Still loving this series and find it very fun, but I am very over Steven and am at a point where I don't want to read anymore about his drama and double standards. I'm a little nervous since his criminal history seems to be the likely next book focus...

I hate to say this, but I feel like at this point I am hate reading this series. Yes it’s an easy read and entertaining, but the outlandish situations that Finlay finds herself in are just getting to be obnoxious to me. But will I continue? Yes.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice gave me exactly what I wanted: chaos, charm, and just enough unexpected depth to keep me emotionally invested. The Vegas setting brought an extra layer of delightful absurdity, and the friendship between Finlay and Vero had me smiling through the madness. While some plot twists stretched belief, I was too entertained to care much. A wild ride with heart — and a heroine I’m always rooting for.

There was a lot going on in this book!!
This was probably my least favorite in the series thus far just because it was a little harder for me to faller. But finally Finlay gets together with Nick 😘

Title: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
📖 315 pages

Trip to Vegas
Angry Loan Shark
Jealous Ex-Hubby
Kidnapped Boyfriend

This one was crazy! Finlay and Vero have to navigate around Steven, her mom and children, and even Nick while trying to rescue Javi from his loan shark kidnapper. I was tense the whole time because I was certain someone would figure out what they were up to with all the sneaking back and forth! The pacing was fast paced and the humor was top notch (and a little dark) as always!

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and author for the digital review copy.

Finlay and Vero hit the road to Atlantic City. Unfortunately, the ex-husband forces them to take him along or he won’t let the kids go and Finlay’s mom also joins the trip. Vero is dead set on finding Javi’s kidnapper and Javi. Javi’s kidnapper refuses to give him up until Vero’s debt is paid in full or until his missing nephew is returned to him. Unfortunately, the nephew can’t be returned and the debt can’t be paid in full so Finlay and Vero have to take matters into their own hands.

This book was quirky, funny and highly entertaining, but ends on a cliff hanger to set up for the next book in the series.

This whole series was a dnf for me. The first book I liked the premise and it intrigued me enough to move on to the next story. Unfortunately after that it seemed that there was a lot more language and innuendos than the first book. And I wasn't enjoying the story enough to move on and continue.

Title: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice
By: Elle Cosimano
Pub. Day: Mar 05 2024

Genre:
Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Humor, Book Club, Audiobook

Trigger Warnings:
Murder, Violence, Sexual content, Death, Kidnapping, Stalking, Profanity, Gun violence, Infidelity
(**This volume in the series has more graphic content and language than the others. It was unexpected, so I gave it 3.5 stars and round up. It's not my favorites installment this series, but still fast paced and engaging work.)

Summary/Review:
Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice brings back the beautiful mess of chaos and charm that is Finlay Donovan. She’s a recently divorced mom of two, a struggling writer and woman who transforms everyday chaos into a wildly entertaining spectacle of misadventure.

In Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice the story begins with a much needed girls getaway that quickly evolves into a family trip with the ex, an old flame, an Aston Martin, an epic rescue…until it wasn’t! Finlay and Vero take on Atlantic City with more family involved than anticipated, not to mention the really attractive cop across the hall. Wherever Finlay and Vero go, chaos follows like a mischievous companion.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice is truly unforgettable! The theme of the Finlay Donovan series balances the heaviness of heartbreak with hilarious disasters that revolve around the distinctive character, Finlay. The character depth is wild and unpredictable with memorable themes of female friendships and how to effortlessly maneuver through life’s unplanned detours.

Thank you to Elle Cosimano, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity of an Advanced Readers Copy. I am voluntarily leaving my personal review.

#FinlayDonovanRollstheDice
#St.MartinsPress
#MinotaurBooks
#ElleCosimano
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and author Elle Cosimano for the advanced reader copy of this book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

The idea of a zany female protagonist in impossible situations has been done repeatedly. Perhaps the best known is Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. It has inspired numerous copies. I think Elle Cosimano’s series about author Finlay Donovan, whose life careens into crazy territory,y is about the best.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice is the fourth book in the series. This is an ongoing story, and I don’t think you’ll enjoy it as much if you haven’t read the earlier books in the series. Go back right now and do that. I’ll wait. (Not really.)

This picks up following events in Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun. (There is a short story in between that book and this one that fills in some of Vero’s background.) It picks up almost immediately after, with Finlay and her nanny/friend Vero deciding to go to Atlantic City to rescue Vero’s boyfriend from the loan shark Vero owes money to. Their initial plan is to take the kids with them, and Finlay’s mother goes with them to watch them. Then Finlay’s ex-husband, Steve, gets wind of them traveling out of state. Per the divorce agreement, Finlay can’t take the kids out of state without his permission, so they also bring him along.

Once in Atlantic City, the women sneak off to follow a lead to locate Javier and a missing Aston-Martin. They end up coming across two dead bodies, including the loan shark that Vero owed money to. A young hacker named Cam, who has appeared in the series before, also turns up. He’s looking for a zip drive that has details of the Russian mob’s finances that could lead to their downfall. Unfortunately, there’s also information about Finlay and Vero. Soon, Finlay’s boyfriend, Nick, who is a police officer, turns up as well. He claims he’s chasing down a lead on the mob, but in reality, he’s worried about Finlay.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice is a crazy adventure as Finlay and Vero try to duck everyone and locate Javi and the zip drive before the FBI does. There’s no way this could happen in real life, but it’s fun to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the story. They repeatedly try to do the right thing and only make matters worse. There’s a lot of interaction between everyone that is laugh-out-loud fun. They come up with plans that don’t always pan out the way they want them to, but it’s fun to watch it all fall apart on them. I sat there thinking “oh, that’s not a good idea…” but, of course, they didn’t listen to me and plunged ahead anyway, causing chaos.

This is a fun book that is a good bit of escapism from the crazy world we live in. The main characters are likable. We get Finlay’s colorful family here, including her mother, who is angry at her father at the current time. This makes their accidental foray into a male strip club all the more hilarious. I also enjoyed the inclusiveness of Finlay’s sister, Georgia, who is a lesbian and a police officer and has a new girlfriend. I liked that she was accepted into the police force with few questions.

The one drawback is something that happens a lot of the time with these types of stories. There was once a skit on the old Carol Burnett Show where she was a soap opera star, and the kids were dumped into the literal umbrella stand until they were old enough to cause trouble themselves. That seems to be the case here with Finlay’s children. They spend the entire time either watching TV in their hotel room or getting kicked out of the hotel’s swimming pool. This happened in other stories in the series as well. It’s a small plot point that just doesn’t work for me.

Overall, I find this series to have the right degree of levity and escapism that I need right now, and I’m enjoying it. This book wraps up many of the ongoing stories in the series, so I can’t wait to see where Finaly and Vero go next. There’s plenty of fodder left over to start on some new misadventures.

More hijinks and mayhem from my favorite duo, Finlay and Vero. This time, Finlay and Vero are heading off to Atlantic City - but not for fun. They had three things to accomplish, but that got harder when Finlay's ex-husband and her mother decided to join them. How to satisfy a loan shark, rescue Vero's boyfriend, and recover a stolen car with them around? Satisfying the loan shark turned out to be moot: they found him dead. I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher St. Martin's Press via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Book four in the Finlay Donovan series and Finlay is on the road in Atlantic City. If it sounds like funny chaos will ensue as usual, you would be correct. This was an entertaining read.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

3/5 ⭐️ Stars - Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for an ALC of ‘Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice’, #4 in Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan Series. I think NetGalley re-released the earlier books to build anticipation for the upcoming final installments (#5 and #6, which was just announced)!

I’m close to finishing all the available books in this series, and honestly, I’m kind of glad it’s wrapping up. While the Finlay Donovan books are fun and entertaining, they’re starting to feel a bit repetitive to me. This time, the whole crew heads to Atlantic City, and—true to form—bodies seem to follow Finlay and Vero wherever they go. It felt a little light on humor this time, especially when I compare it to the previous books.

If I were to rank them, I’d say the first was the best, the third comes in a close second, then the second, then this fourth installment, and last is the 3.5 short story. I’ve got one more to go, and then I’m ready to move on to something else!

I absolutely love this series and this book was no different! Finlay Donovan is the perfect mix of hot-mess-mama and relatable human being. I never want this series to end!

Such a great series and this book is a great addition to it!
I really enjoy this story and finding out what shenanigans Finlay and Vera get into.
There were some characters I could have done without and sometimes I felt like some parts dragged on a bit but overall it had me laughing and wanting to know what was going to happen next!

Okay okay. I know it took me FOREVER literally to finish this. But it was INCREDIBLE. There were some slow moving parts that put me in a lull. HOWEVER, it got jumping again. Once I felt that pulse come back I couldn’t put this book down. I’m so so excited to read book 5 to see what else could happen to Finlay & Vero.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for giving me access to read and enjoy this book. It was a DELIGHT.

This was a great addition to the Finlay Donovan series. It's especially better since it follows the kinda meh previous book. This one also has Finlay and Vero away from home. But it's so much better than the police academy storyline. They're off to Atlantic City and foolishly thinking they can get anything done secretly. Maybe they could have if they didn't have to bring everyone they know with them!

And yes, everyone includes Steven. Bleh. But it makes for a lot of tension and the zany antics we've come to expect from Finlay and Vero. There was never a dull moment. Lots of humor and twists. I'm glad to really enjoy this series again. The last one wasn't bad of course. It just wasn't for me. But I thoroughly enjoyed Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice!

I think I’ve reached my end with the Finlay Donovan series. I really liked them but it’s really the same format from book to book just different locations. I listened to them on audio and Angela Dawe is a fabulous reader. Her voices for all the characters are top notch.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 3⭐️

I was so excited for the latest installment in the Finlay Donovan series, and I was not disappointed. While this wasn’t my favorite Finlay book, it absolutely kept my attention from start to finish. The story is laugh-out-loud funny, and Vero continues to be one of my all-time favorite characters—her sharp wit and loyalty really shine.

In this fourth book, Finlay and her partner-in-crime/nanny Vero plan what’s supposed to be a relaxing girls’ weekend in Atlantic City—but things quickly spiral into chaos. Between negotiating with a dangerous loan shark, trying to rescue Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunting down a stolen car, it’s clear this trip won’t be all fun and games. Throw in Finlay’s meddlesome ex-husband and mother, and the stakes only get higher.

When the loan shark Marco turns up dead and Finlay and Vero find themselves prime suspects, the tension and humor ramp up in perfect balance. The addition of a charming cop with a connection to Finlay adds a sweet twist, and juggling all the drama—from family to crime to missing persons—makes for an engaging and entertaining read.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries with smart banter, quirky characters, and a dash of chaos, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice is a solid addition to the series.

This installment is pure fun—fast-paced, clever, and as delightfully chaotic as ever. Finlay heads to Atlantic City on a mission involving the Russian mob, missing people, and a whole lot of things she definitely didn’t plan for. As always, nothing goes smoothly—and that’s exactly what makes it so entertaining.

The chemistry between Finlay and her crew is electric, the banter is sharp, and the stakes feel higher than ever. Elle Cosimano keeps the suspense and laughs coming without losing the heart of what makes the series so great.

If you’ve loved Finlay so far, this one delivers all the twists, trouble, and charm you’re hoping for. It’s pure escapism in the best way.

This was another great addition to the series. It had been a few years since I read the previous one so I found myself a little lost with the plot line but overall it was a good and hilarious book to add to the series and I will continue reading this series.