I continue to fall more and more in love with this series and Paisley’s writing with each new release. I was so excited for Cole & Ginger’s book and somehow she exceeded my expectations!

I adored their friendship, the way their relationship started and how they came to terms with their feelings for each other. Ginger’s relationship with Mabel was sweetness beyond words and I just loved being back with the Ashby family and checking in with our previous couples. I cannot wait to see what Paisley has in store for us next!

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House, Paisley Hope & NetGalley for the ARC 🤍

🌟5
🌶️3.5

Book 3 of a series of standalones, and my first in the series and by this author! I'm excited to have found a new author I'll be lapping the f up <3 Though I regret not starting from Book 1, Book 3 can be read as a stand-alone.

🪻Contemporary Romance
🪻Small Town // Cowboy-Sheriff
🪻Single Dad // Nanny
🪻Forced Proximity
🪻Ooops married in Vegas
🪻Secret Relationship // Fake Relationship
🪻Flirty banter & chemistry
🪻Childhood Friends/ Best Friend's Brother
🪻Mutual Yearning
🪻Spicyyyyy

I ate this upppp and I now have to go read the books that came before and after and Paisley's back-log. Cole x Ginger were a fun couple and I love a small town where everyone just *knows* two characters are crushing for each other without knowing they are and when they do everyone is like 'yea we saw that coming a mile away'. The kid is adorable, you have to be into single-parent romances and kids as side characters to like this book, because there's family times, but luckily I LOVE THAT <3 Spice was also spicing! I was pleasantly surprised with steam levels.

I'm a fan of forced proximity and small towns so I knew I was going to love this one. It was spicy and I couldn't get enough of it. Highly recommend.

I love a cowboy romance and this was no different. I was hooked from the very start. Perfect amount of spice.

From the start, the story pulls you in with a mix of flirty banter and emotional depth. The romance is strong, with just enough drama to keep you turning pages, but it never feels over the top or forced. The main characters have great chemistry and their journey both together and individually feels real and rewarding. What really makes this book shine is how easy it is to read. You don’t need to be a romance expert to enjoy it. The writing flows naturally, and even if you're new to romance books, this one makes you feel right at home. A few moments felt a little predictable, and I would’ve loved to see more development in the side characters. But overall, it’s a heartwarming, flirty, and fun ride perfect for readers looking for something light but meaningful.

Paisley Hope is an auto buy author for me. The relationship and development of both Cole and Ginger was fun to read as well as revisiting old characters and where they’re at. Cannot wait to see what Paisley does in the next one!

Unfortunately I am not hooked at all. Don’t get me wrong, I requested this with the hopes that I’d love it. Like c’mon the tropes scream all the reasons why I thought I’d like this!! An accidental Vegas wedding? Friends to lovers? He’s the sheriff? Consider me SOLD. Say less. But I think it’s safe to say that I might just stick to Paisley’s motorcycle romance series because I loved Wolf.e but unfortunately have not had the best time with her cowboy romances. I also might just be a little cowboyed-out ATM?? The pacing of this first 10% was off for me and I didn’t feel drawn in by any of the characters to continue. So, I may try to read this again later, but for now this is a DNF so I don’t fall into a slump.

DNF @ 12%

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for the complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

If you’re looking for a steamy escape to a small town where sheriffs are the new cowboys, Riding the High delivers a spicy, trope-filled ride that’ll leave your heart racing and your Kindle overheated. 😉

This book had everything I love in a romance:

🤠A surprise trope I’m leaving out for spoilers
🤠Single dad
🤠Best friends brother
🤠Small town charm
🤠Hidden relationship
🤠”We were just pretending... until we weren’t”

Cole Ashby, a devoted single dad and newly appointed sheriff, is every bit the modern cowboy—protective, grounded, and swoon-worthy. When Ginger Danforth, a congressman’s daughter and best friends with Coles sister… what could go wrong.

The chemistry? Off the charts.
The spice? Immaculate.
The emotional payoff? Totally worth it.

It’s a classic setup that’s been done before, but this story makes it feel fresh thanks to its heartfelt characters and just the right amount of angst and humor. Fans of the Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver will feel right at home.

Final verdict? If you’re into cowboy hats, heartfelt moments, and enough steam to fog up your glasses—this one’s for you.

Riding the High is the third book in the Silver Pines Ranch series.
Cole and Ginger have great banter and I love that their backstory is friends-to-lovers with secret pining.

The storyline is so fun and cute. It interweaves with previous works and character developments, and its nice to see what else the other characters are getting up too.

Bring on book 4!

Riding the High offers a sweet and steamy take on an impulsive Vegas wedding between two opposites bound by responsibilities they didn’t ask for—but maybe needed all along.

Cole Ashby is newly appointed as sheriff of Laurel Creek. Steady, dependable, and trying to prove himself as both a father and a lawman, Cole’s life is tightly controlled, with no room for surprises. Ginger Danforth, on the other hand, is the daughter of a congressman whose public image has defined her life for far too long. Underneath her composed exterior lies a woman aching for freedom and adventure.

Their drunken night in Vegas leads to unexpected vows neither of them can immediately undo. What follows is a tension-filled agreement: they’ll stay secretly married for 90 days, each protecting their reputations in the process. But the real challenge isn’t hiding the marriage—it’s navigating the growing emotional bond that begins to form as Ginger steps into Cole’s world, and into his daughter’s life.

As the summer unfolds and they play house under the guise of convenience, the lines between duty and desire blur. The emotional stakes rise just as quickly as the chemistry between them. But with political expectations and small-town gossip looming, the question isn’t just whether they’ll stay married—it’s whether they’ll dare to admit what their impulsive marriage has become.

Riding the High delivers a heartwarming romance with emotional vulnerability, small-town charm, and the kind of accidental love story that starts out messy and ends up feeling meant to be.

God these books are so addictive. They’re like drugs honestly I cannot get enough of them. And this one especially was just perfect.

The tension between Ginger and Cole has been building since the first book and it was so excited to finally get to see it all explode in this book. And explode it did. In the best way possible.

I also feel like you are given only a certain perspective of these characters in the other books - especially Ginger and I love how different she ends up being when you truly get to understand her.

The banter, the tension and the steam in this book was absolutely immaculate and I am definitely a sucker for a single parent romance and this one was executed perfectly.

I honestly cannot get enough of Paisley Hope’s writing and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it. And this is a series I will definitely be returning to again in the future.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t my first Paisley Hope book, I’d previously read her dark romance Wolf. E. However, it is my first time picking up something from her Silver Pine series. I didn’t realise this was actually the third book, so I’ll definitely need to go back and read the first two to get more of the backstory for some of the side characters.

In this one, Cole, the small-town sheriff (and also Ginger’s best friend’s brother), accidentally ends up married to her after a wild weekend in Vegas. They decide to keep the marriage a secret until their personal and professional lives calm down a bit. Ginger ends up agreeing to help Cole out by essentially acting as a live-in nanny for his daughter over the summer, and naturally, real feelings start to grow between them.

I'm going to be honest, I didn’t mind this book, but it didn’t really bring anything new to the table. It’s the same tropes I’ve read a hundred times before in small-town romance, so it felt pretty predictable in how it all played out. I don’t mind smut at all, but I do need more when it comes to relationship development and emotional tension. I felt like it started off promising in that way, but after their Vegas hook-up, the sexual tension kind of took over and the deeper connection got a bit lost.

💙 small town romance
💙 accidental marriage
💙 forced proximity
💙 single dad x nanny

I have been waiting for Ginger and Cole’s story since book one because I knew their banter would be incredible! I love Ginger Danforth so much, what an icon! Everyone talks about brother’s best friend, but the dynamic of best friend’s brother is so elite, especially in this case where they’ve secretly been friends for years!!! The ‘it’s always been you’ vibes in this book were off the chart, and I love when everyone around the couple knows that they were inevitable too!

🤠WOW!!!

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a foul-mouthed cowboy cop and a sass-slinging nanny accidentally tie the knot in Vegas (yes, really) and somehow make it weirdly romantic — buckle up, because this book delivers.

💛These two have been best friends for years (secretly), slinging insults and inside jokes like it’s a professional sport. He’s all scowl, steel, and dirty talk. She’s all fire, brains, and zero tolerance for his broody nonsense — which of course means they’re perfect for each other. Watching them navigate surprise marriage, simmering tension, and add his daughter into the mix is like watching a rom-com light a stick of dynamite. Sparks. Everywhere.✨

💙And the banter? Top tier. If you’re into characters who, flirt like it’s a game of chicken, and somehow stumble face-first into the kind of love that makes your chest ache, this book is for you. There’s heat, heart, banter, and just enough chaos to keep you hooked until the last page.

📖Another cowboy book to add to the TBR

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️

3.5 stars

Ginger and Cole’s relationship was okay. I felt the buildup of their relationships in previous Silver Pine Ranch books more exciting than the actual relationship itself. Unfortunately the romance in this one just fell a bit flat for me, I didn’t feel the spark between them, however I did like the banter. It felt like there was more of a focus on their physical relationship rather than any emotional depth or connection.

I liked Ginger, she was fiery, sassy and took every opportunity to tease Cole. But mostly I adored her relationship with Mabel (Cole’s daughter) and watching it develop throughout the book. This certainly made the whole book for me.

It’s mentioned that Ginger is a teacher and I know it was set in summer break, but I wish we got to see this more and even spoken about more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Australia for the arc!

This was incredible! Cole and Ginger’s story was so beautiful and they both had so much character development throughout.

I do think the story could have been shorter and there were some scenes which did not add anything to the overall plot. My favourite part about these books is the friendships of the girls. They are all so lovely and I always giggle during their scenes together and I love Sunday Sangria nights!

I cannot wait for the next book to come out later this year!

Thank you to Paisley Hope, NetGalley, and Penguin Books for this arc 🫶

2 stars

Lately, all of my recent reads have been so underwhelming that I honestly can’t tell if Riding the High was a bad book, or if I’m just stuck in a terrible reading slump. I went into this one with low expectations after struggling through the first two books in the series, hoping that maybe, just maybe, this one would turn things around. After all, Cole and Ginger’s dynamic seemed promising enough to keep me going. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I just didn’t enjoy it. At this point, I’m not sure if it was the book’s fault or if I was just in the wrong headspace, but either way, it didn’t work for me.

The premise had a lot of potential: a small-town sheriff and the daughter of a congressman who accidentally get married after a wild weekend in Las Vegas. What’s not to love? They decide to keep their marriage a secret until their personal and professional lives settle down. As Ginger agrees to help Cole with his daughter that summer, their accidental marriage starts to feel more real. It could’ve been a cute, swoon-worthy romance with all the right ingredients, but somehow, it just didn’t hit the mark.

Instead, it felt like the plot dragged on without ever picking up momentum. It took me over a week to finish this book, and this is coming from someone who usually devours books in about 2-3 days. When it takes that long to get through a story that should have been quick and engaging, that’s never a good sign. Every time I picked it up, I found myself struggling to keep going. I almost wanted to DNF it several times, but I kept pushing through, hoping it would redeem itself. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

The romance—Let me be clear: I don’t mind smut in my romances. In fact, I’ve been known to enjoy it! But in this case, it was like the book was more about their physical relationship than about developing any emotional depth between the characters. Every major moment seemed to revolve around Cole and Ginger hooking up, and it started to feel repetitive. It wasn’t romantic—it was just smut for the sake of smut, and it completely overshadowed any potential for emotional growth. It left the plot feeling thin, and I just couldn’t get invested in the characters or their relationship.

If you’re someone who’s into steamy romances and doesn’t mind a light plot, you might find this book appealing. But for me, it just felt like the steam overtook everything else that could’ve made the story more meaningful. There wasn’t enough substance for me to connect with or care about their journey.

I’ve felt the same way about the entire series. I’m definitely not a hater when it comes to cowboy romances—I actually love them! But this series just hasn’t delivered. The characters have been one-dimensional, the plots thin, and each book has left me feeling underwhelmed at best. I keep hoping for something to really grab me, but so far, nothing has.

In the end, Riding the High felt like a missed opportunity. The premise was solid, and the characters had potential, but the execution didn’t work for me. If you’re looking for a romance that leans more heavily into smut than emotional depth, this might be a good fit. But if you’re after a story with true chemistry and character development, I’d say skip this one. I might pick up the next book in the series when it releases, but it won’t be out of excitement—more out of curiosity or if I’m just in the mood for something light and steamy.

All in all, I was left disappointed. It just didn’t resonate with me, and unfortunately, the whole series so far has been a bit of a letdown.

Thank you Penguin Random House Australia for the arc.

My lord! Just when I thought I couldn’t love this series any more than I already do Paisley Hope writes yet another absolute banger of a book! Cole Ashby is an absolute god! I loved reading his character and loveeeee Ginger so much!!
The Character depth and the spice and the longing and the tension and wow I just loved this!! And Mabel!! Oh my gosh I just love her and her relationship with her dad and the one she creates with Ginger. I want to be part of “the team”

Paisley Hope has been edging the ever loving fuck out of us with Cole and Ginger since ‘Holding the Reins’. The tension, their banter and chemistry have been ex-fucking-plosive.

If Pais writes it, I read it, I love it. It’s the law. And I’m no criminal, buuut…

(WINCING SO GODDAMN HARD) ‘Riding the High’ fell a little flat for me.

There is SO much to love, FMC Ginger is a firecracker full of heart, the spice is hot, the friends to lovers trope is elite, Mabel 😍… but RTH didn’t hit the same way as the first two books in the series. For me, it didn’t have the same depth and Paisley’s voice didn’t ring out quite so distinctly.

HAVING SAID THAT:

Down bad, jealous MMC’s slap - every. Damn. Time. Cole is that man.

It was great to get updates on Nash & Cece and Wade & Ivy - the way their stories were continued and incorporated seamlessly into Cole & Ginger’s was great.

And from what I’ve seen, I’m in the minority here. Cole & Ginger seem to be a LOT of people’s favourite of the series so far.

Bottom line: I REALLY enjoyed RTH, I always love being back in Silver Pines and will NEVER surrender my Paisley Hope fan club card. I’m obsessed with that woman and will be first in line to beg for an ARC of book 4 and forcibly thrusting my credit card in Amazon’s direction to pre-order my shelf trophy the instant it’s available.

Riding the High by Paisley Hope blends some of the best romance tropes - single dad, accidental marriage, best friend’s brother, friends to lovers, and forced proximity. It works. Cole, the small town sheriff, and Ginger have such a natural, heartfelt connection. Their relationship is built on trust, open communication, banter, and those everyday moments every couple shares that made their bond feel so real.

The banter was great, the chemistry was undeniable, and Ginger’s sweet connection with Mabel totally melted me. There’s plenty of spice (open door), and the emotional moments, hit just right. Even with a few slower parts, this one ended up being a standout in the series for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Australia for the ARC!