Molly Gray is proud to be the Head Maid & Special Events Manager at the opulent five-star Regency Grand hotel, which is 'a timeless treasure, a five-star Art Deco jewel.' Molly is engaged to Juan Manuel, the head pastry chef at the Regency Grand, and the betrothed couple are happily planning a small wedding at city hall - which is all they can afford on their modest salaries.

Today, though, Molly has other things on her mind. The hit TV show 'Hidden Treasures' - where celebrity appraisers Brown and Beagle assess items brought in by the general public - is filming an episode in the Grand Tearoom of the Regency Grand. Molly is in charge of the tearoom, and when it's full of guests, Molly will ring the bell and 'a tuxedo-clad army of waiters will march in carrying triple-tier tea trays replete will all manner of delicacies.'

In addition, the hotel staff has been invited to bring collectibles for Brown and Beagle to appraise before the show starts. Molly has a curio cabinet filled with her late Gran's 'treasures', and she packs up souvenir spoons, a vintage teacup, a Swarovski swan, an old key, and a bejeweled ornamental egg on a golden pedestal that Molly thinks is 'a worthless trinket'. As it turns out, Beagle assesses the egg as a one-of-a kind Fabergé treasure, worth at least five million dollars.

Molly immediately becomes a public and internet sensation, with people chasing her down for autographs and selfies. This is awful for Molly, who just wants to go about her 'Molly the maid' job, 'returning the hotel rooms to a state of perfection.' Brown and Beagle convince Molly to let them auction off the Fabergé egg, which will make Molly rich AND quell the public attention. When the egg is sold for ten million dollars, it starts a string of trouble that involves Molly, her friends, her grandfather, and Police Detective Stark.

The brouhaha about the Fabergé egg is interspersed with entries from the diary of Molly's deceased Gran, a maid who raised Molly on her sparse salary. Molly and Gran's apartment was small with threadbare furniture, but it was always sparkling clean and filled with warmth. Gran had been a quiet, affable woman who taught life lessons with sayings like:

To err once is human. To err twice is idiotic.

If you choose the right job, you'll never work a day in your life.

A life without love is not worth living.

Molly thought Gran had struggled all her life, so Gran's diary comes as an astounding revelation. Gran's journal reveals her name was Flora Gray, and she was 'born into a life of unimaginable wealth and privilege.' Flora's parents were entitled snobs who taught their daughter to look down on anyone below their social class, and Flora wholeheartedly embraced the snobbery and pretension. Gran's diary goes on and on in this vein, detailing her arrogant behavior (which is REALLY horrible), and leading to the unfortunate events that caused her downfall.

By the end of the book, things settle down, and Molly and Manuel get married and make plans for their future.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. On the one hand, it's fun to visit with the recurring characters, including;

Angela - a hotel bartender who's Molly's best friend;
Mr. Preston - Molly's recently discovered gran-dad;
Mr. Snow - the manager of the Regency Grand Hotel;
Cheryl - a petty thief and the worst maid in the world;
Police Detective Stark - who's investigated several cases at the Regency Grand; and more.

Conversely, the 'mystery' in the story is rather mundane and Gran's diary is completely unbelievable. It's impossible to reconcile the sweet caring Gran detailed in previous books with the mean pretentious Flora Gray described in Gran's journal. In addition, Flora's 'love interests' are straight out of generic romance novels. In my view, Gran's diary is filler for a thin story.

Nevertheless, I'm a fan of 'Molly the Maid', and it was entertaining to follow her adventures in this tale.

Thanks to Netgalley, Nita Prose, and Ballantine Books for a copy of the book.

This book was not at all what I expected which made it really hard for me to get into at first. While all the other books in the series have been cozy mysteries, this one was more about Gran and Molly’s family history. I didn’t feel as if Molly was the main character in this one and she didn’t have the same energy that I loved so much in the first two books! The letters from her grandma didn’t seem to flow with the timeline of the rest of the story and it felt a bit disjointed.

Overall, I have really enjoyed this series and thought this was a nice ending. Molly is so charming and this cast of characters is very lovable. Molly’s relationship with each character is so special and well written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I don't know what it is about these books but I absolutely love them. They are not my usual type of book I read but they keep me interested and happy every time i read one. This book I loved as it gave so much more of a backstory. Honestly I think I was more intrigued with the back story than with the actual story being told! Either way I enjoyed this book and it was just a warm cozy book that brought a smile to my face.

I loved the first book in this series but my adoration has gone down with each book and this one just really didn't do it for me. I felt like it was too repetitive of what had happened before- I don't think her Gran's story was anything new as it was all hinted at previously. The mystery in this one wasn't that thrilling. I don't know if it's because cosy mysterys may not be my thing or what but I just didn't connect with this one.

It gave what I didn't know I wanted!

I was both excited and sad for the conclusion of The Maid series. Molly is one of my most cherished characters, and this finale to her saga was bittersweet. Her relationship with Gran is so special, so the fact that Nita was able to incorporate her into this story was brilliant. I was prepared for another mystery, but instead was given a heartwarming genealogy. It is exactly the ending I wanted but wasn't expecting.

An incredible conclusion to an incredible series! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC (even though my pre-order arrived first) haha. I hope Molly's story continues to touch people.

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.

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