All Rhodes Lead Here

The character development was unmatched. I love that it is a slow burn romance. I wish there was more spicy chapters but honestly this is one hell of a great book. I highly recommend it

— 4 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❝People cried over endings, but sometimes you had to cry over new beginnings. I wouldn’t forget what I’d left. But I was going to be excited—at least as much as I could be—about this start and however it would end.❞📖 | 572 pages👤 | author Mariana Zapata🏢 | publisher Headline Eternal📅 | release date 1 April 2021What you can expect:— New-Adult Contemporary Romance— First-Person POV— Age Gap (33/42)— Early-30s Heroine— Landlord/Tenant— Sunshine FMC/Grumpy MMC— Slow-Burn Romance— Single-Dad— Small-TownTrigger and content warnings include: grief and loss, death of a parent (off-page, past), estranged parent, discussions surrounding mental health and depression, minor injury and blood, mention of infertility (side-character).All Rhodes Lead Here is a heartfelt Contemporary Romance by author Mariana Zapata which serves as a love letter to those who have loved and lost. Aurora De La Torre never expected returning to her home-town to feel easy. After a disastrous end to a long-term relationship has Aurora questioning her next-step in life, the one thing she knows for certain is where she wants to be. Starting over in life is never supposed to be easy... and yet Aurora could have never anticipated what the small-town of Pagosa Springs had waiting for her.❝Resentment, bitter and twisted, rose up over the back of my neck and shoulders like it had daily since things had fallen apart. And like every other time, I didn’t brush it off. I tucked it into my body, real close to my chest, and babied it. I didn’t want to forget it. I wanted to learn from it and keep the lesson for myself, even if it was uncomfortable.❞As much as All Rhodes Lead Here is a heart-warming story on taking chances and the love that can be found later in life... it is also very much an emotional tale on grief and loss. I absolutely adored Aurora as the main character as we watch her not only return to her hometown in the hopes to to lay down roots and find a permanent home... but we also follow her battle with the never-ending and persistent grief that she has carried since the disappearance of her mother many years prior. Aurora symbolises hope and persistence during the most difficult circumstances that anybody can endure in life, and I found myself feeling truly connected to her character and her journey. Author Mariana Zapata has this beautiful knack for humanising fictional characters and enabling the reader to connect with them as if they are real people. I'm not just simply reading about these characters as they grow and love and learn. I'm growing, loving and learning right there with them which makes it all the more special. Aurora's journey is filled with many heartfelt and hilarious moments, just as much as there is raw and real discussions surrounding loss, grief and mental illness. Honestly my only issue with Aurora, and I am being slightly picky here, is that I never again want to read a woman in her early-30s say "owie" when she's injured ever again. Thankfully it didn't happen often enough to become an issue for me personally, but it's just one of those personal preferences that found me cringing. Seriously know, I love Aurora. She's raw and real and imperfect, and is such a delight to follow within this story.❝When you lose enough, you learn to take happiness where you can find it. You don’t wait for it to be handed to you. You don’t expect it in big firework-like displays. You take it in small moments, and sometimes those come shaped in a two-hundred-and-fortyish pound man going above and beyond..❞The dynamic between Aurora, Rhodes and Amos was the biggest selling point within this book for me. Rhodes is one of my favourite Mariana Zapata love interests that she has ever written. Rhodes shoulders so much responsibility to ensure the safety, health and happiness of his loved ones. Giving up a career he loved and thrived in to make sure he could be present as his son grew up without complaint. Doing everything he could to provide Amos with everything he ever could and need. Rhodes is the perfect example of a gentle giant. Tall and intimidating, and would absolutely resort to whatever it takes to defend his loved ones, but all-in-all is a quiet man who is happy to live a simple life. Rhodes love-language is acts of service which is something that is continually present on-page as Rhodes takes up the mantle of caretaker for the bright, loud woman that winds up living in his garage apartment. We really see the relationship progress at a steady pace as Aurora and Rhodes discover just how alike they truly are. Two strong-willed and lonely people just looking for an honest and true community to call family. The 3rd act conflict does contain some elements of the miscommunication trope however I was thrilled to see this resolved almost immediately. Both characters manage to talk through their issues and acknowledge their intentions to learn and do better. Amos is the sweetest 15-year-old boy who takes his time warming up to Aurora's presence and I loved seeing the work into their relationship development play out.❝The people we lose take a part of us with them… but they leave a part of themselves with us too..❞In true Mariana Zapata-style I absolutely adored the side-characters that we are introduced to who reside in Pagosa Springs. My particular favourites were Johnny and Clara. Johnny is your typical bachelor in his early 40s that added a lot of humour into the conversation, whereas Clara offered that unwavering support during difficult times. Clara's attraction for Johnny is acknowledged early into the book, however she doesn't yet feel ready to move on after the sudden and tragic death of her husband years prior. Should the author ever decide to venture back into the world of Pagosa Springs I would really love to see the story surrounding Clara and Johnny.Once again Mariana Zapata adds yet another book into my "comfort romance reads" list. I've yet to come across a book from this author that I don't love, and I particularly love how the epilogues provide the perfect amount of closure and comfort.

This book is Mariana Zapata at her absolute best! It's like she took everything she learned over the years and put it all into this story. Agh, it's so good! I loved it so much, I didn't want it to end, and it's been years since I felt that way about a book. I can only apologise for how gushy this review is about to get.“So this was what it was like to have your heart broken for good reasons.”Let me start with Aurora - now easily one of my favourite fmcs. Her pov was a true joy, and I loved every second of it. Her growth and journey felt special, and the way she cried whenever anyone did something nice for her 💝 she needs to be protected forever. There was so much to her character, and I loved getting to know her throughout the story as she worked through this new phase of her life. I loved her relationships with Clara and Yuki, and they were great characters too. Aurora felt relatable and had this exciting life that made for an excellent story.Whilst Aurora is a wonderful sunshine, Rhodes is the perfect grumpy. My heart could not take it when he ironed her clothes and folded her laundry - how did MZ make that so romantic? He gave her room to grow, and that's why he's perfect. The spice too? Perfection!Older kids are one of my favourite tropes in romance stories, and Amos (Rhodes's son) was excellent. He was that classic moody teen who opened up throughout the story and developed a beautiful protective bond with Aurora.I think Rhodes and Aurora moved at exactly the right pace, and by the end, their story felt so fleshed out. And, of course, MZ gave us an amazing epilogue!It makes sense that this is Mariana’s most recent release, and it just makes me all the more excited for whatever she puts out next! All the stars!

Such an emotional read, funny, sad, and everything in between. I didn’t want this story to end. I loved all the characters, Aurora was the best, I loved her personality, her determination, her humour and her ability to see the best in everything and everyone. Tragedy had finally led her home, to a life she always wanted but didn’t expect to happen. Tobias Rhodes, I don’t have words, probably the greatest male, alpha male, hero, Dad, partner, I can’t think of any more words to describe him that do him justice, but my god what an absolute swooning dream. This man was Prince Charming, eventually. Brooding, moody and sullen to start but wow, did he come to life in this story. Amos is the mini version in the making, well not so mini, but he’s got the best role models and I’m sure he’ll make a girl very lucky indeed, so caring, thoughtful. Mariana Zapata is such a great author and storyteller. I felt like I was living in this story and feel so sad it’s over. Reading her stories is always a pleasure. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Aurora decided that when everything in her world went south, she would take a short road trip and end up in Colorado where she was born. She booked a place online in the small town she grew up in and just wanted to get her life back. Her ex had taken away the love she had and paid her off for all the songs she had written for him and now she needed to find herself. The man who came storming towards her when she arrived at the house was not what she expected. Apparently, his son had arranged everything online without his knowledge and he wasnt having it. Rhodes was furious, the man liked his privacy and Amos was going to be grounded for life. He let her stay just after she had saved his sons life!! She loved the peace of the place and seeing Rhodes grumpiness didnt put her off. He started to melt, and she got herself into some mess that he got her out of. Their friendship started to blossom until Rhodes found out her ex was one of the country's top singers and how wealthy she was. Lovely writing just like all her books. I have given them all 5stars.

Mariana Zapata is the Queen of the Slow Burn, and boy does she ever deliver with All Rhodes Lead Here!I’ve been saving this book for quite a while, because nobody else can do slow burn quite like MZ. (If you have any recommendations, PLEASE drop them in the comments for me.)This book has quite a few of my favourite tropes. Aurora has gone through a rough divorce, and she’s returning to her hometown, hoping that it will bring her closer to the memory of her mother and help her figure out what she should do with her life. She rents a garage apartment from a grumpy (to her sunshine!) single dad who definitely doesn’t want anything to do with her. In true MZ fashion, the hero, Rhodes, does NOT like Aurora. He’s downright hostile and avoids her at all costs. But then he starts to get to know her, and the sparks start to fly…This book has so many delightful parts to it, and there are some truly heartfelt parts too. Throughout this book, Aurora is dealing with grief–both of her lost marriage and her lost mother–and it’s so beautifully done. As usual, MZ’s grumpy stoic hero turns out to be the swoony romantic we bookworms can only dream of finding in the real world.Another thing I love about MZ’s books is the strength of the side characters. I felt like I got to know Yuki and Amos and Clara so well, and I genuinely hope they’ll get their own love stories somewhere down the line.Bah! I loved this book so much, and I’m not allowed to read another MZ for a few months. (I only have three left!) It will be difficult, but it will be a lot worse once I’ve read all her books and have nothing to look forward to.5+++ stars!

So eine schöne Geschichte! Für mich ein Wohlfühlbuch 😊

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“Being around you is like being around the sun. Because seeing you happy makes me happy, and seeing you sad makes me want to do anything I have to to get that look off your face”⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ + 10 💫It’s hard to put into words how very much I loved this book. It is a beautifully written, heart warming story about new beginnings and learning to love again. It gave me all the feels 🙌🏻 I went through loss, grief, friendship, happiness and a slow to achieve- “can’t eat, can’t sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of love” if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. It made my heart so so happy.Read if you like:•Small town vibes•Found family / Home trope•A silver fox 🦊•Father and son bond•A slowburn romance🔥 (and I mean slooow guys)•grumpy / sunshine ☀️main leads

Aurora está se mudando de volta para o lugar que costumava chamar de casa. Do outro lado da garagem, encontra-se o caminho perfeito para a felicidade: Rhodes. Repleto de belas caminhadas nas montanhas e auto-reflexão, esse foi mais um livro perfeito de Mariana Zapata.“All Rhodes Lead Here” tem:💕 Romance bonito, real e puro🔥 Um romance escaldante👑 Slow-burn perfeito (rainha)🏘 Romance de senhorio🎖 Herói mal-humorado e da Marinha🏞 Jornada para a autoconhecimento🍄 Cenas engraçadas e divertidas👯‍♂️ Personagens secundários incríveisAdorei tudo sobre esse livro. Os dois últimos MZ’s não foram seus melhores trabalhos, mas esse foi uma mistura de todos os nossos favoritos: um pouco de Luna, um toque de Winnipeg e uma dose de Wait for It. Mas MZ ainda foi capaz de criar uma história única e extraordinária. Eu amo como ela esconde as coisas de nós e cria uma narrativa tão atraente.Eu me conectei de forma incrível com a Aurora e sua jornada, amei todo o tempo que ela dedicou a si mesma, quanto auto-reflexão aconteceu e quanto amor ela tinha por si mesma e por aqueles ao seu redor. Rhodes apenas a complementou perfeitamente. Eu acho que ele é um dos melhores personagens masculinos que a MZ já escreveu, ele tem uma história única e muito para superar e trabalhar em si mesmo. Esses dois personagens se apaixonaram e eu me apaixonei por eles. Eles resolviam seus problemas e sempre apoiaram um ao outro.Ah, e tiveram tantos personagens secundários incríveis. Do filho do Rhodes à melhor amiga perdida da Aurora.Eu gostaria de poder continuar assistindo esses personagens viverem suas vidas, se divertindo e crescendo!➡️ Se você gosta das coisas listadas acima, livros longos e MZ, esse livro é para você!Esse livro está disponível no KU! 🥰TW: divórcio, relacionamentos tóxicos e perda de um ente querido.