Quick Info
Clean Approach

• title: Clean Approach
• author: Patricia Logan
• publisher: self-published
• release date: 15.09.2020
• series: A Spy Like Me
  book 2
• genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Romance
• content warnings: child murder, drugging, human trafficking, rape of minors, sexual assault, underage prostitution
• rating: 2.5/5 stars

Goodreads | Amazon*

Blurb
Clean Approach

Damon Thorne, former CIA operative, is now living with Jude Chenoweth. Damon can’t get enough of the sexy artist. Unfortunately, his life as a “cleaner” seems to get in the way. Jude finds his new life thrilling. If it’s not rescuing a teen from child traffickers, it’s stealing adult toys from a notorious sex club.

A trip to New York for the Harlem blues scene and a party with New York high society turns into near disaster. A deliberate poisoning, a pissed off “force of nature” in stilettos, and a half-blind money launderer prove there’s trouble brewing and that’s only the beginning.

When an acquaintance tells a tale of betrayal and a warning of imminent danger, Jude and Damon go on offense. Fortunately for them, they’ll have warriors at their back.

Join Jude and Damon for one thrill ride after another in the sequel to Clean Up on Aisle Mine.

The Queer’s Review

I was so excited for this spy novel…

Mostly because I had such high hopes of discovering a new series with a new huge universe behind it. Is there something better than having beloved characters and pairings appear in other books?

Turns out I wont’ be reading anything more about Jude and Damon or any of the other characters who show up. Which is sad, really, but can’t be helped.

If you’re picking up book 2 of a series without knowing the first one – like I did with the A Spy Like Me series – there is always the chance you won’t be getting into the story because you’re missing too much background. That was no problem in this case. I mean sure, I was spoilered about some situations happening in Clean Up In Aisle Mine but if I ended up liking Clean Approach I would have stopped reading and bought the first one to read. In this case I just wanted to be over and done with it as soon as possible.

But why is that? I wasn’t able to lose myself in the story. Like, at all. A lot of the time I was confused about who is doing what and then there is that unbelievable being in love after knowing each other two months thing. I actually felt more involved in Damon’s relationship to his dead wife than his current one. Not that I rooted for that one neither.

I expected excitement and a certain amount of heat but what I got was boredom and skipping sex scenes because I couldn’t care less about them.

Bookish Thoughts

I don’t know about Patricia Logan’s other books – and I never will – but I feel like Clean Approach would heavily benefit from some (more?) editing. Not only are the words not flowing well together but there is at least one instance of the cat having wrong pronouns – he was not described as being genderfluid, so tht simply read as a mistake – and the overall who is doing what confusion.

Also, just let go of that sexist being a pussy bullshit FFS! There is also a scene of a Jewish guy explaining Jewish family traditions and education of children which I can’t comment on. If you know a Jewish reviewer of this book please let me know so that I can link to their review about this situation!

Disclaimer

I received a free copy through Gay Romance Reviews Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.