Early Review: The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold (The Blonde Identity #2) by Ally Carter

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.

They don’t know where they are. They don’t know how they got there. And they have absolutely no idea who is after them or what this nameless, faceless villain wants.

The only thing that’s clear is that, after ten years of covers and chemistry, secrets and lies, these two rival spies have been sucked into their greatest mission yet, and now they’re going to have to team up to stay alive. (If they don’t kill each other first.)
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First line:

As luck would have it, the first time Alexandra Sterling really wanted to kill a man happened to be the night before she started spy school.

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Source:

eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Publication Date:

 August 5, 2025

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Rating:

4.25 Covers out of 5

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This book takes place a year after The Blonde Identity. I loved how the book did have a different feel to it than the first book. The Blonde Identity is definitely a spy rom com and we don’t get a lot of background on our character, mostly because Zoe has amnesia. The Blonde Who Came In From the Cold is not so much a rom com but it is a spy romance with dual POVs and dual timelines. I loved having more background on not only the events in this book, but it also helps so much with the events of The Blonde Identity. 

King is not your typical spy and I just loved it. He’s the “softer” of the couple, though he is definitely a bada** spy. He falls first, but the tension is high from their very first meeting. Alex feels like she has a lot to prove despite being one of the best spies out there. The complement each other so well!

I think these books can be read in any order or by themselves, though both need to be read to have a full picture of what has happened. These are such fun reads!

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