Reviews

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

Only show reviews with written explanations

cjohnsen3's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

rebeccamatthews's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.5

oscarwildein's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While I still enjoyed this, it lacked the certain charm that the first one had. There's something about that first one that just sticks out to me, and none of the sequels had that certain /something/ to them.
I think that this was a good ending to the Russian Mafia Arc that's honestly happening for a little too long. So much was happening in this book, between all the characters entering the story and all the plot lines coming to ahead, everything was well balanced and well-handled by Cosimano. and it made everything fast paced which kept me intrigued.

I think as a whole this series is fun and over the top, and great for someone who wants something light to read with a little bit of hijinks and a couple of very tense moments. I won't hesitate to recommend, and this book specifically ended on an interesting enough note that I'll most likely pick up the next one when it comes out, as I'm interested to see where the next arc will take us.

aposternak's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

nicmedia123's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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?

This is one of my favorites - a fun and entertaining series that reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Light, funny, great characters and lots of shenanigans. I see the Janet Evanovich blurb on the cover, and agree “Finlay Donovan is irresistible!”