Checkmate: This Is Reckless

Checkmate Duet, Book 3

By: Kennedy Fox

Narrated by: Lia Langola

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

Introducing book one in the new Checkmate Duet series from a secret duo of USA Today best-selling authors! This friends-to-lovers romance will have you swooning and laughing from the beginning to the end! Are you ready to play the game?

Drew Fisher is the type of guy every girl wants.

Noble police officer by day, charming prince by night.

He has no idea the effect he has on women, especially me - his little sister's best friend.

I'm the blonde Southern belle who lives up to the cliché, except I have my own quirks. I'm smart as a whip, can change my own oil, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance backward, but he doesn't see that girl.

It'd be easier to forget him if he wasn't my roommate and if the first thing I saw in the morning wasn't his shirtless body covered in tattoos. I've crushed on him since the day we met, but he's made it perfectly clear where we stand. Just friends.

I know I need to move on and accept that his feelings will never be mutual, but every day he smiles at me, I'm left dreaming of what if.

He has girl issues, and I've got a crush I can't deny.

We're friends, but I want more.

One drunken hookup leaves us with much more than a platonic friendship. Pretending it never happened proves to be more difficult than anticipated.

A crazy ex-girlfriend, a dangerous war of stolen glances, and passionate kisses leads to the most reckless battle yet. I won't be a pawn in his game, but I'll play by his rules if it will show him I'm the one worth breaking them for.

Checkmate, Prince Charming.

Recommend for ages 18+ due to sexual content and adult language.

©2017 Kennedy Fox (P)2017 Kennedy Fox

Love Drew and Courtney!

If you could sum up Checkmate: This Is Reckless in three words, what would they be?

Friends. Lovers. Muffins (blueberry)

What other book might you compare Checkmate: This Is Reckless to and why?

There are tons of friends to lovers books out there, but I would probably compare it to romantic comedies like Lauren Blakely's Full Package. Lots of laughs and steam ;) There's also a bit of taboo (best friend's brother) and a slow burn build-up thrown in for good measure.

What about Lia Langola’s performance did you like?

I think her male voices are awesome, but her performance as Courtney was AMAZING!! I loved the southern accent and the way she delivered the perfect amount of sass and attitude, but also vulnerability. Amazing narration!!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I could have, I would have! The witty banter between all the characters had me laughing out loud and I really loved the chemistry between Drew and Courtney as well as the friendship with Viola and Travis.

Any additional comments?

This is book 1 of this duet (the second book has already been released though). The conclusion to Drew and Courtney's story can be found in Checkmate: This is Effortless.

My Two Pennies

Audiobook wise, incredible! I've listened to this entire series though audio (as well as having the paperback) because I'm hooked on the narration by Lia. Amazing job each and every time. On to the book, hello Deputy Fisher. Courtney & Drew have always been teasing and joking with eachother and she has always spoken her mind about Mia, Drew's girlfriend. I seriously cannot stand that woman and it irks me that Drew is constantly going back to her over and over again. When Courtney moves in with Drew their bond is stronger then ever even though Mia is clearly not happy about it. Courtney won't tell Drew how she truly feels about him deep down and past the friendship zone. I loved seeing this story develop with all the twists and turns. That ending.... whattttt? I cannot wait to read This Is Effortless. As much as this can be read as a standalone I recommend reading the entire Checkmate Series because each and every book is AMAZINGLY GOOD. This is without a doubt MUST READ.

Not exactly a checkmate

Courtney and Drew are best friends and room mates. Courtney has had a crush on Drew for a very long time but there is one thing standing in her way... Mia. Drew's on again off again girlfriend, Mia, is manipulative, obnoxious and determined. When Drew finally sees her true self, they break up and now it's Courtney's chance.

I loved the sexy times, the familial drama and the circle of friends. What I didn't enjoy was the lack of real chemistry until one day and then it was off the chart. I would have liked to see that from the beginning so it wasn't such a shock to see these 2 characters hook up. I also felt like the story line was pretty predictable and juvenile. It just wasn't deep enough, there was so much that could have and should have gone wrong but instead, it's light and everything is on the surface and doesn't get scratched very deeply. I did really enjoy the roommates to lovers plot though.

The shining star was Lia Langola. She played both the male and female POV and that is so hard to do but she pulled it off and did a great job in the process. The sound quality and voice quality was spot on. No popping or outside noises, this was a stellar audio.

Wow!

I really enjoyed this book…Drew and Courtney are a perfect match and I loved the development of their relationship from friends to lovers. A couple of crazy twists and turns in this story…after that cliffy, I’m ready to start part 2!! I would definitely recommend this one! Great narration too!!

Best friends to lovers at its best. Sigh.

Are you a listener of audiobooks? If so, has it ever happened to you that you picked up a book because you loved the narrator and not because you knew / loved the author and / or were intrigued by the book? Because that’s exactly what happened to me with THIS IS RECKLESS by Kennedy Fox. Lia Langola is one of my absolute favorite narrators and I’m excited every time she has a new release. …which might have also to do with the fact that I’m drooling over her male voices every. Single. Time. The way she speaks Drew in this book? OMG, delicious! No, I’m not ashamed to admit my crush. Try one of her narrations and you will understand what I’m talking about!

So, back to the book itself. I haven’t read the first two books in this series, so I was completely new to the characters.

Courtney and Drew have been living together as roommates for a few years; and what started as a simple living arrangement slowly but surely transformed into a strong and solid friendship – now they are best friends. What Drew does not know though is that Courtney’s feelings for him are far from platonic. How they can live and spend so much time together with Drew not picking up on those telltales is beyond me, but oh well… men!
Besides, Drew was far too occupied with his on again off again high maintenance girlfriend Mia. Mia was a jealous and manipulative – I’d even go as far as to say heartless – woman and anything but easy. What was easy was Drew’s relationship with Courtney. To see them interact even if only as friends was incredibly sweet.
It takes one night of drunken unbridled passion for Drew to finally albeit slowly wake up and see what was right in front of him the entire time.
Once the resulting misunderstanding was out of the way, I just couldn’t stop alternating between swooning and fanning myself. Those two were on fire!

Those two have the most perfect relationship – the one that everyone strives for: loving and supportive – passionate and adventurous. On the same wavelength in their love and every other aspect of their lives. That’s what it’s like when you are in love with your best friend.

So, Mia… what a seriously demented and god-awful person. If someone shoved her off a cliff I would probably applaud them for doing so. That woman was insane! What Drew could ever see in her I will never understand. He was utterly gullible when it came to her.
And that is not the only time I wanted to smack some sense into him. He was so oblivious to Courtney; to him she always has been one of the ‘guys’.
But that was exactly what made Courtney so special: Because she is not your cliché heroine. She is honest and real, true to her beliefs. Major girl crush over here. And her baking obsession was downright adorable! Can I have one of those blueberry muffins too, please??

That ending though… A moment before I was swooning over how adorable they were as a couple and the next I wanted to smash my Kindle. …I mean I know something like this was coming but still … talk about an intense cliffhanger!!

This was the first book I’ve read by the author duo Kennedy Fox and I’m seriously already salivating for more. And meeting Violet and Travis in this book definitely has me wanting to go back and read their story as well.

If you love friends to lovers romances this one should be a mandatory one-click for you. I urge you to read it even if it’s not your favorite genre!

This Book Was Fantastic !!!!!

After listening to Kennedy Fox's first two books I was so excited to get my hands on this one . I have been shipping Drew and Courtney together since the very first check mate book. When I heard out that this book was about them I was so excited!!. Drew has friend zone Courtney mainly because he only had eyes for Mia ( who I just cannot stand lol seriously when he breaks up with her for the last time I did. A happy dance lol) . However he starts to see Courtney in a new light in this book and this is really where things start to take off in the story .I love Drew and Courtney together and I think they are absolutely perfect for each other, ever moment we spend with them weather they were having sexy times or having an argument or just being too cute for words was perfect. Kennedy Fox did an amazing job writing this story and I am so excited to listen to this is effortless . The Narrator Lia Langola did a fantastic job ! in my eyes she can do no wrong , Courtney is from Texas and the accent that she uses was just so authentic I dont know how she makes each character sound so different but she does and it just shows you how talented she is as narrator , she adds the right amount of emotion to every word , sentence and scene and nothing sounds off , the narration was amazing !I would recommend this audio book to any one who wants to listen to sexy fun contemporary romance .

Good Guy gets the Girl

What did you like best about Checkmate: This Is Reckless? What did you like least?

I loved the narration. Lia Langola did an excellent job with this one. What I like the least was the secondary characters. The beginning of the book was too much like an epilogue for the first duet series which kind of dragged on for me. There is also a bit of set up for the characters in the next duet series. I wish the focus would have been more on Drew and Courtney for most of the book.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked that Drew wanted to wait to be with Courtney again and how she would test his will power.

Any additional comments?

I did like this book. Drew was a really good guy and I like him with Courtney. I wish there were more scenes with Mia because this book was kind of flat in the drama department. I think the authors wanted to show Drew and Courtney at their best because from that ending you can tell the poop is going to hit the fan in the next book. I wish it was less set up for that and more story but I did enjoy it and would recommend this one.

Major Cliffhanger at the end of this book.

A copy was provided for review by the narrator.

Well worth losing sleep to finish this one!

**Warning - NOT for the faint of heart! If you hate cliffhangers, be prepared to buy the conclusion! This is technically the 3rd book in the series, but you can read this one as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the first two, so you'll be more involved with the characters and their history. I laughed SO hard at times, and my cheeks still hurt. The ending threw me for a loop and Caused me to read two books in one night.

Courtney has been in love with her best friend Viola's brother, Drew for the longest time, but she's never acted on it since she had a boyfriend since High School. Now that she's a free woman, Drew has put her in the "friend corner". The chemistry is unreal between the two main characters, and I love how strong Courtney is. Drew is a sweetheart, who needs to take off the blinders when it comes to his ex-wanker, Mia. Don't get annoyed with him, it takes him a while to see the light, but I promise it's worth it!

I loved this book and highly recommend it, as well as the entire series! I couldn't put it down, but it was well worth the lack of sleep. Lia brings the characters to life beautifully. I could listen to her read the dictionary and still be entertained!

Great book! Great series! Great authors!

Where does Checkmate: This Is Reckless rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would listen to all of these books on audio.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Checkmate: This Is Reckless?

I love the beginning when Drew starts to realize his feelings for Courtney, especially the wedding!

Which character – as performed by Lia Langola – was your favorite?

Courtney because of her country accent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Do you count being horny while listening an extreme reaction? LOL. I laughed a lot and mad because of Mia-Fucking-Montgomery and her dumb ass presents when it was not wanted!

Any additional comments?

I was never really into audio books. I always enjoyed actually reading the book than listening, I tend to find myself daydreaming. For a while though I had an audible membership, but I was paying for something I wasn't using and at one point I had six credits. I basically downloaded all the Harry Potter books because they are something I can listen to but not really have to pay attention, and cancelled my membership.Then Kennedy Fox offered me a copy of This is Reckless to listen to for review because of it's audio release. Let me tell you, I loved it! I listened to it in the car, while I was cleaning my apartment and in bed at night. It is a book I have already read,, but listening to it was almost just as much fun. *Let's be real though, reading a book for the first time is always the best.*The narrator was good, a bit cheesy at times but she was good. It still didn't deter how I feel about this book, about this entire series and the wonderful ladies who created these characters that many of us have grown to swoon over. I highly recommend this series, whether you read the physical book, ebook, or listen to the audio book. But, ultimately, I am reviewing the audio book.Storyline: 5 FoxesNarrator: 4 FoxesOverall: 5 swoon worthy Foxes!

Should have had a cliffhanger alert

Where does Checkmate: This Is Reckless rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was okay, an interesting storyline, a decent reader. If I had known it was a cliffhanger I wouldn't have bothered.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a cop story, and showed a great amount of respect for the risks that they take.

Which character – as performed by Lia Langola – was your favorite?

Like, Mia...

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not particularly. Although the narration was generally good, sometimes it seemed as if she tried too hard to be convincing, and the story, while generally good, was overly saccharine at times.

Any additional comments?

I was given a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts on This is Reckless

I was so excited for Courtney and Drew’s story after finishing Travis and Viola’s duet. I fell in love with both characters when they were in the supporting role, so I was extremely excited to see them move into the starring position. And from the very beginning this story did not disappoint. This was friends to lovers at its finest. Even if one of the friends always wanted it to be more. This was steamy and funny and romantic and just fantastic. I loved the way it unfolded and then as it was building and the different twists and obstacles were thrown in, I was even more hooked on what was going on. And then that ending! I’ve hated Mia for a while now, but it really and truly blew my mind what an utterly hate-able character Kennedy Fox created when I read that ending. I’m so anxious to see what’s going to happen in part two of this duet, and yet I can’t wait to get started.

I am so happy Lia Langola performed this book. She’s one of the narrators that I love listening to. She not only brings the right emotion to the story at the right time and does a good job of giving different tones to the different characters, but she also has a pretty dang good male voice. She’s one of those few narrators I don’t mind having as the only one even when there are male and female chapters because her male voice is really good.

Overall, this was another great story by Kennedy Fox and even though I normally don’t love cliffhangers, this one was expected and was so good it’s kind of hard to mind it when you know that just means there’s more story to come.

Drew & Courtney!

Courtney has been in love with her roommate Drew for a while but he has never seen her as more than a friend due to his relationship with his on again/off again girlfriend Mia. One night changes everything but between a traumatic event and his past things are about to become complicated.

Drew is a police officer and the brother of Courtney's best friend. He has accepted everything his drama filled girlfriend has thrown at him until she forces him to choose between her and Courtney which turns out now to be a choice at all however she isn't going to let him go so easily.

Drew has deserved so much more than the treatment he has received from Mia and Courtney is everything he needs in his life and more. This is the first part of a duet that ends on a cliffhanger that leaves us wondering what the future holds for this couple. The narrator did a great job at bringing out all the emotion and angst of the story.

Off the charts steam!

My review consists of 3 words. 🤬Mia effing Montgomery 🤬

I reeeeeeally hate her. Checkmate: This is Reckless is likely to be the 🔥hottest🔥 Kennedy Fox book I’ve read/listened to to date. It’s steam factor was off the charts. The best part about this book was there was a good chunk of the Bishop Ranch thrown in 😍 I knew the ending was going to be a doozy because everything was just too good for Drew and Court, but I did not expect that. Looking forward to answers in the next part of the story.

A fantastic friends to lovers romance

After finishing the first duet in the Checkmate series for Travis and Viola, I couldn't have been more curious to listen to Courtney and Drews story. I think this is one of my favourite friends to lovers romances, Drew and Courtney's chemistry is so clear despite them being best friends. Our Hero and heroine have been living together for over 2 years and yet still Mia *eye twitches and growls* is still around being her repulsive self. When the night of Travis and Viola's wedding finally leads to a drunken rendezvous between Drew and Courtney, the fun really begins.

Lia Langola did an amazing job on the Audio for this one, she really established her vocal performance for both characters making it really easy to follow for a solo narration audiobook. Drew and Courtney couldn't be better matched and I loved getting to know what a down to earth, adorable guy Drew really is. This book had a playfulness about and a levity I loved. Once Drew realised that Courtney really is the girl for him he had no problem putting Mia in her place and showing his stern police officer authority (hot dayum). I was happily enjoying the banter and happy place the story was taking me, until the last minute of the audiobook when holy moly! what in the ever loving........was that cliff hanger *gasps, blinks, picks jaw up off floor* Needless to say I am off to grab the next book in the story before I go insane wanting answers!

Whaaaaaaat?!

Umm... I have SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
WTAF?!
Drama, love, crazy, sexy and vindictive are all words I could use to describe this book.
I love Courteney and Drew as a couple.
They love hard and are just perfect for each other.
Mia... I want to do some very nasty things to that vile human.
That ending?! I’m pulling my hair out!
Lia did another amazing job with narration but I desperately NEED THE NEXT PIECE.

Loved Drew and Courtney

Fun, drama free, low angst, friends to lovers. Just what I wanted to listen to. I need part 2 right now. While it can be a standalone their story begins in the previous books so I would suggest listening to them first to really understand everyone. Excellent narration.

4.5 Stars

After reading Travis and Viola's story, I was more than interested to see how Drew and Courtney would get together. The friends to lovers trope always rings my bell, especially when it's best friends and there's plenty of longing. I personally adored quirky Courtney a bit more than Viola and the way she helps Drew loosen up was incredible. Plus seeing those cameos? Perfection. The chemistry between Drew and Courtney is what makes this book so binge able. Add on the incredible audio by Lia Langola and you got another KF winner. I cannot wait to get my hands on a audio of book 2of this duet. I volunteered to listen and review a complimentary copy of this. All opinions are my own.

cliffhanger

omg what a way to finish i have got to start on book 2 immediatly