Check & Mate
Narrated by Karissa Vacker
Why Listen to This Audiobook?
You don't need to know what a Sicilian Defense is to feel every move these two make toward each other.
- Great if you want: enemies-to-lovers romance wrapped in a niche competitive world
- Listening experience: banter-heavy and fast — disappears in one long weekend
- Narration: Vacker handles Mallory's dry, guarded voice with real precision
- Skip if: slow-burn restraint frustrates you — this leans into tension quickly
About This Audiobook
A young woman who swore off chess finds herself dragged back into the game after accidentally defeating the world champion at a charity tournament. Mallory Greenleaf has spent years protecting her family from the fallout of a chess-related upheaval, but the prize money is too good to ignore, and the reigning champion, Nolan Sawyer, is too intriguing to walk away from. Ali Hazelwood brings her signature blend of sharp banter and slow-burn romance to a YA setting, using competitive chess as both backdrop and metaphor for the strategic push-and-pull between two people who are very good at thinking several moves ahead.
Karissa Vacker delivers a warm, grounded performance that captures Mallory's dry humor and emotional guardedness without tipping into melodrama. Her pacing mirrors the tension of tournament play, building through quiet character moments before accelerating into high-stakes confrontations. At just under ten hours, the audiobook moves briskly, making it an easy single-weekend listen for fans of rivals-to-romance storytelling.
