Publisher: Rebel House Ink
Date of publication: November 2, 2022
Genre: Young Adult, Equestrian
Series: North Oak
Born to Run—Book 1 (review here)
Morning Glory—Book 3 (review here)
To Bottle Lightening—Book 4 (review here)
Dark Horse—Book 6 (review here)
Against the Odds—Book 7 (review here)
Ride for Glory—Book 8
Hard Boot—Book 9
Inquiry—Book 10
Purchase Links: Kindle
Goodreads Synopsis:
Can Alex handle the pressure of stardom?
When Alex scores berths into The Breeders Cup aboard Dreamer’s Song and Venus Nights, she discovers she may have to choose between them. But how can she choose between the filly she brought into the world, and the headstrong colt who is teaching her so much about the sport she loves?
Her kid sister, Gina, isn’t making the choice any easier. The rambunctious 10-year-old is nothing but a distraction, and a danger to the horses themselves. She’s always underfoot and asking too many questions. It’s all Alex can do to keep her wits about her.
Worse yet, Alex is on shaky ground with her feelings for Dejado and Carol. She can’t dare risk being anything less than perfect while the tabloids are blowing up over her skyrocketing career. Every move must be measured. No word can be mistaken.
The world is watching, and the clock is ticking…
First Line:
Sixteen year old Alexandra Showman frowned at the clay grit in her teeth.
Ride for Glory by Anne Hunter
Alex is ecstatic when she scores berths into The Breeder’s Cup on Dreamer’s Song and Venus Nights. But, that happiness is tempered when she finds out that she must choose between her heart horse (Venus Nights) or the horse that could take her places (Dreamer’s Song). On the homefront, Alex isn’t doing too great. She is trying to figure out what to do about Gina, her ten-year-old sister, and feels that Gina is overtaking her life. Also, adding to everything is that Alex is trying to figure out her feelings for Carol and Dejado. Can Alex hold everything together until The Breeder’s Cup? Or will she become tabloid fodder?
Ride for Glory is the 8th book in the North Oak series. While this could be read as a standalone book, I recommend reading the series so that way; you will understand Alex’s backstory better and her relationship with different people in the book.
Ride for Glory is a fast-paced book. The pacing of this book does suit the storyline. Seeing that everything happens over a couple of months (or a month, not sure), it made sense for the book to be fast-paced. There was very little lag in the book, which was enjoyable too.
The main storyline for Ride for Glory is centered around Alex, racing, and Alex’s personal life. The storyline was well-written and emotional (yes, emotional). I liked that even when I thought I figured out certain parts of the storyline; the author was able to surprise me by doing the opposite of what I thought.
The storyline with Gina and Alex was well written. As a mother of 3 and a sister to 8 (9 including me), I can safely say that Gina was written as a typical, obnoxious 10-year-old. Alex’s reaction to her made me laugh. She looked at her like she was another species; if you have ever had a ten-year-old, you know they are. But, I disagreed with how Alex treated Gina throughout the book. But, Alex did turn a corner with their relationship around the middle of the book.
The storyline regarding The Breeder’s Cup, the other jockeys, the horses, and Alex’s choices was interesting. I thought Alex was slightly immature regarding the horses, and I couldn’t believe what she said to North. He, of course, put her right in his place, but still. She had zero rights to go and demand what she did. As for how she handled the other jockeys, I did like her maturation in that sense, and the bully did get what he deserved.
The love triangle involving Carol, Alex, and Dejago had me confused but hopeful. At a point, I thought Alex had lost them both, and you know what? I thought it served her right. She was playing a game with Dejago, and he didn’t deserve that. She also spoke about Carol’s boyfriend (Alex’s cousin), and Carol got pissed and, again, served her right. Now, why was I confused? I thought Alex had made a choice by her actions towards the end of the book and was surprised when it went in the opposite direction. Talk about having my head spin.
The end of Ride for Glory was, well, glorious. I enjoyed reading about that final race. I got hyped for her and what her future plans involved. I was also stunned by what seemed to be her choice for romance. That alone made me super excited to read book 9.
I recommend Ride for Glory to anyone over 16. There is mild language, mild violence, and no sexual situations.
Many thanks to Ann Hunter for allowing me to read and review Ride for Glory. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
If you enjoyed reading this review of Ride for Glory, then you will enjoy reading these books:
Other books by Ann Hunter
This sounds like a great series, Jolie. My question: Do kids over the age of 16 read good, clean, non fantasy books anymore?
It is a good series. My kids do, well at least my son. He likes the other books too….lol.