This was such a great romantic read by Christi Barth. I enjoyed both of these characters tremendously. What happens when a scientist meets an ex spy in an airport bar? One hot night together that was supposed to end the next day. Of course things don't always go that way, and when Blake's company decides to bring art and science together she comes face to face with none other than her one night stand, Wyatt.
This book has all the good feels of a great romance with a great story line to back it up. Both of these characters were extremely well written by Christi. Blake eventually learns that she can't always sacrifice everything for her work, and she's been putting her happiness on the back burner for far too long. Wyatt learns to adjust to civilian life, and learns that he is the true artist that his late aunt beleived him to be. I encourage you to not only look at the romance between these two characters, but pay attention to the deeper issues that they have experienced and overcome. You'll find that your heart strings will get pulled quite a few times.

A solid premise but ultimately didn't work for me. I've enjoyed her other books but this one fell a little flat for me.

I wanted to love this book. Just by the description and the cover I really did think I would but I was disappointed. I needed more.

I like the idea of this book. The author had a great concept. They just did not execute it well. It was kind of disappointing.

The plot was so good... it had everything to be a good book but somehow the author end up wanting to write something big that end up being meh.

You ever read something and a third of the way you get this feeling that something feels familiar but you can't put your finger on it. This was happening to me with this book until I realized half way through that I actually dnfd first book in the series.
This one is a steady improvement.
I liked Blake and Wyatt a lot more that Fitz and Hallie. It's not bad but it still felt like it was missing something. 2 stars.

Thanks to netgalley and publisher for this arc.

I was so excited for this plot but it really fell flat mostly because I couldn't stand the main female character, for someone so smart she was super dumb and annoying lol. The main guy was much more likeable but even their chemistry when together couldn't save this book and pairing for me. She was too rude and ridiculous for things she shouldn't have been...I almost stopped reading this book about 4 times throughout but figured I'd finish and see how it ended smh.

Absolutely hilarious. I loved the characters and how they played off one another. It was a fun read and I look forward to more by this author!

I enjoyed this story, particularly Wyatt’s transition from spy to civilian life as well as Blake’s strong and focused character. They complemented each other where she was grounded and stoic he was always trying to teach her to live her life, balancing work and fun. Perfect read if you're looking for something romantic, and fast; I always love a good intense start as an explosive chance meeting then finding each other again and navigating through the new situation.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Wyatt Keene was a spy, legitimately, until his name ended up on a list for the world to see. Now, he's an ex-spy trying to redefine normal. Blake Montgomery is a dedicated scientist who has to escape her small town to get in some shopping and hopefully find a swoon-worthy fling. Enter Wyatt, as swoon-worthy as they come. What happens next meets all of Blake's expectations. Imagine their surprise when they both end up in the same small town and suddenly find themselves working together! Suddenly all bets are off, and the secrets kept become more than they seem. A thoroughly fun, unexpected read, Christi Barth's The (ex) Spy Who (maybe) Loved Me is well worth the read.

I really liked this book. The main characters were great to read about. I especially loved Blake, She was amazing and the third act break up was totally valid in my opinion considering her point of view.

4 Stars!

Ok so while this one took me a weeee bit longer to finish than I would have liked, I’m really glad I finished.

Wyatt and Blake have great chemistry from the beginning. Of course you can tell that their one night is not going to be just one night but are you really coming to this book for suspense and full on plot surprise? I’d hope not.

The way Wyatt pulls Blake out of her automated routine she calls life and the way Blake is able to pull Wyatt out of the hiding that he called life was beautifully done. I will say… I was MORE than annoyed at Blakes reaction to finding out that Wyatt was a spy but the author gets a big gold star for putting other characters in to speak some truth. Those are the kinds of friends we all need!

There were moments where I was left wondering if the extra sciency bits were necessary but they didn’t completely ruin it for me!

Overall, this was a good book that had a great ending. It would be amazing to get more from these two.

Than, you NetGalley for the early access.

3.5 stars

Blake and Wyatt don't plan on seeing each other after one night together, but fate had other plans. They end up together in the same small town and are paired up on a project.

It was nice how Wyatt supported Blake and got her to open up more. It was interesting, too, seeing how he readjusted to regular life after being a secret agent.

I did feel like the book was a bit long and I was disappointed we didn't get to see more of Wyatt in action using his skills. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable and fun book.

I wasn’t as enthralled with this as her other books but a solid rom com. Would have loved more detail at the end about the secret mission but an okay read

Quick Summary: A chivalry is not dead spicy romance

My Review: The (ex) Spy Who (maybe) Loved Me by Christi Barth was quite entertaining. I loved it!

About the Book: What started out as a one night stand between strangers ended up as something way more special.

This story grabbed my attention from the beginning. The playful banter between scientist Blake Montgomery and agent Wyatt Keene was tops. From their initial conversation to their hot coupling to their unplanned reunion to the undesirable challenges they dealt with, they had something together. I especially appreciated how they both had such strength of character and evidence of integrity. They were fiercely passionate about what mattered to them, not to mention, their chemistry was fantastic. In truth, the bantering between the two characters was so well done. It was written in such a way that it revved up their engines, so to speak.

About My Favorites:
One of my favorite scenes in this story happened early on in the book. It endeared me to Wyatt and made me love Blake even more. It involved the takedown of Rob and the subsequent sexy tension that built between Blake and Wyatt. Ms. Barth wrote the scene so well and on point that I felt it down to my toes, thank you very much! After that particular confrontation, I was sure Blake would throw caution to the wind and jump Wyatt right there.

Adding to the whole Rob thing, I love how Blake chose to ultimately handle him. (Right on!)

Another favorite of mine was when Wyatt recounted the situation concerning his parents. That was rather emotional and sadly so real. It was a gut punch to my heart. It makes me tearful even now. I loved how Blake supported him and just plain loved up on him. That said so much and revealed the true direction they were headed in.

Lastly, the sketching and art were such pivotal moment in the story. Not only was there a raw vulnerability that was displayed, but there was also trust. That made things so loud and clear...even though there were matters that still needed to be addressed.

My Favorite Quote: "You’ve got this outer uniform of scientist, and underneath is all the softness and passion. This is exactly how I’ll always remember you."

My Final Say: This was a hidden treasure read. I highly recommend it. Readers who enjoy STEAM stories with a bit of a heat factor will love this one. I certainly did. (I love brainiac romances.) This is worth the read.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💎

Thank you to the author and to Entangled Publishing, who provided access to a digital ARC via NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions I have shared are my own.

3.75🌟.

My second book from this author, it started with a bang. I loved all the ex spy hero angle who was released from active duty and now had to adapt to normal life.
Wyatt keene was such a vibrant character. The way his past life was referenced in his present day was hilarious and done well. Also the way he searches danger in even mundane things was so interesting.

Brilliant scientist Blake Montgomery was a stickler for rules, cranky, stubborn and a workaholic. When these two collide unexpectedly sparks fly.
What I liked was Wyatt and Blake complimented each other perfectly. There was humour in the story, friendship, small town coziness and science.

The middle part of the book dragged a bit for me and I did get irritated with some of Blake’s attitude even though I understand what caused it.
And some of the conversations in the book went right over my head. Don’t know why, but I couldn’t connect with dialogues.

Overall and entertaining romance.

Blake Montgomery is a highly intelligent scientist who is working on the cure for blindness. She is from a small town in Maine called Swan Cove where her family pretty much owns the town and she has a reputation to uphold. While at an airport bar, she meets Wyatt, a super sexy guy who happens to be an ex-spy. They had a no-strings attached, one night stand - not sharing any personal details with each other. Little did they know that they would be seeing each other the very next day!

Wyatt is transitioning back to civilian life, recently inheriting his Aunt's house in the same small town. Before his Aunt passed away, she entered him into an art contest at the lab where Blake works. Each artist is paired with a scientist to inspire their artwork. What a shock it was that they were paired together and would be working close together for the next several weeks. The chemistry between them was undeniable but both had their own reasons for avoiding a relationship…or at least trying to.

This is a sequel to Christi Barth’s book Hottie on Her Shelf but can be read as a stand-alone. I will say that while I enjoyed this book there were parts that seemed to drag. I thought that the beginning of this book was great - the banter and the spice were spot on but once Blake was back to her life as a scientist, I became bored. Blake was so uptight that it made it hard to like her. While I enjoy a strong, smart FMC, it was upsetting how dismissive she was to Wyatt because he was “just an artist”. I felt a little whip-lashed with her going back & forth with how she felt about him. I however, loved Wyatt’s protectiveness and how he didn't give up on his dreams. In the end, I felt that they both brought out the best in each other and I was glad that they got their HEA.

I did get a little mix of Lessons in Chemistry meets The Love Hypothesis feel with this book!

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
One Night Stand
Friends to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Small Town

I am rating this book a 3.5 but rounding up to 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, LLC & Christi Barth for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my honest review!

It’s interesting but did not hold my attention. I loved the perspectives and trying to keep the audience guessing but it was pretty predictable. It was a great story! Would recommend reading.
This book was gifted to me by NetGallery, all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the concept and, while I would've preferred a more dynamic and smoother execution, this was a pretty good and fun read. Happy to have read it.

While I was unsure if there will be or were past Swan Cove books, this story very much feels as if there are other stories in this world (such as Fitz's story) and that it's world-building enough for future romances (there's got to be a good story for Everett). Looking it up on Goodreads and the author's site, I couldn't find Swan Cove Book 1. What I did learn is she's written other books and I'm open to reading another from Christi Barth.

3.5 - 4 stars.

I love stories that involve STEM and this story was no exceptional. So much happening in the story and it makes you love the book even more. Such a fun read everyone should read.