Ok I'm done with this series, it is not for me. Every character is a bumbling idiot and I actually cannot understand why this was written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for sending me this book!

The Maid's Secret finishes Nita Prose's popular Molly the Maid series after three books and one novella. If you haven't read the series, you should start with the author's multiple-award-winning debut, The Maid, to get a feel for Molly, who isn't the best at interpreting social cues but has no equal in her commitment and ability to become the perfect hotel maid. In the first two books, Molly's career and social life evolve, as she also finds herself helping to solve murders that threaten the reputation of the posh hotel where she works.

In this book, much of the focus is on Molly's cherished, late Gran, who lovingly raised her and prepared her for the life challenges she would experience. With new access to her grandmother's journal, Molly (along with the reader) gains a new understanding of the early years of Flora Grey's often-harrowing life. The journal also yields clues to help Molly with a challenging situation she is facing, at the same time as she prepares for her upcoming wedding.

The author has a light touch with the mystery, with little real danger and no violence, although the details are entertaining. The mystery takes a bit of a back seat here, as the book is more of a character study of Molly and, in alternating chapters, her grandmother Flora. It is the singular character of Molly and how she approaches life and its trials that impressed me in the first book and has carried me through the rest of the series.

My thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Well if that wasn't just heartwarming without being cheesy, sad without being maudlin, and mysterious without being frightening. Dear readers, I'm charmed.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Nita Prose for the eARC! I love this series! The Maid Series are must-reads in my opinion! HIGHLY recommend!

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose
Publishing date - 04/08/25
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Nita Prose for the eARC! I love this series! This one includes the background story on Molly’s ancestors, including her beloved Gran, Molly & Juan’s wedding, and a mystery about stolen art in The Regency Grand. I really enjoyed reading diary entries from Molly’s Gran! One of my favorite parts about this book was learning about Gran’s backstory. The Maid Series are must-reads in my opinion! HIGHLY recommend!

I always love reading about Molly and her adventures! This time, she finds love as she is planning her wedding, she also learns about her past. A key fits a diary to her Gran's early life as well as a hidden treasure. The treasure Molly found is worth millions and the diary is an unraveling of the past.

"I've always tried to impress upon you that your worth is not determined through the worldly goods you possess, nor will it ever decrease because someone refuses to see your value. Here's what I've learned over the years: you can't make people see what they don't want to see. And the most precious treasures are often overlooked."

Molly learns about her Gran's parents and about the manor where she grew up. With each new entry, Gran comes more alive.
"Be careful what you wish for. All that flitters isn't gold. Love is the only gift that lasts."

Molly is such a lovable character and I was cheering for her happy ending!

Charming, Delightful and Fun! 4 Stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 4/8/25.

How wonderful to revisit Molly Gray hotel maid’s world. I’ve read all the books in this series and recommend them to our library patrons. The Maid’s Secret follows what’s happening in Molly’s current life plus looks back at her Grandmother’s life through her diary.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. The latest Molly the Maid novel is my favorite of the series so far. Molly and Juan Manuel have made a wonderful life together, and their friends and family surround them with love and humor. As they near their wedding, they discover that Molly may be in possession of an actual treasure. Mystery and intrigue follow along. A lovely mystery story with a satisfying conclusion. Perhaps the best part of the story is learning Gran’s backstory, which is extremely well told.

For the moods section I included humorous, light-hearted, emotional, and cozy. While there are elements of suspense (who took the egg? Who even owns the egg?) and romance (John and Flora, Juan and Molly), the book is a quick, not-too-serious story. There are no dead bodies in the present day, and there is a happy ending that I think readers will find to be a satisfying conclusion to the series. I'm not sure this is the final book, but it could be a pausing point for people who don't enjoy long-running series.

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose

Molly Gray is a maid who works at the Regency Grand. Mollys life is about to change! She brings a few items to be appraised on a tv show hidden treasures. One item seems to be worth a lot. Overnight, Molly becomes very popular, she’s about to come into a lot of money. But when the item goes missing, Molly and her friends and finance want to find out what happened to it. Molly is given her grandmothers diary and learns secrets about her grandmothers life, love life, the egg and a little about her mother as well.

I really liked Molly! I thought she was sweet and I wanted the best for her. Her fiancé was also really sweet! It really was an epic love story!! I really recommend this book! I didn’t want it to end but I loved the ending!

Be sure to check this book out on April 8th!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Nita Prose for the E-ARC! I feel so lucky to have been able to read this early!

Publication Date: April 8th 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thank you to Netgalley for an eARC of The Maid's Secret. Molly the Maid is back at it in another delightful story. I have thoroughly enjoyed off of the books in this series and I will miss Molly. This was a great story within a story and was perfect for me to finish out this year. I look forward to more to come from this author.

I just adore Molly the Maid! This was such a fun little mystery read!

Baxter and Beagle, hosts of the antique show Hidden Treasures, come to the Regency Grand to host their famous TV show. When Molly discovers that her golden egg is the original Faberge egg, she becomes an over night media sensation. However, the egg disappears during the auction and she and her friends must work to solve the mystery of the missing egg.

This story was sooooo much fun! I loved the diary chapters of Gran and how they added another layer of mystery to the story. I just adore all of the characters in Prose’s books. She has a knack for bringing them to life and making them so quirky and lovable. This book was just a delightful surprise!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy another story in this fun and entertaining series about Molly the Maid! This one includes the background story on Molly’s ancestors, including her beloved Gran, Molly & Juan’s wedding, and a mystery about stolen art in The Regency Grand. A perfect light read with familiar characters!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @randomhouse for an early copy of The Maid’s Secret by @nitaprose. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: April 8th, 2025

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216458750-the-maid-s-secret?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=sqRE22S1it&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Molly the Maid takes a step back as the main protagonist (at least in my point of view) in The Maid’s Secret, where her grandmother Flora takes the spotlight as Molly reads her diary. As Flora recounts most of her entire life in her diary for Molly to read, the present events include a life-changing discovery for Molly, when one of her grandmother’s treasures was appraised by Brown and Beagle, the famous appraisers on the show Hidden Treasures. From just a maid to a milt-millionaire, the treasure vanishes in an instant it was being auctioned off.

Prose did a magnificent job in weaving all the connections surrounding the treasure’s mysterious disappearance and Flora’s past, unbeknownst to the reader. I am in awe and amazed at how she made all those connections without me realizing it until the conclusion. Additionally, I enjoyed how much we got to see Molly’s grandmother’s background through her diary and how deeper we got to see her character grow and realize how cruel her beginnings were.

I’d say this installment to the Molly the Maid series is more for the romantics than the cozy mystery lovers. Flora’s recalling of her romance with John in her diary I feel like outshone the mystery of the story; the mystery was quite underwhelming as well as compared to the previous books. But overall, I would highly recommend The Maid’s Secret as the love story in its pages captivated me and really tugged my heart with how much Flora’s love for John and Molly poured from the pages.

What I originally felt may veer somewhat cliché and repetitive ended up being an incredibly potent reminder about all things life and love. Molly and her ever rotating cast of characters became even more likable, if possible, with each passing page. The contrast between Molly’s Gran’s personal notebook and Molly’s innermost dialogue made for a fast-paced and entertaining read. A very welcome end to a warm series I did not want to say goodbye to. A special thank you to Ballantine Books and Penguin Random House through NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (my first!).

THE MAIDS SECRET ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. Release date 4/8/25. Molly the maid is back! Fresh off her engagement 6 months ago, she is in wedding planning mode! When her favorite antique appraisal show comes to the Regency Grand hotel, Molly brings some of Grans possessions to find out she is sitting on millions! Of course, nothing is as it seems. This book was per usual, a quick read, with lots of lessons. We learn Grans story in this one, via an old diary. I loved the characters as usual, but I just didn’t feel like book was necessary. I also wanted more of the present in the book versus Grans past. Fans of the series will not be let down, and I know this book will be a hit. It was just my least favorite of the 4. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I am a huge fan of this series, so I was thrilled to get this ARC from NetGalley, which I promptly read in one sitting! This is my favorite book in the series. The mystery is not a murder this time but theft of a valuable antique. At the same time, we read diary entries from Molly’s Gran. I found Gran’s backstory as riveting as the mystery! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Highly recommend.

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose is the latest in the Maids series. I enjoyed this one as much as the last ones. If you are a Maid series fan, pick it up!

Book three in the Maid series was such a fantastic read! I'm such a huge fan of the quirky Miss Molly and have come to love all of the other characters as well. This book isn't just a mystery, it is about love and loss, too. It offers a tell-all into the backstory of Flora, Molly's gran, through the pages of her diary. I loved that the author chose to incorporate this into the story. Flora has always been so secretive about her past in previous novels, and I am extremely happy that we were finally able to learn about her life as well as the relationship she had with Mr. Preston. It was an emotional tale to say the least. I heard that this may be the last book in the series, and I really hope that is not the case. I would love to read more of Molly's adventures. Fingers crossed! I definitely recommend that all fans of this series read this book. And if you're a newbie, start from the beginning now. Miss Molly will capture your heart and make you smile for days. And don't forget about the cute Christmas novella that comes between books two and three. These are must-reads in my opinion! HIGHLY recommend!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

The ever delightful Molly the Maid returns in her 4th adventure (she got engaged to Juan Manual the Christmas novella). We get to meet the staff of the Grand Regency Hotel again, where Molly is Head Maid and also in charge of special events. Juan Manuel has been promoted to pastry chef and is making one-bite wonders, “marzipanimals” (giraffes are his specialty). The doorman, Mr. Preston, had been previously revealed as Molly’s grandad (Gran’s long ago love). Gran is still gone, but again her always calming advice has a larger part this time as we get to read Gran’s backstory as Flora Gray, once a debutante, through a diary that she left for Molly.

In “The Maid’s Secret,” the hotel is going to host an episode of “Hidden Treasures,”an “Antiques Roadshow” type reality show. The employees are encouraged to bring in their own treasures for evaluation and a last-minute addition to Molly’s box of Gran’s various trinkets turns out to be possibly an heirloom of questionable provenance worth millions. Of course, it’s promptly stolen.

Nita Prose has said this is Molly’s last appearance (for now) — and the author promised it would end on a high note. After the theft, there’s a mystery to be solved, Gran’s early life is revealed, and it’s up in the air whether Molly and Juan will gain anything from their hidden treasure. The ending mostly wraps everything up for the Molly storyline and let’s hope that Prose puts her considerable talents towards creating a new quirky character series if this is truly the end. 5 stars! I’ll miss you, Molly!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Halfway! Mrs. Mead has one blue eye and one green eye.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Although much is made of the fact that Flora’s name means “flower,” her parents did not recognize the delicate, beautiful creature that they tried to wilt.

Thank you to Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!