I need to start off by saying this is my first book by this author. I was a little hesitant at first due to the little bit older ages of the characters then I am used to. But that truly did not impact the story at all. Yes, it was a bit odd at first to be talking about there son... who was 26.... that awkwardness didn't last long though.
This is a true love story that had me feeling all sorts of emotions. Mad.... sad... happy... nervous... I had to cheat and read the last few pages of the book to make sure I wouldn't be disappointed in the end!
I highly recommend this one!

This was a first time read of Marci Bolden work for me. I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved The Road Leads Back. I must confess I didn't even read the blurb fully before choosing to read this one. This is a fabulous second chance romance that you feel in your heart and soul. Kara is so strong for everything she went through. You will find out what when you read. She is an amazing mom and grandma. But she is a runner too. Harry is amazing. I love how you can feel his love for Kara from the start. He grounds her and how he takes all the changes in his life is wonderful. He will melt your heart. You feel for him in so many ways for all the lost time he had with Kara and Phil. When reading The Road Leads Back you get everything from heartache to heart filling love and healing. The changes in Kara and Harry throughout are wonderful. This second chance romance is one that should be read. I really couldn't put it down.

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
This book was definitely different than most second chance books I have read. There is almost 30 years between the accidental pregnancy and the reunification.
Although the story was a good one, the characters were very familiar. Kara suffered quite a lot for her pregnancy. She was kicked out of her home, turned away by the fathers' family, and had to find her own way with no assistance. Harry is kept in the dark but 30 years seems a bit extreme. The "re-meet" was a bit cliché and made me think of an old Heart song.
I was a bit put off by the immaturity of the adults in this book. Yes they were dealing with things that happened when they were teens but really?

5 Stars! A debut novel that has an absolutely heart wrenching story!

At their high school graduation, Kara and Harry act on the attraction between them. When Kara finds out she`s pregnant, her parents kick her out and tell her that she`s not to come back. So when she goes to Harry`s house, she finds out he left for college ... but Harry`s mom sends to to a place for unwed mothers and tells her that when Harry is done school, he`ll come for her. After waiting 5 years, Kara realizes that Harry is not coming for them. Over 20 years later, Kara is having a gallery opening and who walks in ... Harry. When Harry finds out he has a son and granddaughter, he wants all 3 of them to move back home with him. Will Phil finally have the father he always wanted? Will Kara stop running and face her fears? Will Harry have the family he has always dreamed of?

This story is so different and I just loved it! First of all, it's about an older couple with a second chance. And then the couple's son Phil and granddaughter Jessica play a big part in the book ... it's about the whole family dynamic. My heart just broke for the teenage Kara and all the heartache she went through just to live day to day. At first I wanted to kick her son in the a$$ ... he was so mean to her, but he redeemed himself when he finally came around and realized that it wasn't just all about him and that all the bad things actually happened to his mother. I felt sorry for Harry because all he wanted was a family of his own and it was his own mother that stole that from him. I highly recommend this book, but make sure you have a box of tissues beside you ... cause you'll need them!

I received an early copy courtesy of Pink Sand Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

The Road Leads Back is a second chance, secret baby romance that took twenty-eight years to happen. In fact, that's one of my favorite things about this book - these characters are approaching fifty when they get their second chance at love, and contrary to what many think, they're not much better at traversing that path than anyone else. This story is emotional on so many levels with so much past hurt between Kara and Harry and their families, some of which only comes to light in the present. For a lot of the book, this pair seems to take two steps back for every one step forward, which made it an exercise in frustration at times, but life is so often that way, and frustrated or not, I was completely wrapped up in this family. In the end, the romance is sweet and eventually hopeful, but it's more than just another romance. This is a story about how deeply past hurts can run, especially when they're at the hands of those we trust the most, and the long, winding road back to finally letting go and moving on.

This is my first time reading Marci Bolden's work and I like it. The Road Leads Back is about second chances. Kara and Harry are both interesting characters and their story is good. I love how Marci brouggt the characters to life and the story line. This book makes me fall in love with characters like them. Also Harry, my gawd!! I fell in love with him as the story goes.
Overall, this book is a good read. A must read book.

Who would of thought that 30 years later, the one person you have hated and blamed would show up in your life. Kara has been on her own since getting pregnant 30 years ago and Harry left in the middle of the night. Kara didn’t run but was pushed out of her home pregnant with her son. Her son that was unknown to Harry.
Harry has alway been in love with Kara and seeing the galley showing her work gave him a chance to she what she has done with her life after he slipped out 30 years ago. Harry was in for the surprise of his life.
Kara and Harry try grow, forgive and maybe even love again in this second chance romance.

This was my first book by this author but definitely not the last! Kara and Harry had a one-night stand and when Harry left for college Kara was left with more than just memories. When she went to Harry's mom she was turned away and ended up across the country and now almost 3o years later Harry has discovered he is a father of a grown son. Kara is an accomplished artist and has raised their son, Phil, who is also a father of a 7-year-old daughter, and when Harry shows up and wants to get to know his son and get re-acquainted with "the one who got away" he convinces Phil to move and wants Kara to "come home." This is a beautifully written story full of healing and heart. Don't miss this one!

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

This is my first time reading this author and I was very impressed. The story is about former high school sweethearts who find each other almost 30 years later.

Kara was 17 when she was found pregnant and thrown out of her home. She immediately went to find the father and he was off at college and instead his parents sent her away.

Now 27 years later she is an artist and runs into Harry, the father and discovers no one told him he was a father. 27 years later he has a son and a granddaughter so its a big homecoming for the entire family.

This is astory about forgiveness and going home again. The truth is the life Kara lead is the life she wanted. She is a bit of a hippie and is happy being one. Harry owns a company and is a little more set in his ways. He is very stable witna ahouse and business and people who rely on him. He wants his family back and he will do anything to make that happen.

This was an amazing story and I truly loved every seicond of it.

Marci Bolden does it again! She knows how to tug at the heart strings and make it so beautiful!! Pleas check out this series and tell me what you think!

The Road Leads Back is a well crafted story about second chances. Kara is thrown out of her home as a pregnant teen. Harry heads off to college completely unaware of what he's leaving behind. They have a chance meeting 27 years later.
This is a lovely, engaging book that will have you cheering for a happy ending!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

#Stonehillromance #NetGalley

I received a copy of THE ROAD LEADS BACK on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity.

FIVE STARS! And here’s why:

MARCI BOLDEN’S story captivated my interest from the very first page. It has all the elements of a great women’s fiction book: family drama, regrets, second chances, and a story shrouded in passion and forgiveness. If you love sexy romances with witty banter and realistic characters, then this book is for you. Well written and engaging. Highly recommend.

This is an older book I've found. I'm thinking it's a rereleased version?

Ok, the story is indeed a relationship story about an unwed pregnant girl who is sent from Iowa to Oregon to a community for unwed pregnant girls. She was assured by her baby's daddy's mother that her son would send for her and baby once her son finishes college. Evil woman doesn't even tell her son that he's a father....30 years later he manages to see his former "girlfriend" in Seattle at an art gallery. She doesn't know he doesn't know about their son and now, granddaughter. Wow.

So there are chapters of hurts going way back. It's a story of forgiveness and going forward but mostly, forgiveness and coping.

It has a wonderful man, Harry, who is very stable but likes challenging women. Kara was interesting to read but a difficult person to love, I think.

Thoughtful read.

This is Book 1 in the Stonehill Series. Kara had one night with Harry that she has never forgotten. It was hard to forget when she was disowned by her parents because she was pregnant. But she got her son out of it so that was wonderful. Now it’s 30 years later and they meet up again. He’s still living in their old hometown, but she lives on the opposite coast. This is such an emotional 2nd chance romance that you will need the Kleenex. The choices made so many years ago and now the choices they must make today. Kara has grown so strong with everything that she’s been through. What a great book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book that I got from Netgalley.

Kara & Harry dated in high school. The relationship ended and with it many other family connections ceased as well. The couple finds each other again, and their relationship flourishes, but not without disturbances from other family members.

At first I thought the story wasn’t developed well and was far-fetched. The characters did too many things that probably wouldn’t happen in real life. For example, who would agree to move to another state during their first visit with a long-lost relative?

All that being said, I began to like the characters! I would love to be friends with Kara; she’s such a creative, free-spirit that was always helping others even though she had her heart broken many times. Towards the end of the book, there are some sexual scenes with steamy descriptions. Oh my…it’s been a long time since I've read details like that!

All in all, if you’re looking for a fun, light, fluffy-type book and you're ok with knowing how the story will end, you may like this. I see where this is the first in a series of books that will include some of the same characters.

Thank you Netgalley for this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2757426077
I really liked the cover and premise of The Road Leads Back by Marci Bolden. Unfortunately the book just didn’t work for me. The character building fell short somewhere for me. I never cared what happened to any character. I never really felt that magic of getting to know them.
In the end I felt like 3 stars was being a bit generous.

The Road Leads Back is an emotional, second chance romance. I liked this story, although I didn’t always feel the connection of emotion between the characters this was only minor and didn’t detract from what is an overall good read.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I just need to say that this is not a typical romance - which is not a bad thing - just different. There is a lot of pent up anger that both Harry and Kara have to work through and it is not a quick process like - confront, forgive, then live happily ever after.

If you want a quick fall in love story then this is not for you. Harry and Kara are older, 30 years past their high school graduation, and Kara has been hoping that Harry would show up and claim his son, but Harry didn't know he had a son, thanks to his manipulative mother.

There are just so many chains and interconnections that keep Harry and Kara stuck - if Kara's parents had not thrown her out of the house, if Harry's mother had not sent her away, if Harry had not sneaked out of bed with Kara, if Kara had ever come back to her hometown, just on and on but they have to face the realization, that the past cannot be changed so can they live with what has happened!?

There were so many things that I loved - when Harry told Phil to stop the bitterness toward his mother, yeah Harry! When they had their best day at the amusement park!

Wow, when Harry and Kara got into a bitter discussion after they got married, I thought for sure that would break them. It was not until Kara's father died that things fell apart and she took off. Good thing that Harry did NOT listen to Phil and went after her.

I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the emotions that I felt as I read this book. There were times that I just felt so sad for all of them (Harry, Kara, and Phil) as they wanted to be a family but were denied for 27 years and trying to get it right now was hard work!

I love a second chance romance and this one, with a twist, was a good read. Harry and Kara are really great characters with flaws and fears and they just felt so REAL. At times they both annoyed me and then turned around to do things that endeared them both to me. Between the hurt and anger and the big bad past looming right behind them, this was a happy ending well worth the journey!
There were a few minutes where I thought I might not be able to get into The Road Leads Back because of Phil. I know he went through a lot but he was a parent and old enough to cut his mom a little slack. I appreciated how much he grew throughout the story and I'm kind of hoping that he'll get his own story sometime soon.
But Harry and Kara...I LOVED them! She was fun and sweet with her boho style and ability to make the most out of an unexpected life. She hung on to her anger and to me, it felt justified, which only frustrated me when everyone else made it seem like she was overreacting. She wasn't. I found Kara to be a highly sympathetic heroine who was strong and capable, even more than she realized.
I believe this is my first book my Marci Bolden but so far, I'm a fan!

The Road Leads Back is a story of healing, forgiveness and reconnection. This was my first Marci Bolden book, but I enjoyed it very much.

When one passionate encounter on graduation night left Kara pregnant and disowned by her parents, she turns to Elaine, the mother of the boy she slept with, only to be left heartbroken when she's sent away to a place all the way across the country. Twenty-seven years later, Kara comes face to face with Harry, the father of her child, and they quickly discover that he was deceived by his mother, who never told him of the son that Kara had carried and delivered.

Harry is not only reunited with Kara, but also with Phil, his son, and his granddaughter Jessica. As they all work to connect, they go through highs and lows, they encounter challenges and are left to deal with the deception and rejection of their parents. Harry and Kara also try to see if the relationship they never got to experience back in high school might be in the cards for them now.

This is a heartfelt book that shows how hasty decisions and words said in anger can change the course of everyone's life forever. I found these characters easy to root for as you know that everything they are feeling is warranted based on the circumstances they've had to overcome. In the end though, the most important thing is realizing that life is short and time is fleeting and you have to open your heart to those you love even if it is the hardest and most uncomfortable thing to do. In the end, it's all worth it.