Thank you so much @prhaudio for this gifted audiobook @berkleyromance for the free book!

“Getting a second chance with you has been the biggest blessing of my life.”

Review Title & Vibes:
{CODE WORD-CUTE} I love a good adventure romcom. This was super cute and such an easy read. The tension between Max and Flynn is delicious, and humor was completely on point. The mystery kept the plot moving. I love the “second chance” of it all. Also - there is surprisingly delightful side character that’s a total hidden gem.

This is one of those books that gave Miss Congeniality vibes - funny, romantic, and fast paced.

Audio Notes:
Wonderful performance by Stephanie. Each character voice was distinct and comedic timing on point. Also - love the foreign language / pronunciation. I would definitely recommend this audiobook.

Rating: 4.25⭐️ | Spice: 🌶️ | Audio: 4.5🎙️
What to Expect:   
Second Chance
Undercover Romance
The One That got Away
Only One Room
Epic Escapes

Recommended to...  
Anyone looking for a fun adventure romcom / beach read.

Narrated by @snemethparker
Produced by @prhaudio

Okay, gotta say — Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker blew me away. I wasn't expecting to get hooked so quickly, but wow, it nailed that perfect mix of suspense, romance, and those swoony vibes. Max is such a fantastic lead—she's relatable with all her chaos (hello, soul-crushing debt and odd jobs), but then suddenly, she's thrown into this wildlife pretending to be a prime minister on the Amalfi Coast. The setting alone made me want to drop everything and book a flight.
And Flynn? Oh man, Flynn is the kind of guy who lingers in your mind long after you close the book. Their history, the tension, and the slow-burning rekindling of old feelings while dodging literal assassins kept me on the edge of my seat and invested. The way Carlie Walker weaves in danger and heart-fluttering romance without ever feeling forced is impressive.
I seriously couldn't put this down. It's one of those stories that sticks with you, not just for the thrills, but because the characters feel so real, so messy and raw. It's a perfect escape wrapped in a love story with enough twists to keep it fresh and engaging. It's going on my "read again" list.

This was a little more exaggerated than I expected it to be. While the drama and high stakes were fun, I sort of missed the weight of consequences. The story is highly engaging and the cast of characters while not necessarily well developed are all a fun time.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a wonderful job with all of the accents and capturing the characters personalities and feelings. I ended up listening to the whole book- I didn’t switch between print and audio because I enjoyed the audio so much.

I thought this was such a fun madcap caper of a romance. I had no problem suspending reality and diving into the fake dating, impersonating a prime minister in a foreign country, try and stay alive story. I would love for it to be a movie. It reminded me of old Cary Grant romantic comedies. Plus there was great food and scenery descriptions. I really want to go to Italy now.

4.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me. All opinions are my own.

Thank you @berkleyromance for the free book!
#BerkleyPartner #BerkleyRomance

Down on her luck American chef Max agrees to play body double for a European prime minister on the Amalfi Coast. Tempted by a big payday, Max unknowingly invites danger and Flynn, her former fling turned CIA handler, into her life.

I really enjoyed Carlie Walker’s debut, The Takedown. With its charming characters, action, and humor, Code Word Romance is just as big a hit with me.

I loved Max and Flynn, especially their banter! This spy romcom balances the thriller and romance perfectly. I enjoyed learning about their past and watching figure out if there was a second chance for them while trying to stay alive. I couldn’t help but rooted for them.

Max and Flynn’s undercover mission was everything you expected in a romcom. It was dangerous while still being comedic (and a bit unrealistic but who’s checking for that!). It kept me on intrigued and guessing who was behind the assassination plot.

I loved 90% of the book, was confused by one character who is just weird and not sure the entire point. But the two main characters were absolutely fire, loved them and their story plus the action scenes were great.

I loved this book so much. It was such a fun and interesting read. I loved both MFC and MMC and was very interested in the book, trying to figure out who was the one that was pointing the gun at her in the beginning of the book. I love a good second chance trope and this did not disappoint!

✨ Review ✨ Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker; Narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker

Thanks to Berkley, PRHAudio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

After her restaurant failed during COVID, Max is struggling financially, emotionally, socially, etc., so when the CIA offers her $5 million to be a body double for a prime minister, she jumps on it. When she arrives in Italy, she finds her handler is her first and only love, Flynn, and he trains her and accompanies her on her mission.

This is full of fast-paced Italian undercover adventure! As Max stumbles through her role, she finds more challenges than she had expected. On top of that, she struggles with her renewed atrraction to Flynn. This is the best sort of second chance romance!

🎧 The audio was a fun way to enjoy this fast-paced adventure! This is the perfect beach read for summer!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)
Genre: romance
Setting: small-town Maine, Rome and Positano, Italy
Length: 9 hours 53 minutes
Reminds me of: It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier
Pub Date: March 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ fast-paced narratives about spies and people undercover
⭕️ second chance romances
⭕️ Italian settings
⭕️ adventurous vibes

ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || CODE WORD ROMANCE [thank you to PRH Audio and Berkley Romance for my #gifted copies!]

Title: Code Word Romance
Author: Carlie Walker
Genre: Romance
Format: audio
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Narrator: Stephanie Nemeth-Parker
Narration: ★★★★☆

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
Oh my gosh, my spy romance loving heart could not get enough of this one! It’s sort of like I fyou mixed James Bond with the Lizzie McGuire Movies but added in a little more steam and assassins. And I was here for it!

I really enjoyed seeing the character development of Max in this one. She’s a girl (likely a millennial, because aren’t they all) who’s a little down on her luck after her restaurant fails and she’s not sure what she’s supposed to be doing and has lost a lot of her self-confidence.

But enter the CIA and thrust her into a life-or-death scenario, and suddenly she’s realizing that she’s capable of so much more than she’s settling for (with a little help from a dashing CIA handler, obviously).

If you suspend disbelief and read this one for the fun and adventure of it, I know that you’ll love it as much as I did!

🎧 The audiobook was really well done too! I thought that Nemeth-Parker really captured the duality of Max — both as the lost girl she was in the beginning and the confident woman she became. Her male voice for the MMC was pretty spot on as well. All in all, I’d highly recomment this format if you’re looking to pick this one up!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Tiana Smith (THE SPY AND I, MR. NICE SPY)
Spy Romance
Opposites Attract
Second Chance Romance
Bodyguard Romance

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 3.89⭐️
# of Pages: 320
Pub Date: March 18, 2025

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy. This was such a fun read! This story had the perfect blend of action and romance so that neither one overpowered the other. I found myself smiling as the two struggled their way through their second chance at love. I highly recommend this.

Code Word Romance was a fun read filled with laughter, second chances, and a bit of an action adventure-esque storyline.

After starting over when her restaurant unexpectedly went under, Max gets a surprise request from the CIA—to go undercover as an influential prime minister and pose as her on an Italian getaway for a considerable amount of money. But when she accepts the offer, she discovers that she has to work in close quarters with her ex, who left her heart broken.

This reminded me of a grown-up version of The Lizzie McGuire Movie but with more action. I loved the second-chance romance with a bodyguard twist in this book. It gave me butterflies and with a name like Flynn, you can't help but swoon! It was lighthearted and fun and would make for a perfect comedic action-adventure movie.

3.5/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Max receives a job offer that is a combination of intriguing and exciting even if it may place her in danger. The fact that she looks like a political figure that is being threatened is the only criteria. Besides the danger the only downside is that the man who broke her heart is also responsible for protecting her.

Flynn knows that working with Max will be a challenge, but he has a job to do. Spending time with her only reinforces the feelings he has always had for her especially when the increasing danger will force them to revisit their past and decide if this will be their second chance or if they are destined for heartbreak once again.

This story is an adventure that includes action, humor and a romance that rekindles under less-than-ideal circumstances.

4 A Good Second Chance Romance Stars!!

This is my first book by Ms. Walker and it’s a great introduction to her writing. I was thoroughly intrigued by the premise and wasn’t sure if it would work. I’m here to say it did work and throughout this book, I was chuckling while Max and Flynn get the second chance neither of them ever expected to happen.

Max is a woman that has an uncanny likeness to the British PM and when the CIA comes to her with an outlandish request, she wasn’t sure what to do, until they told her there was $5 million dollars in it for her… that made it impossible for her to say no to as she’s in debt up to her ears. Little did she know that while she’s gallivanting around Italy, her ex-boyfriend will be her bodyguard… let the fun begin.

I loved how this story developed and that the chemistry between Max and Flynn still existed making their spending all that time together even more intriguing. There are moments of levity that broke the tension and as they grow closer together, what’s at stake becomes even more suspenseful. This book kept my attention throughout the entire time I was reading it and I really loved Ms. Walker’s writing. This is a book that is a must read if you’re looking for a story with undeniable chemistry, suspenseful moments and wonderful second chance at love.

This book was just so easy to get lost in. I completely got lost in the story and I just loved getting to see these new characters come together. I just absolutely love this story and I just didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

f you are looking for a fun, light romance with a bit of danger, Code Word Romance is a great pick! Max is a dead ringer for a Prime Minister and she is hired as a body double. Oh and her handler, Flynn? He broke her heart years ago. This was fun and an easy weekend binge read for sure!

What a ride this book was! Thoroughly entertaining, adventurous and action-filled, I just love this fusion of adventurous romance/romantic suspense. Also, Code Word Romance mainly takes place in Italy and majorly stirred up the wanderlust feelings within me. I really loved Carlie Walker’s, The Takedown, and I am happy to say that this book was just as good! I binged it in one day because I couldn’t put it down and loved the concept of body double and bodyguard plotline.

4.5⭐️
2🔥

Quick Breakdown

Second Chance
Set in Italy
Espionage & Suspense
Body Double x CIA Agent
Only One Room
Single POV
Open Door - Mild

Down on her luck Max is offered the opportunity of a lifetime - use the fact that she looks nearly identical to the current Prime Minister of Summerland in order to protect her from credible death threats while on vacation in Italy & she’ll walk away with 5 million dollars. The surprise is her new CIA handler & ridiculously hot bodyguard, Flynn, who just so happens to be the boy who broke her heart years prior.

Always a fan of bodyguard romances, I ate this up. I loved the unique premise - it played out like it was straight from a movie. The action had me equally hooked as the romance, which as a second chance romance is an impressive feat. From the premise & setting to quite hilarious secondary characters, I was sold!

Jumping between the ebook & audio, you’ll enjoy this one in either method. Code Word Romance is narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker - my first by her, but hopefully not my last. She did a fantastic job bringing this book to life!

Put this one on your beach read TBR & thank me later!

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group.

Two exes. One mission. A trip she will never forget.

Max is just your average girl. She works odd jobs, has a soul-crushing amount of debt and just happens to have an uncanny resemblance to Europe's youngest female prime minister, Sofia Christensen.

So when the prime minister receives a credible death threat, the CIA approaches Max with a a life-changing amount of money if she pretends to be Sofia on the prime minister's annual Italian trip.

It would be a dream if it were not for those pesky assassins and Flynn, Max's ridiculously hot handler - the man who broke her heart years and years ago.

With her life now on the line, Max knows she has no choice but to lose herself in the role. But losing her heart to Flynn again? Now that is a risk that she is not willing to take.

Code Word Romance had such a unique premise, which I have never read before. It was the perfect balance of a high stake spy thriller and second chance romance. It was just done so well and I had so much fun reading this one. I loved how Max stepped into her role as playing prime minister. And the plot is easy to follow and moves quickly. There is enough mystery and twists to keep you on your toes. The only thing is I did like the romance, but I wished there was more. I wanted more connection between them and I think some flashbacks of their time together would have been really helpful. Overall, Walker nailed this one with the balance of action, humour, and romance, making this read feel like a rom-com meets an action movie, which I would totally be down for a movie like that. If you love anything spy related and a romance set in the Italian summer, definitely read this one. This book would also be the perfect summer read.

Rating: 3.5/5

This was just the right amount of action and adventure, witty banter, romance, and friendship. I had so much fun listening to the audiobook and felt like I was right in on the plot too. Flynn is fantastic as the hot CIA agent handler and Max is perfect as a civilian lookalike decoy. It reminded me of the movie Spies Like Us, but with a romantic twist. Max's roommate is hilarious as the stoner that doesn't seem to be aware of much, but surprises everyone eventually. This love story is the perfect read to lighten your day and have a bit of fun.

4.5 stars - this book was such a delight. Even though the entire premise was a bit implausible, I had the best time with this book. Max was a really fun main character, I enjoyed her point of view and her reactions to the different situations she was put in somehow felt believable and realistic. I absolutely loved the dynamic and tension between Max and Flynn, the forced proximity was delicious and their relationship was somehow both hot and tender. Absolutely would recommend this one for a fun, fast and delightful read.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the eARC - all opinions are my own!