Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice
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Author: Elle Cosimano

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.

Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.

But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco's already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay's night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.

If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?

My Thoughts: by I could not wait for this one! I love this series so much. Each novel, including this one, can be read as a standalone. However, you will get more character enrichment by reading the series, as well as a more enjoyable reading experience. Onto the next adventure for Fin, her sidekick Vero, with children in tow, and ex-husband not far behind. In this installment, Fin and Vero are trying to find and save Vero’s childhood friend, Javi. They decide to take a girl’s trip to Atlantic City and mom decides to join them. It starts off swell when ex-husband also joins them to “babysit.” The story opens up classic Fin with Steven and Fin chasing her youngest son’s beloved stuffed animal across a very busy interstate. This story has a few genres mixed in, we have primary the cozy mystery, a little bit thriller, and a slight romance.

The story is narrated by Finlay Donovan, in her POV. Fin is in the middle of writing an installment novel and her editor is pressuring her, as always. Fin still has the Russia mob, the loan shark, trying to find Javi, jealous ex-husband tagging along, and lets not forget the new maybe, maybe not cop boyfriend that also shows up in Atlantic City with his shady partner. If you read them in order, you will reap the benefits of further character development in each installment. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, witty banter, chemistry, passion, and were creatively curated. The supporting characters, such as Vero, Mom, and even copy boyfriend Nick really enrich the story. The author’s writing style was complex, crisp, suspenseful, intriguing, captivating, and brilliant. Each novel is even more enticing than the last. The characters are continue being developed and the plot is delivered in twisty layers with another cliffhanger ending. These stories absolutely have an “I love Lucy vibe,” which I adore.

This was fabulous. I always look forward to the next book, which will not be until Spring 2025, I will probably go into Finlay deprivation waiting. I had the wonderful pleasure of having both the digital and audio version of the ARC. I highly recommend picking up this book, and the entire series.

Bit more chaotic than the 1st two, and that is saying a lot. This 4th installment picks up on the cliffhanger from book 3. Love a good friendship and a well placed gamble.

The fourth book in the Finlay Donovan series once again finds Finlay and her nanny Vero in the center of .... well everything. I was so close to giving up on this book and the series. While I love a comedy of errors, I found the wrong place/wrong time and near misses tropes were wearing a little thin.

This was also the first book in the series I read vs. listened to and at times I found myself skim reading to push things along. However, once it was clear we were wrapping up this story line I became more invested. After all of the shenanigans, the web of deceit the wrap up felt too neat and simple. And because I don't know how to leave well enough alone, I will be reading book 5 when it drops next next March🙃

Finlay and her crew (which seems to grow with each book) were up to all sorts of hilarious shenanigans yet again in Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, the 4th book in the series. There were some laugh out loud moments as Finlay and Vero tried to stay one step ahead of law enforcement in solving the crime. I love how Finlay and Vero always have each others backs and how Finlay protects all of the people she cares about at all costs. This series reminds me a bit of the Stephanie Plum series and I'm here for it!

Ah the saga of Finlay Donovan and her hijinks. As the 4th book in this series, it was a pleasant read to find that the adventures and quality of story were in line with the previous books. In this book, Finlay and Vero head off to Atlantic City with more baggage in tow and more problems to solve than either of them anticipated. I find her to be funny and relatable as a mom even though I will never have as much adventure in my life as she does. I love that her character has developed over the books and she has become so strong and confident in her abilities. I love that this book continued to the story from the 3rd book and allowed some story lines to grow and become more engaging and others to end. Unfortunately? Fortunately?? Depends on who you are- this book ended on a cliffhanger, leaving the reader wonder if there are more adventures in store for Finlay and Vero or if readers will just be left wondering what the heck for the rest of their lives.

First of all, I would like to apologize for forgetting to write my review when I finished Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice back in January! I thought I had reviewed it, maybe I forgot to hit submit (highly likely as I have 3 kids and am easily distracted by the.) Overall this was a solid book for number 4 in Finlay's series. I found it harder to follow than the others in the beginning, mostly because I was struggling to remember where book 3 left us, but after the first few chapters Elle Cosimano seamlessly guided me back into Finlay and Vero's world. Their adventures in Atlantic City are chaotic and over the top, and I was fully invested. I cannot wait to see where book 5 takes us next year! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. And apologies again for not having it reviewed before its pub date.

I loved getting to know Vero more than we knew her before. This is such a fun series with a lot of depth. I always think there is nothing more that can happen in the next book and then Elle makes each book more and more exciting and fun! I really enjoyed this one!

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the FInlay Donovoan books, but this one seemed to just drag on, I found my interest waning as the time went on and had a hard time wanting to continue reading it. A little bit of a miss for me

This wrapped up a lot of the loose threads from the previous books pretty well but still leaves some threads that could be used for future books. I personally found the story to be fun but mostly just "okay". There were a lot of characters in this volume and you didn't really get to spend enough time with any of them, even Finlay and Vero, to get a full sense of what was going on. While I can see how the chaos of this helped with the storyline it just didn't satisfy me. I did enjoy my time reading the book and the ending was mostly satisfying save for the few threads I mentioned.

Finlay and Vero take their antics to Atlantic City (the perfect setting for this series, honestly), pretending they need a "girl's weekend" and of course chaos ensues. Not only does Finlay's mom accompany them, but her children and ex-husband as well. Oh and we can't forget her law enforcement boyfriend AND sister AND sister's girlfriend too. There's loan sharks, a childhood crush, stolen cars... you know, the usual fun and games.

I love that these books are so entertaining. Yes, they are extremely farfetched, but in this series, I don't care one bit. I do think this one was probably the most extreme, and Finlay has a lot of good luck throughout, but I guess she deserves it at this point! I think the book is resolved really well but sets up book 5 in a pretty awesome way.

Book 4 did not disappoint! I loved jumping back into Finlay and Vero’s world. Having her mom involved this time added that extra level of humor. But geez why does it have to end on a cliff hanger! I need the next one if there is gonna be another one like now.

Finley and Vero are at it again, and this time they take on Atlantic City.

I love these two more with each book. This book is more focused on Vero and readers see how strong Finley and Vero's relationship is. These two are ride or die for each other. No questions asked. I enjoyed reading more about her mom and the moments with her ex husband. I enjoy each character in this book and the dynamic each one has with Finley and Vero.

I like that the series picks up where the previous book left off and involves the same group/crew of criminals from the start. Everything and everyone ties together somehow. The epilogue left me hoping I don't have to wait too long fo the next book.

This is the fourth book in the series and can be read as a standalone, but in some scenes it helps to have known what happened. Moments are mentioned, but not enough to get the whole picture from previous books.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Finlay Donovan and her trusty companion, Vero, are at it again. After barely surviving a week of citizen’s police academy, the two women are in desperate need of a getaway. A few days in Atlantic City seem to be just what the doctor ordered. However, in true Finlay fashion, she can’t help but get herself into more trouble. Will she be able to escape harm once more, or is destined to bring down herself and the ones she loves?

This is the fourth book in The Finlay Donovan Series. While I initially loved the series, I had all but given up on it after listening to the previous book on audio. I am so glad that I kept with it as I fell back in love with Finlay and all her shenanigans.

This cozy mystery provided endless entertainment. While it does require readers to suspend reality, it will have you laughing out loud. The slapstick comedy Finlay provides makes even the darkest scenarios seem wholesome. While I was able to guess a few of the plot points out, Cosimano kept me on my toes.

Special thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Elle Cosimano for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

# 4 in the series is just as fun and fast as the first three! You can read it as a standalone, but my goodness, do yourself a favor and go pick up the rest of the collection! I love seeing the character growth amidst the constantly changing plot. Now, the mob is involved, and Finlay has to be even more careful, juggling her kids, her ex husband, and not one but TWO romantic interests.

Another tricky adventure with Finlay Donovan. Each book has it's own theme and twist of shenanigans for these characters. It's a fun time

I love these books so much! I love that we get some good resolution with this book but also love that there will be more Finlay Donovan adventures! The justice in the scenes with Steven was amazing, and I loved the romances between Finlay & Nick and Vero & Javi! Such a fun read!

Truthfully, every Finlay Donovan book is perfection. It’s such a fun series that never fails to make me laugh out loud (the stripper scene in this one 😂 iykyk).

Finlay and Vero are in Atlantic City with the WHOLE fam (& Nick ☺️) to tie up loose ends from all of their previous adventures…oh and to find Javi. What ensues is preposterous, wild, how did they get into this mess?, straight fun.

Quite literally, Elle Cosimano could write 10 more Finlay books and I’d be all in.

Highly recommend if you enjoy romance, mystery, a little suspense, and a single mom trying her best and ending up in the strangest predicaments!

Finlay does it again, I will always have a soft spot for this series! The book was very entertaining, and I read it all in a quick amount of time because I couldn't put it down. Finlay and Vero were in Jersey to rescue Ravi and of course ran into the russian mob while there. I did not expect the ending which kept me interested.

This book picks up right where the 3rd book left off. You would think by the 4th book the series would be dull but it is anything but that! My favorite character in this series was Kevin Bacon the miniature dachshund ! I can’t wait for the next book to come out. I love the relationship dynamic between Finlay and Vero that you can’t help but root for them in the shenanigans they get into. I had the pleasure of meeting Elle Costello for this book tour and she is so humble and real.

Readers (myself included) have been eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Finlay Donovan series and it does not disappoint! Full of the comedic hijinks, crazy drama, and amateur sleuthing we know and love, this book is a surefire winner!