This was one of my most highly anticipated reads for this year. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Harper and Voyager for for the ARC. And a big shoutout to the wonderful Ally Carter, whose name will always be on my bookshelf.

The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold serves as the direct prequel to The Blonde Identity and allows us to see the other side of the story. The story focuses on Zoe's sister, Alex, the spy that she is mistaken for in The Blonde Identity. It's how she became a spy, the missions she's gone on and the hot annoying colleague she's worked with on and off throughout the years.

The overarching story transitions from past to present and catches up to all the things Zoe went through with Sawyer in book one.

This book's strength was the characterization and while I was trying not to compare, this is where it beats out The Blonde Identity. For the most part, connecting to Zoe and Sawyer was a little difficult because one person had amnesia and didn't know who they were and the other one was a bit paranoid and non-trusting for a huge chunk of the book.

Alex knows who she is for the most part and she also acknowledges that she has faults. Same thing with King, who is burdened with who he is and the expectations people have of him. I think it was such a pairing was beautiful because they were both able to help each other grow as people. They are able to truly see and understand one another, which helps the synergy of their missions together.

I have also missed this leveling of pining in a romance. That was top tier. The tension, and the buildup of affection between them on missions was so good.

And so I come to this point, which may sway people if they weren't entirely satisfied with book one. This filled the void that the Gallagher Girls series left more than the The Blonde Identity did. I felt like there was overall more espionage, more action and a better relationship dynamic.

If there ends up being a third book, I will be front row and center for it.

The way Ally Carter weaved this book perfectly around the plot of Blonde Identity is amazing and wonderfully written. It gives an extra layer to the plot of Blonde Identity. Once again Ally Carter writes another dreamy male lead. King had some amazing lines that had me grinning and swooning as I read. It’s another hit from Ally Carter!

Thank you so much for the ARC!!

Ally Carter is now a strong favorite repeat author. I was so happy to receive this after loving The Blonde Identity and this sequel/part of the series did not disappoint! I loved Alex and King, their banter and chemistry is amazing. And it’s also a bit in the Most Wonderful Crime of the Year universe as well!

Definitely recommend this if you want a mix of romance and adventure

As I’ve come to expect from Ally Carter, I had so much fun reading this!! The perfect read for anyone looking for lots of shenanigans, some spy action, and a little romance.

What readers can look forward to:
- Good banter and humorous situations.
- Shifting timelines to help bring to life their current predicament while also giving depth to their relationship as there are flashbacks to how their lives have intertwined over the last 10years.
- Lovable characters! Alex kicks a** (an amazing spy, fearless, strong, quick to go off script). King is more serious but so full of heart he tries to keep hidden.

Side note - I liked the tie in to The Blonde Identity, it was nice to bring the stories to a close together. That said, you don’t need to have read The Blonde Identity to enjoy this book.

Thank you to Ally Carter, Avon, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to receive this!!! I'm so glad the author stayed in this spy world. it was so fun and the banter was everything. I was eating every moment up, it was perfectly balanced with romance, comedy and mystery! I need more books centered in this world!!!!!

Absolutely loved this book! Reminded me of the GGs and really brought me back. I wasn't the biggest fan of The Blonde Identity but Ally really did something with The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold. The time jumps and overall pacing was perfect for this kind of story and I was obsessed with the banter. Don't want to spoil anything by accident but I promise it is worth the read!!!

OMG!!! I absolutely loved reading this ARC! I love all of Ally Carter’s books. She is one of my favorite authors and every book she publishes, I automatically buy.

This book…. Lemme tell you. I was so excited to be able to read ARC. The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold is an amazing enemies to lovers story. I was happy, excited, even a little sad in some parts. This book is all of my spy dreams come true.

I loved reading about Alex and Michael’s story. From the very beginning I was hooked. The writing was beautiful. I was flying through these chapters. When I got to the end, I was sad it’s over. However, I can just read it again when the book comes out. 😁

The story is told in 2 POV’s. The present and the past. I loved the going back and forth between the past and present timelines, even tho I got lost sometimes on when I was. But it was very cool to see their life over the course of 10 years of their careers and relationship.

Overall, it was an amazing book and I highly recommend reading it!

4.25 stars ARC book review
This book was pure fun from the first page. Having read and absolutely loved the first book, I couldn’t wait to dive into this one which tells Alex’s story. This book was the best combination of romance, action and mystery as we follow Alex and King from present day to their past, and back again as they try to unravel who is trying kill them.

I really love the author’s quick and witty writing style. The banter is top notch, truly something Ally Carter does so well. The settings from Vegas to Portugal to Scotland and more were fun. The only thing I really struggled with was the multi-timelines, jumping back and forth from present day to the past, often in the same setting, was at times hard to keep track of.

Thank you to the publisher Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon, author Ally Carter, and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

An action-packed story with the perfect balance of romance. This is the first book that I have read from this author and it won't be the last. Based on that, I believe that this can be read as a standalone if you haven't read Ally Carter's The Blonde Identity.

The character development and plot was well written. I like the flashbacks between the two characters, along with the humour, banter and mystery.

No one writes banter better than Ally Carter! I’m ok that she writes fade to black romance because her banter and sexual tension are second to none. I love Alex and King! I love that he falls first. And the mystery within a mystery wrapped in an enigma is superb! Nothing would be better than if both Blonde books were made into a movie or tv show, so I could experience the joys of these books again.

This book was action-packed and was the perfect balance of story and romance. Such a fun read! If you enjoy fast-paced rom-coms then this book is for you. This was the first book to read by this author but definitely won't be my last!

This book wasn’t quite as off the wall and bananas as The Blonde Identity, but was still a really good time. The way Ally Carter writes spies and spying is so engaging and nostalgic and fun. I LOVE second chance romance and this definitely delivered. Alex and King were both super interesting characters and I really liked their dynamic. I persinally don’t vibe with dual-timeline very much, and I definitely didn’t love it here, but I did like how much we got to know the characters. Something about it didn’t quite sink in for me as much as I wanted it to, so I’m very excited to reread and listen to the audiobook when it comes out later this summer.

Oh my goodness, I am so thankful that I got an advanced review copy of this book. Because it is pure delight.

Think Jason Bourne meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Murder Mystery. It had me wanting to keep reading. I love reparte between protagonists. Yes, I knew that Alex and Michael didn't hate each other; it was so obvious that these two CIA agents had a history, had fallen in love and had a misunderstanding.....and of course things were going to come to a head. I enjoyed BOTH male and female leads a lot. Both had baggage and yet it was legitimate baggage. It wasn't forced and it wasn't implausible.

For those who have read The Blond Identity, you will enjoy characters making an appearance once again. Zoe and Sawyer absolutely do and it does answer the question: why were people after Zoe in the first place? Well, when your twin is wanted.....it explains a lot. It had been a while since I had read the first book so I could have used a refresher had I known.

I have so loved these books for also having sexual tension and yet not pages and pages of explicit sex. That has its place in others but here the spy part actually gets to take a front seat!!!

Definitely worth a read! Thanks Netgalley!!!

⭐️ 5/5 | 🌶️ 1/5
Third Person POV | Dual Narrative
Dual Timeline
Book 2 in Series: Can be read as a standalone. Don’t have to have read Book 1 (The Blonde Identity) in order to follow along.
FMC: Alex Sterling MMC: Michael Kingsley (“King”)
Setting: All over the world
Genres: Caper, Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Action & Adventure, Romance
Content Warnings: Violence, Blood, Death, Amnesia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Espionage, Gun Violence

This caper heist adventure follows Alex and Michael in the present day while flashing back to their earlier missions, both together and apart, since first meeting 10 years ago before starting “Spy School.” The way the dual timelines and dual narratives are written is super impactful and provides a more in-depth plot as they confront their pasts together and navigate current challenges and secrets.

I loved reading the clever schemes and intense obstacles they faced, both physically and mentally. The level of mystery, suspense, and action is so well done, keeping the pace sharp and stakes high.
Also, the settings change so much since this is a caper but each new location was vividly written and described in effective, immersive detail that it didn’t get overwhelming or lost. Reading the characters’ adventure through so various environments added more complexity and excitement to the story.

The loathing and dislike Alex and Michael share with each other brings a mix of humor and tension that kept me wanting to see more of their sensual chemistry and banter. I appreciated the moments of vulnerability and humility which made their romance feel more relatable and genuine. Even though their romance was a sub-genre it still added an emotional weight to plot.
With that said, I personally would’ve loved a bit more open door romance, and Ally Carter writes in a way that suggests she could definitely deliver some great steamy, sexy scenes. Other readers will appreciate that the romance and “spice” isn’t the main genre here and doesn’t overpower the caper heist theme.

The perfectly balanced humor, adventure, mystery, and romance made this such an entertaining, gripping read! I absolutely love caper heists with romance!

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I loved the sarcasm and the banter throughout the book! Sometimes this can be something an author uses too heavily and as a reader I am over it a quarter through the book. This was light and fun and had me giggling as I read. I like the steady growth in the relationship between Alex and King and the innocence it holds until the end of the book. This is definitely more for young adults or high school readers which I think books are harder to come by for that age range. I was also really impressed with the flow of the story line, it was fun, it was a little mysterious, and it was catching. I also really enjoyed the way the author was able to jump from past to present without causing confusion or weird jumps that you had to go back and make sure you were reading in the right tense for the time frame. This was really well written and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish!

The Blonde Who Came in From The Cold - ARC Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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PUB DATE: August 5th
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FEATURES:
-Romantic Suspense/Romantic Comedy
-Dual POV & Multiple Timelines
-Two Spies Fall in Love
-They can only trust each other
-It has always been you
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LOVED:
-Clever Humor and Banter
-Spy Missions & Mystery
-Lots of flashbacks that build a love story years in the making
-Loads of Twists
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Disliked:
-Very minor dislike: I don't love a cliffhanger at the end of an Epilogue
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The way Carter pulled off a well-developed, years-in-the-making love story while also weaving in some of the funniest lines and spy missions filled with tension and mystery… is frankly a marvel.
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This combo is something that shouldn't work and yet, with Carter's magic, it works so well.
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This journey offered laughs, twists, heartbreak, and heart-melting moments. I could not put it down!
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Definitely recommend reading book 1 first, though, or there will be spoilers.

5 stars!

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was such a fun read. I normally don't read spy novels but I am so glad I requested this book. The chemistry between the 2 main characters was off the charts and the banter/humor really made the story better. I did find the 2 timelines a bit confusing at first but then everything really clicked into place towards the end. I did not read the first book in the series and I think this could be read as a standalone but I'm probably going to go back and read the first! Overall, I would highly recommend!

In The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold, we meet Alex and King who are both spies. They worked together until King ended his career as a spy but Alex went into a deep cover. They fell in love over the course of their work together but Alex left and never returned to King. Years later they wake up handcuffed together with no recollection of how they got there but know they are in trouble. They both have to work together to stay alive.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this one even more than the first! The jumping timelines was a little bit confusing at first but once I got used to it, I really enjoyed it. I loved the world building as well the relationship building.

Love love love!! I loved the authors books when I was a kid and now they are more mature and still lovable!! I binged the first book to be able to review this one and wow! No spoilers but the author does a fantastic job at the character development and moving the plot! So good would recommended! I will post on Amazon when it comes out and is available!

So I will preface this by saying that I didn't read the book that this is in the same universe as (The Blonde Identity), so my review is coming from that perspective. Other reviewers said it could be read as a standalone, though, and the marketing didn't indicate it needed to be read as a sequel, so I didn't read The Blonde Identity first.

That being said, I found this book pretty confusing. The alternating timelines were interesting, but I think it would have been easier to follow if the book didn't also alternate POVs. It did also seem at times that the author had a difficult time staying in the POV of the character she was ostensibly writing the POV of — she would describe the inner feelings of a character that the POV character wouldn't have necessarily known, without saying something like "Kingsley guessed that (insert speculation on Alex's feelings here)".

I also found it odd that a certain character was described as frail and ill the entire book, and then at the climax of the book said character is able to come in and help save the day in a very physical way that would have been difficult for a character with the implied disability they had. I know that spy books aren't always the most realistic, but it felt less like speculative fiction-style unrealistic writing and more like lack of research-style unrealistic writing.

I did enjoy the characters, and I didn't see the twists coming at the end. I think all of the twists could have been explained a bit more, but maybe that's partially because I haven't read The Blonde Identity.