I don't know about you but my January reading has been a bit slow. Between the winter blues and some new transitions, my regular reading has been a bit slower…
⁣
And when this happens...I need a book that is engaging and easy to pick up and Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun fits the bill!
⁣
It's a little out there, but in a totally fun way, and book three in this beloved series was just as charming and laugh out loud funny as the first two. ⁣
⁣
I always like to see what shenanigans Finlay and her sidekick Vero get into, and this time they find themselves at the Citizens Police Academy! These books are totally my kind of brain candy/easy reading and I enjoyed this one so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my gifted copies.

I liked the change of pace in this book and that it primarily took place in a different location. It kept the story fresh. There was a lot of good progress made in the story, while leaving plenty to be explored in the next installment. A few plot lines seemed predictable at first, but didn’t play out in the way I thought it would, which was a nice surprise. Overall I enjoyed this one very much!

Thank you netgalley, St. Martin's Press, & Minotaur Books!

Writing this review on my phone so I apologize if it comes off as run on sentences.

This definitely wasn’t my favorite book of the series, but it was still a fun read! Definitely unrealistic, lol. I’m also disappointed there wasn’t as much Vero in it. I wish that I had listened too or re read the second book again before diving into this one. But I still recommend it and the series together.

4.5 ⭐️

I was so excited to get this book as an ARC! I couldn’t wait to see what shenanigans Finlay and Vero got into next!

This book was just as great at the other two in the series (if you haven’t read them yet I highly suggest doing that right now!) It had just the right amount of suspense, humour, and romance. I love when a book can have a little of each of my favourite genres in them.

Finlay and Vero never have a dull moment. They remind me of Jen and Judy in Netflix’s “Dead to Me”.

You find out who EasyClean is in this book, and let me tell you- you’ll be guessing all the characters just like I did. But is it who you think it is?

The ending had me wanting more! And it ends in such suspense, there will definitely be another book. I have to admit though, I’m always scared to get to the end of these books because I don’t want the Finlay Donovan series to end!



Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is available now!

It's my least-liked of the books in this series. Maybe jumped the shark a little bit. The hijinks in this installment left me a bit cold. It felt like a middle book like the action was not truly propelling the actual plot forward but instead setting up other, unknown, plots.
I guess the cop camp also didn't help my enjoyment, I do NOT root for her and the cop, and the cop camp was not interesting to me in the least. Still, the writing is still sharp and the characters are still well developed (even if they felt a little stagnant in this one) enough for me to recommend this

Another manic ride with Finlay and Vero as they continue to get into trouble with the mob and try to hide it from the cops. Lots of characters and lots of sticky situations, but not enough of the originality and humor of the first book in the series.

I have adored this entire series and this book was no different! This book was the perfect mix of laughs and suspense. The whole series is perfection and I hope to read more of Finlay and Vero's adventures. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was fine. The audiobook narrator did a good job; however, since I only physically read the last two installments I had a harder time connecting with the characters in this one because how the narrator portrayed the characters wasn’t exactly cohesive with how I had imagined them previously. Obviously no fault of anyone, they were just different takes. The book is a good time though. For me it wasn’t quite as gripping as the others. It lacked something, maybe suspense or just the fun of Finlay being mistaken for a hitman the others had? But the story leaves enough unanswered questions that there’s potential for the next one, and I will pick it up.

Elle set the bar really high for herself with the first two books. This one didn't quite reach the level of laugh-out-loud funniness that we've come to expect. There was a major lack of Finlay and Vero shenanigans in companions to the other two books. The ending clearly means there will be a 4th installment in this series and I am very excited to watch the author give us the comedy we have come to expect from her genius brain! Will still be purchasing for my personal library! 3.5 stars!

This was the third Finlay Donovan book I have read. I loved the first one for its originality and humor. The second was almost as good. This one had trouble holding my attention. I think, perhaps, there is just so much that can be written about two amateur assassins and Elle Cosimano should move on to some new characters and situations. I thank Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

I’m not quite sure how she does it, but Elle Cosimano somehow manages to write a mystery-thriller that is lighthearted and funny at the same time as there are a lot of rather tense moments.

Finlay Donovan, a struggling writer with two small children, is separated from her (cheating) husband and Vero is her live-in nanny who is studying accounting. Together they are quite the team! Without giving away too much of the plot, the troubles they’ve had in the previous books, with a Russian mobster and other misadventures, continue in this volume. And Finlay is still trying to figure out what her relationship should/could be with Nick, a local detective. Finlay and Vero wind up attending a week-long Citizens Police Academy in the hope of figuring out who the “dirty cop” is (details in previous books in the series) while gaining some useful skills, and the situations they find themselves in are sometimes scary and sometimes really funny.

I’ve read all three books in this series (so far) and this one is possibly my favorite. It can be read as a standalone if you’re willing to just “go with the flow” and enjoy the madcap adventure (but of course you will lose all the back story details). I was kind of hoping this would be the last in the series, wrapping things up, but nope - from the way the book ended, there will surely be a book 4!

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Angela Dawe.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Finlay (and Vero) are back at it again with some of their crazy antics in this third installment of the Finlay Donovan series!

So far they’ve gotten themselves mixed up in murders, police investigations, Russian mafias, near death experiences, and more, but it’s still not over. This book, there are essentially two plot lines: 1) trying to figure out the identity of EasyClean, a hit person from the dark web and 2) paying off debts.

The setting was fun because it primarily takes place at a police academy/ bootcamp except it’s one for the community to partake in to get a taste of what the police life is like! And yes... our very own Finlay and Vero find themselves stuck here and are simultaneously trying to get the answers to their own questions while also making sure to steer clear of any potential killers.

It felt a bit like a locked room mystery because you’re presented with a cast of characters and just know that one of them is up to something shady, but you don’t know who or why. So I did enjoy that! However, where things got a murky for me was just the crossover of the two aforementioned plots. There were a few times where I got a bit confused trying to keep track of what info was relevant to what. Or even trying to understand how it all tied together.

Also, maybe it was the mood I was in while reading, but for some reason Vero’s character just seemed like a LOT. It was the same person from the previous books, but almost… amped up way more to where her actions just seemed too much for me at times. But again, could just be me being picky!

Regardless though, this book still has the same humor, laughable moments, and one liners that I enjoyed so much in the first two. Plus, we do get to see so much more of Detective Nick Anthony and that’s always a positive!

As you would expect too, this books leaves off with yet another cliffhanger so you can bet there will be more to come and I can’t wait to see how that pans out!

This is the third book in the Finlay Donovan series and as expected, she and her sidekick Vero, have a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time to take down the bag guys.
I gave the previous two books both 5 stars; however, this one didn’t hold the same spark as the other ones did for me. I found myself smiling a couple times, but there was no chortling on my end with this adventure.
I’m still a fan of the series but this one fell flat for me and I will still look forward to the next book.
3.5 stars

I love the Finlay Donovan series. This is the third book in the cozy mystery/thriller series following Finlay and her nanny Vero. I love following along with their crazy antics and how they move about their lives. Elle Cosimano's writing is easy to follow, funny and more importantly entertaining.

I highly suggest this series for anybody who is trying to get into cozy mystery stories. This book picks up from when the Russian mob boss is behind bars and they are trying to identify a killer to protect themselves and their family. We also get to learn some of vero's backstory and a little more about her love interest Javi.

This babe is out in the world making up laugh one ridiculous moment at a time! I LOVE this series and it is the perfect escape. While I liked the other two better, this one was still completely unhinged and hooked me!

If you’re looking for a fun series that isn’t all about romance, this was is for you! But there is a still some swoon worthy moments.

This is a really cute series, one that I’m happy to keep up with. I felt this book was stronger than the second one and I’m really excited to learn more about Vero in future books.

This is the most underrated series! By book 3 I am wholly invested in this story and these characters. It had most of what I have come to expect, lots of drama, mystery and tons of funny on-liners. I found that the romantic tension was lacking a little in this book though and the pacing seemed off compared to the others. I would still highly reccomend!

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan #3) by Elle Cosimano

Finlay Donovan is back!

I hadn’t read the previous books, so I decided to binge-read the whole series and I loved it!

Finlay Donovan is an author and a single mom whose husband left her for a another woman and who is now struggling to write her next novel. When she’s explaining her book’s murderous plot to her literary agent, a woman overhears their conversation and mistakes her for a contract killer, so she hires her to get rid of her shady husband. Of course, Finlay is not a killer, but while trying to do some research for her book she ends up getting into a messy situation that involves a real life murder investigation, the Russian mob, a hot law student and an attractive detective.

Throughout the series, Finlay and Vero (her nanny/accountant/bff) are going to do whatever it takes to protect their family while trying, again and again, to get away with murder.

In the third installment of the Finlay Donovan’s series, Fin and Vero find themselves at the center of a dangerous situation. Vero’s past and Finlay’s ties with the Russian mob forces them to enroll in a citizen’s police academy lead by detective Nick. Everyone is lying, everyone has secrets of their own and they know that they can’t trust anyone, not even the police.

This series has a little bit of everything; it’s a suspenseful cozy mystery full of humor and friendship. My favorite thing about this series is Vero and her relationship with Finlay. They truly are ride or die and Vero’s constant involvement in Fin’s romantic life is hilarious! Can’t wait to read more about this amazing duo and their very entertaining shenanigans.

Angela Dawe narrates the audio version of Finlay Donovan and she does a fantastic job at bringing the characters to life. I particularly enjoy listening to Finlay’s interactions with her kids.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for gifting me review copies of this great book.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano is just delightful! I really liked books 1 and 2 but this latest installment is my favorite. Finlay and Vero are up to their old tricks again as accidental amateur sleuths and it's hilarious to watch the trouble they manage to get into where hilarious dialogue and situations abound at every turn. I'm in love with these characters and hope this series never ends.

“I wanted dessert, to hell with the consequences.”

NGL, these are like a sickly sweet read for me, I know I won’t love them and yet…I just can’t help but come back time and again for a stomachache.

“The cop is hot, but the romance is not, and your publisher’s not paying you for fifty shades of boring.”

The romance subplot is…meh, because honestly team hot cop is clearly the only winner and it’s been 3 books of dangling this will they won’t they thread, it’s tired.

The best parts are truly the friendship between Finlay and Vero yet even that, honestly I couldn’t stand Vero for most of this. She literally fucks up everythingggg and Finlay never holds her to account for any of it. I’m all for besties over everything but there’s zero accounting for Vero and it’s just treated so comically like it’s cute, I just…man idk. I get there’s a lot of suspension needed for these but this really tests one’s patience.

Will I still read book 4? Probably, just so I can finish the series. Alas…

Rating: 2.75/3, rounding up to 3. Thank you Minotaur for my galley!