The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold by Ally Carter (August 5, 2025) – Thank you, @avonbooks and @harperaudio for the #gifted advanced digital and audio copies!
A decade ago, on the night before she joined the CIA, Alex had an interesting interaction with a guy at the Ramada bar while waiting on her chicken fingers. Michael Kingsley, aka “King,” who would go on to become her rival, partner, thorn-in-her-side…and something much more complicated. So, when she wakes up tied to a chair and Kingsley – with no memory of how she got there – she’s got some questions. Thus starts a globe-trotting, death-defying epic adventure where these two CIA agents might have to finally address the biggest danger – feelings.
How early in this book did I know I was going to love it? The epigraph. It is my favorite quote from my favorite episode of my favorite TV show (I’ll drop it in the comments). Like The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, this is a pitch-perfect match up of a thrill-ride of a suspense novel and a swoon-worthy romance with tons and tons of charming banter. Everything about it just works – the dual POV, the timeline, the stunning locations, and the electric connection Alex and Kingsley. Carter is rapidly becoming a must-read auto-buy author for me.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: Andrew Eiden (an absolute favorite) and Emily Ellet (new to me) do a POWERHOUSE job with their dual narration of this stunner! All of the humor and steam just pulses off of their performance! (10h 14m)
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
🎧 Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔥 Spice: Closed Door
Book Smart Kate 