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OWL Investigations Mysteries #1
Find a Man, Don't Settle Down
Cheating exes, missing exes, and former crushes
There are few things in this world that private investigator Emmett Naoki loves. His job and the business he’s built, OWL Investigations, are his biggest passion. Then there’s sleeping in and working alone, but he isn’t getting much of either these days.
His hates are similarly specific. He despises his gift—or curse, depends on how you look at it—of always being hit with the truth right in the face.
He loathes smug bastards who used to make him feel unwanted as a teen. Yet he’s hired their king, David Wright, as his side-kick. In Emmett’s defense, he was drunk at the time.
At the top of his hate list are liars and cheaters. They’re the lowest of the low. So why exactly has Emmet agreed to help cheating ex no.1, Byron, to find backstabbing—and now missing—ex no.2, Chris? Especially since the cops think nothing’s amiss.
Find a Man, Don’t Settle Down is the first book in the LGBT mystery series OWL Investigations. If you like sarcastic PIs and snarky banter, engaging mysteries and a touch of comedy to your life-and-death situations, then you’ll love this new series.
Start reading Find a Man, Don’t Settle Down today to find out what happened to Emmett’s missing man.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 2019
11 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Alina Popescu
74 books180 followersI am a writer, traveler, blogger, and coffee addict. I started writing stories when I was 10 and kept doing it as a hobby till a few years ago. I prefer fantasy and sci-fi when it comes to writing and I am currently working on a vampire series, Bad Blood. Book I of the series, The Edge of hope, was published in April 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 1, 2019
This is a cute mystery story but a cliffhanger. No real romance tho, no smexy times, no happy ending, not even hfn. The 2 leads don’t get together, they just sorta start to discuss having a date then the book ends in a cliffhanger. I kinda hated wasting my time on a “romance” book where nothing happened.
May 18, 2019
I'm so glad that Alina Popescu decided to publish this mystery series. In Find A Man,Don't Settle Down Emmett, a private detective, needs to find his missing ex,Chris. The investigation is not easy for him because it brings back hurtful memories and ads new information that are equally painful. And his new employees David,with his gorgeous dimples, doesn't help clear Emmett's confused and overworked mind .
This book is a treat: full of humor, snark, charming characters and twists and turns in the plot. The story line is engrossing because each page brings new clues and emotions to the front. I loved it and I can't wait to see what happens next in the series.
This book is a treat: full of humor, snark, charming characters and twists and turns in the plot. The story line is engrossing because each page brings new clues and emotions to the front. I loved it and I can't wait to see what happens next in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2019
Now, this is a tough one to pin down - as far as rating is concerned. Three stars are the trickiest, as they cover an unfairly wide range of "liking" (I don't like giving two stars, that's just mean, but four stars have to be earned) and three stars have, what I envision in my mind, as several levels. So this one? I think actually stretched over a few of them.
But let's break it down, shall we?
Genre. A mystery romance is a combination I am liking more and more these days. I don't have that much experience as in other genres but this still felt pretty tame for me. With two genres, you always have to split your attention and this one chose to focus more on the personal side of the story - not even the romance part but simply the characters resolving their relationship stuff. Yes, there was actually a lot of investigation but since the whole mystery was so tied up with his life, it felt personal, instead of the "brooding detective finding a killer". Really, Emmet is a pretty small fish in a small pond, no grisly body parts described, no sense of the typical being part of a force environment, as he was not a cop or an agent.
So in this regard, I was just a bit disappointed (my bad) but it mostly just means you don't have to like mysteries that much to enjoy this.
MC. Emmet was likeable enough though I did not click with him. His "special power" was either an original move or just an excuse for figuring out how to move the plot without doing too much mind gymnastics to try to move all the chess pieces in the perfect harmony they are supposed to be (in the background, until the reader could, in the last chapters, see the whole choreography play out as it was intended to. I mean, when you know that you don't necessarily have to fit in all the clues - that one will sooner or later in a very convenient way fall into your lap? As I said, it's brilliant. And/or lazy.
Love interest. Liked him more, to be honest. Their reason to start working together was a bit hurried. As if... unfinished. It gave the story a good pace but it also left me unsure about David. He was an important part of the story without me getting to know or like him enough. Not sure if inserting some more "foreplay" to get to know the two of them better (and let the two of them get more used to each other) would be good, though.
Other characters. The nice miss secretary was a nice touch, she was kind of trying hard to be unconventional but I liked it and could totally this old lady wearing heels, trying to get into mischief while mothering and helping Emmet. Deb had very little space - small enough she didn't leave a big impression but she was good enough as a supporting character and was a good enough explanation for how much Emmet had from official records and help from various people, like rangers and police and records and backgrounds on people. Emmet's brother was good, he was a positive force in his life (that seemed a little... lonely? sad? grumpy?) and even helped him with the investigation.
The plot. Was a bit on the downside. It's so bad but I just knew it wasn't murder investigation, and that made it feel... less dire. Less action-packed. It didn't feel like chasing a suspect or trying to save lives, (I don't want to use the "b" word, as in boring) mostly because of how much was centred around Em resolving all his feelings and relationships and preceptions to all these characters. I mean, it was his bad ex, Byron who "hired" him for the case - to find Chris, Emmets more recent ex and Byron's best friend, no less. The first person he interrogated was his ex' boyfriend (a.k.a emotional a.k.a space for some drama/mystery) and it didn't get less tangled (the investigation and his personal life), especially with David being an almost every scene.
Funnily enough, the thing I disliked most about this book was coffee. Yup, you heard me right. I only recently started drinking coffee and I only drink the lot of milk and sugar type (which is the best kind in my opinion) so this may be the reason why I am very annoyed at anytime anyone in a book acts like they can't function without coffee and it's considered VITAL to their functioning. It feels over the top and so stereotypical - especially when it happens more than once in a book, as a part of "I am not a morning person routine". Which it did here.
It was, I am sorry, too dramatic. Ridiculous. And it was how the story started, which didn't help, as that's the first impression I got.
Overall impressions? There were some nice, good elements, the characters were managed good enough and if more personal is what you're going for (this does not feel (nor it should?) like a crime-solving case) so if a little of clue hunting, with minimal action and with plenty of good drama... this is your book.
And anyway, I finished it and am going to read the second book, which is a kind of recommendation in itself.
P.S: The title, was, absurdly enough, kind of... misleading. That's totally on me but titles usually say something about the book so I thought this would be about finding a guy and... having commitment issues and not settling down. But in a relaxed, "we'll get there" way. Because the cover is optimistic. As is the blurb. Weird, huh? The only thing it really points out? That this is not a mystery centred but a contemporary centred book.
But let's break it down, shall we?
Genre. A mystery romance is a combination I am liking more and more these days. I don't have that much experience as in other genres but this still felt pretty tame for me. With two genres, you always have to split your attention and this one chose to focus more on the personal side of the story - not even the romance part but simply the characters resolving their relationship stuff. Yes, there was actually a lot of investigation but since the whole mystery was so tied up with his life, it felt personal, instead of the "brooding detective finding a killer". Really, Emmet is a pretty small fish in a small pond, no grisly body parts described, no sense of the typical being part of a force environment, as he was not a cop or an agent.
So in this regard, I was just a bit disappointed (my bad) but it mostly just means you don't have to like mysteries that much to enjoy this.
MC. Emmet was likeable enough though I did not click with him. His "special power" was either an original move or just an excuse for figuring out how to move the plot without doing too much mind gymnastics to try to move all the chess pieces in the perfect harmony they are supposed to be (in the background, until the reader could, in the last chapters, see the whole choreography play out as it was intended to. I mean, when you know that you don't necessarily have to fit in all the clues - that one will sooner or later in a very convenient way fall into your lap? As I said, it's brilliant. And/or lazy.
Love interest. Liked him more, to be honest. Their reason to start working together was a bit hurried. As if... unfinished. It gave the story a good pace but it also left me unsure about David. He was an important part of the story without me getting to know or like him enough. Not sure if inserting some more "foreplay" to get to know the two of them better (and let the two of them get more used to each other) would be good, though.
Other characters. The nice miss secretary was a nice touch, she was kind of trying hard to be unconventional but I liked it and could totally this old lady wearing heels, trying to get into mischief while mothering and helping Emmet. Deb had very little space - small enough she didn't leave a big impression but she was good enough as a supporting character and was a good enough explanation for how much Emmet had from official records and help from various people, like rangers and police and records and backgrounds on people. Emmet's brother was good, he was a positive force in his life (that seemed a little... lonely? sad? grumpy?) and even helped him with the investigation.
The plot. Was a bit on the downside. It's so bad but I just knew it wasn't murder investigation, and that made it feel... less dire. Less action-packed. It didn't feel like chasing a suspect or trying to save lives, (I don't want to use the "b" word, as in boring) mostly because of how much was centred around Em resolving all his feelings and relationships and preceptions to all these characters. I mean, it was his bad ex, Byron who "hired" him for the case - to find Chris, Emmets more recent ex and Byron's best friend, no less. The first person he interrogated was his ex' boyfriend (a.k.a emotional a.k.a space for some drama/mystery) and it didn't get less tangled (the investigation and his personal life), especially with David being an almost every scene.
Funnily enough, the thing I disliked most about this book was coffee. Yup, you heard me right. I only recently started drinking coffee and I only drink the lot of milk and sugar type (which is the best kind in my opinion) so this may be the reason why I am very annoyed at anytime anyone in a book acts like they can't function without coffee and it's considered VITAL to their functioning. It feels over the top and so stereotypical - especially when it happens more than once in a book, as a part of "I am not a morning person routine". Which it did here.
It was, I am sorry, too dramatic. Ridiculous. And it was how the story started, which didn't help, as that's the first impression I got.
Overall impressions? There were some nice, good elements, the characters were managed good enough and if more personal is what you're going for (this does not feel (nor it should?) like a crime-solving case) so if a little of clue hunting, with minimal action and with plenty of good drama... this is your book.
And anyway, I finished it and am going to read the second book, which is a kind of recommendation in itself.
P.S: The title, was, absurdly enough, kind of... misleading. That's totally on me but titles usually say something about the book so I thought this would be about finding a guy and... having commitment issues and not settling down. But in a relaxed, "we'll get there" way. Because the cover is optimistic. As is the blurb. Weird, huh? The only thing it really points out? That this is not a mystery centred but a contemporary centred book.
December 11, 2020
I'm not certain where I first found this one... it was on my TBR but I have no idea when/why it was added. But I was looking for a mystery and thought I'd give it a go, and am so glad I did!
Loved the grumpy & snarky MC, his talent for sussing out lies, and it had just enough heat to get me hooked on the slow burn/UST. Looking forward to the next one! Added the rest of the series to the ever growing TBR :-)
Loved the grumpy & snarky MC, his talent for sussing out lies, and it had just enough heat to get me hooked on the slow burn/UST. Looking forward to the next one! Added the rest of the series to the ever growing TBR :-)
May 22, 2019
Good start
This is the 1st installment of a new m/m mystery series. Both the characters and the pacing are spot on. Looking forward to 2nd book.
This is the 1st installment of a new m/m mystery series. Both the characters and the pacing are spot on. Looking forward to 2nd book.
July 21, 2019
Steady vacation-type easy read mystery.
July 22, 2019
Cute
Kind of short but it was a nice read. The main character grew on me by the end of the book XD
Kind of short but it was a nice read. The main character grew on me by the end of the book XD
July 23, 2019
This is a well written and paced story. I believe this is the authors first try at writing a mystery and she did a fantastic job. She had my attention piqued and I literally finished this in one sitting. It's 32 chapters long so not really a one sitting read. I liked that there was a focus on the PI side of working, that both Emmett and David was shown doing detective work, researching, etc. I enjoying getting to know all the nitty-gritty details about Chris, his relationships and relations to Emmett. It was great getting to know Emmett's support group, Deb, Ms. Bigallow, and Tate. I liked the subtle first blush of a maybe budding relationship between Emmett and David. Emmett's special unique skill set involving lies was very cool and I liked that readers got to see the negative and positive of it.
I've been watching a lot of True Crime Files lately and this read elicited the same feel of curiosity and intrigue I get from watching that. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next case for Emmett and David will involve and seeing what becomes of their kind of budding relationship.
My favorite part was the steak house dinner break David and Emmett had with Tate. It had me cracking up. I could just imagine David's horror at what Emmett's usual was at a steak house XD
I thought Bryon was just rude for entering Emmett and Tate's home without being invited in or knocking. The not so great characters behavior is really sold to readers in this book.
An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I've been watching a lot of True Crime Files lately and this read elicited the same feel of curiosity and intrigue I get from watching that. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next case for Emmett and David will involve and seeing what becomes of their kind of budding relationship.
My favorite part was the steak house dinner break David and Emmett had with Tate. It had me cracking up. I could just imagine David's horror at what Emmett's usual was at a steak house XD
I thought Bryon was just rude for entering Emmett and Tate's home without being invited in or knocking. The not so great characters behavior is really sold to readers in this book.
An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
May 19, 2020
Solid start to a new mystery series, and I will read the next in the series with hopes of it getting stronger. Although, while reading the first book I felt there was a prequel or another series I should have read first, just by the way the characters were described or off-hand references to items that have happened in the past. I enjoyed the main character Emmett and his PI business. The flow of the book was good, but my issue is coming down to the actual mystery part.
**Potential Spoilers Ahead**
While we find out what happened to Chris and who took him, we really don't get much of an explanation of why he was taken. The motive behind the captor was lacking for me. It was more of... Oh, we found Chris, arrest the bad guy, the end... I need the WHY!
**Potential Spoilers Ahead**
While we find out what happened to Chris and who took him, we really don't get much of an explanation of why he was taken. The motive behind the captor was lacking for me. It was more of... Oh, we found Chris, arrest the bad guy, the end... I need the WHY!
November 8, 2024
Oh, what tangled web they weave! Never lie to Emmet for he will unravel the web of lies. I really enjoyed this. A new author to me, whose writing just flows. As an introduction to a new series, I thought it was great! The chemistry is building between David and Em, looking forward to what their next case leads to and their relationship.
August 23, 2020
It’s got potential but needs serious editing. Chris is missing. Our hero is watching a suspect in a phone shop then it says Chris comes out of the shop, looks both ways and gets in an Uber. Only it’s not Chris, it’s the suspect. It’s such a huge glaring error I down graded my score considerably.
August 5, 2019
The title?
No idea. But I'm looking forward to book 2
No idea. But I'm looking forward to book 2
April 13, 2020
Story plot is nothing special but still enought to want to see where it goes.
May 14, 2020
Or don’t
February 18, 2022
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews