Without Judgment (Without, #3)

by Aubrey Bondurant

[stacey_is_sassy]

***IT'S ALIVE!!!***

This Princess didn’t deserve to be judged…

My plan was always to be a stay-at-home mum forever and ever. A job fell in my lap, the extra money was tempting to allow for my family to have treats…and now I’m a Team Leader in a busy office. I still to this day contemplate - I didn’t plan this, how did I get here? I think we have all had plans that were set and somehow got diverted. Sometimes the changes are good and other times you feel like your world is falling apart. In Without Judgement we get to know Avery and Mason a little better and see how they cope when their plans get diverted.

Poor Avery had no idea her scumbag ex could do worse than cheat on her with her best friend. What he does ruins her reputation and throws her life into chaos. Avery's father is running for mayor and he's worried more about his reputation than hers. He wants her to cop the scandal on the chin and act the contrite and dutiful daughter who has seen the error in her ways. AND SHE DID NOTHING!! At this stage, good old dad was definitely getting stink-eyes from me. At least Avery has her brother Trevor to count on. Trevor calls in the guards…I mean security guard to see that Avery comes to no further harm.

Mason owes Trevor a favour and babysitting his little sister will pay him back AND his hoping get him extra brownie points from his best friend. Having to put up with a spoilt princess who does nothing but lunch with friends and visit the spa for treatments, is not Mason’s idea of fun. But, this princess isn’t playing her part how he thought she would. She’s not spoilt, self-serving and egotistical, Avery is actually pretty sweet and generous too. Mason is struggling with his plans to keep his distance and just do his job. Avery is not the “kid” he was expecting, she’s beautiful and Mason is extremely attracted to her. It's going to be harder to keep to his plans and not divert to her bedroom.

I absolutely LOVED Without Judgement and the whole Without series. It has just the right mix of emotions to keep me connected to the characters and invested in seeing them reach their happy ever after. Mason is definitely the kind of hero I love and Avery is the kind of heroine I admire. Mason's looks alone grabbed my interest but I also love to see the tortured hero battle his demons and conquer them with the help of the heroine. I shed more than a few tears for Avery and I hated that Mason played a part in playing with her emotions. I knew Mason was invested in their relationship before he did (wink, wink) and I hated that he pushed her away.

Without Judgement deals with quite a few issues that many struggles with nowadays. Social Media gives people an ability to hurt without laying a finger and can ruin lives. Avery is a smart cookie and decides to use it to her advantage. I loved that she learnt to have faith in herself and fix her own problems. Mason is a returned Marine who struggles with survivors’ guilt. It broke my heart that he felt no one would miss him and guilt for surviving when others had died leaving loved ones behind. These issues were handled in a way that was realistic and thought-provoking. Sometimes you forget to look below the surface to see what others are struggling with.

I had the heart flutters, big smiles, smirks, snorts and squirmy times that I expect and love in an Aubrey Bondurant read. The pacing was perfect, the connection jumped off the pages and the sexy times were HOT! Avery and Mason’s journey wasn’t an easy one but it did leave me with a giddy, ain’t life grand, kind of feeling. If you haven’t started the Without series, or tried an Aubrey Bondurant story, I suggest you get to it.

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.