Cozy-ish Mystery about a fastidious five-star hotel maid who turns sleuth in order to uncover who killed a famous mystery author whom she knew in her childhood.

5/5 stars: This is the second entry in Prose's Molly the Maid series and it doesn't disappoint. This book is told in dual timelines, the past when Molly was a child and the present day which picks up Molly's life several years after the events in The Maid. Prose's characters are incredibly likable and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to read more about Molly's Gran and checking in with all folks at the Regency Grand Hotel. Most importantly, Prose's mystery perfectly balances the clues, red herrings and suspects and will leave you guessing the whodunit until the final reveal. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll enjoy it much more if you start this series at the beginning and pick up book one, The Maid.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

The Mystery Guest is the second book in the Molly the Maid series.
Molly is now the Head Maid at the Regency Hotel. She has an adoring boyfriend, good friends, and everything she's ever wanted. She has to delay her trip to visit her boyfriend's family due to a big event at the hotel with a famous author, J D Grimthorpe. Before he can make his big announcement to his fans, he drops dead. Molly will have to look into the author's past, and her own, to figure out what happened.
I was definitely hesitant when I heard about a sequel since the first book was so good. However, this was the perfect follow up.

3.5 stars

Molly the Maid is back at it again as the Head Maid for the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly is in charge of setting up an event for a very important mystery author, J.D. Grimthorpe. Unfortunately, before the author gets to make a big announcement, he drops dead. Everyone at the hotel is a potential suspect when his sudden death turns into a murder investigation.

Okay, I was super conflicted about reviewing this one, so I am going to do it in a pros and cons format to make it easier.

Pros:
- Same characters. We love them and we know them, which is comforting.
- Insights from the dead author, including juicy secrets.
- We get to dive in more into Molly's childhood life.

Cons:
- Lots of repetition from Molly's inner thoughts (Gran's words). This was fine in the first novel but quite tiring in this one.
- Utterly predictable. A quick and fun read but I simply didn't find it intriguing.
- I did not like how little time Juan Manuel and Molly got in this book. The romance in this one was non-existent. I was hoping we would've gotten more from those two.
- What made Molly great was her quirkiness and uniqueness, but in this book Molly has "evolved" and I was not a big fan.

There was somewhat of a hint towards the end that we may potentially get another book placing the next mystery somewhere else completely. If so, I will definitely be reading!

Overall, this is not a bad book or a case of bad writing whatsoever, but it felt forced. I can only imagine the pressure that comes with whether to go for a sequel or not. Personally, I would've been content with just one book. This was a quick and fun little cozy mystery but I wasn't quite into it.

Thank you so much Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and the author this ARC. It's always a pleasure sharing my honest thoughts on a book.
Pub date: 11/28/23

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I was very excited to see that Nita Prose is coming out with a follow up to The Maid. It will be published on November 28, 2023. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a digital copy for my opinion.

I loved the quirkiness of Molly the Maid and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about her childhood with her beloved Gran. This helps to solve another mystery in the Regency Grand Hotel involving a famous writer that Molly had met as a child.

I can't recommend this book enough if you want a quick read that will keep you engaged!

Molly, the maid, is back at it in this latest book. Her hotel has J. D. Grimthorpe, famous author, giving a press conference with he drops dead right before he's supposed to speak. Who did it? Molly intends to find out.

The Maid was a hit with our library, the way the author gets the reader involved in the plot. We have had so many request for The Mystery Guest and I know it's going to be a hit!

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!