I really enjoyed book 2 of this series. I liked it even better than book 1. The Main characters banter had me laughing. I liked how it tied into book 1 and I would definitely read book 1 first. If you are looking for a cozy, funny, easy to read mystery this book fits the bill.

3.75 stars. I liked this but the multiple timelines were difficult to keep track of, at least it felt that way with the audiobook. I preferred the first book in the series more, but this was still a good read if you enjoy enemies to lovers. The spy storyline takes a backseat to the evolving relationship in this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Avon Books for the eARC, free book, and ALC.

I listened to this one on audio and it really was the best way to dive into the banter between King and Alex. Emily Emmet and Andrew Eiden knocked it out of the park.

This is technically the second in the series, but I don’t think you need to have read it to enjoy it. Alex and King have been circling each other since they met in “spy school” ten years ago, and the story goes back and forth between their past and their present.

I’m going to be totally honest, I’m still not 100% sure what really was happening with the plot with the bad guys and the spy stuff. But I still couldn’t stop listening. I loved their banter, their obvious attraction to each other, King’s quiet and sweet pining for Alex. It was fun and hilarious and cute and emotional and I couldn’t get enough of it.

And now, I absolutely will be going back and reading book one!

oh my gosh, I LOVED this book! Even more than the first one which I really enjoyed! It was such a fun book to read especially at the beach! It's packed with so much spy adventure/action, SLOWBURN, enemies to lovers angst and witty banter! I just found myself reading this with a big smile on my face and not wanting to put it down!

This was just so much fun and different feeling! I thought it felt a little more believable (for a spy book) than the first one. I loved their spy missions and all the fake married scenes. plus we have several sick/taking care of you scenes that I was literally dying over! *SWOON* I absolutely ADORED both of these main characters so much! I think I loved Alex even more than Zoe. She's so feisty and independent but yet so relatable!! I found myself bonding with her! and then King is just so darn dreamy!!!! like no notes. I love them.

I am sad I finished this because it was such a wonderful distraction and spunky read! highly recommend! I would say it's best to read the first book about her sister to get the full picture but not completely necessary. absolute perfection!!! Sign me up for more like this book please!!!!!

I didn't mind the time jumps but towards the end it started to get a touch confusing/bit much but yet I loved them. I loved how it showed the depth to their relationship.

I was provided an ALC for honest review. The audiobook quality is really good and a duet narration. I particularly liked the male narrator, but both did a great job with this audiobook.

I really liked this book, it’s basically an enemies to lovers CIA spy romcom. It’s a dual timeline where the past ends up catching to current day. It’s a slow burn with lots of yearning. It was fast paced and lots of witty banter between the FMC and MMC and both were very likable characters. Highly recommend this one!

4.5 ⭐️Listened to this on Audio. Thank you Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of the audiobook.

The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold Ally Carter's The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is making waves as a thrilling blend of suspense, romance, and humor. It's a sequel to The Blonde Identity, but stands alone, offering a fresh, exciting story for new readers. This book is a must-read for fans of action-packed adventures with a romantic twist. The story revolves around Alexandra "Alex" Sterling, a skilled CIA operative and twin sister to Zoe from The Blonde Identity. Alex is known for her undercover work and her complicated history with fellow spy Michael "King" Kingsley. Just as Alex is about to leave the CIA, she finds herself in a dangerous situation. The plot kicks off with Alex and King waking up handcuffed together in an unknown location. They have no memory of how they got there and no idea who their captor is or what they want. This sets the stage for a high-stakes mission where they must rely on each other to survive. As Alex and King work to escape and uncover the truth, they realize that the spark between them never faded. The novel delves into their past missions and romantic encounters through flashbacks, adding depth to their relationship. Readers get to see the evolution of their connection, from initial rivalry to deep love and the reasons behind their estrangement. Carter skillfully balances the intense action with lighthearted moments and witty dialogue. Even as the characters face life-threatening situations, the tone remains fun and engaging. The story is full of twists and turns, keeping readers guessing until the very end. The book uses dual points of view and dual timelines, which some readers might find challenging, but others will find adds to the story's complexity and intrigue. The shifts between past and present reveal the characters' history and motivations, making their present situation all the more compelling. This narrative technique keeps the story fresh and exciting, ensuring there's never a dull moment. The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is described as a "second-chance rom-com". The chemistry between Alex and King is undeniable, and their interactions are filled with both tension and longing. As they navigate the dangers of their mission, they also confront their unresolved feelings for each other. Ally Carter is known for creating characters that readers connect with deeply. Alex and King are no exception. They are both intelligent, capable spies with their own strengths and vulnerabilities. Their banter is sharp and entertaining, and their emotional connection is palpable. Overall, The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is a thrilling and satisfying read. It combines the excitement of a spy thriller with the emotional depth of a romance, making it a standout in its genre. Fans of Ally Carter and newcomers alike will find themselves hooked from beginning to end.

I read/listened to this immediately after the first book in this series and maybe I shouldn't have done that? The narration is so good in the first book. Quirky and fun. Maybe it was because of the characters? I just didn't feel it as much in this book. Both narrators are great, Emily Ellet and Andrew Eiden, but I think the story wasn't working for me. (It's a dual narration.)

It's a dual timeline, dual POV between Alex Sterling and Michael Kinglsey. Alex wakes up handcuffed to King, a man she most definitely doesn't want to see. They have a long history together, starting with spy school. Now, they have to work together to see why they are handcuffed and who is out to get them. By doing that, we get the back story scenes, which I am not a fan of. Ugh. I just want the here and now.

The story is enemies to lovers, but more like hate to eventual lovers and it took a very long time to get there. It ends on a cliffhanger, but I'm not sure I will continue the series.

Thank you to Avon Books for an advanced readers copy. Thank you to Harper Audio for the advanced listeners copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold by Ally Carter is essentially Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets the Hangover in this fast-paced, second-chance romance featuring two spies who could literally kill each other.

Michael King has spy-craft in his blood. He's literally a third-generation spy with an eidetic memory. Alex Sterling has always wanted to be a spy, even as a little kid, and now she's one of the best in the business. Their history is...complicated, and their future uncertain as they wake up handcuffed together--with inexplicable gaps in their memory. The story jumps back and forth in time, but it's easy enough to follow their story as it unfolds. Short chapters add to the ticking clock feel as they try to piece together what's happening.

I INHALED this book. I literally could not stop listening. Andrew Eiden is always amazing and doesn't disappoint, and Emily Ellet delivers a phenomenal performance as our plucky, prickly heroine.

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Audio for my print/ebook/audio copies. You really showed me all the love with this one.

10 years ago Alex and King joined the CIA, 6 years ago he left, 5 years ago they fell in love, 1 year ago she went into the cold with no intention of returning and the book begins with them waking up tied to each other, with no memory of how they got there or where they are or who is after them. And what follows is such a fun story told in dual timelines that I did not want to end.

Alex and King start out at the CIA at the same time, and they do not get off to a good start, they are both competitive, he thinks she's reckless and she thinks he's too stubborn. But they are thrown together for missions several times over the years and they go from enemies, to sort of friends, to lovers. I loved all of the past chapters, it showed the chemistry and tension between King and Alex. I loved the two of them together, they made a really good team and I loved the way King took care of Alex through the years.

I loved the spy plot line and the mystery they were trying to solve, and the twist was really great.

Andrew Eiden as King and Emily Ellet as Alex did an excellent job bringing these two characters to life. Andrew really captured King's stoic somewhat grumpy demeanor so well and Emily really made the chaos of Alex so real. I highly recommend the audio for this one!

This is book 2 in the Blonde Identity series, and I did not read book 1 and I still felt like I understood what was happening. With that said, I do plan to go back and read the first book because I enjoyed this one so much!

If you like mystery with romance and just a fun plot and characters, then you should definitely read this book!

I love this series. I read the first one when I realized this was the second in a series and then came back to this. I'm so glad I did. It's heartfelt and fun with just enough action. I'll be following this one all the way through and looking for others from Ally Carter.

Ally Carter mastered the enemies-lovers trope! The sexual tension is unreal, I kept yelling “Oh, just kiss already!”, while listening to the book. I also love the plot, it’s not an afterthought, it’s a decent spy story that will get your wheels turning. The narrators did an amazing job voicing the characters. They captured the essence of the characters perfectly.

Well done, Ally Carter, now please do us all a favor and write the next Maggie-Ethan story!

Do yourself a favor and listen to this after you listen to "The Blonde Identity." It's a whole lot of fun. The narrators are delightful. It's possible Andrew Eiden's purpose in this life just might be to voice King. Loved this book and the series!

Oh boy! I was pleasantly surprised when I heard Teddy Hamiltons voice! I forgot that’s his pseudonym and he also goes by Andrew Eiden. I really enjoyed Emily Ellet’s voice and narration style. She gave different voices to all characters so we could tell them apart easily which is a detail I love (almost need) when listening to audio books.

Now the story itself… I had a hard time staying in the book and wanting to finish it. The duel time line threw me off. I had a hard time keeping the past from the present. I understand the need for the duel time line but maybe it could’ve been done better? Or maybe I just didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would.

I loved the story line and the herbal premise of the book, but I wish we had more romance. The majority of the book had the characters denying their feelings for each other and were in a state of longing the whole book. I needed more.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel the need to continue the series or read book one of the series.

This was my first Ally Carter book—and I listened to it on audio, which made the ride even wilder! The Blonde Identity had everything: nonstop action, sharp banter, undercover chaos, and a romance full of tension and heart. The narrators brought Alex and King to life so well—I felt every smirk, every fight, and every spark between them.
The dual timelines took a minute to settle into, but hearing their story unfold in both the past and present made it even more addictive. It's second-chance romance meets spy thriller, with forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers energy, and high-stakes adventure that never lets up.

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced audiobook with chemistry, danger, and emotional payoff—this one's a blast to listen to.

Ally Carter writing adult spy novels for her Gallagher Girls is still the most iconic thing that's happened in my adult life and I absolutely love them so much!!!!

This story follows the sister of our FMC from the Blonde Identity, Alex, and she was such a great character. She comes off as a very carefree, nonchalant woman who has no regard for her own safety and well-being and while that's partially true she also has so much depth. She carries so much guilt for her sister's health issues and because of that she truly doesn't think she deserves the life she has. Most especially King. She thinks everyone she touches will be hurt by her and so she spends so long pushing everyone away and it's epically depressing.

Especially because King sees her. From the moment they meet in that hotel bar, he sees her in a way that no one else ever will and the way that this man loves her for over a decade had me absolutely swooning. He truly wanted nothing more than to run away with her from the moment he laid eyes on her and the way that he goes through so much turmoil not only trying to convince her that it's okay to love and trust him but convincing her that she can stop running and make a life with him.

This man steals a ring (and inadvertently starts all their problems) because she thought it was pretty, he bought her a Scottish castle because she mentioned once that she'd love one, and literally walks away from the business because he can't exist in a world where he watches her get hurt. I love Michael down bad. He's one of Ally Carter's best MMCs.

And the mystery was so good. I never would've guessed all the twists and turns that unfold throughout this book and it was such a fun ride.

This was a terrific audiobook... had I had more time on my hands I could've binged this in one sitting.

Ally Carter does it again with this snappy, banter-filled, action-packed romantic adventure! In this thrilling sequel to The Blonde Identity, we hit the ground running—complete with guns, handcuffs, and high-stakes peril as our spy's, Alex and King, team up on one last mission. While the shifting timelines can be a bit tricky to follow, watching their relationship unfold (both the first time and all over again) is an absolute delight. This is a true forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance that delivers. If you're in the mood for high-stakes adventure escapism with heart—this adventure's for you!

3⭐ (I will create a social media post closer to the release date)

For transparency, I will be rating this strictly as an audiobook and the story altogether, but I rated the physical/ebook as 3.75⭐ For the e-ARC rating, please see the other ARC posting for this book.

I loved the multiple narrators, it brought many layers to this story. My favorite narrator was Michael or King's because he was good at controlling his breath and voice to show his emotions, like how much he cared for Alex.

I used the audiobook and the physical to read this book. I feel like if I didn't have the the eARC or the physical book, the audiobook would've been difficult to follow. The time jumps lost me at times, as it went back in different increments of time, for different amounts of chapters, and then went back to the present time again. This may also sound weird, but the audiobook had these long pregnant pauses at the end of each chapter. For example, I typically listen 2-2.5x speed, yet the pause was still long enough for me to check my phone to see if the audio stopped. Of course, it didn't, but it was hard to adjust to in the beginning.

I can't wait to read more of Ally Carter's books!

Thank you NetGalley, HarperAudio and Ally Carter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audio for most of this book and enjoyed it! The different timelines were a little bit harder for me to track in audio but I figured it out.

I liked this story and the connection to the first book in the series. I have similar feedback with this one though that the romance aspect of the book was very lacking. For this book in particular, you didn’t even have a complete idea of their relationship for a big part of the book since it was going between timelines.

I truly didn’t think I would love Alex based on our intro of her in Zoey’s book but she is an absolute delight. The banter and sass was enough to make me laugh. I love a girl who can stand her own and not back down, and Alex is that girl!

The book ends in a massive cliffhanger and sets up for a 3rd book but I’m honestly not sure what the story will be outside of the cliffhanger so I’m interested to see where it goes.

Mercy

I cannot recommend this book enough, It’s so much fun. The witty banter, the competitiveness, the forced proximity, the pining, the need to protect each other, the twists… it’s all so good. I would protect my sweet sassy baby Alex with my life! She really deserved her happy ending and I’m so glad she made it through this rollercoaster with King by her side.

Andrew Eiden and Emily Ellet did such a great job bringing King and Alex to life in this book. They really nailed the balance of serious and emotional with the sarcasm and wit. The longing reflected in these characters is incredible.

This book jumps around through the couple’s ten year history so there were some moments where it was hard to remember what year and/or which mission was being described, but to me it wasn’t bad enough to disrupt the flow of the story. It was really fun to see the way their relationship evolved and regressed as they both fought through their feelings on and off for years.

I would say if you’re worried about following this kind of timeline jumping, a physical copy or ebook may be a better fit for you than the audiobook.

Ally Carter’s writing has such a fun and unique balance of mystery with the romance. I always have such a good time reading her books.

Harper Audio ALC
I loved the fist book in this series and I was excited when I saw her on tour and she mentioned she was writing this one. Overall, this was fun. The enemies to lovers really worked for me here. There was great banter and tension. I also really enjoyed both narrators. They captured these characters and their love to hate to love so well. I did find myself getting lost occasionally with all of the timeline jumps—especially with the same locations showing up in the different timelines. But this is a fun, summer, spy romance, and I recommend reading them in order.