“Check & Mate” by Ali Hazelwood

Romance fans, if you love a rivals-to-lovers story with banter, heart, and a chessboard, this one is a winner.

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. The game destroyed her family four years ago, and now her focus is her mom, her sisters, and the job that keeps the lights on. Then she reluctantly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and wipes the board with Nolan Sawyer, the reigning world champion and the bad boy of chess. His loss shocks everyone, and her win opens a door to cash prizes her family badly needs. It also pulls her back into the game, and toward the infuriatingly irresistible Nolan.

This is Ali Hazelwood’s first young adult romance, so it’s sweet, funny, and full of swoon, and it works just as well for adult readers. It won a Goodreads Choice Award.

This paperback is in good condition, and you can find it at Dead Tree Dreams. Your move!