at just over 200, ‘riding high’ is a fast paced sports romance (the sport being polo, which is not often the case and it is interesting to see a different sport at the centre) filled with characters that make for a charming found family that i personally really enjoyed it. it is the second joss wood book that i’ve read and i’m very much looking forward to read more of her writing in the future.

I really wanted to like this book, but I found the MC's to be very hard to connect with. I ended up DNF. I will try more of Joss Wood's book in the future though!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cute, fun easy read. I enjoyed the banter between the main characters but could never seem their relationship lasting long term with how immature they both seemed to be. While this isn’t my favorite from Joss Wood, I’m sure I’ll still pick up whatever she comes out with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this ARC!

When Eden arrives in the English countryside, she has one mission in mind: to feel out the billionaire uncle she never knew existed until a few months ago. But after fainting, discovering she’s allergic to horses, and waking up in the strong arms of Jed — the estate’s star polo player and, inconveniently, her uncle’s stepson — Eden finds herself thrown headfirst into the world of high society, a patchwork family like no other, and a whirlwind romance with the emotionally unavailable Jed.

But Eden didn’t come empty-handed. She’s carrying a secret big enough to shatter everything she’s just started to build. And when the truth comes out, she fears she’ll lose everything she’s only just begun to hold dear.

Riding High is a perfectly average summer countryside romance, generously seasoned with a “found family” vibe. Across its 329 pages, there’s not a single plot twist you won’t see coming — and sometimes, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There were parts I genuinely enjoyed: Eden’s freshly discovered horse allergy, the constant bickering between Troyden’s stepchildren, and classic rom-com shenanigans like accidentally destroying a medieval suit of armor.

That said, some character behaviors had me cringing. I found it difficult to believe Jed was supposed to be in his thirties when he acted like a moody teenager half the time. And Eden’s obsession with Korean culture, especially when she kept comparing a British man to her favorite Korean actor, felt a little out of place and rubbed me the wrong way.

What disappointed me most, though, was the execution of the romance between Eden and Jed. I can forgive the instant attraction trope — it’s a staple in romance for a reason — but their relationship lacked any real, valuable emotional progression. One moment they’re drooling over each other, the next they’re avoiding eye contact, and then suddenly they’re making out in some dramatic, out-of-nowhere scene that launches an entire summer fling.

And when things finally heated up, most of the interesting spicy moments either faded to black or happened entirely off-page. It was a letdown that stripped away much of the tension the story had been building. Jed himself also felt frustratingly underdeveloped compared to Eden. While we follow her growth and inner conflict, Jed remains a handsome, broody prop with almost no insight into his backstory or motivations. I wish Wood had spent more time exploring his character — especially how he became so jaded about love in the first place.

It’s a very low-stakes story overall. Everyone’s rich, and every problem that arises can essentially be solved with a check signed by Troyden. No real consequences, no lasting tension.

In the end, Riding High wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t anything special either. It might be someone else’s unforgettable summer romance — but for me, it’s a book I’ll have entirely forgotten by the time the season changes.

I loved eden character but i did not really enjoy that much her romantic relationship i don’t know for me it just felt like it was too hard to enjoy or to really like them together
I loved more toryden s character and his relationship with the children than this

But maybe it will work for some people
Thank you one more chapter for the arc

Thanks so much to Joss Wood and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for the eARC of this book. This was such a good high society romance book. The FMC was perfect. I could easily see it being turned into a tv show or movie. This was a great quick summer read by the pool for me.

I have only ever read one golf book so I was interested to read this!! It was so cute and honestly made me want to read so many more!

found family. The author clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the MC’s particular personalities, histories, and hang ups in preparation for the main conflict at the climax of the book.
However, the writing includes numerous inconsistencies and contradictions within the story. There is a moment when we’re told someone is two years younger than a side character and then a few paragraphs later that the same person is “more than a decade” younger. The same thing happens with timelines and even character names throughout.
This book really leans on telling rather than showing and the sex scenes crop up completely unexpectedly with no prelude.
Neither of the MCs are particularly thoughtful or likable and I struggle to see them forming a healthy relationship in the long-term.
I was vaguely interested in the characterization of some of the side players and would have loved to have gotten more of the step-siblings and half-sibling rather that so much internal musing from either Eden or Jed.

The book's description, especially the line "a galloping tale of love, inheritance, and lies," initially drew me in. However, as I read, the plot seemed to try to incorporate those three elements, resulting in a tangled narration. Also it's no way I'm accepted to believe Jed (mmc) was 35, given his childish behavior.

I liked Eden, especially her internal struggle with acceptance and rejection, as well as the polo aspect of the story, which I wish had been explored more. The horse allergy was a great addition, highlighting how the MMC and side characters cared for and loved Eden.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I also loved troyden and his relationship with his step kids.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! High society romance, like bridgerton but in the modern day. Really fun.

A great letter book, perfect for a day at the beach, worn an afternoon by the pool

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eden Ennis longs for a family who makes her feel loved and included. When her mother disowned her in order to become a nun, she felt incredibly alone in the world. Having discovered that she has a living relative, she makes her way to his estate to determine if he would accept her into the family fold. She doesn’t have to wait long as Troyden, her wealthy uncle, immediately envelops her into his eclectic family of step children. Though excited to be welcomed into the family, Eden has a secret she’s not ready to share. When Troyden’s grumpy grandson, Jed, meets her for the first time, he’s suspicious of her motives. But as the summer goes on, they quickly start to develop feelings for each other. What will happen when Eden’s secret comes out?

There’s a lot to like about Ms. Wood’s novel. I really loved the found family trope (it’s one of my favorites), and it was lovely to see Eden warmly welcomed into the family. I thought it was funny that Polo was an important part of the family’s life and that Eden was allergic to horses. It made for a humorous meet cute. I loved Eden’s relationship with Troyden, it was lovely to see the warm, fatherly affection he had for her and the way he showed her she was an important part of the family.

I did think the story lost its pacing in the middle, and felt myself losing interest. I also think the relationship between Jed and Eden was a lot of telling and less showing. I didn’t quite feel the connection between them. The reason for Eden keeping her secret is very reasonable and made sense. I would even say that Jed’s reaction when it came out also made sense. And yet, there was something missing for me. I just didn’t really buy into the love they had for each other.

While an original idea to set the story with polo as a back drop, it wasn’t quite memorable.

Cute, fun easy read. Did they switch sides a little too quick, maybe. But did I still enjoy reading their banter, yes.

A nice pallet cleansing read between fantasy or deeply emotional books!

Rich families, inheritance, lies, scandals and the English country side. Rich families are just like any families but they have more money problems and lies.

Such a cute romance read but with angst and family drama all wrapped up together! Characters are likable and sweet. Enjoyable read.

This book was adorable! It was very well written, the plot was well thought out and I really enjoyed the characters.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book, and it started off strong, but the plot quickly got messy.

I will say that all of the characters are likeable, and I really loved the found-family dynamic Troyden had created with all of his step-children. But the insta-love between Eden and Jed felt off to me! One minute he's highly suspicious of her, the next they're hooking up with family nearby.

It was hard to me to follow the flow of the narration. The long chapters made it hard to push through, which caused the pacing of the story to suffer. Honestly, I think this would be better as a television series than a book!

A fun romp through British high society. A fish out of water tale with a secret looming in the background and sports! A polo player is new for me but definitely a lot of fun.

This is a cosy sports romance, involving gorgeous polo players, wealth, found family, acceptance, secrets, and belonging.

Eden, the female protagonist, after spending much of her life seeking acceptance, manages to trace her paternal uncle, Troyden, who happens to also be fabulously wealthy, as in billionaire wealthy.

Troyden, having been married and divorced five times, has a blended family of step-children. One of them is the male protagonist, a very sexy and successful polo player, Jed.

The two protagonists are immediately attracted to one another, but will do their best to fight the appeal.

Meanwhile, amid the splendour and luxury that goes hand-in-hand with the world of polo, there are secrets fighting to remain hidden. Secrets that could tear apart the happiness and family alike.

I really enjoyed Joss Woods' Riding High, and this was my first sports romance. The plot, characters, setting and dialogue flowed seamlessly, with no one element dominating the others. The characters were believable, witty, intelligent, and easy to relate to. There was a strong focus on family and belonging, and understanding and accepting the role you hold within it.

While the writing flowed for the most part, I did feel the use of compound structures within sentences, was excessive and could be distracting at times.
I also would have preferred the change in POV to have been marked by a new chapter, headed with whose POV it was being told from.

All in all, this was a lovely, cosy read, with a HEA. I would love to see romance for Mick, Troyden and Henry.

Either way, I'll be seeking out more of Joss Woods books.

sigh, unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. The formatting was really difficult to look past, and there was too much about the story I did not enjoy.