This is more of a short story than a novella if we're being honest. There is no murder mystery to solve in this with the "mystery" revolving around the relationship between Molly and her boyfriend. I would put this more in the genre of romance than mystery. That being said, I did not particulary enjoy this title. I found the characters to be cloying and uninteresting. Definitely needed a murder to add some spice to this dull entry in the series. However, fans of the series will likely enjoy reading this to spend time with the established characters.

** “I’m reminded of what she always taught me about gift giving: for the pure of heart, the giving is greater than the getting.” **

Nita Prose continues the story of Molly Gray, the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, with the sweet holiday novella “The Mistletoe Mystery.”

As Molly and her boyfriend Juan, the hotel’s head of pastry, excitedly prepare for the Christmas season, things slowly start to become confusing to Molly. Juan keeps mysteriously disappearing, she sees him places she shouldn’t and he’s suddenly much more drained of energy than usual. She becomes paranoid, worrying that she’s not good enough for him.

But as the staff prepares for its Secret Santa party, she hopes for the best, with the support of her friend Angela and grandfather Mr. Preston, both who also work at the hotel. Will Molly find a glimmer of hope amongst the paranoia?

Prose does a lovely job of creating a story reminiscent of O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” She sets up a story that delightfully weaves between hope and concern, all while returning to her characters that we have both grown to love and loathe.

She also fills “The Mistletoe Mystery,” which is due out Oct. 1, with several great themes, like shine bright in the dark; showing kindness; the danger of jumping to conclusions; feeling unsettled; and, most importantly, the importance and impact of giving.

Five stars out of five.

Ballantine Books provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

A novella in the delightful Molly the Maid series.

This was a light and easy read - we follow Molly as she is happily getting ready for the Christmas season. She continues to work at the prestigious Regency Grand Hotel, and she is very much in love with her boyfriend Juan Manuel. But when getting ready for the staff party at the hotel, she starts to question whether she is really able to trust Juan. She notices some strange behavior and isn't sure that Juan is telling her the truth. What is going on?

The solution to this 'mystery' was very obvious to the reader from early on in the book, but not to Molly. We see the world through her eyes, as she tries to navigate body language, the meaning behind what people say and other things that are not straightforward to such a literal person.

It was a charming and enjoyable short read. I'm looking forward to the next full-length novel in this series.

Molly is back, and this short novella featuring her boyfriend Juan is so much fun. Hardworking Molly and Juan are getting ready for Christmas festivities at the hotel. What makes this short novel doubly fun is getting a behind the scenes glimpse of each of the characters we know from the series thus far- Mr. Preston, Cheryl, Mr. Snow, Lily and Angela. Using flashbacks featuring Gran to share more about Molly’s past, Prose seamlessly creates an understanding of the lessons she learned from this wise woman.

Unfortunately, everything is not idyllic for Molly and Juan as these preparations occur. Molly has her ever-present detective-senses on high alert. What is happening? Surely something is amiss. While this is one Molly does not solve, as it is solved for her, it is worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Title: The Mistletoe Mystery
Series: Molly The Maid #2.5
Author: Nita Prose
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: October 1, 2024
My Rating: 4.7 rounded up
Pages: 128

Molly Gray is not like everyone else, she is unique. Sometime called unflattering names but one name that is right on is that she is “an Old Soul”. Molly will say things that certainly aren’t things a typical ‘Gen Z’ would say.
She was raise by her wise grandmother’s simple rules. Grandma always had a quote or something positive about everything. Gran was an excellent domestic maid and Molly wanted to be like her. Molly has an obsession with cleaning and proper etiquette so no surprise that she would be successful at the Regency Grand a 5 star hotel.
Gran Molly struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran would translate into simple rules that Molly could better understand and therefore live by. Christmas is a tough time for Molly, as she misses her Gran -always made Christmas magical. In fact, Molly thought after Gran died she would never know joy again. However handsome Juan Manual a baker- the Head of Pastry at the Regency Grand came into her life several years ago and they have been happily living together, Juan is great at keeping Gran's traditions alive plus he has some ideas of his own.
The staff Holiday party is getting closer which it is always a wonderful festive occasion however, Molly has a feeling something is off and Juan’s mysterious behavior isn’t helping.
True not a typically mystery – the title is more “The Holiday Misunderstanding”.
However, I just loved it!
Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for this early eGalley. Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 1, 2024.

I always love being in Mollys world. Nita Prose does such a wonderful job with her characters & settings. I love being back at the Regency Grand & all the folks. I went into this blind, thinking it was acute Christmas caper, but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. No spoilers but this was just darling! I cannot wait for the next book in the Regency Grand/Molly Gray line up.

The Mistletoe Mystery is quite different from the other books in the Maid series! The mystery featured in this short Novella is certainly less nefarious than the first two books! It's also a fun addition to the storyline and definitely has character building on the main characters.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and #NetGalley for early access to read The Mistletoe Mystery in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun addition to the Molly the Maid trilogy! I have been in my Christmas reading era so this came to me at the perfect time! I was so happy that Juan returned in this installment as a prominent addition. I enjoy Juan as a character and loved getting to see him carry on some of Gran’s traditions as well as introducing Molly to some of his own. The mystery element is different in this novella but as expected everything falls into place. If you are wanting a cozy, short, fun read to get you into the Christmas spirit or to keep the October Christmas spirit alive definitely pick this one up!!

It's hard not to have some affection for our heroine Molly. She's overcome a lot and now has the happy life she deserves. Sadly, mere affection is not enough here. Only the most rabidly devoted reader will enjoy this saccharine "mystery." Even the most hapless of sleuths (me) will figure out where the solution pretty quickly. Without a good mystery to prop up the book, it devolves into a series of tired tropes: the practical wisdom of Gram, the good-hearted cheer of Juan Manuel, the lazy insolence of Cheryl, etc. What's meant to be a warm-hearted cozy holiday mystery falls flat. This story reduced Molly to a stereotypical autistic dolt spinning her handful of catchphrases. It's a disappointment.

The Mistletoe Mystery is book 3 is the Molly the Maid mystery series. I really enjoyed books 1 & 2 in the series so I was very excited to read book 3.

I would describe Book 3 as more of a short story set during Christmas. It can “stand alone” for those who haven’t read the other books in the series, however I think it would be more enjoyable to those who have. Like books 1 and 2 the story takes place at the Regency Grand Hotel and Molly’s Apt. It also brings back the old familiar cast of characters. It’s a “cozy mystery” and a quick, light, sweet holiday read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This was a cute Christmas themed story for Molly the Maid.

First thank you to Random house and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Synopsis: Molly the maid is back and this time it is Christmas time.

What I liked: Molly the maid is very straight forward and her stories are delightful. Molly and Juan are still going strong. The hotel is having a Christmas party for the staff including secret Santa. The mystery is very cozy involving Juan and his actions before the Christmas party. No spoilers but it was a great ending and perfect for the holiday season.

I forced myself to wait until September to read this Christmas novella, it feels closer substantially closer to the holidays than August! Well, I loved this. I loved this more than The Mystery Guest, but know that I'll read any other books that come in this series because Molly is just the MOST charming character ever. I loved the holiday twist and all the Molly-isms, they'll never get old.

This was the coziest of cozy holiday mystery novellas that sees Head Maid, Molly and her boyfriend, Juan Manuel, sharing their various Christmas traditions and building new ones together as they count down to the Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel.

Expect cameos from all the beloved (and not so beloved) past side characters, some misdirection, memories of Gran a sweet surprise and absolutely no dead bodies. I really enjoyed this O. Henry, Gift of the Magi retelling that was great on audio narrated by Lauren Ambrose.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! Fans of the series won't want to miss this feel good hug of a book as they eagerly await the next full-length Molly Maid mystery!

Molly the Maid is back at it again! This is the third book in the “maid series” by Nita Prose”. Molly is now the head maid at the Hyatt Regency and this book centers around the holiday season and all the traditions Millie holds near. I absolutely love how Millie views the world, she reminds the reader to enjoy the simple things in life, to be grateful for what you have and it’s better to give than receive. My favorite parts of the book were seeing Christmas through her eyes and I hope to carry that gratitude into my own holiday season this year. Solid 4 star book, this one was a fast read. I wish it was longer.

The maid

The Mistletoe Mystery: Nita Prose
Pub Date: Oct 1, 2024

This was a cute Christmas story with all Molly’s favorite people. While Molly is clearly unique, I did not see the confidence that she had in previous stories. When she talked about her differences, it was in a more negative way. Rather before where it was evident that Gran made her proud of who she was and her different way of thinking. Molly is one of my favorite characters of all time, it warmed my heart for others to appreciate her the way she deserves. I finished this book in a day. It was more of a mystery for Molly than I, the reader, but even being predictable is was an enjoyable story.

Book: Mistletoe Mystery
Author: Nita Prose
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine
Pub Date: October 1, 2024

This is a “maid novella” which means a short story. As soon as I seen this on NetGalley I requested it and never read the summary. If I had the read summary I wouldn’t have read it. Spoiler: nobody dies. It’s a heartwarming story about the true spirit of Christmas….blah blah blah blah. If you know you know. I don’t welcome heartwarming. I adore Molly Gray but I need a death. I am still giving this book a fair shake with three stars even though it’s basically a romance. I refuse to give Molly a bad review just because she is in love and because this book was written well for what it was intended. It is a very cute festive read. If you like that sort of thing. I am back to anxiously awaiting The Maid’s Secret out on April 8, 2025.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is October 1, 2024.

If you read The Maid and wanted more, this book is for you. It had been a while since I read The Maid, and I was worried I wouldn't remember the characters, but I picked right up on everyone and did remember them from the first book. Now I know there is a second book in the series as this is technically 2.5 but I haven't yet read it and didn't feel like I needed to, to read this one. I loved this, such a fun heartwarming short story. I highly recommend!

The Mistletoe Mystery - Nita Prose
Pub Date: Oct 1, 2o24
Rating: 3/5

Thoughts:
Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I'm a huge fan of the Maid books, so I was very excited about this short story. It was a very well done narrative with Molly, Head Maid, who is wrapped up in yet another mystery in which she is questioning her relationship during her favorite part of the year, the holidays. I do feel like this one was incredibly predictable and was more of a cute story than an actual mystery/thriller, but still very enjoyable and fun for the season! It is also a very quick read-- I was able to start and finish it on the same day.

Check out this short story releasing on Oct 1, 2024.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC!

I am a HUGE fan of Molly! I've read all three books now and am eagerly anticipating the next in the series! I'm also a huge Christmas fan, so this was made for me!

It was VERY short, so don't go in expecting a super deep and complicated plot, but rather a short and sweet revistitation of Molly with some holiday pizzazz thrown in! I think expectations are everything when reading, so if you go in with that in mind, I think you'll enjoy the quick ride!

I definitely recommend grabbing this book with a peppermint mocha this holiday season!

This will be available on Oct 1st, 2024!