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 rook-ie 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…)
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10 books in catalog
Romantic comedies centered on women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics gained widespread popularity through the breakout publication of The Love Hypothesis. Author Ali Hazelwood became a #1 New York Times bestselling writer by weaving genuine academic realities and peer-reviewed research settings into contemporary romance narratives.
Beyond contemporary academic romances, Hazelwood has expanded her bibliography into young adult fiction and paranormal romance, while also having published peer-reviewed scientific articles on brain science.
Originally from Italy, Hazelwood lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Alongside her academic training, she conducted research and authored peer-reviewed papers on brain science where, as she noted, no one makes out and happy endings are not guaranteed. She served as a university professor for about three years before quitting in 2022 to write fiction full-time.
Hazelwood published her debut novel, The Love Hypothesis, in September 2021. It became a New York Times bestseller and entered development for a feature film adaptation. Outside of writing, her interests include running, crocheting, eating candy and cake pops, browsing AO3, and spending time with her husband and three cats.
Hazelwood's work frequently highlights women working in male-dominated STEM fields and higher education. Her narratives combine realistic academic competition and career stress with romantic comedy tropes such as fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, and workplace rivalries.
Her bibliography spans multiple subgenres, including contemporary adult romance, young adult literature, and supernatural fiction. Her characterization emphasizes witty banter, intellectual passion, emotional vulnerability, and high-stakes personal dilemmas.
