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 👌

The burn was low but it was a nice warm burn. I really liked this. It kept my attention and read it pretty fast for how large it was. I think I liked the first one better but this one wasn’t far behind. Great characters and an entertaining story to go with them. Would recommend!

4stars!
Life can actually give you the best second chances!
The story follows a recent divorcee Aurora who was moving back to her home town where her mom disappeared from after a hike, years ago when she was young. The story about her mother's disappearance always bring a sore spot for Aurora but what can she do. She, in her good hopes and wishful thinking has rented a garage apartment from no other than the most reliable source of real estate -the Craigslist However, when she showed up to the door of her new found peace and quiet, she learned that the owner of the house did not agree to this real estate revenue gig of space rental and it was his son that put up the for-rent ads that she gracefully fell in. Tobias - the new landlord/grumpy/unhappy individual is very must against this arrangement and was not planning to give Aurora the warm housewarming treatment at all.
Ahhh, this sunshine meet grumpy plot was sweet and refreshing! It was a little slow to my liking but hey, that slow simmer just makes the good heat boiling fun! This is only my second Marianna Zappata book and I think I am liking her very much. Special thank you to Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange of my honest review!

After her divorce, Aurora was adrift, looking. Looking for a place to feel comfortable, a place she could call home, she finds herself back in her childhood hometown of Pagosa, Colorado. While she tries to decide what’s next, she reconnects with an old friend, rekindles memories of her late mother, following the favorite hiking paths her mother charted in her journal, and endeavors to get along with her growly, but exceptionally good looking, landlord.

Aurora and Rhodes are perfect for each other. They are both a little lost and searching for a purpose. But while Aurora hides her doubts and insecurities behind a cheery, optimistic attitude, while Rhodes is a loner, keeping to himself as much as possible. He centers Aurora, becomes her sounding board. While Aurora brings the light to his life he had been looking for. This is a wonderful, tender hearted novel . Aurora and Rhodes are wonderful characters Their relationship flows naturally through the story until the very end, where it left me feeling like I'd been embraced in a warm hug. If you're looking for a sweet, thoughtful, loving story, look no farther than All Rhodes Lead Here.

I’ve read most of Mariana Zapata’s work and usually the books are either hit or miss for me. When I read this as a self-published book, it was the only one that was mid for me. I was interested to read the traditionally published version because I think the main issues I had with it could have bee very easily fixed with some editing, and I was curious to see what changed.

As far as I could tell, this is the exact same version as the self-published one. The main reason that this isn’t 4-5 stars is because the beginning of this book is just extremely slow. It’s not even quite a slow burn because the FMC and MMC don’t even spend time together until about 40% through the book. This book suffers from being too long for a romance IMO, and I think it could have been vastly improved by editing down the first 40%. I did enjoy the overall story and romance, and I would rec it if you are fans of Mariana Zapata’s other work!

If you read a lot of romance, you should know that Zapata is practically cannon at this point.

Queen of slow burn? Name someone better. I'll wait.

This one was no different. It was all about the feels and Ora was EVERYTHING. Yes, I may read for the hero, but if the heroine is a fail, so is the book, and Ora was NOT a fail.

I'm going to reread this about five more times. Sigh. 4.8, rounded.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It’s a cute little romance. The start is a tad like interesting but it’s good if people want a quick rom-com feel.

4.5 Stars - Top Pick

Aurora De La Torre has moved back to home. She is renting out a small place from a grumpy neighbor, Tobias Rhodes. She has bonded with his son, Amos. She just can’t seem to penetrate through the walls he has built around himself. It is probably better that way since she needs to repair a broken heart and learn how to move forward.

Ms. Zapata is truly the Queen of the slow burn. I have not read an author who does this so well. While I tend to swing one way or the other in my taste when it comes to her books, I found myself swinging all the way to loving this. Maybe it was my mood. Maybe it was the way the hero was so well written. Either way, she knocks it right out of the park.

Let’s dive into Rhodes. Oh, my goodness. He is so grumpy and distant. He doesn’t want to interact with Aurora. He doesn’t want her there on his property. He is so resistant to even trying but she chisels away at his defenses. For the first time in a really long time, he is fine with allowing someone new into his life. The friendship develops and the romance moves very slow but when the readers get a chance to see how much Rhodes cares, you can believe that he clearly knows how to knock it out of the park.

While I clearly like Rhodes, Aurora is the typical sunshine heroine. She is the balance to his character. I love that the author uses her sweetness as a strength. She is not a pushover. She is a character who experienced heart break but she stands up for herself.

I did love this book because the author really took time to flesh out the characters and their issues. However, it is the same reason, I knocked off a half-star. They didn’t even kiss or anything until 80% of the book. The first half of the story there is little to no interaction with them. I found myself forgetting that I was reading a romance.

Overall, I’m a fan of the author. I loved this story and I would highly recommend it for fans who like watching a gruff male fall hard.

~ Samantha

Wow. Just… wow. I think I loved this book more than the Wall of Winnipeg and Me. Wow. I adored both Aurora and Rhodes. Even if Rhodes was a grumpy jerk at times. But… damn… this book. I cried SO much over the parts that involved her mom. Just wow. HIGHLY recommend.

I really fell in love with these characters and
sad to be done with such a lovely story. One of the best romances I’ve read because of how predictable it was at times and how unpredictable it was at others. I’m so glad Mariana Zapata is finally getting recognized because this is my second book I’ve read by her now that she was brought to my attention and I just love her style.

Mariana Zapata does it again!! The Queen of slow burn never fails to pull me in and spit me back out at the end of a book! All Rhodes Lead Here is another masterpiece in her repertoire!! GO READ IT NOW!!! Promise you wont regret it!

Ora and Rhodes have a great meet cute—ie he wants her gone immediately 😂 I loved their journey from sorta enemies to sorta friends to the HEA at the end. The emotions Zapata evoked from heart wrenching back stories to the awe inspiring dad 1 and dad 2 (youll understand when you read it) left me in an absolute puddle. Get ready for a book hangover after this one!! Its worth it!

This was my second Zapata read and it didn't disappoint!! Mariana is the queen of slow burn, she just makes you literally burn with anticipation for the two characters to finally connect so every little flirt or touch sends you into a frenzy! Tobias Rhodes is a grumpy dad(dy) (literally a softie with a grumpy facade, he can't fool me) and raised the bar for men so freaking high! Aurora was precious, she's recovering from her toxic ex relationship and in swoops this grumpy softie older guy. Aurora is so compassionate and an easy character to love and enjoy reading about!

troped: found family, grumpy/sunshine, slow burn, age gap

This story was fantastic.  Mariana Zapata can do no wrong in my eyes as I've yet to read a book of hers I did not like, and this story was no exception.  All Rhodes Lead Here was an engrossing tale that had me captivated, and I didn't want to put it down.  

The story was beautifully written and follow Aurora, as she start her life over after heartbreak and we are taken on this journey of loss, grief, love and moving on, as she finds herself and discovers love along the way with her landlord Rhodes. 

The characters were complex and well developed and had me rooting for them. I loved Aurora. She was determined, sweet, kind, and at times quite funny, and I really loved watching her growth. 

Rhodes, the broody landlord, had me swooning throughout the story.  Protective and caring, I loved seeing how his and Aurora's relationship progressed from strangers to friends to so much more.

If it's one thing this author is known for, it's her slow burn, and the romance and passion were slowwww to bloom here, but when it does, wow. I also loved the relationship Aurora had with Rhodes son, Amos, who was shy at first, but with time opened up to her.

This story was a  wonderful read, and I'm in a book hangover now. I would definitely recommend it this novel to romance lovers.