Review: All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

Publication date: January 30th, 2024

Pages: 606

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

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.

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Story:

Mariana Zapata has a way of creating these worlds that seem so utterly unique from any of her books but they all have the same comedic timing and easy flow that makes them obviously one of her works. Watching a young woman try to pick up the pieces after a breakup and try to rekindle the connection she had with her deceased mother while dealing with a silver fox that wants away from her as quickly as possible embodies the perfect balance of grumpy/sunshine romance. The beatific little down that Aurora finds herself in after a life of living in the shadows of her rockstar boyfriend was perfect for her and set the foundation for a light and fluffy romance novel with a little bit of mournful edge that makes a reader laugh between the tears soaking their cheeks. I had a little bit of trouble figuring out the ghosts from Aurora's past suddenly coming around when she finds her footing within her new home. I feel like the reasons for their sudden appearances was a little shaky and it made me feel like the author was trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole. They needed to be there to add drama but the reasoning the author chose for their appearances was a little unusual. It caused me to side-eye the plot points for a moment or ten. If the connection between Aurora and Tobias wasn't so absolutely droolworthy the rating of the story might have suffered for that reason alone. I have read a few of Zapata's stories and I know how tightly she can wind the knots of a good plot, this one seems like it could easily unravel and that makes one a bit off kilter the entire time they are reading.

Character(s):

• Aurora - I liked how carefree and indulgent the character seemed to be. She was about as sunny a sunshine character as you could get. Not many things got her down and when they did it was like the storm clouds had settled over the entire fictional world. There were points where I was able to see the heart of Aurora and it was beautiful to witness. She was such a genuine character that even when she did something wrong I was desperately trying to make excuses for her so that I didn't have to admit that the character had messed up. Aurora felt like the best friend everyone hopes to have at least once in her life.

• Tobias - I knew he was meant to be the grumpy man that Aurora had to earn the trust of to get to open up but, boy, did Tobias make it difficult for her to understand what he was feeling for her and accept that his sallow expressions were products of her doing. He had been hurt in the past and made quick judgments of Aurora that I could understand, but when he was being nasty to her for no reason except that she existed I wanted to watch her find someone better. He didn't deserve the sunshine that Zapata had created! He was being a grade-A asshole! But... the softer moments he had made him potentially salvageable. I was dying for them to get together and his grumpy attitude was ruining things for me. I was frustrated! But he eventually worked his way to where he needed to be emotionally. 

Writing:

There were a few moments within the writing that I found to be a little oddly written but overall I think it accomplished what it was supposed to. Like I said before about some of the reasoning using for some of the antagonists was a little weak but that wasn't in the practical sense of the writing. Instead I found Zapata was able to write in a way that a reader could relax into and not have to exert their brains too much to follow the dialog and story. With adulting the way it is sometimes it's nice to have books you can shut your chaotic brain off and just relax into a lightly humor story of growth and finding love where you least expect it.

Overall:

I will always have a soft spot for a male lead that is a silver fox. So often the main characters are Hollywood level handsome instead of the classically rugged appearance. That coupled with a female main character who is tough as nails but hides it easily behind effervescent smiles and a big heart. This was a great light read that would go well with a warm cup of coffee and a cozy blanket while sitting out on the porch.