Review: All Roads Lead to You

Jennifer Probst's Stay series has been an absolute delight to read. Such a delight, in fact, that they're some of the hardest reviews to write because I just want to tell you they're lovely and you should read them. But I will do my best to tell you all exactly why you should read All Roads Lead to You.

Here's the synopsis:

Happily single, Harper Bishop trusts in only one passion—her rescue farm and healing her thoroughbred, Phoenix. Her dream is to lead him to the Triple Crown. But how unreachable is it without experience or help? A handsome new guest at her family’s B&B has what it takes to make it come true. And with his irresistible brogue, warm smile, and soothing touch, he’s a major distraction.
After a bitter betrayal, horse trainer Aidan O’Connor has fled Ireland for a vacation in New York’s Hudson Valley. When he sees the horse with the fighting spirit, he’s inspired with a new goal: to train Phoenix to win. He’s also facing an unexpected new challenge: his feelings for Harper
How can she dare to open her heart to a man who’ll be there only long enough to break it?
So Harper and Aidan agree: try to keep it professional, and focus only on Phoenix and the finish line. But along the way, they could also learn a few lessons in love, trust, and taking chances. And, as painful as it promises to be, saying goodbye.

As I said, this is a series (read my reviews of book one and two) but it's one of those ones where you could read them out of order if that's how they come across your reading plate. They're romances so you know from the get go that the main characters are going to get together so you shouldn't be spoiled too much when you read about a previous couple in subsequent books.

What I really liked about this series was just how freaking lovely they are. They're not annoyingly sweet and find just the right the balance of drama and romance. There's a focus on career and family, not just the romantic relationship. There's a cast of secondary characters who liven things up (including a hilarious Polish chicken named Hei Hei) and complement the main characters and their story.

A big part of the loveliness of this series is due to the books' location. They're set in Hudson Valley, somewhere I've never actually been but have read a good number of romances set there. I love the small town feel that also has some hustle and bustle because of tourists that visit every summer. Small town romances are some of my favourites so it really shouldn't be a surprise that I liked these ones so much because of that.

Harper was the sibling that was the hardest to get a read on through the other two books. She's not stand-offish, exactly, but she doesn't see the point of romance and a Happily Ever After like her siblings seem to. She's super focused on her work and her horses which, I think, is why Aidan got to her. He was a lot like her in that he was hyper-focused on his work and horses too. It was enjoyable to watch them learn to work together, instead of butting heads, which, as you may imagine, ratcheted up the sexual tension. 

I'm not a horse person (I only had the briefest of pony phases when I was a kid) but I really liked reading about the race circuit in this story. It wasn't something I had ever really thought about so in-depth before and it was an interesting backdrop for a romance novel. 

I think a lot of us can use some really sweet and fun romances these days and I highly recommend Jennifer Probst's Stay series. They're quick reads that will uplift and delight you. I'm sad All Roads Lead to You seems to the be the last because I've thoroughly enjoyed all the time I've spent with those characters and I'm sad that I won't have the occasion to visit them again.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Thomas Allen & Son, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*