This was one of my favorite of the series. Good mystery. Loved getting the backstory on Gran. Nice happy ending for most. Thanks NetGalley for the review kindle copy.

Oh, how lucky are we readers to get a new Molly the Maid book?!! In this book, Molly discovers that a lifelong trinket she admires is actually much more than meets the eye. The usual cast of characters abound in this novel, and we get to catch up on all of their current happenings. It's always a treat to get immersed in Molly's literal world. Read and enjoy!

Quick, easy and pleasant read. Nothing challenging, nothing deep, lotsa holes in the plot, but enjoyable nevertheless. The good guys win. Nice finale to the series. If you enjoyed the first two, you’ll enjoy this one. If you haven’t read the first two, you should read them before reading this one.

I appreciate this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Molly Gray holds a special place in my heart. It has been a joy to follow her story from the start, with The Maid to her most current book, The Maid’s Secret.
In The Maid’s Secret, Molly is the Head Maid and Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly’s life is about to change when she brings in some old trinkets to be appraised on the popular antiques show Hidden Treasure. When her items are appraised at millions, Molly becomes an instant celebrity.
Molly decides to sell her treasure and becomes part of a mystery when her treasure disappears on auction day. The mystery lies in a diary written by Molly’s Grandma. When Molly reads the diary about her grandmother’s past, she learns about her grandmother’s secrets and greatest love.
This book hit all the marks for me. It had a mystery, Molly and her awesome personality, and her loving grandmothers words and stories.

4 stars

Honestly, the book took me a while to get into, but in the end I really enjoyed it. I did enjoy Gran's chapters arguably more than Molly's, but it was overall a nice conclusion to the story. Flora and John forever. I did enjoy the cozy mystery aspect of this series with a solid cast of side characters. There were so many deeper messages of these books, and I will continue to recommend this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3 out of 5 stars - A Cozy Return, but Missing the Spark

I was excited to dive back into Molly's world after enjoying The Maid, and while The Maid's Secret offers the same charming tone and quirky narration, it didn't quite capture the magic of the first, (or second and even the Christmas novella), book for me. Molly remains an endearing character, and her unique perspective still brings a fresh take to the mystery genre. The hotel setting once again serves as a fun backdrop, with its hidden dramas and secrets.
However, the plot felt a bit predictable this time around, and the pacing dragged in places. Some of the twists were easy to see coming, and a few new characters felt underdeveloped. That said, Nita Prose still writes with warmth and heart, and fans of cozy mysteries will likely enjoy the ride.
It's a pleasant read, just not as memorable or gripping as I hoped. A solid follow-up, but not quite a standout.

The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose was another story about the lovable Molly the Maid. Future husband, Juan Manuel, plays a big role in the story, as do some of the past featured characters. Molly appears on an Antiques Roadshow type show with a box full of her Gran's mementos. She's given some pretty interesting news but it isn't until she delves into Gran's diary that she discovers the past that Gran never spoke of. The diary entries are so genuine that you feel for Gran and her life. Without giving away the details, I was pleased by the ending. I find Prose's writing style very enjoyable. She has careful consideration for the descriptions of her characters, they are likable, nice people. I'm hoping we can have another Molly the Maid and Juan the Pastry Chef story.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

The way that I invested myself with this series! I love Molly. In this book we have another beautiful backdrop, dual timelines, secrets and a mystery. Without saying much, we are twisting through figuring out who might be after Molly after a heist occurs and her life is in danger. Could her Grans diary have the answers and will they get to the bottom of it all before it’s too late?? This book will have you on the edge from start to finish and the way I sat with this after the ending. I love this series and I am definitely in need of more of Nita’s mysteries! Snag this series up if you haven’t started it already because it’s the best time of your life!

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books

This book was a quick, easy read, but my least favorite of the series. I adore Molly and her quirks, as well as Juan and his love for Molly. At first, I struggled through the chapters about Gran, but became more intrigued as the story progressed! Still a worthy, spring time read for me!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine for the ARC of this book! All opinions in this review are my own.

This is the third book following Molly the maid. Recently engaged to her beloved, Juan Manuel, she is excited to have the hosts of Hidden Treasures visit the Grand Regency hotel. The employees of the hotel are encouraged to bring in heirlooms to be appraised, and Molly brings in an egg that she inherited from a home her Gran worked at previously. To Molly's surprise, it's worth millions and her life changes overnight. After being auctioned, the egg vanishes, and Molly must figure out what happened to it. The answer to the crime is within a diary left behind for Molly from her Gran.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Molly is one of my favorite literary characters, ever. I love reading a story from the POV of a neurodivergent main character. Molly is charming, sweet, and devoted to everything in her life. The book jumps between present day, and Gran's diary entries, and I adored every second of the story. Gran's chapters straight up had me crying at the end, and we all deserve the type of love Gran had for Molly. Gran's chapters are a great reminder than we can all learn and grow as people.

Pick this book up if you've enjoyed the other Maid books. You will need to read those prior to this book to fully enjoy the story and understand the character growth within the story. It's a fantastic addition to this series, and I have nothing but praise for Nita Prose! This series is wonderful!

I finished this book in just a few days. I had this advanced copy but realized I never read book 2 in the series, so needed to read that first. This book does a great job of tying up loose ends and fleshing out characters from previous books. I did enjoy getting to know much more about Molly's Gran (essentially her entire life story) and the back and forth between the present day and Gran's story worked for me. It felt like this was a natural conclusion to Molly's story, so I don't expect further books and now need to read the Christmas themed novella.

What I would have liked to see was much more of Juan Manuel, Molly's fiance. He was hardly in book 2, so I had high hopes to know more about him and his background, but he was mostly a peripheral character, which was a letdown given he is the most important person to Molly save for her late Gran. And in the final pages, it might have made sense for his family to be present, but they were no shows which didn't make sense to me as they are only in Mexico and could have traveled.

I also did not completely buy into the present-day activities involving the Antiques Roadshow-esque plot and felt some characters didn't add much as they were not very compelling. I loved the first book, but have felt the sequels did not quite measure up to the original.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. I appreciated being given a copy for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this amazing ARC of one of my favorite series. Book three of the Molly the Maid series finds our very own Molly in the limelight as she's just discovered her precious faberge egg that belonged to her late grandmother is worth a lot of money. Molly and Juan Manuel must decide what to do with it - sell it and become rich or keep it. The decision is made for them when the egg disappears and death threats begin. Just as quickly as the egg is stolen, it is returned with another threat, "Sell it or die." Molly and her cast of hotel friends must work together to track down the perpetrator before it's too late. I absolutely adored this one as we get to finally hear Gran's story and how she came to be the caretaker of Molly and her tragic love story had me in tears. This one made me laugh a lot, cry a little and the ending was absolute perfection. I adore Molly the Maid and her stories, so I do hope Nita Prose isn't finished with her story just yet.

Molly the Maid books are always cute and quick reads. This one was exciting and I enjoyed the flashbacks to Gran’s life and her journal entries. Good mystery and will recommend for our cozy mystery display as well as neurodivergent characters display.

I enjoyed it even though it was anticlimactic.

I think this is a great wrap-up for the series🥹 all the characters in the book are so lovely & I love every single one of them🫶

I love Molly the Maid and Juan Manuel. Their wedding is just 2 months away, and they can hardly wait.
The Regency Grand has decided to host a show called Hidden Treasures, where Brown and Beagle, art appraisers, come and film the show to appraise people's treasures. Molly and her co-workers are asked to bring in any items they want to have appraised. Crazy enough, one of Molly's items is appraised very highly. She can become a millionaire. But an art heist changes things. Molly and her ragtag of friends must go back to the past to figure out the present. Thanks to Molly's Gran, who left Molly her journal with her life story in it, they were able to work backwards and solve things.

Was this my favorite Molly the Maid book? No, it wasn't. It was still enjoyable and interesting enough to get me reading. I think the back and forth of present and past and also seeing who Gran was at a younger age kind of annoyed me. It wasn't the Gran we all know and love.

Thanks Netgalley and Ballantine Books for sending me a free copy of this book to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes going into The Maid's Secret because I really enjoyed the first two books but this one didn't quite measure up for me. The pacing was slow, and it felt like not much was happening for the first half of the story. It took a while to reconnect with the characters that I've really enjoyed in the past..

That said, the second half definitely picked up. The twists started coming, and I finally felt more invested in where the story was going. Once the secrets started unraveling, things got more engaging, and I was curious to see how it would all end.

Overall, it’s a decent read, but you’ll need a bit of patience to get through the slow beginning. If you like slow-burn mysteries, this might be more your style.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t my favorite. While Molly the maid is near and dear to my heart, this same storyline has run its course. Gran’s voice that was sprinkled through on the previous books has changed to a series of flashbacks, which aren’t my favorite. Still as the wholesome loveable storyline, just missed the mark for me.

Nita Prose returns with The Maid’s Secret, a captivating and heartfelt follow-up that reintroduces readers to Molly Gray—our meticulous, socially unique, and utterly endearing hotel maid turned amateur sleuth. This time, Prose delves deeper into Molly’s past while unraveling a new, high-stakes mystery that tugs at both the intellect and the heartstrings.

The novel picks up in the same world of polished surfaces and hidden truths, where Molly finds herself entangled in a fresh investigation that echoes unresolved moments from her past. What distinguishes The Maid’s Secret is how Prose skillfully balances intrigue with character growth. While the mystery at the core is compelling and well-paced, it’s Molly’s evolving inner world—her vulnerability, resilience, and pursuit of belonging—that gives the story its emotional resonance.

Prose’s prose (no pun intended) remains tight, accessible, and infused with empathy. Her ability to write a neurodivergent character without resorting to stereotype is both refreshing and important, offering a protagonist who is unique yet universally relatable. Themes of justice, truth, and quiet strength are seamlessly interwoven, making the novel not just a mystery, but a meditation on personal growth and the search for meaning in unlikely places.

With its deft plotting, unexpected emotional depth, and the return of a character readers can’t help but root for, The Maid’s Secret is both a satisfying continuation and a standalone triumph. It will undoubtedly appeal to fans of The Maid, as well as to new readers drawn to character-driven mysteries with heart.

LOVE!!! 5 out of 5 Stars!!!

Note: Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.
I was delighted to learn more about Gran's story—such a rewarding thread throughout the series. I loved how everything came full circle, with themes like the Fabergé egg and the idea of being a “good egg” woven throughout. While the mysteries in this novella and the final novel leaned more toward life and family revelations rather than traditional murder mysteries, Gran’s arc kept me deeply engaged. Honestly, I would have preferred Gran’s story to be the novella instead—it had that much heart and depth.

I am so happy to have received a preview of "The Maid's Secret" by Nita Prose. I love the character of Molly, definitely out of line, enterprising but very scatterbrained. We have seen our Molly grow up and finally here she is again in an incredible adventure. Here we will also be able to discover a lot about molly's famous grandmother, are we ready?
Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this book in preview in exchange for my honest opinion.