, age gap trope with care and manages to pull off a captivating romance. Plenty of angst, tension, chemistry. ARLH is one of her most well known novels and a staple in her back list. This published version is a great intro or new readers and a must have for fans already immersed in her books.

I loved this book so much, it's one of the best slow-burn romances I've ever read. The swoon was slow to come, but when it came? The hurt/comfort, "I'll take care of you, you'll never be alone again" grumpy sunshine? The payoff was SO gratifying 😭

Also please, I loved reading about the MC's hiking journeys, they were written in such an interesting manner.

ALSO. I hate third act breakups in general, but this one? This one was perfect BECAUSE it led to the best third act makeup I've ever read. I've read the makeup scene like five times now in a row, crying each time 😭

TWs - death of parent faced by a young child, perils of hiking including injury/death, sudden end of a relationship, professional betrayal, mentions of domestic violence (past)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I LOVE a grumpy, brooding LI. Rhodes was seriously the most perfectly written MMC. He was grumpy, he was a single dad and he happened to be Aurora’s landlord. Seriously, there is no better set up!

I really enjoyed seeing Auroras character progression too. She was strong and independent but learned to rely on others and let them in. She moved away to escape but ending up finding herself.

This is a slooooowwwww burn but worth every minute of it! I LOVED this book and it was my favorite of the books that I read in November!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

Read this if you like:
🏔️ A grumpy, brooding, single dad LI
🏔️ Hiking and the outdoors
🏔️ Found Family