I'm not usually a big fan of cozy mysteries but this series is an absolute delight. I loved the slapstick humor and hijinks Finlay and Vero get themselves into. What I love most of all is the female friendship portrayed in these stories. There's no competition, no sabotage, just true friendship and respect, and a wish the see the other succeed. It's refreshing to see an author get female friendship so right. I personally enjoy the hints at romance without anything too graphic being thrown in my face. It's fun to see an adult woman, mother of 2 small children, still acknowledged as a sexual being. I look forward to more adventures for Finlay and Vero.

A fun follow up to the first Finlay! I'm kinda done with hot mess moms but it is good and fans may like this one.

Finlay Donovan is a single mother as well as an author who is struggling to finish her second book. Sometimes life isn’t easy but she has her live-in nanny, Vero, who is also a good friend and sidekick. All seems to fairly well until Findlay discovers that someone is trying to kill her ex-husband. On top of that (if that isn’t enough), Vero is keeping secrets and a cute detective is still showing an interest in Findlay.

Findlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is the second book in this quirky and refreshing series. There is humor, suspense, and mystery, with good characters to boot. I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of this series, but the second book didn’t seem quite as sharp to me. It has a lot of moving parts and it is somewhat slow at times. However, it is a promising series that I think will only get better and for that reason, it deserves 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

bahahaha I KNEW IT

no, don’t ask me what team I’m on bc I still don’t know!!


This was still so much fun and I guess I somewhat feared it wouldn’t be. The plot of this one did run a little long, almost felt like pulling teeth (maybe called I called it??), but the audiobook just flew by because it really was that fun and I missed getting in the middle of Finlay and Vero’s hijinks.

I obviously absolutely can’t wait for the next book, and I will note that I hope it isn’t as meta as the ending of this please and thank you.

This book should have been titled "Finlay Donovan: Reading Slump Rescue" I honestly started and stopped about 7 books before this one #moodreaderproblems ... Thankfully, this was exactly what I needed!

Finlay is at it again with her hilarious and very bizzare situations. She is just such a likeable hot mess of a character that I am totally willing to "look the other way" about her *ahem* extracurricular activities.

I highly recommend listening to the audio of this series, as the narrator does a fantastic job bringing all the characters to life. I seriously can't wait to see what Finlay gets up to (or caught up in!) next.

Thank you to Netgalley for my #arc

Elle Cosimano has done it again! I just love this author and her main character. Finlay is a single mom and a writer trying to make ends meet. In book one she stumbles across a gig that lands her some cash. In book two she finds out there’s a hit out on her ex husband. She has to find out who the murder for hire is before it’s too late, all while dealing with her love life, torn between the hot and cop featured in her books and the hot young guy that seems distant lately. This book will have you laughing all the way as Finlay finds herself in situations that seem nearly impossible to get out of. The author’s writing is phenomenal and she’s written a character any woman can relate to.

Much like the first in this series, Finlay Donovan is still a bit of a mess and finds herself embroiled in a crime she didn't commit. But this time, she's trying to keep someone from being murdered by posing as a hired assassin. Shenanigans ensue!

Although this one doesn't quite live up to the first in the series, it was still a fun revisit of the characters and the comedy of errors that is Finlay's life. The characters get a little more depth in this one, and it's slightly darker when it comes to the assassins-for-hire and murdery parts. The sexy chemistry is still there between Finlay and a male character (no spoilers!). I'll continue to come back for more Finlay Donovan!

🙌 FINLAY IS BACK.. and brings the whole gang with her 🙌
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I adored the Finlay Donovan is Killing It and am so happy to say the same about this novel! The twists, laughs and characters make this one you NEED on your bookshelf!
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Finlay's got writers block again, Vero's acting weird and someone wants Steven murdered. Ugh! Against Finlay's deepest dark wish, she NEEDS to save her husband. He's a great dad to her kiddos. What starts off as a wine drinking day ends in a twist, turn and bang of a time!
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Need something to read while snowed in? Need a laugh because it's negative degrees outside? Or Need something fun because you can't go to Disney whenever you want? Check out Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead!
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Thank you @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for my arc in exchange for my honest review!

Finlay Donovan is, once again, having a hard time finishing her next novel, and with her deadline drawing near she finds out that somebody has an ax to grind with her ex-husband and she needs to try to keep him alive. Finlay's ammeter detective work leaves her in shenanigans trying to fix a mess, but in true Finlay style, she makes an even bigger mess. This light read is funny and entertaining, and you will love it if you're a fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.

This book is part of a series, and I do recommend reading the first book before you dive into this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Elle Cosimano for a free ARC of this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

It's official. I'm a Finn Donovan fan. Once again, the shenanigans in this book are totally unbelievable. But Finlay Donovan - mother, author, bad luck magnet - is utterly believable and refreshing. KNOCKS 'EM DEAD is outrageous good fun. Pour yourself a glass of wine and pick up this book. You won't regret it.

Finn finds herself embroiled in another hitman-for-hire scheme, but this time her ex-husband is the target. All she wants to do is keep custody of her kids, finish this book draft her agent keeps asking for, and maybe save up enough money to repair her ailing minivan. But the Russian mob just won't let her. Finn and Vero have to outsmart a real hitman, hide a real murder victim, unmask the anonymous user who asked for the hit, and keep all of this a secret from their friends and family. Hijinks ensue.

If you're looking for a fun, fast-paced read, look no further than FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS 'EM DEAD.

It was very similar to the first book, which was kind of a let down, but I’m excited by the set up for the next book.

This book was just slightly more than okay for me. It's a fun one to breeze through and a solid follow up from book one but I just am not sure the series lives up to all the hype for me. It is quirky and fun at times, but at other times, I find myself wondering how Finlay and Vero can be so stupid. I think that's part of the charm - that they keep getting away with stuff despite being idiots lol. Specifically to this book: side characters weren't well developed in this book and that ended up being a detriment to the twist. There were also too many side characters. I also think Cosimano ruined her love connections in this book. I never liked Nick in book one and I feel worse about him now (is it just me or is he not charming at all? He seems to have anger problems and have no capacity for maintaining the integrity of his position lol). I felt like she had a solid relationship built with Julian in book one that was completely tossed out the window in this book. Why? I'm not invested in either one. So ultimately, I'm not sure I'll continue in the series but it's such a quick reading pace that I probably will.

Much like the first, this book is incredibly readable, super fun and a total page turner. Even more than the first though, this book is unbelievable, completely wild and totally out of control. But it is fun so who cares?! This is just total entertainment. It would make a great movie.

Hot on the heels of the first book FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS 'EM DEAD gets readers right back into the action: Finlay still battling her editor, Finlay still dealing with her ex, Finlay still under the guise of a hitman. This time, however, she's determined to track down just who is angry enough at her ex (and THAT list is a mile long) that they'd offer $100K to make him disappear. Vero, Finlay's nanny-turned-accomplice and Hot Cop (TM) Nick are both back along with several (and returning) faces and I couldn't have been more excited to return to this series. I've found sometimes book two looses a bit of steam but I'm delighted to say that isn't the case here. I had just as much fun with this sequel as I did with FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT - and I cannot wait for book three!

This book was an awesome sequel and I enjoyed every minute. A quick light read that had me laughing out loud

Loved Finlay so much. Abs loved the second Finlay too! I love her adventures and the sarcasm. Thought this was a great sequel and cannot wait for the third!

What a fun read 👏🏻 just like the first one, this successful sequel will keep you turning pages and laughing out loud. ⁣
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You definitely should pick up the first book before reading this one (partially because it was soooo good and partially because this one picked up right where the last one left off). ⁣
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Finlay is working on her second novel whilst trying to uncover who wants to murder her ex. Throw in some romance drama and a witty BFF (Vero is the best) and you’ve got a binge worthy story that will hook you from page one!⁣
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I will also say that part of the plot is ridiculous and wholly unrealistic, which honestly adds to the charm of this story. I went into it knowing that that was the case and I thoroughly enjoyed it

Finlay Donovan’s agent wants her next book, now. But the single mom has writer’s block, her son is potty training, and she needs to figure out who wants her ex-husband dead (besides herself). So, with the help of her live-in nanny, Finn goes undercover on a local mommy blog to stop an assassin while avoiding a certain sexy detective. A rollicking good time.

I loved the first novel in the series, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, finding it funny and quite the page turner. Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead is no different.

In this second installment, Finlay, as usual, has a lot on her plate as a divorced mother of two. Her agent is pressuring her to start on that next novel. She cannot help but worry about her business partner and friend, Vero, who is keeping secrets. Not to mention Finlay is dealing with relationship issue--figuring out what kind of relationship she has with her lawyer lover and what about that sexy cop who keeps showing up in her life? Then there is Finlay's biggest problem of all--finding out who put a hit out on her ex-husband, not to mention trying to keep him alive. He may be a rotten guy, but he is the father of her children.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead. It offers a peek into the dark world of women's online chatrooms, the importance of cybersecurity, more of the Russian mob, and how to overcome writer's block. Okay, so maybe not that last point. It can be over the top, but it works. It was half the fun wondering how Finlay would get herself out of the situations she put herself in because it seemed pretty impossible to me. She keeps getting in deeper no matter what her intentions are though. She and Vero are both very capable and resourceful (and it helps to have connected friends). I am really curious to know what exactly Vero is hiding though--hopefully we will find out in the next book (it's not so much a cliffhanger, but more of a loose thread).

One of the reasons I enjoy this series so much is the humor. It is also action packed, balanced out by a bit of romance. I admit I am leery of love triangles and am still not sure how I feel about the one Finlay finds herself in with Julian and Nick. I like both guys, to be honest, although I think Nick might be the better choice for her.

If you enjoy humorous mysteries and an entertaining escape, this is a great series to try out.

This was SO fun - I was worried it wouldn't hold up to the first book but I thought it was just as good! A perfect light, funny mystery.