A Higher Standard by E.F. Dodd

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What drew me first to this novel was the idea of a land developer going head to toe with an equestrian. I craved a different dynamic in the romance setting (and this was different!) I’ve been reading lately, and I was not disappointed.

First, I do think the use of “enemies to lovers” is a little weak here. I didn’t ever get the vibe that Gideon hated her, or truly saw her as an enemy while Everest did and realistically so because of what/how Gideon threatened her dreams. Though these enemies to lovers transition pretty quickly—can’t really blame Everest for backing down with Gideon’s wooing skills in action. He felt very authentic and like a sweetheart and I found him likeable. The only things I weren’t 100% convinced on, was how quickly he dropped his visions of development to follow Everest and how he was willing to give up his position in the “game” to be with her. I mean yes, I can see how these plans would be a newer (environmentally friendly even) option to pursue but was it realistic at the stage he was in? Perhaps I’m a little too realistic minded here in the name of love. In contrast, for Everest, I struggled to relate to her at times. She came off too stiff and not as committed (or communicative) as I would have liked her to be when it came to Gideon.

Overall though I liked the different storyline atmosphere that was created and the secondary character relationships were great and I wanted more.

Rating 3/5 stars.

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A Higher Standard released May 16!

More info about E.F. Dodd can be found here.

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Check out the others on this book release blog tour below!