Finlay is once again up to her usual shenanigans and I loved this series. I also love the growing bond of Finlay and Vero. Vero shined in this book and I loved that we got to learn more back story when it comes to why she ended up working with Finlay. Their relationship is fantastic and I can't wait to see where it goes from here. The hitman plot development is good too as we explore the mystery that started in book one. The side characters are great too and add so much fun to the story. I love this series.

I asked and she delivered. I needed more Vero and she brought it. I live the crazy positions that Findlay and Vero get into. These 2 characters are in my mind long after I finish the book. Can’t wait for the next one.

Finlay Donovan does it again! She’s absolutely one of my favorite heroines- always trying to do the right thing yet somehow stuck in a whirlwind of shenanigans. It’s such a good time from start to finish. I binged this book in a day and already can’t wait for the next installment! Finlay’s momisms especially make me cackle, so the whole hostile negotiation scene in the beginning really cracked me up. Oh Moe! IYKYK. If you don’t know- read it! You won’t regret it! 5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I was so excited to read the third installment in the Flnlay Donovan saga!!!! This was definitely my least favorite of the FD books. It felt like it dragged on a little too long and wasn’t nearly as engaging as the previous two. There were a couple plot developments in this book that bumped my rating to a solid 4. The audio version was once again spot on! This is definitely a fun series to listen to. I find myself laughing out loud quite often. Can’t wait for the next adventure. Than you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC or this audiobook.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is going to be a top book of 2023! I have already pre-ordered copies for all my family and friends since I've gotten them hooked on this series! In the next Finlay Donovan installment, Finlay and Vero head to a public safety camp run by the police department to find out who put out a hit on Finlay's ex-husband. The usual hi-jinx occur, and Finlay and Vero manage to get themselves into (and out of!) more scrapes than I could count. This book is full of humor, a steamy slow burn romance, and lots and lots of drama. I cannot recommend this series enough, and the audiobooks are fantastic! Elle Cosimano is a master storyteller and I cannot wait to see what she has planned next!

First of thank you to Minotaur books and Netgalley for this arc.

This is the third installment of the Finlay Donovan series. In this series you are following Finlay Donovan as she gets tangled up in a murder for hire.

This isn’t my favorite in the series so far but just like the first two novels in this series it was full of action and comedy. It seems like the storyline is dragging a bit but I still love the comedy and will continue in the series if more books come out.

I loved #1 in this series so much that I immediately preordered #2 and read it within days of publication...

This one, however, was a huge letdown, In the other books there was an actual storyline or "mystery" or "problem to solve" and here everything just sort of went around in circles. There wasn't much plot, action, movement, or a case. There was a tiny bit of character development but it was boring, uninteresting, and not pertinent to... anything.

With the two cliffhangers at the end (why does Steven deserve to die + the ending) I felt this entire book was a wash to lead to a book 4.

WHAT I LOATHED MOST was the change in Finlay. Finlay was a witty and independent woman in previous books. Sadly now she is one of those pathetic panting puppies in crappy romance novels that can do little more than think about some guy and his amazing pectoral muscles and how horny she is. It was not the Finlay I've enjoyed being friends with. I couldn't wait to "get off the phone" with her.

Her nanny, Vera, was the only saving grace--thankfully she was as funny and sharp as ever and without her I would have DNF'd.

There are also characters and setups that go nowhere. Why did we meet the podcasters? Why were they introduced three times and nothing happened with them?

Lastly, this book suffered some truly horrendous bad writing, from Russian mobsters making long "here's why I did this" monologues (show don't tell please) to fireman saying things like "don't make me cool you off with a firehouse" to a couple smooching (he actually said something more dumb but I'm paraphrasing here).

It was a huge disappointment all around but I might still read book 4? Not sure. I so appreciate you choosing me and I was beyond excited to read this but it was just... not great.

Elle Cosimano has done it again! With the magic from book 1 recaptured, I cruised through Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun in a matter of days. I love the new tension we get from Vero and someone I'll leave unnamed for potential spoilers sakes, some fantastic twists that I absolutely did not see coming, and our beloved Finlay doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, as usual.

We get to follow Finlay and Vero as they attend a citizens police training camp and all the chaos that comes with it. (I'll be you can guess who's running this training camp...) I laughed, I gasped, I had to stop listening right before bed (because I am a COMPLETE chicken), and I loved every moment.

The narrator does a great job bringing this hilariously mysterious story to life! I can't wait for book 4!

*One pretty spicy fade to black scene, strong language (more than the previous books), with innuendo and suggestive language

Thanks so much to @netgalley, @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio, and @ellecosimano for my complimentary alc and arc of this delightful book. All opinions here are my own.

I can't believe I am about to say this, but the "middle" Finlay book was like the "middle child" (Forget it!--I can say that because I suffer from Middle Child Syndrome--haha [I actually just say that to get extra presents]) #3 TOTALLY redeemed Cosimano in my eyes (ears b/c I was gifted the audio)

Oh this was everything that I loved about the first time:
Dark witty humor
Vero Vero Vero
Off the chart chemistry between Nick and Finlay again!!

Finlay is my favorite crime solving chick in yoga pants! I felt like Cosimano took her time with this book and built a good plot and wove in surprising moments of humor when things got intense or too serious. The whole book I felt like I was tagging along with Vero and Finlay as they schemed away in and outsmarted the cops.
I think what made this book significantly better than #2 was there was not a whole lot of "Recapping", and the recap information she included was quick, one sentence that was actually helpful for my mid (late!!!) 30 something brain.
I am hoping there is a #4, and with an ending like that how could there not be???

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy read and listen. I was not influenced or paid for my honest review!

Finlay is, once again, in a pickle, when her and Vero, her accomplice, destroy a luxury car and the Russian mob pays to replace it: now she owes them. Feliks asks her to find who EasyClean, a contract killer, is, before the cops.
This mystery on the cozy side is book 3 in the Finlay Donovan series. It's a fun read, with lol moments. I loved to see Finlay's adventures with Vero. You truly have to suspend disbelief, as it is sometimes way over the top, and there are a lot of coincidences, but I gladly did for this one. I loved the side characters, there is a lot of action, and beware that it ends with a cliffhanger. The narration was great. I liked this one, but the first book of the series was still my favorite.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Another fun and entertaining read from Elle Cosimano! The whole Finlay Donovan series is far-fetched in the best way. The plot is fresh, the characters are messy but lovable, and the story is light-hearted even though it involves murder, the mob, and (so much!) drama. The audiobook was easy to listen to, allowing me to stop and pick it back up as needed. I can’t wait for the 4th book!

First, thank you for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the narrator for this audiobook. She was funny, engaging and it kept me wanting to listen.

I enjoyed the first 2 books in this series and I really liked this one as well! The unique setting at the citizen’s police academy in this one was a fun change of pace where they are trying to look for a contract killer who could very well be a cop!

Fin and Vero are still getting themselves into messes and I just love their friendship. I also really enjoyed the introduction to new characters in this one. The chaos was there along with more of the tension and slowburn with Nick the cop and I love that each book leaves you with a cliffhanger for the next one. I’m curious to see how this series continues and I was definitely surprised how this one played out in the end! The twists were surprising and there were so many suspicious characters.

This one is full of adventure, crazy shenanigans, and is laugh-out-loud funny! Finlay is such a fun character and the humor is a breath of fresh air for the reading world!

I have loved the previous two books in this series and I didn’t know what to expect in this one but Elle is amazing and I’m pretty sure I’ll love them all! For a 3rd book in a 5 book series, they continue to be fun, humorous with sarcasm, and haven’t lacked in quality!
🕶️
Finlay and Vero are at it again. If it’s not a mob boss, dodging clean and dirty cops, her ex husband or her editor, even more characters pop up and make demands, deals and conditions. Now Finlay and Vero find themself on a week long civil citizen retreat to learn basic safety skills but there’s no such thing as “vacation” or “time off” when lives are at stake!
🕶️
Loved it, kept my interest and guessing and can’t wait for the next one! Thank you to the publisher and Macmillan Audio, Net Galley for the alc. These are my own thoughts and opinions.
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Content: Minimum language, violence

I received this, for early review from Netgalley!

Book 1 was excellent, book 2 was kinda alright, and book 3 feels unnecessary. This book continues the zany Saturday morning-type adventures of Finlay Donovan as she once again has a job. This time it’s checking out a crooked cop in an academy and has to gain admittance. Yeah, the story is bizarre and feels “straight to DVD” type deal, but Finlay’s character stays constant and feels how it would normally, which I think helped me get through this. Beyond this book, I don’t have any interest in a 4th. I give this book 2.5 out of 5

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two (I'm really drawn to the interpersonal stuff and while there were bits and pieces, it was teased more than in the previous two books), there were still a few parts that really got me laughing and the antics of Finlay and Vero are as entertaining as ever. Angela Dawe is a fantastic narrator who performs the various characters incredibly well. I was worried a good part of the book that the plot seemed to mostly center around tidying up loose ends in the first two books and that maybe the series wasn't being written to continue for an extended period of time, but I was very relieved to be wrong. The book didn't end on a total cliffhanger, but it definitely paved the pathway for the next book's plot.

One of my favorite parts of this series, as relatively new as it is, is that there are varying degrees of plot. There are major plot points, minor plot points and even very miniscule bits of information that are extended from book to book that lay the groundwork for stories that might take several books to unearth and develop into a primary plot for an entire book. This does a great job at keeping me excited for the series and to anticipate the next one every year.

I don't know who is more entertaining to follow along with, Finlay, who seems to just find herself in positions that most people don't find themselves in or Vero, who is either the cause of those situations or ups the ante and just makes it all worse. I can't tell if Julian is going to be a fleeting character now or if he's going to show up and complicate things as the series goes on, but I enjoy him a lot. Nick is also a very likable guy and I hope he sticks around, too. The awkward encounters in this book continue to give a Stephanie Plum feel to the books, but book 3 continues the trend of being higher quality writing.

Thank you so much Net Galley and the publishers for approving me for early access to this book.

Jumps the Gun is exactly what I would expect from a Finlay Donovan novel. It’s funny, cozy and quirky. The characters I’ve come to know and love are still around getting into trouble in the most ridiculous way but what kept this from being a five star read is that the characters felt stagnant. They’re there but they’re not developing and I thought the author could have gone further with them. The concept of the Citizens Academy was a little too easy but it got the job done. I really enjoyed the progress Finlay and Nick made and look forward to see how that progresses in the next book.

Overall I liked the book because I like the series and I am emotionally connected with the characters. If this is someone’s first Finlay novel I think there will be struggle.

The book left with a cliffhanger so I’ll definitely be looking for the fourth installment from Atlantic City!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio for access to both the physical and audiobook arcs!

Finlay and Vero are back at it in this third installment of the Finlay Donovan series, and they are honestly better than ever. From the beginning pages of the book, the girls find themselves in yet another predicament involving broken laws and the Mob boss Feliks.

Conveniently enough, they are able to hide out at a citizen's police academy that is being run by Finlay's current (kind of) love interest Nick. I say "kind of" because she's been avoiding him since the end of the last novel, but all the feelings are still simmering between the two. I absolutely loved the setting of the book, and the crazy cast of characters are better than ever.

I truly feel invested in this series after finishing Finlay Donovan #3 and was excited to see this book end in a cliffhanger. I hope that Ms. Cosimano has lots of Finlay, Vero, Nick and even Feliks left to write because I don't see myself becoming tired of Finlay, Vero, or their friends any time soon.

*A special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advanced Readers' Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is our third adventure with Finlay by Elle Cosimano.

"finlay owes a favor to the Russian mob boss, Feliks. He wants her to find a contract killer before the police do. But the killer might be an officer.
Luckily, hot cop Nick, has started a citizen's police academy. The pressure from Feliks and Finlay's looming book deadline convince her and Vero to get involved. It's the perfect cover to ferret out an assassin, find some time with Nick and finish her book by deadline."

Finlay reminds me so much of Stephanie Plum. There are lots of insane characters and situations. Finlay is making things up as she goes along. Especially as she finds out even more secrets about Vero. There are plenty of red herrings and some inspiration for her book.
There is a cliffhanger which seems to be the way EC sets up the next book. I'm not really a fan of leaving a storyline hanging, but there it is.

Angela Dawe does a nice job with the audio narration. Lots of characters, especially lots of male characters voices. She has a lot of fun with the 'biscuits'

Fans of the first two books will enjoy this one

Another hilarious installment! Thoroughly enjoyed the continued adventures of Finlay Donovan. Especially love her partner in crime Vero! Brilliantly written characters and clever escapades. This fun story was once again cleverly narrated by Angela Dawe. Can’t wait for the next installment of this fun series.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook version of this book. Everything I write is of my own personal thoughts feelings and opinions.. I am not affiliated with or compensated in any way for my review.

Book 3! Here we go again with Finlay and Vero. I have to be honest and say that I love the series but this one was not my favorite- I was hoping the author would take the angle of a love interest for Finlay or Vero. I am not a fan of the plot of them going to civilian police academy and the mob still going after them. The author did do a good job of pulling parts from previous books so you do not need to read the previous books in the series to read this one- what I am saying is this can be read as a stand alone- but with that being said some of the content will make much more sense if you choose to read the other books.
I like that the author does touch on love interests for both Finlay and Vero- so I have high hopes that another two books are in the works, one for the love of Finlay and one for Vero. I do have a feeling that another book is in the works as the author left the book on a cliffhanger.