I really enjoyed this sequel!! I love following Molly along on her adventures and it is such a cozy mystery that has so much heart but isn’t too fluffy (if that makes sense) I enjoyed The Maid a bit more but this was a strong sequel and I hope we get more stories from Molly and the gang!

What a fantastic tale! It teaches us to never underestimate anyone as it can result in failure in the end. The story revolves around Molly, a maid, who, with the help of her friends, solves a murder case and uncovers the monsters disguised as humans. The plot is full of twists and turns, making it a great mystery. The main goal is to prevent the loss of human lives, and Molly manages to catch a thief but still gives them a chance to reform. This highlights how Molly is a better person than many individuals in real life. I highly recommend this book to everyone.i

The Mystery Guest was a great follow-up to The Maid! Do you need to have read The Maid prior to starting this one? Not necessarily, but I don't think you'd get as much enjoyment out of The Mystery Guest if you skip it.

The mystery Molly is trying to solve takes a bit of a backseat so that we can get more of her memories working alongside her Gran as a child. If the series continues, I really hope we get more flashback chapters of Gran as she sounds like someone I wish I knew in real life.

If you loved Molly's character in The Maid, you will absolutely love The Mystery Guest!

Oh, Molly! I read the first and second in this series back to back and enjoyed quirky Molly the most. While it reads similar to Agatha Christie, it’s lively and spunky and I couldn’t help but cheer for my favorite maid! A great read if you’re a fan of this genre!

An excellent addition to the Molly the Maid series. Molly must solve a mystery when a popular author is murdered on the hotel premises where she works. Molly’s secret ties to the author make her a suspect. Molly’s quirky character is endearing and her personality drives the plot. The cozy-type mystery was solid and fun to read.

Molly the maid is back and Nita Prose does it again! This is definitely my favorite light and semi funny murder mystery of the year!

Huge thank you to Ballantine Books for providing me with an advance copy to read!

Very much enjoyed reading this book. Loved book #1 and this one did not disappoint. I loved all the characters, and it was a quick and easy read. Also - the ending was perfect!

Molly The Maid is back and she’s even better than she was in the first book! Molly has more confidence in herself now and she’s been promoted to Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, which gives her a huge amount of pride.

The story involves a famous mystery author who has arranged to make a special announcement at the hotel’s beautiful tea room. Unfortunately he drops dead right before he can reveal the secret he was going to reveal. Is it murder or a heart attack or something like that? Molly gets involved.

It turns out that Molly knew the author a little bit when she was young and her grandmother (her “gran”) worked as a maid in his mansion. We get a lot of Molly’s (and her grans) back story in this one, with the chapters labeled either “now” or “before, so you are never lost as to what’s happening and when.

Molly is what we would call neurodivergent. She is rather lacking in interpreting social cues (although she’s getting better at it!) and is usually quite literal. It brings to mind the children’s books about Amelia Bedelia.

I love how the author highlights the importance of these “invisible” jobs and the pride that many of these workers take in their work. Nothing delights Molly as much as a perfectly made bed or a perfectly polished piece of silver.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Random House for my copy of The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. This is book two in the Molly the Maid series and it was such a fun sequel.

I listened to this on audio and I feel the audio helps bring alive these books! I thought this book was fun and I liked seeing more of Molly's backstory.
I'm curious if there will be a third book based on the ending!

Lauren Ambrose is a great narrator and the audiobook is just over 8 hours. I recommend reading The Maid before reading this one.

I enjoyed The Maid and was excited to read the sequel. To be honest, I don't think a sequel was necessary. This was a quick read, but it wasn't as engaging or dramatic as The Maid. It dragged a little for me. However, I enjoyed learning more about Molly and how she came to be a maid. Overall, this was an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

3.5 stars! Molly has evolved a bit from the first book but is still her quirky self. Some of the mystery is figure-out-able but it was still a quick, fun read for me. I enjoyed the intertwining of bits of the backstory from Book 1 into this one, including the fact Molly is 'on the spectrum'.

I absolutely adored this book! I read it only a day and a half. It was an easy fun read. I enjoyed it even better than the Maid. Molly is one of my all time favorite characters.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Molly the Maid is such a memorable unique voice so when I saw this book I thrilled to revisit her and her world. I work in hotels so I love this setting and the inter workings of the hotel are so well thought through and accurate.

This time we are a few years from the murder in her hotel and she is the head maid onboarding a new team and doing a fab job at that. There is a famous author, Mr Grimthorpe, staying at her hotel and when he drops dead before a major speech all eyes are back on the staff and Molly. The book goes back and forth from present to before when Molly and Gran (my favorite character!) are cleaning a mansion for work and it turns out to be this author. Molly and Grimthorpe had a sort of relationship back then but he didn’t remember her at the hotel. Now that he’s dead she needs to take it upon herself to again clear her name and anyone she trusts.

My favorite part of this one is the before times and the drama of the mansion and Grimthorpe couple. Gran is such a steadfast beautiful character and so understanding and loving. Loved returned to this story and these characters.

Molly Gray stands out from the crowd, a unique individual known for her exceptional skills in cleaning and proper etiquette. Her ascent through the ranks of the illustrious five-star Regency Grand Hotel culminates in her prestigious role as Head Maid. However, just as Molly's life achieves a pinnacle of perfection, the tranquillity is shattered when J.D. Grimthorpe, a world-renowned mystery author, meets a sudden and dead end on the hotel's tea room floor.

Detective Stark, an old adversary of Molly, takes charge of investigating the author's unexpected demise, revealing that this death was a murder most foul. The narrative unfolds through alternating timelines—present-day events and glimpses into Molly's childhood when her Gran worked for Grimthorpe. The intertwining storylines complement each other seamlessly, offering additional insights into Molly's youth and her Gran's character. Notably, the chapters set in the past resonated more strongly with me than those in the present.

I would recommend that you read the first book first before starting this one. It's essential to start with "The Maid" to appreciate Molly's growth and increasing confidence fully. The novel promises a captivating blend of mystery, nostalgia, and character development, with Molly's unique journey at the forefront.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is I think the second book in the series with The Maid being book one. I love this book and I can’t wait to go back and read The Maid. I couldn’t put this book down.

Molly is a maid and she works at the Regency Grand Hotel as the Head Maid. Molly has hired a maid in training named Lily. Molly is happy in her life living with her boyfriend Juan Manuel.

It’s been quiet at the Regency Grand, four years have passed since the last murder has happened. JD Grimthorpe wants to make a big announcement and decided to hold a press conference at the Regency Grand. Before he can make his announcement he is found dead. It has been ruled a murder and Detective Stark is back investigating the murder. Now is a case of who did it and with Molly being to one that holds the key to solve the murder.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery and it was such an enjoyable read. I love the way Nita has written Mollys character as obsessive, a lil quirky, and fun. I cannot wait to dive into the Maid!! I give this book 4.5 stars. Thank you to Ballantine Books, Nita Prose and NetGalley for letting me read the ARC in exchange for my thoughts and opinions.

This is a fun cozy mystery with a quirky and likeable heroine, but I think it lacked a lot of the charm of the first in the series. It just wasn't as memorable to me.

"Loose lips, sink ships!" Molly is back at it! Does Molly get on my nerves at times, sure! BUT I just adore this character all the same! I really liked the deeper background story that we received in this installment of in the series. I would highly recommend, especially if you enjoyed the first book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝔾𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥! 💙🕵🏼

𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓖𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀

ᴛʜᴇ ᴍʏꜱᴛᴇʀʏ ɢᴜᴇꜱᴛ ʙʏ ɴɪᴛᴀ ᴘʀᴏꜱᴇ
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮:
💙 cozy murder mystery
💙 quirky characters
💙 past & present timeline
💙 FMC's POV

My husband and I actually read the first book in this series together and really enjoyed it so I was so happy that I was approved for an ARC of the second book in the series!! I absolutely love Molly and her quirky little self. Molly is a rule follower who also doesn't pick up on social cues easily. I loved how this book had a past vs. present timeline so we were able to get to experience Molly's past self as she was growing up. I always love a cozy murder mystery, but I did guess the ending right from the get go so there was only a little bit of suspense for me. Overall though, I really enjoyed reading this! I do recommend reading the first book in the series, however you could read this one as a standalone.

I enjoyed this book so much more than the first one!

Molly Gray is a rule-follower, doesn't always catch social cues, and often takes things too literally. In this installment Molly is now Head Maid of the five-star Regency Grand Hotel, and it's a well-deserved promotion. So when the esteemed novelist J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead in the Hotel Tea Room Molly can't believe it. It brings up all the old fears and anxieties from her encounter with a dead body in Book 1.

I loved experiencing Molly coming into her own. She is more respected, has learned more about her job and the world, who she can trust and who she can't. She's much more emboldened and recognizes her worth. The best part is the glimpse into Molly's past. The 'Before' chapters share with us Molly's upbringing, how she ended up with her beloved Gran, and why she loves to clean so much. Not only does Molly try to solve the mystery of J.D. Grimthorpe's death, but she also has to hide the fact that she's known Mr. Grimthorpe since she was a little girl.

Molly's character arc will be a joy to read if the next book takes her even further afield.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cute sequel. Last year's The Maid was a very pleasant surprise to me, I loved Molly and this sequel wasn't an exception. Does she grate on me a bit? Yes, but not enough to detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Famous author JD Grimthorpe has come to the Regency Grand Hotel to make a surprise announcement, but before he can give his speech, he drops dead right in front of the crowd. Soon it become clear that the death was not an accident, and Molly knows more about the author than everyone knows. Can she assist the police to find the killer--and help to protect the reputation of the hotel?

This is a cozy mystery featuring the quirky Molly and readers get to know more about Molly's past and some of the things that shaped her as she grew up. There are some surprising reveals, but the book is just delightful and fun to read overall. I liked seeing the growth of Molly as a character, she is now Head Maid and takes her job quite seriously. I like that others see Molly's potential and encourage her to break free from rigidity.

You'll miss out on the character connections if you don't read the first book before embarking on this one, but the mystery does stand alone.