I am obsessed with this story/audiobook. I love a good spy romcom. This may be my new favorite. The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold is a sizzling, fast paced, spy romance. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. King (Michael Kingsley) and Alex (Alex Sterling) have great chemistry and fun, swoony banter. King’s actions guaranteed they would be enemies from the beginning. They join the CIA at the same time, starting out as rivals that grow to become friends then more. The book begins in the present, where they awaken bloody, bruised and handcuffed together. As the story unfolds, we get pieces of their past history that led up to their present circumstances. I enjoyed the dual timeline. The flashbacks allowed the story to unfold as we went. Each flashback was pertinent in understanding what was happening in the present.

King really made this book for me. He was so gone for Alex. It was obvious from the beginning by how he wanted to protect her, even when it came across as an overbearing jerk. But once he started sharing his feeling and becoming vulnerable… 😍😍😍😍😍. Swoony doesn’t do him justice, especially when voiced by Teddy Hamilton. I loved his “I would burn the world for her” intensity. I liked Alex. She is strong, skilled, sassy, sarcastic, and oh so stubborn. I wanted to shake her stubbornness right out of her at times. She had to have a strong personality to hold her own with King though.

I cannot recommend the audiobook enough. As I mentioned previously, it is narrated by Teddy Hamilton (Andrew Eiden) and Emily Ellet. Both were phenomenal. Their voices and performances really brought the characters and the story to life. It was perfection! I can’t imagine two narrators that would fit this story better.


🩵Enemies To More
🩵Slow Burn
🩵Intense Chemistry
🩵Dual Timelines
🩵Forced Proximity
🩵Amnesia
🩵Spies/ Rival Coworkers
🩵Second Chance
🩵Fake Relationship for Ops
🩵He Takes Care of Her
🩵”Mercy”
🩵”I have you”
🩵 Fade To Black / PG-13
🩵Mild Language

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun read!! I haven’t read The Blonde Identity but once I saw this I knew I had to jump on requesting it and I’m so glad I did. The Blonde Who Came In From the Cold is a fast-paced, entertaining, hilarious spy romcom that I flew through in two sittings today. This had action, mystery, and romance! I was immediately pulled into the story from the first chapter learning about Alex and King’s history. Alex was a sassy, fierce, and strong female lead and King was the grumpy but “touch her and die” overprotective man. I loved the banter that they had with each other from the beginning when they were “enemies” all the way to the end. I also loved that this was told in dual POV so we got King’s true feelings from his own voice! The narrators did such a fantastic job with bringing these characters to life and the overall audio production as amazing, it felt like listening to a movie!! The ending was perfect and filled with some really sweet moments between all the characters. I highly recommend picking up this book if you want a fast paced romance filled with actions and spies! I’m running to read the Blonde Identity now and I can’t wait to see what Ally writes next!!
Rating: 3.75⭐️

Thank you to HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my review🩵

“You can put it down sweetheart.”
“What?”
“The world.”

I’m fine, It’s fine, everything’s fine. I’ll just be melting in a puddle over here on the ground. 🫠

I love the first book and have been looking forward to this release since I read the first one last year. I really hope Ally writes another similar series because this one was so good. Pardon me for setting down my feminism for a second but the best way I can describe this genre is it’s like Jason Bourne but for girls. Ok now that I got that off my chest let me discuss how badass Alex is. I love how in the last book we already got to see how amazing Zoe thought Alex was so in this one getting to see she was an amazing spy but also had trauma and insecurities from their childhood that pushed her towards that profession. I love that she pushed all of King’s buttons and made him crazy.

I thought Sawyer was swoony in the first book but sorry (not sorry?) he can’t hold a candle to our broody lovesick fool King. Like. I. Can’t. Even. He. Is. Everything.

Emily Ellet and Andrew Eiden did a fantastic job just like on the first one. In fact I think I’ll go listen to The Blonde Identity now to reminisce.

This was so much fun and I already can’t wait for the next one! This is the second book in a series but could easily be read as a stand alone. However, the first book is just as fun, so please add it to your TBR :)

Alex and King fell in while on a dangerous spy mission. And then Alex disappeared from King’s life. But after 5 long years of absence, Alex is back and she is teamed up with King for another mission. They’re going to have to get over their past if they want to keep each other alive.

Swoony, addictive to read, and full of hilarious bantering; this was almost embarrassing to read in public for all the giggling I did! This is the perfect beach read or vacation read and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

The audio narration was fantastic performed by Andrew Eiden ad Emily Ellet.

Thank you Netgalley, HarperAudio Adult, and the author for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on August 5, 2025

Excellent narration and story. The banters d chemistry is fantastic. This is fast paced and fun. I cannot say enough good things about this book.

Ten years ago, they joined the CIA.
Six years ago, he quit.
Five years ago, they fell in love.
One year ago, she ran away.

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

Do I even need to say anything further?

Oh, how about:
❤️‍🔥 Second-chance romance
🗝️ Forced proximity
👀 Hesitant coworkers to ?
⏳ Multi POV and Timeline

AND it opens by quoting THE Logan Echolls. No notes. Pure Gold. EPIC.

*I would recommend reading The Blonde Identity before diving into the sequel because:

1. It’s a great time and follows a completely non-spy identical twin sister who wakes up without her memory in the middle of Paris and is quickly mistaken for her rogue twin who is on the run. The only person seemingly not trying to kill her is the hottest guy she’s ever seen. Soon the two are on a road trip romcom around Europe, trying to jog her memories and find her sister…all while dodging the many many people who want her dead.

and

2. Events in Book 2 take place around the events of The Blonde Identity, so it all just fits together so nicely (also forced proximity with a self-allocated bodyguard is always a good time).

The series is just such a fun adventure with A+ banter, kick-ass heroines, and angsty, tension filled slow burn romances. Although, be warned, in true Ally Carter style it is fade-to-black (maybe one day she will treat us to a little extra with that sultry tone she sets so so well).

Thank you HarperAudio and NetGalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review. Emily Ellet and Andrew Eiden brought Alex and Michael to life so beautifully. The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold Comes out August 5th.

I truly LOVED this book. Two spies who have a complicated history wake up handcuffed together after not seeing each other for a year. Now they must work together again to figure out who is after them and why. Throughout the story you see pieces of their past that brought them together and then led to their big fallout. I received an ALC of this and could not stop listening! It’s action packed and filled with witty banter, tension and will keep you turning the page until the very end.

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!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the Advanced Listener's Copy of The Blonde Who Came In From the Cold.

The Blonde Who Came In From the Cold is the perfect follow-up to The Blonde Identity! Ally Carter delivers another laugh out loud, fast-paced, and totally entertaining adventure. I absolutely loved this sequel. It's packed with witty banter, hilarious moments, and just the right amount of spy-action fun.

If you’re looking for a light hearted romance with a quirky, lovable heroine and a story line that doesn’t take itself too seriously (in the best way), this series is a must-read. It’s pure joy from start to finish!

🕵️‍♀️ Review: The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold-Audio Book!!

💋Rate: 5 Stars!!! (Spy Yummy Stars!!)

💕Praise: Ally Carter you have me at books!! Lol this audiobook gave me so much joy and so many laughs I had to replay it over and over just to relive it! Andrew and Emily have the most amazing voices! It takes great skill and awesome dedication to narrate a spy novel! (I took voice diction lessons back in high school and I have to tell you it takes a lot to master an art such as beautiful as this and the narrators did it smoothly!)

I was so entertained and so honored to have this book early! We now have Alex's story! The sister of Zoe from book one! I definitely was intrigued by Alex from book one and knew that under the rocky exterior was a woman only looking to protect her loved ones and the world and so many other badass layers! 💖

The genre I would definitely place this book with I would call it simmering love with action! LOL can you imagine waking up being handcuffed to the one person that both attracts you immensely and infuriates you even more?! Ta da!!!

HOT!!!! 😍 HOT!! MR. KINGSLEY MARRY ME!! LOL


🥳Characters: Alex and Michael are the best spies in their game! They meet years ago while they start training as future spies! The chemistry is there! And it's still lingers even though they haven't seen each other in a long time! You cannot put a pause on love like spy love! The witty chemistry and the layered banter make this book an A+ literary treat! I felt as if I was watching a Hulu spy romcom! More more!

🎉Extra: It's nice to be rescued once in awhile when you're always the one staying strong! And I got that with these characters in their story! Alex and Michael have a place on my shelf and in my heart!

☕Bravo!!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.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.

This is such a fun read. A good spy romcom. A quick read fun to get someone back into reading. This is the second book in the Blonde Identity series, but could be read as a standalone, as I had not read the previous book. It was action packed, with mystery, banter, romance, and spies. This started off incredibly strong. The characters jumped off the page and the mystery was incredibly intriguing. The romance seemed like it was going to be a lot of fun. It has dual perspectives and multi-timelines and locations, which I did find to be confusing at times. Alex was such a strong and fierce character and I loved how sassy she was. King started off so gruff, but he was very much “I will burn the world for her” and who wouldn't love a man with that perspective. All in all, this was a great read and I am looking forward to more by this author. Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Ally Carter

I received an audio ARC of The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold and had such a fun time with this one! It’s the follow-up to The Blonde Identity and this time we get Alex’s POV - which I absolutely loved. Again, the dual POV format added so much depth to the story, and the narrators crushed it. The audio production really brought everything to life and made it feel like a full-on cinematic experience. Kind of like the show Chuck.

This book is fast-paced, twisty, and full of that signature Ally Carter spy-romance energy. There are tons of action scenes, banter, near-death moments, and a relationship packed with so much tension and history.

The only reason it’s a 4 and not a full 5 stars for me is because the time jumps were a little tricky to follow (maybe because of the audio format). That said, it didn’t take away from how much fun I had with this book. The final chapters were everything I could have wanted. I was giggling and smiling the entire time.

Highly recommend if you're into second-chance romance, cozy spy mysteries, and couples who are just as likely to kiss as they are to kill each other.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio | HarperAdult Audio for the advanced listen in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars, rounded up

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.

I enjoyed the performance from both narrators, and the audio was high-quality.

Thank you to HarperAudio for the free audiobook 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.

This was a fun book to listen to, with fantastic narrators and cute MCs. Alex and Michael are complex and it is clearly reflected in all their interactions. My only qualm with this book, was that there was more narrative style than dialogue in the first 10%, that I almost set aside the book, but I hung on and enjoyed the ride.

Overall a good fun read.

#netgalley

As an OG Gallagher Girls fan, this spy drama felt like nostalgia in all the best ways.

When two spies wake up handcuffed together with no memory of how they got there, they know that they are in for a mission of their lives. As they navigate their own complicated relationship and avoid getting killed, they fall back into the previous flow that they had in spy school.

I devoured this audiobook and am so excited to go back and read the first one in the series! The banter between the MCs was fun and their chemistry was undeniable. I highly recommend this novel for fans looking for a fast-paced book filled with secrets and romance.

Thank you HarperAudio and Netgalley for the ALC!

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” 🥹❤️

The audio narration was really excellent, I found both narrators (Andrew Eiden & Emily Ellet) to be well cast for their roles and had great performances.

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.

Alex is a spy but the night before she was to start training, Michael Kingsley came up to her and trained to warn her off from joining the CIA. They've been rivals ever after but Kingsley started to harbour a soft spot for Alex, only Alex didn't seem to realise it...

This is an enemies to lover story, which I normally adore. Most of my favorite fictional couples follow this trope. The narrators did a good job portraying the characters as well. However, I had a hard time following the story because of the time cuts and jumps so I thought I'd go and listen to the first installment before I try it again, but it wasn't much better.

I guess part of the problem is I know this is going to end up with the two together, but with all the time jump, it was often hard to follow where they each are in their journey as spies and how they feel about each other. I had a hard time connect or care about either of them as a result of that.
That said, the writing is good and I liked the vibe of the book suits the genre.

I'm really hoping the next book in this series (if there is one) doesn't have the time jump element.

This was a great sequel. Loved the story and fabulous dialogue between Alex and King. My only complaint maybe because I had the audio ARC. The timeline hopping was very confusing by audio, so frequently I didn’t know which of the 10 years that section covered. I’m sure if I had the ebook I would have been able to double check and it would not have been clear. Otherwise, a fun read!