The Blonde Identity by Ali Carter
Read By: Andrew Eiden and Meg Sylvan
Publication Date: August 8, 2023
Summary from Goodreads:
A fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she’s the identical twin sister of a rogue spy… and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.
It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.
She only knows three things for certain:
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 explanation: obviously. . . 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 to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…
Confession:
Finally, a romance that I could fall in love with! I loved both of the characters, the story was fantastic, and the banter was perfect. The audiobook was well done and I loved both the narrators, who do a great job capturing these two characters.
The narrative is split between the two characters, and at least for the first few chapters we don’t know either of their names. I’m still not sure that the name the man ends up giving her was his true one, it could still be a false identity, even at the end. But regardless of their names I still ended up liking and then loving them both.
He is a bit of a jaded grump, beginning to think that maybe the spy game isn’t want he wants to do with his life. Then he meets her and slowly begins to realize that there is more to life. She is hilarious right from the start, asking the weirdest questions, lapsing into different accents on a whim. I just loved her guesses as to what her real life job is based on what is happening at the moment. The hints are there, and it is easy to figure out before she does.
The banter between these two is hilarious. I spent the whole book either laughing or giggling. (I got some strange looks from people when I was listening in public, something you might want to keep in mind.) She is very optimistic and bubbly, while he is certainly the opposite. The sex is offscreen, but the scene in the bathroom leading up to the fade to black was steamy enough that I didn’t mind. In fact I kind of prefered it for these two.
The pacing was fast and furious most of the time, with lots of action. These two often find themselves being pursued and shot at. But when they do have some down time, they are never fully relaxed, at least he isn’t. Their jaunt across Europe is well done, especially the river cruise. The finale of the chase, when they confront the bad guys, is a bit overdone, but it kind of fits the whole feel of the book, so I didn’t mind.
The two narrators do an excellent job. Andrew Eiden’s portrayal of a grumpy spy, who has a lot on his plate trying to protect an innocent woman was perfect. I loved his timing and the emotional ache as the character is realizing he is falling for this crazy woman. Meg Sylvan also does an excellent job giving voice to the woman’s character. Her innocence or at least confusion shines through. She moves easily into different accents when the character does, and just gives her character voice and dimension.
This is the first adult book by Ally Carter, but I certainly hope it won’t be the last. The ending of this one was open enough that I think there might be a sequel featuring the sister. I would definitely be up for that. If you enjoyed Ms. Carter’s YA books, I’m pretty sure that you will find this one just as much fun.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 