Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano is the third book in her very popular Finlay Donovan Series and can be read as a stand-alone novel. This book is an excellent addition to the series and I enjoyed it as much as I’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series.

Story Recap:
Mystery writer and single mother Finlay Donovan and her nanny/best friend Vero are at it again when they accidentally crush a luxury car, the Russian mob purchases the car, and now Finlay and Vero are beholden to the mob. The mob boss who is running things from behind bars, asks Finlay to find out who the contract killer is. The contract killer might be a cop, so Finlay and Vero sign up for the week-long citizens police academy to try and suss out the killer, and to gain some insight into police procedures for Finlay’s book.

My Thoughts:
I was so happy to be back in Finlay’s orbit, along with Vero and the other fun characters of the Finlay Donovan series. Like the previous books, this one has nonstop action, and these characters were in almost constant peril. Along with the impending danger is the trademark humor that always makes me laugh out loud when I’m around these characters.

The storyline is a bit over the top, and in my opinion, that is what makes this book and series so good. If you’re one that likes your books realistic and believable, this may not be for you. But, it you just want some fun and entertainment, you can’t get much better than the Finlay Donovan series.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun to anyone who enjoys fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Elle Cosimano does it again! Finlay & Vero are back in action and hilarious as ever! 🙌🏼
This book picks up right where the 2nd book ended & brings you right back into their world & their escapades.

Just when you think that the shenanigans can’t get any crazier, you’re proven wrong - and honestly, that’s what I love about this series! Not to mention the banter between Finlay & Vero literally makes me laugh out loud - so that’s always a bonus 🤣🤪

My only “complaint” would be the challenge with any series when you read them as they are published - it’s hard to remember some of the supporting characters, their roles & relationships to the whole situation at hand. So it did take me a bit to get back into the swing of Finlay’s world and to try & out the pieces back together in my mind 😅

The book takes you on a wild ride, making you feel like you know what's going to happen & then having the rug pulled out from under you - in a good & page turning way! 😉
I will always recommend this series for so many reasons & I cannot wait for book #4!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy of the newest Finlay Donovan!

I think Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is my favorite Finlay yet! Once again, Finlay and Vero are up to their shenanigans…this time at a Citizen’s Police Academy workshop, where they are surrounded by Nick, Georgia, and all their cop friends. I just really enjoyed this story—same running from Felix, same trying to get Vero out of trouble, same Steven nonsense…all while under the police’s noses, while learning police techniques at this “academy.” It was totally silly and fun! If you’re looking for a serious murder mystery, this isn’t your vibe but if you want something fun and light, with great characters, you can’t go wrong with Finlay!

Finlay does it again! She has herself wrapped up in a mess of lies and half-truths as she tries to find the paid killer "EasyClean" who attempted to kill her ex-husband. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano is the 3rd Finlay book and if the ending is any indication, there will definitely be a fourth!

In this book, we find out more of Vero's backstory and shadiness. But Finlay and Vero are in too deep of cover ups, secrets and dead bodies to have a small (actually, very large) gambling problem get in the middle of their friendship. It just adds to complicate things as now they are trying to appease the Russian mob boss as well as an Atlantic City loan shark!

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

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third in this entertaining series, and as such, it starts right where the second book left off. It is highly recommended that a reader start with the first book, Finlay Donovan is Killing It, as I think it might be difficult to keep up with some of the references if reading as a standalone. As it was, I am considering rereading the series before the next installment, as this one also ended on a cliffhanger, lending itself to starting the 4th book at that point.

What I enjoyed about this book: Finlay and Vero are fun characters, and we are getting to know bits and pieces of Vero's background as the books move forward. The relationship between Finlay and Nick continues to develop, and Finlay's ex-husband will continue to be a bit player in the dramedy of her life, as well. The book has plenty of mystery and even at the end, we are not completely sure who is a bad guy, and who is good--there are plenty of suspects to go around. Having the action take place at a police training camp for citizens was a fun and interesting way to get the women surrounded by lots of police officers, and wondering which were on the take.

I was a little annoyed by the way Vero and Finlay seemed to make silly decisions that I just knew were not going to work out well. The silliness of the situations sometimes seemed avoidable, but was less distracting as the book progressed.

Readers of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich will enjoy this series, as it is quite similar in feel.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the digital ARC of Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun. The opinions in this review are my own.

Oh my gosh! I feel like I can never get enough of this series! Single mom and romance-thriller writer Finlay Donovan is back again with her super smart and witty nanny and accountant Vero Ruiz in getting themselves in some very awkward, suspenseful, dangerous but utterly hilarious situations.

This time around, Finn and Vero got themselves in the middle of some semi-professional training with the Police Force. Just imagine what chaos these two can do! Yes somebody died, and yes, the duo could have been involve but according to Vero, it was nature that got our dead body in a state of death. No worries, because this book did not disappoint with all the most wanted and highly expected suspenseful scenes involving cops, killers, guns, secrets and money with some delicious, spicey, sexy desserts on the side for both Finn and Vero!

Just like the first two books of this series, I really enjoyed it! It can be unrealistic or cringey but I do not care! I was entertained and I had fun! Angela Dawe’s voice on narration was perfect! It was beautifully written all over with the exact combination of wit, emotions and humor.

Special thank you to Minotaur Books, St.Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for all the complimentary copies in exchange of my honest review. I can’t wait for the next one. I am pretty sure it is coming because Vero can’t be packing a suitcase and heading for Maryland just for nothing!

This series has been so much fun! Our mystery writer turned hit woman, Finlay, is back on the case. From the very first book in the series, the writing and the characters really pulled me in. I cant wait to read more by the author.

Book 3 in the very entertaining Finlay Donovan series. This is a series where I highly recommend you read the books in order. Each book leaves a very loose thread that you immediately pick up with the next book. This book is no exception, so expect at least one more book in this series. Once again Finlay and Vero find themselves caught up in a variety of hijinks that involves the Russian mob, fast cars, dead bodies and misunderstandings. In this book, they enroll in the citizen police academy to hide out and to discover the identity of a contract killer. There are many laugh out loud scenes and Vero and Finlay are shockingly good at the physical challenges while also finding clues to a killer and watching out for two adorable and precocious children. Moms (and nannies) rock!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy. My opinions are my own.

The twists just keep coming with this series ! I love it so much and I never want it to end. It’s the perfect mindless cozy mystery and I love Finlay & Vero so much 🥰

If you like slapstick comedy, ala Lucy and Ethel, you'll love this book. 'It's got courtroom drama, car chases, deep cover agents...not to mention a pretty tricky mystery to solve.' There's even a bit of steamy romance.

The two main characters, Finlay and Vero, are great friends and roommates who egg each other on to do crazy things which usually involve murder and mayhem. In this edition, they are attending a week-long citizen's police academy, supposedly for Finlay to get a taste of what it's like to be a police officer for her romantic suspense novels, but really so they can identify a deep cover agent, known as EasyClean. What could go wrong there, right? Surrounded by police officers and the detectives of the Organized Crime Division of the Fairfax County Police Department, including the hot detective, Nick Anthony?

It is so much fun but I do recommend starting with book one if you are new to the series as each story follows on the heels of the one before.

I received an arc of this new romantic suspense novel from the author and publisher. Many thanks. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Hi I read this in essentially one sitting 🫡 and I’m not mad about it. These books are best binge read because SO MUCH goes on and you absolutely need to pay close attention.

I’m just a sucker for these adventures, and Vera literally has me laughing my ass off every other sentence that comes out of her mouth. These books are FUN! Like I just enjoy the hell out of them and i won’t apologize for that.

They’re not on this planet to win a Pulitzer Prize but I’ll get them a good star for making me swoon and laugh and worry and enjoy my time while reading

I really enjoyed the latest Finlay Donovan novel. The parallels of this book with Finlay's fictional book helps the author move the storyline along while also acknowledging that much of what Finlay and Vero do is super far-fetched. Calling that out makes it easy to ignore the insanity of the storyline and just enjoy reading a funny book.

The majority of this books takes place in one location and I appreciated that so much of the book takes place in one location. The first two books have a lot of movement; staying in one spot removed some of the chaos that comes with so many locations.

There were a lot of open storylines at the end of the second book and I like that a few of them come to a firm conclusion in this book. <spoiler>While I preferred Julian and don't love Nick, I'm glad that the back and forth is over and Finlay has made her choice.</spoiler> The book ended in a perfect way to set up the 4th book while still leaving me satisfied with what was revealed in this one. I'm looking forward to more of Finlay and Vero!

Being back in Finlay’s world is amazing! Love how seamless each book just blends its story into each other. The recap of the previous book is short and to the point. Every cop is a suspect and I love it, the way Findlay and Vero handle crossing out each suspect is adventurous. With all the twist and shenanigans they deal with along the way could not stop reading. Had me gasping at the end. Cannot wait for a fourth book!

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

Finlay Donovan is back in the third installment. Our favorite mom is back, and this time she and Vero must figure out who EasyClean is before time runs out. In addition, Finlay must keep her ex husband, kids, and family happy, finish a draft of her book, and keep hot cop Nick from finding out about any of her previous transgressions. Oh, and her and Vero find themselves enrolled in a Citizen’s Police Academy and surrounded by cops.

I really enjoyed the third Finlay Donovan book. It had the perfect blend of suspense and comedic relief that I loved from the first book. The writing kept me guessing about who EasyClean was. I loved to see some of the older storylines wrapped up, and was also pleased to see some new loose ends that will hopefully pave the way for a fourth book.

I have one question for fellow readers- who would you cast as Nick Anthony in a movie version? I am having such a hard time picturing him in my mind…

The Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano is an auto-read for me! I definitely recommend reading these books in order. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is one of the stronger books in the series in my opinion, and I enjoyed it very much!! A sincere thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur books for providing me with an advance release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh Finlay. With their usual hijinks and shenanigans, Finlay and Vero move from one messy and dangerous situation to another. If you loved the first two books in the series you’re bound to enjoy this third installment. The ending of this book makes it pretty clear that book 4 is on the way.

Another fun adventure with our favorite duo! I love Finlay and Vero’s friendship and the constant chaos they find themselves in. There’s a great cast of characters in this one.

I do think this one took a bit too long to both find EC and for the romance to happen. I wasn’t really invested and was getting bored for a while because the lack of clues and twists. FDJTG also has a lot more references to the previous books which makes sense, but I do wish there was some more clarification on details that were part of the other books.

Overall, a fun one in the series! Hoping for more Vero!!!!

Finlay's search to find EasyClean, the person who put the hit out on her ex-husband, leads her to a week-long police training academy taught by none other than her would-be suitor Detective Nick Anthony. As Finlay works to keep herself and her nanny Vero safe from the mobster behind bars blackmailing her to find EasyClean, she can't help but be drawn into Nick's orbit despite her having been caught up in past criminal activity.

This continues to be a series that is highly entertaining and also keeps my rapt attention on the mystery at hand. A lot of the time, I'm just wondering how Elle Cosimano is going to spin things to keep Finlay from being discovered by Nick and others at the police department. I won't lie, I can't see things working out good for Finlay, although I hope there will be one and I have faith the Elle Cosimano can deliver.

I love the back and forth between her and Nick and this time around we get a lot of forward momentum for them. I think it helps that the main part of the book takes place in one location. We're not jumping around from place to place. It's a slight version of the locked-room mystery. Someone at the retreat is EasyClean, and I kind of like there being a limit on the suspect pool.

I like that were also getting more details about Vero's past. I wouldn't mind having Vero as the narrator of the next book, or to get a spin off where Vero takes center stage and Finlay acts as the sidekick. Vero is more caught up in her own things than Finlay is and I'm interested to find out how it will all wind up for her, plus I still feel like there's some missing pieces from her past we're still not privvy to.

Overall, another fun entry in the series. They keep digging themselves deeper and deeper. I'm just looking for how they'll eventually get out.

“Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she’s a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this.”

These books are a complete delight.

It’s ridiculous and charming and engaging and I am here for as many installments the author wants to write.

I normally have an allergic reaction when characters make one bad mistake after another, but, somehow, this Hot Mess Mom works for me.

I love the cold open.

I love the dynamics between family members – past, present, and (hopefully) future.

I love that you kinda know where the story is going, but there’s still enough of a surprise to keep you interested.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Girl Power Friendship between Fin and Vero.

I don’t ever want to be in their situation, but if I ever was, here’s hoping there’d be a wise-cracking, take-no-ish, kill-for-you friend by my side.

8.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for this gratifying ARC.

I really think these books are best read together one after another! I read this one right after the 2nd and I loved jumping back into the world! This one was was full of twist and turns and friendship building and also lots of sexual tension between Finlay and nick! I loved nick so much. And my heart went out to Finlay for the situation she got her self in! I loved the premise of the class she takes to try to make her self hidden, and all the side characters where so good! I also thought this was going to be the end in this series but it ends in a cliff hanger !! If you enjoy Rom com and thrillers don’t sleep on Finlay Donovan!!

Finlay Donovan is at it again and I'm here for it!!!

Classic Finlay story with a new twist. These books are some of my favorites! While there is truly nothing spectacular about them, I simply can't stop reading them and WON'T! Finlay and Vero are such amazing characters and I love seeing their mischievous adventures.

The police academy part of this was so fun! I love seeing the parallels between "real life" and Finlay's novels. I think it's so funny to see them both unfold. It still gives me the "Dead to Me" / "Good Girls" series vibes and I love it.

***Spoilers***
A mutual mentioned she got anxiety while reading the first book and I really felt that with this one. When Finlay and Vero sneak out of the academy with the police car?! I WAS LOSING IT. As for the EasyClean, I really didn't see that reveal coming and was almost certain it was going to be Charlie, but.....

The audiobook was also fantastic as always and I recommend that too.

Thank you NetGalley and thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC!