Quick Summary: A chivalry is not dead spicy romance

My Review: The (ex) Spy Who (maybe) Loved Me by Christi Barth was quite entertaining. I loved it!

About the Book: What started out as a one night stand between strangers ended up as something way more special.

This story grabbed my attention from the beginning. The playful banter between scientist Blake Montgomery and agent Wyatt Keene was tops. From their initial conversation to their hot coupling to their unplanned reunion to the undesirable challenges they dealt with, they had something together. I especially appreciated how they both had such strength of character and evidence of integrity. They were fiercely passionate about what mattered to them, not to mention, their chemistry was fantastic. In truth, the bantering between the two characters was so well done. It was written in such a way that it revved up their engines, so to speak.

About My Favorites:
One of my favorite scenes in this story happened early on in the book. It endeared me to Wyatt and made me love Blake even more. It involved the takedown of Rob and the subsequent sexy tension that built between Blake and Wyatt. Ms. Barth wrote the scene so well and on point that I felt it down to my toes, thank you very much! After that particular confrontation, I was sure Blake would throw caution to the wind and jump Wyatt right there.

Adding to the whole Rob thing, I love how Blake chose to ultimately handle him. (Right on!)

Another favorite of mine was when Wyatt recounted the situation concerning his parents. That was rather emotional and sadly so real. It was a gut punch to my heart. It makes me tearful even now. I loved how Blake supported him and just plain loved up on him. That said so much and revealed the true direction they were headed in.

Lastly, the sketching and art were such pivotal moment in the story. Not only was there a raw vulnerability that was displayed, but there was also trust. That made things so loud and clear...even though there were matters that still needed to be addressed.

My Favorite Quote: "You’ve got this outer uniform of scientist, and underneath is all the softness and passion. This is exactly how I’ll always remember you."

My Final Say: This was a hidden treasure read. I highly recommend it. Readers who enjoy STEAM stories with a bit of a heat factor will love this one. I certainly did. (I love brainiac romances.) This is worth the read.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💎

Thank you to the author and to Entangled Publishing, who provided access to a digital ARC via NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions I have shared are my own.

3.75🌟.

My second book from this author, it started with a bang. I loved all the ex spy hero angle who was released from active duty and now had to adapt to normal life.
Wyatt keene was such a vibrant character. The way his past life was referenced in his present day was hilarious and done well. Also the way he searches danger in even mundane things was so interesting.

Brilliant scientist Blake Montgomery was a stickler for rules, cranky, stubborn and a workaholic. When these two collide unexpectedly sparks fly.
What I liked was Wyatt and Blake complimented each other perfectly. There was humour in the story, friendship, small town coziness and science.

The middle part of the book dragged a bit for me and I did get irritated with some of Blake’s attitude even though I understand what caused it.
And some of the conversations in the book went right over my head. Don’t know why, but I couldn’t connect with dialogues.

Overall and entertaining romance.

Blake Montgomery is a highly intelligent scientist who is working on the cure for blindness. She is from a small town in Maine called Swan Cove where her family pretty much owns the town and she has a reputation to uphold. While at an airport bar, she meets Wyatt, a super sexy guy who happens to be an ex-spy. They had a no-strings attached, one night stand - not sharing any personal details with each other. Little did they know that they would be seeing each other the very next day!

Wyatt is transitioning back to civilian life, recently inheriting his Aunt's house in the same small town. Before his Aunt passed away, she entered him into an art contest at the lab where Blake works. Each artist is paired with a scientist to inspire their artwork. What a shock it was that they were paired together and would be working close together for the next several weeks. The chemistry between them was undeniable but both had their own reasons for avoiding a relationship…or at least trying to.

This is a sequel to Christi Barth’s book Hottie on Her Shelf but can be read as a stand-alone. I will say that while I enjoyed this book there were parts that seemed to drag. I thought that the beginning of this book was great - the banter and the spice were spot on but once Blake was back to her life as a scientist, I became bored. Blake was so uptight that it made it hard to like her. While I enjoy a strong, smart FMC, it was upsetting how dismissive she was to Wyatt because he was “just an artist”. I felt a little whip-lashed with her going back & forth with how she felt about him. I however, loved Wyatt’s protectiveness and how he didn't give up on his dreams. In the end, I felt that they both brought out the best in each other and I was glad that they got their HEA.

I did get a little mix of Lessons in Chemistry meets The Love Hypothesis feel with this book!

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
One Night Stand
Friends to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Small Town

I am rating this book a 3.5 but rounding up to 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, LLC & Christi Barth for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my honest review!

It’s interesting but did not hold my attention. I loved the perspectives and trying to keep the audience guessing but it was pretty predictable. It was a great story! Would recommend reading.
This book was gifted to me by NetGallery, all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the concept and, while I would've preferred a more dynamic and smoother execution, this was a pretty good and fun read. Happy to have read it.

While I was unsure if there will be or were past Swan Cove books, this story very much feels as if there are other stories in this world (such as Fitz's story) and that it's world-building enough for future romances (there's got to be a good story for Everett). Looking it up on Goodreads and the author's site, I couldn't find Swan Cove Book 1. What I did learn is she's written other books and I'm open to reading another from Christi Barth.

3.5 - 4 stars.

I love stories that involve STEM and this story was no exceptional. So much happening in the story and it makes you love the book even more. Such a fun read everyone should read.

Oh what a fabulous book, a real adventure in science and art! You have a hero who's forced to retire from spying for the US because he's been burned with his name on a list of agents, and a work-a-holic scientist who just wants to help mankind with the results from her lab. Both are working to help mankind. They meet by chance while their flight is delayed by fog and spend the night making whoopie. The awkward happens the next day when they meet again at her lab's global event fundraiser. Opps! And of course you can't take the spy out of the man just because he's now a civilian and he's always looking for trouble to follow him. Either because of the symposium or someone out to get him for his past work.

Wyatt Keene is starting over after 15 years serving his country being someone else. Now he has to figure out who he is in the small town of Swan Cove Maine. He's inherited his aunt's house and he's now alone as he was an only child and his parents passed on 9/11. That event changed his whole life direction and purpose. He changed his major from Art to Political Science and from that point on everything he did, how he lived his life was all about honoring his parents. When he gets in town he finds his Aunt Rebecca entered his art in a contest sponsored by Cygnet Laboratories. He goes with it since he's starting over and decides to give the artist a go again. He's paired up with Blake Montgomery, PhD.

Blake's family founded the town of Swan Cove generations ago and still play a large part in making it a success. Her parents expect their two children, Fitz and Blake to uphold the family image and leadership in the community. Blake feels a lot of pressure from their expectations so she hides in her lab working to find a cure for blindness. She's on the cusp of human trials as her once blind mice can now see! Then she's paired off with an artist for the annual fundraiser and that becomes a problem. Because her artist was her one-night-fling she was never supposed to see again! Wyatt agrees to pretend it never happened so as to keep her image squeaky clean in town. Being taken seriously as a woman scientist is tough enough without the weight of the Montgomery heritage too. Of course things don't go smoothly and their chemistry gets the best of them eventually. This journey to love was a fun trip!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two strangers meet in an airport and spend the night together. One is a former spy and the other wants to remain a mystery. Of course, they will meet again. He as a painter and she as a scientist who is assigned to sponsor him in a contest at her company. What could go wrong as he tries to rejoin life outside the spy game?

I really enjoyed this book until all of a sudden Wyatt started looking for a conspiracy at Blake's company. I either missed where he noticed something fishy going on or it came out of nowhere. I get that something was going to have to happen so that his spy past would have to reemerge, but I was hoping it would be a past enemy or something. I feel like this angle didn't really work for me. But again, this could have been on my part.

I love books with intelligent female characters! Blake finally overcame her obstacles at the end and took control. She had some relationship baggage and I feel as though her issues with Wyatt that were similar to that baggage was handled well. The conflict was not endlessly played out but wrapped up in a way that worked well with the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The (ex) Spy Who (Maybe) Loved Me is a standalone rom-com written by Christi Barth.

Tropes:
✔️ small-town
✔️ one-night-stand to slow burn friends to lovers
✔️ woman in STEM
✔️ workplace romance

When Blake and Wyatt are trapped in an airport due to fog, they decide to pass the time trading surface level info about one another and then decide to act on their attraction for a night of no strings sex.

Little did they suspect they’d not only see each other the next day in Blake’s small home town, but they’d be working together. Can they ignore the chemistry between them?

I enjoyed this story, particularly Wyatt’s transition from spy to civilian life as well as Blake’s strong and focused character. They’re a sort of light reversed grumpy-sunshine where she’s stoic while Wyatt teaches her how to balance work and fun.

Blake Montgomery is smart, sassy, and looking for a little fun. Wyatt Keene is changing just about every aspect of his life and has no idea what he walked into when he sat down at that bar.

From the very first chapter with fog, stranded planes, and crazy one-night stands this one had me hooked.

Things get more complicated when Blake and Wyatt end up in the same little town, crossing paths and trying to figure out where or if they can make what was supposed to be one crazy night into something more.

I loved that Blake was a scientist with a brain that she wasn't afraid to show off, she embraces who she is and isn't afraid to put it out there, but she's been hurt and has a lot of trust issues.

Wyatt had just left a spy organization and has lived a life of lies and deceit not even sure what drinks he likes (the pumpkin beer was not it) trying to figure it all out is so much harder than he thought it would be.

You would think these two would be the worst possible combination but it was so much fun to read, there were times I felt like I was reading a tennis match with will they or won't they, it kept me glued to the pages.

This book is just a fun read, while it can be read as a stand alone it's part of a loose series and I can say I'll be reading everything in this series.

I wanted to love this but couldn't get past the moment where a 130lb woman has concerns about being to heavy for a bathroom counter. 130 pounds is less than a LOT of women weigh and it's not great to kick off a book making the reader think about their weight. This so easily could have not included an exact number.

This was such a fun and quick read. Blake is a scientist who is one of the top researchers at Cygnet Labs. Wyatt is now a forced into retirement spy who is trying to figure out how to get back to ‘normal’ life after being undercover and on guard for so many years.
Now while these two sound like they won’t make the best match they somehow do. They bring out the best in each other. Blake starts learning what she really wants to do and it just might not be what was always expected of her. While Wyatt is trying to find the delicate balance of letting people in, while also trying to keep his past a secret and those around him safe from any potential threat.
Now that all sounds serious, but I can assure you that these two together and the banter and sweet moments they shared made up for all the seriousness that was going on behind the scenes.
.
If you're wanting a quick and fun romantic read with a side of spy mystery then this is the book for you.
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I also just found out that this is a companion novel to Hottie on Her Shelf which tells the story of Hallie and Fitz. I cannot wait to read that one!

Blake Montgomery is an uptight scientist in real life, but every now and then, when she goes on a trip, to a place where she knows no one, she lets loose. She shops around has one-night stands and just has fun, away from the pressure of a family, and reputation and far from the rumours she is so afraid of.

When her plane is delayed she meets Wyatt. He is interesting and hot and grabs her attention right away. He seems perfect to spend time with before they both go to their real lives.

Wyatt spends many years as a spy. When he is suddenly a normal person again, he has a hard time switching back. He is going to a little town, to the home his late aunt left him.

Blake is taken aback when she sees him there. And even though she is beyond uptight about it, the chemistry between them becomes too much.

It could be such a cute love story, with a whole lot of chemistry and a side of danger, but Blake kind of ruined that. She is more concerned with her reputation than anything else and colder than the Antarctic. She is like a walking (bad) stereotype of a scientist. There is a huge difference between being professional and uptight.

thanks to the Entangled & NetGalley for the ARC, all thoughts are my own

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This is a shorter book, coming in around 150 pages, which made it easy to stay engaged.
Our main characters are Blake and Wyatt. The banter between them was fabulous.
The character development was great, especially with how short the book is.
There's a mix of romance and humor, which is always nice. There is some spice, but not a ton overall.

worth the read.

This was such a fun, sexy read. Blake Montgomery and Wyatt Keene meet at an airport bar and have a one night stand, never to see each other again… or so they think. The very next day they find themselves together again and paired up in an art contest held by Cygnet Labs. As a researcher at Cygnet and member of the affluent Montgomery family, Blake is focused entirely on her career and doesn’t have the time or patience to deal with distractions. Wyatt, on the other hand, is a newly retired ex-spy trying to rediscover who he is again after years of pretending to be somebody else. Neither one is in the right place to start a relationship but they just can’t seem to resist each other. Wyatt and Blake have such great chemistry and the book has the perfect amount of spice. If only they could get out of their own heads! The pacing felt a bit off at times but overall the story sweet with a good balance of humor, tension, and a bit of espionage.

This book can be read as a standalone but I just found out that it’s actually a sequel! Hottie on Her Shelf tells the story of Hallie and Fitz so now I need to go back and read it!

4.5 stars.

I've been on a reading drought and boy did this one keep me going. I really enjoyed these two together and found myself oddly relating to Wyatt. We've all been there - looking for a change in life, maybe taking a risk (and becoming a painter LOL)... maybe not the spy part.

When his gut tells him something might be going down and his shrink-like contact finally believes him, you're desperate for him not to be wrong and lose face in his last moments with the agency. But, it seems so far fetched up here in Maine.... what's an ex-spy to do while he falls in love with one of the smartest women he's ever met?

The title, cover & synopsis of this book is so fun! It instantly got me hooked, the initial chemistry between Blake & Wyatt is great. The witty banter & conversation that leads to a one night stand is🔥🔥🔥. When that one night stand flips into an unexpected team up for a project where Art & Science combine Wyatt & Blake go from one night stand to work colleagues the story changes to a small town vibe with a nice collection of characters who help us find out if opposites attract.


As always my reviews are my honest opinions and spoiler free!

This was such a cute book! This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

The (Ex) Spy Who (Maybe) Loved Me is a must-read for anyone who loves a good romance novel. It is a perfect blend of humor, suspense, and romance that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

This might be one of my favorite Christi Barth books yet. A hot ex spy and a scientist! I love characters in the science field since that’s my field! I loved the romance and the banter. The writing was good. I loved small town romances. Blake and Wyatt had good chemistry. I did think it dragged a bit in the middle, but I still definitely wanted to continue to the end. Huge thanks to Netgalley and Entangled publishing for allowing me to read and review this book