This is my first book by this author and it was enjoyable. It's about two women who are spies for the CIA. Yardley is a legendary field agent while KC is an intelligence analyst who was recruited at 14. Throughout the first half of the book, even though they live together, they don’t know each other is a spy which was hard to believe considering everything, but I rolled with it.

It's a spy novel like Mr. and Mrs. Smith but with a Sapphic twist. It had humor laced throughout and never veered into too serious territory. It did have some interesting conversations and advice thrown in which was a little odd at times. It was an interesting book, but it didn't flow completely smooth.

Overall, an interesting, different read that I would recommend.

I received and ARC from Net Galley for an honest review.

A sapphic Mr and Mrs Smith. Yardley and KC find out that they are both spies and need to come together to find a super weapon that KC “accidentally” created.

At first I was into the book but then it lost its lustre and I got bored with the plot and MCs. I wanted to feel the pain and anguish, but it just fell flat.

Mr and Mrs Smith but make it LGBT+, they work for the same agency, and just went through a messy breakup before they find out. Now they have forced proximity due to having to work together on a top priority mission. To say I enjoyed this book is an understatement. While it was fast paced with minimal spice, the characters were well developed and the dual point of view makes you love and understand both. If you like a spy story and romcoms, this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and Mae Marvel for this eARC!

Overall, this was a fun spy story about two women who work for the CIA, are in a relationship with each other - but don’t know the other is also a spy. When the truth is revealed during a mission, things go awry. I was very entertained!

Respectfully, I found the writing a little choppy and disjointed. A bit too technical at times, hard to follow. The POV’s jump back and forth, and I wasn’t always sure whose head I was in. I think the book had great potential though!

This fast-paced, action-packed romance combines espionage, heart-pounding moments, and sizzling chemistry that keeps you hooked from the first chapter. Yardley, aka “The Unicorn,” is a spy legend, but her personal life is a mess, especially with her ex-girlfriend, KC, who also happens to be a hacker working for the same agency. Their complicated past and secret identities make for an exciting read, as they’re forced to team up for a mission that could change everything. The push and pull between them is filled with intense passion, witty banter, and high-stakes drama, all while they try to navigate a world full of secrets.

What makes this book stand out is its perfect mix of spy thrills and romance. Yardley and KC’s dynamic is both fun and deeply emotional, as they struggle to reconcile their past with their present desires. The setting—international locations, dangerous missions, and moments of vulnerability—gives the romance an exciting edge, and the chemistry between the two leads is undeniable. If you’re looking for a romance that’s as thrilling as it is steamy, this one is a must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Mae Marvel novel and wow, what an introduction. Will definitely be buying the paperback once it comes out. I enjoyed the structure of the story; it was very much giving Mr. and Mrs. Smith - or Mrs and Mrs Smith in this novel! The tension and chemistry between the characters is great, but I did find myself being somewhat taken out of the immersion sometimes because of the prose/pacing. Future novels will have this small hiccup smoothed out between the two authors, I'm sure.

I was in the military for several years and while this wasn't accurate to how the job works, I don't think its intention was to be completely accurate, after all, this is a romance novel not an encyclopedia.

Overall, great novel; and as a certified, card carrying lesbian - you can never go wrong with a sapphic romance.

This was Mr and Mrs Smith meets Killing Eve. Recent exes assigned on a mission together made for a perfect lovers to enemies to lovers again story. I loved the alternating POVs to see their distain turn to crushing on each other during this chaotic mission. But I couldn’t stand the name YARDLEY

There was a lot of potential in this novel and I enjoyed the writing style, but I wanted more of the spy stuff and more of the romance. Both felt a bit truncated in order to include both and I don't think either side of the novel was served well by it. I would try this author again and I hope they have more runway for all of their ideas next time.

This was such a fun book about lesbian spies. I will absolutely be checking out other work from these authors.

Overall I had a great time reading this. KC is very much my Type™️, and Yardley's infatuation was understandable. I suspended a lot of disbelief about their spy work, and at times the information dumping could be heavy.

The writing could occasionally be repetitive, especially with both women reflecting about their failed (or is it?) relationship. There were a few grand speeches that felt hevy-handed - especially the last one with the president. But I appreciate the optimism after the first couple months of this year.

I did love the banter and the chemistry between KC and Yardley. I especially loved the scene with Yardley as "Max."

The world needs more fun lesbian spy romance novels like this one.

This sapphic romantic suspense had lots of angst and internal pining. I think it was a really fun idea and had a lot of action but some of the writing was clunky (lots of modifiers in the wrong place) and I think this book needed another round of editing before it was released into the world. I liked the characters themselves and the plot is pretty faced paced. If the dialogue and editing was a little cleaner, this would have been a 4 star read.

This is a SAPPHIC romance in all ways of that word.. I truly LOVE this book. It was an absolutely adorable book and i loved the relationship dynamics between the two main characters. 5 stars!!!

Such a fun read! I could. It put this down, I love a second chance romance and this was the perfect example of that.

Oh boy, do I have a lot of thoughts about this book. As a summary, I think it was fun and mostly held up to what it was advertised: a fun spy novel with a dash of romance ala Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but sapphic and a lot angstier. On the other hand, while I understand that I was reading an ARC, the writing was choppy and out right clunky at times and there was a *lot* of repetition. Overall, it was something I had fun binge reading, and I'd be willing to consider reading another Mae Marvel novel, but only if the premise intrigued me as much as If I Told You, I'd Have to Kiss You did (or if we get a sequel).

The Pros:

This book is super readable, once I started it was hard to put down because there was almost constant action of some sort. It had some funny moments too, and I think that Marvel balanced the emotional turmoil vs delivering the fun spy action really well. Yardley was so sassy and cool, and I loved how she really got to shine with her unusual quirks and traits. And KC was such a prickly character with a soft heart, it made me wish I could really get to see her again once she fully grew into herself because she had so much potential. The side characters were also all pretty likeable, and I think that I could easily see this book getting a sequel, or at least a spinoff novel.

The Cons:

This is going to look like there's a lot more cons than there are pros, but to be honest it's just because I want to really explain why I had issues with parts of the book, rather than just coming across as leaving a quick insult lol. That being said, I genuinely did enjoy the book, but it left me frustrated at times because of how easily avoided these cons are.

The writing in this was nowhere near as polished as I'd have liked it to be, even for an ARC. If I have to pause to try to understand what I'm reading and then re-read it a few more times because it's that unclear, it's really disruptive to the reading experience and says a lot about things not being polished as much as they should be. Not only did it feel like things were choppy and jumping back and forth between things unprompted at times (during relationship fights and missions where there should have been focus especially), but there were some sentences that were so strangely and incorrectly structured that they stuck out like a sore thumb.

"'Probably this isn't a good idea,' KC whispered. The word *this* was punctuated with a small press of her hips into Yardley's," is my prime example. It's not only structured in a way that's incorrect, (for context, she's not answering a question) but also redundant because the "this" could have just been italicized and because the second sentence is redundant. One sentence in particular had *seven* commas in it, while it should have just been a simple thought about a place reminding KC of Yardley.

Then there's the never-ending repetition about how romance is all about choosing to love fearlessly and not letting things get in the way of working things out. Which is a great message! But it comes across as very preachy when it's a message being thrown at the reader from literally every character who interacts with the two MCs. I get that they needed the little shove to sort things out, but so much of that time and page space could have been used to show us their relationship problems and them fixing it, rather than telling us they needed to because they were such a great match.

And for my last (very minor) gripe, the comp to The Pairing is so weird to me. I guess it's just for the queer second chance romance aspect? But the ship and story felt nothing like that novel, and I think it's a bit misleading.

Long story short, if you're interested in the premise of the book, I absolutely recommend picking up If I Told You, I'd Have to Kiss You. It's a queer, action-packed spy adventure and a second chance romance rolled into one, and I'd love to see more books like it on the trad-pub market.

I love a sapphic romance, and this one didn’t disappoint. I was hoping for more fun, and it could have been a little shorter with the mission if I’m being honest. Overall, worth the read!

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for the NetGalley review copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A fun queer take on Mr. And Mrs. Smith, it has a good balance between romance and action.

I loved the banter between them. Unfortunately at some points it did seem to drag on and while I appreciate descriptive writing at times it became unnecessary.

hacker x spy plus sapphic? count me in! 🤭

i love that aside from chemistry between yardley and kc, it also focuses on the cia team doing their missions in every place they assigned. despite the toxic-ness (and the banter) between the two mc's, they still want each other.

but my complaint is that they overuse the word ‘dang it’ even though they have some curse words mentioned in this book.

nonetheless, this book got me all the emotions after i read it 💞

Really enjoyed this. The sapphic romance along with spy/action/thriller feel was just what i needed.

If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You by Mae Marvel has a fantastic premise packed with adventure and romance. The story follows two women who work for the CIA, Yardley Whitmer and KC.

Yardley, known as The Unicorn, is an ace spy following in her grandfather's footsteps. KC, Tabasco, is an expert hacker who was recruited at 14 and serves as the backbone for many missions at the CIA. Yardley and KC have just discovered each other's true identities, but with a big mission on the line, they don’t have time to unravel the fact that they are soon-to-be exes.

The dynamic between these two strong and talented women kept the story interesting, and their adventures kept me interested. The story includes a lot of action, and I liked following along with the adventure. As the narrative moves between the romance and the action, it occasionally felt jarring to switch, but the two women, despite their differences, work well as a couple.

Overall, the story is an enjoyable read with a blend of excitement and romance.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin´s Griffin for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book!!

If I Told You I'd Have to Kiss You by Mae Marvel immediately intrigued me with its concept (seriously A+++ for this idea) and I was drawn into the story right away. The chemistry between the characters was fantastic, and the romance had just the right balance of tension and charm to keep me hooked.

That being said, I did find the middle of the book to be a bit repetitive at times. While it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment, I did catch myself wishing for a little more variety in the pacing.

Still, this book is a fun, lighthearted read—perfect if you’re looking for something entertaining and easy to get lost in. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone in need of a fun escape or a reading cleanse!

This is a great queer spy romance! Yardley and KC are both compelling leads, even if I did want to shake them sometimes. There's a great supporting cast that's full to bursting with queer characters. I'm curious what others will think when they read the book, but I definitely found myself liking Yardley more than KC. I felt that more of the 'work' to fix the relationship ended up on Yardley's shoulders and that KC could have done more, especially given how much she kept from Yardley.

I had some quibbles with the book, one of which is innate to the genre. Both our leads work for the CIA and if you know any US history, you know it's not the *best* organization. There is a level of introspection on that, but it's mostly surface-level. I would have liked to see more than just "look at the old white men who did bad things". How do you, as a queer person, reckon with working with an organization that yes, does a lot for national defense, but also has a long history of hurting people.