This book takes place a year after The Blonde Identity. I loved how the book did have a different feel to it than the first book. The Blonde Identity is definitely a spy rom com and we don’t get a lot of background on our character, mostly because Zoe has amnesia. The Blonde Who Came In From the Cold is not so much a rom com but it is a spy romance with dual POVs and dual timelines. I loved having more background on not only the events in this book, but it also helps so much with the events of The Blonde Identity.

King is not your typical spy and I just loved it. He’s the “softer” of the couple, though he is definitely a bada** spy. He falls first, but the tension is high from their very first meeting. Alex feels like she has a lot to prove despite being one of the best spies out there. The complement each other so well!

I think these books can be read in any order or by themselves, though both need to be read to have a full picture of what has happened. These are such fun reads!

Review goes live June 19

I’ve been a huge Ally Carter fan since middle school, and this book did not disappoint. This dual pov and dual timeline spy rom-com had a more similar vibe to Carter’s Heist Society Series in places than her Gallagher Girls Series, which surprised me as it is about spies, but I’m always down for for the heist vibe. I did get confused in a few places trying to remember what happened in the past vs the present timeline, but life has been busy and I didn’t get to read this book very fast so that probably contributed to the confusion. However, it is a very fast-paced story and I wouldn’t have been able to put it down if I’d actually had the time to just read all day. Highly recommend for fans of spies, heists, female main characters who carry the world on their shoulders, and good old-fashioned chivalry.

So I don't know about the mystery in this book, but the romance was chef's kiss. Literally swoon worthy. I love the tension and chemistry between Alex and King, right from the beginning when they started training. The friendship, the drama, the will-they-won't-they aspect of it all as they flit through different assignments even playing a fake couple was all awesome. The dialogue is so darn good I loved it so much.

Here's what didn't sit right with me. The mystery didn't feel as well fleshed out, maybe a little abrupt too with the cuts to different timelines. I'm not sure if reading the first book Blonde Identity (which I haven't read) would make much of a difference, because I adore the MCs just not the odd pacing of the story and weirdly staged plot.

Spy romance isn't a sub-genre I read much, but I am obsessed with romance, and I know Carter nailed the characters of Alex and King in this one, their duo is impeccable and keeps me yearning for more.

I was so excited to read The Blonde Who Came In From the Cold after reading The Blonde Identity. I loved Alex and King. They were so cute. Alex is diving off Legally Blonde vibes but paired with Spy skills. My only issue was at times the dual pov and timeline was a bit to help up with but the banter and humor in this book was top tier. We get Alex and King's backstory and how in old missions they had to pretend to be a coupleand how their friendship grew. Though presently, they can't stand each other after getting kidnapped and being stuck handcuffed together. This book was one of the most fun and refreshing reads that I've read on the past few months. After reading this one, it reaffirmed his great Ally Carter's writing is and want to go back and read the rest of her books.

A big thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review .
Expected publication August 5, 2025

I enjoyed this book SO MUCH. I liked the first book in this series about Zoe and Sawyer, but I loved this one about Alex and Michael. The not quite enemies to lovers was on point, the timelines and flashbacks were done well, and I really enjoyed the pacing. I did get a little bit confused near the end when Alex and Michael finally got together, I was having some trouble following and not everything was making sense so I had to reread those pages a few times. But it didn’t really affect my overall enjoyment of this book! I hope there is another one in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the ARC!

thanks netgalley and avon for the arc!! you will never be able to shame me for the excitement i had for this book!!! i'm a gallagher girls apologist, so that comes as no surprise, but the first book in this series was also fun. but rival spies!! falling in love!! over the course of missions and years!! that's catnip to me! i thought i was gonna be obsessed in the way only a teen girl who watches a random romcom on a long haul flight can be obsessed

which is why i regret to inform you that i did not close this book obsessed. maybe this is what getting older is. maybe i will never feel obsession ever again?? (immediately incorrect, as i am still obsessed with psr) i didn't even really go into this with expectations, mostly bc i actually forgot what happened in the first book. i just wanted to be entertained and i guess i was, a little bit. it's just that this felt like a first draft? i liked all the story beats but the actual content so repetitive and it was detrimental to their romance. stop monologuing the same thought for several sentences and spend more time together bantering bc when they did, it was so fun!! at least this is one of the only times that contemporary "who did this to you" works ... bc they're spies. they are not normal ass civilians

also the whole nikolai storyline mixed with kozlov and basically all the actual spy shit just felt like placeholders, like when you have an idea but you just don't feel like fully fleshing it out, so you're like "insert explanations here." i liked the constant flashbacks to their past bc they provided much needed foundation for their relationship, but by the end of the book, i felt like in all the 'present day' chapters, they didn't do enough 'forced proximity spying to resolve their issues' together. i only have so much excitement in me, so to think i might have squandered it?? even tho i still had a few fun??

A big thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyages for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the second in a series I believe. I have not read the first. I was a little confused about the twin Zoe, and quite frankly still am! I am also not a fan of flashbacks and amnesia stories. But this is a spy thriller so I let it slide. It is a fun read, and amusing. Didn't see the bad guy. Overall a good read. 3.5 stars

ARC read, thank you Ally Carter, HarperCollins Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read book 2!
An adult Gallagher Girl living for this book!!!

I am a huge believer that second books take the cake, but this book took the cake and the ice cream! I am just in love with how Ally Carter turned her YA adult spy books and grew with her audience to create New Adult spy books. She has solidified.my reasons for continuing to adore her writing all these years!

Alex (Zoe’s twin from book 1) and King are so swoon worthy as Ally Carter takes you back and forth between the days of them meeting, to their days kicking a and taking names out in the field on missions, to present day. This book had all the things I loved, spies, pining, enemies-to- lovers, to not so much enemies anymore, touch her and I will kill you and no one will know about it! I mean what could be better!

Now for my favorite part of giving ARC reviews… glows and grows!

Glows:
1. The pining was top tier! Chefs kiss Ally Carter because that was world class!
2. I loved how the writing took you back and forth from past to present to make you understand the dimensions of their lives and their love!
3. The ending had me giddy, but also dying at not getting the answer I wanted which made it all the more exciting to see what’s next!

Grows:
1. No notes! I loved the development and it didn’t feel like their attraction and tension was all over night. I loved that this all took place in a 10 year span and I loved watching the characters grow!

Rating: 5 ⭐️
Spice: .5 🌶️
TW: weapons, loss of a loved one

this book was so fun. love second chance romance and everything that went along with this one. totally gave me finlay donovan vibes which i absolutely love.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Listen, I am not into second chance romance and I’m not into a jumping timeline. I am however, into this author. And she is magic. I LOVED this book. It takes magic woven into words to help me get into a trope that usually isn’t my favorite and I’ll be pushing this magical book series into the arms of everyone I know.

Five stars
1-2 steam

As a longtime Ally Carter fan, I adored Blonde Identity—a fast, funny romp with spies, amnesia, and romance. So I was excited for this standalone sequel about Zoe’s twin sister, Alex. While it had Carter’s signature humor and charm, it didn’t quite capture the same spark or pacing as the first. Still fun for fans, but it didn’t fully live up to the original’s high-energy appeal. (3.75/5)

✨ Thanks so much to NetGalley, Ally Carter, and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. Always grateful for the chance to read early! ✨

a little bummed about how this one turned out. the blonde identity was one of my favorites, and i was excited when alex and michael’s relationship got teased at the end. i didn’t even know for sure we were getting a follow up. this one jumps around in time, showing different points in their relationship from meeting at spy school to a rough mission fallout to reconnecting in the present. i really wanted to love it. they both had their moments, and as a couple they had some good scenes, but for me their chemistry just didn’t hit the same level as zoe and sawyer.

i also thought we’d get more of the twins interacting, especially since zoe was new to the spy world. we only got a glimpse of that toward the end, maybe 15 pages or so. honestly, those two and their individual storylines could have carried the book. there were also a lot of moments where the dialogue felt repetitive. i started skimming and didn’t feel like i missed much.

not the experience i was hoping for, but i still really like the world and the characters. i just wish this one landed a little stronger.

I can't get enough of this series!! Such a fun spy adventure with a romance that had me desperately needing to know everything and rooting for a reunion the whole time. LOVE this one from Ally Carter, she's done it again!

The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold was the perfect vacation, action, romcom.

Ally Carter created characters you wanted to learn more about and a story that had unexpected twists.

I definitely will recommend this to others.

Spies who have gotten out of the business, but have a very mixed up past. The story alternates between many timelines over the last 10 years.

Ally Carter books are so much fun. Spies (or not-spies sometimes) on the run and falling in love? Or in this case, fighting their feelings for literal years? High stakes entertainment for the win.

Alex was such an enigma in ‘The Blonde Identity’, it was great to get to know her and her history in this one. She’s such a layered character with a depth of emotions and guilt that fueled her motivations. She had an interesting dichotomy of knowing she’s skilled at what she does while still harboring the natural insecurity of wondering if she was good enough. Her instincts and ability to dive into something dangerous were consistently impressive.

The dynamic between Alex and Michael was a push/pull of competition and attraction. They were defiant of their undeniable feelings and channeled that into banter and bickering. Yet they still remained a strong team even when arguing, and no matter what it was clear they had each other’s backs. Most specifically, there was never a doubt that Michael would show up for Alex if she ever said the word. They were up against so many external and internal factors that ultimately made them stronger.

For me personally, the constant jumping between past and present timelines made it harder for me to get fully sucked into the story, but the past was important for their present. Totally necessary for the story, just a personal struggle for my own reading flow.

I’m so happy we got this book after loving ‘The Blonde Identity’ so much. Thank you to Avon via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this closed door second-chance romance, ex-spy Alexandra Sterling is forced back into the biz when she wakes up to find herself tied to former flame Michael Kingsley.

I read this because I loved The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. But the banter here fell flat, and the romance was off-putting. The plot read like someone describing an action movie they saw. Just felt slapdash all around.

4.5🌟 Oh I just love this series! I've been an Ally Carter fan since the Gallagher Girls days. She is a must read author for me! This book, like all of hers, is full of fun, great banter, romance and is a mystery/ thriller too! I liked the tie in with Zoe and Sawyer from the first Blonde Identity book. I will say that my only con of the book is that the dual timelines made it a little hard to keep track of the major storyline. That was the only issue for me. Otherwise, I liked the story, the twists and all the longing. I hope there's another book coming soon!

Yes Yes Yes! This is what I have been waiting for years as soon as I finished The Blonde Identity! This was so good. I couldn’t put it down. It was fast paced and enemies to lovers perfection. Will be posting a review in my Ig closer to the release

Ally Carter has done it again! The second book in her adult spy novel foray gives readers the intrigue, excitement, mystery, and romance that they are looking for. With well crafted characters and a thrilling adventure, this book is perfect!