The good guys, the bad guys, and the wild card. It’s the ultimate game of cloak and dagger …

Kristian Clark, private eye, thought his days as a special agent were behind him. But when he’s drafted into action, he finds himself reunited with his old team–and painful memories of why they broke up in the first place. As he plunges into mission after mission–from a “holy heist” to babysitting a young hacker to going undercover in a cult–Kristian find that everything he tried to leave behind is coming back to haunt him with a vengeance, and then some.

First there’s the mysterious woman who knows more about Kristian, and his past, than makes sense. She also uses science fiction weapons that don’t make sense, period.

Then there are the shady powers-that-be who are responsible for drafting him back into this world to satisfy their own nefarious agendas.

It’s all Kristian can do to keep from being pulled into their games as he tries to figure out who to trust and what to fight for, even as the trap put in place to destroy him is set with a ticking clock.

When did espionage get so complicated?

Normal life and romance are difficult enough for a secret agent, but time-traveling doppelganger girlfriend-wannabes who use futuristic weaponry were not covered in the training courses. Jes Drew’s The Bachelor Missions follows our hero, Kristian Clark, through three separate but connected espionage adventures with plenty of romantic difficulties. Because these stories are set in the real world, characters plainly discuss Christianity and some common arguments for and against the faith. Still, God-talk and two conversion scenes remain light in favor of the stories’ light and humorous tone—like Men in Black but without the aliens.

Best for: Young adults, adults, and fans of fun, escapist reading.

Discern: Romantic boundaries get pushed, such as when Kristian and his lady secret agent partner sneak into a cult, or pretend to be married and share a bed, yet no further inappropriate activity is mentioned or endorsed.