Quick read and enjoyable. No death but a mysterious boyfriend who is sneaking around. I enjoy Nita Prose writing and look forward to another Molly the Maid book

Molly the Maid is back in this adorable Christmas themed novella. Surrounded by all the Regency Grand characters we’ve come to know and love, Molly finds herself at the center of a holiday mystery.

Nita Prose’s latest addition to the Molly Chronicles is predictable and sweeter than sugar, but it’s perfectly suited to the holiday season. There’s no “bah humbug” here; simply plenty of good cheer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Christmas has always been one of Molly’s favorite holidays but it has been tough without all the magical moments Gran would make it. Now that Juan is part of Molly’s life, he is doing his best to take Gran’s place and it seems to be helping.

The Charlie Brown tree is up, the advent calendar has all kinds of surprises, Secret Santa have been selected, the Regency Grand Hotel is all gussied up and the employee Christmas party is quickly approaching. But something is just not right and Juan has been acting a tad strange.

So, what could it be? Well, you will just have to pick up The Mistletoe Mystery on October 1, 2024 to find out how Molly the Maid solves this little mystery … or will she?

Nita Prose has created such a likable little character in Molly .. she is quirky, charming and to-the-point – you cannot help but love Molly and Juan too.

Thank you, Nina Prose, Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and to PRH Audio for the audiobook

I want to start out by saying that while this book is part of The Maid series, it is not necessary to read this book in order to follow the rest of the series. Essentially this book is a Christmas/holiday present for fans of this series.

I will start out by saying that this book is extremely predictable. The cover practically gives the story away. So this book wouldn't win any awards for creativity. If you are simply a mystery fan, I am sure you will be annoyed by this. Thankfully, I am also a huge fan of romance, so I didn't necessarily mind how predictable this book was. I thought it was a cute romance, but found it hard to catergorize this book as a mystery because of the predictable nature of this book.

Still if you are a Maid fan who enjoys romance, this book is a nice present for the holiday season and for Maid fans. However, if you are here for the mystery consider this a warning to possibly skip this book and wait for the 3rd book to come out. (this book is #2.5)

Lauren Ambrose does an amazing job once again bringing Molly's book to life.

I will rate this book four stars because I enjoyed it, but it should probably only get 2 stars for the mystery part realistically

2 ⭐️ Sweet little novella about Molly Gray from The Maid series and her boyfriend Juan Manuel. I was expecting so much more.

It’s a Christmas story with not much happening. I enjoy Molly’s and Juan’s relationship and the writing is good, but the plot is lacking for anyone expecting a mystery or much of anything.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

This novella was a nice little holiday add-on to the Maid stories. I listened to the books and really loved the narration, so I definitely missed it while reading this one. If you love Molly the maid and want a little more from her story, add this to your holiday TBR!

🎄🔎 BOOK REVIEW! [e-ARC]🔍🎄

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
Genre: cozy mystery, novella
Length: 128 pages
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this novella. The opinions stated here are solely my own.

Synopsis:
It's the Christmas season and Molly the maid is spending her 5th year celebrating it with Juan Manuel, the pastry chef at their hotel, The Regency Grand. The spirits are bright and all seems right in their lives until the hotel's Secret Santa gift exchange provides something of a Christmas mystery for Molly. Molly notices Juan Manuel sneaking around and can't help feel that something is amiss. Can she figure out what he is hiding in time for their Secret Santa party??

Opinion:
I loved this short little holiday installment with Molly, Juan Manuel, and company. It honestly felt like a warm hug. Molly has such a unique, honest, and kind heart, and it is always a joy to hear her thoughts, especially when she recalls words of wisdom from her gran. Part of what I love about the maid books is how all the supporting characters play a role in Molly's life and how she learns that she truly has friends and a found family that love her! This novella definitely got me excited for Christmas (I'm usually ready by mid-October haha) and it is definitely worth reading. Just wait until you find out what the mystery was about!!

A little predictable, but overall a cute little Christmas story. Was happy that I got to read this because I love Molly as a character!!

A sweet Molly Christmas mystery. Molly is so happy with Juan, but as Christmas comes, she misconstrues much that is going on around her. The hotel staff is all there, and the novella brought tears to my eyes. Now we must wait until April for the next book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the EARC. Thanks to the author for the Christmas gift.

This was a cute entertaining read. The mystery was not super mysterious, but if you are a fan of the characters, you'll love the story.

I had high hopes for this novella, give Nina Prose’s previous work it everything about the Mistletoe Mystery falls flat.

The holidays, with all of their traditions, are always a time of reflection. This holiday season, Molly Gray, as she spends another wonderful year with her beloved Juan Manuel, is thinking heavily about their traditions. Ones they've kept from when her Gran was still alive and new ones that they've made for themselves.

The holiday season is also busy, and nowhere moreso than at the Regency Grand Hotel where they're preparing for a Secret Santa party for the employees. Soon, though, all the secrets have her wondering what else those she's closest to are keeping from her. Everywhere she looks, there seems to be more and more questions with no good answers. Worst of all, she begins to question Juan Manuel and with every suspicious thing he does, does this mean it's the beginning of the end of their relationship?

I rather enjoyed this quick novella set around a year after events in Book 2 of the series. The holiday setting is perfect and Juan Manuel plays a bigger part which is nice considering he was a very minor character in Book 2. I liked seeing the state of their relationship and was completely floored when Molly talks about them being together for several years now. Meaning, apparently the first book took place somewhere like 5+ years ago which apparently boggles my mind!

While I'm not going to say too much about this one, I will say that it's pretty easy to figure out what is going on, but I think that's kind of part of the charm of this particular story; being in on the secret while Molly tries desperately to figure it out in the way that Molly has figured out every other mystery she's found herself embroiled in thus far although with a much different outcome.

A nice start to the upcoming holiday season. Perfect for fans of the series already.

This was a short, fun novella set in the Regency Grand Hotel where all the other maid mysteries have preceded it.

Christmas is here once again and Molly and her beloved Juan Manuel are looking forward to celebrating their fifth festive season together. Molly is especially missing her gran this time of year and bits of her advice often echo in her mind as she preps for Christmas.

A shadow over the season is Juan Manuel looks more tired than usual and seems to be disappearing mysteriously all the time. Molly's analytical mind tells her he adores her and she has nothing to fear but her gran's cautions about men and good/bag eggs haunt her memories.

Molly tries to see the best in things but she is dreadfully fearful of losing her beloved. The mystery is, where is Juan disappearing to and what is the motive? Read to find out.

I adored this book because it gave us a glimpse into the prim and proper Molly's fun side. Her adorable traditions and Juan's infectious festive cheer make this a delightful short holiday read.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Molly & Juan Manuel are gearing up for another Christmas season together, a season Molly loved so much when her Gran was alive. However, this year Juan Manuel is disappearing a lot & making excuses for his absences. Is Juan Manuel cheating on Molly? Molly soon learns the truth in a Christmas surprise.

This was a cute short story with a happy ending. A nice taste to the holidays.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for the ARC of The Mistletoe Mystery.

Molly the maid is back! I really enjoyed getting to read more of Molly’s and Juan’s relationship. It’s a cute Christmas romcom and not the usual Molly mystery. It’s predictable but also a quick and fun read!

4 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another delightful Molly the Maid story. I loved reading about Molly and Juan Manuel’s holiday traditions and sweet ways of looking out for each other. You really can celebrate family and friends without having to spend a lot of money our have extravagant events. Molly and JM are a great example of this.

This next chapter of Molly’s story is short but sweet and will certainly get you into the holiday spirit.

Thanks to Net Galley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley & Ballantine Books for an eARC 🥰

Molly's back, and this time she's navigating love, trust, and the magic of Christmas.🎄
As Molly's boyfriend Juan Manuel tries to make this Christmas special, Molly's heart is filled with joy and uncertainty. But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about trust, Molly's detective instincts kick in.
What I adore about this book is how it showcases Molly's vulnerable side. She's still charmingly eccentric, lovably imperfect, and delightfully authentic, but this time we see her heart beating with vulnerability and hope.
The romance is swoon-worthy, and Juan's kindness will melt your heart. Their love story is a beautiful reminder that love is about trusting each other, flaws and all.
This book's a hug in a mug - a comforting, feel-good read perfect for the holiday season.🥰
Recommend for:
💯•⁠ ⁠Fans of heartwarming mysteries
💯•⁠ ⁠Character-driven fiction lovers
💯•⁠ ⁠Holiday story aficionados
💯•⁠ ⁠Anyone seeking a lighthearted, uplifting read
"The Mistletoe Mystery" reminds us that love, trust, and kindness are the greatest gifts of all.☺️

I didn't realize this was a novella until I started reading but that's ok. I just love any update about Molly. This fun story keeps us in the loop about Molly's life and also, we catch up with some loved and not so loved characters from previous books.

2.5

This was my bad for not reading the first 2 books in the series--I thought this was a stand-alone novel about the same character (much like The Housemaid series where you could theoretically read any book in the trilogy alone). Instead, I got the "Christmas Special" novella about Molly, the main character of The Maid.

The Christmas aspect was heartwarming, especially her Gran's and Juan's Christmas traditions and the way Juan and Molly made Christmas their own. The advent calendar part made me so excited for the holidays and made me want to make an advent calendar of my own.

But the mystery...it was so so so obvious what was going on. I could have been convinced to read the first 2 books in this series, but Molly was so oblivious to all the hints that I don't think I could stand to read a 300 page novel about her solving a mystery. The 78 pages was painful enough. Everything Juan and the other people did around her leading up to the "big reveal" was so clear, and Molly even had all the facts in front of her. I can't imagine how frustrated I would be with her bumbling around in a full-length mystery novel.

Overall, I think fans of The Maid and of Christmas would like this, but not many other people. It's somewhat cute fan service and got me in the Christmas mood about 100 days early. Go in with the expectations you would have of the Christmas special episodes of Glee (low and knowing that it has nothing to do with the rest of the storyline).

Molly is one of my most loved characters I have ever met. She is quirky, she is to the point, she is wild. Would love more characters like Molly. It was predictable, but I didn't mind. Thankful the last two books Nita wrote for this series were ARC's through Netgalley. I still bought them to go on my shelves to lend out or read again. Can't wait for the next one coming out in 2025.