Check & Mate - Ali Hazelwood

Story from the perspective of Mallory Greenleaf who is a chess prodigy however quit before entering the competitive world as a child and 3 years before her father passed away after she found out he was cheating on her mother with a chess referee. Fast forward to  age 18 Mallory who is left with the responsibility of caring for her two younger teenage sisters and ailing mother. Mallory's best friend ropes her into a "fun" competition one weekend and she's pitted against the worlds number 1 chess player who she also had a crush on when she was younger and she wins.  Suddenly her world completely upends and sends her into the competitive chess world.

I may be alone with this opinion but I am a HUGE fan of Ali Hazelwood.  I find the way she writes the characters connections and slow burn, imperfect human emotions and doubts, appealing and draws me in.  I haven't been this deeply connected to books in a long time and it's just hitting something for me in this moment in time.  I appreciate that the incredibly book smart characters she writes about experience the same mind numbing doubts as a normal human being.  And I absolutely cannot get enough of the emotional connection the characters make with each other - even though the writing is thru the eyes of Mallory, you feel Nolan's thought process and can make out what his thinking.

This book has less graphic romance than others of hers that I have read but I still enjoyed it.  And I leaned things about chess I never knew...

I would recommend this book.   

The Maid - Nita Prose

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection. But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

Molly Gray is a character who if I had to describe her according to today's standards I would say is on the spectrum in a LARGE way.  Her social skills at reading peoples sarcasm is non existent and her trust at taking people at face value is well it is criminal that someone would take advantage of it.  Poor Molly gets tied up in a scandal from trusting the wrong people - not for the first time.  The book weaves the story from Molly's perspective and I found it very heartwarming to read about her.  The author was very good at describing how Molly was taken advantage of in a way that you as the reader have no doubt that she was by you can separate Molly and your perspective.  

I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone.