Review: I liked it, I just didn't love it
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2014
Ava Sterling has a lot going on in her life. She goes to school, works hard to keep ahead of the bills that come in, and has some things that take up any time that she would have had left for fun. She’s only 22, but sometimes she feels like she’s 40. Declan James is an MMA fighter and frequents the bar that Ava works at. He’s instantly smitten with her and begins to pursue her relentlessly, even though she turns him down at every turn. He’s used to getting what he wants, and this time he wants Ava. So what happens when the two start to become good friends and the attraction between them can no longer be denied? Will he stick around when he finds out just what her secret is and the reason she doesn't allow people to get too close? Or will this be their downfall?I really liked Ava. She’s one of the most caring, sweet, down to earth characters that I've seen in a while … and it doesn't hurt that she speaks what’s on her mind; good or bad. It was refreshing.Declan, on the other hand, I had a love, hate, LOVE relationship with. He was a bit too borderline-stalkerish for my taste in the beginning and his knack for getting everything he wanted drove me a little crazy. As the story progressed, however, you began to see a different side to him. The one that was thoughtful, sweet and loving … now that’s the one I adore. His loyalty and perseverance were things that drew me in and held me tight. I loved those qualities about him.Moving onto the story, I’m not a huge fan of insta-attraction. I don’t like it when they just have to have each other upon their first real meeting. There has to be build up, and this book just jumped right in. Now I’m all for instant lust. That’s more reasonable and understandable. But when a character immediately starts thinking of dating someone when they haven’t really talked to them? Yeah, that’s an eye roll moment for me.After we move on from there, the story picks up and I found myself really enjoying it. It was a cute read that had me turning page after page. I did find the story-line to be predictable as I had guessed exactly how it was going to play early out in the book, but I didn't mind.What I did mind, however, was the “plot-twist”. When that happens, I felt the story began to get a bit rushed. I would have liked to have seen more of a play on the emotions that the characters were going through at this time … not just what their actions were. For me, it took away from the story itself.I give Without Doubt a 3 star rating. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I think had the beginning and end been tweaked just a bit then it would have been a better read for me. That being said, if you’re looking for an easy read with an enjoyable story then you should definitely pick this one up.**An ARC was kindly provided by the Author for an honest review. The fact that this was an ARC in no way changes what I rate a book**