Alex and King joined the CIA ten years ago, instantly becoming rivals. Six years ago, King quit the game. Five years ago, Alex and King fell in love. One year ago, Alex disappeared with the intention of never coming back. And now, they wake up handcuffed together with no idea where they are or how they got there.

My thoughts: I had such a fun time with this book! I listened to the audio narrated by Andrew Eiden and Emily Ellet, and loved their performances! The story switched timelines, and they did a great job ensuring it flowed well. The tension and banter came through! Who knew I would love a spy romance?!

🕵️‍♀️ Enemies to lovers
🕵️ Forced Proximity
🕵️‍♂️ Second Chance
🕵️‍♀️ Fake Marriage

Thank you to @avonbooks @netgalley @theallycarter for the #gifted copies of this book, I loved it! Icing on the cake was getting a physical galley when I was 75% in, I was so excited!

I really wanted to like this one, especially as I enjoyed the first book in the series (audiobook).
I found it very hard to keep up with the jumping timelines. I know it had locations as well, but sometimes I had to go back and check that I hadn't missed a chapter.
The narrator's voices weren't new to me, and I've liked them reading different stories before.
The plot fell a little flat for me. As nothing really happened... They didn't give us many steamy scenes, or anything too action packed. It only got really interesting right at the end.
The FL really has a hang up about what she did to her sister in the womb, and yeah... as if she could help it...??

Ally Carter’s captivating spy thriller, “The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold,” keeps readers engaged. This second book in the Blonde Identity series is enjoyable on its own, but reading the first book enhances the experience. Andrew Eiden and Emily Ellet’s perfect pacing and distinct voices make the audiobook enjoyable. I listened to it at 1.5x speed and nothing was lost by speeding things up. The cliffhanger ending also leads nicely to possible book #3.

Thank you NetGalley for the free E-book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5⭐

Please note, this book is a part of a series, but I think it can stand on its own and still have a good experience. I would still recommend reading The Blonde Identity first though.

To preface, my low rating for this book is NOT because of the actual book content, but because of the audiobook itself. The plot of the book was interesting, and the characters' dynamics are entertaining to read. However, I think this book would be better actually read versus listened to. I found the audiobook to be extremely hard to follow due to the POV switches as well as the constant flashbacks/time skips. If I had the book in front of me, I do not think I would have been so confused, but it was difficult to follow which timeline I was currently in because there were way too many along with the POV switching within each timeline.

Overall, I don't think it was a bad book plot-wise, but I do think it was a poorly done audiobook.

#IndigoEmployee

Oh boy I have loved everything Ally Carter has come out with over the last 2 years and this one did not disappoint! I came in to reading this book in a book slump and it was the perfect thing to get me out!

It was such a fun book filled with adventure, second chance love and great banter! I loved the chemistry between King and Alex, they had years and years of longing and almosts! I typically like dual timeline but this one worked because it really helped tell the story! Plus, there is a book long mystery to solve, so fun!

Spice: 🌶️/5

Read this if you like:
🕵️ Rivals to lovers WITH banter
🕵️ Forced proximity
🕵️ Fake dating while undercover

These were also some of my favorite narrators and as always they were amazing!

I can see that a lot of people love this but it didn't work for me. The constant switching of timelines was really confusing, and was probably worse because I was listening to the audiobook. The relationship between the two main characters was unconvincing
Alex seems immature and keeps jumping to illogical conclusions, yet I'm supposed to think she's clever because she was "trained as a spy." Michael was a flat character that I didn't feel like I knew anything about. I did miss the first in the series too, so that may be why these two couldn't convince me.

I love fast paced cozy mysteries and this one was just that. This was a spy thriller combined with a second chance romance. Like what? How could you say no to that? In this novel, Zoe and Sawyer haven't seen each other in years. One day, they wake up bloodied and bruised with no memory of how they got there. Oh yeah and they are handcuffed together. Thus begins their adventure of trying to piece together what happened and who is after them. I loved this mystery! I loved that it was light, the banter between the characters were great and the mystery aspect of the book was fun. This is my first Ally Carter and I can't wait to go back and read the first book in this series.

This review is based on the audio version, which I unfortunately think didn't work so well with the way this book is written. Books that go back and forth in time, for me anyway, don't work well in audio format because it is a lot harder to keep track of where you are in time. If I had listened to it straight through in one day, maybe it would have been easier. Anyway... the basic plot follows Alex and Michael who have had an on again/off again romance, mostly due to their chaotic careers as spies. The book jumps around in time to highlight their relationship stages, intermixed with the current mission they are on. Like any good mystery, the reader is kept guessing at who is the bad guy until the end. Recommended for older high school and up.

This is the sequel to The Blonde Identity, which I had just read, so it was fun to see some overlap from another point of view and some new information. It was less of a single heist/objective and more of the history of our main characters, but I liked the back and forth in time and the slightly slower pace. I appreciated the difference between the sisters, they were full vibrant characters.

Well, I had no idea this was a number #2 in a series until I was knees deep into this audiobook. that being said, I felt that I was able to jump into this one without know what happened in the previous book... Now about this book- I literally cannot recommend this enough if you're looking for a fun time with great banter and silly moments and bingeable writing. This was such a cute combination of suspense and spy like novel with romance intertwined into it. My only complaint is that it did occasionally feel like we were kind of jumping around, however that may have been avoidable if I had read the first book?

Last note is on the narration done by Andrew Eiden and Emily Ellet. They did an amazing job on this narration and both POVs were brought to life. I really enjoyed how these narrators made this book such a good fun unserious romance read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm obsessed with this book and the one before it! I'm now an Ally Carter auto buy reader and the narrators of the audiobook were so great!

This one and I just didn’t sync, and honestly, that’s probably a me problem. I could have stopped at any point without feeling like I was missing much—but I pushed through, even though it felt like I was listening for weeks on end.

Looking back, I think it was a mix of things. The hot-and-cold dynamic between the couple got old pretty quickly, and I never really felt the “big love” between them. I didn’t quite click with the male narrator’s voice. And the back-and-forth between timelines—confusing to no end—has never really worked for me.

That said, the majority of readers have clearly loved it, many even more than the first book, which tells me it’s simply not the right fit for me this time. I must admit, though, the action and storyline gave me real James Bond vibes—both agents were impressively good at spy craft and pretending to be someone else. And I did love the ending; it was a lovely touch connecting the main characters from books one and two.

3.5! Forced proximity. Second chance romance. Action packed spy rom-com with a mystery! I did get a tad lost at times with the time jumping but it honestly didn’t matter in the end, it was still a fun read!

Fun. Fast. And Furious chemistry. Two spies, enemies turned lovers, have fallen out ( again) but as the story opens, they regain consciousness to discover that they are handcuffed together…. both with amnesia! Lots of funny banter, as the spies try to discover who is out to kill them and try to ignore their attraction for each other. There is even a Scottish castle thrown into the story. Who could ask for more?

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I would recommend reading the first novel in the series, but it’s not absolutely necessary. This novel is told with two points of view and two timelines, and my main criticism is that the bouncing back and forth can be a bit difficult while listening to the audiobook edition. The narrators of the audiobook, Andrew Eiden and Emily Ellet, gave a terrific reading.

The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold marks a more mature outing from Ally Carter than the first book in the series. Seasoned spy Alex—isolated and operating “in the cold”—is a complex, compelling protagonist, and her tangled history with King adds depth to this Hangover-meets-Mission: Impossible escapade.
The story picks up after the events of The Blonde Identity while weaving in flashbacks to Alex and King’s early days at the academy. Spanning a decade, the narrative gives their enemies-to-lovers arc an authentic, earned weight.
Ultimately, The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold delivers a smart, fast-paced, and satisfying conclusion to Ally Carter’s first adult duology—equal parts heart, humor, and high-stakes intrigue.

This is an action-packed enemies to lovers spy romance. Alex, the female main character, is strong, fierce, and independent. Michael is her grumpy counterpart. Alex and Michael find themselves in tricky situations throughout the course of the book, but seemingly always make it through even if they are a bit battered and bruised. As the story progresses, so do their feelings for one another. This is a great pick if you enjoy enemies to lovers romance with lots of thrills and action.

Though I enjoyed the physical book immensely I did struggle a bit with the audio. The narration at times felt a little bit jarring so I had to re listen to some parts more than once. It was still enjoyable but I preferred the physical book over the audiobook.

4.5
I’ll start by saying, I don’t usually like second chance romances. However, I loved this one! It was so good!

Alex was a badass spy with such a fun personality. I loved how she knew when it was time to have fun and time to work. She was always on her toes and was able to come up with solutions to problems she’d encounter rather quickly. This made her a great spy. While she did have a fun personality, she also carried a lot of guilt surrounding her twin sister, so I did feel bad for her during parts of this book.

I really loved King too. He was also a great spy and had such a grumpy personality. At first, it feels like he doesn’t believe Alex is good enough to be a spy, but as we move through the book it was nice to see his perception change. I loved learning of his background and why he was even a spy to begin with.

These two had such fun banter. I seriously ate it up. I loved their fake marriage story and how Alex would catch King off guard with her comments. They were forced to work together and figure out who was after them and I loved how much they trusted each other.

I did really enjoy the dual timeline. I felt like it really gave us more context to what was currently going on. However, there was a part where I felt like I was getting confused as to if we were in the present or the past. Either way I enjoyed the book and the twist at the end.

I did listen to the audiobook and I loved it. Andrew Eiden and Emily Ellett did a fantastic job as Alex and King. They really brought the banter between the two to life and it was just a really great listening experience overall.

I would recommend this book to all my spy romcom, enemies to lovers, slow burn, second chance romance loving besties.

Thank you to Ally Carter, Avon, Harper Collins and Harper Audio for the #gifted physical book and audiobook for an honest review!

A fun romp that picks up the energy from "The Blonde Identity" and takes readers on a chaotic adventure between a new duo with the same insane plots.

I'm a big fan of stories where we go between timelines so we can see where the romance went wrong the first time/watching them fall in love all over again. There is so much banter and attitude, that I loved reading the characters interact with each other and felt the chemistry fly off the page.

Additionally, the narrators are some of my favorites, and I love it's the same duo from the first book in the series.

🩵 Spy Romance
🔍 Rivals to Lovers
🩵 Second Chance
🔍 Dual Timeline
🩵 Forced Proximity
🔍 “Who hurt you?”

🎧Dual narration performed by Emily Ellet & Andrew Eiden
• The narration by Emily and Andrew was absolutely fantastic, and if you are an audio lover, I highly recommend listening to this one! Emily perfectly captured Alex’s smart and sassy personality, and Andrew was completely swoony as brooding King. Both voice actors are so talented in their dual performances.

My thoughts:
I had the most amazing time listening to The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold! This book was filled with action, romance, and incredible banter. It is perfect for readers who love an action packed plot and a dual timeline. Alex was a sassy and bold FMC (my fave kind) and King was a broody, bearded hero *melts*. In Ally’s words “Is it 90,000 words of fanfiction about the time Captain America went rogue and grew a beard? Possibly.” With being a closed door romance, you could definitely feel the tension and chemistry between Alex and King, and they had me kicking my feet🤭

Thank you so much @avonbooks and @theallycarter for this #sponsored audiobook!