I am a big fan of Marci Bolden. While this was a good book it is not my favorite of hers. This is the first book in the Stonehills series. It can be a stand alone novel or as part of the series.

Kara and Harry liked each other when they were in school together, but were both too shy to approach or tell one another. They spent one night together that irrevocably changed Kara's life. Instead of college, she was homeless and sent to a community for unwed mothers. She learned to survive and raise her son, Phil. Twenty-seven years later, Harry reunites with Kara and is floored by the news he missed his son's life. Harry wants to reconnect and convinces Kara and Phil to return to her hometown. The hometown she never returned to after being forced away and hurt by those adults in whom she should have had support.

This was a good book with good characters. The story dragged a little in places but it was well written.

I received a copy of The Road Leads Back by Marci Bolden from Pink Sand Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I give this book 4 stars! It provokes so many emotions, so be prepared. Chock full of family drama, romance, regret and forgiveness. I recommend this engaging read!

I had a hard time finishing this one and skimmed the last several chapters. Again, good writing, just needed something more.

Family, secrets, lies....This was a great second chance romance.
Many thanks to Pink Sand Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Yes I cried, when you reach that part of the book, you too will cry. He left her following graduation. When her parents disowned her she went to his home where his mother put her on a coach to a single mothers commune. 30 years on he sees her name on an art exhibition flyer and sets out to see her and comes face to face with his son.

Enough said, read it and love it as much as I have. With thanks to NetGalley and Pink Sand Press for the free read.

This book was so much more than second chances, the author took us on the journey of unraveling the past. I really enjoyed reading the book because of it.
Kara and Harry really liked each other in high school but neither had the courage to tell the other. On graduation night, they met at a party and had sex. Kara became pregnant and when she told her parents they kicker her out and told her never to return. She went to Harry's parents who decided that they didn't want their son to know and he went off to college, never knowing Kara was pregnant. They gave her money and paid her to go to a commune for unwed mothers else and sent her money. Kara sent letters to Harry at his mother's house and even though she didn't want her son to know he was a father, she read all the letters. She raised her son Phil all alone and she learned the art of bartering for the things she needed.
When Phil was 27, she had a showing at a gallery and Harry was in town and saw that she was also there. He went to the gallery and saw Kara. Standing beside her was a man that looked just like him. Kara told him about his son that he knew nothing about and that he was also a grandfather. His granddaughter, Jess, even having Downs Syndrome was such a beautiful girl, so full of life.
Harry invited his son and granddaughter to come home with him and get to know each other. Kara was invited too but didn't think she would ever go back home again. But, she decided to go too.
After going home, there were lots of things to sort out and work through. There was always this undercurrent going on. Sometimes it was anger, sometimes it was sliding feelings back down and sometimes it was just struggling on what to do. They knew what they wanted to happen and the author showed us the struggles, the anger, the mistakes, the making progress and in a split second the past comes crashing down upon them.
This book has so much substance, reality, and feeling and it does happen in real life. This gives you an inside look at what really is probably happening when a girl gets pregnant and her parents are in shock and say things that afterward wish they hadn't. What made me think was people kept asking why didn't you just go home. When asked by her mother if she hadn't seen Harry at the gallery, if she would ever come home, Kara replied no. I can understand her reasoning but it is a wake up to think before we speak because the words we speak might be the last one someone hears and takes to heart.
When starting the book I thought it was going to be an easy second chance book but was I pleasantly surprised with where the author took us. Hey, life has mistakes, hardships, and mistakes but like the book, we have to carry on with what we have. like Kara she bartered her art for the thing she needs. I have a better understanding of things since reading the book, and it is a reminder to reach out to someone because it might be the lifeline they need.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is a book you should read to put on your list of books to read. For me, there was the story but there was also a lot going on underneath and that made this book amazing.

Sorry not my type of book. I kept expecting there to be more to the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I wasn’t sure what I expected from this book since second chance stories aren’t always my favorite. This was different, Harry and Kara were older (not ancient, lol) and acted more mature for the most part. Kara did have a harder time in letting go of some of her resentments, deservedly so. Harry was remarkably patient and knew exactly how to handle most situations. I found it hard to put down and wanted to know what was going to happen next. I usually like to read books that are more steamier, but I enjoyed this one much more than I anticipated.

A beautiful and emotional story of a young man and woman whose one-night stand changed their lives forever. Harrison Canton left for college after his one night with Kara Martinson. When she found out that she was pregnant, she wrote to Harry, but never heard from him. Her parents threw her out and she raised her son, Phil, on her own. Years later, Harry noticed Kara’s name at an art showing and was just in time to see her with her son only to find out that Phil was his son. Kara was always a free spirit while Harry was settled in the life he chose, but now he had a twenty-six-year old son and deeply regretted the loss of all those years. The story takes the reader through the regrets, the sorrow, the love lost, and the secrets that kept the two separated. I look forward to reading the rest of this series. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

The Road Leads Back is a very good book. I loved the second chance romance. I liked that the characters were not young. There is a ton of emotions going on and I loved that. Highly recommend this story

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, and its is my personal opinion of the book.

Wow, what more can I say, for me a book has to tug at my emotions for me to give it a 5star rating this book wretched my emotions from me. So an intense and painful book for the two main characters in this book. How does anyone forgive that amount of betrayal? I loved it!! I would certainly recommend it to others.

Kara is an artist and at the crowded bar of an art gallery opening she had aged and was not down with the partying of the younger crowd there. I didn't connect with kara

This was the first book I have read nt Marci Bolden. The Road Leads Back is a great second chance romance. Be prepared for heartache to healing with an overflow of love. This is an author I will be following and reading future works.

A while back I received a request to review this title. Since it had already been published for a while, I agreed with the understanding that it might take some time to get to it as I had other books waiting in line long before this request came in. I FINALLY had some time to commit to this book, so I dove in. I always go into a book by an author I’ve never read before with half high hopes and half a bit of dread. I love finding new authors and new books I just can fall into and ignore reality for long stretches because I’m SO into them. Unfortunately, I do not always connect to new to me authors and their work. But when I do, I get pretty excited. And let me just say, I’m pretty excited about this book and this author now!

I’m well beyond the new adult age, and while I do love stories of first loves and young love, I was delighted to find that Kara and Harry are very much more my age. And this second chance romance came with a bit of baggage on both their parts. To say it evoked strong emotions would be an understatement.

NICUnurse’s Rating: If you’re looking for more of a lighthearted second chance romance, this book is NOT for you. There are a lot of angsty moments…moments where you aren’t sure these people are going to get their HEA. It’s a constant pushing and pulling, up and down, twisting and turning journey for all of the characters. I think the author did a great job making the reader understand the multifaceted character that Kara is. There are decades of layers to her. Decades of hurts. Decades of avoiding coming to terms with her past. Seriously. There are just so many layers to this story that kept me turning page after page and refusing to stop reading until I reached The End. Someone once said that a 5-star read is one that stays with you long after you’ve finished the last page. The Road Leads Back by Marci Bolden was definitely one of those stories. It’s a 5 out of 5 stars read for me!

Unique and relatable. I love that the characters finding each other again are older. A real tragic past of unfortunate circumstances that leave Kara literally holding the baby. Regret, grief, anger and forgiveness runs through the story. A good easy heartwarming read.

“This book is definitely entering in my favorite list. I simply could not no love it! The story was so full of emotions. The plot made me cry, laugh and took my breath away. I stopped reading until I reached the end.

Both, Kara and Harry suffered through out the story. They also struggled with some misunderstandings and hurtful past memories.

The storyline was simply perfect. The characters were magnificent and special. A wonderful second chance romance that you must read.”

Kara and Harry had always liked each other in high school and ultimately had a one night stand at a party after graduation. Harry never had anything more to do with Kara and went off to college, completely unaware that Kara was pregnant with his child. When Kara told her parents, instead of helping, they threw her out of their home. Turning to Harry's parents resulted in their sending her to a commune on the west coast along with a monthly check. Kara had her son, raising him by means of clever bartering and what little money she made from her artwork. When Kara's artwork is featured in an art gallery in Seattle, Harry, thirty years older and anxious to see Kara again, turns up at her exhibition. The result is a wonderful story of reunion, forgiveness and love.

This was a well written, heartwarming story which was a true pleasure to read. I strongly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Marci Bolden, and the publisher Pink Sand Press for the free ARC I received and thoroughly enjoyed. This is my honest opinion.

I really liked this book. This is a second chance trope that's a little different. There weren't just a few years that had passed since Kara and Harry had been involved--there were a lot.
I loved that it started out with Kara running into the father of her son and telling him, "I've been looking for you for twenty-seven years." There was a large volume of water under the bridge when they meet again. There's a son and a granddaughter.
This is a story that is heavy on forgiveness and just how much the human soul can take. It's about righting wrongs that were done and trying to move on. But mostly it's about love and contentment. It's being able to tell a family member that you may not "get them", but you love them anyway and you will be there for them when you need them. There's definitely a lesson to be learned here.
It seems that some reviewers didn't like the way Kara dealt with things and gave fewer stars because of it. We don't always handle things the best way. That's just life. We don't always handle things in the most grown up way. I think in the end, the plot readjusted and righted itself. A lovely story.
I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

This was a sweet romance. I loved everything about this book.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc

This book was such a heart warmer. I cried, I giggled and I felt part of the family.
Kara fell pregnant with Harrison’s baby. He left for a bigger world and she was kicked out by her parents. The only person she had to turn to was Harry’s mum. Elaine sent her away. Away to a place where she would be looked after; but with minimal wants.
Harry bumps into Kara after 27 years and finds out he is now a father and a grandfather.
This pair hash out a lot of things but work on forgiveness and forgiving both families.
A heart felt book that everyone will love