Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press and Elle Cosimano for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure if it was me getting used to the writing, getting invested in the characters or the story itself but I think I enjoyed book #2 slightly more than book #1 in the series.

I had a couple of guessing who FedUp was (who was complaining about Steven) but was totally off base.

I enjoy the book writing dual storyline and wish we got a bit more of a conclusion with that but maybe that will come in book #3.

Also, I just keep wondering- how much does Nick know and how much is he letting slide because he’s got it bad for Finlay?

Still very much reminds me of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series so I loved to see her blurb this book!

To my stunned delight, the second installment in the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano, FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS 'EM DEAD is rip-roaring wonderful, providing a fantastic diversion during a very long, very trying time. In this book, Finlay continues to evolve and develop her keen sense of ferreting out the truth in complex messes. Still, somehow and in some way, she also meets up with more dead bodies and mean guys than anyone would ever expect in a suburban life. As Finlay finds her new way of life as a divorced woman with bills to pay, relationships to navigate, and criminals. she is courageous, loving, and completely relatable -- and further burnishes her reputation as the best earnest badass driving a minivan with body parts rolling around in the back. Loved, loved, loved this book -- my laughter and huge delight in the reading attracted much interest on planes, waiting rooms, and hotel lobbies. Long live Finlay -- cannot wait to read her next adventures! I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Book 2 in this fast-paced, twisty, humorous suspense series is as good as the first! Finlay Donovan writes romantic suspense, and her career is taking off thanks to her recent ability to draw on content from her real life experiences. She is a recently divorced mother of two (5 year old daughter and 2 year old son) navigating motherhood, her next deadline, dead bodies, and the Russian mob. Finlay's live-in nanny, Vero Ruiz, is also her partner in crime (literally and figuratively) and the only person who knows why Finlay is so reluctant to let the kids spend time with their father; not only is he a douche bag, but there's a hit out on him that Finlay is trying to stop by saying she'll take the job herself, but she has to stop the competition from getting the job done before she uncovers who they are and who wants her ex dead. Finlay also has two new love interests to juggle: a young law student and local police officer, Detective Nick Anthony. If you like the Stephanie Plum series, you will love Finlay and Vero, who manage to stay one step ahead of killers and the law.

This is the second book in the Finlay Donovan series and it doesn't disappoint! I always enjoy Finlay Donovan books! They are lighthearted, quick reads. They remind me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series in the way that the main character is always getting into sticky situations where she and her sidekick Vero don't always toe the line. There's also a police detective boyfriend and ex-husband in the picture, as well as other fun side characters. Read them all! They are so fun! Perfect vacation or beach reads!!

Finley Donovan knocks ‘Em Dead is a fun follow up to Finley Donovan is Killing It. Finley and Vero are back in a continuation of the story where Finley’s ex-husband Steven is in the crosshairs of a mysterious online entity looking to hire a killer to end him.

Finley attempts to take the job to protect her children’s father, but between the Russian mob, a dismembered body, Vero’s secret life, and a complicated love triangle, nothing comes easy to this ride-or-die duo.

Who is FedUp? Will Finley find love? Will Steven survive?

Finley is up to her old tricks, charming her way out of trouble in this next-in-series installment sure to please fans of the Finley Donovan universe. Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC of Finley Donovan knocks ‘Em Dead.

Just as good as the first one, and the last quarter had me on the edge of my seat!!! The reveal of Fedup was not at allll what I'd been expecting and I loved it! Excited to read book 3 and find more clues about EasyClean!!

Loved these books. Enjoyed the banter of the characters. I flew through this whole series. Finally was always winding up in crazy situations this whole series was a fun crazy ride.

I love this series. Finlay Donovan is a writer who is always behind on her next book, is recently divorced from an unfaithful husband, and has joint custody of their two children. Her friend/nanny Vero helps her with the children and the house and lives with her part-time.

In this book, her ex-husband has a contract out on his life, but who put it on him? And why? Other complications are the Russian mafia, a group of women who kill for hire and who may have the contract on her ex-husband, and two potential love interests. The love interests are Julian, who tends bar and is working toward a law degree, and Detective Nick Anthony.

I love Finlay and Vero, how they support each other through whatever trouble shows up next. The parts where Finlay has to talk to her agent about her next book and makes it up on the fly are hilarious, particularly since they include some real-life things that she is dealing with. I don't think I've read another book where the main character is an author and her fictional plots are based on what you are reading..

I received an e-arc from the publisher St. Martin's Press via Netgalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Finlay’s stories make for bingeable reading and losing track of time as you try to figure out the mystery alongside her. Thank you so much Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the advanced e-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Finlay Donovan Knocks em’ dead….

Finlay is back and she is still trying to finish her novel and keep her head above water.. She is feeling more confident though with her nanny Vero always having her back and the only dead body lately is the fish.

No matter how Finlay feels about her ex husband Steven, she has never wished death… well maybe she has but she didn’t mean it but there is a hit out on him and trying to him alive… is harder than she bargained for.

OK I love Nick. The cop… Love him. I hate love triangles and Finlay has trapped herself between a hot cop and her feelings for the young lawyer Julian.

I was hooked right into the mayhem that picked up right where the last book dropped off. The book was bonkers. The more Finlay tries to dig them out of the hole… she literally makes it worse. The duo have to try and save Steven even when Vero is against the idea of it haha. They find out there is a forum where people add their “cleaning jobs” and there is an assassin who takes the jobs on. Finlay offers to kill Steven and its a race between her and the contract killer and you won’t believe who puts the hit out… I haven’t laughed this hard in ages.

The writing is always stellar and the book was beautifully paced with some excellent suspenseful moments!

5 stars

We’re back with another laugh out loud, suspenseful comedy! Finlay’s life was a mess in the first book.. but wait.. there’s more! Now there a hit out on her ex and she still has to make time for family and work. I enjoyed this one!

I really enjoyed this second book in the Finlay Donovan series. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book picks up right after the first book. I like Finlay and her relationship with her nanny, Vero. This was a quick, fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first, and it was just as funny and entertaining to read. You can definitely feel the stakes getting higher and the story getting a little bit more serious while adding a little bit more steam to the story with Julian, who seems like such a hottie. I was rooting for Finlay the whole time and really interested to see all the behind-the-scenes details and the whodunit. While Steven is still a total ass, I finished this book really quickly too, and jumped right into the next one!

I didn’t like this as much as the first book but still enjoyed it. I think I expected the mysteries to be a bit more separate from book to book and not include the Russian mob in each one.

Even with that, I had quite the time. There were a couple moments where I actually laughed out loud. The ridiculousness of the characters isn’t really realistic but it’s fun and entertaining, and I enjoy my time with them.

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

From Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead—the hilarious and heart-pounding follow-up to Finlay Donovan is Killing It.

"Cosimano skillfully combines suspense and laughs in the manner of Janet Evanovich’s early (and best) novels, finished off with a metafictional twist."—New York Times Book Review

"A funny and smart, twisty and surprising series."—Megan Miranda"

Thank you for the chance to read and review Finlay Donovan Knocks "Em Dead. I loved the return to the Finlay Donovan world and the outrageous situations she finds herself in. Most of all in this book I enjoyed the relationship with her children and the fact that as much as she is angry with her ex she ultimately does what is right to help him for her children's sake. I loved the realness of a character who can put their children first and make sure they are loved.

Finlay and Vero are back for another quirky and comical mess in this second installment. So much fun. I zipped through book 1 and moved immediately to book 2 without a second thought. These ladies are the perfect partner in crime couple, and I love how Finlay makes Vero know that she is part of the family without question. The relationship between the two is a perfect friendship story, though it started out totally weird and random. They flow together so well and take care of each other without question or hesitation. I was glad to see Nick back for this book, and look forward to jumping into the next one!

Once again, thank you to St Martins Press and Minotaur Books for providing the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I cannot recommend starting this series enough. So much fun.

Finlay Donovan is once again in a bind as she tries to figure out who wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Meanwhile, Vero’s keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into Finlay's life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay’s first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

This second instalment had Finlay going down the rabbit hole of an online forum to solve the mystery. Along the way, trouble of course found her 😂 The reveal was unexpected even with all the leads pointing elsewhere.

Her love life also seemed to go through the wringer. With so much going on, it still found a way to confuse her. There seems to be a winner in the love triangle, but we'll see how long that lasts 😅

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for the gifted copy. On to the next book!

Rating: 4.5⭐
Steam level: 1.5🌶️ Closed door

Elle Cosimano does it again! Finlay and Vero finds themselves again trying to solve a mystery in hopes of keeping Finlay's family safe and intact, for the most part. While there are times when I'm so annoyed with Finlay and her naiviete, Vero as the sidekick really makes up for it. She's smart, witty and hilarious. And I'm always wondering how are they going to get themselves out of this mess. A great quick, fun read!

This series continues to have me obsessed! Finlay is one of my new favorite quirky characters to read about. The shenanigans she manages to get into are highly entertaining. Cannot wait to continue reading this series!

This is the second book in the Finlay Donovan series written by Elle Cosimano. Is it over the top, absolutely. Someone mistakenly has taken out a contract on Steven on the dark web. Finlay becomes aware of it and feels she must save him. But the contracted killer, EasyClean, wants the money.

As it turns out, the person that posted the ad did not realize she was posting an ad with their comments.

I found this a hot mess. There was way too many characters that made it hard to keep the story straight but it did keep the crazy level up.

All in all, it was an enjoyable story. I rate it a 3.5.

Thank-you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to binge read the series to date. These are my own opinions and I am not required to leave a positive review.