"The queen of geeky romcoms has played another winning move with these rival chess champions "
Hazlewood’s prized corner of the market for writing romcoms about women in STEM has moved into the adjacent field of heroines doing clever mathsy stuff – like elite chess.
I know nothing about chess, except the most important thing: Chess is very sexy. Fortunately, that’s all you need to know to enjoy this novel (though perhaps if you are also a chess geek you’ll also enjoy the references to obscure moves and techniques).
This had the vibe of the best ‘chosen one’ fanfiction, in that you are allowed to blissfully move through the world as an effortlessly attractive, and effortlessly genius young woman, effortlessly befriending other eccentric geniuses, and being the sole interest of the world’s most famously hot chess player, Nolan.
Sure, it sometimes all feels a little disingenuous that a world-championship-level prodigy wouldn’t know about the different competitions she’s being entered for, or bother to research who she’s competing with, or what the prize money is. But let’s be honest, with a fun voice and super hot chemistry, who cares?
Mallory has more relatable problems too – grieving the legacy of an imperfect father, responsible for the financing of her two demanding (and adorable) younger sisters, misunderstanding her unwell mother. Some of my favourite moments were when there was this playful everyday banter between the family members, especially in a memorable scene where Nolan comes to dinner.
| Primary Genre | Romance / Relationship Stories |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
In this clever and swoonworthy new novel from the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life's moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.
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...)
This novel is suitable for both young adult and adult audiences.
Check & Mate features in the following genres: Romance / Relationship Stories, Books of the Month, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Modern and Contemporary romance, Romance: wholesome, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Relationship stories, Fiction, Recommendations, General Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Feel-Good Fiction
Check & Mate is available in Paperback
Check & Mate was written by Ali Hazelwood and published by Sphere an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group
Check & Mate has 352 pages
£9.89
