A woman wakes up, bleeding, on an icy Paris street with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Moments later, a crew of Russian gangsters starts shooting at her--and she finds herself on the run with a grumpy, secretive (and very handsome) spy. That's the setup for Ally Carter's quippy, hilarious The Blonde Identity, a romp of espionage and romance that combines amnesia, complicated family relationships, and international intrigue with a slow-burn love story.
Mere pages into Carter's narrative (her adult debut), both the woman and her companion, Jake Sawyer, realize she isn't his fellow operative, Alex: she's Alex's twin sister, Zoe, and she is clearly not a spy. Despite this handicap, Zoe proves herself smart and resourceful as they dodge their Russian pursuers via boat, car, and on foot. Sawyer, understandably hesitant to trust anyone, finds himself warming to Zoe--and completely freaked out about letting his guard down. As Zoe learns more about Sawyer (and Alex), her memory starts to come back in flashes, but the Russians are still on their tail. And time is running out.
Fans of Carter's YA series (the Gallagher Girls, Heist Society, Embassy Row) will recognize and delight in her characters' snarky banter and the layering of personal relationships with high-stakes international incidents. In true spy-novel fashion, a few events and coincidences seem wildly improbable, but Carter's witty, propulsive narrative pulls her readers along, keeping everyone guessing until her breathless, romantic conclusion. Some sweet surprises and a tantalizing ending will leave readers hoping for a sequel. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams