This is the next installment of Molly the Maid (book 3) and it was everything I was hoping for! I was hooked from the first paragraph. The thing I like most about this series is the character development from one book to the next. We are learning more about Gran's history in this book, very interesting story and story telling. If you liked the other Molly the Maid books you will love this one!

Welcome once again to the Regency Grand, in which we enter the world of Molly, the maid. Molly who comes alive with her big personality and her passion for the job and a dash of her grandmother’s wisdom. This story is told from two points of view, Molly in real time and her grandmother through her diary. I felt that the grandmother’s POV was a little dry. I’ve enjoyed these books because of Molly and her fresh approach to life that listening to the grandmother’s story didn’t hold my attention. I highly recommend reading this series and learning about Molly and her family. Molly has found love with Juan-Manuel and is planning her wedding. During this time, she also finds a key to her grandmother’s diary. In the diary she finds out about her family’s past lives and a hidden treasure. When this treasure is stolen from Molly that is when the adventure begins, and Molly realizes how important love is. Thank you to Netgalley and Viking for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. (4 stars)

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published April 8, 2025.

This is the third book I’ve read by this author - all in the Molly the Maid series and it was my favorite. At first I thought all of Gran’s backstory was a bit long and off-topic but it turned out to be extremely relevant.

A solid mystery with a delightful maid!

Next up: The Mistletoe Mystery. A short novella in The Maid series.

If you love the Molly the Maid series, you will love the 3rd novel: The Maid's Secret. If you haven't started this series, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. Nita Prose brought the usual charm, humor, and heart that makes this series so lovable. The format of this book was a bit different than the others in the series and I absolutely loved how Prose wove two stories together and the mystery unraveled as you got deeper into each storyline. The first storyline was of a modern day Molly who in the span of a couple days became a multi-millionaire and then the victim of a million dollar crime. The second storyline was presented through a diary that Gran wrote to Molly, revealing a shocking past and aiding in the mystery Molly was trying to solve. Gran is one of my favorite characters, and her letters read like Historical Fiction. I thought the diary element was an incredible way to tell Gran's story and provide information and closure for Molly. I will be recommending this series and this book to friends and family, I love Nita Prose's writing and Molly is such a memorable and incredible character.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Follow me on instagram: @pages.for.miles for this review

Molly is back again. This time she is on the verge of getting married. She goes on a tv show that assesses the value of items and learns that her beloved Gran owned a Fabrege egg. We also learn more though a diary of her Grans story of her gran as a wealthy teen who meets 2 men which will change her life forever. We learn about her grans story of getting pregnant and how the relationship of one of those men continued to her death. Meanwhile Molly has the usual hijinks as the egg is stolen and brought back. I thought the mystery and how it played out was well written and not something I could have guessed. I loved the love story that Gran shares in her diary. In the end Molly and Gran story was filled with love and learned some lessons and a mystery or two!

The Maid’s Secret
By Nita Prose

Molly The Maid # 3

Release date: April 8, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had to sit with this book after I finished because I just couldn’t decide how much I liked it.

I admit, I don’t think I gave the other 2 books in the series more than 3.5 stars. But honestly, I enjoyed this installment more. Maybe it’s due to the familiarity of the characters?

It was a typical kind of cozy mystery. But the nostalgia and the plot were well executed.

At times it drug on a little bit, but I really enjoyed the back-and-forth between Gran’s journal and the sentimentality of the memories, and Molly’s present and the sentimentality of Gran’s trinkets.

In the end, everything came together and everyone (mostly) got their happy ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Molly the Maid is back! I loved this book and series!! I loved finding out what happened with her Gran and Grand-dad. What a nice way to wrap a series up. The character and setting and storyline are so relatable but heartbreaking.

I’ve loved all the books in this series and this one is no exception. I appreciate how they put a twist on Molly’s story while still staying true to the characters we know and love. I hope that this series continues because I will keep reading!

Let me start by saying I adore these books. I am so interested in Molly the Maid and her specific quirks and behaviors. However, this book was not about Molly the Maid. I like her voice the best, and this just was not my favorite.

I was delighted to get the opportunity to read this latest book in The Maid series, one of my favorites. The book alternated between current events in Molly's life and entries from her beloved grandmother's diary. It felt like this would be the final book in the series, and I think the author did a great job both wrapping up Molly's family backstory and giving readers the sense that Molly will have the fairy tale future readers would like for her. By the end, I was completely satisfied with the arc of the whole series. As always, the book was well-written and had an unpredictable mystery with splashes of humor. I would recommend that readers read the other books in the series to fully appreciate this one. Fans of the series will be happy to read this book.

I discovered this series a few years ago and was immediately hooked. Molly is such a delightful character whose predictable and safe life is enough for her. Her upcoming wedding with Juan Manuel is simple and frugal with a few close friends.

They have a special guest visiting the hotel and everyone is excited. They are reality TV hosts who appraise artifacts treasures. The employees get to bring their treasures first before the audience shows up. Molly brings some items from her Gran's curio cabinet. While she has no expectation that they will have value to the hosts, she lets Juan, and her Grandad know that they mean everything to her. Molly's world is about to change as the appraiser identifies one of the items to be an authentic Faberge Egg. The appraisers convince Molly to put it up for auction as they believe she will yield millions from the sale. This is exciting for her and Juan Manuel as they are enjoying the idea of an easier life where they don't have to struggle financially. They can have a dream wedding. The auction produced many bidders, and, in that moment, Molly can see her life changing.......until the moment the moment implodes.......someone has stolen the egg.

This is where the story brings out the true essence of Molly. She is so innocent, trusting and a bit naive, but she is also a strong young woman who is fearless to know the truth. Molly has a way about her sleuthing that you just follow along like her favorite detective, Columbo, the show that she and her gran always watched together. The story also adds a layer of stories by her gran. The source is a diary that her Grandad was instructed to give to Molly when she was ready. The diary also provides clues in the missing egg caper, but it also adds truth to Molly's history that seems to fill in the gaps that her gran had shielded her from. Molly's gran was a loving care provider to Molly and throughout the series, you know that bond is so tight, but because Molly is so special, her gran provided an edited version of their history to protect her.

The story weaves through the present and the past with an ease that makes you want more. Molly is a gifted, loving unassuming young woman who continues to thrive in her own strength. The ending ties up all of the loose ends with a marriage in tow. I have read the four books in this series and I hope that there is more Molly to enjoy.

I have truly loved every one of these Maid's books! I am such a fan of Molly and her relationships with all the other characters, but especially Juan Manuel. The book is heartwarming and easy to read. I highly recommend for fans of this series!

Please note that this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think this was the perfect ending to a very adorable series about Molly the maid. In each of the books, I’ve loved Molly’s personality- her naïveté and her puns. I’ve also loved her relationship with Gran, which makes this book a perfect tribute to two wonderful characters. I really enjoyed how it alternated POV between real-time Molly and Gran’s diary. I also really enjoy Juan- a genuinely good guy for a woman who deserves true love.

The Maid’s Secret has the same signature charm as the other books in this series. I adore Molly the maid and jumped at the chance to catch up with her. This time we learn more about Molly’s beloved Gran, and the events that made her the woman she was. Another cozy mystery with the characters we all know and love. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Molly and Juan are finally planning their wedding when the Regency Grand Hotel will be hosting the antiquities TV show Hidden Treasures. Armed with a box of her most treasured possessions, Molly is catapulted into infamy as an owner of a rare artifact. But when the auction is set to take place, the object goes missing. Molly’s life is threatened but that will not stop her from solving the mystery and marrying Juan Manuel.

I went through such an emotional rollercoaster with this book! This third novel is written with split POV alongside Gran’s diary entries, recounting her life. I absolutely ate up her story, it was sad but inspiring. I loved all the parallels between Flora and Molly. We get the history between her and Mr. Preston, as well as what happened to her parents and other secrets from her life. It connected all the breadcrumbs from previous books and created a wonderful heartwarming story.

In the present, we are following Molly’s mystery investigation and sometimes I disliked the back and forth between the chapters. There was a lot of history in the diary entries, and the mystery sometimes took a back seat. However, I enjoyed the reveal and connection in the end. The last chapter had all the waterworks, I love the found family theme and taking care of what you love most. I think fans of this series will enjoy it!

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the review copy.

Molly the Maid is very endearing to us, the way she quotes her beloved gran, the loyalty and love she has for her fiancé Juan-Manuel, and most importantly, the dedication she has for her role as head maid at the Regency Grand. I have loved this heartwarming cozy mystery series from the beginning, so I jumped at the chance to read an Advanced Reader Copy. This is the first one that I did not listen to audiobook, and frankly I missed it, this is one of the best audio narrated series. The narrator always made Molly's voice come alive to me, and reading this I could not help but read it in her voice.

Molly and Juan-Manuel are preparing for their city hall wedding in a few weeks when they learn that their favorite show, Hidden Treasures, will be filming an episode in the Regency Grand. This is an Antiques Roadshow type program, hosted by two husbands. Although they are a little star struck, the staff is allowed to bring their treasures to be evaluated. Molly brings a box filled with her Gran's old "treasures" and is shocked to find out that their golden egg is actually a Faberge egg worth millions! The hosts set up an auction and Molly is catapulted into stardom.... the audience is just as enthralled with Molly as we have been for the last two books and novella, and for good reason. Molly now has a stage and a following.

I really LOVE the relationship between Molly and Juan-Manuel. He has Gomez Addams level adoration for her. They are such a great pair. The fact that this story is a theft and not a murder to solve makes it very readable and much more in the "cozy" mystery category, which I loved. Interspersed with Molly's narrative are diary entries that Gran passed down to Molly talking about her young life. We finally get to learn of Gran's origins, how she came to have Molly's mother, Maggie, and what led to her finding John Preston late in life. The Maid's secret, as noted in the title, is not Molly's secret, but Gran's.

Molly is very surprised at her "fans." She doesn't know if they are laughing at her or with her. Even though Molly is surprised, we aren't. Because we have loved her since the first blue book.

To me the Gran chapters were slower, I honestly missed Molly's voice and the no-nonsense way she looks at the world. But it was a great payoff at the end.

This is the third book in the Molly the Maid series; I enjoyed the previous two books (and the novella), and enjoyed coming back to the characters.

Unfortunately this book fell pretty flat for me. Aside from knowing and loving the characters, there wasn't much that had me wanting to return to the pages. The "mystery" was full of way too many coincidences that I don't want to call out in this review because of spoilers. Suffice it to say, while none of the books have felt entirely realistic, this one even less so.

I did, however, like hearing from Gran's perspective in the diary entries. But again... it just couldn't have happened like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballentine books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ending the series with barely a muddle.

Molly is back, this time engaged, and still happily employed at The Regency Hotel.

When a a famous antique dealer show comes to the hotel, she decides to see if any of her grandmas stuff is worth anything and finds out her Faberge egg is a priceless antique, one of ten original Faberge eggs.

It ends up being quite the predictable mess, going back and forth to her grandmas past and to the present missing egg mystery.

Was quite the snooze, and not what I wanted to my first 2025 book to be.

Still had the signature cute wit as the others and I’m sure fans will eat this up.

A fairy tale in reverse!

The Maid’s Secret is most likely the last installment in Molly the Maid’s story. Prose does a wonderful job at closing the series by filling readers in on the Gray family secrets!

The book begins with excellent recap, so readers can catch up to where Molly’s story left off in the novella. This book could be read as a stand alone, but is best read in order for full comprehension and enjoyment. In this installment, we are given the backstory on gram’s riches to rags family history through her own words in a diary she left for Molly. This information fills a much needed gap in the readers’ understanding of Flora Gray.

As Molly and Fiancé Juan Manuel are planning their wedding, the Regency Grand Hotel hosts an Antiques Roadshow type reality show in its grand ballroom. Mr. Snow allows the staff the opportunity to get their own items appraised before the televised event. Molly brings several of her gran’s trinkets, including the beautiful egg they duped “the Faberge.” However, when Molly learns the egg is actually an authentic Faberge egg and worth millions, her whole life is turned upside down. She is given her 15 minutes of fame, but does not enjoy all of the attention that comes with it. When the egg is mysteriously stolen and Molly’s life is threatened, Detective Starks and the staff of the Regency Grand Hotel are on the case.

Who stole the Faberge egg and why? Molly will need to read her gran’s diary to figure out the answer!

While the plot begins in the usual quirky fashion, readers are immediately thrust out of Molly’s world and thrown into the past though reading Gran’s diary. Unfortunately, this alternating timeline detracts from the magic of Molly, which is the true magic of the series. I immediately missed the day to day happenings at the Regency Grand Hotel and felt while learning Gran’s past was necessary, it was not as intriguing as Molly herself. My rating wavered around 2.5 - 3 stars until the last few chapters, where the magic came together in a most satisfying manner. Thankfully, the beloved Maid series closes with a heartwarming ending that promises that “Love cannot be stolen” and is sure to satisfy readers.

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the ARC of The Maid’s Secret in exchange for an honest review.

Molly the Maid is back in the delicious The Maid’s Secret. This time she’s embroiled in a mystery involving priceless and possibly stolen art. Its value is discovered on an Antiques Roadshow like TV show, filmed in her own Regency Hotel. The item had been given to her by her late and dearly loved grandmother whose live quickly becomes an important part of the mystery. Her grandmother had also left her a diary which, in alternating chapters, tells the story of her life and loves. Art is stolen, art is returned, Molly is rich, then not while her focus is only on her upcoming wedding. And Molly and her refreshingly direct manner will triumph again.

This series just keeps getting better! Molly learns a lot about her grandmother’s life and that story makes this book impossible to put down. Like Molly, Gram had much to overcome. I love the way Nita Prose uses details from other books in this series. Although The Maid’s Secret can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the first two Molly The Maid books. I know you’ll want to! 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Nita Prose for this ARC.