Thank you so much for NetGalley and Berkley Romance for sending me an advanced copy to read!

3.5⭐ This would be the perfect Netflix action rom-com! A down-on-her-luck chef (whose restaurant just flopped) discovers she’s a dead ringer for a European Prime Minister and gets recruited by the CIA to be her body double—because, of course, there are rumors of an assassination attempt. The price? A cool $5M. The catch? Her handler is none other than the guy who broke her heart in an email when she was 18.

It’s hilarious, packed with action, and full of side characters that steal the show. While technically a romance, the love story definitely takes a backseat to the chaotic, over-the-top plot—which, honestly, just makes it more fun. A little ridiculous? Sure. But exactly the kind of story that would make a ridiculously entertaining straight-to-streaming Netflix movie!

ARC Review: Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker
Pub Date: March 18th, 2025

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the early #gifted copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily. #berkleypartner

Max has been down on her luck since having to shutter her restaurant - she's working odd jobs until what she thinks is a chance meeting with someone in the CIA who offers her a job standing in for a foreign Prime Minister who is potentially under threat of assassination. The offer comes with a whole lot of money that would solve a lot of Max's issues - however a new one arises. Her CIA handler? None other than her ex, Flynn. The forced proximity is a little too much for both of them to handle professionally.

This was such a great escape of a book! It's engaging, fast paced, and makes you want to keep reading and has a romance to boot! I really liked both main characters - Max and Flynn. I've been a huge fan of second chance romances lately and this really ticked the boxes for me in terms of what I like about the trope! I thought Max and Flynn had great banter and chemistry. There were parts of the mystery that were perhaps a bit predictable but there were also parts that surprised me!

My only issue with this book is more of an issue with the genre - these mystery or adventure romances just try to do a little too much I think. I find them to often not have enough romance for me. Even if the mystery or adventure interests me, I still find that the balance between the two doesn't work and distracts me from the relationship. This book is one of my favorites of the genre despite my own issues with it, though! I actually do think that it would make a great movie.

Overall, if you like this genre, this is definitely one to check out!

(4.5 stars) Huge thanks to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the #gifted digital and audiobook copies of this absolutely delicious romantic suspense novel! #berkleypartner #prhaudioinfluencer

Max is barely scraping by, juggling odd jobs while drowning in debt from a failed business venture. But when the CIA approaches her with a very unusual offer, she can’t afford to say no—literally. Max happens to be a dead ringer for Sofia Christensen, Europe’s youngest female prime minister, and the target of an assassination plot. The CIA wants Max to be Sofia, acting as bait to lure out the would-be assassin. In exchange, she’ll be set financially. Easy decision, right? Until she meets her CIA handler. Flynn. The man who shattered her heart over a decade ago. Now, Max is impersonating a prime minister across Italy, dodging danger at every turn, and trying—but mostly failing—not to fall back in love with Flynn.

This book was an absolute blast! I’m fully obsessed with romantic suspense right now, and Code Word Romance delivers everything I love: action, humor, mystery, and serious swoon-worthy moments. Beyond the romance, I loved how quirky and thoughtful this book was—Max’s roommate and parents add depth to her character, and Flynn’s complicated relationship with the CIA makes him so much more than just a swoony love interest. This story is full of adventure, heart, and all the European charm you could want. By the end, you’ll be craving gelato, pizza, and a Vespa ride through Italy.

🎧 About the Audiobook 🎧 @snemethparker nails the solo narration, perfectly balancing the tender, broken-hearted second chance romance, the intense, pulse-pounding suspense, and the over-the-top hilarity of impersonating a world leader. This audiobook is pure fun, and I highly recommend listening!

I knew from reading the description that I would love this and I was not wrong at all. This has all of the fast pace excitement and adventure of a spy novel plus the romance and spice of a romance novel mashed up in one fun read. The chemistry between Max and Luke is undeniable and fun to read. The pacing of their romance didn't feel rushed, which to me is a common issue in Second Chance Romances.

Thanks to @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for the free ARC/e-ARC and to @prhaudio for the ALC!

This book opens with a motorcycle chase through the streets of Rome and doesn’t let up! Max randomly looks so much like the prime minister of a small European country that she’s hired to be a body double and decoy on the PMs trip to Italy. She arrives to discover her first ever boyfriend Flynn will be her handler and bodyguard.

Max and Flynn have so much chemistry. Their shared history constantly threatens to overcome the forbidden aspect of their handler/asset relationship. And when they do finally give in, the spice is hot!

I loved Max’s backstory and how the adventures in Italy built up her self-confidence that had taken such a beating. The plot had so many twists. I never knew what was coming next or who to trust.

I alternated between listening and eyeball reading, and I thought the narrator did a great job adding intensity to the characters.

With a dramatic conclusion and satisfying ending, this was a quick popcorn thriller of a read. The perfect action movie type story to binge on.

This was a wild one!
The good: Code word romance was funny and unpredictable. I never knew what crazy thing was going to happen next! I wanted to see the action live, so I think this would make a great romcom movie. The characters were fun.

What could use improvement: I didn’t find the romance between Flynn and Max super believable. I felt like they should have had more chemistry since they used to have a relationship. Because of this it felt a little more like an action comedy than a romance. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but wasn’t how the book was marketed.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

This book NEEDS to be turned into a movie, STAT! I absolutely adored this fast-paced romance that has the perfect mix of danger, thrill, comedy, and romantic tension. Well done, Carlie Walker!

This romance is the story of a young chef who lost everything in the pandemic, is vastly in debt, and guilty for losing the money of people she loves, who gets a chance to be the body double of the youngest Prime Minister in Europe who is facing assassination.

Max finds herself in Italy with a CIA handler with whom she has a past. Flynn was the summer boyfriend she lost track of when she was a teen. They had a wonderful summer romance in Kennebunkport, Maine, and never saw each other again -- until now.

It seems that neither the CIA nor Max are told the whole story since Max finds herself with a seeming horde of assassins on her trail. But while running from assassins and pretending to be a Prime Minister, Max finds what she has lost - love and a sense of optimism about the future.

This was a fun story. Her roommate Kevin adds a lot of comic relief to the story and might be my favorite character of all.

Code Word Romance is what you get when you combine a romcom with a spy thriller. Carlie Walker writes an intricate plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously, along with a delicious second chance romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Max is having a rough time financially. So when a CIA operative shows up on her doorstep with a proposition, she can’t resist. All she has to do is go to Italy and impersonate her doppelgänger, the Prime Minister of Summerland, who’s in mortal danger, survive, and then earn enough to pay off the money she owes to her family and friends. Simple. What she doesn’t count on is that her handler turns out to be her ex Flynn, and they definitely still have sizzling chemistry. Can they keep their hands off each other long enough to figure out the mystery and get through the assignment alive?

This book immediately drops readers into the heart of the action, which I love. Max is funny and relatable, and even as the plot gets more and more outrageous, her actions still make sense. And, she can sling banter and quips with the best of them.

It was a blast to watch Max and Flynn together, especially after they haven’t seen each other in years. They have fantastic chemistry! And their initial breakup made sense to me, especially because they were both so young. The secondary characters are great too, from the prime minister to Max‘s roommate Calvin; they all make the story so much fun.

If you are a fan of action, movies and romcoms, this book is the perfect combination. I loved every minute of Code Word Romance. Carlie Walker is a new to me author, and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

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

Adorable. Believable. And great characters. The pacing was on point, and it intrigued me for more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy!

I cannot get enough of action/adventure rom coms. They’re fun and fresh and offer a peek into lives we’ll never get to experience (yes, I realize actual action novels and nonfiction do that too, but I demand the HEA). Code Word Romance ranks up there with the best of them — packed with action, truly hilarious, and a romance that had me swooning. The main characters are so delightful and utterly lovable that I couldn’t help but root for them. I was completely engrossed from page one and only put it down begrudgingly to go to work.

I’d recommend this to fans of the action/adventure rom com sub-genre. The closely comp I can think of is Kortney Keisel’s Later On We’ll Conspire. It also has vibes of The Takeaway (also by Carlie Walker), The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, and It’s Elementary, though it’s more action packed than any of them.

Read for:
-Action/adventure
-Second chance romance
-Positano setting
-Women leading and saving their country

thank you so much Berkley and NetGalley for the e-arc!

i’m a ball of mush after this one. more than just a second chance romance. max is just a girl relaxing in the scenic landscapes of italy, or is she? that is if you include that she’s been given a deal for a life changing amount of money into being the body double of one of europe’s prime ministers and it just so happens that her bodyguard is the guy who broke her heart years ago.

the drama, the suspense, the intrigue of the CIA storyline had you hooked the entire time. not only was I itching for the characters to get together but I was itching to know who the assassin was! max’s own personal growth in herself and her dreams was a privilege to watch. booking a trip to rome, minus the assassins haha.

some favorite quotes/moments:
“Standing there in the safe house foyer is the the first and only man I’ve ever loved.”

“Despite all the chaos, in the quiet moments, when I listen, there’s that old energy. The hum and the spark. I’m not the only one who’s feeling it, am I?”

“He’s drawing away attention, giving me time to escape, time for the extraction team to catch up, and — I think I love this man. I think i’ve always loved this man. There is absolutely no way that he’s going to die for me.”

“I’m yours, Max. If you’ll have me, I’m yours.”

What happens when an every day girl ends up having to impersonate a prime Minster? You get the CIA giving you a job and handler you can't stand in Flynn who you have a past with. Well Chaos happens and you end trying to balance your assignment and not falling in love with Flynn. This one read like a movie and I enjoyed it. Can't wait to read more by this author.

Starts off right in the action, threw me off for a couple minutes before I realized that's what happened. It reminded me of the movie First Daughter with Katie Holmes, mixed with It Takes Two, with the Olsen Twins. I know different story lines but a bit of resemblance. Here we have Max who happens to look exactly like a foreign Prime Minister, who is offered by the CIA, not sure that's how it works, to play her decoy on vacation. Throw in her handler, who happens to be a previous boyfriend from years ago, and you have the recipe for romance and disaster. A quick read that had me hooked from the start

I received this ARC from publishers via Netgalley

#CodeWordRomance #NetGalley

📣 I was caught off guard by how much I loved this one!

Thank you, @berkleyromance & Netgalley, for the free ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what would your code word be if you were in a heist & needed help? My family has a code word we use when someone is playing too rough: it’s pineapple. I have no idea how we thought of it 🤣.

If you loved The Blonde Identity, you should *totally* check out Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker.

This book is comparable to that one, with the added and welcome addition of some spice.

Max is a chef whose beloved restaurant shut down during Covid. Swamped with debt and feeling like she owes family and friends, she takes advantage of the bizarre opportunity presented to her by the CIA: she’ll be the pretend Prime Minister of a country so the real one won’t be assassinated.

But when she arrives at the job, she realizes her handler is her first love, who unsummarily dumped her without warning years before.

Code Word Romance has definite fish out of water vibes. Max is an amateur, but she’s smart and resourceful and the bumps she has along the way make the book even funnier.

The second chance arc is relatively low angst, which this gal appreciated. Some fans of that trope might be a little disappointed with how easily it’s resolved, but I was a-okay with it.

Easy & breezy but add a CIA decoy plot & you get this upcoming release!

5⭐️. Out 03/18.

[ID: Jess holds the book in front of some pink & orange flowers.]

What a fun romance! Had a blast reading this. Reminded me a bit of The Lizzie McGuire movie if it were an action film haha.

I really liked the characters. They had great chemistry and tension. I really enjoyed their interactions. Max and Flynn were very entertaining. Plus so many romantic quotes to choose from!

The action was exciting and kept me in the story. The plot was fast-paced and interesting. I also found this to be quite funny and had excellent side characters. I could definitely picture this as a movie.

If you're looking for an action romcom with great plot and characters, pick this on up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC for my honest review!!

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗:
Max is offered a large amount of money to pose as a double for a foreign prime minister, & with her drowning in debt, she can hardly say no. But the prime minister’s life is currently at risk, which means now so is Max’s. And then there’s the fact that her CIA handler is her first love and first heartbreak, Flynn. Can Max & Flynn work together to find the assassin before it’s too late?

𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎:
This is a fun, lighthearted read set amongst an assassin thriller and I had such a great time reading it! The plot is easy to follow and moves quickly, but there’s enough mystery and twists to keep you on your toes. I loved how Max stepped into her role as playing prime minister, & I also really loved the actual prime minister & what she was trying to do for her country!

I will say that the romance was lacking a bit for me. I did enjoy what we had, but I wanted more connection between them. I think some flashbacks of their time together would’ve been really helpful to solidify that summer they fell in love!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁:

👓 second chance romance
👓set in Italy
👓Chef FMC turned CIA asset
👓he’s her bodyguard & 1st love
👓single POV

A fun second chance at love…with a little CIA spy craft and oddly charming characters added in. Max and Flynn fell in love with each other as teenagers one summer when they worked together at a seafood restaurant in Maine at the end of the summer Flynn left with his parents but promised he’d come back to see her at thanksgiving. But before that visit, Flynn sent her an email to end their relationship and break Max’s heart. Fifteen years later, Max’s successful restaurant has not survived the pandemic, even after she borrowed a lot of money from family and friends, and she’s working at a dead end catering job and sharing an apartment with a kinda odd character and feeling sorrow for herself. So, when a CIA agent offers Max a job to be a body double for a Prime Minister who may be an assassination target for 5 million dollars, she feels that she must accept so she can pay back all her debt. Max is whisked off to Italy, had her hair dyed to match the PM’s and introduced to her CIA handler. Surprise, it’s Flynn. At first if really awkward but their chemistry is still off the charts and they find it hard to resist each other. Unfortunately, while Max and Flynn are reconnecting, assassins are trying to kill Max, who they think is the PM. It’s a wild ride but fun and romantic.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!


What a fun, entertaining summer read! I found the author interwove an excellent amount of humour into this plot line that kept the reader reminded of the lighthearted, fun and romantic novel amidst the assassin thriller storyline.

I found the romance swoon worthy and adored the second chance romance trope. I did, however, find the nicknames a little cringey. If someone called me Starfish as an adult I wouldn’t find it cute but kinda weird.

All in all, this was an enjoyable and fast paced read. I won’t rave about it and recommend it to everyone but I did still really enjoy it.

Um… I did not love this. There was a lot of potential but the whole storyline was so far fetched and the “CIA dialogue” was a bit cringe for me. And the main character Max was aggravating with a lot of her decisions, and it seemed like a lot of plot points were never fully developed or explained properly. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because I did love the humor and escapist aspects of Italy.