ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU – Jackie Ashenden
Small Town Dreams , Book 2
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1728247342
November 29, 2022
Contemporary Romance

Brightwater Valley, New Zealand – Present Day

After being the subject of vicious gossiping, Bethany Grant jumped at the chance to spend three months in New Zealand with two women she didn’t know well. One of the residents of Brightwater Valley, Finn Kelly, has attracted her interest because he is surly and keeps to himself. Why is he not sociable? Beth soon learns that Finn lost his beloved wife to cancer and is still in mourning. Beth approaches Finn about helping her to contact a local artist to ask if he would be willing to donate some of his paintings to the gallery that she is setting up with the other two women. He reluctantly agrees, and it sets in motion a change in their relationship.

Finn would rather be left alone, though he does communicate with his brother and niece. The three women, especially Beth, annoy him because he isn’t one to be friendly around newcomers. Yet, there is something about Beth that stirs an interest. After he agrees to drive her to the local artist’s cabin, she is like glue sticking to him with her constant questions. Soon, he is unable to resist kissing her, which leads to more. While Finn proclaimed their lovemaking as a one-time thing, there will soon be a little bundle of joy that will likely tie them together for the next eighteen years. Will Finn change his mind about never marrying again?

Finn and Beth’s story in ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU is an emotional one that will tug at a reader’s heart. She had been living in Alaska but had to get away from all the whispers that caused even more pain than she had already endured. The plan was to stay for three months to help set up the gift shop. But after her one time with Finn, she discovers that she’s pregnant. An unplanned pregnancy is not what she wants, but it will be a baby she’ll love. Finn’s reaction at first is that of shock, but then he realizes he can’t let her return to Alaska, even though he has no hold on her. As they spend more time together, she decides she wants to unlock the man she has fallen for. Can she find the key to his heart?

ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU is the second tale in the Small Town Dreams series. The first book was about Isabella and Chase (FIND YOUR WAY HOME). Beth’s traveling companions, Isabella, and Indigo do appear throughout this story, but the main focus is on Beth and Finn. They are adversaries at first, mainly due to his surliness. Yet, his snarly attitude only intrigues Beth even more. She wants to find a smile in him. If only she realized at first that she wanted more than friendship with him! She wants to soothe him, but she also needs a kind hand herself. The two of them can help each other—if only they realize it.

Be prepared for the emotion in ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU, but the charm of the characters is also present. Readers will like Beth and Finn and want them to find love—and happiness. Be sure to grab a copy of this intriguing tale.

Patti Fischer