Good Game

The System #1

by Madison Fox

They said never fall for the bad boy.
Stevie Andwell would rather poke her eye out with her Louboutin heel than get back together with her cheating ex-boyfriend. In fact, she would much rather celebrate her newly single life by getting down and dirty with one of the most famous video game streamers of this generation. Sure, she has no idea who Blade is-his identity is hidden behind the mask he wears-but it's just one night of fun. No harm, no foul. Right?
Wrong.
Because Blade is Aleksander Knight, the tattooed bad boy Stevie is currently falling for. Aleksander can't risk his identity being discovered...but the closer he gets to Stevie, the harder it becomes to keep his secret. If he's not careful, it'll be Game Over.

** This discreet edition comes with an extra internal art print of Stevie & Aleks as well as an exclusive BONUS CHAPTER that can't be missed!
GOOD GAME is the first novel in The System series, which follows three rich and famous video game streamers as they fall in love. Each book is a standalone romance and contains explicit spicy scenes. A happily ever after is always guaranteed, and there is no cheating! (Well, except for Stevie's ex...)

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Dark, Billionaire Romance

416 pages, Paperback

First published October 23, 2023

About the author

Madison Fox was born and raised in Australia but has been living in the United States for the past decade. While she still watches Australian football every Sunday, she currently lives in Nevada as a cat mum to Zelda (yes, based on the video game).

When Madison isn’t reading or writing a new book, she can be found drowning in one of her other obsessions, such as k-dramas, manga, anime, video games, and espresso martinis.

GOOD GAME is her debut romance novel.

Reviews

[chan ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

super fun, vlog on my patreon :)

[Noa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The red LED bathed her in its glow, turning her into an angel who had accidentally found her way into hell. An angel whom I wanted to corrupt."

Stevie Andwell is done with cheating assholish men.
After her boyfriend cheated on her (again) she is not going to give her heart away that easy.
But what's one night with one of the most famous masked streamers?
No harm no foul right?
Well, Stevie doesn't know that Blade (the masked streamer) is also Aleksander Knight, the bad boy Stevie is currently falling for.
And she doesn't want to stop

"The little dove has managed to capture my attention more than I would like to admit."

NightBlade32. One of the most famous streamers in the world.
No one knows what he look like. What any of "The System" looks like.
No one can ever know.
Blade is Aleksander Knight. Not that anyone will ever know.
But when Blade has a hot night with Stevie, everything changes.
Because Aleks just happens to be falling for Stevie too.
And how hard will it be for Blade to keep his secret?

"And yet, I want to hunt down this little dove until I can cage her for my own. Why her?"

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stevie Andwell is a talented artist and Aleksander Knight "works with computers". But what Stevie doesn't know is that Aleks is actually world famous streamer NightBlade32. So what happens when the secret becomes harder and harder to keep?

"She's eaten her way into my mind, burrowed herself so deep that I don't know how to get her out."

Madison Fox. I bow before you. This book was PERFECTION!! I loved it so much it was so good!! This is one of my favorite books this year and it is a debut book people!! I ate it up so fast and I immediately want to reread it.

"She is beautiful. I was more than ready to kneel at her feet and worship her."

Stevie is a badass. There I said it. She is everything and she knows her worth. She will not let herself be pushed by douchebag men anymore. She would much rather tangle with a certain neon red mask streamer… 😏😏

"I know what I'm worth, Chasey, and you can't afford it."

Aleksander Knight AKA NightBlade32 is a bad boy. He is one of the most famous streamers in the world and omg I was melting!! From the first couple of lines, immediate book boyfriend alert people!!! I had to fan myself no joke…

"But why don't we get out of here before I ravage you? I would hate to get banned from this place."

The playlist includes the author playlist on Spotify because it was SO GOOD but these are the songs I added: (https://spotify.link/Em5g8Sk1ADb)

🎙️"Entertain Me" - Ylona Garcia
🎙️"Golden Hour" - Rain Paris
🎙️"Playground - Baby Tate Remix" - Bea Miller, Baby Tate, Arcane
🎙️"Welcome to The Party" - Diplo
🎙️"She's So Nice" - Pink Guy
🎙️"I MADE A TIKTOK" - conscience, Ashtin Larold
🎙️"Odds Are" - TheFifthGuys, Thatsimo, RIELL
🎙️"No Scrubs" - Unlike Pluto, Joanna Jones
🎙️"HUMBLE" - Kenrick Lamar
🎙️"Neon Lights (With The Maine) - Rock Version" - Demi Lovato
🎙️"Immortals" - Fall Out Boy
🎙️"…Ready For It?" - Taylor Swift
🎙️"Cravin'" - Stileto, Kendyle Paige
🎙️"Beauty" - Layto
🎙️"I'm a Sucker for a Liar in a Red Dress" - Adam Jensen
🎙️"greedy" - Tate McRae
🎙️"Smooth Criminal" - CHENDA
🎙️"E-GIRLS ARE RUINING MY LIFE" - CORPSE, Savage Ga$p
🎙️"Beggin'" - Maneskin
🎙️"Tantrum" - Ashnikko
🎙️"AMERICAN HORROR SHOW" - SNOW WIFE
🎙️"MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" - YES YES, Jaxomy
🎙️"Goddess" - Xana
🎙️"Speed Drive" - Charli XCX
🎙️"Fallin' (Adrenaline)" - Why Don't We
🎙️"Main Attraction" - Jeremy Renner
🎙️"The Devil Wears Lace" - Steven Rodriguez
🎙️"Victim" - Halflives
🎙️"Next Level" - Mountains vs. Machines
🎙️"I See Red" - Everybody Loves an Outlaw
🎙️"Haunted House" - Neoni
🎙️"Upgrade" - Jessie Murph
🎙️"DNA" - Little Mix
🎙️"Ashes" - Stellar
🎙️"Lollipop" - Charlie Curtis-Beard, EARCANDY
🎙️"Daredevil" - Stellar
🎙️"Colors - Audien Remix" - Halsey
🎙️"Poison (feat. Krept & Konan) - Zdot Remix" - Rita Ora, Krept & Konan, Zdot
🎙️"Hands Up" - City Wolf
🎙️"Slow Down" - Chase Atlantic

And if you think I would leave you like this…

"If it were my choice, I would've kept you pinned down to that bench no matter who came rolling up this highway. I would've let your moans and screams of pleasure fill the air for anyone who dared to come near so they knew your pussy belongs to me."

"My little angel wanted to take a walk on the dark side and look where it landed you. Sweet little ass red as the devil. Are you sorry yet?"

[EmBibliophile · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know how to say this in a nicer way, but this got me gagging.

I just couldn’t with this book. I really liked the idea of the book, but it didn’t hit the spot as I wished it would. I know this is a debut and for the sake of not sounding mean, I’m gonna keep this short and straight to the point. There was no plot. No angst. No character’s growth. No climax. It just served nothing. It was too basic. And not even the good enjoyable kind of basic.

My main issues were that the pace was so fast and didn’t really make sense at the same time. Kinda all over the place.

I couldn’t stand the Insta-lust/insta-love. Totally a me thing. But god they went all in so freakin fast. It was too unrealistic.

And ugh the heroine was so thirsty and horny from the very first time they met and literally all the time, it was getting on my nerves! I don’t remember a scene with her not being and acting so thirsty and cringy. Like girl please!!! And every time she tries to sound deep, I’m like just shut up. I couldn’t stand her.

Another totally me thing, I really don’t like emojis in books. Texting with emojis in books is one of my pet peeves. And ugh the dialogues were so cringy and bad.

I don’t like the secret identity trope when the main character is making out with “two different people” and it’s supposed to be okay because we know that they’re one, but she doesn’t and he doesn’t know, so how could they be okay with that?? And the fact that she didn’t notice that both of them called her by the same nickname?

[Iqra]

DNF’d @ 21%

It’s just wasn’t hitting like I wanted it to.


I’m sorry Rowan & Noa 🤧

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A gamer romance!? Yes, please! First off, the writing in this book was SO GOOD. As a debut romance, I was so impressed with how well the story flowed and just how good the writing was. From the start, Aleks and Stevie had an insane attraction and couldn't stop thinking about each other. But Stevie meets Aleks as himself, but also as his masked gamer persona, Blade. And she's falling for them both. I love a secret identity romance and that made this one so much fun.

I did want a bit more in the plot in the first half and wished they did something other than go to parties or clubs and hang out, but the second half of the book really picked up for me and I loved it! The suspense was fun, though it did wrap up fairly quickly. Overall, this was just such a fun and unique romance and I can't wait to see what Madison writes next!

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally dropping my review for this one!

I am not a gamer myself, but I wouldn't know it after how hyped this book made me. Madison wrote an approachable yet exciting novel of mystery, hotness, and gaming. I loved the hidden identity aspect and the chemistry between the characters. I loved the hero's job and how he interacted with the rest of the system (I can't WAIT for their books btw).

These characters were unique, intruiging, mysterious, and FUN! My heart was thumping a few times and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

This was a wonderful debut and I'm so thrilled it is coming out to the world. Get ready for The System ya'll! It's gonna be a wild ride.

4.5 stars
3.5 on the spice scale

*I read a beta copy of this book provided by the author.

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed this more than i expected to!

the book opens with a gamer glossary, so i was like ok this author knows what she's talking about. there was some fun insight into the gaming/streaming world, and as someone who's new to that i thought it was interesting and incorporated well into the story.

the main couple, stevie and aleks, were pretty adorable. they're pretty down for each other and don't have any major hangups - well, minus the fact that his alter ego is a world-famous anonymous masked gaming streamer that she hooked up with and can't shake her hots for.

the mystery plot was pretty easy to guess, but i had a fun time.

i am very excited for the next book couple, who i also guessed. i'm predicting "we have to forget we've already hooked up" and "we can't do it again" tropes which i loveeeee.

shout out to Rowan for doing this as a buddy read, and check out her amazing review if you want more details!

[The Love Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I may have a new thing for gaming romances because I ate this book UP.

Good Game is the author’s debut book about a group of professional video gamers/streamers that go by The System. Their identities are hidden from the public and they only go to events wearing matching masks with their signature color.

This book follows Aleks (“Blade”) and Stevie. These two meet at an event Aleks is attending as Blade while Stevie is volunteering as a server. They share a steamy moment and think they’ll never meet again…until Aleks runs across Stevie without his mask and their feelings start to grow beyond what Aleks planned for.

I’m normally not one for the hidden identity trope, but it worked here. It made sense why Aleks felt like he couldn’t come clean about his true identity. It was fun seeing him interact with Stevie as both personas, and even better once she inevitably learns the truth. And their chemistry?! FIRE.

I’m glad the author wrote the video game details in a way that was easy for non-gamers to follow (love me a good glossary). My only issue was that the end felt a little rushed but the vibes from everything was so good, this didn’t bother me as much.

The found family vibes were great, and I can’t wait for Parker and Sydney’s book next!

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Every game I play, I play to win. But I’ll lose against Stevie every time if it means she wins my heart.”

First off, GG Madison! This book was absolutely amazing. I was blown away with this book, and not even for the fact that it’s a debut (although that is amazing as well)! This book reads like it was written by a seasoned author and I just am so excited for everyone else to read it and fall in love and for future books to come.

Ok, so this book/series is centered around video gamers! Which made my video gaming heart so happy. The System is a group of 3 top gaming streamers: Blade, English, and Shield. The guys are faceless streamers, meaning they wear neon masks while playing/streaming and don’t share their actual faces. So no one knows who these players are behind their masks! Enter Stevie, our sassy, artist, rich girl heroine who is also so much more than that. Stevie ends up helping out a friend by working a video gaming awards party and she runs into Blade. Things heat up quickly but they end the night going their separate ways but both still thinking about one another. A few days later, Stevie runs into Aleksander, a tattooed bad boy she can’t stop thinking about. And little does she know, he’s actually Blade!

This was so much fun! I love a hidden identity trope and the way this one played out was so fun to see. Aleks and Stevie together are perfect, I loved their chemistry and believed in them falling for one another. This also just had so many great friend groups and I’m invested in all of them too. I love the protective little bubble, aka house the guys all share to live and stream in. I’m already so excited for the other guys of the group getting books! Can’t recommend enough!

Thanks so much to the author for an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own. Good Game is out October 12, 2023!

[Haley Jean]

dnf @ pg 48
the premise and the entire series sounds so fun!!! buuuuuuut they are already finger banging and we aren’t even on page 50. im just in the mood for more of a slow burner rn. maybe ill come back l8r. ♡

[zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD.

i never knew i needed gamer romances in my life but holy fuck ??? as someone who plays video games a lot it makes sense that i’d love this but why didn’t i think of this earlier 😭

aleks/blade is a gamer + streamer AND a biker boy. like IM SORRY ?? and he has tattoos. and piercings. need i say more ?

aleks, parker, and jackson really reminded me of logan, colin and finn from gilmore girls, but so much better (and more respectful lmao). they were so fun to read about and their HUMOUR ??? unmatched. their insults were fucking hilarious and they just felt so comforting 🥹🥹🥹 i just love every character in this book so much (the ones we’re supposed to love, ofc)

i was really scared of two things going into this book:
1. the gaming/streaming slang would weird me out and be cringey to read about
2. there would be a third-act breakup like every book with this similar plot

however, this book survived both fears (yay!!!)
it definitely helps that the author is and has been part of the booktube/bookstagram/booktok community for a long time because she knew what she was doing 😭

there really wasn’t that much gaming lingo and when there was some, it was passive and felt natural, so it didn’t bother me at all. and there was zero third-act breakup. i love when authors find other ways to make a good plot and she did it so well ??? ugh im in love with this book.

i was constantly giggling and i overall just loved this book with my whole heart. aleks is so sweet. i love every character. PLEASE READ THIS I PROMISE IT’S AMAZING 🫶🫶🫶🫶

i need the second book immediately ms. madison fox (please and thank you) 🫡

update: i just randomly thought i’d go watch aleks’ stream just to remember it’s fictional 😭😭 help 😃

[Catarina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not off to a good start.
I barely just began reading this book (I'm on page 44), the two lead characters just met and he asked her how ready she was for him... humm what?!
Also he's like jealous already and they don't even know each other, they're at this party, she just served him drinks and I'm very confused how he's jealous because other men are looking at her.
Like make it make sense.

This girl is so thirsty omg and he is so cringey!

Ok I finished reading the book and I hated it. The characters feel really bland to me, the storyline was all over the place, the dialogue was so cringey and I couldn't take it anymore.
I had high expectations for this book because I have followed Madison on youtube and tik tok and I really enjoy her content but this book was not good. I really hate the love at first sigh trope and even though I wouldn't say they were in love, they sure acted like they were by getting jealous and wanting to be with each other. I didn't enjoy that and from then on it just got even worse with the awkward dialogue, a lot of sexual talk when they had just met.. I'm sorry but this was a complete miss for me.
I will not be reading the rest of the series.

[Tori - Novel Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES. YES. YESSSS. LOVED IT!

[bookswithsamantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy and Delicious.

So… Madison killed it with this one 🔥

I did receive an ARC of this book but y’all need to read it because I am OBSESSED.

Our heroine Stevie is an artist fresh out of a bad break up. She’s looking to have some fun and let loose and she meets a trio of masked gamers called The System.

She ends up having a one night stand with our hero Blade (Alek’s) and the chemistry between them is 🔥🔥 Stevie never saw him behind the mask and a few days later she bumps into sexy tattooed guy who happens to be the same guy 😉

Madison really delivered what all the book girlies want. 🎮 Also, the playlist that she created for this book? PERFECTION.

Tropes: Gaming MC, Artist FMC, Secret Identity, Praise Kink

[Tiffany Giovino · Rating 1 out of 5]

really wanted to love this book in support of Madison... This should have been a dnf but I powered through.

This book has such an interesting idea, it just didn't do what it was supposed to do for me.

I felt like I was reading a book that was based off Madison herself. Stevie, to me, feels like Madison put 95% of her own personality into that character. Even in the physical book, it has character drawings and the character looks like Madison.

Don't get me wrong, I love Madison and I love watching her videos. I am just probably going to be more mindful of what I pick up in regards to people that are active in the book community.

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS ONE SM. Madison!!!! You hit it out of the park with this one. I'm ready to fall for the entire series.

If you want to read a romance about a masked gamer and a rich heiress, this book is IT. There's a little bit of public play, mistaken identity, he falls first trope, and found family! YOU'RE GOING TO ADORE THIS BOOK RIGHT HERE.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to unlearn how to read because of this book.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 ⭐️
2/5 🔥

Tropes:
~ Masked gamer/streamer
~ Secret identity
~ Found family

I had a really good time reading this first installment in The System series. I think it was a great debut novel and I can't wait to read the next book(s) in the series.

I enjoyed the 3 masked streamers as well as the FMC. I liked that there was secret identity as a major trope in this book I think it made things fun and intriguing.

I was unsure how I felt at the fact that the FMC was falling for the UNMASKED version of the MMC in this book, but then was still thinking about and at one point almost hooking up with the MASKED version of him. While yes, it was the same person -- THANKFULLY -- she did not know that at the time.

I look forward to the other masked men and their books. :)

[freyleyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was like fucking fantastic. 4.5 ⭐️

[Darkest Bellé · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ⭐️

My first masked gamer mmc book and it definitely sparked my obsession for hot gamer guys!

Aleksander Knight is a famous masked video gamer "I might play the hero in video games, but I'll be the villain in life if it keeps her safe."

Always love the push and pull dynamic between main characters and Aleksander and Stevie they had the undeniable spicy tension and attraction which was well worth the fanning breaks of my face while reading!

The gaming aspect I enjoyed dabbing into that world of virtual reality and learning about it all since I don’t play video games it was a lot of fun!

[dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

BARFFFF

[rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gamer romance with elements of high society, forbidden love and suspense

I read this book in one sitting, so there’s a lot that I loved:

💜 Stevie, the FMC, is beyond privileged. She’s got generational wealth and is living her best life as an artist, doing brunch, dropping thousands of dollars on dresses, and going to yoga classes. Honestly, I love that for her. I don’t always want to read about people doing the grind in a nine-to-five.

💜 I’ve never read a gamer romance before, and I really enjoyed it – I’ll be on the lookout for more.

💜 The dynamic between the guys – Aleks, Parker, and Jackson was engaging and lovely to read. I can’t wait for the rest of the series for their stories.

💜 Aleks/Blade was a swoon-worthy love interest – the mixture of hard and soft, how he could be sweetest but also dirtiest - it was perfection!

💜 I thought the pacing of the relationship between Stevie and Aleks was, for the most part, realistic. They were genuinely just dating for most of the book, with no declarations of love, etc.

There’s really only one thing that I didn’t like:

🙈 The ending conflict: it’s literally one, maybe two, chapters, but it was so cringe. The bad guy is SO obvious, and at this point, Stevie is coming across as kind of dumb for being so shortsighted. The dialogue in the ‘showdown’ is cheesy af, too.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book – it was so bingeable!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I might play the hero in video games, but I’ll be the villain in life if it keeps her safe.”

This review is definitely going to be biased because Madison is one of my best friends and I had the honor of being a beta reader for this book!! I'm so incredibly proud of my friend for doing the damn thing and publishing her first book!!!!!!!

If you are looking for a hot masked gamer boy x girl girl fast burn romance LOOK NO FURTHER. This book was so fun and 🌶🌶🌶!!! I loved the push and pull dynamic between Aleks and Stevie. They had such great chemistry and sooooo much spicy tension. The gaming aspect was so well done, and I loved learning more about streaming and gaming as someone who only really plays Animal Crossing LOL.

OKAY EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK PLEASE AND THANK YOU LOVE YOU ALL XOXO 💖

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

She follows a random guy into a utility closet because he mentioned he knows her ex... How has she survived to adulthood?? Hero saves the day, and they immediately have sex in said utility closet. Had to quit there...

[Janet]

DNF at 30% a lot of things did not make sense in the story

[Αγάπη Μπουντούρη · Rating 4 out of 5]

ᴀʀᴄ ᴋɪɴᴅʟʏ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪᴅᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ Fᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇSᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ.

I discovered Madison a year or so ago on tiktok and i was instantly in love with her books and anime content. When she first announced she will be publishing a book and I read the synopsis, I was so excited due to the fact that I've never read anything similar to it before.
I've read hundreds of romance novels throughout my years as a bookworm and let me tell you, Good Game was one of the most original, sexy, fun ideas I've had the pleasure of experiencing until today.
Aleks and Stevie's story truly took me by surprise. Their connection was instant but also really strong.
The smut was, also, IMMACULATE! *chef's kiss*
Oh goodness,  I was kicking my feet and smiling every time Aleks was talking. and here is where we see how a reader, understands what a reader needs. Madison is a massive romance enthusiast and that was obvious from the way she executed the romance aspect of this story. The pacing, in general, was really good and their love story flowed smoothly.
(Also, can we please talk about the fact that Stevie was half Greek!?! . Love me some good Greek representation)
Overall,  a great debut novel that will definitely make an impact once you read it.

[p.s. can't wait for Sydney's book!]

[Amna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Madison, follow her on insta and TikTok and I’ve been looking forward to her book for a while.

It was a very enjoyable fun fast read but there were a couple issues I had like the fact she ahem ahem with blade while she was with aleks like even though they’re the same person that’s so weird because SHE didn’t know that and also I just think that they wouldn’t last the main thing they like about each other is the lustful stuff… idk but still really fun to read

[ThatNerdViolet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐| 3🌶️

This was a fun ride (and the glossary of gamer terms at the beginning had me ROLLING). Hidden gamer identity, low stakes, and hot heat. The writing wasn't particularly amazing, but I really liked the premise a lot even if it didn't bring anything new to the table.

[Raisa Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5⭐️

[Daffy Kraizel]

DNF 13%
This book was all about sex and instalust from the beginning. Where is the plot? If she's rich, why is she a waitress? Who lets a masked man do whatever to you that you hardly know? Not my thing, don't get it.