All Roads Lead to You (Small Town Dreams 2) by Jackie Ashenden-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 29, 2022

A grumpy wilderness guide who just wants to be left alone.
A cheerful jewelry designer determined to get him to open up.
A breathtaking New Zealand town that inspires second chances.
An unlikely love that won’t be denied.

Brightwater Valley, New Zealand, is beautiful, rugged, and home to those who seek adventure. Finn Kelly loves everything about guiding wilderness hikes, except the part where he has to interact with people every day. But when sunny jewelry designer Bethany Grant moves into town and involves herself in every aspect of his life, he wonders what it might be like if he let in some of her light…

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REVIEW: ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU is the second instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult SMALL TOWN DREAMS erotic, romance series-a spin off from the author’s ALASKA HOMECOMING SERIES. This is Kiwi wilderness guide Finn Kelly, and American jewelry designer Bethany ‘Beth’ Grant’s story line. ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

SOME BACKGROUND: In the wake of failures and disappointments back home, best friends and Americans Izzy, Indigo and Bethany head to New Zealand to start a new business venture in Brightwater Valley, a small town that is slowly dying without some much needed help from start up entrepreneurs.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Finn and Beth) ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU follows the building but acrimonious relationship between Finn Kelly and Beth Grant. Finn Kelly works as a wilderness tour guide in Brightwater Valley, New Zealand but Finn struggles with demons from the past, demons of which he is unable to let go. Beth Grant’ s attraction to Finn Kelly is immediate but Finn wants nothing to do with our story line heroine, and refuses to accept her bubbly personality is honest or real. A one-night stand with Finn forces Beth to reconsider the future, a future that is about to change for them both but as Finn continues to struggle with the past, Beth quickly realizes she may be heading into the future alone. What ensues is the building but heart breaking relationship between Beth and Finn, and the potential fall-out as Finn refuses to fall in love, or let Bethany Grant into his heart.

The relationship between Beth and Finn begins acrimoniously as Beth doesn’t understand what she has done wrong. Finn is grumpy, stand offish, and rude, forcing Beth to confront our story line hero. Both Finn and Beth battle with heartbreaking losses from the past but Finn refuses to move on, destroying Beth in the process. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

We are reintroduced to Izzy and Chase (Find Your Way Home), Levi; baker Bill Preston, and rancher /horse farm owner Clint. Levi and Indigo’s story is next.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU is a story of grief and loss, acceptance and understanding, love and letting go. The premise is emotional and heart breaking; the romance is affectionate and considerate; the characters are interesting but Finn Kelly is broken and lost.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one FIND YOUR WAY HOME

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy