Viola Fisher is the epitome of perfection.She despises my one-night stands and mocks my less-than-classy habits.She’s smart, beautiful, and too good to be true.And I want her. If she were anyone else, I’d have made my move years ago, but considering she’s my best friend’s little sister, she’s always been off-limits. Not to mention how much she loathes my very existence. Hating me is her religion, … sister, she’s always been off-limits. Not to mention how much she loathes my very existence.
Hating me is her religion, but needing her is mine. Her sexy curves and filthy smart mouth make me want her even more, and I’m more determined than ever to change her mind.
I’ll prove I’m done playing games.
But until then, we’ll continue to play by her rules.
Viola Fisher may have won the battle, but the war isn’t over yet.
Checkmate, princess.
*Recommend for ages 18+ due to sexual content and adult language.*
**This is Love is book 2 in the Checkmate Duet. You must read This is War first.**
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Travis and Viola are back and still hiding until they are found out…a couple weeks before graduation. That turns into a big blow up, with Drew and Mia, psycho and lying Mia, and Drew going overboard and Viola freaking out. Right after graduation she leaves for Boston for an internship but while there discovers a life changing complication. Six months later she is back and Travis is overjoyed to have her home and just as much in love and thrilled to be a soon to be dad! These two took long enough to figure out how to get along but once they finally got it together they sure did do it right. Make sure you read/listen all the way to the end of this one, it is perfect!
I loved Travis and Viola’s story! I related to Viola’s character so much lol. There were so many sweet, sexy, and emotional moments! This book series had it all!
Checkmate: This is Love is Book 2 in Travis and Viola’s Duet. It’s told in Dual POV but single narration. Lia Langola did just as amazing narrating for both Travis and Viola as she did in Book 1, Checkmate: This is War.
It picks up right where the cliffhanger in Book 1 left off…Travis involved in an accident in what looks like a precarious situation with Viola’s brother’s ex-girlfriend. As we all know in the book world and even the real world, not everything is as it appears. Viola struggled with trusting Travis because let’s face it, he was a grade A prick for most of the first book of their duet before his relationship with Viola developed but I loved getting to see them work through it (and a few other roadblocks) together.
My absolute favorite thing about the second book in their duet was seeing a completely different side of Travis. He had a longggg way to go to redeem himself but once he figured out his feelings he became a totally different person (relationship wise). Travis was dead set on proving he and Viola were meant to be together. He refused to let her give up on them and fought for their HEA.
As always, Kennedy Fox has me invested in the side characters of their books just as much as the main characters—so now I have to find out what happens between Drew and Courtney in the next Duet in the Checkmate Series!
Couldn’t get enough of these two.
Finally we get the conclusion of Travis and Viola. This book has so much going on and will have you suspense as to what is going to happen with them.
We dive right back into where book one ends and finding both Travis and Viola trying to figure out what’s next and how will they ever truly work together. There are a ton of angsty moments and a few hiccups along the way to keep you guessing what will happen. I love this couple and their banter, but I love that they are flawed and still keep that real anticipation of will it work out.
I definitely recommend this book if you want something with angst and love of finding a HEA. These ladies did a fabulous job of giving you the heat and the heart in this ending. Definitely one of my favorites.
Finally we get the conclusion of Travis and Viola. This book has so much going on and will have you suspense as to what is going to happen with them.
We dive right back into where book one ends and finding both Travis and Viola trying to figure out what’s next and how will they ever truly work together. There are a ton of angsty moments and a few hiccups along the way to keep you guessing what will happen. I love this couple and their banter, but I love that they are flawed and still keep that real anticipation of will it work out.
I definitely recommend this book if you want something with angst and love of finding a HEA. These ladies did a fabulous job of giving you the heat and the heart in this ending. Definitely one of my favorites.
So… where can I find myself a Travis King? He went from arrogant and annoying to confident and swoon worthy. In This War, he was so arrogant and frustrating. In This Love, he did a complete 180. He’s absolute perfection. Travis has made it to the top 10 of book boyfriends.
Book one of this duet left on an epic cliffhanger and going at 100 MPH. It picked right up where it left at. Travis and Viola have finally got together but Travis ends up in a car accident. There are some unusual circumstances that are involved but thankfully they’re able to work through them. Kennedy Fox does not disappoint with their plot twists. They are the Queens of them and they surprise me every time. Just when I think I have it figured out, it’s always like “Ha! Watch this plot twist!”
This book is super hot and sweet. Travis had truly changed from his player days and became a man worthy of someone like Viola. Viola is smart and a genuine person who deserves the world which Travis works and provides for her.
I was given a code to listen to the audiobook version of the book. Lia Langola is absolutely amazing. She goes effortlessly from Viola’s voice to Travis’s voice.
The next book in the series is a duet for Viola’s brother, Drew and her best friend, Courtney. I can’t wait to listen to these books. Drew was amazing in this duet and I have a feeling Courtney will be my new book BFF.
Travis and Viola are something else. Viola cracks me up with her love of books, mainly Harry Potter then her constant challenging of Travis. The secret relationship between Travis and Viola is heated and real. Their story made me fall in love. It isn’t the perfect flawless relationship between these two. They have their real issues.
The narrator was amazing on both female and male roles. It’s hard to find a single narrated audiobook where they can pull off both sides and draw the reader/listener in. A perfect narrator to an enjoyable story.
This is the second half of the Checkmate Duet and it follows This is War, which ended in a huge cliffhanger. I found the two books to feel completely different. There was a lot of anger between Travis and Viola in This is War, but This is Love is much sweeter. It’s just as steamy, but much sweeter also. You definitely don’t want to read either book without reading the other and they must be read in order.
Travis was a real tool in the first book. He had a different woman in his bedroom almost every night and kicked them out when he was done with them. In This is Love, he really redeems himself as he becomes totally committed to Viola. There are, of course, some other side stories going on that fill out the plot nicely so that there’s more going on than sex and them trying to hide it from Viola’s big brother.
I listened to the audio version of these books and really enjoyed them. Lia Langola did an awesome job with the narration.
Even Better Than Book 1
Absolutely loved seeing how Viola and Travis’ relationship grew in book 2! Still just as hot as book 1, but it definitely added some extra heart and sweetness in their conversations together. Plus the sneaking around in the beginning, and watching each of their journeys of personal growth makes it even better!!
This is book two is the duet of Travis and Viola. Heart in hand waiting to see what happened with the cliffhanger that was dealt in book one.
These two characters are steamy perfection. The banter and storyline of this couples love story.
Add in a character that you love to hate and there is no stopping the page turning.
I am volunteering to leave a review and recommendation for this duet.
Well, heck. What can I say? That was the best book ever. Viola takes an internship, and Travis is left with the decision to fight for her or move on. This book had me hook line and sinker. I am forever a King girl.
Book 2 in Viola and Travis’ story and I loved every minute of it. The intense attraction and chemistry that was present in book 1 was even stronger in this story. I loved the way they interacted with each other in and out of the bedroom. I was laughing and crying and fanning myself the entire time I was experiencing their story. Wonderful characters that had a wonderful storyline will pull you in from page 1. I can’t wait to dive into Drew’s story.
Wonderful conclusion to “This is War”. Love all the twists and turns. Truly a relatable story line. Definitely pulled at the heart strings. Had me laughing and on the verge of tears at other times. Still had plenty of heat. Kept me on my toes til the end. Travis and Viola got the perfect ending.
This is the final book in the Travis & Viola duet. I’m sure we will get to see them plenty more in the next duet in this series though! I enjoyed this one more (as I tend to do with duets) than the first one, because we got more of their happy ending!
Travis was a much more sensitive and kind guy in this book, which made me finally fall for him more! Violet was still her strong, smart-ass self that I loved in the first book. They really do mesh well in this book and give you all the feels. I think, personally, Violet was the character in this book that did the most growth. Don’t get me wrong, Travis needed to grow, but he seemed to realize that and did it relatively quickly. But Violet grew to be even stronger and more confident in who she was. As the reader, I was almost like a proud mom watching her grow and mature into an amazing woman at the end of the book. It made my little heart so proud.
I really enjoyed getting to see more of Courtney, Violet’s best friend, in this book. I can NOT wait for her and Drew’s books! She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.
If you enjoyed Checkmate: This is War, the first book in this series, you are going to LOVE this second one. You get your happily ever after and all the feels that come with that!!
The Games They Play
THIS was worth sticking around for. Through all the taunting, practical jokes, name calling, insult hurling, and general gamesmanship it would be easy to wonder why Travis and Viola were “worth it” as a couple. Especially in Viola’s case: it seems like she just doesn’t know when to quit throwing those jabs and slinging cruel words. Considering how the characters were at the beginning of book one, it’s sort of amusing that it’s Travis that comes to grips with reality and declares détente long before the brilliant Viola gets it.
But the beauty of this book–of this duet–is that both Travis and Viola grow as individuals, and grow together as they work things out. It’s not an overnight process. But the path they take is both sharply witty and deeply satisfying. This is an awesome read with unique and complex characters, plus a well written storyline that moves these characters and the reader on a trajectory full of turbulence toward a fantastic finish.
After trying to do the right thing Travis finds himself in a predicament when it comes to both Viola and his best friend Drew but despite what appeared to have transpired they both show their trust in him. As the relationship between Travis and Viola strengthens it becomes more complicated trying to keep it a secret from his brother especially since secrets have a way of being exposed at the worst time and in the worst possible way.
Travis is determined to win the heart of the woman he loves even if that means letting her go and hoping that she returns to where she belongs which is with him. Let the angst begin!
Travis has come so far from the playboy he used to be and Viola has matured both in her career and personally that you know they will be able to handle whatever curveballs life throws at them together. The narrator did a great job at bringing out the heat and emotion of the story.
The conclusion of Travis and Viola was just as intense as the first book but in a different way. Feelings were finally already reveal and we got to see the aftermath of them being together and facing obstacles and unexpected surprises that were in their way. The 4.5 Traviola stars read tested whether their relationship was strong enough to face anything that was thrown at them.
My review responses on Audible:
“And Travis & Viola’s story continues….”
Would you listen to Checkmate: This Is Love again? Why?
Yes, definitely yes! This is the conclusion of Travis and Viola’s story so I would totally want to experience their story. Their journey is one that is unforgettable and would love to relive it again.
What does Lia Langola bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She had a way in presenting the characters in a way where regardless if it was a male or female it worked for this listen. She made Travis and Viola unique in her own way.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Yes, there were many moments where the intense feels continued to come out. Moments where I felt I was in the characters’ shoes and thinking about how I would go about the challenges that they were facing.
Gah! I was anxiously waiting to get to this book after that cliffhanger from book 1!! This was the perfect conclusion for this duet. At first I was expecting, Viola to let her insecurities about Travis overrun her emotions after finding out about the accident and that he wasn’t alone. I was glad they were able to communicate first and start to develop trust in their new relationship. I know it killed her (me too, low key) not to know what exactly happened that night of the accident, but she decided to take a leap of faith and trust in Travis. I loved the chemistry between Travis and Viola. Kennedy Fox made you fall and root for Travis and Viola in this book. They finally fought for love and even though they did have a few challenges to face, they were able to overcome them at the end. As a potter-head myself, I enjoyed all the Harry Potter references! I think my new favorite character was Courtney! I am super excited to hear Courtney and Drew’s story in this series. Again, Lia Langola did an amazing job as the narrator. She got all the emotions for each character perfectly.
Checkmate: This is Love is book 2 of the Checkmate series, which starts off where book 1 ended on that huge cliffy that left us all saying “What the What?” or something like that with a few choice adult words that are not nice lol. This was a terrific beginning to a beautiful love relationship of Viola and Travis. It’s was sad at times but others oh so hot. Travis may not be Prince Charming for the fairytale books but he’s a prince in his own special way that makes his man-hoing days look like rubbish in comparison. Wonderful book. Now what the heck is up with V’s brother Drew?! Guess we shall see…
Absolutely phenomenal read! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to finish Travis and Viola’s love story! I love that we get to see them together in this one. We see them start to build their relationship though they are keeping it quiet. They definitely get some wrenches thrown in the way but I love the way that Travis is ready to step up and prove his words. He is more than ready to earn Viola’s trust and show her that he is just her man now and no one else’s. I don’t want to spoil anything so no details but there are some definite twists in the story. There is plenty to grab your attention and hold it the entire way through. I loved that we got this second book to really get Viola and Travis to build a relationship and work through issues. This story doesn’t just end when they realize they want to be together and make it work. We actually get to see them doing that and I loved that! There was no glossing over the issue and it magically going away here. We get to see Travis and Viola work for their happy ending and get to a great place working through the issues that they had and that came up throughout the story. This was a great read and I loved the bits that we got with Courtney and Drew. I love them too! I am really hoping that their story is the next one (I haven’t looked it up yet) but I just adore these two secondary characters and love all the banter between everyone. I laughed out loud listening to this story multiple times! It was hilarious at times and definitely gets you connected emotionally to the story and characters. The narrator did a fantastic job with the story and the voices! I could definitely tell the different characters when they were talking and hear the emotions in the voice. Definitely enhanced the story for me!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
So after that cliffhanger I was ready to see where book 2 would go. I am happy to say Travis did a great job redeeming himself from the jerk he was in book 1. He is still the dirty talking alpha male but you begin to see the softer side to him. In this book both Travis and Viola do a tremendous amount of growing and I love seeing that in romance books. Of course we have some drama as expected with the way the first book ended. I’m happy that Viola stood her ground and decided to move on and try and figure out her own life. This story had romance, low angst, and some sweet moments.