4.5 Stars
E.F. Dodd has done it again with A Higher Standard. This was a fun, quick read. The author is so good at infusing wit and charm into her stories, as well as great banter. I fell in love with Gideon and Everest and loved their story. I also greatly enjoyed the character development throughout. Can't wait to continue reading more from E.F. Dodd in the future!

I absolutely loved this charming, grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers rom-com. E.F. Dodd is one of my new favourite authors. The development of the characters was so good and the book was quite funny! Such a good read!

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

4 stars!

I liked E.F. Dodd's "A Higher Standard" where a small-town woman meets a big-city man and they do all they can not to fall for each other. I respected the heck out of the main character, Everest, who runs a charity called Second Chance that saves, rescues, and rehabs abused horses. She is a self-sufficient woman, and despite her dad being the mayor of Mimosa, NC, she has never, ever asked for help or for a leg-up. She is strong, has killer instincts, is fearless, and dedicates her time, effort, money, and life to saving these majestic creatures. Gideon is a wealthy, attractive developer looking to improve Mimosa for the better because he's not your typical developer. He is a determined, steadfast main male character, immediately drawn in by the way Everest carries herself. Unfortunately, Gideon wants to buy and develop the land that Everest wants to buy to expand Second Chance. Therein lies the conundrum. Dodd thrives in the moments where Gideon and Everest are at odds with one another. She has written some terrific banter between these two characters. As they slowly begin to fall for each other, their chemistry becomes more and more undeniable. Everest is continually making Gideon see and make changes for the better, and Gideon helps Everest open up to more than just her work (noble as it may be). I think this is a well-rounded, well-written book with a great exploration of their relationship, good side characters, and an interesting twist on a familiar premise/trope. I will say that I think the book is a little bit long, and a little slow-paced. Still, I remained invested from start to finish despite a few little laggings here and there.

Thank you to NetGalley, E.F. Dodd, and Sugar Beaver Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

Thanks so much to Sugar Beaver Books and EF Dodd for the free ARC.
This was a quick and easy read for me and it was a great progression in the story through Gideon and Everest. I love a good story that’s set in a cute little town.

This was a first time read for me by this author, so I really didn't know what to expect. The cover was cute and the blurb caught my attention, so I thought I'd give it a try. I found it to be a cute and easy read, with an enemies to lovers trope, which I am always up for, and a sweet and fun small town romance. The story was heartwarming with a good dose of humor, and plot was interesting. Everest and Gideon were wonderful characters, relatable with realistic qualities, and I enjoyed getting to know them and following their story.

A lovely story that I am happy to have had the opportunity to read!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This book was an easy read. It brought me in from the beginning. The setting of North Carolina is always a favorite of mine. A love story built from a relationship that seemed it could never be.

I enjoyed this read! Dodd does a great job of a slow burn in terms of romance reading, and I was really invested in the main characters and their relationship. The fact that the novel was based on my state of North Carolina made it even sweeter. Excited to see what else Dodd will publish in the future!

A wonderful story with a strong female lead and a very determined man arriving on the scene!
The story flows so well with plenty of sass and drama, especially when there’s two characters wanting the same property and perhaps more!
I really enjoyed the challenges that Everest faced, her small town life is about to be filled with more than she could have imagined!
Gideon loves to get what he wants, he usually plans his life without too many obstacles, his money talks!
The underlying tension and honesty is endearing, the characters are both charming and caring towards each other! I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and characters, you can’t go wrong with small country towns where there’s lots to explore and learn!

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and the author for the opportunity read this charming book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

From start to finish, I was OBSESSED with this book. The mfc was honestly such a unique character. So strong and driven and I feel no one could have stood a chance against her!
I love the way the characters had such great chemistry and never tried to be anything that they truly weren’t. Finding love and happiness is something that everyone hopes for when reading a book and this hit the mark for me.

I really liked it. It was cute and I was rooting for everyone. I read it fast and Everest is my hero.

okay, this book was so adorable!! i know a lot of people did not like this one, but i really really did! it was so fun and sweet and precious! thank you so much to netgalley for letting me read this one early!!!

Title: A Higher Standard
Author: E.F. Dodd
Release Date: May 16th, 2023
Page Count: 340
Format: Paperback
Start Date: May 14th, 2023
Finish Date: May 18th, 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

Normally, stories like this make me roll my eyes. Don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy them. I guess that would say that they are guilty pleasures of mine? Not sure. But I digress. This book didn’t hit any points of annoyance for me at all. There were several spots where certain tropes that drive me nuts would happen. They didn’t happen here. There were quite a few different spots where I cringed in anticipation of said tropes. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when they didn’t. Also, I really love the messages behind this story. It was a really wholesome story at the end. Well wholesome with a bit of spice mixed in. With this book, I feel like I gained another book girlfriend. The cover is super adorable too!

It is a good book but slow paced. I loved the main characters along with the side characters that made the story even more interesting.

Everest is unimpressed when a hotshot real estate developer arrives in her small town. The more she gets to know him the more she thinks she may have misjudged him. Gideon is interested in Everest from the moment he meets her. Can he change her thoughts about real estate developers? This was a cute romcom with fun dialogue and banter. Everest runs an equine rescue center and it was interesting to learn more about the rescue and rehab of abused and mistreated horses. If you like romcoms give this one a try!

When you meet the right woman you know she's the one. When the women is resistant you to long term you show her you're serious even if it means getting into some "horsey" situations (excuse the pun). A solid 3 str read. This is a HEA.


******************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*********************************************

A Higher Standard
By: E.F Dodd
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

As one of Boston's most eligible bachelors, real estate developer Gideon West has the golden touch, both with the ladies-from Beacon Hill to Southie and all points in between-and every project he's helmed for Standard Development. Hungry for his next challenge, he's set his sights on the untapped potential in the rolling hills and tranquil farmland of the sleepy town of Mimosa, North Carolina. To confirm it's the idyllic perfection it appears to be, Gideon heads south, where he's enveloped in Southern hospitality by everyone and everything with the exception of two: Monty, a runaway horse, and Everest Kennedy, an emerald-eyed spitfire who can knock everything he's working toward right on its axis.

Everest's life in her hometown of Mimosa revolves around one thing-the equine rescue she's scrimped and saved for and struggled to get off the ground since college. After years of work, Second Chance Farms can finally stand on its own four hooves. What she needs now is the ability to expand her little slice of paradise by buying the hundred acres next door-that Gideon has under contract. There's no way she's going to let Gideon West upend everything she's worked for, regardless of the fact she appears to be the only one immune to the spell of the silver-tongued developer. But with each dimpled grin and blue-eyed glance, Everest can't deny her resistance to his charm is waning. If she isn't careful, Gideon might turn her carefully planned world upside down.

Even worse is that maybe - just maybe - she wants him to.


I enjoyed reading this book so much. The writing is so smart and witty and the characters have a great sense of humor and banter had me giggling throughout the whole book.
Everest was perfect MFC she is intelligent, secure, and funny. Gideon you will grow to love. I thought it wrapped up sweetly.

If you love small town romance, dual POV, enemies to lovers rom-coms this one is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and E.F Dodd for the eARC for my honest review.

This book was adorable! Not your standard rom-com, and I loved that it made fun of the usual rom-com tropes. The characters had great chemistry, and watching their love build over the course of the book was great.

I definitely am looking forward to seeing what E.F. Dodd comes up with next!

**I received this ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

The book takes place in a small town in North Carolina. Gideon is a developer from Boston who goes to Mimosa (the town) to propose a plan to the mayor about developing some land. Everest, the mayors daughter, owns the land right next to the land Gideon is looking into buying. She owns Second Chance which is a horse rescue, safe to say that Everest is 1000% against any kind of developing happening in her beloved town. She automatically thinks Gideon is the worst and number 1 enemy. But Gideon shows her otherwise.

I enjoyed this book and I think if Everest was more likable I would've liked it even more. I don't know why but her character bugged me. I didn't like her and how judgmental she was. AND STUBBORN omg sometimes I wanted to reach into my kindle and grab her by the shoulders to shake her!

I wouldn't count this as an enemies to lovers since I don't think that Gideon ever really hated her. He showed interest in her from the beginning even if it was for personal gain. Everest on the other hand couldn't come up with more reasons why he was the devil himself. Honestly I just can't get past her character, I think it was only about the last 20% of the book that she was likable and even then she still had some moments that were eye rolling.

But maybe I'm being too harsh and picky. I don't usually find the FMC unlikable theres only been a handful of books where that has occurred. If you happen to like Everest then I'm sure you will absolutely love this book! Gideon definitely makes up for everything that she lacks, he was patient, funny, charming, and honestly made an Everest such a better person not just for herself but for everyone around her.

A Higher Standard starts out like your average Hallmark style book with a not exactly meet cute between Everest and Gideon but it quickly surpasses the average. This story is written with a fresh voice and I have highlighted numerous sections to come back to. It was witty, endearing, unique and I quickly fell in love with the characters. I don't know if this will be a series or just a standalone but I will read this one again and again just to go back to Mimosa and the family E.F. Dodd created. It was the perfect book to start off my Spring/Summer reads and I am grateful to E.F. Dodd, Sugar Beaver Books and Netgalley for the ARC!