NEW COVER. SAME SEXY STORIES!SINFUL GAMES is a 2019 RITA Nominee.“She made the first move, so I’m all in and ready to play.” —Oscar (Oz) StrongSometimes life gets f&%#ed up. Is it my fault?Usually.I might be a literal genius in biochemistry. I might have made the right choice when I let two of my college chess team buddies talk me into putting my brain and my multiple degrees to work in an … putting my brain and my multiple degrees to work in an unexpected way that has made us ridiculously wealthy. I may be the founding partner who developed our full line of wildly successful, supercharged, pheromone colognes. I might have even been damned smart, coming up with the idea to take our multimillion-dollar company public.
But that doesn’t mean I make the most intelligent decisions when it comes to my personal life.
For instance, I let my parents push me into marriage right after I finished at Columbia. I should’ve reminded dear old Mom and Dad that their geekster, brainiac son has spent a lot of time at the gym packing on muscle and has learned how to treat a lady, both in and out of bed…so I’m smart enough to pick my own woman.
But naw.
I married a girl because my parents liked her family’s name. A girl who didn’t love me but instead loved my trust fund.
Now that I think about it, smart people really can be obtuse to the point of idiocy. Which is why falling for my new assistant is not only my biggest f&%# up, but it’s also a mistake that could put both of my business partners and our company’s future at risk.
It’s stupid, I know. But then she goes and makes the first move, and fierce competitor that I am, I can’t help but rise to the challenge.
I’m all in and ready to play by her rules. I just don’t realize until it’s too late that the only rule to the game she wants to play is seductive, steamy, sexy…and so positively sinful.
ABOUT THE CHECKMATE INC. SERIES of STANDALONE rom com novels by Bestselling Author Shelly Alexander:
Some guys are late bloomers, but once they hit their stride, they make up for lost time.
And the bonus? The founding partners of Checkmate Inc. didn’t become successful and smokin’ hot by accident. They were smart enough to surround themselves with guys who helped them transform into the men they are today. So get ready for more stories about the hotties who are connected to Checkmate Inc.
A fun, flirty, and dirty contemporary series in which the sizzling hot players associated with Checkmate Inc. meet their matches.
If you like smart, gorgeous, dirty talking guys who love bold and bright women, then this is the series for you! If you prefer your romances sweeter with a touch of steam, try Shelly Alexander’s RED RIVER Series OR her ANGEL FIRE FALLS Series.
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I’ve loved the contrary Oz since he made his appearance in the first Checkmate, Inc book, so it’s no surprise that I was excited to get my hands on his story. Shelly Alexander doesn’t disappoint. The story is fast-paced, and it is an instant attraction for Oz, but he and Kendall are absolutely perfect for each other. She’s smart and determined, and is just a great compliment to Oz’s smart, sarcastic, and sexy self. The story is full of the wit and banter we’ve come to expect from this author, and of course, Oz and Pink generate plenty of steam. In addition to a lusty romance, we also get to catch up with the Checkmate family in a story that certainly shows the love and trust between them. Sinful Games is a terrific addition to the series, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Alexander comes from all angles. Sinful Games goes for the spice with some sugar thrown in. Oz has the smarts to make his dreams come true, but his heart has been lost a bit in the shuffle. He wants to be happy, but doesn’t quite know how to make that happen. When Kendall (Pink) enters his life is when the sizzle begins. She’s fire to his ice. She pushes his buttons while stealing his heart. With saucy dialogue, compelling characters and tempting humor Sinful Games is a seduction, I’ll gladly revisit again and again.
This book was amazing and the author is new to me. The cover art is beautiful. The characters are wonderful. The story pulls you in. The feeling of the story is warm and inviting to you.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book well deserves the accolades it has received. Since this was the first Shelly Alexander book I’ve read, it did take me a little while to get used to the male only first person. The voice was wonderful, but I’m not accustomed to being in only one character’s point of view for the whole book. But once I acclimated to that, I really enjoyed this book. The sex scenes where very hot, the emotional journey was believable and I loved how the author left no thread unconnected. I will definitely be reading more of this authors work.
Super hot contemporary romance, with my favorite kind of geeky sexy hero. Workplace romances aren’t my favorite–it’s so easy for the power dynamics to be off or underrated–but this story took all those factors into account and handled them well.
I loved all of the characters in this book. All of the men of Checkmate Inc were swoonworthy yet had a boy next door quality. They were so befuddled when it came to love. I loved this one so much I had to read the companion books about the other two members of the company and their gym owner. Loved them too ! Kudos to Ms. Alexander!
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was smart, fresh and well written. Basically clean of typos and grammatical errors (except where language was part of the character’s personae). Excellent combination of steam and interesting story. This is my first time reading this author and she’s definitely on my “Yes” list.
Fun and sexy read. It was fun catching up with all of the characters from Checkmate, inc. This is Oz’s and Kendall’s story, which is a forbidden office romance. What kept this from being a five star review was the plot device used for the climax of the book, you could see coming a mile away.
As soon as I started reading this book I knew it was going to be good. Oz was going through through assistants because he was so difficult to work with. He met his match with Kendall.
What I loved about Oz and Kendall aka Pink is that they are so attracted to each other that they are oblivious to everything else around them. So hot! The downside is it made it an easy target for his dad, who is the biggest jerk, to make a move in an attempt to take over his and his partners company.
I loved how all the partners (friends) and their ladies had each others backs. I feel it added a layer of depth to the story and made me connect more to the characters.
I do like a hero that’s a little on the nerdy side. Oz is one hunky nerd, but his personality may leave a little to be desired until the right woman comes along. Kendall brings out a new side to him. That’s one of my favorite things about the book. Things get very steamy between Oz and Kendall. They have a ton of chemistry. This book had a heck of a twist. I gobbled this book right up. I also enjoyed revisiting previous characters in he series. I enjoy seeing them in their HEAs.
The Checkmate series is not like Shelly Alexander’s small town romances – this book has a lot more sex and sexual situations than her usual books and there are *a lot* of f-bombs. Oz’s inner thoughts are also pretty crass, so if you find any of those things off-putting, this is not the book for you.
Despite that disclaimer, I really, really enjoyed Sinful Games. Having read all of the other books in this series, I could not wait for Kendall and Oz’s story because I knew that Oz being brought to his emotional knees was going to be great, but I had no idea just how quickly he’d fall for Kendall or how much I would like her. Kendall was the perfect foil to Oz’s growling and snarling, and I loved how she brought out the tender side of him, even when he didn’t want her to. I also thought that the check-ins with the other couples from this series were excellent. I absolutely adore this group of friends so it was fun to see what was happening in their lives.
If you’ve read the other books in this series, you’re going to love Oz’s story. If you haven’t read the others but enjoy a very sexy office romance, I definitely recommend this one.
This is one of my favorite of Shelly Alexanders books. I know I say this every time I review her books, but every time she writes something new, it becomes my new favorite. The stories she tells are so good and detailed just enough to keep you hooked.
In this book, Oz is the last of the Checkmates to fall in love. Do to some issues in his past with a failed arranged marriage to a horrible woman, Oz has a few issues when it comes to “Love”. He is extremely intelligent and very good looking with a slight attitude but he knows what he wants. Unfortunately, He has gone through a few assistants until the day Kendall enters in his life as his new assistant. She is spunky and strong willed enough to deal with Oz’s attitude. Despite him being her boss things heat up between them and Sinfully good things happen. This was a wonderful book and I would recommend it and the rest of the series to anyone!
4.5 Hearts
Sinful Games is the fourth book in the Checkmate, Inc. series by Shelly Alexander. It can be read as standalone but I do recommend reading the previous books, at some point. I still haven’t read the first book since I discovered Shelly when Rookie Moves was releasing. I will make this short since the synopsis explains a lot.
Oz needs an assistant. As always. He fires them even before they are hired. He doesn’t trust easily. Then he sees Kendall Tate aka Pink in his mind. She was a vision from the moment he saw her and that was way she shouldn’t be his assistant. Checkmate, Inc. is going public, they need to stay clean and fantasying about bending over your assistant is most definitely not. Before he can say the word, she is hired and he is fucked.
Kendall needs this job. It pays well and she is helping out her sister and niece. She feels the chemistry between herself and Oz. She knows she shouldn’t want him. He is off limits. But the pull is too strong. Her confidence soars when she is around the sexy geek who wears jeans like nobody else. She shows her hand and he goes for it. She knows they are playing a sinful game. He knows it too.
I thought their story was fun, sexy, and a challenge. There are also twists in the game. I liked Oz in the previous books so I was excited when I saw that this was going to be his story. I fell for the geekster. I met Kendall for a bit in Get Wilde and I liked her from the start. I just knew she was going to bring Oz to his knees.
Overall…it’s a wonderful addition to the series. It’s a fast-paced read full of heat, heart, and fun. I hope this isn’t the last of the series. I want more!
Quotes:
All I can think is that this game I’m playing with Kendall is dangerous. It’s unwise. It’s forbidden.
“Did anyone tell Kendall? I haven’t seen her.”
Liar, liar, dick on fire.
“You are a goddam dream come true.”
A sinfully steamy read
Book 4 in the Checkmate series, you don’t need to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. My third book by this author, I’ve only read one of the earlier books in the series though the others are on my TBR.
I enjoyed both Oz and Kendall, two smart and talented people whose hormones sometimes override their better judgement. There’s plenty of tension to the plot, what with Kendall working as Oz’s assistant (and they each have a lot at risk) as well as plenty of chemistry both in and out of the lab.
Besides Oz’s partners and their SOs, there are a bunch of great secondary characters to add depth to the story. Several plot lines intertwined to amp up that tension and to help keep me engaged, and while I did predict the major plot twist, that didn’t detract from the story for me.
A sinfully steamy read that was also a little bit funny and sweet, this was a great story from an author who is now firmly in auto 1-click territory. 5 stars
B2B Kelly
Sinfully good reading. I have loved this series from the beginning. Who would have thought geeksters could be sexy, but boy do these men turned their lives around, and each become drool worthy. Clever and sexy is a lethal combination.
Oz’s story is definitely my favourite thus far. He’s watched his friends fall head over heels in love, and never thought it would happen to him. Oh! How the mighty have fallen, and fallen hard.
Oz’s life before he decided to set up shop with his friends was complicated to say the least. He was in a loveless marriage. Most certainly unhappy with the way his future was looking. So, he did the best thing he could. He changed his direction, and did something that has now made him a successful businessman.
Oz can be difficult to work with, and that’s putting it mildly. He’s had a few assistants, okay more than a few, but he clearly knows what he wants. Or what he doesn’t. That’s until Kendall Tate walks into his life, or rather his office. She takes no hostages this woman. Needing a job, and watching her surroundings she makes a bold move that lands her a job.
Working with Oz can be difficult, but Kendall is made of the strong stuff. She’s not about to put up with any bull from him. Turnabout is fair play though, and it seems Oz is the one finding it difficult working with Kendall.
Kendall AKA pink has the hots for her boss. But she needs this job, and she’s not about to risk losing it. Oz on the other hand has a plan. It’s not a solid plan, but hey if it gets him, and Kendall naked almost who’s he to complain. What is it they say about the best laid plans?
Hot office sex, life changing events, jaw dropping discoveries only make up a portion of this story’s elements. It was such a fantastic read, I didn’t want it to end.
Each book can be read as a standalone, but honestly you’ll want to know about each of them.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
It’s a captivating, steamy,
& intriguing story.
Oz grew up extremely wealthy,
but there was more to him than the money. Oz, finally got out from under his father’s thumb, & an arranged marriage that should of never happened.
Oz, along with two friends from chess team, created Chessmates Inc.
He, Leo & Dex made it into a multi
million dollar business.
Oz has a problem keeping assistants.
He can be a bit of a jerk at times.
That is, till he meets his new assistant, Kendall (aka Pink).
Oz & Pink, make the pages sizzle.
Falling for Pink is not smart.
Especially expanding Chessmates Inc.
to other countries,
& plans to take the company public.
But, playing by rules is hard, when it all
so seductively sinful?
A MUST FOR EVERYONE!!!