3.5⭐️
I didn’t like this as much as the first book in the series but it still had some good moments. Enemies to lovers and secret spies—always a good time. I’m usually not the biggest fan of past/present dual timelines and this unfortunatly fell into that category. All the time jumps made the story convoluted and hard to follow. I enjoyed these characters though and that we eventually got some more background on her relationship with her sister.

Thank you to Avon & Netgalley for the eARC

4 stars!!

Now, this book was perfect for me!! Fast paced second chance romance with SPIES?! I was so invested from page 1!

This book had some of the best banter that I have read all year. I loved the humor & writing style!

I loved Alex & Michael individually as characters and together. The way Michael literally YEARNED for Alex and was so down bad for her was EVERYTHING to me!!! I loved how much he cared about her & was willing to do anything for her!

I definitely recommend this book & series!!!

It's the book we've all been waiting for since the "Alex" who woke up in Paris found out she was a twin. Alex's life is complicated and switching from past to present helped us understand how she got to where she is. I knew ultimately they would have a HEA, but the journey to it was worth every page!

First, I love anything Ally Carter writes. Her bantering romances (is that even a phrase) is always perfect!

Secondly, I’m a huge fan of all things spy-related—Mission Impossible is one of my faves. If I was cooler, I would totally be a spy. So, when I read The Blonde Identity last year, I flew through it. I’ve been counting down to this sequel to finally get Alex’s story!

Alex is such a mystery in book one, and I loved being in her world. She’s different from her sister Zoe. Equally witty and funny, but with a fierce inner strength and courage while battling through some unresolved fears she’s been carrying for years.

I really enjoyed the dual points of view and shifting timelines. I’ll admit I was a bit confused at times about where we were in the story, but as it unfolded, the pacing found a great rhythm that added real depth to the characters.

Michael Kingsley is bound to become every reader’s favorite spy. Smart, tough, and absolutely head-over-heels for our girl. I loved watching their relationship grow throughout the book, though I do wish they had figured out how to communicate a little better in their decade-long history! Alas, sometimes we have to work out some things before we can continue.

This book was packed with action, heart, and humor and I’m absolutely hoping for a third book. Also, the Cliffhanger! How dare you Ally. But also, you go girl!

A huge thank you to Avon and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, HarperAudio Adult, and Ally Carter for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Honest review- I read The Blonde Identity when it came out- but did not know what to expect- so the journey took me by surprise. I liked it- but since I wasn't mentally prepared for so much action and the puzzle we had to put together- I didn't appreciate it as much as one would want to.

But now that I've read The Blond Who Came In From The Cold- and I knew what to expect- I loved it! And now I love The Blonde Identity! What a mental comeback, right?!?

Again- this is all mental. And all personal.

With all that said- I loved this story- it made me appreciate Zoe and Jake's journey more and truly kept me guessing every step of the way!

Narration was wonderful! We jumped A LOT through the timelines so there were times I wished I was reading on page so I could turn back a time or two to reference where I was again. So I suggest a dual eyeball and audio read for this one!

Where has an Ally Carter book been all my life, because this one blew me away? Just like one of their lil spy gadgets. No you don’t understand, this was so fucking good I did not know what to do with myself for a bit. I never wanted to stop; food, sleep, life be damned. Enemies to lovers, which is more like hypercompetent idiots dancing around each other, second chance, only one beds galore, “pretend” kissing while running from the bad guys, hurt/comfort, who did this to you? It’s like the author read my dream journal and said Bet, I can give you a better book than you’ve ever dreamed of. And the banter? Some of the best I’ve read ever, hands down. The sexual tension created by their verbal back and forth alone is incendiary. And the sheer quickness of the repartee matches the breathless energy of the book, which is like a shot of adrenaline. What can I say, some people get their kicks from adventure sports, I get mine from an excellently paced book. This book made me feel the way an Ali Hazelwood or Elizabeth O’Roark book does, and this makes me want to go back and read everything the author has ever written.

Alexandra Sterling is about to go to spy school, and as smart and skilled as she is, she is also fearless and has a bit of a self destructive streak. She’s determined to be the perfect spy and feel nothing, but she’s still the sunniest, shiniest person in the room, blinding her target with both wit and personality. She’s a girl who shows you can be lethally brilliant and whimsical all at once. So obviously, she bothers and confuses our very buttoned up hero, Michael Kingsley III, a legacy spy and another hyper competent overachiever, the forbidding grumpy to Alex’s bubbly sunshine. There’s a bit of a neurospicy aura to King, and the way he is adorably exasperated by her in his orbit had hearts in my eyes and violins playing in my head. Sparks fly as soon as they lay eyes on each other, and because idiots never know how to manage their feels, they vent them by bickering non stop, and even trying to mortally wound each other once in a while. But one thing they have in common is their competitiveness, and they work as well together, as they do against each other, and thus starts a years long game of hate-tolerate-like-love-will they-won’t they against a backdrop of some high stakes spy drama.

The story jumps between present day and past timelines leading up to present day, where we meet the two MCs as baby spies, right up to how they circle back around to each other. There’s a lot of back and forth due to the breakneck pacing, but it felt seamless and easy to follow. If I had one critique about the book (more personal preference), it’s the lack of open door sex scenes. The sizzling sexual tension culminates in very much fade to black sexy times, and I just wanted to open the curtain a bit. However, I respect an author’s choice not to write explicit scenes and to be completely honest, it didn’t detract my enjoyment of the book one bit. I just had to recalibrate my expectations a bit. The super secret dangersome spy plots are entertaining and super cool, and it feels like you’re watching a slick spy movie.

Two rival spies must live through their greatest mission yet by teaming up to try and stay alive.

This was incredible! The banter was so fun. The stakes were just high enough to keep my interest the entire time without losing the humorous aspects of the book. I listened to the first one and eyeball read the second one and I don’t think you can go wrong either way - would recommend reading them in pub order. Highly recommend this series!

rating: 5 stars

read if you like:

- forced proximity
- second chance
- spies
- allllllll the banter

quotes:

“You know where I wanted to put that ring? On your finger. That’s the only place I ever wanted to put it, but that wasn’t exactly an option now, was it?”

“I’m through loving you in secret.”

“I wanted to give you forever.”

thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5 rounded up to a 5. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc and audio arc for an honest review. Omg I loved this, such a fun romcom. Enemies to lovers with lots of fun banter along with a bit of mystery and the love story was so good. Loved the narrators as well which just topped off such a good book. Highly recommend.

THE SPY ROMCOM OF MY DREAMS !!!!

oh my god i LOVED this book so much!!! as someone who grew up reading the galgher girls series (and lowkey wanting to be a spy because of it), i have LIVED for every single adult book from ally carter. but this one???? this one is NEXT LEVEL! like truly the most perfect spy romcom !!!!!!

the banter is perfection. the chemistry is on fire. the storyline is unique. i'm so so obsessed with king. like pls that man is actually the best. i love alex so much. she's so fierce & iconic. ugh i'm sad the book is over.

i need this as a movie asap.

thank you Avon Books for the arc! this is my honest review.

After loving The Blonde Identity, I was super excited to pick up this book!

There were a lot of elements of the story that I enjoyed, including the dynamic between an MMC whose entire life has led up to being in the CIA combined with an FMC who doesn't appear on the surface to take things seriously enough. I also enjoyed the continuous forced proximity as Alex and King had to go undercover as a couple several times throughout their tenure as spies.

However, I had trouble following and staying immersed in the story because of confusing and not always labeled timelines. The dual timelines often overlapped in circumstances and settings, which made me have to start chapters over and flip back to see which timeline I was in multiple times. I also had trouble keeping track of all the unknowns; while a spy adventure story should have unknowns that are revealed later on in a way that helps keep the story moving and interesting, I felt that there were too many elements of this book that were unknown, which added to my confusion and frustration while reading.

Thank you to Avon for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

The Blonde Identity was a surprise delight last year, and its sequel does not disappoint. Above anything else this series is fun! It’s fast paced, silly, and doesn’t try to hard which is exactly why it works. We got glimpses of Alex in Zoe’s story but getting this insight into her life was so interesting. While the book is mostly light, it does touch on some heavier topics: family loss and being a glass child. Much like the first book, it was a little predictable at times but it was a fun journey.

4.5/5 ⭐️ Good for people who want a not beachy beach read.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold by Ally Carter is a third person dual-POV dual timeline romantic thriller. When Alex Sterling goes to a school to learn how to be a spy, the last thing she’s expecting is to form a tense relationship with Michael ‘King’ Kingsley, spy royalty and the one person who seems determined to push her away instead of pull her closer. But King’s frustrations with her have more to do with how she can see right through him when he’s supposed to disappear and how she stands out in a crowd rather than any kind of hatred.

There is very obvious sexual tension between Alex and King from the very beginning when they see each other from across the room in a bar and King gets between Alex and a random guy hitting on her. It takes a while for them to actually act on that tension more because they are competing against each other. It’s when they are assigned a mission to pretend to be a couple that starts to break down the walls between them more and allow them to finally act on the feelings that were brewing between them.

This is more of a grumpy x sunshine romance where King is the grump and Alex is the sunshine. Alex is a bit of a girly-girl who has a more chipper tone when she speaks and King is sort of dark and broody without going full-on teen bad boy. Both of them take their job very seriously but they approach it in different ways with very different motivations (for Alex, it’s the paycheck and for King, it’s the fact that the spy profession is a legacy he has to live up to.

King is very protective of Alex and is that MMC who will go feral if his partner is hurt, but he's a bit more subdued in how it comes across. It's not the growly anger that is so common in the alpha male trope, but more that he is concerned and he trusts other people to help protect Alex, so it's even worse for him when they can't. He also can't get Alex out of his head no matter how hard he tries and it leads to a lot of frustration for him because he views her as a distraction or a possible liability in the field.

I would recommend this to fans of spy fiction looking for a romance and readers of YA romance looking for something a little bit more adult

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

MICHAEL KINGSLEY MIGHT BE MY TOP BOOK BOYFRIEND OF THE YEAR!!!

There truly is nothing I love more than a second chance romance with so much yearning and tension and that’s exactly what I got with the Blonde Who Came In From The Cold👏🏼 it’s been a hot minute since I could feel the pain from characters so viscerally in my chest. Alex and Kings story is full of ten years of heartbreaks, pain, longing, stolen moments and a whole lot of spy shenanigans!!

If you loved the Gallagher Girls growing up and loved the Blonde Identity, please please PLEASE continue to Alex and King’s story 🤍💫🕵🏼‍♀️

This was such a fun read. The banter and tension between the two MCs was perfect. And I loved going back and forth between time points.

4.25/5⭐️ 0/5🌶️ 0/5😢

Ally Carter’s books are the epitome of FUN! I really enjoyed Alex & King’s rivals-to-lovers arch that was set over 10 years. They had hilarious banter and the “long time coming” felt believable and not too drawn out.

tropes & themes:
→ CIA spy action & adventure🕵️
→ rivals-to-lovers 🤺
→ second chance romance💘
→ non-linear timeline
→ “You came for me” 🥹❤️

Though this could be read as a standalone, I’d highly recommend reading The Blonde Identity first for the best overall experience!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon/Harper Voyager, and HarperAudio for advanced copies of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book!! The banter was next level. Truly obsessed with Michael and Alex. This was a fantastic sequel to book 2. Really don't even need to read book 1 to really get into this book, it was just that good! A great enemies to lovers relationship, with some forced proximity. Fantastic tropes, and II really enjoyed the second chance aspect. The back and forth timelines brought forward not only mystery related to the spying aspect, but to their "relationship" or what is used to be. Highly bingeable read and highly recommend.

If Ally Carter writes a book, I’ll be reading it. It’s that simple. She never misses the mark when it comes to incorporating strong female characters, epic romances, and fun and suspenseful plot lines. Alex is one of my favorite Ally FMCs, and King is one of my favorite Ally MMCs — which is saying a lot considering how much I love Zoe and Sawyer, Cammie and Zach, Kat and Hale, Maggie and Ethan, etc. The dual perspectives and dual timeline features worked to great effect in this book, letting us get to know the characters in a slow but meaningful way and keeping the interesting climactic moments just far enough away to make the book utterly unputdownable. Five stars all around.

(2.75 stars) I was super excited to read this book (I loved The Blonde Identity), but unfortunately, it just fell a bit flat for me. I am all for some flashback chapters, but the bouncing around between a million different timelines really jumbled my brain and took me out of the story; I found myself struggling to keep track of what events were happening in what timelines. As for the romance aspect of the story, there were some moments in the first quarter of the book where the tension was great, and I felt like there was a lot of potential. However I think as the book went on, the romance turned pretty meh. All of that being said, I do really enjoy these characters and their personalities. Based on the epilogue in this book, I assume we're getting a book 3, and I can definitely see myself continuing the series.

A huge thank you to Avon and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! <3

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)
Alex Sterling has spent the last decade as a spy, and Michael Kingsley has spent just as long driving her up the wall. So waking up handcuffed together with no memory of how they got there? Just another day in the world of international espionage (and extreme sexual tension).
Told in alternating timelines—past and present—we piece together how Alex and King got into this mess and where their complicated relationship stands today. Between figuring out who's after them, dodging danger, and navigating a spark they both want to deny, the tension stays high in all the best ways.
This book is a mystery-thriller-comedy-romance hybrid (yes, that’s a thing now) that blends quick-witted banter with fast-paced action. Alex is clever, self-reliant, and vulnerable in a way that’s deeply human. King, born and bred CIA, never expected his downfall would start with a girl at a hotel bar. Their chemistry? Electric.
The audio version was strong—Andrew Eiden (aka Teddy Hamilton in romance circles!) and Emily Ellet delivered standout performances. That said, the dual timeline format made it occasionally tricky to follow while listening, especially with POV shifts that weren't always clearly marked.
If you love spy drama, smart humor, and slow-burn tension with just a hint of romance (no spice here), this one’s for you. Can absolutely be read as a standalone, but I’ll be circling back to read The Blonde Identity next!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC. This book was fun and engaging! I remember reading Ally Carter books as a kid and am glad to see her still writing about spy’s. This book was fast-paced and funny. It was nice to see the other sibling throughout her journey as a spy. I loved the cliff hanger too! Can’t wait for book 3.