I really enjoyed The Maid last year so was excited to see how the next in the series followed up. I continued to enjoy Molly's character and her interactions with people at the hotel, and to learn more of her backstory through flashbacks. The mystery started off promising and I enjoyed the unfolding of it until the very end, where the resolution felt a bit unearned to me. There wasn't enough in the build up to convice me that the actions that were revealed were totally plausable. Overall I really enjoyed this and found it easy to dig in and keep going to find out what happened next.

The first book in this series was a delight with an original heroine and intriguing plotline, but here we have our same Molly Maid, now proudly Head Maid of the five star hotel she works in, and the plot alas seems a bit forced. What this sophomore effort did do was expand Molly's background both to us and to her, and I'm glad that there were hints that a followup is expected, in which hopefully the author will find her footing.

I enjoyed this book! It took a little bit for the story to get going but about 50% in it picked up and really got moving. The story was predictable and easy, which I loved for this story. A great read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

I love this author and I love the quirky characters she creates. I didn’t love this as much as the first book but still a good one!

SYNOPSIS:
- This is book 2 in series.
- Molly is back, and this time, she’s Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel.
- At the beginning of the book, Molly is overseeing a special event at the hotel’s newly remodeled tearoom for J.D. Grimthorpe, a bestselling author, where he plans to make an announcement. Unfortunately, he drops dead right before he can make the announcement. How did he die? Did someone kill him?
- The book also alternates to the past, where it turns out that Molly had previously crossed paths with Grimthorpe. Gran was previously a maid for Grimthorpe.

MY THOUGHTS
- I would definitely recommend reading this series in order. Most characters are the same, and the character development happens across both books. Also, the author mentions what happens in the other book.
- I finished this in 1-1.5 days. It is engrossing & hard to put down. I like the writing style, and it’s easy to read.
- Cozy murder mystery.
- Alternating timelines (past & present).
- Well-plotted & solid pacing. Great execution.
- I loved the first book (The Maid), so I loved getting to spend more time with Molly. I enjoyed getting a deeper dive into Molly’s past & history.
- Satisfying ending.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2nd in series (should be read in order). Cozy murder mystery & loved spending more time with Molly.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on November 23, 2023.

I was so excited to receive an advanced reader copy of this novel because I loved The Maid so much! Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to the last five star read. I loved the characters and how quirky all of them were. However, I was not invested in the plot of this book. This book was very middle of the road for me. I would certainly recommend that everyone read The Maid, but I'm not sure I would make that same recommendation for the sequel.

Molly Gray returns in this sequel to The Maid. Molly’s quirkiness is so engaging that you are sucked into this new mystery immediately.

Molly, now the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, becomes embroiled in another death at the hotel. This time a writer who was planning to make a big announcement. Molly works with Detective Stark to root out the killer. We are also taken back to when Molly met this writer as a girl with her grandmother. These flashbacks give us a little more background about Molly as a child.

I truly enjoyed this book. The author created a character that captures your heart again. I highly recommend this book. Put it on your TBR. The publication date is November 28, 2023.

Thank you to @netgallery and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

"A new mess. A new mystery. It's up to Molly the maid to uncover the truth, no matter how dirty, in this standalone novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid, a Good Morning America Book Club pick.

Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead - very dead - on the hotel's tearoom floor.

When Detective Stark, Molly's old foe, investigates the author's unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author's secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel's beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the high-profile death threatens the hotel's pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer's identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there's one thing she knows for sure, it's that secrets don't stay buried forever."

More secrets from the maid, a book I think everyone read.

I love Molly the Maid! She's such a different character that you don't read terribly often. It's a great perspective.

I enjoyed The Mystery Guest as well. There were a few twists in there and a whole lot of love. I do wish Nita prose hadn't gone for the dual timeline, but I understand how it worked with the novel as a whole.

I hope we get more Molly adventures in the future!

Molly Gray now holds the position of Head Maid at the elegant Regency Grand Hotel and her life is good. It’s the perfect job for her passion for order, etiquette and attention to detail while assuring the hotel is spotless. That is until an author presentation meets disaster when the guest of honor tumbles face-first into the tea service cart. The arrogant J. D. Grimthorpe is dead from poisoning setting off a hunt for whodunit headed by Molly. The intrepid maid, although somewhere on the neurodivergent spectrum, is able to piece together clues. Flashbacks to Molly's youth reveal that she had a shaky relationship with Grimthorpe. You will cheer for Molly who deals with rude people as if she's flicking them away with a feather duster.

Molly the maid is back! In her second outing, we see Molly a few years later. She is living with Juan, has grown into her Head Maid role and continues on...until another murder happens at the hotel. Molly's skill set serves her well again as she works to solve the crime. I was excited to see Molly return and am looking forward to more mysteries in the future. Definitely a cozy mystery to curl up with - more Molly!

****Publishing November 28, 2023****

This is the second book in the series, but you don’t have to read The Maid in order to enjoy this book!

Molly is back, but now she is the Head Maid for the Regency Grand Hotel. She was raised by her grandmother who helped her navigate life and gave her great advice, which she uses to this day even though she died.

Molly was put in charge of an important author event for J. D. Grimthorpe, where he was going to make an important announcement at a special tea hosted by the hotel. With less than an hour before the event, a famous VIP guest drops dead in the Regency Grand Tearoom where it was going to take place. During the event, the author collapses and dies after drinking the tea. With Molly being in charge, will she be accused of poisoning them?

I just love Molly’s quirkiness and outlook on life, which annoys the investigators. It also makes the investigators more suspicious of Molly. How will Molly convince the investigators she is innocent? As Molly’s grandmother told her, Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end! This advice is how Molly gets through the toughest of situations!

This book is a fun and highly entertaining read with unsuspected twists that will keep you turning the pages! Even though life is pretty good for Molly, it’s not the end @Nitaprose. I would love to see where life takes her next!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine (Ballantine Books), I was provided an ARC of The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 - I enjoyed this book even more than The Maid. I liked getting more backstory into how Molly was raised by her grandmother, and their relationship with Molly’s mother. It was nice to see Detective Stark back again. . However, similarly to the Maid, this is a pretty predictable. There were two mysteries to figure out but they are very straightforward. Overall, a nice easy mystery to read.

Molly the maid is back! The Mystery Guest is the sequel to The Maid, where we all fell in love with Molly Gray. Her life now is definitely going well; she's head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel and living with her beloved Juan Manuel. But when another guest is murdered at the hotel, she again gains the attention of Detective Stark. Molly's flair for attention to detail and never letting anything go unnoticed will definitely come in handy when she has to put her investigative skills to the test! Just as good as the previous book, Nita Prose has another hit on her hands with this one! Loved it!

If you loved The Maid like I did, you’ll definitely enjoy The Mystery Guest! Molly is back with her joyful and straightforward look on life, and I loved reading about her latest adventures. This is a perfect cozy mystery for this time of year, and I didn’t figure out the mystery at all (but as always, Molly sees tiny details we don’t)! I would love a book three where Molly takes on being a detective and planning a wedding; I think that would be so fun!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read before pub day on November 28th!

What a delight to be back dusting off clues and tidying up mysteries with Molly the Maid again! Though I'd dearly hoped for a sequel to The Maid, I didn't expect one, so excitement checked me into the story even before I had opened to the first page; and with the murder of a famous author to solve, plus sudsy charm in spades, this did not disappoint at all!

Now Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, Molly Gray is doing well. It's been four years since that nasty business with Mr. Black and she is enjoying life. Not only is she living happily with her boyfriend, Juan Manuel, but she is following her passion for rules, order, and organization by taking on new leadership and training recruits on how to be spotlessly efficient maids. However, when renowned mystery writer, J.D. Grimthorpe, drops dead from a poisonous beverage right before he's supposed to make a huge announcement in the Tea Room, her squeaky clean world is once again thrown into disorder and chaos.

With fingers pointed in the wrong direction for a second time, threatening not only members of her staff but also the hotel's pristine reputation, it is up to Molly to unearth the killer. After all, if there is one thing she knows for certain it's that she catches details that others tend to miss.

So can she do it? Can she follow the crumbs that were left behind to catch the culprit before another innocent is wrongly accused?

With suspects lingering in every crook and cranny of the hotel, with Detective Stark sniffing around like a bloodhound in search of answers, and with Molly harboring a secret connection of her own to the victim, there is much to tantalize readers in this book. The murder mystery unfolds itself in a cozy fashion, for one--with oodles of warmth and quirkiness and neurodivergent richness. Molly herself is as competent and as captivating as ever, having matured into a more confident self-assured version of herself where she is able to champion her uniqueness instead of allowing herself to limited by it, and I loved being privy to her growth in that way.

I also appreciated the interconnectedness of the dual timeline, which I believe provided both endearing exploration into Molly's childhood and background, especially her time at the Grimthorpe mansion with Gran, as well as searing insight into who she is as a person. As a precocious character one can't help but love. That structure helped to add intrigue, create suspense. More than that, though, I thought it allowed Molly's infectiousness to take deeper root so that she could continue to not only thaw the hearts around her, but change their perspectives, altering other's attitudes for the better. And what's not to love about that? It's so heartwarming!

The ending left it open for Molly's crime-solving to continue in the future and, I, for one, hope it does because I'd help mop up killers with her forever!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Consistent tone with the first Molly the Maid novel. Cute, charming, and heartwarming.

The hotel staff and a few newcomers return for a famously private author's press conference. Shockingly, he drops dead before he can make his highly-anticipated announcement. It's up to Molly to defend her new employee's name when she's falsely accused by detectives, use her masterful attention to detail to uncover clues, and dust off memories from her past to realize people's true intentions.

It's fine. I'm not as charmed by Molly and the writing as others, but it's fun and easy.

This was gifted to me by the publisher & Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

We are back following Molly, the maid. After the first book where Molly is accused of a crime, she didn’t commit based on her differences and how she moves through the world. We are back at the hotel where the scene happened. Only this time in a claimed author dies, and it’s up to Molly to figure out how this person died. Can Molly figure it out before the blame gets pinned on her again?

If you read the first book and you enjoyed it, then I think this is a must read for you. If you didn’t read the first book but the premise sounds interesting to you. I think that you could also enjoy this book. I love Molly‘s character she’s a very refreshing Main character to follow and I love being in her head.

This was another five star for me, and I can’t wait to see what the author comes out with in the future!

This is a second standalone book about Molly the Maid. Molly is a wonderful character, and her quirky personality and perfection shine. She is now Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel and leads new hires in learning the practice of providing spectacular service. The team prepared for an event feature author J.D. Grimthorpe, and all was going well until he dropped dead seconds before he make a major revelation during his speech.

Chaos ensues, and people start to form their own theories and point fingers at one another. The service staff begin to question each other's intentions, and Molly begins to process the tiniest details, as well as key memories from her childhood when she actually met Grimthorpe in his mansion. The detective is aware of Molly's quirks, but her ability to piece clues together may be just what they need. This is a fun read with several laughs.

I loved this sequel. It was a quick read and heartwarming. I feel like it was a little more well-written than the first book.