Chess Masters

[something something checkmate pun]

I will be the first to admit that I find chess extremely boring in real life, but, like baseball, I love it in fiction. I think because they’re both really quiet, patient, cerebral games, and they play better on the page (or screen) because we get better insight into the players and, in the case of books, into what’s going on in their minds. We also get to skip to the fun stuff, rather than having to sit and watch people silently consider things for hours on end.

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan. The first of The Brothers Sinister series (lol, especially considering how they came up with that name within the narrative) is admittedly my least favorite of the four, but I think it takes some of the most interesting swings, even if they don’t all quite connect for me. It’s also Courtney Milan, so “least favorite” is relative. It’s still a great book that I think of often, but the other three books are SUCH bangers that it’s natural they couldn’t all hit the exact same high. It’s a necessary starting point, though, in my opinion.

Let’s set the scene. Years ago, a scandal led Minerva “Lane” to change her name and duck away from the spotlight. Unfortunately, in the present day, she’s finding herself back in the center of attention when Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, starts to take notice of her. And like her! They’re both tireless advocates of labor rights (Robert because he wants to set himself up as Not His Father). But the SCANDAL! They can’t possibly be together, or achieve their shared goals for better labor practices and protections!

Unless… they’re strategic about this. Minnie’s a chess expert, and she uses this to maneuver public opinion to ensure success. Even when it looks like they’re headed for a checkmate.

This is also a book with an unsatisfying first sex scene, which is always a challenge and a risk, but I really appreciate that Courtney Milan doesn’t pull her punches. They’re both virgins! But they love each other, and eventually they figure it out (though their initial reaction is genuinely very funny. These poor uneducated kiddos).

How hot? 🔥🔥🔥

The Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore. The final book of Evie Dumore’s stunning first series (which was featured in my first ever Forced Proximity!) made me cry a lot. Sorry not sorry that women working together for the betterment of womenkind makes me emotional. Who’s the president right now? Ugh.

Catriona Campbell is the bookish daughter of a Scottish professor, part of the suffragist society from the first three books, and quickly despairing of ever finding love for herself. She’s too odd, too learned. But a surprise meeting with Elias Khoury, alleged classifier of ancient artifacts, makes her think perhaps her desire won’t be entirely unfulfilled.

Elias, for his part, likes the daughter of his mark a little too much. Mark?? That’s right. He’s not at Oxford just to identify artifacts brought to the UK from the Middle East… he’s here to steal them and return them to their rightful governments. “This [doesn't] belong[s] in a museum!” Good shit.

There’s a lot of chess in this book, used as a way to gather intel, prove accord, and so much more. But with such dangerous stakes, can their burgeoning relationship withstand long enough for them to not just win their games… but also a future together?

How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥

This Duchess Of Mine by Eloisa James. I wrote about another book in this series a few weeks back, and this one was one of the more fascinating of that extremely controversial series! Because it’s their home that acts as a battleground for a lot of the previous books.

Jemma, Duchess of Beaumont, thought she would be so happy within her arranged marriage to Elijah, but when mere days (maybe weeks) after their marriage she finds him screwing his mistress on his desk at Parliament (incredible), she absconds to France and proceeds to have nine years estranged, fanning the flames of rumors that she’s having tons of her OWN affairs too. There may have been some, er, artistic license, though.

Due to his guilt over the situation (there were some extenuating circumstances, but the book never completely lets him off the hook, which I appreciated), Elijah has let his wife run amok for a while, but he needs an heir, so in the first book in the series he summons her home to London for breeding purposes. Hot.

Now that they’re back under the same roof, though, it’s clear that their current marital estrangement isn’t what either of them want. So Jemma ends up initiating a scandalous chess match, one move per day, between him and a potential sexual rival (or so he and the rest of the aristocracy assumes). But her actual strategy is far more complex than it appears.

They are MESSY, they are COMPLEX, and they are a joy (and a grimace) to read. Just like with the Courtney Milan book in this roundup, Eloisa James takes a LOT of swings with this book/series, and I respect the hell out of her for them.

How hot? 🔥🔥🔥

---

Next week, I’ll be sharing my interview with indie historical romance author Aydra Richards!

What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!

Follow me on social: Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky

Available now: my debut marriage of convenience romance Rehabbing the Billionaire! Buy your copy on Amazon, or snag it on Kindle Unlimited! Then, rate it on Goodreads to help more people discover it!