Short Synopsis:
Alex joined the CIA ten years ago - alongside her rival, King. A year after going dark, Alex wakes up handcuffed to King in a pitch-black room. He’s no longer with the CIA, she’s been in hiding, and neither knows how they got there.

My Thoughts:
I didn’t know spy romances were something I would inhale until Ally Carter. This is my third book from her, and honestly? It might be my favorite yet. In this installment of BLONDE IDENTITY, we follow Alex (the spy twin) in a story that’s fast-paced, witty, and full of sharp, snarky badassery.

The romance? Top-tier. I will forever be weak for a man who yearns. The tension was delicious, the action nonstop, and I devoured every bit of it.

The audiobook? Chef’s kiss. Andrew Eiden (a forever favorite!) and Emily Ellet were perfection as King and Alex and nailed the banter, tension, and emotional beats flawlessly.

An absolute must-read, or better yet, a must-listen!

What You’ll Find
🕵️‍♀️ Spy romance
💔 Second chance
🔥 Enemies to lovers
⛓️ Forced proximity
💋 “Let’s kiss so they don’t catch us”
💍 Fake marriage undercover
✈️ Travel
⏳ Multiple timelines

This series is the answer to all of my childhood wishes come true. Having been a Gallagher Girls fan as a young girl, this is the grown up girl spy I’ve been looking for.

Alex is the awesome spy that can take on the world. She’s bold, fearless, and badass. When she wakes up handcuffed to her spy school rival and unable to remember how she got there, the fight is on.

Michael is the golden boy (read nepo-baby) of the spy world. He’s brilliant, has a photographic memory, and is hot too! But waking up handcuffed to the woman he loves but can’t have? Not ideal.

This duo is an absolute bombshell to listen to on audio. Both narrators do a wonderful job bringing energy, chemistry, and entertainment to the listener. The combination of a fabulous spy romance and fabulous narration? One incredible audiobook.

Thank you for this alc for my honest review!
I absolutely loved the narrators. They really brought this story to life and it felt like a movie! This was such a fun fast paced read! I felt like the dual timeline was a little difficult for me, but other than that, I really enjoyed it!

AHHHHH!!! So much to say about this story, absolutely loved it!!! I think this is everything you look in an action rom-com.
I didn't read the first book in the series, not sure if that was very relevant, or who it was about but I really liked this one,
This was a great enemies to lovers, they basically keep seeing each other through the years and getting closer every time they have to work together. But this man is sooooo down bad for her, I love it!!! And DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT ENDING, I NEED TO KNOW!!

Now for the audio part, THIS is what takes a star off my review, because how do you have dual POV and for HIM being Teddy Hamilton (he has soooo many fans), NOT having his and hers lines read by them!!?? This could have been almost perfect, but that really takes a lot from the experience on an audiobook for me, other than that I loooove both narrators and they crushed it!

Another thing is sometimes i got a bit lost and didn't know if it was past or present and had to listen for other clues to figure it out or just go back to the beginning of the chapter.

The audio really helped me out — I’m not a big fan of third person POV, and I didn’t even notice it until like chapter 3 or 4..

Thank you so much to Harper Audio, Netgalley AND Avon for this ALC

Alex and King both joined the CIA 10 years ago. Since then their professional and personal lives have crossed paths several times. When they wake up hand cuffed to each other in a desert, they realize they'll need to team up again if they want to survive.

This was a fun lighthearted novel, way more focused on the romance than the spy aspect of the story. I liked the banter between Alex and King. While I liked the multiple timelines, I did feel like this book bounced around a lot between timelines, and that was not always clear in the audiobook. I did enjoy Blonde Identity slightly more, but this was a fun second story!

Tropes
* Enemies to Lovers
* Story over 10 years
* Spy novel
* Second Chance Romance
* Amnesia

3 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is the second entry in the Blonde Identity series. This book follows Alex as she has an enemies to lovers, second chance romance with a fellow spy.

I loved this sequel and it may surpass my love for the first book? Alex and King have crackling chemistry and the yearning is top notch. So so good and worth the wait.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spies! Banter! Pining! Ally Carter is back with Alex’s story, and it’s so fun that I read it twice before pub day.

The Blonde Identity is one of my comfort reads, so I was amped to get my hands on advance copies of The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold. (I highly recommend reading The Blonde Identity first, by the way.)

There’s nothing quite like waking up handcuffed to your former-rival-turned-ex-lover and not knowing how you got there. (And I don’t mean handcuffed in a fun way.) So begins Alex and King’s story.

It’s second chance. There’s forced proximity. We get caretaking scenes and missions and mysteries.

When it comes down to it, he just wants her safe, and she’s not used to being taken care of.

They bristle every time they get paired up on a mission, but they’re the perfect partners for each other.

This one is fun in both print and audio. I eye read it first and then listened to it on audio a few months later. Like The Blonde Identity, it features dual narration by Emily Ellet and Andrew Eiden. Ellet does an especially good job of tweaking her voice for Alex, so that it is just different enough from Zoe’s.

I received advance copies from Avon and Harper Audio. All review opinions are my own.

Thank you to @harperaudio, @avonbooks and @netgalley for a copy of this audio and ebook for my review,

5 out of 5 stars

I LOVED this book. I always wanted to be a spy so this one felt so fun to me. This is my first Ally Carter book but it won't be my last. I didn't read the first book to this series but now I will be going back to read them. I LOVED the banter between Alex and King. He was so obsessed from the beginning and I absolutely loved the pining. Rivals to lovers and forced proximity are some of my favorite tropes and @theallycarter did an amazing job with it.

I wish I could just keyboard smash and add gifs to tell how much I loved this book but I can't so I'll leave it with this. I was grinning while reading this book the whole time and I would read even more if the opportunity presented itself.

Narration: Andrew Eiden is always wonderful and I think he does an amazing job bringing different characters to life and distinguishing them. Emily Ellet also did a fabulous job and I would definitely read more books that either of them narrate in the future.

This book is closed door/fade to black.

Yet another Ally Carter book I loved. After listening to the first book a few weeks ago, I jumped on the opportunity to get my hands on this one.

I loved Zoe’s story in the first book, and knew I would love Alex’s. Both of these stories cross and connected and I loved seeing the moment where they connected because of that I would highly recommend reading book one as well!

Alex is such a strong FMC. I loved seeing her find herself. And the banter and the enemies to lovers in this one was top notch. This has the best of all worlds in my eyes. Mystery, Spies, Romance, Banter. You truly get it all!

This audio was fantastic and I will devour any Ally Carter book moving forward I’m sure of it.

I Just finished @theallycarter new release and oh my gosh! What a ride! If you haven’t read her book The Blonde Identity, I suggest you read that one too! (Check out my page for my review for that one too)

This book is like the perfect mix of spy thriller energy and romcom laughs! I loved how the story kept me on my toes without ever feeling too heavy, and the main character had just the right amount of sass to make me laugh out loud more than once! It gave me all the spy vibes, and before I knew it, I’d finished the whole thing!

What I really enjoyed was how fun and fast paced it was! Definitely not one of those books that drags. The action is exciting, but it’s also playful in that classic Ally Carter way! And while it took me a bit for my fuzzy brain to remember the first book, once I did I was thrilled with the connections and it made me love the book even more!

If you’re looking for a lighthearted adventure with a dash of danger, some sweet swoony moments, and a heroine you can’t help but love, this is your next must read!

⚠️Content Warning: No spicy scenes in this book! However it is a little more casual in some of the conversation topics and includes some swearing.

Thank you to Ally Carter & NetGalley for the arc of this much anticipated sequel!

Ally Carter delivers another captivating, emotionally rich, and irresistibly charming story in The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold. This book stands out with her signature blend of wit, heart, and fast-paced storytelling, making it an absolute delight to read.

In Book 1, Alex was more of a mysterious shadow—a name with a reputation, tied to her sister yet emotionally distant due to vastly different childhood experiences. Here, we finally step into her shoes, and the result is powerful. The book dives deep into Alex’s emotional world—her guilt, trauma, and the psychological weight she carries from her upbringing. It brings a new level of depth and vulnerability that really makes her character shine.

The romance in this story was intense, beautifully developed, and filled with emotional highs and lows. The past experiences felt raw and real, and they helped illustrate just how much the relationship evolved and strengthened over time.

The only drawback, and what kept this from being a full five stars for me, was the frequent switching between timelines. While it was necessary for the story and evolution of the romance, the jumps occasionally felt jarring and disrupted the otherwise smooth narrative flow.

Still, with its compelling characters, heartfelt romance, and that unmistakable Ally Carter charm, it was a fantastic read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping story with heart, humor, and depth.

My goodness - the Gallagher Girls lives on through another Ally Carter spy mystery! Alex and King have such a good dynamic! Their banter is top tier and there is such a palpable push and pull between them over all their time points. I loved how this had all their past interwoven with their present. Granted, it made it a little difficult to follow at times, but it was easy to catch up. I think it would’ve helped if I actually stopped at chapters and not stopped halfway through a chapter. The mystery in this novel does tie into the previous one, but it isn’t necessary to read the previous book because most things are explained. However, I do wish I read them closer together. I may just go back and reread them both! I wasn’t sure how the mystery was going to tie up and I loved how Ally Carter kept me on my toes with that. I was certainly surprised with the twist of who our mystery Russian spy was and the fun twist that it ends with was cute too. I love that this book is relatively clean - there isn’t cursing and everything is just inferred and closed door. I would be comfortable with a teen reading this, as long as they are okay with all the fictional murders that come along with the mystery. The narration is excellent and really adds to the story. I wish the speed was a little more controlled along with the volume, because I often had to turn the volume up or slow down the speed for the male narrator. The time jumps were also harder to follow with the narration. However, I still loved listening to this! I adored Ally Carter as a teen and I’m so happy I get to keep reading her spy novels as she is writing adult novels now. Keep ‘em coming Ally, because I will always be a fan! 4.75⭐️, 1🌶

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Smart, Sexy Spy Games with Heart!

Thanks #HarperAudio #NetGalley for the ALC 🎧

The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold by Ally Carter is a high-stakes, second-chance romance wrapped in espionage, banter, and just the right amount of slow-burn tension. I tore through this advanced listener copy in record time. I was hooked from the moment our two spies woke up handcuffed together in the dark.

Even if you haven’t read book one (like me), you can jump right into the action! I definitely plan to go back and read the first one now. Carter masterfully weaves together a timeline of spycraft, secrets, and a tangled love story that refuses to die, no matter how many years try to separate them.

The chemistry between the leads is electric, their banter razor-sharp, and the plot delivers just the right balance of mystery, adrenaline, and emotional payoff. It’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets The Bourne Identity, with Ally Carter’s signature wit and heart front and center.

If you love enemies to lovers romance, spy thrillers, and couples who would rather bicker than admit their feelings with a side of humor. The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is for you. Bring on book one—I’m officially all in.

🎧 Also: The audiobook performance was excellent—tons of energy and just the right amount of emotional depth. Loved the dual narration!

I received the ALC only a couple of days before release, so I didn’t quite finish it, but I loved it so much I went over to audible and bought a copy so I could finish it!

𝐀𝐑𝐂/𝐀𝐋𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
🎧𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 & 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭
➡️𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 HarperAudio

🕵️‍♀️𝐒𝐩𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
🕵️‍♀️𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
🕵️‍♀️ 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐎𝐕

✨𝒯𝒽ℴ𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈✨
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 story was an absolute blast. Alex, who is the spitting image of her twin sister Zoey (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲), was previously portrayed as a daring spy who is being hunted down and marked as a prime target, except that they have her confused for her sister. Now, Alex finds herself waking up handcuffed to her rival spy, King, without any explanations or clues. The only option is to survive together.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 story unfolds in a dual timeline, revealing the past and present of Alex and King’s relationship. Their initial animosity slowly morphs into something deeper, creating an enemies-to-lovers dynamic that kept me hooked. Alex's humor and King's undeniable feelings give an extra charm to this spy romcom.

🎧𝐈 had the opportunity to both read and listen to this story, and I must say, the dual narration by 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭 and 𝐓𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 was exceptional. Their voices perfectly captured the unique bond between Alex and King, making this a great audio experience!

𝐈𝐟 spy romcoms are your cup of tea, you won't be disappointed by this story. Many thanks to 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐧, 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫, and 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 for providing the ebook and audio copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒.𝟓⭐️ 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝟒.𝟓🎧 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫

My thanks for the audio ARC goes to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult, Avon. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Spy Romance, RomCom, Mystery Romance, Mystery Thriller
Narration: Two narrators, and both were excellent
Format: Dual point-of-view, past and present
Language: About a handful of swear words
Spice Level: Closed door / fade to black

THE BLONDE WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD is one of the funnest reads of the year, with spy tropes played like a rubber band.

If you like your spies dashing, with a troubled past, and maybe even a little over the top, Alex and Michael are for you. This book is a little bit silly. But that is actually what I liked about it. I felt like I was watching an old noir Humphrey Bogart film with all the usual suspects. Nods to spying in different eras (like the Cold War) increased a somewhat nostalgic but dark past. How often do you say this is a comedy with a dark past?

I think the time periods were a little confusing. I had the audio, and if I didn't catch if we were in the past or the present, I had to listen for other clues. This was compounded because sometimes, they were in the same locations as the past. For me, this was minor.

We get a dash of Alex and her twin toward the end of the book. I feel like this will be interesting to see where this series goes next. I will definitely be there for the ride.

I highly recommend this book! Get out your decoder ring.

4.5 stars!

Thank you so much to the author, Avon, HarperCollins, and Harper Audio for the advanced copies. All opinions are my own.

This was such a ride! Alexandra Sterling (Alex) and Michael Kingsley III (King) are two spies who detest each other but keep finding themselves being forced to work together for missions over the last decade. It’s a fun story with a dual timeline, so while we follow their current shenanigans, we also get to experience their past missions and entanglements as well. And they certainly do get quite…entangled.

“She was oxygen and he was too stubborn to breathe..”

And it doesn’t matter how hard they try to hate each other, their chemistry just explodes off of the page! The tension and banter are such a fun time, and I just loved their entire journey. There were so many moments that had me absolutely giddy, but I also appreciated the moments when these tough spies let their vulnerabilities peek through. I definitely want to go back and read The Blonde Identity now!

🎧: Andrew and Emily do such a great job with the dual narration of this story. They manage to give each character a distinct voice and really keep that banter going. And Andrew does grumpy so very very well. This was such a fun listen!

𝚝 𝚛 𝚘 𝚙 𝚎 𝚜:
😎 second chance
🏝️ rivals to lovers
😎 forced proximity
🏝️ dual timeline
😎 SPIES!!!

Honestly just a fun book! The perfect spy romcom, with so much banter & chemistry between our two main characters.

Ten years ago, they joined the CIA.

Six years ago, he left the game.

Five years ago, they fell in love.

One year ago, she ran out into the cold with absolutely no intention of ever coming back.

And two minutes ago, they woke up, bloody and bruised and handcuffed together in the dark....

The audio of this one was SO fun. I loved the dynamic between the two narrators, it really brought the story to life. You could feel the emotions through the voices. I devoured this audio in just a couple of days, and truly didn't want it to end! But the ending was perfect, and it all wrapped up nicely together. I think even if you were reading this as a physical option, you'd fly through it! Both book 1 & 2 were such quick reads because the stories have the perfect amount of action & romance!

This is technically the second book in the Blonde Identity series, but you could easily read this as a stand alone!

There was some light, closed door spice that made sense. dual POV's & multiple timelines that keep you super engaged and locked into this story. Add this to your TBR if you need a super fun spy romcom!

OH MY GOSH! This was worth the wait!

Alex is hardheaded, stubborn agent who thinks that she doesn't deserve love. King is legacy agent running from his past and afraid to repeat history. Together they make the perfect team to complete any mission. Just baddish people doing bad things for the greater good.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year, and it did not disappoint! I fell in love in love with a girl who was ignored her whole childhood and had to be her own hero. Alex works so hard to be the best and be the stereotypical spy. She was so human. I could relate to her running from her problems and feelings.

The spy missions in this was kickass! I loved the alternating timeline to see missions and they're relationship developed. It was so fun and insightful. It kept me hooked until the last page. Seeing old school spy gadgets to new modern methods made me consider throwing my hat in to an organization that would kill my current identity.

Everything about this book was amazing to me. I wish I could read it again for the first time. Or I didn't finish it in one setting.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! It's the best one approved for yet!

A fun and action packed spy romance! I was shocked by how fast I got through this audiobook. I think it helped that not only were the chapters pretty short, but the action just kept coming. At no point did the story drag and we were constantly in the action of both the past and present. Alex was such a badass! I wasn’t expecting the MMC, King, to be the softie, but I loved it! The way he took care of her (multiple times) made me swoon. If you are looking for a quick and fun lighthearted read, The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold is a great choice!

I am obsessed with Ally Carter's writing! I adored her Gallagher Girls series back in the day and while this story was lighter on the spy mechanics it still included enough to add some stakes to this swoony romance. I love a man who is down bad and King is so down bad it's glorious. Their banter was so fun to read about and the dual timeline aspect kept me intrigued trying to find out how they got to where they are today. I did find myself somewhat confused as the timeline and POV switches happen quickly but the vibes were immaculate so I had a fabulous time. I hope there are more books in this series because I had a blast with this one!

Both narrators were absolutely fantastic! I tried reading with my eyes for a chapter and immediately switched back to audio because the narrators delivery made me fall for the characters even more. Definitely pick this one up on audio!