All Rhodes Lead Here: A Novel

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 26,994 ratings

Price: 21.25

Last update: 11-10-2024


About this item

New York Times bestselling author and the Queen of Slow Burn Romance Mariana Zapata’s fan favorite All Rhodes Lead Here, a story about finding love when you least expect it—now with new exclusive content!

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.


Top reviews from the United States

Gretchen Schmidt
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant story with a seriously epic slow burn! A must read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2024
All Rhodes Lead Here was absolutely brilliant. 6 stars all the way! I was pulled in from the very first page and loved every moment as the story unfolded. It was full of heart, love, and so much emotion. There was an incredible build filled with so many captivating details, that I never wanted to put it down. I laughed and cried my way through and loved it all.

I loved Aurora and the journey she was on to find her way in life. I loved watching her truly become who she was meant to be, as well as where she should be, it was empowering. She had all these fantastic moments where she really had to dig deep and I felt for her and rooted for her, the emotion and pain she went through at times was palpable. Rhodes was everything. He was a bit gruff initially and a man of few words, but I loved every nuance about him. When he started to let his guard down, open up, and share, it was amazing and every interaction left me feeling emotional. I loved the countless times Rhodes was there for Aurora as she fought to work through her personal issues. There were all these small things developing, little looks and touches that felt powerful and resonated deeply with me. This book had a slow burn but it never felt drawn out because I was caught up in their lives and growth and feelings - so many feelings!

This story had an exceptional build that was perfectly timed, and the attention to detail was spot on. I loved the descriptions, the layers, and the heart-stopping scenes that made me feel like I was right there living it along with them. There were bits of drama interspersed as well as fun, cute moments. I loved the cast of characters and all the friendships and bonds happening. I loved learning about Rhodes and his son Amos, Aurora’s friends, her mom, and the story with Aurora's ex. I also loved Amos’s relationship with Aurora, that was special and sweet. This story was definitely emotion-filled, I got choked up more times than I want to admit. It was just everything altogether that had me holding my breath right until the end. Then there was the epilogue and the extra goodness that was like the cherry on top of the brilliance that was this story.

This story made me feel and made the world around me fade away. There were just so many small building details creating epic moments that made this book a must-read. It made my heart happy. 6 stars!
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Gretchen Schmidt
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant story with a seriously epic slow burn! A must read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2024
All Rhodes Lead Here was absolutely brilliant. 6 stars all the way! I was pulled in from the very first page and loved every moment as the story unfolded. It was full of heart, love, and so much emotion. There was an incredible build filled with so many captivating details, that I never wanted to put it down. I laughed and cried my way through and loved it all.

I loved Aurora and the journey she was on to find her way in life. I loved watching her truly become who she was meant to be, as well as where she should be, it was empowering. She had all these fantastic moments where she really had to dig deep and I felt for her and rooted for her, the emotion and pain she went through at times was palpable. Rhodes was everything. He was a bit gruff initially and a man of few words, but I loved every nuance about him. When he started to let his guard down, open up, and share, it was amazing and every interaction left me feeling emotional. I loved the countless times Rhodes was there for Aurora as she fought to work through her personal issues. There were all these small things developing, little looks and touches that felt powerful and resonated deeply with me. This book had a slow burn but it never felt drawn out because I was caught up in their lives and growth and feelings - so many feelings!

This story had an exceptional build that was perfectly timed, and the attention to detail was spot on. I loved the descriptions, the layers, and the heart-stopping scenes that made me feel like I was right there living it along with them. There were bits of drama interspersed as well as fun, cute moments. I loved the cast of characters and all the friendships and bonds happening. I loved learning about Rhodes and his son Amos, Aurora’s friends, her mom, and the story with Aurora's ex. I also loved Amos’s relationship with Aurora, that was special and sweet. This story was definitely emotion-filled, I got choked up more times than I want to admit. It was just everything altogether that had me holding my breath right until the end. Then there was the epilogue and the extra goodness that was like the cherry on top of the brilliance that was this story.

This story made me feel and made the world around me fade away. There were just so many small building details creating epic moments that made this book a must-read. It made my heart happy. 6 stars!
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Tonya Banik
4.0 out of 5 stars 4.7 stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024
I loved the book, the characters and the realness. I only will caution that it gets extremely repetitive in parts. They tend to go on and on about things that were already discussed earlier in the book. I wouldn’t let that keep me from reading it. I truly liked it. I also loved that it had a touch of sex but not overkill or smutty. It was genuine and seemed like a real life situation.
erinaf
5.0 out of 5 stars A feel-good, slow burn romance and journey of self-discovery
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2021
I know it's only April and this is a big call, but I'm positive this book is going to be up there in my top reads for this year. This was a sweet story about two people who just want to be loved. While authors taking a slightly philosophical turn in a romance book isn't usually my thing, this book had a realistic, feel-good vibe that made my heart happy to read it. The lead character, Aurora, is an upbeat, almost painfully optimistic woman well on the road to self-discovery (which would also normally make me stabby - if I want cheer and upbeat feelings, I'll go eat a doughnut and pretend it's helping me lose weight). While usually this would get really get old, really quickly in a book, the author did a fabulous job of making her super likeable and I couldn't help but cheer her on from the sidelines. And look, after a pretty tumultuous year and a bit due to world events, this novel just hit all of the right spots like a big serve of carbs (don't you judge me) and gave me that warm, gooey feeling in my usually cold, dead heart. There were times this read like a self-help book...and I loved it when normally I'd avoid it like the plague. It was a love story not only between two people that met through chance, but a woman's love for her mother, life in general and, most importantly, herself.

As funny as it sounds, on reflection this book seemed to be a long story about not that much. It was a great length but there really wasn't too much going on. Instead, it focussed on the daily goings-on of Aurora and how she was rebuilding her life for the better. And yet, I was entertained the whole time and even found myself rereading bits and taking forever to finish pages just to prolong it. So what's it about? Well, as I said above, Aurora is on a personal (if somewhat aimless, at first) journey, returning to where she grew up to try and find herself after a terrible breakup with a well-known guy she'd been with for over a decade ended in less than ideal circumstances. Having no real idea of who she was as an individual anymore, Aurora takes a leap of faith after travelling the country, choosing to semi-permanently settle back in Colorado. She hasn't returned home after having to leave as a teenager due to a tragic family event. Turning up to a garage unit that she rented out in somewhat deceptive circumstances (not on her end), she's grudgingly allowed to stay by the owner: Tobias Rhodes.

I'll say his name again because it's worth hearing it as many times as you can. Tobias. Rhodes. If you're a fan of the seldom-speaking, super gruff and grumpy hero that oozes masculinity without being a douche canoe, you're gonna love this guy. I can usually take or leave these stereotypes but the author even had me panting his way and saying hello to my new book boyfriend. Being the silent and grumpy type, he actually doesn't always feature that heavily in the book at times. Don't get me wrong, he's around, but being someone that hates pretty much everyone, it takes forever for Aurora to build a semblance of a relationship with him. This, coincidentally, ties in perfectly with what this author does best. A sloooooow burn, emphasis on the extra 'o's. If none of the above is your jam, you've been warned because I'm positive some readers will complain not only about the upbeat Aurora, but the fact that there isn't much of relationship to speak of for a good chunk of the book. To be frank, talk of feelings doesn't happen until around the 76% mark and all the steamy good stuff takes place even further after that. While not everyone's cup of tea and not usually mine, this allowed to Aurora's character to not only develop, but shine and turn this book into something special for me that was both uplifting and entertaining. Oh, and did I mention Rhodes has a teenage son that's a sweetheart? And that Mr Super-masculine is a game warden constantly in a uniform and was previously in the navy? He's also protective to the nth degree with a bit of jealous/possessive deliciousness thrown in. That's like catnip, right?

Anywho, I digress. A lot of the story, therefore, is Aurora settling in, figuring out what's next in life, coming to terms with past demons that have trampled her heart into itty bitty pieces (but not her spirit - and yes, I'm aware that a lot of this is sounding like a Hallmark card) and reconnecting with her past and the world around her. As she reread through her mother's journals to go on some of the hikes she loves, there was quite a bit of outdoorsy stuff here and there which I found put an interesting flavour on things. There's a lot of self-reflection and glass half full philosophy which, again, isn't normally my thing but was just done so well in this story. It made Aurora really hard to dislike and I think her terrible luck with a couple of big events in her life helped even out her willingness to stay positive and remind herself how lucky she was. The book is told from her point of view and she was charming, friendly, caring, compassionate and generous. As ick and cliché as this might sound, she was a strong character that gave an amusing and well-written take on things.

I found that there was a bit of repetition in the writing. There was lots (and I mean lots) of emphasis of how good looking and masculine Rhodes was. The author also had Aurora constantly referring to past events without divulging what the cataclysmic occurrences actually were which drives me up the wall. Dropping little teasers and breadcrumbs here and there without getting the full picture irks me, I'll admit. Sure, you can put most of it together but why not just reveal the big mystery then? I won't go into what they are here in detail as it might take away from the story for some readers, but they are drawn out (and sad). You know one is to do with her mother no longer being with her her and the other is the breakup from hell. They are both referenced excessively. There's reference to blood money being paid to her and Aurora keeping secrets. There's also a bit of repetition from Aurora about the melancholy lessons she's learned as a result (she's even positive about that and how her bad experiences were the best things to have learned from) and how she stayed with someone she probably shouldn't have because she loved him. Don't expect the aforementioned events to be revealed until the latter part of the book, either. Another thing worth mentioning is that the book often skipped weeks at a time. I would have liked more of a comeuppance and reaming for her ex and his mother from hell, but that's a personal preference because I'm a vengeance seeking kind of gal. No high road for me, partner.

A few incidentals if you're curious - there's no other women drama (thank baby jeebus). There's a small age gap beween Aurora and Rhodes. Off the top of my head she's low to mid 30s and he's early 40s. Nothing too scandalous. The secondary characters are dynamite, from Aurora's best friends to Amos, Rhodes' teenage son. Nary a D-Bag in sight. A rarity, for sure. While there aren't a lot of steamy scenes, the main one is pretty hot, just FYI.

I know this was a long-winded review but I really loved this book. It was a feel-good journey of self-discovery with great writing and wonderful characters that just made me happy. I enjoyed how Aurora took the lessons life had thrown her way and turned them into something positive. There was little pining for what could have been; instead the focus was on what was and could be. I really liked the emphasis on nature this book had. It also had some killer quotes due to the writing leaning towards the philosophical and self-discovery style. One of my favourites: "The people we lose take a part of us with them... but they leave a part of themselves with us too". There was terrific closure and a really sweet epilogue - I'm hoping other characters from this book get turned into a story because the author certainly made it possible with a couple of carrots dangled here and there. This will be going into my Favourites folder and will absolutely get reread. It's a beauty.

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