This was a fun third book in a series about Molly the Maid. If you’ve read the other books in the series it’s likely that you will pick up this one. In this book we get more of Gran’s backstory told through her diary entries. I found these chapters to be interesting, but I really enjoyed being in Molly’s point of view more. The readers are treated to more backstory about the Faberge egg that was introduced in the last book, which turns out to be a highly sought after piece of art. The mystery comes in when said egg goes missing after being sold in an art auction. I thought this book was fun, but it just lacked a lot of the heart that the first two books had. It was a fun little jaunt back into the mind of Molly, however, it wasn’t one that was truly essential. This book was a like not a love for me, but I’m sure that I will read whatever Nita Prose writes in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This is the third novel in A Maid series, and when I heard it announced, I wondered how Nita Prose was going to tackle it—a third murder with the same cast of characters? Could I suspend my disbelief enough? But instead of a murder mystery, we get a heist and insight into a brand new voice—Gran. A smart repositioning, Nita Prose proves that Molly has so much more to give readers than solving murders!

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5)
I was excited to dive into *The Maid’s Secret*—but sadly, this story was a miss for me. From the description this should have been a home run for my story preferences. I know I am an outlier on my opinion. While Molly is still a charming and unique character, I felt myself growing bored multiple times. I did not care for any of the other characters.

The plot felt overly familiar and predictable, and although the writing remains clean and accessible, the story didn’t bring much to the table. The pacing dragged in places, and some of the supporting characters felt more like plot devices than real people. I also found the central mystery less compelling with fewer surprises and lower stakes.

I am disappointed that this book was not for me.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Another cute cozy mystery with Molly the Maid. This one might have been my favorite as it has flashbacks from her beloved grandmother to better understand how Molly came to be. The present tense chapters focus on the mystery and it all interconnects really well. I recommend the entire series. This one could be a standalone, BUT you get a lot of great easter eggs from the previous books that are just so fun to catch.

Thank you NetGalley, Nita Prose, and the publisher for a copy of this eARC.

Molly works as the Head Maid and Special Events Manager at the 5-star Regency Grand hotel. Her fiancé, Juan Manuel, is the pastry chef at the hotel. Today, they have arrived at the hotel early to set up an event for Brown and Beagle appraisers and co-stars of the TV show Hidden Treasures. It’s to be held in the hotels Grand Tearoom.

Molly decides to bring some of the little treasures given to her by her beloved grandmother to see if they are worth anything. The newly retired doorman, Mr. Preston is actually here grandfather. When Molly’s items are checked, she is shocked to learn that an egg she has is actually a Faberge egg worth five million dollars!

Intermixed with current chapters are past chapters written as letters from her deceased grandmother. When Molly finds her grandmother’s diary, she learns that the woman was born Flora Gray and was very wealthy living in Gray Manor. Her parents were not very loving so she received love from other staff members. It’s when her father’s company went bust that she had to find her own way in life.

As the story unfolds and we learn more about Molly’s grandmother from a diary the woman left her, we see how her life went from being very wealthy to becoming a maid just like Molly is today.

I really enjoyed the first two books of this series and I was so excited to read this book. However, I found that it did not keep my attention as the other books did and, thus, I was somewhat disappointed. However, the series is wrapped up now and I hope the author brings readers something new in the future.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was fortunate to read the first two books from Nita Prose so I was extremely pleased to read The Maid's Secret. A great story just like the past two and I definitely want to read more. Keep writing and I will keep reading.

I absolutely loved everything about molly’s gran’s story and disliked everything about molly’s 👀 but I feel like I was just bored by the predictable quirks of present day…

while I adore molly, juan, and the whole crew at the hotel, the antics were the same old same old and I felt the entire situation involving the faberge egg and the appraisal crew was way too monotonous 😭 what worked super well for me was the background of finally finding out who gran was!

I’m always so invested in women’s rights period pieces, and this read exactly like that! a young woman who knows she’s worth more in the world than just a prize mare, and she truly goes through it! I wish this was written more as a prequel story rather than diary entries at times though…

overall, a very solid conclusion (hopefully this story is going out for far too long 👀) to the molly the maid series! thank you netgalley and ballantine for an advanced gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: loire valley chenin blanc

Thank you to everyone for this early gifted copy of The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose!

As always. Molly the maid doesn’t disappoint. I love Molly as a character, and I’m a sad that this series is complete—but what a great finish to the series.

Overall, you get the cozy mystery that you’ve come to love with Molly. I did find some of the grandmother chapters to be long, and was wishing for more Molly.

If you haven’t read this series yet, you need to!

Molly the Maid and her friends and family have become beloved familiar characters at this point, and I really enjoyed this visit with them. Molly and Juan are preparing for their wedding when a surprise reveal at an Antiques Roadshow style show reveal Molly has unknowingly been in possession of a lost treasure. Gran's youth and history are a major part of this story, and we get to learn about her background and where she came from, and how it connects to the events happening in the present storyline. I think it's the way that Molly keeps going, even when recognizing obstacles, unfairness, ridicule, and more, that resonates so much with me and makes her someone I cannot help but adore.

Thank you Random House Publishing and Ballantine Booka for an ARC of The Maid’s Secret! I have loved following along with Molly’s journey and was very excited for this one. In this installment, Molly is looking forward to her upcoming nuptials but that is derailed when she becomes a star on a show due to her prized fabrege egg. Chaos ensues (as always in poor Molly’s life) and we go on a journey to find the egg.

I loved how there were flashbacks to Gran’s story through her diary. It was interesting getting to know her more. I highly recommend picking this one up if you are a fan of this series!

Molly the Maid is back and there’s a new unwanted mystery in her life. Molly is excited to be planning her wedding when she discovers that a sentimental object from her Gran turns out to be worth a small fortune.

Molly is thrust into a spotlight she craves to run from, an art heist occurs, and aided by her Gran’s diary, Molly and her crew are hot on the case. What Molly doesn’t realize is how much she is about to learn about her Gran’s childhood and her own history.

I did enjoy this book and listened to part of it on audio and part in print. The story was cute but focused less on Molly and more on her Gran’s story yet it was still a fun little read.

Thank you @randomhouse #partner for the free #gifted copy.
Thank you also to @atrandombooks @librofm @prhaudio for this generous #gifted box of goodies that includes tea, chocolate, cookies, a finished copy and credit for the audio version.

Families and true love!

I found this slow moving in parts but it still packed a punch as the story of our favorite Maid’s familial life’s history comes into focus.
The treasures Molly has in a box are indeed treasures but so is what’s in her heart. (We love her for the upright, quirky person of integrity she is!)
When her box of treasures are shown live on a reality trash or treasure TV show being held at the hotel, Molly is in for a huge shock!
Alongside this, the complications of Molly’s grandmother’s life are slowly revealed as a very tangled web is unraveled. And what a process that is!
A journal left by her grandmother speaking to Molly of her life’s journey, alternatively punctuated by Molly’s life today, draws us into the depths of her Gran’s regrets and subsequent events.
An absolutely fabulous drawing of all the strings to the now of Molly’s life, complete with theft, blackmail and treachery.
A great read!

A Random House - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I love Molly. It was great to get further back story about her gran and tying that into the latest mystery. We get a great treat at the end with the wedding. The funny writing from previous books is continued.

Molly discovered that she has a rare piece of art left by her Gran, and it's stolen right out from under her! Molly and the crew try and solve the mystery, which may be more connected to her family secrets than she could have ever known 🔎✨

I was so excited to read the next chapter of Molly's journey 💛💛 I found myself wanting to read more of Flora's diary entries than the present-day timeline though 😬 The mystery took a backseat to the story of the past, but I think it worked out well! I think that's what made the mystery easy for me to solve, but it was still a good read!

As always, I love the characters that Prose has created. Finding out more about Gran and Mr. Preston's tragic love story was perfect 💛😭 The last few chapters hit me right in the feels, and it more than made up for a bit of a slow start. I'm not sure if there are more books planned in the Maid universe, but the ending had a note of finality to it - a great place to leave Molly's story.

I have really enjoyed this series! This is the fourth book in the Maid series! I loved it! I like the characters and the mystery. There’s some humor and romance. I also liked the surprise twists in the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
My Thoughts
There are two mysteries here. One is “who is the art thief?” The other mystery, woven through the series, involves Molly’s Gran. She raised Molly, but Gran has always been vague about her background. Now Molly has inherited Gran’s diary, but will Molly’s grief allow her to read it?
The novel alternates between diary entries and present time. While I was interested in Gran’s past, for me the diary entries overshadowed the mystery of the art heist and slowed the pacing of the book.

What did stand out to me was Prose’s take on the “money changes people” belief. Money does change people in this novel, but not in the usual way. Molly doesn’t change, but it was interesting watching the people around her change, a least for a while.

My Impression

I’ve read all The Maid books, and I was excited to read this one. I was a bit disappointed in The Maid’s Secret. The art heist didn’t happen until well into the book, and once it did happen, it didn’t really hold my attention. Gran’s diaries seemed to go on a little too long. This book is different in pacing than the earlier books. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but this book didn’t hold my interest as much as the others. Even though this book wasn’t quite for me, it doesn’t mean it isn’t for you.
3/5 stars

In The Maid's Secret, the Regency Grand Hotel is hosting the popular television show "Hidden Treasures." While the television show is filming, Molly brings a shoe box of her treasures to have them appraised by the Beagle and Brown, the show's hosts. Much to Molly's surprise, she has an item of great value. This new knowledge catapults Molly into the spotlight and also into dangerous situations. The story alternates between Molly's story in the present day and Gran's journal where she recounts her life story to Molly.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story. There are a lot of returning characters (Mr. Preston, Juan, Angela, Detective Stark, etc.) and also the addition of a few new characters like Speedy. I also appreciated the way in which Gran's journal and Molly's story came together in the end.

Normally I like the dual timeline concept for a story, but with this book it took me a really long time to get invested because of the two stories being told. In this book, I didn't care for having so much of Gran's story. While it served a purpose when everything came together at the end of the book, I felt like her story could have been condensed and there could have been more to Molly's mystery. Because of the length of Gran's entries every other chapter, I felt that it was hard to get into Molly's story, and it made this book feel much less like a mystery.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

When the head maid at a fancy hotel realizes that a precious family heirloom has been stolen, she must scramble to figure out what to do next. Along the way, she’ll reconnect with her beloved grandmother and discover the true worth of love. Author Nita Prose brings her debut series to a close in this heartwarming novel that focuses much more on the past than it does the present in The Maid’s Secret.

Molly Gray is the luckiest woman in the world. Not only does she have her dream job—Head Maid and Special Events Manager at the esteemed Regency Grand Hotel—she’s also going to marry the love of her life, Juan Manuel, in just a few weeks. She and Juan may not have much in the way of possessions, but what they lack in material wealth they more than make up for in their love for one another and their dedication to their work.

That dedication is why, even with the wedding so close, Molly is determined to make the Regency Grand’s latest event a smashing success. The hit TV show Hidden Treasures has chosen to film an episode at the hotel, and Molly can’t wait to meet the charismatic hosts, Brown and Beagle, who are aficionados of antiques. She and Juan Manuel have spent many Sundays watching the show and debating the value of the various items people bring for Beagle and Brown to evaluate. Now she’ll get to meet them in person!

On the day of filming, Juan Manuel suggests Molly bring the old ceramic egg given to her by her late gran. Molly agrees, because she knows it’s just a pretty fake egg. When the show’s hosts identify it as a rare Faberge, however, suddenly Molly is faced with an incredible decision. If she sells the egg at an auction, like Beagle and Brown suggest, she’ll be a rich woman. She and Juan Manuel will have enough money to start a new life together.

Despite her dislike for all the social media attention that comes her way, Molly agrees to the auction. Then on the big day, in front of a breathless audience, the egg goes missing, and a death threat follows. Clearly someone wants Molly out of the picture and the precious artifact for themselves.

Molly doesn’t understand why the egg is the focus of attention all of a sudden and wishes more than ever that Gran was there to explain everything. Her wish is granted when she finds Gran’s diary and starts reading. As she gets to know her grandmother better, she discovers the story of how the Faberge came into Gran’s hands in the first place and the challenges she faced when she herself was a young woman. By the time she gets to the end of Gran’s diary, Molly knows exactly what she needs to do to get the egg back and solve the mystery.

Author Nita Prose brings back her beloved Molly Gray for the final installment in the plucky maid’s adventures. This book, however, is much less about Molly and more about her gran, Flora. While many readers may enjoy getting to know Flora better, those expecting a Molly mystery in the same vein as the first two books will most likely be disappointed.

Half of the book focuses on Flora’s diary and her coming-of-age story. Prose shows a knack for building believable tension and conflict in the historical fiction sections of the book. In fact, in most cases Flora’s story comes off as much more compelling than the present-day dilemma with Molly.

Given that the Faberge egg is a beloved possession of her gran’s who she adored, Molly’s willingness to let it go without much fuss is puzzling. The decision feels like an obvious plot device, and what follows in Molly’s timeline is a weak mystery. Had Prose chosen to tell that story without interspersing Flora’s diary entries, the book would have floundered much more than it does. The saving grace for this novel is Flora’s story, made all the more enjoyable because readers familiar with Molly’s journey already know the end.

Prose salvages the book by tying up most of the loose ends in a lovely wedding scene for Molly and Juan Manuel. With this book being the final in the series, there’s no better way to say goodbye to Molly the Maid than on one of the happiest days of her life. This one is most definitely for those who have followed Molly’s story from the beginning, but the first book in the trilogy is the best by leaps and bounds.

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose
Format: ebook/audiobook
Pub Date: 4/8/25
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Big thank you to @netgalley and @prhaudio for the complementary advanced reader copies of the most recent installation in the Molly the Maid series. It was charming as always!

I will simply never get sick of this series! Molly the Maid and her family will always hold a special place in my heart and I loved getting more of Gran’s backstory. This book is a very fun cozy mystery with an Antique’s Roadshow flair!

Forever here for the audiobooks in this series because they’re narrated by Lauren Ambrose and a total dream! If you’re on the fence whether it’s worth a credit…it absolutely is!

Molly Gray returns in this charming and satisfying conclusion to The Maid series. Now Head Maid at the Grand Regency Hotel and just weeks away from marrying her fiancé, Juan, Molly is juggling exciting new responsibilities. When a hit TV show comes to the hotel to film, she submits a box of her late grandmother’s belongings—only to discover one piece may be worth millions. But when the antique mysteriously vanishes during an auction, Molly and her friends must dig into the past to uncover the truth.

Told through Molly’s eyes and her grandmother’s diary entries, this story beautifully blends mystery with heart. I especially loved learning more about her grandmother’s life, and seeing familiar characters return made it all the more special. A perfect ending for longtime fans of the series.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group–Ballantine for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.