Yardley and KC's relationship has been dying a slow death, in part because the two are keeping secrets from one another. But when they find out that they are both spies for the CIA, and must work together on an extremely dangerous and time-sensitive mission, they might just get another chance at love.

This was such a fun read! Fun and flirty spy romance with an engaging premise, loveable characters, and plenty of witty banter. The book really shines during the spy action sequences with the flirty banter and tension between Yardley and KC. There was a little too much introspection on both their parts that slowed the action down a little too much at points, but it was very gratifying to see their emotional growth throughout the story. The spy plot was well plotted but not too complex to follow and there was a good balance between the action and the romance elements.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No one is more disappointed in that review score than I am. Sapphic spies? I was frothing at the mouth when I read the description of this book, only to be incredibly underwhelmed.

The good: it’s sapphic! KC and Yardley are sickeningly sweet together, and I hope they have an amazing life together. Also the concept was amazing.
The bad: I was so bored. I predicted the villain in the first 20% and the only thing that surprised me about this book was how much I didn’t care for it.

I ended up skim reading the last 40% because I wanted to know how it ended but wasn’t invested in the story at all.

I’m certain there is someone out there who is going to love this book. That someone was not me. I received a review copy from the publisher, all thoughts are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All
Opinions are my own.

This was good! I enjoyed it. I read a lot of romance, but I always love new to me authors and this was one. I enjoyed the writing style and think this was super good! Definitely intrigued to read more.

I loved KC and Yeardley because they're sooo badass and so in love with each other. Such a delightful read and it was so full of humor and sexiness.

5/5 stars: This is Marvel's 2SLGBTQIA+ Steamy Romantic Suspense stand-alone that's set across the globe and follows a recently broken up couple, a second-generation spy and a hacker extraordinaire, who are unknowingly uncover CIA agents must work together, after their true identities are revealed when a mission goes bust, to recover a dangerous cyber weapon and catch the person behind it's sale. All while dealing with their undeniable chemistry and fighting through the betrayal and secrets that drove them apart, so that they can get to a place where they can fall in love with each other’s true selves. A non-stop action packed thrill ride, Marvel's masterfully crafted a suspenseful mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final reveal. I loved the hacking, spycraft and globe-trotting adventure these two take on in order to complete their mission and fall back in love along the way. Heartfelt, witty and smart, Marvel's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain incredibly likable. Yardley and KC are tough and I love seeing the two of them deal with the ramifications of their uncover identities being revealed to each other and overcoming them and getting to a place where they get their much deserved HEA. This second-chance / relationship in trouble romance is top notch with plenty of swoony banter with OPS scenes that are oh so steamy. Oh and the ambassador’s linen closet scene was indeed delightful. Overall, I enjoyed this so much; highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You is an absolute delight. It’s fun, flirty, and full of heart. Mae Marvel has crafted a romance that feels fresh and effortlessly charming, with just the right balance of wit, emotion, and swoon-worthy moments.

The chemistry between the characters is electric, and their banter had me smiling the whole way through. I loved how the story mixed playful humor with genuine emotional depth, making the romantic payoff feel all the more satisfying.

Marvel’s voice is confident and engaging, and this book made me an instant fan. If you’re into smart, heartfelt romance with a fun twist, this one’s a must-read.

This was an absolute knock out for me. I was reading it backstage at work telling everyone I couldn't possibly do my next quick change because I needed to keep reading. Now they all can't wait for June 10 so they too can read KC and Yardley's story.
This is a great sapphic adventure/spy romance with SO much yearning and so many intelligent and highly competent queer women having emotionally hard discoveries and conversations. This is relationship in trouble/hidden identity/coworker/forced proximity romance to a delightful end.
I'm not even sure I can fully have further coherent thoughts about this book because it just made my brain buzz with delight the whole time.
Like do i rationally think those same highly competent queer women wouldn't have put together that the person they were dating for 3 years and also lived with was also maybe a covert operative just like they were? Yeah probably but also sometimes we're big dum dums in love. Am I a little nervous the title of this one is going to keep it from really being a smash hit? Yeah maybe a little to be honest. But I'm gonna shout about it to the roofs to try and make sure everyone reads it.

Due to Goodreads rating system I gave it a 3 star, however I would say it was more of a 2.5 star read.

I really wanted to like this book. But this book just wasn't for me. It took a long time for me to finish. It was somewhat challenging to follow along because of the sometimes choppy writing. It was difficult to understand because the chapters were lengthy and had a lot of information. Although the book had a great concept, it was a little dull. The primary spy mission was a bit obvious. The book's second half, in my opinion, was way more enjoyable. I enjoyed seeing KC and Yardley's relationship grow into something new and different. However, I wasn't the biggest fan of it overall.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Heat Index: 7/10

—Mr. and Mrs. Smith but make it sapphic

—relationship in trouble

—international nasty girl adventures, etc

The Basics:

Yardley and KC are freshly broken up and feeling it hard—when they discover that, throughout their three-year relationship, they've both been working for the CIA. KC is Tabasco, a renowned hacker, while Yardley is elite field agent the Unicorn. Too bad they don't have time to hash it out with a dangerous mission at stake. No choice but to work together! Which won't be weird or complicated at all, right?

The Review:

Another fun romp from Mae Marvel, this one with world-shaking stakes (that somehow don't offset the book's light, flirty vibe). And the Mrs. and Mrs. Smith inspo is heavy in a great way. In a lot of sense, I'd call this a real "marriage in trouble" book, even though Yardley and KC were never actually married. They were heading that way, and they had a lot of the issues classic to a for real, serious relationship breaking up. It wasn't one big fight, it was KC withholding, Yardley never being there due to her various "business trips".

Of course, both of them were hiding the whole super spy thing.

The book begins right when the breakup is fresh and they're definitely over (sure, Jan) but not fully practically disentangled from each other. And they're both grieving the relationship. It's not too angsty, in part because Marvel then shifts fairly early in the book to them discovering the truth (which was smart; I don't think dragging it out would've been a good idea) but it is wistful, and you really feel how much these two loved each other. And why it wasn't working.

As is the way of this type of secret identity book, finding out that they'd been essentially lying to each other the entirety of their romance is cause for both strife and a new spark. There are those little digs, that edge as they work on the mission together. These two are professionals, dammit! They're not going to compromise global security for the sake of bickering! Or kissing!

Except...

One thing I really liked about this are the character qualities specific to KC and Yardley. While neither is butch, I think it would've been easy to cast field agent Yardley as the more assertive and aggressive of the two—and a lesser book, or perhaps one written at an earlier time, may have gone for that stereotype. But Yardley is given the space to be a badass in the field with debutante qualities, and KC is a hacker nerd who's also pretty badass, actually. The power dynamics, in turn, are really even. You get the sense that these two are both capable of taking one another on—and devastating each other.

I will say this is quite espionage-heavy. It's not super complicated, and it's well-done. But I think I lean toward a bit more edge when it comes to espionage in romance—I'm rather picky with it. I would've liked to have it dialed back just a bit so we could focus more on the relationship stuff, but it wasn't by any means taking over the romance.

The Sex:

I found this one hotter than Mae's previous book—especially in the "we shouldn't be doing this but we're unable to keep our hands off each other" sense. There's a lot of delicious, pent-up desire that just BOILS OVER, and it's a great touch (again, very Mr. and Mrs. Smith). The epilogue is especially intense.

The Conclusion:

If you're a fan of spies and romcoms, I think you get a good bit of both here—with an added dose of light angst. Great fun for the summer!

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Spies and romance, what more could you want? Yardley and KC are both spies for the CIA, but they don't know that. While on a mission, their secrets are revealed and their relationship, both professionally and romantically, is put to the test. Will they be able to salvage what they had and learn to trust each other?

I loved how this book was not strictly romance with a little bit of action or lots of action with a little bit of romance sprinkled in. It was a nice balance and combination of both. There were action scenes, there were romance scenes, and then there were romance action scenes. Think Mrs. and Mrs. Smith but in a book! The "switching" between action and romance flowed really well and I was engaged the entire time. I didn't feel like there was any lagging in the story to where I wanted to stop reading.

Thank you to the NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I ended up dnf’ing this book around the 50% mark. The story wasn’t bad or anything but for me it was a little too much spying and not enough romance and I just couldn’t get into it. I do think people who enjoy spy stories with romance will like this book but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Griffin for the ARC of this book.

Queer spy romance? Why not?! I love a fun read and this was that! Plus the spy elements gave another layer to the story beyond just the romance, which I appreciate. If you’re looking for a fun book, look no further!

Yardley is a field agent; a legend in her field and KC is an intelligence analyst, a step up from being a hacker in her youth. This is reminiscent of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, where they live together but they don’t know the other is a spy. Even though it feels like that, it is still very much a lighthearted humorous book with some action sprinkled in. The chemistry that Yardley and KC had were great and made the romance parts very enjoyable. It was a perfect mix of romance, action and humor. There were some spots that the writing felt choppy, and also repetitive, but overall wasn’t too terrible. This was my first sapphic novel and one by Mae, which I will be looking forward to checking out others by Mae as well.

I was so excited for this book — a SPY romance. It started off super fun and super cute and I found myself really loving the story, the characters, the action. But about 60% in, I realized I wasn’t enjoying reading it anymore. The third person pov was often times confusing with the MCs both being female and it switching between who the her was. I felt like a lot of the filler text was repetitive and got annoying. I also felt like KC and Yardley reconnecting happened way too quickly and wasn’t as sweet as I’d hoped. The ending action with Dr. Brown was good, but felt rushed. I actually hated the ending, with Yardley moving out and then the proposal being ruined. As traditional as her character was made out to be, I felt her knowing about exactly what would happen against her character and also just not fun for me as a reader. I’m a little disappointed in this one because I had such high hopes and I saw so much potential here.

I ended up DNF’ing, despite the book being set in the area where I grew up and supposedly ticking a lot of my book boxes. The book really drags out a lot of scenes. I made it to 49% before I finally admitted to myself that it just hadn’t hooked me. I think with some heavy editing for clarity and length, this book could be something amazing, but as it stands it’s ultimately forgettable.

This was a great page-turner from start to finish. Yardley and KC are in a relationship—but they’re also spies working for the same agency, without realizing it. The agency knows and keeps this secret from them, and as their relationship starts to fall apart, rogue tech is released into the world. I loved the globe-trotting, the different personas Yardley had to slip into, and the way the story balanced the suspense of will they get back together with will they recover the rogue tech before it’s too late. Plus, the world felt refreshingly queer and full of people of color, which made it even more vibrant and fun to dive into.

Let me start off by saying that this book is written REALLY well. This book was fun, sexy, and mysterious. I also really enjoyed most of the elements of suspense. I just wasn't 100% into the spy thing which kept me from fully diving into this book. However, if you're into spy books/movies and want a fun book with elements of mystery and suspense - this is absolutely the book for you!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for the arc!!

A sapphic spy romance? This was a great book. I loved KC and Yardley, and found myself rooting for them even when they were not.

this is sapphic Mr. and Mrs. Smith and I don't have a higher compliment. Not only a romance, but I thought the spy plotline itself was really good!

I loved the concept of the Ms. and Ms. Smith in this book! This was a mix of romance and spy thriller type plot, which got a little messy for me. It felt like the book focused too much on the job aspect and left of a lot of potential romance development between the characters. I think this would've been a better book if the author picked one lane to stick too. The book hooked me in the beginning but fell flat through the middle, which impacted my overall ranking.