I wanted to read this one because I didn’t love the first book in this series, and I really enjoyed the sequel! I really grew to Enjoy Finlay and Vero throughout this story - but it still read as a bit chaotic and not at all realistic - which is totally fine - but makes me lose touch with this world building. Overall, it was fun, and I would recommend it to anyone who has read the first!

Finlay and Vero are back and better than ever, but this time they are trying to save the life of Finlay's ex, Steven, after someone puts a hit out on him. I love the interactions between Finlay and Vero because they usually make me laugh (especially when Vero makes a comment about Steven). There was no shortage of hijinks and hiccups in this one, and I kept wondering how Finlay would pull herself out of the jams she was in. And Nick is back (which is a win in my book 🤣). This one has a great cast of characters, lots of action, and a good storyline. I didn't know if the sequel could live up to the first Finlay Donovan, but I must say that I enjoyed it just as much (maybe even a bit more!)

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead releases tomorrow (February 1st!), so pick up a copy if you haven't already!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book SO MUCH. I am always hesitant after loving the first in a series, and this one was somehow EVEN BETTER. The writing was amazing and the story really flowed. I laughed through this entire book!! All the stars!

Upon first reading Finlay Donovan is Killing It, I was immediately fascinated by the chaotic yet enterprising cast of characters and was eager to get to the next stage of Finlay's journey. At long last, I have finally gotten back to the crazy world of organized crime, accidental contract killings, romantic entanglement, and mystery!

The second novel picks up basically where the epilogue of the first book left off. Finlay is trying to figure out who wanted to murder her ex-husband...you know, besides everyone who's ever met him. She's once again on deadline for her next book, has no idea where the story should go, and running out of reasons to let Steven be alone with her kids. She's finally starting to relax that no one's answered the hit on her husband...and then there is a reply. Soon things escalate with the excellent blend of humor, ballsiness, and even some suspense of the romantic variety!

I won't get into the plot to avoid spoilers, but I had a blast riding along with Finlay as she works to figure out who is willing to pay $100,000 to get rid of her ex. All of the characters from the first book return--Vero is still sassy and a little mysterious, Delia and Zach are still a little sticky, Nick is all handsome and chivalrous, Julian is cute and helpful, and Steven is still the worst. Definitely give this one a read so you can join me in anxiously awaiting the next installment in Finlay's chaotic life.

Book two was just as much fun as book one! I love these characters and chaos of events and the start of this was pure fun.
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Steven may be a horrible ex, but it doesn’t mean Finlay wants him dead….even though someone else does. She needs to figure out who wants her ex dead, write a novel, take care of her kids and perhaps have a love life. This is a blast of a series and I could totally see it as a tv series!
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Thank you @minotaurbooks for an advanced copy

The second I finished reading Findlay Donovan is Killing It I added Elle Cosimano to my list of authors to watch. I’ve been looking forward to the second book and I read it in one sitting (thanks to Covid and all of those parents who send their kids to school sick!). At least I’m getting a lot of reading done.

The second book picks up very soon after the first. Fin is still living with and becoming closer to Vero while getting her like in order and trying to get her next book.. Her ex-husband is still a jerk. Her sister is still trying to set her up. Her lawyer friend is still too young and her cop friend is still coming on too strong. Finlay and Vero are still masquerading as hired killers.

When someone puts a hit out on her ex, she wants to stop it. Hey, not everyone would. And a lot of old friends and loved ones are involved in all kinds of increasingly chaotic ways.

The best part of Finlay Donovan is the sarcastic voice and the sense of absurdity that runs through every increasingly complicated turn. It’s just fun to read. Fin stumbles through it all, perceived by each person in a completely different way. Of course, there is some closure but enough left open to continue the story. Cannot wait.

I loved, loved, LOVED this sequel to “Finlay Donovan Is Killing It”!!

Finlay is back and into trouble again! This time she’s got to figure out who has put out a hit on her ex-husband and stop them before it’s too late. And in typical Finlay Donovan fashion, nothing goes smoothly.

This was cute, funny, and so smart! It’s a fast paced, full of action comedic mystery story. Perfect for an afternoon or two of reading. I neglected to do anything responsible and focused on this book instead, and I finished in less than 24 hours!

I loved how Finlay continues to grow as a character. She’s still funny and so relatable. I mean who hasn’t accidentally gotten hired as a hit-woman for hire? The story picks up right up where “Finlay Donovan is Killing It” ends, but this can be easily understood as a standalone.

She’s gained confidence and is enjoying herself with not one but two men, all while trying to solve the mystery of who wants her ex-husband dead. She constantly runs into trouble, and the story keeps you laughing. There are some twists (holy cow those last few pages) and turns along the way that will keep you on your toes! You really won’t see the end coming!

This is absolutely one of my favorite books I’ve read this year, and I highly recommend it to everyone. It’s perfect for getting out of your own head for a bit and enjoying a comedy/murder book.

I’m so thankful to Elle Cosimano, Mintaour Books, and Netgalley for this amazing opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Finlay Donovan and crew are back and this sequel picks up right where the first book ends. Somebody wants Finlay's ex husband dead and Finlay and crew take matters into their own hands!

There are some twists and turns that will have you laughing your butt off! I found this book very entertaining and can not wait for the next book in the series to come out.

Thank you so much Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC! I laughed so much!

Finlay had hoped to leave the world of hired killings behind, but someone put a $100,000 bounty on her ex-husband, Steven. Even though she sometimes wishes he were dead, Finlay won’t let anyone take her children’s father from them, even if that means diving into the computer forum for hit(wom)men disguised as a women’s support chat or getting close to the Russian mafia—all while trying to finish her next manuscript.

Although Vero, her nanny, accountant, and BFF is as game —and sassy—as ever, Finlay can tell her secrets weigh on her. Meanwhile, Julian, the sexy-as-an-underwear-model law student and hot cop Nick vie for Finlay’s attention while Steven grouses in the background and her children underfoot.

Most of the cast of Book One returns, with more background on Vero as well as new adversaries—like the hitman EasyClean and Kat, the Russian lawyer who is even smarter and more ruthless than she is beautiful plus a teenager hacker who perhaps knows more than he should.

The Finlay Donovan series is outrageous and fun with such endearing characters and a fabulous friendship between Finlay and Vero. I’m fact, Vero’s teasing provides some of the funniest moments!

True, if you want a very realistic crime novel, this is probably not the book for you. However, if you want an amusing, feel-good, pick-me-up mystery with laughs, hijinks, and a dead body or two, you’ll want to read FINLAY DONOVAN! It has the same sensibility as DIAL A FOR AUNTIES or the Melissa McCarthy-Sandra Bullock movie THE HEAT.

Quirky escapades, and lots of fun and laughter if she could finish this novel in between these situations. Cute. Thank you #NewGalley#MinotaurBooks# FinleyDonovanKnocksEmDead.

This was a super fun book where Finlay, once again, finds herself in the middle of mayhem. As Team Cop, I enjoyed the romance in this one, and I always enjoy the parts of the story that include Vera. She's the coolest, and I'd happily to pretend to have kids that needed nannying if she'd come live in my house and run my life for me. (It that sounds like I missed her confession at the end of the book, I didn't. I just don't care if she's capable of bad decisions. I'd still let her make them all.)

This is the second book in the Finlay Donovan saga. It was just as entertaining and engaging as the first. I’m amazed at the amount of trouble Finlay and Vero can find when trying to avoid trouble. This story finds Finlay at yet another deadline with her publisher as well as a love triangle with the hot cop and steamy young lawyer. It also finds a hit on her ex-husband that she ends up involved in.

I love the humor in the writing and a lot the characters that are involved in the first book are in this one as well. The author did a great job bringing the reader back in to Finlay’s world. I did enjoy this second chapter, but feel it lacks the originality that drew me into the first book. Probably why I don’t read series very often.

I also had the luxury of listening along with the egalley thanks to @macmillionaudio for granting me the audiobook as well. The sarcasm and wit is perfectly captured by Angela Dawes, the narrator.

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more! Dare I say I even love it more than the first one?! Finlay, Vero and the gang are all at it again-somehow finding themselves in the middle of dead bodies, the dark web, and the mob! It’s witty, sharp, and full of all the things! The love triangle with Finlay, Julian, and Nick just gets better and better 😍.

Thank you for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first in the series.  The story is highly engaging and thoroughly entertaining.  Both Finlay and her sidekick Vero can get into more trouble than Lucy and Ethel in I Love Lucy (yes I’m dating myself).  The fact that Finlay has the added pressure of being a single mother with two small children with looming deadlines for the book she’s writing just makes Finlay so relatable to many women.

The book Finlay writes very much resembles the mystery unfolding in her life and I adore this about this series. In her quest to save her ex Steven, she meets a whole gamut of seedy characters.  Indeed, she is so focused on her quest she disguises herself to meet a mob boss currently serving time.

There are many characters in this story and it took a while to remember these from the first book which I read almost a year ago.  The author does a great job of bringing the reader back to Finlay’s world.  The writing is witty and easy to follow but there are a few scenes that may be offensive to more sensitive readers.

Our favorite hot-mess mom, the accidental assassin is back. She is still fumbling through her life as a mom, a girlfriend, a writer, a friend, a sister, a daughter, an ex-wife and more as she tries really hard not to kill anyone while solving the mystery of who wants to kill her ex-husband. Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead is funny with enough suspense/mystery to keep you turning the page. This sequel is just as entertaining as the first. If you loved/liked the first one, don't miss out on book two!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the electronic advanced copy.

Finlay Donovan has returned, along with her usual cast of humorous and willful characters in Finlay Knocks 'Em Dead, the second book of the series. This time she is determined not only to get out of a nasty writer's slump and finish her second book, but also to discover the person behind an ordered hit on her ex-husband. It is messy and ridiculous, and the deeper she digs and harder she tries to fix things the more everything goes haywire for her and Vero.

I love how chaotic and ridiculous this series is, but also how Cosimano grounds Finlay by making her a relatable "hot mess", she's just your average recently divorced, diaper-bag carrying, late night hustling single mom. Sure, her life is far from ordinary, she does after all spend the majority of this book narrowly avoiding serious trouble while hunting for the woman trying to kill her ex-husband... but there is something about her that you can't help but love and root for.

The mystery is very smart in my opinion, and the writing style really keeps you on your feet. I always enjoy how Finlay's writing and her fictional characters' twists always seem to make their way into her life and vice versa. My best example without spoiling would be "the return of the hot cop", I think that it is probably even more difficult for Cosimano to write and I have that much more respect for her craft as a result. Overall, very enjoyable and has already left me pining for the third book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Elle Cosimano for an advanced digital review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first book in this series so I was super excited for this one. It was still good but just didn’t have the same wow factor as it’s predecessor. This one had a few too many plot holes and eye rolls, even for a cozy…

Will I read the next one? Most likely yes

I was gifted a copy of Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by NetGalley, Elle Cosimano and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review. The book releases February 1, 2022.

I found the second Finlay Donovan book as engaging and funny as the first. The situations she gets into are hilarious, and her live in nanny Vero is always pulling her deeper into situations she'd rather avoid. We get a bigger look into Vero's life, and the shenanigans are sure to give you a laugh. Or groan and want to face palm yourself.

The first book left off with a hit on a woman's online forum for Finlay's ex husband Steven. Trying to navigate keeping their children safe while figuring out who wants him dead. And the ending definitely leaves us hanging a smidgen, so I'm looking forward to the third book whenever it comes out. Elle Cosimano will be an auto buy for me going forward, her characters are so flipping entertaining.

#FinlayDonovanKnocksEmDead:

Our girl Finlay is back, and is a hotter of a mess, if possible. Hot mess express.

I cracked up, like always, listening to the ridiculousness of her trying to come up with a story for her editor. She actually kind of reminded me of Lucy Ricardo in this instance with her quick wit and the situations she gets herself in.

Angela Dawes is back with the voice of the series, and she again makes it happen. The snark and sarcasm from Dawes hits perfectly in the right moments for a wonderful comedic performance.

Unfortunately, I was a bit distracted, which caused me to feel bored as I felt this story was kind of all over the place. We have a forum, a best friend, Teresa, hot lawyer/bartender, a roommate, don’t forget Felik! Arson, sketchy partner, a hacker, some accelerant, it’s just.. everywhere. While it all came together in the end, I think it was just too much packed into one story.

Cosimano definitely knows how to write a cliffhanger, and I’ll be waiting to see what Finlay and my favorite, Vero, get into next! Thank you so much @minotaur for the gifted copy. Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is out February 1st!

Finlay and Vero are at at it again and I don’t think there’s any stopping them now.

Finlay has a book to write and coming across a contract hit on her husband was the last thing she was expecting on a women’s forum. With Vero as her ride or die, Finlay decides she must find out who wants Steven killed and stop it!

Elle did not disappoint with this fabulous duo! She delivered us the kind of book you can’t put down and want to last forever. I've dubbed it as a 3-in-1; romance, mystery and comedy. We get romance, bartender/law school student Julian vs Detective Nick all while trying to figure out the mystery of who is trying to kill her husband and the laugh out loud shenanigans they seem to be getting caught up in.

Finlay Donovan Knocks Them Dead is an amazing sequel that lives up to the hype of Finlay Donovan is Killing it!It ticked off all the boxes of my expectations for this sequel.