i enjoyed this series so much but i genuinely didn't feel as invested in this last one. molly didn't have the same energy/ snark that she held in the first two books. it was almost as if she wasn't even the main character at some points, which goes into my next critique:
i understand that the mystery elements were tied in with gran's story, however, i think the letters didn't seem to flow with the timeline of the rest of the story and it felt as though gran was supposed to replace molly in this one.
overall, i did enjoy it. it was more sweet than mystery which i wasn't upset with & i was content with the wrapped ending.

I've so enjoyed all the books in The Maid series by Nita Prose so I couldn't wait to read the latest one The Maid's Secret.

Molly the Maid is preparing for her wedding to Juan Manuel, and now after her promotion to Special Events Manager for the Regency Grand, she is also coordinating the visit from the tv show Hidden Treasures (kind of like an Antiques Roadshow). The employees all get to bring in an item of their choice to have appraised and Molly of course chooses several of her Gran's treasures and at the last minute Juan Manuel throws in the golden huevo as he calls it or the Faberge as Molly calls it. Much to Molly's surprise, the Faberge is a priceless treasure that could make her rich beyond her wildest dreams. That is until, it disappears from the hotel. Told through entries in Gran's diary and the present day narrative of trying to locate the missing egg, the story races forward.

I appreciated the opportunity to hear more in Gran's voice and sort of tie all the loose ends up that have been explored in the previous books. I was sad to hear The Maid's Secret will be the end of the series, but I was satisfied with the ending. Of course, I wouldn't turn down a new book with more about Molly and Juan's adventures.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Molly the Maid is back and better than ever!

I love this series so much. Molly is so relatable and lovable. Molly has an art heist to solve and a wedding to plan, what could possibly go wrong!

If you have not read this series, start now!

3.5⭐️ rounded up

If you enjoyed the previous books in The Maid series, I think you will like this one too. It might be okay as a stand alone but it works better if you know the back story. While I enjoyed the flashbacks and learning more about Gran’s history, it took up more of the book than I liked and I found myself wishing we would get back to what Molly was up to. Overall a cozy, sweet mystery with our beloved Molly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for- Ballantine for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE this series! Molly is always so adorable.

I loved getting the dual timeline with Flora's backstory!

Honestly, that was what kept me engaged with the book until the end. Like I said, I love Molly, but I felt like all of the areas that focused on her were so rushed and a little confusing with the timelines. Some things moved really fast and others took longer than made sense to me.

Overall though, I really enjoyed the story and was happy to get more into Flora and John's story.

I adore this series. It isnt anything life changing. But always entertaining and an easy read. I would recommend the audio for something to listen to during commuting.

This is an excellent series. The anxiety level in this book is very high but thankfully it is broken up periodically by excerpts from Gran's diary. Learning her backstory and how those events lead up to this book was riveting. Through it all Molly never loses her charm. Great book!

I’m giving it 3⭐️ because I have only read the first in this little series, missed the second, and did the best I could with this one! I enjoyed the authors writing; it’s very easy to read and very entertaining… keeps you turning the pages! Molly is a unique and unforgettable character. I remember reading/hearing that the author hadn’t intended for this to be a series, and now with 3 books and a Christmas novella (and I haven’t even read the second book yet) I’m wondering if the publishers push for more was too much? I think one book could have tied this story up nicely without doing too much.

This has been my least favorite of the Maid's series. I absolutely love Molly the maid and have been a huge fan of the other books/novela. This one just seemed to be a stretch. The first half of the book drug on for so long that I almost didn't finish it. I do love this series but didn't enjoy the back and forth between the Letters to Molly to current day.

I have loved Molly the maid (in particular the first book) but this one didn’t quite grab my attention in the same way. It took me a while to get into, and I found it a bit absurd? Molly is (yet again) in the midst of a crime. The Grand Regency hosts a most social media-savvy version of Antiques Roadshow and Molly brings some of her items for appraisal. What follows is a huge shock and takes social media by storm — until a heist occurs and Molly’s life is threatened. It was a cozy mystery read, and I still love seeing the world through Molly’s eyes, but it fell a bit flat for me.

I’ve really enjoyed following Molly the maid through her charming, quirky investigations, and I loved the first two books in this series. Molly is such a unique, endearing character, and it’s been a delight to see the world through her eyes.

That said, The Maid’s Secret fell a bit flat for me. While I was eager to dive back into Molly’s world, I found this last book in the series lacked the momentum of the previous books. The alternating timeline through Gran’s diary, though intended to add emotional depth, ended up slowing the story down considerably. It was often quite sad and took away from the lighthearted, curious tone that made the earlier books so enjoyable.

The central mystery also didn’t grip me the way I hoped it would, and the ending felt a bit contrived.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.!

Another sweet book in the Molly Maid series! If you enjoyed the first two and novella, you will likely enjoy this one. While I enjoyed learning more about the history of the Gray family, I will say that I did find a bit of gran’s stories/letters unwieldy and I’d lose focus. I enjoyed the way the story all came together, if not a not unbelievable. A light, charming read!
3.5

I really loved the previous maid books, so I was excited for this one. I did enjoy this one, but I didn’t think it had the same magic as the first ones. Molly is excited when her favorite traveling roadshow is coming to her hotel and staff are allowed to bring in some items to have appraised. She throws together a few of her grandmother’s treasures and is shocked to learn that one of them is a true treasure worth millions. Suddenly she is famous which doesn’t sit well with her. On the day of the auction the priceless object goes missing and someone threatens Molly’s life. In between the chapters of this story are letters to Molly from her Gran telling Molly about her life as a young woman. I liked to learn more about Molly’s grandmother. It was a good book, but it didn’t grip me as much as I was hoping for.

Reading in Between the Wines book review #46/125 for 2025:
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Maid’s Secret
Author: Nita Prose
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: It was nice to see Molly back being her unusual but interesting self. I really enjoyed reading about Gran’s background. The mystery was good, but I still enjoyed book #1 better as it was such a great book.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @RandomHousePublishingGroup for an advanced copy of @TheMaidsSecret.

#TheMaidsSecret #NitaProse #RandomHousePublishingGroup #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bokreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Another enjoyable installment in this series. It was interesting to learn the family backstory, while watching Molly continue to grow and expand her world.

The Maid's Secret is the fourth book in the Molly the Maid series by Nita Prose. In this story, Molly has everything she ever wanted. She is now Head Maid and Special Events Manager at the Regency Grand Hotel, she is is set to marry her fiancé Juan Manuel in a few weeks time and her favorite TV show, Hidden Treasures, is filming an episode in her hotel.

Given a chance to have some her treasures evaluated by the two hosts, Molly is stunned to learn the egg she and her Gran jokingly referred to as the Faberge is in fact an actual Faberge. Overnight Molly is a sensation and a potential multimillionaire. But the fame is no picnic and when the egg is stolen in plain sight during the filming of the auction, Molly's life is threatened.

Told in interspersing chapters between Molly's hunt for the egg thief and her grandmother's diary entries, the reader learns that what in the beginning seemed too separate stories, becomes more interwoven as the novel continues.

For the fans who always wanted to know Flora Gray's story, this is the book for them. Prose is able delve deeply into Flora's past and we learn many of her hidden secrets.

This series captured me from the it's first novel and The Maid's Secret does not disappoint. It is wonderful to return to the characters and spend some time getting to know Molly and Flora's deeper history.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review from Netgalley.

Molly’s life is upended when the film crew of Hidden Treasures descends onto the Regency Grand. Molly brings a few of her grandma’s priced possessions to have appraised. One of them turns out to be worth millions turning Molly into a celebrity. Then the collectible vanishes. Then enters her grandma’s diary that gives her answers.

This was my favorite in the series. Not only do we get to hear Molly’s grandma’s backstory but also has the perfect amount of mystery. The dual timeline will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to Nita Prose, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dear reader welcome to another episode of "what's on Mickey's NG shelf and why you should read it". In this episode I will yap about an author that is not getting enough recognition, yes I'm talking about Nita Prose and The Maid series.
You will think that you are starting a cozy mystery book but it so so much more. Molly the maid and her founding family is the representation that you will need in life. The multi color with rainbow characters are so real so warm that it will make you fall in love with them, you will grow with Molly, you will cry and ultimately you will solve mystery after mystery.
In this particular one while a famous egg was stolen, my heart broke for a story in the story. A story about love, passion and sacrifice. I don't know how Nita always makes me cry in her book, she tends to touch all my emotional heart points, I like Molly grew up with my grandma and I felt the ultimate love surrounding me. So thank you Nita for giving us the last story, for giving us fun, mystery, characters growing, neurodivergent representation, multi races characters, plot twists and much much love. I will always cherish this one.

This may be unpopular opinion, but I almost wish this wouldn’t have become a series. I enjoyed the Maid as a stand alone book, but after reading this, the Christmas novella, and the second book, I’m just not sure these characters can carry the weight of so many books.
This story was charming and heartwarming, like the others, but I just felt myself lacking a desire to pick it up. I feel like their story wrapped up so nicely at the end of The Maid, I don’t know if we needed all these extra details and storylines.
That being said, I did love some Gran backstory. That was fun an different. All in all a solid 3 stars.
Thank you netgalley for the arc.

Nita Prose does it again! Molly the Maid and all the characters you love return for another delightful mystery. You'll laugh, speculate, and leave with a full heart.