Review: Checkmate: This is Love (Travis & Viola, #2) by Kennedy Fox

Checkmate: This is Love (Travis & Viola, #2 of the Checkmate Duet Series) by Kennedy Fox 

Publishing Date: November 30, 2016
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pages: 432
Contemporary Romance

The Premise from the Author: "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, 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" (Fox).

*Recommend for ages 18+ due to sexual content and adult language.* **This is Love is book #2 in the Checkmate Duet series. You must read This is War first.**

My overall thoughts and review: So I'm starting to learn that KF likes to end books on cliffhangers which leave you wanting the next book immediately. This is Love takes place right after This is War, so after Travis' accident with Mia. Gosh, if you didn't hate Mia before, you will really hate her in this book. She just loves stirring up trouble for the sake of it. Viola tries her very best to trust Travis and it was incredibly frustrating when he didn't just say what happened and what didn't right from the beginning. You also see more of how Drew is being treated by Mia which is incredibly frustrating, but it's a nice set-up for the next duet of books. In terms of Travis and Viola... you can see they still had their banter this book but the strong all-consuming-rage they had before definitely simmered down, so it was nice to see them just be them. There was still some really intense sexy moments because it is team #Traviola of course, but you also got to see some really sweet moments too. You got to see a lot more of their past again and things do get complicated when Mia finally ~tells~ Drew her messed up version of what happened. Drew also learns about Viola & Travis in the process which doesn't really end well. A big thing happens that separates them and instead of having them just sit and wallow over not being together, you really see both Travis and Viola step up in this moment. Travis finally stands up for himself at work and refuses to take anymore crap that he's had to, and Viola really shines at her new internship job. The best thing about this moment in the book was that they stood as their own individual characters that as a reader you come to love and admire for their strength, and when they worked out their differences and came together, it was really quite sweet. I'm glad things wrapped up nicely for the both of them. Once again, Kennedy Fox includes all the amazing Harry Potter references which makes my heart so, so, happy. It was equal parts sexy and sweet and I definitely can't wait to read the next few books in this series. I love Fox's writing already! They bring together strong and sassy female leads with sweet counterparts, a good dose of drama (MIA EFFIN MONTGOMERY), and a well-rounded aspect of family and friendship. KF are quickly becoming my favorite romance writing duo! ;)

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)

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