‘Riding the High’ is the third book in the small town romance series ‘Silver Pines’, following another Ashby sibling and his sister’s best friend, Ginger. The first two books in this series have firmly sat in the cowboy romance space, but ‘Riding the High’ keeps up firmly in the small town romance with adjacent cowboys.

When Cole Ashby is appointed Laurel Creek’s interim sheriff, he is determined to prove himself as the best man for the job. A devoted single dad, his goal is to lay steady roots for his young daughter.

The daughter of a Kentucky congressman, Ginger Danforth's life has always been about neat appearances. But inside she’s dying to break free and embrace the sense of adventure that runs through her veins.

During a wild weekend in Vegas, Ginger and Cole play a game of truth or dare and, after a few too many drinks, find themselves hitched in a neon-lit chapel. With no quick way out, they strike a deal: stay secretly married until Ginger’s father is re-elected and Cole lands the sheriff job permanently.

But as the pair are forced to spend an increasing amount of time in each other’s company, sparks fly and their accidental marriage starts to feel dangerously real.

Until they forget they were ever pretending at all. . .

This instalment of the series features some of my very favourite tropes so I was really excited to get stuck in.

Tropes

Single dad
Grumpy x sunshine
Best friend’s brother
Small town romance
I devoured this novel on a bullet train from Beijing to Xi’an and it swept my up in a very different landscape to what I was travelling too and made the delays something that I really wasn’t very bothered about at all. There’s something endlessly fascinating about this setting for me; it’s so alien to the life that I’ve lived and where I have grown up and made a home.

I’m a big fan of fake dating and ‘Riding the High’ takes this to the next level with an accidental drunk marriage in Vegas and then both hiding it and leaning into a fake relationship at the same time - Cole and Ginger are complicated, okay?

To add further complications, Cole is a single dad. I loathe the pregnancy trope, but I’m weirdly a fan of the single dad trope if it’s done well and it’s really done well in ‘Riding the High’. Mabel is an integral part of Cole’s life and she becomes important to Ginger, too, and their bonding as a family and as a mother and daughter is so heartwarming. They make a lovely family unit and I was championing how much of a significant role that played in the story and in Cole and Ginger’s romance; it was some really welcome depth to a romance novel.

I think that my only dislike about ‘Riding the High’ is a police sheriff as a love interest. I’m not a huge fan of the idealisation and praise of the police force in this situation, even when they are a ‘good cop’ and actively working to remove corrupt police officers from the force. I’m just not a fan of the overall rhetoric and the current way that the institution of policing operates. It put me off enjoying Cole in the way I would have had he been in a different job as it’s a huge part of his personality and the motivations behind the actions of the novel.

'The ‘Silver Pines’ series is a really fun addition to the ouvre of small town cowboy romance and I’m always excited to read a new instalment so the news that ‘Freeing the Wild’ will be released on 6 November 2025 (at the time of writing in April 2025!) makes me very happy.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the review copy.

Written by Sophie

Another absolutely perfect book written by the queen! 🥹

I’m obsessed with Cole & Ginger, their friendship had me hooked and their chemistry was just oozing off the pages! Even though they are complete opposites they are so well suited 🥹
Cole is a dream, a hot single dad with a filthy mouth who knows how to treat a woman! Ofc he was added straight to my book boyfriend list!
Ginger is the best fmc, I love her banter and how she carriers herself. She’s phenomenal 😍
Paisley definitely know how to write spice! Honestly the spice in all her books is phenomenal 🥵😮‍💨
𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙍𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 will forever be my favourite cowboy romance series now! Honestly the first 3 books have been perfect and all 5⭐️ reads! So excited for what comes next!

I absolutely loved being back in Silver Pines for Cole and Ginger’s story. Riding the High was so much fun to read! Friends-to-lovers is one of my favourite tropes and I just loved how special their relationship was. The tension between them was so good! I loved watching their friendship slowly evolve into something more! I loved seeing Cole and Ginger slowly realise what they truly meant to each other. They had great banter and chemistry. I just adored Cole’s daughter, Mabel! I loved Mabel and Ginger’s relationship. Mabel was missing a full-time mother figure in her life and Ginger filled that role so perfectly! I loved seeing their family dynamic and how they were all a team. Ginger was definitely the missing piece to their puzzle.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
🌻 Best friend’s brother
🩵 Secret Friends to Lovers
🌻 Single Dad
🩵 Accidental/Secret Marriage
🌻 Small Town Romance
🩵 Forced Proximity
🌻 Reformed Playboy

With every book this series has got better and better. Cole and Ginger are definitely my favourites so far!

This book had my heart bursting with so much love for these characters that I could just cry. I feel like that sounds weird but other readers will get what I mean! I want to live in a small town in America and to be part of their friendship group!

I had country music on repeat whilst reading this series and would highly recommend the combo.

Tropes in this book:
- single dad
- small town
- cowboy
- friends to lovers
- nanny

Cannot wait to read more by Paisley Hope.

4.75 stars

this book was definitely about the steam rather than the depth but that not always a bad thing. i think i do like the balance more but that could just be me. i think im a bit awkward so the depth of the romance often managed to balance out the spice which i like more. but again, that could just be awkward old me!
the premise was a gooden though and i liked all the reasons why they did what they did. i felt real. true. and for different reasons but good ones.
this book give us two people who have liked each other but not said anything. and this has been reflected by both of them in different way. so Cole didnt do anything about it and of course Ginger felt " like hed ever like me" about it. but when a night out ends in marriage things might just get messy. or maybe not. because for now at least they both need this marriage. it will help settle down both their lives and other who are commenting on said lives. so for one summer they decide to keep it as it is. whats the harm right. no biggy. but hahaha yeh right! because when two people who clearly love eachother then have to pretend to love eachother. well mess ensues in the shape of adorable lovely and sweet moments. but as we all know the truth will have to come out. and decisions will have to be made. and as often is the way it might end up hurting someone or both of them. and worse still what if it breaks them apart for good? and what will the young girl who they shares both their love do if this doesnt work out. because Cole has his daighter to think about in all this. one who has a fantastic connection with Ginger.

Paisley Hope did it again!

Obsessed is not even a good enough word to describe how much I loved this book.

If a hot single dad, a sassy FMC and a vegas wedding sounds like you, this is the book you need to be reading.

This series just keeps getting better and better.

Secret friendship turning into a drunken Vegas marriage? Unhinged but I love it all the same.

Riding the High follows Cole, the newly appointed town Sheriff, trying to convince the town that he is the right man for the job whilst being a single dad to his daughter Mabel. Then you have Ginger, his sisters best friend and completely off limits. When one wild weekend turns their lives upside down, what else can they do but try to make the most out of their situation?

I love the chemistry between these two, especially in Holding the Reins and Training the Heart. Like the banter? Swoon. The mutual pining? gimme more. "Vixen and Law Daddy?" had me giggling. These two had me hooked since we saw them in the first book. I also love the relationship that they both have with Mabel, both so sweet and caring towards her.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review..

This was a brilliant book!
As soon as I saw it listed I was hoping I would be accepted! Thank you for the ARC copy of this I really appreciate it!

I love Paisley Hope’s books! Each one just gets better and better! Cole and Ginger’s story is my favourite so far. Paisley was the first cowboy romance author I have read and has made me fall in love with a cowboy romance!

Riding the High would have to be one of my favourite reads of the year. The characters Cole and Ginger were brilliantly written and their storyline was excellent. The Tropes of accidental marriage and single dad are among my favorites and this book did them so well.

I absolutely loved being back with these people and in this small town Paisley Hope is an auto buy author for me.

I am so in my Cowboy Era... and this just fed me so well.

I have a thing for a man in uniform, and a small county sheriff? Sign me up.

Long-time friends Cole and Ginger, and the Laurel Creek crew, go to Vegas, and after one too many drinks and a game of truth or dare, Cole and Ginger wake up the next day married.

They decide to play married, although they keep it a secret until Ginger's Dad is reelected.
However, things don't go to plan, and Ginger offers to help care for Cole's daughter over the summer.

Bring on forced proximity, fake marriage, but feels are real, friends to lovers, a uniform, single-dad, and small town shenanigans, and this is my cup of tea. Let alone the spicy scenes.
This is my first Paisley Hope book, and it won't be my last!

This book was absolutely everything I had hoped for.. and more.

Paisley has a beautiful way of drawing you in and making you fall in love with the world she has created. I’d loved Cole and Ginger since book one and really, really enjoyed their friends to lovers romance. The drunk wedding in Vegas was extra special too and the “my wife” moments were everything. I loved Ginger’s relationship and bond with Mabel; they really needed each other and their bond was so special. The best team mates.

I loved this book so much and can’t wait to continue on with the series.

This is like a blueprint for the perfect romance book.

I just KNEW Cole & Ginger were going to have chemistry but they were EXPLOSIVE. I’m truly obsessed.

The accidental wedding trope might be a new favourite for me after this because I ate it up. Impeccably done.

✨Riding the High✨ by Paisley hope

I mean when doesn’t Paisley Hope write a fantastic romance book! I had high hopes for this book after reading the first two in the series and I can say this delivered!! I’ve waited for Cole and Ginger’s story since they first appeared and was ecstatic to get an Arc! Couldn’t put it down!

If you want a small town romance, with a hot sheriff, a sassy teacher and lots of flirty banter this one’s for you! If you still haven’t read any books from The Silver Pines series I’d highly recommend you check them out!

Riding The High by Paisley Hope…..Oh boy!! Another thoroughly enjoyable read.
Cole and Ginger may follow a dare in Las Vegas on a bachelorette/ bachelor weekend, but all that they do after shows if they’re right for each other or not!!
Familiar characters from the previous two books come in and out of the story too, plus some new ones.The description of the countryside that they live in, makes me want to travel there right now!!
I loved the story, love love love the characters who feel like friends, and am so looking forward to seeing the next story!
Many thanks to Random House for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley before the publication date. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley,#RandomHouse, #AuthorPaisleyHope

• ARC REVIEW•
• RIDING THE HIGH : BY PAISLEY HOPE •
• COLE & GINGER •
•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️•

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Penguin Books Aus and Paisley for this ARC opportunity. If I could rate this book infinite stars, I would. I have rated every Paisley book 5 stars so it was no exception that this one would be anything less!! I was so excited for Cole and Gingers book! And especially since it is a single parent trope! I literally felt all emotions reading this book, I smiled like most of the time, giggled constantly and even had some tears thrown in there too.

This story follows Cole Ashby, the newly appointed town Sheriff and single dad as he tries to convince the town he isn’t the old womaniser they think he is. Ginger Danforth, his sisters best friend, is looking for some fun for the summer, and when the opportunity to let loose a little arises, a drunken wedding in Vegas leads to an arraignment being made that will benefit both of them, Ginger looks after his daughter for the summer while they keep their marriage a secret until it can be annulled, the only issue is, their secret and their friendship grows, revealing stashed away feelings that continue to grow.

- single dad
- Accidental marriage
- Best friends brother
- Sheriff x teacher
- Forced proximity

Let’s talk about Daddy Cole Weston Ashby for a minute!! Who doesn’t love a hot sheriff who is a single dad, loves his daughter with his whole heart and is determined to make sure that Mabel gets the life that she deserves, putting aside his own life and feelings so she could have a life full of happiness. He is so caring, funny, hardworking and determined. I love a lot of things about Cole, but my favourite are the things he does through his actions and words.

Ginger has now became my favourite Silver Pines girlie! Who doesn’t love a sexy, funny, feisty, confident gal! She is always there for her friends and always puts others before herself. Seeing her grow as a character and her relationship with not only Cole,but with Cece, and the other past characters was such a great read. I couldn’t get over how much I really enjoyed Ginger and her relationship with little Mabel. My favourite thing about ginger is hr sassy attitude and caring nature.

We can’t forget about our girl Mabel. I think she was my favourite thing about this book. She is just so sweet and adorable and her fun and sweet relationship with Ginger quickly became my favourite. Her love for her dad was so special, one I hope my future kids have with their father. Their team of “Daddy and the Girls” was by far the best part of the book.

I genuinely couldn’t put this book down. I was super obsessed with their connection,especially being friends first, the tension and chemistry growing, then their relationship just grows into more, I couldn’t stop rooting for them from the get go. I was OBSESSED with the banter and confidence these two had and their communication was so amazingly written.

The spice in this book was SPICING and I was so here for it. Every single development in this story was spectacular and the family aspect of these books are my favourite. I also want to point out the Brooklyn 99 referenace were the best, I love that show!

I missed all the other characters too, so seeing them all come back was amazing, and seeing their stories continue as well was so special.

The third instalment of the Silver Pines series, I read the first with CeCe and Nash, but somehow missed the second and back into it with Ginger and Cole’s story.

Ginger and Cole have been spending more time together, especially now that Gemma, Cole’s wife and Mabel’s Mum is out of the picture. On a wild weekend in Vegas they wake to find that they got married the night before. Annulment isn’t an option and a quickie divorce would be too public for Cole’s probationary period as the new Sheriff, and while they wait for Ginger’s Dad is re-elected as Kentucky Congressman.

I liked revisiting some of the characters that were in the previous book(s), this seems to only take place about a year after the first book, now that CeCe and Nash are getting married this summer.

It was hot and sexy, once you got past the “we shouldn’t do this, we’re friends” bit. But the “I’m turned on by your attitude but I’m going to make you submit to me and know I’m the boss” trope is just not it for me! Plus, Cole has a daughter her adore, and yet that’s how he treats women – true to life, but yuck!

I appreciate that the book opens with a content warning for sexual content including mild degradation (I should have considered myself told) so be aware of that if you are sensitive to anything.

Thank you to Random House UK and Paisley Hope for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so happy to be selected for ARC by Netgalley for this book, I didn’t even realise that I somehow skipped the second book 🤔 Well, I'll just have to go back, haha.

Cole and Ginger are a fun couple. Even before their unfortunate wedding, they have such a chemistry, and I'm surprised that there aren't fires around them 24/7. I liked Cole's dirty mouth, I loved how Ginger never gave up and was always there for him. They both were, really. But I guess that comes with the territory of being friends for so long.

What to expect:
*friends to lovers
*fake (or not so fake) marriage
*single dad/nanny
*he's a sheriff AND a cowboy
*small town
*dirty mouth
*plenty of spice

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Riding the High is book 3 in the Silver Pines series and we get to read Ginger, Cole and Mable’s story.

Ginger and Cole have always been in each other’s lives, but over the past few years, their bond has grown even closer, honestly, the banter & sarcasm was not only cute, but had me laughing out loud! Both of them are fighting their feelings and after a trip to Vegas… they end up in an ‘accidental marriage’ which I LOVED!

Now, they’re forced to face the consequences, but in true Ginger and Cole fashion, they find a way to turn the situation to their advantage. Their connection was incredible. Cole is extremely dedicated and protective of his daughter Mabel, but the bond that grew even deeper between Ginger and Mable was adorable.

The flashback chapters added such beautiful depth to the story. Seeing their friendship slowly evolve into something more was just perfection. The years of trading favors, their banter, their chemistry - it was all top tier!

Honestly I think Ginger and Cole are my favourite of the series so far, there was just something about this that had me devouring their story.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC - I am so grateful