The Blonde Identity
by Ally Carter
Summary
It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris, and a woman has just woken up with no memory. She only knows three things for
1. She has a splitting headache.
2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.
And oh yeah… 3. People keep trying to kill her.
She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men, there’s only one obvious. . . she’s a spy!
Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister. Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.
That’s easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon.
And soon they’re lying their way across Europe–dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.
But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…
My Review
This was my first book from this author, and I enjoyed every minute. The story is packed with action, romance, and laugh-out-loud moments. Is it the most masterfully crafted book ever written? Not at all. It leans into cheesy humor and can be predictable, but the sheer entertainment value made me smile from start to finish, so I had to give it five stars. I listened to the audiobook and had such a great time with the dual POVs that I flew through it in just two days. Both narrators brought so much energy to the characters that it was impossible to stop listening.
I need a movie adaptation NOW! The European setting and nonstop action make the whole book feel like a fun spy flick. Imagine Mr. and Mrs. Smith mixed with Jason Bourne and 007, only with a charming blonde heroine who wakes up with amnesia and immediately steals your heart. Zoe had me laughing constantly with her sharp one-liners and playful jabs at Sawyer. Sawyer fits the moody and mysterious love interest archetype perfectly. You are never completely sure whether you should trust him, which adds to the excitement.
Content-wise, the story has quite a bit of strong language (f-bombs) but no explicit spicy scenes, which I appreciated. There is plenty of intrigue, along with a few surprises I did not expect. I also enjoyed how the story wrapped up. The ending opens the door for book two, and I will be grabbing it very soon.
The romance has plenty of heat even without the spice. The chemistry between Zoe and Sawyer is electric. Their moments together made me grin and even kick my feet more than once. They balance each other beautifully and feel genuinely connected. The relationship does lean toward insta-love, which is usually not my preference, but it worked well enough here that it did not bother me.
I was also not prepared for how funny this book would be. The humor runs through nearly every chapter, and I kept laughing out loud while waiting to see what chaos would unfold next.
If you enjoy spy adventures, clever banter, quick wit, grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, fake marriage, one bed, and touch her and die, this is a must-read. I cannot wait to dive into more books by this author. Highly recommend!!