⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Absolutely. Check & Mate is a heartwarming story of rediscovering passions and finding that one perfect person.

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. Nolan’s loss to an unknown rookie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist. As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent… and infuriating…)

MY THOUGHTS

Nolan is a beautiful, beautiful soul. It needs to be said twice. It was very clear that chess was his only obsession until Mallory came along. She was his perfect match and just about the only person that really understood him. He was an equally disruptive but important force in her life. Mallory had to grow up very quickly and for a long time her life revolved around taking care of her family when she should’ve had the chance to just be a young woman discovering her own interests. Their family and friends and fellow chess afficionados added so much dimension and heart.

I loved the chess details. I don’t play chess, but I love technical details in general, so it worked for me.

This book made me cry and smile, sometimes at the same time. The writing was engaging and kept me glued to the pages until the very end. I can highly recommend this book if you like YA or NA romance. See what other readers are saying on Goodreads.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: November 7, 2023
Sensuality Rating: Subtle