Ryder's Summit

Mountain Top #3

by Savannah Maris

High school sweethearts, Ryder Thompson and Becky Duncan, are preparing to embark on separate paths when Becky utters one sentence graduation night that changes everything.

“Maybe we should see other people when we’re at school.”

They go from exclusive to friends-with-benefits in the blink of an eye as Ryder heads to the basketball courts at the College of Charleston, and Becky moves to the bright lights of Georgia Tech. While Ryder scores points with his play, Becky plays at scoring. When she pushes Ryder away one too many times, Natalie Macey is ready to catch him, except Ryder isn’t sure he’s capable of giving Natalie what she needs.

“Guys like him don’t date girls like me.”

With Ryder’s encouragement, Natalie decides to see another guy, but a new feeling emerges for Ryder…

Jealousy.

You never forget your first, but the second time around, you play for keeps.

334 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2021

About the author

I'm a southern girl and hopeless romantic. I'm passionate about writing stories that incorporate southern charm. I grew up on a farm in a small town with a love of sports, dance, and music which will all show up somewhere in my books. When I'm not writing, my husband and I are attending a sporting event, travelling, or working.

Reviews

[Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon]

5 CRANKY STARS


This is the story of Ryder and Natalie. It is part of the Mountain Top Series but each book is a stand alone novel. Some of the characters overlap. For instance, this is Ryder's story. Ryder is the son of Blu. His mother died when he was born and he was raised by his father and his Uncle Smokey. They are a tight and loving family that live and work together. Ryder has graduated high school and is now in college. The story jumps between memories and present day to make the story cohesive. I love the way this author can grab your heart and make you feel one with the characters. Their anger and pain is your anger and pain. Their bad decisions make you yell at them. But in the long run, they feel as alive as your next door neighbor. Relationships are very complicated as Ryder is finding out. A love for his long time friend Becky has changed since high school and they find that they are two very different people now. When Natalie enters the scene, Ryder is thunder struck. The ups and downs of this new relationship and his life goals are suddenly very important.


You must read this great coming of age story that will keep you engaged until it is finished.

[Karen Roma]

Ryder's Summit is the third book in Savannah Maris` Mountain Top series and a well-written and intriguing story. Ryder was a character I took time to warm to, as he tended to be impulsive, however he always owned his decisions whether they were good or bad. The romance in this story is a slow burn, which was nice to see and interesting to follow as Ryder and Natalie navigated the attraction and chemistry that was clearly evident. It was nice to have previous characters play a part and to witness Ryder’s relationship with his dad and uncles. A thoroughly enjoyable story and a great addition to the series too!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Natasha Wall]

Another fantastic read from Savannah. If you enjoyed boys ridge and smokey's mountain you will for sure love this story. I was skeptical at first because well , if you read the other two books , you saw Ryder as a kid . BUT reading his story and seeing him as an adult was absolutely fantastic. The scenes are written great, the changes in times are done with perfection. I don't want to give away the story because I believe you need to read t but you will not be disappointed . Well written with lots of turns of love, family and well truth is you can't go wrong with a boy turned man raised by those two men ;)
Full disclosure - I have received this as an advanced reader copy

[Lori Lamb]

I have to start by saying I wasn't sure what I was going to think about Ryder's story because in the last 2 books we saw him as a young boy. Kind of like when you see kids in your family grow up and get married and you just can't help but still see them as a child ha! Moving along....I loved Ryder's story! I figured this would be a story about him and Becky growing up together but boy was I wrong. Becky decided to take a different path and I'm so glad Ryder was able to move on and find Natalie. Him and Natalie are perfect together! Ryder grew up to be a respectable young man and Savannah did a great job showing him grow up through the years.

[Debra Akers]

Ryder thought he had it all...in love with his high school sweetheart and a scholarship to play college ball at a great college he loves. Then the ball drops when Becky tells him that she thinks they should see other people at school but also have a friends with benefits relationship. Ryder is crushed but eventually realizes that it's not what he wants. He meets Natalie a smart girl who thought that jocks didn't find her attractive. This story is an emotional read that involves losing one love and finding another. It is beautifully written and I loved every minute of it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dee Shelvey]

Another emotional read from Savannah. This story will take you on an adventure. You will follow along through 4 years of college as Ryder figures out what his heart wants. When Ryder graduated high school he thought he had it all. A scholarship, a great school, a girl he loves. But is high school girlfriend who wants to just have benefits enough foe him? Or Maybe there will be nerdy girl who is looking to build her own path.

You will have to chance it and see where this story leads these three young people. It will be an emotional roller coaster. You will feel like a fly on the wall because the story and settings are so life like.

[Loralie]

It wasn't long into the book and I started to really dislike Ryder. As I kept reading, my feelings started to change. He didn't always make the best decisions, but he was honest about what he did and why. I loved that he and Natalie were a slow burn. I also loved that he was close to his dad and uncles, especially when it came to decisions and matters of the heart. Ryder and Natalie's rendezvous with tutoring and food tasting seemed like a lot of fun too. I loved that when the going got tough, they got through it together, but it definitely wasn't easy.

[Ronda Brimeyer]

Going after true love

This story is about finding and holding onto true love. Not your first love from high school. Not a love you think is what you should do. Find it in your heart and fight for what you want. Natalie and Ryder find this out the hard and long way. They get there thru some rough times. They both needed to fess up to their feelings. With crazy ex's and open relationships not a good plan by the way. Coming to one amazing ending of their story for us. The beginning of their future

[Nikki Martin]

Ryders summit: I really enjoyed this read. It was once again a book I couldn’t put down. The connection between Ryder and Natalie was on fire!!! Initially I wanted him and Becky to stay together however I quickly changed my mind. This book starts out as that young love but quickly advances to the deep mature love we all enjoy reading about. You will not be disappointed when you pick up this book!!! Just grab a glass of wine, sit by a window and enjoy ;)

[Pam Snell]

What a great book. We have read about Ryder as he was growing up and now he is grown and has his own story to tell. He has matured into a wonderful, loving, caring, honest man who wants a good woman to stand by him in life. He has some obstacles to go through but that is how he grows into the man he is. I really enjoyed reading this book!!!

[Elizabeth McDaniel]

Ryder had been with the same person since he was twelve and when they went to college she wanted to change their relationship. Then he met Natalie and realized he knew what love was but still he held back until he couldn’t any longer. This was an emotional and interesting romance with fun and strong exciting characters. Good read

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kim Schnecker]

Loved getting to see grown up Ryder's life.
The flashbacks were perfect and allowed us to see him mature and learn what his heart wants.  Loved seeing little glimpses of Smokey and Blu as well. You do not have to read the other books but I recommend it.  Savannah did it again. 5 stars.

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon)]

This was a great book to curl up with, this is the first one I have read but I will be checking out the rest of this author's books. I was sucked right into this book and could not wait to see what happened next; I would definitely recommend it I did not want to stop reading.

[Kristin Wolter]

This is my first book by Savannah Maris. This was a good book, I recommend reading it. I am going to go read her other books now too.

[ReadonReader]

Ryder is Blu’s son from previous books in the series and early on he thought he found the love of his life in Becky. He thought it would be a forever kind of thing, go to college, come back home to work, live a great life, but things can change instantly. Becky wants to explore options while keeping a link with Ryder open in case she doesn’t find whatever it is she is looking for, so with an open friend with benefit relationship Becky begins to explore while poor Ryder is just trying to hold on a little while longer. I must admit I was crushed by Becky but with her behavior it left Ryder better off with someone more deserving like Natalie. Natalie is a smart girl who never thought any jocks ever looked her way, but when her and Ryder find a connection will she be ok with things being platonic, friends with benefits, or will she feel like she deserves more? And will Ryder discover he deserves all he has ever dreamt of or is he willing to settle? This wasn’t a real love triangle because Becky set the parameters to her and Ryder’s relationship before Ryder even really pursued Natalie and when he decided to go for what he wanted he laid it out there for everyone to understand. No, this was more of losing love, finding love, and rediscovering oneself when faced with other plans life throws your way and I have to say Ryder handled it all with dignity and great poise while he respected himself and the one he chose.