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Quick answer: If you loved All Rhodes Lead Here, try From Lukov with Love, Kulti, Things We Never Got Over, Beach Read, Book Lovers and The Unhoneymooners. Each one is a slow-burn romance with small-town warmth, a grumpy hero and a heroine starting over.
Mariana Zapata's novel follows Aurora “Ora” De La Torre, who returns to her childhood hometown in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, after a painful breakup. She rents a garage apartment from Tobias Rhodes, a gruff single dad and game warden, and slowly becomes part of his and his son's lives. Readers love its very slow burn, cozy setting and found family. These picks share the same grumpy-sunshine dynamic and patient build-up.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Heat level | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Lukov with Love | Mariana Zapata | Low to medium | readers who want more Zapata |
| Kulti | Mariana Zapata | Low to medium | readers who like sports romance |
| Things We Never Got Over | Lucy Score | Spicy | readers who love grumpy small-town heroes |
| Beach Read | Emily Henry | Medium | readers who want banter with depth |
| Book Lovers | Emily Henry | Medium | readers who like small-town getaways |
| The Unhoneymooners | Christina Lauren | Low to medium | readers who want humor |
| Twisted Love | Ana Huang | Spicy | readers who want more heat |
| Icebreaker | Hannah Grace | Spicy | readers who like sports romance |
| Ugly Love | Colleen Hoover | Spicy | readers who want an emotional romance |
| Part of Your World | Abby Jimenez | Medium | readers who like small-town heroes |
| The Simple Wild | K. A. Tucker | Medium | readers who like wilderness settings |
| It Happened One Summer | Tessa Bailey | Spicy | readers who like fish-out-of-water |
| The Flatshare | Beth O'Leary | Low | readers who like a gentle build |
| Archer's Voice | Mia Sheridan | Medium | readers who like quiet heroes |
| A Court of Mist and Fury | Sarah J. Maas | Spicy | readers who like slow-building tension |
1. From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata
A figure skater partners with her longtime rival in a sweet, very slow burn.
Best for: readers who want more Zapata.
2. Kulti by Mariana Zapata
A soccer player clashes with her childhood idol, now her coach.
Best for: readers who like sports romance.
3. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
A runaway bride ends up in a small Virginia town with a grumpy barber.
Best for: readers who love grumpy small-town heroes.
4. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Two writers swap genres for the summer.
Best for: readers who want banter with depth.
5. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
A literary agent keeps running into a rival editor during a small-town vacation.
Best for: readers who like small-town getaways.
6. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Two enemies fake a honeymoon in Maui.
Best for: readers who want humor.
7. Twisted Love by Ana Huang
A cold billionaire falls for his best friend's sister.
Best for: readers who want more heat.
8. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
A figure skater and a hockey captain share a rink.
Best for: readers who like sports romance.
9. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
A nurse falls for a pilot who has rules about love.
Best for: readers who want an emotional romance.
10. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
A doctor falls for a younger carpenter in a small Minnesota town.
Best for: readers who like small-town heroes.
11. The Simple Wild by K. A. Tucker
A city girl travels to Alaska and falls for her estranged father's pilot.
Best for: readers who like wilderness settings.
12. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
A Hollywood heiress is sent to run a dive bar in a small Pacific Northwest town.
Best for: readers who like fish-out-of-water.
13. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
Two strangers share a flat on different shifts.
Best for: readers who like a gentle build.
14. Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan
A woman falls for a mute man in a small town.
Best for: readers who like quiet heroes.
15. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
The romance in Maas's fantasy series builds to an explosive payoff.
Best for: readers who like slow-building tension.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with All Rhodes Lead Here: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For the closest match, choose From Lukov with Love or Kulti. If you love the small-town grump, try Things We Never Got Over, Part of Your World or It Happened One Summer. For wilderness and found family, pick The Simple Wild. Readers who want more heat should choose Twisted Love or Icebreaker, while The Flatshare and The Unhoneymooners keep the spice low. Zapata fans often say the slow burn is the point, so look for books that let the relationship grow over many chapters.
Related: 15 Books Like All the Light We Cannot See You’ll Love · What Is the Best-Selling Book of All Time?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is All Rhodes Lead Here a slow burn?
Yes. Like most of Mariana Zapata's books, the romance builds very slowly.
Is All Rhodes Lead Here spicy?
It has some open-door content near the end, but it is mostly low heat.
Is it a standalone?
Yes. It is a standalone novel.
How long is All Rhodes Lead Here?
It is long, at over 500 pages.
Where is it set?
In Pagosa Springs, Colorado.