This is Beautiful - Checkmate: Logan & Kayla, Book 2

Checkmate Duet Series, Book 6

By: Kennedy Fox

Narrated by: Lia Langola

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The anticipated conclusion of the Logan & Kayla saga in the Checkmate Duet Series from a secret duo under the USA Today best-selling author pseudonym, Kennedy Fox!

This second-chance romance will have you gasping and cheering these two on from the first to the last moment! Are you ready to play the final game?

Kayla Sinclair is a saint and real life Angel.

She wears her heart on her sleeve and inspires me to be a better person. 

Rescuing dogs, feeding the homeless, volunteering at the local food pantry are just a few of the ways she gives back to others, although no one has ever been there for her.

Falling for her was inevitable, losing her will destroy me.

Letting someone in didn't come easy, but she made me want to try for the first time in years.

Her bubbling personality and kind spirit make it impossible to forget a girl like her.

But when tragedy strikes and she loses all memory that our relationship ever existed, my worst nightmare comes to life.

I'll do anything to remind her of the love we shared. I know it'll be an uphill battle, but I won't walk away without a fight. Whoever said all is fair in love and war never played by my rules.

Checkmate, Angel.

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

©2017 kennedy Fox (P)2017 Kennedy Fox

must read!

I am so sad the series is ending!!! The story of Kayla and Logan is amazing. I can't wait to read more from Kennedy Foxx!

I Will Miss These Friends!

4.5 Stars

This is the conclusion of Logan and Kayla's journey. The story picks up right where it left off. It was a ride, I did feel that some of the previous issues were just glossed over or forgotten about so I didn't get as much closure as I had hoped for. Overall, I did love this story and will miss this group of friends and their relationships.

This specific video review will be included in the December 2018 wrap-up.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

sweet finale to a great series

Finally after 6 books, weren't not left with a cliffhanger 😉

The conclusion to Logan and Kayla's story picks up right where it left off.

Without giving too much of the plot away, it was an interesting journey to watch Kayla and Logan navigate this obstacle in their relationship. When it reached the breaking point, I had a huge lump in my throat and I almost cried with the amount of emotion the authors wrote into that scene.

There were nearly tears of joy/relief a little while later, too. This book was full of feels and definitely one I went soon forget!

The beautiful ending we needed!

This was by far my favorite book in terms of character growth and storyline. Yes, it may have been a little predictable but it did not disappoint. In my opinion, it had the best character development and storyline. It does an amazing job of giving you what you want but also keeping you in suspense. The ending was my favorite because it really felt like both characters got their happy ending, unlike previous books. I love the whole series but this book was my personal favorite.

Sweet story

This is the second book in Logan and Kayla’s duet, and I enjoyed seeing their romance blossom again this time. In the first book, Kayla chased Logan a lot, and really wanted him to love her in return. He had some hesitation and tries to put her aside, but their romance was inevitable. After the cliffhanger from the first book, Kayla’s recovery is central to this story. She doesn’t remember the last few years, and that includes not remembering Logan. I like that he had to work for her this time around, and that they built their friendship again before leading to romance.

The audio with Lia Langola is great! This is one of the earlier books in the series, so it’s a single narrator, but I enjoyed it!

Would not load on my Kindle

Very disappointing that I have so much trouble getting this to load on the Kindle app.

Sickly Sweet

I couldn’t give the book any lower rating as I completed both stories.

Narration was pretty decent for a female doing a man’s voice. The female voice was so too sweet. I’m not sure if that contributed to my annoyance.

FMC I absolutely couldn’t deal with her martyr complex. I get it she’s saves dogs, volunteers all the time, she’s a saint. Even the reveal about the adoption, give me a break. She was such a bleeding heart I spent half the time rolling my eyes. If I had to hear “Knight in shining armor “ one more time I was going to puke. So she is the most saccharine human, but down for whatever in the bedroom. Is Kennedy Fox a dude because this seems like a man’s ideal woman.

MMC was at least a little interesting. His struggle with PTSD gave him a modicum of realism. It still felt like the most romanticized version of a man I’ve ever read. I get you love your kid, but telling them no sometimes is good parenting. He was the only one willing to do the right thing, the hard thing.

These books aren’t for me. The steam was decent when you finally got there. It at least washed out the taste of all the redundant clichés.
The book flirted with really tough situations but never went in.
By the end of the book I wanted a bomb to explode on the town with no survivors.

Best story of the series

I was hooked on all the checkmate duets but Logan and Kayla’s story was by far my favorite! I’ve never cried so hard reading a book! I just loved their story!!

5+ THIS IS BEAUTIFUL STARS!!!

My heart hurts yet is so full at the same time. I am so sad that this series is over. A year and six books and I will go back for re-reads often. Even if it's just a chapter here or there. I'm so invested in these characters, and in turn in these two inspiring and amazing authors. Lia Langola did an absolutely brilliant job at narrating these stories and bringing these characters to life.

This second half of Layla and Logan's story was unbelievably good and completely exceeded my expectations. After being left with such a heart wrenching cliffhanger at the end of book one, Checkmate: This is Dangerous, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this to see what road Kennedy Fox took us down next. I was not disappointed. The added twists and turns were a great addition to the story line and like always I love seeing what the rest of the gang is up to!

Logan Knight is still all the feels! He is so swoony, hunky, protective, and most of all sweet. He is challenged in this book and I loved watching him adjust to the crazy situations at hand. Kayla is still the stubborn, sassy, and caring "crazy" dog lady, who is constantly putting people and animals before herself. She is put to the test, just as much, if not more than Logan. Watching this two interact and deal with the challenges and struggles was extremely emotional! I was angry. I was sad. I was frustrated. I was happy. Their chemistry never fails but the bumps in the road force them to try to figure out how to get back together emotionally.

Just a quick FYI, you will never, and I repeat NEVER, look at donuts the same way ever again. No regrets.

If you haven't read this series, I don't know what you're waiting for. Go meet the amazing characters that make up the entire Checkmate series! I can't wait for what Kennedy Fox have in store for us next!

I think these two are my new favorite

I loved Courtney and Drew but now I think Logan and Kayla are my new favorite. This is book two and their conclusion so make sure you have listened to book one first. Logan and Kayla have such a great chemistry together. They both have had some hard times in their pasts that have shaped who they are now. Logan wasn’t looking for a relationship when he met Kayla but now wants a life with her. Kayla is a sweet and loving soul and has wanted a chance with Logan since she met him. I love how this book played out and it definitely has all the feels. The narrator did a great just as well with these two.

Full of emotion

What a fantastic ending to Logan and Kayla's story and the series!
I found myself laughing one minute and crying the next. With all the twists and turns throughout, you'll be left hoping they find their way to happiness together! As always the narrator is perfect and brings the story to life!
Can't wait to see what this duo write next...

Logan & Kayla

After the little cliffy from the previous book I was desperately looking forward to finding out why and how that happened to Kayla (sorry no spoilers). My mind was going through so many scenarios (long lost person from the past, secret person from the past, boss related, dog related, friend related) so finding out what it actually was I felt a tiny bit disappointed.
I know this book is suppose to wrap the series in a tidy little bow but I was expecting more action like the previous duets so I deducted one star… (I feel like a judge in a tv competition deducting points). (:
Lia Langola as usual is amazing and this series, as good as it is, was more enjoyable because of Lia’s amazing narration.

Kayla and Logan!

The love story of Kayla and Logan continues but they have hit a roadblock as they find out that Kayla’s physical injuries after the accident were much easier to heal than her loss of memory for the last two years. Her body remembers Logan, but her heart doesn’t which leaves her confused and wondering where they go from here.

Now that Kayla no longer remembers him, he regrets all the time that they lost before they became a couple and he kept pushing her away. He has been advised by her doctors that he shouldn’t give her any information she doesn’t remember, and he is devastated that he will lose the one woman who will always hold his heart.

Kayla and Logan take us on an emotional and suspenseful journey as they try to deal with the past she doesn’t remember and the past that Logan can’t forget. The narrators did a great job at bringing out the angst of the story and the characters.

My Thoughts on This is Beautiful

This book definitely took me on an emotional roller-coaster. I felt my anxiety level rising as the book continued and the incidents that happened in the end of This is Dangerous continued. I felt so bad for Logan. He was so clearly affected and I was just desperate for something to happen to fix things for them. The moment that changed everything for the better was perfect. It was emotional, and sweet, and just perfect. It kind of made everything that came before worth it. I was certainly happy for that because the angst was killing me.

Lia Langola gave another fantastic performance for this one. She really does have one of those voices that makes it hard for me to miss having a male voice for the guy chapters. I really have enjoyed her during this whole series. She did good accents and great energy and passion and emotion all when needed. I look forward to more books from her in future.

Overall another great story from Kennedy Fox and I am excited to try more from them.

Logan and Kayla are GOALS!

Ok wow! Kayla and Logan are my official, Checkmate series couple!! I cannot get enough of this pair and I would have happily read more of their story. Logan only had eyes for Kayla, no matter what happened, and what happened was heartbreaking. I was so sad for both of them (in different ways) when the tragedy occurred, it just broke my heart. Steam factor as always was off the charts and with a story line to boot, This is Beautiful was the best conclusion, not only for Kayla and Logan, but for the entire Checkmate series.

A fantastic ending for a fabulous series

This is Beautiful is the final book in Logan and Kayla's story, as well as the final book in the checkmate series and what a ride it's been. Following on from the cliff hanger in This is Dangerous we pick up with Logan at the hospital trying to come to terms that Kayla doesn't remember the last few years of her life or the people in it including him.

The story progressed as I expected in a sense that Kayla would have to fall in love with Logan all over again but it wasn't repetitive and it didn't go quite to plan. Kennedy Fox brought some unpredictability, some human variation to a predictable storyline and they crafted the perfect story for Logan and Kayla. I love that we didn't just get a repeat of dates gone by or a retelling of their relationship to the point of the accident. The journey felt organic and unforced and Kayla's slow building emotions or lack there off surprised me.

My heart really hurt for Logan, what he goes through in this book pulls hard on your heartstrings; but at the same time you sympathise with Kayla too and losing that time from your memory and seeing evidence of the life you did have and don't remember everywhere you turn must be tough. Despite the journey Hero and heroine take in this final book, of course everything works out and I was very happy with how this duet and the series as a whole turned out. Once again Lia Langola did a phenomenal job narrating the audiobook. She really understood Logan and Kayla's emotional journey and portrayed it perfectly.

Great finish to the duet and series

Wow. Great progression of Logan & Kayla's relationship arc. I loved how all of the different storylines played out and most importantly concluded (I hate when loose ends are not tied up). The narrator, Lia Langola, was just as fabulous as always.

I can't believe this series is over

What a ride. Logan and Kayla really went through it. I think this might be the most angst heavy yet. I love all the characters and the way Kennedy Fox can make any trope a favourite is a work of magic. Lia Langola once again knocked it out the park audio wise. I'm gutted this series is over. I volunteered to listen and review a complimentary copy of this. All opinions are my own.

Tragically beautiful

Lia never fails to amaze me with her voice acting.
She voices multiple characters almost seamlessly - and puts so much emotion into her storytelling that you feel like you are living in their world.

Kayla and Logan are a stunning disaster.
Their story was filled with drama, uncertainty, sadness, tears of joy, steam and happiness.

Add in their crazy group activities, a cute kid and fur babies for everyone and you have a book you don’t want to put down.
It was an emotional roller coaster for sure, but so, so worth it.