I absolutely love the two main characters, Blake and Wyatt they are believable and interesting...with their own stories that they tell themselves. Blake is so intelligent and bright, but she is missing some major clues: the clues around her ex and the clues about the handsome man she just had a fling with.

Now that this man is at her work site, and she's in the spotlight panic starts to set in so she sets up boundaries and rules on how things will go. Wyatt suddenly sees some things that are going on that don't feel right. Hmm. So there's this mystery in the middle of major spotlight attention and how is he going to get to the bottom of everything not to mention he is over his head with how he feels about the lovely Blake.

I really enjoyed this read, found it a fun escape and neat characters. Even a few characters that should have their own story! Definitely recommend!!!

This book just wasn't for me. I gave it a fair go, made it about 15% through, but it was truly becoming a slog to get to the end of the page every single page. Shame, but it happens.

The (Ex) Spy Who (Maybe) Loved Me by Christi Barth
Status: Available Now, on KU
Reading Method: Audio via Scribe

📖 🎧 Writing &/or Audio Style : It took me a little bit to settle in to the writing style for this one, mostly just because of some verbiage you rarely hear in books (nothing too outlandish, for ex “hinky”) but eventually I got used to it and didn’t really have any issues.

👥 Characters & Relationships: I loved the meet cute & bit of insta “intense interest” Blake (FMC) and Wyatt had. “City Shopping Blake” really knew her own minds and needs and I loved those opening scenes. Upon returning to her normal life and finding that her one night stand was now essentially a work shadow, her personality annoyed me a tiny bit. That said I loved the way her character was when expressing about her career. I love a strong female in stem character. She was a bit of a mixed bag for me, if you can’t tell. I loved seeing their relationship develop

⁉️Plot, Intrigue & Logic: The plot was cute. A little outlandish, but cute and not like alarmingly far fetched.

🏞️Atmosphere & Setting: Setting was not super remarkable, it was set in a small seaside tourist town, though you don’t really get too much towniness.

🥰Enjoyment: I thought this was cute, I would definitely file this under the palate cleanser column, I’’m probably not going to be shouting from the rooftops about it but it was a good time.

🚨 For Reader Awareness: Very brief references/acknowledgement to the existence of c0v1d, mentions of losses caused on 9/11

📣Recommended for fans of: Light easy reads

3.5 stars (rounded up)!

"The (Ex) Spy Who (Maybe) Loved Me" is the second book in Christi Barth's Swan Cove series following "Hottie on Her Shelf." While this book isn't quite as successful as the first installment, I still really liked this book! I looooved the premise where main characters Wyatt (a former spy trying to transition into civilian life) and Blake (a Ph.D. scientist) have a mind-blowingly good one-night stand, but quickly realize the next day that they have been paired up in a forced proximity work situation in Swan Cove, Maine, which just so happens to be Blake's small hometown where everyone knows her and her legacy-family. I hate how people automatically call Blake "grumpy" when she's a strong person with a driven, work-oriented personality. God forbid women should be allowed to focus on their careers! Eventually, she realizes, that not everything should be sacrificed for her profession. She struggles to find the balance and struggled to open up to being herself and choosing herself first, while Wyatt needs to find a way to express himself since he has lived a life where secrecy has always been demanded due to his former profession. Wyatt and Blake have interesting, diametrically opposing personalities, which leads to a lot of funny banter and zany situations involving things like parkour (which made me laugh out loud). Their chemistry is very believable and grand! I found myself rooting for them to work out their differences so they could be a full-fledged couple by the book's end. The spicy scenes between them are also well-written. Barth also does an excellent job making us haaaaaaaaaaaate the people involved in Blake's job, including her boss and her scummy ex-boyfriend. I like the small-town vibe of Swan Cove and cannot wait for a third entry in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara, and Christi Barth for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This is the second book from a little town Swan Cove and it is even Better than the first one. I loved both Wayat and Blake they are both very well developed and interesting and it is very enjoyable to read how their relationship evolves through the book. The story is interesting funny and full of love. I loved it.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

I know before I even begin a Christi Barth book, that it will be a hoot. I know I will be entertained with well developed likable characters, an interesting storyline and witty banter. I was not disappointed.

Wyatt Keene was a budding artist, until his parents were murdered in a terrorist attack and he switched his major from fine art to polo sci and was recruited by the Agency. For 15 years he has been an undercover operative, until his and two dozen other agents covers were blown. Now he has to embark on a new life as a citizen and thanks to his beloved Aunt Becky, he is moving to Swan Cove, Maine, where she had entered him in a art contest and left him her home after her sudden death. But first he is stuck in a fogged in airport, where he meets the brilliant and beautiful Blake Montgomery Phd and they have a wonderful one night, never expecting to see each other again. Surprise, they are paired in the art contest at Cygnet Labs, where the doctor is working on curing blindness. Wyatt helps Blake to lighten up and he feels like he finally might have found himself, but feels guilty about having to lie to her about his past to keep her safe.

I recommend this and every other Christi Barth book. I read an ARC that I received from the publisher via NetGalley.com. this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

The [ex] Spy Who [maybe] Loved Me by Christi Barth was such a fun ride! I loved the idea of a one-night stand turning out to be your next gig. Scientist, Blake, and ex-spy, Wyatt, are thrown together when they find out that Wyatt's new home and Blake's hometown are one and the same. I wish the romance/attraction was a bit more fleshed out. It was very insta-love.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to the publishers for access to an ARC in exchanged for my honest review.

The premise of this book was enough to get me interested right away. A beautiful, brilliant scientist (Women in STEM are everything and I will not be accepting any arguments on that) and an artistic recent ex-spy meet by chance in an airport, both decide to act out of their usual comfort zone and have a one night stand when their flights are delayed, and then find themselves stuck working together very closely when they turn up in the same town. The idea of Wyatt's dossier being sold out and that leading to him being pulled from the field adds such an interesting layer to the story and to Wyatt and Blake's relationship as they get to know one another and develop their feelings, and while the thought of an art competition being hosted by a prestigious company like Cygnet Labs did require some suspension of disbelief, it was really fun to watch the battle of science versus art go down between Blake and Wyatt as they both learned to appreciate the other's side of the equation.

The first few chapters dragged for me slightly, but once we were into the story, I found Wyatt and Blake's relationship to be really fun and engaging, and they had me laughing and smiling more than once. I was rooting for them to get to a place where they could be happy and honest with each other, where they could both learn to accept themselves as they are and find their way forward, both professionally on their own and as a couple. I loved both characters' individual plot lines, too, with Wyatt coming to terms with living in his aunt's house now that she's gone and also having lost the career he'd given his life to while also trying to reconnect with his old love of art and Blake's determination to not lose ground in her research or be forced into a management track rather than sticking through with her project where she's happy all while trying to find a way to reconnect with her brother after years of them both working to survive their family's expectations.

All in all, the book wasn't perfect, but I had a lot of fun getting to know these characters and, let's be honest, any book that takes a beautiful blonde woman in STEM and has her dress up as Elle Woods for a costume party has my vote of confidence. <3

Delightfully enchanting with the right amount of spice, romance and intrigue! I loved the chemistry between Blake and Wyatt.

I had high hopes for this story and it sort of fell flat for me. It was a great premise - a scientist is trying to overcome the snooty reputation of her family and has to work side-by-side an ex-CIA agent, turned "artist" for her job at a lab.

The book starts of with tons of sizzle in a one-night stand and yikes, Blake finds out Wyatt is her new partner only days later.

There was a bit of a forced subplot involving the lab that tried to tie into his CIA ways, but that also fell a bit flat.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Blake and Wyatt, but I don't think there was enough conflict between them until the third act.

I tend to become bored quickly on books that start off with the two main characters in one-night stand relations on the first pages. I also am not the biggest fan of "small towns" and their side characters. So, perhaps that needs to be factored into my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an e-copy of THE (EX) SPY WHO (MAYBE) LOVED ME to review.

I rate THE (EX) SPY WHO (MAYBE) LOVED ME three out of five stars.

When scientist, Blake, and ex-spy, Wyatt, hook-up at the airport, neither expects to see the other again. Then Blake and Wyatt are thrown together when they find out that Wyatt's new home and Blake's home town are one and the same. While the ending felt a little rushed for me, the comedy and the drama was awesome in this rom-com that's just waiting to be adapted into a film. Overall, hilarious read and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for an ex-spy romance with more emphasis on the romance than the spy drama (of which there is little).

This was a NetGalley review.

I would like to thank netgalley and Entangled Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable (ex) spy romance. I liked the uniqueness of the story.

As an avid James Bond ala Daniel Craig lover, the spy premise had me hooked. I enjoyed their one night stand and the conversations in the beginning. I think when it really started getting annoying to me was when Blake became so hot and cold with Wyatt. It was understandable when you're the Kennedy's in the town but it could have been better.


Thanks to #NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC. As I am my own person, the above is my honest review.

I've been waiting for this one since Fitz and Hallie. I loved Blake and Wyatt. I loved how he always stood up for her no matter what. And they both had to grow a bit. It was a great story with very hot scenes.

This was a cute book and I really enjoyed reading it. I'm interested to go back and read the first in the series now.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

This was a really fun read. I've never come across a book with this kind of ex-spy plotline so I was pleasantly surprised. I'll have to read book 1 now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Book boyfriend - check, cute funny moments - check, love story you wish would happen to you - check. Romantic comedy perfection - check check! The premise creates some hilarious moments, when you're watching TV you shout at the screen with this book, you are just shouting at the pages!

THE (EX) SPY WHO (MAYBE) LOVED ME - Christi Barth

#2 in the Swan Cove romance series

ROMANCE WITH A TWIST - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - At the end of a trip, Blake has one final thing to cross off her to-do list: a one-night stand. And the hot stranger at the Maine airport bar might be perfect. Until, of course, he shows up in her town the very next day. And they end up working together. And those are not the only surprises.

Writing - 4 stars - I've read Barth before and loved her writing. This book definitely exceeds that expectation. She has created a warm environment in a typical small town, but the characters have much more personality and are unusual enough to capture the reader's interest. The joking is fun, witty banter is clever, and the action moved things forward quickly.

Characters - 4.5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Blake is a strong-minded and independent woman with the analytical mind of a scientist. The fact that she's always trying to excel because of her family never lets her be able to let go in her personal life, except when she had a one-night stand with Wyatt. All her plans of secrecy fall apart when he shows up in Swan Cove at her work facility. Wyatt, for his part, is trying to settle into regular life after working as an undercover spy for the past several years. His life if all about secrecy, so he's also struggling to deal with their brief "relationship."

Title - 3.5 stars - This is a little awkward and long, but it seems as though it's (perhaps) an inside joke between the author and her husband?

Cover - 4 stars - The cartoony characters aren't my favorite, but they seem to be a popular trend at the moment for this genre. And the bright color definitely catches the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - This was an overall fun book to read. The characters are entertaining, with strong cores and believable personalities. Wyatt and Blake fit together well, complementing each other where needed. The uniqueness of Wyatt's employment (ex-employment) situation kept this book from being a typical romance. And Blake's dedication to her job made her strong, but her worry about her family name and expectations showed a more vulnerable side. I loved the banter between them, as well as secondary characters of Fitz and Hallie (brother and wife), Ana (Blake's snarky friend), and Everett (Wyatt's neighbor). I will definitely go back and read the first in this series and will eagerly await further installments.

This is my first experience reading something by this author. It was a delightfully fun and light read. Wyatt and Blake have a chance meeting when they are both stuck at the airport waiting for fog to clear so they can continue their journeys. Wyatt is a former black ops intelligent agent who must now adjust to life as an average guy after spending years saving the world. Blake is a brilliant scientist who is heading back home after a trip. They are instantly attracted to each other and spend one no-strings attached night together. They never expected to see each other again, but when Blake returns to her small hometown, who does she encounter by Wyatt himself. Turns out Wyatt is an artist and is a finalist in a competition Blake's lab is sponsoring. The two now have to work together as they will have to collaborate on creating a new piece of art. As much as Blake wants to forget the one night stand, they both can't deny the chemistry sizzling between them. There was also a grumpy/sunshine vibe going on between the two and Wyatt's vibrant and charming character paired well with Blake's play by the rules, stoic attitude.
The story was entertaining and the banter between Blake and Wyatt made the read a lot of fun. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for providing a complimentary copy. This is my voluntary and honest review.

The beginning of the story has a cute meet up that brings readers into the two main leads that has them in bed in the first two pages.
The story moves forward with the male lead wanting to teach the female lead that life isn't all about work and can be about fun. While the male read is trying to focus on a new life after retiring from the spy world.
The romance is stop and go constantly due to the female lead not wanting to open her heart.
The story is a sweet fast moving pace romance. Those who need a HEA will not want to miss this story.
Thank you to Netgally for a copy of The (Ex) Spy Who Maybe Loved me.