Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Casimano
Elle Casimano has done it again! Finlay Donovan and her quirky sidekick Vero are once again in over their heads. I cannot tell you the number of times I laughed out loud. The situations these two get themselves into really are the defining moments of this book. I am excited for the 4th installment! Bravo

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this book.
This is the third book in the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano. I gather she has a huge fan club already.
Finlay is a single mom and writer with raging hormones who manages to get herself involved in murders while
"doing research" for her books. She has a best friend who helps her get into one mess after another.

These are cute books with a heroine who isn't a victim like many of the books out today. She's fun and smart and will
probably get her man by the fourth or fifth book. I listened to this book and the narrator, Angela Dawe had Nick (the policeman/boyfriend) speak with a very sexy voice. In fact, I'd say that Ms. Dawe is a great narrator, able to mimic many voices very realistically.

If you are looking for a fun mystery that will make you smile if not laugh out loud, I recommend this book

Really enjoyed this one. It’s easy to pick up if you haven’t read the second one in the series as everything is explained! Perfect because you don’t need to read them in order, but when you do, you see Fin and Vero’s relationship grow. I really enjoyed their banter back and forth and how there is only one love interest now for Fin too. Almost like a comical book filler episode. It ends on a cliffhanger, but I wonder how this series will wrap up?! I am hoping it wraps up soon and doesn’t drag on forever!

What This Book Is About: This is the third book in the Finlay Donovan series, which is a cozy mystery type situation that has hilarious antics and also a through line of a will they/should they romantic tension situation. I'm obsessed with the series and the truly fantastic characters and am already anxiously awaiting book four.

What I Loved: This book really felt like a return almost to book one (my favorite) in the way that you could tell that Finlay was trying to do the right thing and Vero is trying to get them paid. Lol. But seriously, I loved getting to explore these relationships in this book because it really felt like we went a little deeper. I'm loving the slow reveals of Vero's past and the slow (too slow, arguably) progression of the romance between Finlay and Nick.

What I Didn't Love: It ended. Lol. I'm obsessed, okay? OBSESSED. I keep shoving this series down everyone's throats. I love it SO much.

Overall: This book was perfection and I am so anxious to have it on my shelves. Also, I should mention, I was lucky enough to receive an audio AND digital ARC, which is great, because I love listening to these books. Angela Dawe is a divisive narrator in the romance community, but personally, I think as long as you speed her up to your comfort level and don't tie yourself to 1x speed, you'll be fine. I've listened to all three books and I don't see that changing in the future.

This was my first Finlay Donovan book, but it won't be my last. I smiled from the opening chapters as I tried to figure out who was Easy-Clean. This audio book made my long drive home and my walks with my dog go by quickly. The narrator was great!

Thanks so much to Macmillan audio for the copy of this ALC.

Finlay is back again in another fun, bingeable, and easy-to-read mystery. This time, Finlay and Vero are contracted by Feliks to find and kill EasyClean. The setting is mostly a citizen's police academy, which made this one a little more over-the-top than usual since so much shady activity happened right under the nose of the police force. But I was happy with some romantic progess in this book and also a little more of Vero's side of the story (although I definitely could've used more!).

This series is really great for people who just like light & funny mysteries with amateur sleuthing. I enjoyed this one on audio, as Angela Dawe was really great at having a voice for each character.

Finlay is no stranger to crime, and she’s out to solve mysteries, but she keeps getting deeper and deeper into trouble. She has a car in her name with bullet holes, a body buried that shows her involvement in his death, and a mob boss who seems to think she owes him a favor.

I jumped into this one not having read the other books first, and that was definitely a mistake. I caught on fairly quickly to where the series had been, but then it just didn’t move forward much. There was so much unresolved at the end it didn’t feel like an ending and was very unsatisfying.

Finlay and Vero are back in this third installment, desperate to pay back Vero's debt to solve one problem, and learn the identity of EasyClean to solve another. Going off the grid for a week at the citizens's police academy is the perfect solution - Vero will disappear and they can do some extra snooping since they are pretty sure EasyClean is a cop.

This is another fun installment to the series. I found myself laughing out loud throughout; Angela Dawe is the perfect narrator for the series and she has great timing in her delivery.

I do recommend reading the first two books before this one. The mystery and storylines continue and evolve through the series. I think you could read this one and not be lost, but you'll have a better understanding an appreciation for the characters if you've read the first two.

As far as the overarching mystery goes, there is some development in this installment, but overall this book does feel like more of an interlude than the first two books. It's a lot of fun to read, and there's advancement in Finlay's personal life, but the main mystery didn't feel as prominent.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for letting me listen to this one - it was truly a pleasure and I can't wait to see what Finlay and Vero do next!

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (5 Stars)

Narration:I love the audiobook versions of these books! The narrator does an amazing job of these characters and I highly recommend reading this series as an audiobook as it’s so well done!

Release Date: January 31, 2023

No spoiler review 👇🏻

As this is a third book in a series I won’t go into much detail of the plot! As it’s a series that follows from the first book until this one.

This is the third book in the Finlay Donovan series and it was just so fun! Mystery, murder, humour, dark jokes and a great cast of characters it was so great to be back in Finlays world. Some moments it’s goofy and ridiculous but that is one of the reasons I love this series.

I enjoyed this fun mystery and it was such an entertaining read. I think this was my favourite of the three books so far. I highly recommend this series if you are looking for an entertaining murder mystery read!

CW: talks of Murder, blood, gore, drugs, blackmail

The story opens to a situation every mother can relate to. Finley is trying to get her toddler son, Zach, to come out from a stall in the men's bathroom of WalMart. Clearly this shows us not much has changed with an overwhelmed Finely navigating parenting.

Finley and her sidekick Vero are back and up to more ridiculous antics. This book picks up right where Book #2 ends. They are trying to discover who "Easy Clean" is, a nickname they have given a contract killer that is trying to blackmail them. As they begin to piece together clues they think he is a cop! Fortunately, for them Nick has started a civilian police academy. In the academy they go through extensive training, helpful to them during their antics but also benefits them in getting closer to who "Easy Clean" may be.

This is such a fun series. Finley and Vero are a great, comedic duo. I do think the series is getting a little far-fetched. I felt the first two books really showcased the funny side of Finley and parenting, while this one really didn't present that as much. This one is really revolved around the relationship Finley and Nick are trying to develop, which was fine but not as comedic. If you are looking for a quirky weekend read, Finley and Vero have you covered!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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Dating. Diapers. And dodging bullets. Who said single moms can’t have fun?
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I was sent the widget for the ebook and was so excited to receive it even though I hadn’t read the first two books yet. However, I managed to get through both books before reading this one and I am so glad that I did! While I do think that it could be read as a standalone book because it did provide some background to previous events, I feel like it is much better to read all the books in order to get the whole story and appreciate everything that Finlay and Vero have been through together!

I absolutely LOVE this series and like I previously said, I read the first two books in like 1.5 weeks to prepare for reading this one! I love the shenanigans that Finlay and Vero get themselves into and they always manage to make me crack up while reading. They are a pair of friends that I would love to get to know and spend time with because there would never be a dull moment! If you enjoy chaos, suspending reality for the most part while reading, and accidental mischief then you will definitely enjoy this one!
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I absolutely loved listening to the first two books of this series so when I was sent the widget for the ebook, I wanted to request the audiobook because I knew I would love listening to it! I love the narrator and the way that she changes the voices for the different characters. I think it is definitely fitting and makes the books what they are, which is hilarious! Even when I was reading the ebook because I couldn’t listen to it at the time, I couldn’t wait to switch back to the audiobook
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

The third in the Finlay Donovan series. This installment continues the “delightful romp of nonsense” theme. This time, Finlay Donovan attends a police academy training camp as continues to find herself in embedded in the EasyClean contact killer mystery. Mysterious and funny, the latest book in this series is as enjoyable as it is absurd. My only real note is that the author puts in almost no recap, so in the building it felt like I forgot what happened.

My only other note is that I recommend the text version over the audiobook. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator pronounces the A sound in a almost-Moira-Rose way which was distracting. E.g. van becomes vahn.

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this book much more than the last one in the series. The story was more realistic and engaging, making it a fun read I could get lost in, instead of nitpicking how preposterous the plot is.

I felt it was easy to follow along and be engaged in the story with the narration, and I didn’t feel it was necessary to look up chapter summaries. That is the sign of a good audiobook, which is harder to accomplish than you would think.

Overall, I was pleased with this installment, but my biggest qualm was that not a whole lot really happened. This book seemed more like it was an in-between novel to set the stage for the next one. Maybe I was just anticipating bigger conflicts, but what I found was there were lots of small ones scattered throughout the book. I think the ending was intended to be the big conflict, but it didn’t quite have the impact I was looking for.

I will certainly be on the lookout for the next one if the story does continue.

This is another great installment to the series - though it feels like more of a filler than book two did. As always, Finlay and Vero get up to some pretty over-the-top shenanigans.

As most of this book takes place as a citizen cop camp and exploring corrupt cops, I do wish there had been more of a conversation about the damage and harm police to do communities- especially as Vero and her family are Hispanic. I know these are light hearted and funny books but I think it could have been worked into the book in a respectful way.

I do hope the next book is a little less heavy on the cop content cause this was like all cops all the time.

3.5/5

Finlay and Vero are back in the third installment of the Finlay Donovan series. Now that Feliks has bought the luxury car that our chaotic duo "borrowed" in the previous book, Finlay owes him. Big time. Finlay's task isn't simple: she must find a contract killer before the cops, though Finlay has her suspicions. On top of it all, Finlay is frantically trying to meet her book deadline, but she has significant writer's block.

As it turns out, Nick has started a citizen's police academy, which Vero and Finlay join with some persuasion. The two decide to use their time to scope out a bad guy.

I enjoyed this book, but it was the weakest in the series so far. It's meant to build up to the following books in the series while resolving minor conflicts from the first two books. I'm glad the ship is going in the direction I want, but it may be too soon to tell.

Despite my criticisms, I still love this series for its never-ending chaos. I know people call it a cozy mystery, but I'd call it a chaotic mystery... in the best way!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing a digital audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, I laughed out loud at Finlay and Vero and the situations they find themselves in! This audio book starts with full on laughs in a men's restroom and just continues from there.
I was very happy that Vero was a big part of this book, she is a great character. Due to that, I enjoyed this book a little more than book 2 (although, I love the entire series).
Angela Dawe is a wonderful narrator and having listened to both book 2 and 3, I think this is the way for me to continue the series!
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

Another 5/5 star book! I absolutely love this series. It’s unique to find a crime book with so much humor and romance mixed in. I love the quirkiness of Finlay and Vero, and I already can’t wait for book 4!

3.5
I fell in love with Finlay Donovan with her first book. I felt like someone like me could almost fall into her position. I mean I drive a minivan, once had babies with a diaper bag and sometimes talk too loud while at lunch with friends where someone could overhear us talk about the "dead body".

In this book Finlay and Vero get themselves into one predicament after another. To be completely honest, Finlay really should cut ties with Vero, she seems to be the main problem! Luckily for readers they stay together to get themselves into and out of sticky situations.

While this book was cute, fun, witty and charming, I am finding that what was once original beginning to feel repetitive by the third book. I do think this one redeemed itself after the second book, but if the series continues, I think I'm satisfied to end my relationship with Finlay with this book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance audiobook.

A fun, escapist read! This book gave me all the laughs and hijinks I've come to expect from Finlay and Vero. I think I enjoyed it a little more than book #2! The scenes with Nick were swoony, and despite some absurdity, I totally enjoyed this audiobook.

The narrator was excellent, even though it took me a bit to get used to her "Vero voice."

Highly recommend!

4.5 stars. I love the Finlay Donovan books so much! This is my least favorite in the series so far because the storyline was drawn out and could have been condensed a little more. Surprisingly, I did not guess the twist which is always a plus for me. I can’t wait for the next book!