I just devoured The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold by Ally Carter! This spy rom-com had me hooked from start to finish. I loved getting Alex's point of view and her 'enemies to lovers' story with King. The undercover flashes were everything! This book reignited my love for spy novels and gave me major 2000s rom-com feels. Ally Carter's writing is pure perfection. I'm patiently waiting for her next masterpiece! If you're a fan of rom-coms and spies, add this to your TBR ASAP! It's James Bond meets How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days - what's not to love?! 5* read, hands down! #allycarter #theblondewhocameinfromthecold #spybooks #romcombooks #bookreview #netgalley #bookrelease #romance #books

Enemies to Lovers ✅
Spies ✅
Grumpy/Sunshine ✅

I absolutely LOVED The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold by THE Ally Carter!!! This is the second book in the Blonde Identity series. This action-packed romance novel follows two spies through a 10 year span. It was so fun following the FMC and MMC from their first day at The Farm. Both characters were likable which can be hard to find. I also liked that the book has duel timelines as we jump from present day to the past. I hadn’t read the first book of the series but that wasn’t a problem. I was hooked from the first chapter and immediately bought the first book in the series to read next. As a huge fan of James Bond, Alias, and The International Spy Museum (IYKYK), I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

My first Ally Carter book and it did not disappoint!!

This book was so fun and tugged at my heart. I am not familiar with spy books, but found this book entertaining and enjoyed the aspect.

Kingsley (such a hot name) and Alex are more rivals to lovers (they each want to be the best spy) rather than enemies to lovers (that would spies on opposing sides). I loved the yearning between the two and the chemistry was definitely there. They’re both very much idiots in love and I really love that they were what the other desperately needed.

Hmmm I think I loved the mystery of this since I’ve been delving into mysteries more. But I felt that it dragged a bit and the flashbacks kept confusing me. I feel like the cast was quite short: Merritt, Tyler, Alex,Kingsley, and then whoever tf was hunting them, which turned out to be (Tyler). So not a huge cast of fun characters but I liked being able to focus on Alex and Kingsley. Idiots. I think the end of the mystery was lacking a bit. I wish more of Tyler’s rise to evil had been fleshed out more, but the foreshadowing was good enough. I’m glad it wasn’t Merritt. I can’t believe his grandmother was Nikolai like wow girl, where’s your book???

I think my biggest issue was the back and forth between the present and the past. While the way it was told/sequenced was important to the story, it all began to blur together. There were some chapters where I wasn’t sure where in time we were and it got confusing. My other issue was that I felt like I needed to read the Blonde Identity first. I think it would’ve been an easier read had I read BI first, which most likely set up more world building and connected me to Alex.

This was filled with lots of action and romance and a lot of mystery. I enjoyed the story and think I’ll try the Blonde Identity to fill in the gaps of this world.

I also loved the epilogue because twins are already chaotic so having someone pregnant is even more funny when you don’t know who. I wonder who it is!!

Two former spies, forty-eight hours of missing memories, and ten years of yearning. Michael Kingsley left the spy world and Alexandra Sterling disappeared completely. Until they wake up handcuffed to each other in a remote shack with no idea who captured them and why. Let the spy games begin.

✨ Dual POVs
✨ Second Chance
✨ Rivals-to-Lovers
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Dual Timelines

Ally Carter is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! This book was so completely bingeable that I read it in a day. It was so sassy and fun! The perfect sequel that I enjoyed even more than its predecessor, The Blonde Identity. I grew up reading The Bourne Identity series and watching Alias and Spy Game so it makes sense that a spy rom-com is really my jam!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I think I loved this even more than The Blonde Identity. I went right into reading this after finishing the first book and I’m so glad I didn’t have to wait. As soon as I saw THE Logan Echols quote I knew exactly the type of relationship I was in for and Ally Carter delivered. Alex Sterling and Michael King had a great enemies to lovers arc, their chemistry and snarky banter, while still being one of the only people the other trusts, was so well done. Alex is snarky, sassy and gives off the ‘I don’t need anyone’ attitude, yet feels she’s too much, too loud, but inside she’s a marshmallow. King is broody, and dealing with trauma, yet is protective and has the ‘burn the world down for her’ yearning. I’m not ready to leave this world Ally Carter created, and I’ll be back in a heartbeat if she ever goes back.

At the end of The Blonde Identity I was happy that there was a hint of a sequel sister book. I was excited to see what all happened while Zoe and Jake were going through their book. The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but in the end it delivered more.
I would give the last half of the book five stars. Unfortunately, I have to dock it a star for the first half. The timeline flashbacks and dual points of view discombobulated me. It made for several put down moments when I was finally getting when and where we were, then we'd jump to another perspective or time period. Alex and Michael felt like irritated classmates more than enemies-to-lovers. I knew I was going to finish it to at least see the end scene from The Blonde Identity make the timeline, but I was starting to wonder if this would be a 3.5 star read.
At the halfway point though, it comes together and is totally worth it. I read the rest in one sitting, thoroughly enjoying it. I'm happy I read this and Alex got her story too.
Long term, this is probably a 4.25 or 4.5, now understanding that it does come together. I kind of felt like this was a side of The Heist Society we haven't seen from an adult perspective. I also didn't have to skip through overly spicy scenes. A little steamy maybe, but I appreciated the closed door romance.
I can't wait to get the audiobook to hear the characters' voices.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Collins for providing me an advance reader copy.

This was so much fun!! Absolutely loved this as a follow up to last years book. I love a good second chance romance and the ending was SO fun and wild. Very fresh; very addictive. Will absolutely recommend to everyone.

Ally Carter is the queen of romance suspense novels. I absolutely loved The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold. After reading The Blonde Identity, which I also loved, I was so excited when I learned that Alex was going to get her own book and it did not disappoint. Do yourself a favor and start reading Ally Carter.

Another fabulous, exhilarating Ally Carter novel for the books! I’ve been a fan of Ally Carter since middle school, so her newly published adult books are so nostalgic for me. The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is no exception! It’s a true slow-burn, with two very stubborn spies and a boatload of banter. This felt more grown-up than The Blonde Identity, and you can really tell Ally Carter is finding her niche in this genre. The dual timeline was so polished as well. I have so many highlights because the things that King says to Alex are all just so swoon-worthy. Here’s to hoping we get more books set in this world!

Alex was one of the CIA’s best spies until she went cold about a year ago. When she wakes up handcuffed to her former partner, King, in the Nevada desert with no memory of the past two days she is immediately plunged back into the world she left. King officially left spying behind about six years ago but finds himself constantly being pulled back into the game by his mentor Merritt and his deep love for Alex. The pair must work together one more time to tie up loose ends on several missions in their past and figure out he truth behind the mysterious Nikolai.

I knew from the moment I opened this book and found a quote from Logan Echols that I was going to enjoy this book. The book has its main story arc in the present day which is broken up by a series of different flashbacks across the pair’s time in training and then their various missions together. I loved all the spying aspects of the book and really enjoyed Alex and King as characters, but the jumping around in time never really allowed for the heat and tension between the two to grow and often the book felt disjointed and underdeveloped. I found myself wanting so much more of the romance aspect and honestly I needed more humor especially where the first book was able to do this so well. I still had a great time and it pulled me out of a mini-book slump after two DNFs but it just didn’t fully do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

solid, fun thriller. i did not realize that this one was a followup until after I finished it, but i really don't think you need to read the first one first. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Ally has done it again. I loved her first book in this spy verse, The Blonde Identity! As a sort of interconnected sequel, I had so much fun! There was a lot of yearning, witty banter, a slow burn romance spanning YEARS. There was a perfect mix of kick ass spy action and, I would say, rivals to lovers. The Epilogue had me screamingggg! I hope Ally writes more books in this world!

The perfect spy romance! When two spies fall in love, there's bound to be some flames! This is full of decades long secrets and SLOOOW BURN! Alex is such a badass! Smart and lethal, perfect combination in a woman. And King knows the moment he meets her, he's met his match and the world will never be the same.

Of course, we get a few cameos from Zoe who is still Zoe-ing and nothing makes me happier!

Thank you @netgalley & @harpercollinsaustralia for the chance to read this ARC!
I was first introduced to this author when I read The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year which I loved, so when I saw this ARC available I requested it immediately! I did not read the first book, but I’m it doesn’t matter too much since I never felt like I was missing anything. This was a forced proximity, second chance romance and more. Ex CIA trying to figure out how two former colleagues are tied up together with no memory of how they got there. The banter and one liners were so good!! Ally has such a way of making me laugh out loud in her books. Pub date is August 5th!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC! This one was an absolute delight from start to finish. The banter is sparkling, the chemistry is delightfully slow-burning, and the spy action/mystery kept me hooked throughout the whole story. I loved how the dual timelines gave us a glimpse into what brought these two together (and what kept them apart) -- honestly wished that we could have gotten a little more of the backstory with a couple of the missions.

Overall, this was an incredibly fun summer read and I highly recommend to fans of rivals to lovers, forced proximity, and all the crime shows of the mid-2000s where life-threatening situations make the main characters realize they've been in love this whole time.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read an ARC of this book!

I loved this book! Loved! I read it on an international flight front to back and couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed both the FMC and the MMC and spent several scenes squealing and kicking my feet or laughing out loud. I thought this book was the perfect balance of excitement, storytelling, fictionalization and realism when it came to having down to earth, believable characters put in extraordinary circumstances. I highly recommend this book and, while it is the second in a related series, I don't feel you have to read the first to fully appreciate this one!

Definitely check it out when it publishes in August!

Finally we get to hear Alex’s story, thanks to an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Avon! I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, The Blonde Identity, Zoe’s story, and this second book did not disappoint. Told from the viewpoints of the protagonists, Alex (Zoe’s twin) and Michael, this novel alternated between POV, as well as shifted from present day to past, filling in the back story of Alex and Michael King’s relationship, from the time they met to their current day predicament. Carter wove together the past and present brilliantly, with connecting elements, although at times it was too well done, and I found myself lost and a bit confused as to where and when I was in the narrative timeline. There were moments when I needed to go back to the chapter titles to remember the storyline I was following, which distracted slightly from my reading. But most of the book was fast-paced, with just the right amount of tension. I love the character Alex, although I have absolutely nothing in common with her. I can still relate to her fleeting doubts and grappling with feelings, especially with her relationships. I wonder if there will be any other books in the series?!

Ally Carter's books are such fast-paced page-turners, and THE BLONDE WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD is no exception. A perfect follow-up to THE BLONDE IDENTITY that will add color to what went on behind the scenes in that one, and give more glimpses into Alex's life, with a love story of her own. Such a fun one.

Such a fun read if you’re looking for great banter and silly moments. It was action packed and was a fun read

The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold by Ally Carter
-The Blonde Identity Series, Book 2-

4.25/5⭐️
🚪*fade to black
3/3🦋

•My Thoughts•
Ally delivers again! This was James Bond meets moments from the movie Couples Retreat (hilarious)and I had so much fun! The rivals to lovers banter, the forced proximity and the mystery all came together in a story that had me on the edge of my seat and speed reading! The dual timeline/flashbacks made things a teeny bit confusing but I really appreciated how it added to the mystery feels and provided insight into their relationship. Loved the cameos from the MCs in book 1 as well! High action, high swoon and all the banter - definitely recommend!

Thank you to Ally Carter, Avon and Harper Voyager Books for the early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.