Every Road To You

Espresso Empire #1

by Phyllis Bourne

His business is her pleasure 

Beauty's about more than just appearance�it's a state of mind. And at the helm of Espresso Cosmetics' spa division, Tia Gray gives clients makeovers of a lifetime. After an inspiring transformation, a runaway grandmother takes off for Vegas on the back of a motorcycle. But persuading the woman's powerful, sexy grandson that this trip is a rite of passage isn't going to be easy…. 

Esteemed lawyer Ethan Wright is convinced that he knows best. But a spur-of-the-moment road trip with Tia to find his grandmother, and all the wild mishaps they encounter along the way, show him just how irresistible passion�and Tia�can be. Is he willing to give in to the hidden desires of his heart?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, M F Romance

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 18, 2014

About the author

A native of Chicago’s Southside, Phyllis Bourne began her writing career as a crime reporter for the Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. After years of chasing cops and criminals, she left reporting to write about life’s sweeter side.

Nowadays her stories are filled with heart-stopping heroes and happy endings. Phyllis is 2010 RT Book Reviews nominee for Best Multicultural Romance, as well as a two-time Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found at a make-up counter feeding her lipstick addiction. Phyllis currently resides in middle-Tennessee.

She also writes as Phyllis Bourne Williams.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

A cracking romcom, wildly enjoyable. Tense lawyer and spa owner go on a road trip in pursuit of his granny, whose recent Tina Turner makeover has led to her zooming off on a motorbike to carry out a bucket list that includes poker games, roller coasters, and getting married in Vegas. The makeover was the heroine's responsibility and she actually goes along to sabotage the search, and hopefully make the hero aware he's being a killjoy.

It's a delight. The heroine has an open heart and glee in life without being a manic pixie dream girl, and I particularly loved a scene where the hero points out, correctly, that her caring nature is actually enabling family members to harm themselves. The hero has the thinnest possible alpha exterior and is enormous fun, there's a paean to terrible music that people like so stop being a snob, the story doesn't dismiss the consequences of living for the moment or the hero's real fears, and Carol the motorbike granny is my life goal. Smoothly written, well paced, and a thorough pleasure. Off to get the other two books in the trilogy.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't ultimately end up warming to the hero--his overhanded behavior towards both the heroine and his grandmother was a lot to get past for me. And I mostly just thought they wanted to fuck.

[Ridley]

Just really didn't like how patronizing and controlling the hero was. His poor grandmother didn't need his nonsense.

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very definition of a comfort read--uptight hero who needs to loosen up but is also really sweet about taking care of the people in his life, business powerhouse heroine who needs to learn to stand up to misbehaving family members, and a granny with a bucket list seizing the day on the back of a Harley. If you’re a fan of road trip romances, forced proximity, or enemies to lovers, you will find all those tropes and more here. For when you need a warm hug as much as you need a good book.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The terrible thing about this book is that, at one point, the characters have the possibility to eat cinnamon rolls, and I was looking forward to that, BUT THEN THEY DON'T.

Everything else about this book was wonderful: the romance was nuanced and hot, the story was fun and unique, and the characters were engaging all the way through. Bourne brought a lot of thoughtfulness to standard tropes and archetypes.

The cinnamon rolls though. IDC that Tia makes up for it later by eating everything in sight (LIKE, ALMOST LITERALLY) while at an amusement park. I wanted to live vicariously through their enjoyment of those cinnamon rolls. :(

[Sharon Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I especially LOVED the grandmother and her neighbor - hilarious! The main characters were likeable, but in my opinion - it was the grandmother's character that made the story enjoyable.

[Sophie Sealy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't know whose story I love most, grandson or grandma.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so first of all, this was hilarious! I read it with kind of a continual giggle. The whole situation is absurd and the characters dig deeper into scheming and shenanigans before things get cleared up.

But what's really cool here is that as much as ridiculous, over the top things happened, the story itself was very down to earth. It's one of those romances where they're in true love within like three days, which only works for me in an all-out comedy - but if you'd slowed this down and made it more of a low key love story, the way the relationship developed would still have worked just fine. The ways the two of them clash but actually challenge each other are perfectly realistic and sweet, like there was a real depth to why they're together even though the story was pretty fluffy.

Just really, really fun to read and I'm looking forward to trying out more of her work!

[Nightwitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun road-trip romance in which a spa executive and an overbearing lawyer head out to "rescue" his grandmother from her determination to fulfill her bucket list. (Well, the hero wants to return grandma to her old, bingo-playing church lady self; the heroine wants to secretly text Grandma all their plans so she and her reunited first love can escape capture.) There's some category romance ridiculousness (we can't say Batman or Superman in a HQ novel apparently?) and towards the end the plot dips a little into the obnoxiously traditional with a dumb third-act breakup, but overall this was just light and sweet and witty.

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great chemistry between Tia and Ethan. Ethan's grandmother has the right outlook on life. I am so glad she didn't allow Ethan to stop her from fulfilling her bucket list. Will the next book resolve the crisis in Tia's family business?

[Tina Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opposites Attract

A straight laced rigid attorney meets and falls for a live for the moment, make every minute count spa owner. Ethan and Tia's grave different approach to life made for a very good love story.

[Renée Dahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love a road trip romance, this one is excellent. With bonus crazy grandmother!

[Geena Kenemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE AFTER 60 SWEET

[Ariane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das isch e gueti Variante vo Enemies-to-Lovers gsi, wenn au alles sehr schnell gange isch.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insta lust into Insta love, but the adventure was fun. And I loved grandma.

[Marie Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Road to You follows Tia, Director of a cosmetics company, and Ethan, a lawyer, on a crazy, but fun adventure across the country to find Ethan's living-on-the-edge grandmother, Carol, who had ran away with her long-time sweetheart.

This was a really fun, sweet romance to read. It had me engrossed all the way until the very last page. I love all of Ms. Bourne's books because she weaves such fun and interesting characters into an unforgettable story. Ethan is a complete worrywart about his awesome grandmother who has this bucket list of daredevil things she wants to do in her lifetime. Tia was a strong heroine who tries to make light of the situation with Ethan's worrying, and making sure that Carol is happy. There were some funny moments in the book, like the amusement park. I can totally see Tia coercing grumpy Ethan to ride the rides and buy her food.

I thought the initial attraction between them was rushed a little and could have been executed better. It seemed like they'd only known each other for a day and they are suddenly about to have sex. I didn't really feel the chemistry between them happened until after they got on the road. Before then, it seemed like Ethan was still far too annoyed with Tia to want to even think about that right now. But the rest of the steamy scenes, I thought, made sense where they were, because the chemistry was there and it worked. But in the beginning of the story, not so much.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. If you are looking for a fun, sweet romance, check out this book!

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of the set-up in which the hero blackmails the heroine into accompanying him on a road trip, the heroine has a lot of agency in this one. She doesn't end up going with him because of the threatened lawsuit; she goes with him because she is in cahoots with his grandmother, and is thwarting his efforts to "protect" the old woman by interfering with her bucket-list exploits.

I've got to be honest here: Ethan's grandmother, Carol, may be my favourite person in this book. I would seriously read an entire romance about this woman. Even as a minor character, she shines.

But that's not to say there's anything wrong with the hero and heroine. Uptight Ethan Wright (OMG, I only just noticed that that makes him "Mr. Wright") and much-more-relaxed Tia Gray were great together.

My single favourite moment came immediately after Tia has confided in him about all the various stress coming at her from her family. I have read SO MANY romances in which the heroine learns to put up with/placate/win the hearts of insanely demanding family members (in Harlequin Presents it's frequently an insane mother-in-law), and it always drives me crazy. It's just such an unhealthy, please-step-on-me-again behaviour. So when Ethan tells Tia to stop enabling them, and let her adult family members deal with the consequences of their own actions, I practically cheered.

[Té Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tia Gray runs Espresso Sanctuary. When she gives a makeover to a dear old friend, the transformation isn’t just on the outside, it’s on the inside as well. Carol feels young again and she’s out to do all of the things she’s been missing out on, much to the dismay of her grandson Ethan Wright.
When Carol decides to take off on a road trip, on the back of a motorcycle no less, Ethan demands that Tia come along with him to find her and talk some sense into his grandmother.
What ensues is a road trip full of adventures, fun and quite bit of heat! Tia and Ethan’s attraction is obvious from the beginning, despite their constant butting of heads.
I have read all of Mrs. Bourne’s Kimani Romance books and she has a wonderful way of bringing out your emotions when reading her books. You will definitely laugh and maybe even cry a little! Her stories are heartwarming as well as high sensual.

[Marilyn Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was a story within a story. Great story telling. Get you a bucket list at any age and go on any wooden roller-coaster. Find your passion and or dream and live your life no matter what age. Carol Wright lived her life to the fullest. Carol Wright found the love of her life after everything was over and had a make-over that included red converses thanks to Tia Gray of Expresso Cosmetics and Spa. When Carol's grand-son Ethan finds out that his grand-mother has hit the road on a Harley for a cross-country run he hits the roof. He all buts kidnaps Tia with the mindset that Tia can and will talk some sense into the woman who raised him and recently had a heart attack. This was fast past and steady. Plenty of twists and turns but good. Nice touch with a live concert with a rap star who speaks in two tone syllables and drives his fans wild.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!I literally could not put it down. I was so drawn into the characters I felt like I was on the highways with them. I laughed so much with this story and had a little tear as well. Grandma was a trip, but I could see me doing the same thing. Bucket list here I come! If you've not read "Every Road to You", what are you waiting for, GO GET IT! It's a great read. Ms. Phyllis, I can't wait til the second one comes out. Great book, great read!

[Shone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The clique opposite attract has never been clearer than when reading spa owner Tia Gray and Lawyer Ethan Wright story. As they embark on an adventure each for very different reasons they learn to respect and listen to each other. There were some very funny moments as well as some scary ones in this story. The back drop story of Carol and Glenn will restore you belief in lover everlasting.

[Reshemah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another fun read by Phyllis Bourne. Who would have ever thought how much fun Ethan and Tia would have chasing Ethan's grandma, Carol and her male friend Glenn across country while she completes her bucket list. I fully enjoyed this story and I can't wait to read more about the Espresso Empire.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing style of Ms. Bourne; details and descriptive words that allowed me to picture the story line in my head were a very welcome treat. Being a white, middle-aged woman, I can honestly say women of all ages and colors would appreciate this adventure! I was pleased to receive this book from a goodreads giveaway!

[Nikita Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Every Road to You by Phyllis Bourne. I loved it! It was a great story about Tia and Ethan. The building of their relationship as they following his grandmother who is on an motorcycle ride across the country fulfilling her bucket list was beautiful. I can't wait to read the second book in the series.

[Kendra Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERY ROAD TO YOU

EVERY ROAD TO YOU

PHYLLIS BOURNE IS AN AMAZING WRITER AND IS FASTLY BECOMING ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS. ETHAN AND TIA'S STORY WAS EVERYTHING TRUE LOVE BRINGS OUT IN COUPLES WHO DON'T KNOW EACH OTHER LONG, BUT KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE IS A FOREVER KINDA LOVE.

[Stephanie Faris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phyllis Bourne is an amazing talent, with the ability to create strong, lovable characters that you can't help but root for! By the time I finished Every Road to You, I felt like I'd been on vacation along with the characters...and I'm now craving a road trip to Metropolis! I highly recommend this book.

[Harlequin Books]

"The journey of this novel is a thrilling one, ... the author offers engaging characters, passionate love scenes and an awesome message of following your heart". (RT Book Reviews, rated 4 stars)

Miniseries: Espresso Empire

[pamela stroman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Wow, this book was just excellent. if you love a good romance novel this is most definitely the book for you. Tia and Ethan's story was cute and funny how they finished each other's sentences.

[Tamla Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot, Fun, Sexy

This was a very fun and sexy read. I enjoyed the characters immensely. Connecting with someone so completely in a short amount of time was extremely satisfying to read about.

[Pretty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book!
From his description, instead of him blackmailing me to go and round up his grandmother; I probably would have blackmailed him into taking me along for the ride, but not to find his grandmother.