Nita always writes in an obscure way compared to others but it can be loved once you get the hang of it. I have both of the books in this series 4 stars but the second book was way better than the first. I was excited to get this ARC and I loved reading it. The flow of this story was more seamless and had a nice ending.

I enjoyed this light mystery about a maid who helps solve the murder of a guest speaker at a hotel by applying logic. This book also provides the background of this maid and her relationship with her grandmother.

Another cozy mystery to solve with Molly the maid! This time, Molly is back with all of her quirks and is head maid training a new maid at the hotel. Then a guest speaker at an event dies suddenly and everyone is left to wonder if there is foul play afoot. All the best characters are back- including Molly's grandmother (in flashbacks). Overall, another enjoyable read with this group of characters.

I needed another dose of Molly the Maid! Molly is back again, now head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. And she’s diligently training Lily. When acclaimed author J. D. Grimthorpe picks the Regency for a big announcement, everyone is thrilled. But then he drops dead just as he begins his talk. And the investigation will prove it wasn’t just a health issue. There are plenty of suspects, including some of Molly’s friends. Prose throws in enough red herrings to keep the plot moving at a steady pace.
While Gran is no longer alive, Molly evokes her wisdom on a regular basis. “To err once is human, to err twice is idiotic.” Molly and witticisms like these kept a smile on my face throughout the book.
The book goes back and forth in time between now and Molly’s childhood when her Gran worked for Grimthorpe. The dual storylines work very well together. It gives additional insights into Molly’s youth and her Gran’s personality.
This should definitely not be read out of order. Make sure to read The Maid first so you can appreciate Molly’s growing confidence.
And my favorite quote in the book:

“What do you call it when there’s truth in a story but it’s not a fact?”, I ask.
His face morphs. All the hard lines soften. All the pain dissolves. For the first time ever, he looks giddy and happy and light.
“A novel,” he replies. “You call it a novel.”

There’s plenty of truth in this story. And the ending was perfect. I can only hope there’s a third book to the series.
My thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.

In Molly the Maid's second installment, a famous author she has personal ties to is murdered at the hotel. The book focuses a lot on Molly's backstory and didn't feel like much of a mystery.

It was nice to revisit Molly (from The Maid), but this was not my favorite. Her beloved grandmother was very much a part of the book, but I believe it was a little too much. I know it was needed for the back story, but enough with her helpful phrases. And I am also not sure the point of her boyfriend being out of town and, thus, even mentioned. All of that said, I think if you liked The Maid, you should read this one. Goes quickly and is feeling more like a cozy series.

It was great to be able to see Molly's story and backstory more! I love the writing and the cozy mystery atmosphere of the book. I did enjoy the first book more but was glad that there was a follow-up to one of my favorite books. This book shows Molly's relationship to Gran more in the past which I found the dual timelines to be interesting.

I recently read the first book in this series, so I had to read the sequel. I think this one is better than the first. I enjoyed the back and forth between chapters, from “Before” to present day, so we still get more from Gran. There were a number of small twists, nothing super shocking, but a couple more major twists that I hadn’t seen coming. If you’re a Molly the Maid fan, you should pick this up! I did lose count on how many times the author mentions “chaise lounge,” “Fabrege,” and “in perpetuum”—it was a lot! But overall, a fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reading copy.

I was absolutely obsessed with The Maid so I was so excited to be approved to read this sequel. I loved getting to spend more time with Molly and the adventures she embarked on. I can’t wait for others to experience the joy of this book.

3/5

This book was pretty slow for me but I enjoyed the light-hearted murder mystery. The story had a smooth flow and was an easy read. It goes back and forth between the past and present with only one POV.

I really really struggle with this main character. Personally I do not relate to her and find her just rude to people. So to me it's pretty painful to read. It followed a very similar flow to the first book so there was nothing really earth-shattering for me.

Thank you Random House, Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!

While I didn't like this as much as The Maid, this was a great follow-up. Molly is such a fun and likable character and just like the first book, I wasn't sure where the murder was going. This is a great book club pick and what I think will be a crowd pleaser similar to the Richard Osman series.

I was so excited to get this ARC for “The Mystery Guest” from the fabulous Nita Prose. I highly recommend this book - I was such a fan!

I love this new, light hearted, murder mystery featuring Molly the maid. I felt like we got to know some of the characters better that were also in Nita’s first book so I really liked that too. I love when characters carry over during a series. Molly seemed to have more confidence in this book and still had that dry, blunt sense of humor that she always carry’s. I think toggling between her and her grandmother’s past and her present was perfect. Sometimes when books do this it gets confusing but this was done just right. Lily was an interesting addition to the story. I couldn’t really figure her out. I do like how her character came out of her shell more at the end and I would like to see her in another story so we can get to know her better too. Overall, I enjoyed this read and would recommend it to anyone who likes light, quirky mysteries. I was excited to pick it up after reading “The Maid, (#1), because I fell in love with Molly.

Once again we are immersed in the world of Molly the maid, where she zips hilarious one-liners, as she still takes everything literally. This is a sequel to The Maid, and while it can be read as a stand alone, it does make more sense if you read The Maid first.

A well known reclusive writer has reserved a room at Molly's hotel, the Grand Boutique, and is set to make an earth-shattering statement. But before he can make the statement, he collapses and passes away.. Ever the one to notice what most people overlook, Molly steps in to help the detective assigned to the case, who just happened to be the same detective who accused Molly of murder in the The Maid.

I especially liked the dual timeline, as it showed Molly as a young girl and the bullying she went through for being different. And it also gives more background on her beloved grandmother who reared her, and their relationship.

With twists and turns until the end, this was an enjoyable quick read. I look forward to more in Molly's adventures! Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

When I read "The Maid" last year, I had no idea that it would become a series - but when news of "The Mystery Guest" came out, I was eager to get my hands on it! The novel begins shortly from where the first left off, with Molly being promoted to Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, with a small but strong group of friends and colleagues supporting her. The hotel is prepared to host an event for famed mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe in their recently renovated tea room, in preparation for an upcoming announcement. Things go very wrong though when Grimthorpe dies in the midst of his speech - leaving a whole room of spectators in shock and an equally large number of suspects.

With the (admittedly unwilling) help of Detective Stark, who is not pleased to return to the hotel to investigate another murder, Molly begins to put the pieces together of what happened that day and the possible motivations from the people around her. Much of the novel, however, is dedicated to flashbacks to Molly's past as a young child, being raised by her Gran and her unexpected connection and familiarity to the Grimthorpe family. It's in these flashbacks that some unsettling clues are revealed, which ultimately lead to the truth - not only in revealing the murderer but also setting right long-standing wrongs.

In terms of a mystery novel, I found "The Mystery Guest" better set up with red herrings and potential suspects than its predecessor, and enjoyed the twists and turns that the main plot made. However, my favorite part was in the flashbacks to Molly's past as she joined her Gran at the Grimthorpe mansion where she also worked as a maid; they not only shed light into Molly's present character and her long-standing love of literature, but painted a beautiful relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter who, despite their struggles and difficulties, truly supported and loved one another. I loved the humor and moments of dry wit interspersed with heavier and more profound observations, and the overall tone of the novel felt well-balanced to me.

Excited for when this novel is published in November of 2023 and for future novels in the series!

Molly the Maid is back, and again the reputation of the hotel which she loves, and of which she is fiercely protective, is tarnished because of a murder. Mr. Grimthorpe, a renowed author, dies at the podium at a luncheon in his honor in the newly redecorated dining area. Unbeknown to others, Molly had a personal relationship with the dead author and her gifts of perception about people are able to help her discover the killer. Even the detective from Molly's previous experience with the law is impressed with Molly's investigative skills. Maybe Molly will also become a detective? I will be waiting to see. I received this as an arc from NetGalley and am under no pressure for a positive review.

This is book two in the Molly the Maid series. It can be read as a standalone, but I got a lot out of reading book 1 before reading this. Molly is such a quirky character and it is introduced and helps you understand her if you read book 1.

Book 2 picks up a few years after the events in book 1. Molly and Juan Manuel are happy together. He is going to Mexico to visit his family when all hell once again breaks loose at the Regency hotel. A guest who was there to make a huge announcement dies at the announcement! Not only does he die but we soon discover he was murdered. Now this wasn't just anyone- this was the famous mystery write JD Grimthorpe. We meet a whole slew of new and interesting characters. We meet Ms. Serena, Mr. Grimthorpe's secretary. We meet a group of his biggest fans called the LAMBS. We meet Mrs. Grimthorpe in time jumps from when Molly was a kid. You see Molly and Mr. Grimthorpe have a history which you will find out more about once you read the book.

Anywho this is a classic who dunnit book! I liked Molly working with Detective Sharpe again from book 1. I like that her quirkiness has finally been recognized as a skill. The only reason I didn't give this more stars is because to me it was good but not GREAT. There is something missing that makes it entertaining but not like sit down in one setting entertaining. It may be that there really isn't a TON that happens but more hints and clues that need to be put together to get the big picture. I did like the past chapters that showed Gran and Molly's relationship more. I would recommend this book with the caveat that it is a three star book in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.5
The second book following the same quirky character, Molly, that we met in the wildly popular book, The Maid. I loved The Maid, the cozy mystery, Molly, the relationships, the murder, it was so well done.

The Mystery Guest was good. It was a cozy mystery again, takes place in the same hotel where Molly is now the Head Maid with a written handbook for employees to follow. We have all the same characters in the hotel as before with a few new ones. Honestly, it felt like a bit of a duplicate. I think it's so hard to nail sequels of fantastic first books. This just felt too similar. Location, another death/murder, characters, grandmas quotes, etc.

I did enjoy reading some of Molly and Grans backstory. I loved seeing Molly have a comfortable place with people who love and understand her. The mystery was good enough, and the two for one mystery was an extra treat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advance e-copy of this book.

I LOVE the character of Molly the Maid. The way she looks at the world is unique and always brings a smile to my face. In this second book in the series, Molly is working an event in the Grand Tearoom at the Regency Grand Hotel. The famous mystery author J. D. Grimthorpe has a huge announcement to make. However, before he can make this announcement he keels over dead. It appears that Grimthorpe was murdered. Could the culprit be one of the employees at the hotel or even one of his many admirers? Who has motive to kill him. Further, it seems that Molly has a past connection to the author which gives her insights that others don't have. This book takes place about four years after the events of the first book. Molly has definitely grown as a person since the last installment of this series. If you enjoyed the first book, you will definitely be delighted by this new installment!

I read this and came away think that perhaps this character didn't need a series. The first book was fine but this book to me really felt like a retread. Maybe because of the distinctive style of writing the thoughts of the main character. It was a whole book of deja vu. It was so repetitive. I think the author could have assumed readers would have read the first book and understood it. It almost felt like it was made from cut pieces from the first.