Like the first book, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, I went the audiobook route. I am not sure if this series would work as well for me if it wasn’t for the amazing narration by Angela Dawe. The humor and heart she brings to all the characters, but in particular Finlay, truly brings these characters to life!

While this story felt even more manic and hectic than the first, in all honesty… I just love our heroine Finlay and her sidekick Vero. The thought of the two of them cruising in a mom van while trying to take down hit men and the Russian mafia somehow just works.

This series has warmth, humor, and action! I can not wait to see what trouble Finlay ends up in next!

So I just recently jumped on The Finlay Donovan train when I found out I was getting the second book sent to me from Booksparks! For some reason I grew a touch impatient with the first one , maybe because I was anxious to start the next one, but I thought this one was REALLY entertaining! There’s the right amount of mystery, romance and comedy all rolled into one book here!

Finlay finds herself in the middle of some criminal shenanigans again that also become the premise for the books she is supposed to be writing to fulfill her contract. This time, someone wants her ex-husband, Steven, dead and not that Finlay would mind perse, but he is the father of her children. To ensure her children’s safety, when they visit Steven, Finlay and Vero have to figure out who has taken a hit out on Steven. Meanwhile they are lying to the hot detective, Nick and her sister Georgia (also a cop) and dealing with the mobster Felix. Finlay’s law student boyfriend may have to bail her out. Finlay will soon learn that those closest to her have secrets they are hiding and the hit man may be closer than she thinks. But the real question is will she choose Nick or Julian?

The book ends with a perfect set up for a third one that will most likely reveal more about Vero! I can’t wait to see where Cosimano will take Finlay and Vero next! I love the bond the two of them have formed in these two books!

If you were a fan of the first book you will certainly love this one! Thank you to Minatour books and Book Sparks for both the audio and physical copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the first book in the series, I thought it was a breath of fresh air. It was fun and had me laughing out loud multiple times. So it made perfect sense for me to want to read Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead.

If you read book one, you know it ended with Finlay finding out about a hit set up on her ex-husband, Steve. Steve might not be a good husband, fiancee, or boyfriend material but Finlay doesn't want him dead. Well, maybe a little and if was up to Vero, she would have given ideas to the killer on how to cause the most pain before killing him.

Naturally, Finlay and Vero embarked on an investigation to try to find out who is trying to off him. Ramon, Vero's cousin is there to help a few times. A young IT millennial is there to help them with the clues (but not for free). A wig is needed for a certain dangerous visit. We get to see more of Susan, Finlay's mom. A nice car makes an unexpected appearance and of course the crazy situations Finlay and Vero get themselves in are abundant.

I can honestly say that I liked it and I laughed with poor Finlay's absurd and fantastical adventures she got herself tangled up with but I didn't love it like I did the first one. Yet, I was glad to see certain characters popping back in from the last book. I hope the trend continues.

What I did love was Finlay and Vero's friendship getting stronger despite certain secrets not being revealed. I want to know more about what happened to Vero before she met Finlay.

As for the love triangle, I like detective Nick Anthony but I still like the lawyer-to-be, Julian too. Decisions...decisions.

The next installment's path is set at the ending of this book. Can't wait for more Finlay and Vero shenanigans.

As for the narrator, Angela Dawe, Kudos!! She had me entertained all the way!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Elle Cosimano's second installment to the Finlay Donovan series, Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead was fantastic. Often times I find myself less enamored with a sophomore title in a series but Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead had me more engaged and invested in the characters than the first in the series. Following the cliffhanger from book one, hinting at Finlay's husband having a bounty out for him, Finlay finds herself yet again knee deep in murder for hire. While trying to sort out who has a hit out on her husband, Finlay is also, yet again, attempting to get her next book written with dead lines (pun intended) looming everywhere. Just as funny and mysterious as the first, I look very forward to what I hope is a nice long mystery series from Cosimano. Angelo Dawe's return as the narrator takes it to another level yet again.

It's hard not to like Finley Donovan- mystery writer, single mother, loyal friend and unlikely suspected assassin. She's at it again -- all the fun dialogue, all the intrigue, all the Russian mob characters- in this follow-up to the romp Finley Donovan is Killing It. In Finley Donovan Knocks'Em Dead, life hasn't gotten any easier for this newly divorced single mom who has managed to find the perfect nanny/ accountant/partner -in-crime Vero. But the adventure continues. The audiobook, expertly read by Angela Dawe, is the perfect delivery system for this story. You have to suspend a LOT of belief to buy into Finley's world, but once you let go ( which I recommend that you do...) narrator Dawe brings the story to life with just the right tone, a buffet of accidents and easy delivery with both the make and female characters. The hours fly by for Finley and the listener. Road trip ready!

I am so excited that I was able to receive the audiobook of this book from the publisher. I loved this book EVEN MORE than the first in the series, which is saying a lot because the first Finlay Donavon is one of the most beloved books currently in the book community! If you are looking for a Who-Dun-It that is BEYOND funny, has a wonderful protagonist, a witty sense of humor, parent humor PICK THIS ONE UP! I have never appreciated a book's humor more in my life than I have with this series. On top of it also being a murder mystery, SIGN ME UP! I recomend this series to all readers.

When I first started this book I was in the wrong mindset. I found myself thinking okay this isn't real life. Then I remembered the joy of the first Finlay adventure and how I just had to let go of reality and enjoy the ride. Much like the magic of the first book I found myself enjoying the ridiculous antics of Finlay and Vero.

How they made the accidental hitman trope work for a second go round had me worried it wouldn't work but in the end it did. Finlay is working hard to keep her kids away from her ex=husband to keep them safe. She's also working to protect him from the hitman while unable to tell him the full story. In between it all she still needs to sort out her love life and get her agent the required words for her next novel. How she does it all can only be explained by the fact that she is a mom with a village behind her. Speaking of her village I loved her mom and her support of Finlay.

All in all I recommend this to fans of the first book. You should read the first before this to get the full experience. Be ready to set aside reality as with the first book but sit back and enjoy the hijinks.

Finlay Donovan is a quirky author with a penchant for finding herself is some sticky situations, which can usually be transformed into fodder for her writing. After unwittingly getting involved in a conspiracy involving offing philandering husbands in a murder-for-hire arrangement, Finlay has stumbled upon a threat on her own ex-husband's head. Someone is heavily invested in Steven's meeting with an ugly ending, and Finlay is caught in the crosshairs. With the help of her nanny/sidekick Vero, the women try to untangle the snares of bad business deals, the Russian mob, and dirty cops to unveil the would-be assassin and save Finlay's good for nothing baby's daddy.

As if her life isn't complicated enough, throw in a vice-like pressure to come up with a first draft for a new book, a precarious romantic arrangement with a young, hot lawyer, and an even more beguiling attraction to a sexy cop who could blow this house of cards completely apart if Finlay lets him get close enough. What's a girl to do?

This book was fantastic. Even better than the first one, in my humble opinion. Finlay and her antics remind me of Stephanie Plum from the Janet Evanovich series. She's always tied up in decidedly dangerous situations, she has two hot dudes pining for her, and her sidekick is freaking hilarious and pretty much steals the spotlight most of the time. This is a great read when you need something fun, but well-written. It's the perfect blend of comedy and mystery. Five stars for me!

Thank you NetGalley, for allowing me to review this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the audio copy of this one in exchange for an honest review, As with all the audiobooks on here there is a tinny quality to the sound which you have to get a little used to at first. It's not the best quality.

Overall this was a fun story, just like the first book. I enjoyed more time with the characters and more of Finlay's antics. Definitely looking forward to the next if there is one!

Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead is the sequel to Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, which follows single mom Finlay Donovan, a true crime novelist who gets mistaken for a pay for hire assassin, and is asked to murder someone for a fair amount of money 💴 Of course adventures ensue as Finlay tries to navigate that mix-up- I absolutely loved the first book 💕⁣
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The sequel follows our dynamic duo Finlay Donovan and her babysitter Vero as they have to deal with unresolved ends from the last book (don’t want to spoil it), and I was hoping I’d love this book just as much as the first and I absolutely did!⁣
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This series is so funny, and comical. I feel like I’m reading a Thelma and Louise murder mystery drama, and it’s just so fun, exciting, and easy to read- it feels like a warm hug ⛄️ ⁣
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I definitely recommend this book series if you are looking for something light, funny, and thrilling! Seriously so so so good! Cannot wait for the next one to come out 🔥

This is the second novel in the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano. These are such fun reads, you just can't put them down. They are funny but yet you can relate to Finlay's struggles of being a mom with small children. She always finds herself in the a middle of a mess!! Not only is there humor, but mystery and romance. Looking forward to a third in the series (fingers crossed)!!

First, if you have not read the first in this series (Finlay Donovan is Killing It) please stop what you are doing and go pick it up! This story is the second in this series and reading this one will spoil a few things.

Finlay Donovan’s life is still a mess. She has writers block and her agent is demanding pages NOW. Not helping the situation, is her ex-husband Steven demanding time with his the kids but Finlay is not too comfortable letting the children be alone with him right now. Why? Well. How would you feel if you stumbled across a possible hit on your ex husband?

Finlay and her best friend/children’s nanny/partner in crime (LITERALLY),Vero, stumbled across a post on a women’s forum where somebody is bad mouthing Steven. After some digging, Vero seems to think that it is actually someone wanting to hire someone to “take care” of Steven. Finlay doesn’t care for Steven’s lying,cheating self but she can’t let someone kill her children’s father. So what is the only solution? Take the job herself.

I LOVE THIS SERIES. It is such a fun series to get into. There are parts that have me laughing out loud at times. Yes, some of the situations Finlay and Vero get themselves into are a little ridiculous but gosh it’s so fun! I liked how Vero gets a little more fleshed out in this story and I hope to learn more about her as the series progresses.

I physically read the first book in this series and listened to an early recording of the audiobook for this story. Honestly I would read this series in either format BUT I feel you get more character emotion and personality listening to the audiobook. It is an easy listen and very easy to follow. The narrator, Angela Dawe, did a great job with each character’s voices.
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*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an opportunity to listen to an early copy of this story’s audiobook. As always, all opinions are my own.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 '𝗘𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱
𝗕𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ
🖤ᴀɴɢᴇʟᴀ ᴅᴀᴡᴇ'ꜱ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ꜱʜᴇ ʜɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ꜱᴘᴏᴛ ᴏɴ
🖤ʜᴏᴡ ꜰɪɴʟᴀʏ ꜱᴛᴜᴍʙʟᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴀ ʙᴀ ᴍᴏᴍ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜꜱꜱɪᴀɴ ᴍᴏʙ
🖤ᴠᴇʀᴏ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰɪɴʟᴀʏ'ꜱ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱʜɪᴘ

ɪ'ᴍ ʜᴏᴘɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ! ɪᴛ'ꜱ ꜱᴏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ. ʜɪɢʜʟʏ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ, ᴇꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋꜱ, ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ꜱᴏ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴɪɴɢ.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I loved this audiobook! I finished reading Finlay Donovan Kills It earlier this week and was so excited to immediately start this one the very next day! The narrator was wonderful and engaging.

I enjoyed Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead. I loved the relationship between Finlay and Vero, how it continues to develop throughout this book. Their friendship is one of my favorite parts of this story. Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead book is a fun, silly sequel to Finlay Donovan Kills It. In this second book, Finlay discovers a hit has been taken out on her ex-husband. Finlay and Vero spend the remainder of the book trying to solve the mystery of who wants to kill her ex-husband. This book made me laugh out loud, while also keeping me on my toes as I tried to solve the mystery along with the characters.

A delightful foray into the life of Finlay Donovan and her misadventures. It’s reminiscent of Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series. There’s a whole lot of serious mobster stuff built in to the comedic antics of Finlay Donovan. It’s a serious - did that just happen type of book. A good fun light read. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

Having never read the first Finlay Donovan book, I took the opportunity to check that one out prior to reading this one. And it was fantastic. So I had really high expectations going into this one, and I wasn't disappointed. Though different from the first in some key ways, the humor is still both dark and biting, and the sarcasm even darker and more biting. Will definitely check out the next one!

The second in a two book series and I have not read the first. I did have the audiobook, and don't repeat synopses or give spoilers.

The narrator had me from the first page, and as the story went on I found myself tickled when Nick was speaking. Angela Dawe gave the book life with all her character voices.

I appreciate that Elle Cosimano wrote a story using her talents and skills and didn't rely or cheapen her gift using profanity. The story itself was pretty good. If it were a movie, it wouldn't be a theatre blockbuster; however it definitely would be a Monday morning water cooler happy chat movie.

This is funny, sad, creepy, and a little dark inference. There is a divorced couple, both date, two young kids, parents, sibling, and a friend or two, and the bad guys. All the characters are relevant and Cosimano introduced and carried them nicely. I didn't care for the ex-husband, and I don't have the life experience to judge his realism. Also, several times I felt left out of the joke, wondering had I read book one first would I have had a different experience.

I liked the ending. It was complete, not a cliffhanger, but ended with me making a note to watch for book three.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Elle Cosimano for accepting my request to read and review Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead.

#NetGalley
#MacmillanAudio
#ElleCosimano
#AngelaDawe
#Audiobook

I was SO excited to see this sequel hit my shelf! Single mom and queen of being at the wrong place at the wrong time Finlay Donovan is back for more hi-jinx, more sleuthing and more cleaning up of everyone else's messes. Fans of the modern cozy mystery will not be able to put this down.

Finlay Donovan is back for another exciting adventure and what an exciting adventure it turns out to be! While trying to keep her ex-husband alive Finlay and her nanny/new best friend, Vero, are also racing again the clock to find the person trying to kill him. They tend to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time which causes many twists and turns and choas.
This is a fun book that moves quickly which made it hard to put down. Finlay and Vero are fabulous characters that compliment each other perfectly. The storyline is well-conceived and easy to follow even with so many subplots thrown in. The supporting characters are wonderfully fit into the story to help make even more exciting.
This is the second in a series and could be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading Finlay Donovan Is Killing It first so you don't miss out on all the fun!
The audiobook was superbly done. The narrator, Angela Dawes, is amazing. She give so much emotion to the characters and adds excitement with her narration.
I was not ready for the book to end but I am looking for to more adventures with Finlay and Vero. Until then I highly recommend stepping into Finlay's crazy world in this fun mystery!
I am very grateful to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for a honest review.

What a fun series, I love that the story is so meta - with Finlay's book paralleling her present situation perfectly. I was honestly expecting a bit more of a romance focus in this book, but it was well balanced and I really enjoyed both the romance and the mystery plots. The mysteries in the story really carried over from book 1 and felt like a perfect bridge to bigger and crazier stories coming up next.