In this slow-burn romance set in Colorado, Mariana Zapata (From Lukov with Love; The Wall of Winnipeg and Me) presents the engaging story of a frustrated woman on the cusp of a new life, making All Rhodes Lead Here a perfect love story for anyone looking for a fresh start. Aurora De La Torre has been in a one-sided relationship for 14 years and finally decided she'd had enough. She left her boyfriend, who happens to be a famous country music star, and moved back to Pagosa Springs, Colo. Pagosa Springs is the home of some of Aurora's happiest and worst memories; she lived there as a child, before her mother disappeared when Aurora was a teenager.
She decides to rent a garage apartment and hopes to find a job she likes. She also plans to take the hikes from her mother's hiking notebook as an homage to the loss that still hurts 20 years later. But things go awry right off the bat when Aurora gets to the apartment, which, it turns out, was not actually listed by owner Tobias Rhodes. Rather, Rhodes's teenage son, Amos, rented it secretly, and Aurora finds herself tiptoeing around the grumpy homeowner for weeks. But slowly, Aurora's sunny charm works on gruff Rhodes, and a friendship develops between the two.
With more depth of emotion than some of Zapata's other books, All Rhodes Lead Here is a story of love, loss, and moving on. Perfect for fans of slow-paced character development, and with the vivid Colorado mountains as a backdrop, Zapata's novel is a delightful romance. --Jessica Howard, freelance book reviewer