Book Review: The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

Nita Prose’s The Maid’s Secret is an engaging follow-up to The Maid, once again immersing readers in the world of Molly Gray, a hotel maid with a keen sense of order and a unique way of seeing the world. This sequel builds on Molly’s character beautifully, offering deeper insights into her past and her family history while entangling her in yet another mystery.

One of the book’s strongest aspects is the continued development of Molly’s character. Her neurodivergence (while never explicitly labeled) is portrayed with care and nuance, making her both compelling and endearing. Seeing more of her backstory and how it shapes her present was a highlight, and it added depth to her already charming personality.

However, the book’s structure was a bit frustrating at times. The jumping between timelines, while ultimately serving the story, occasionally felt disjointed and made it harder to stay fully immersed. Additionally, some loose ends—such as the fate of Flora’s parents—left me wanting more closure. Perhaps these questions will be addressed in a future installment, but for now, they felt like unresolved threads.

Despite these minor issues, The Maid’s Secret remains a good read. The mystery keeps you engaged, the writing is smooth, and Molly’s perspective makes for an original and heartfelt narrative. While it may not be perfect, it’s a solid sequel that fans of The Maid will likely enjoy.

I was a big fan of the first Molly the Maid novel, but sadly she's lost a bit of her shine in this sequel. There's very little plot, and the whole thing feels like an excuse to recycle some of the characters' catchphrases - once charming, now feeling tired. Not for me, I'm afraid!

I have loved Molly the Maid since first encounter and have been eagerly awaiting this release. It did not disappoint! While the start is slow and the blended narrative very different, the reason quickly becomes apparent for the mystery and the ending races to its wonderful conclusion. Learning more about Molly’s Gran and hearing more from her directly really moved me in a way I wasn’t expecting. Just wonderful - the best I have yet read from Nita Prose. Looking forward to reading more!

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
If you’ve read the previous books in this series, you’ll know what to expect. This instalment sheds more light on Molly’s history and family background, and if you’ve read the recent Christmas novella this very much picks up right where that left off.
I’d say this book has less of a mystery to it than perhaps the others do, but it’s still an enjoyable read and very much in the same gentle tone as the preceding books.

Molly the maid is back in the final instalment of the series. A fake Fabergé egg which Molly owns is revealed to be a precious antique worth millions. However, it is stolen! Molly starts looking for clues. Her late Gran’s diary, holds the secret.

This book was bitter sweet for me. I was so excited to read another Molly book as she is one of my all time favourite characters. However, I’m so sad as this is the last one! 😭

It was an easy and enjoyable read. It gave me all the cozy feels and I like how everything tied up in the end for Molly. If you’re a fan of the series, I think you’ll enjoy this one!

Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first two novels in the series but struggled with this one. The whole diary sections from Molly’s grandmother just didn’t hold my interest and I found it hard to keep engaged with this book. I’m sure others will love it, but it wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and the author for the chance to review.

Wednesday 5th March 🛎️

Molly the maid is no stranger to secrets…
She sees everything behind closed doors at the Regency Grand hotel: wiping away the dust and grime of guests passing through.
But one secret lies much closer to home.
An old trinket – a faux Fabergé egg – is revealed to be a precious antique during an appraisal at the hotel, making Molly a rags-to-riches sensation. But no sooner has the egg shown its value than it’s stolen: vanishing without a trace.
Determined to crack the case of the missing Fabergé, Molly begins dusting for clues – uncovering a mystery that stretches deep into the past.
For in the pages of a long-forgotten diary, written by her late gran, lie the secrets that could unlock all others – and only Molly holds the key…

I have absolutely loved all of the Molly the Maid books and this newest addition is no exception. Molly is a fabulous character and I loved seeing her personality develop over the 4 books in the series.
I hope we get to see her again somewhen 🤞🏻

In this third book about Molly the maid, we find out more about her relationship, her Gran’s background and childhood, and all about Gran’s secrets.
Another mystery has taken place in the hotel, so all the same characters as well as some new ones all have a role to play.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping read that had me on the edge of my seat from start the finish. The pacing was very well done and I was always excited to pick it up and read.

The Maid's secret - Nita Prouse due for publication 10 April 2025

Another delightful story about Molly - Head Maid.

This time we get the story of how Molly's Gran went from riches to rags and find out the significance of the Faberge egg.

Just before Molly's wedding to Juan Manuel, Molly becomes an overnight sensation on an Antiques roadshow TV programme. During the course of the subsequent auction a valuable antique is stolen and Molly once again helps Detective Stark find the culprit. As the hunt for the stolen object progresses, the mystery of Gran's life is told through her old diary and we get to know about Gran's (Flora) early life and how she ended up working as a maid.

All the favourite characters we love Angela, Juan Manuel, Cheryl, Mr Snow, are here along with some quirky new ones.

A lovely funny heartwarming tale which delights on every page. I do hope the rounding up of this story with all the ends tied neatly does not mean we will no longer hear from Molly the maid again. I loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley for a pre publication copy.

Another Maid book for the series. While I really like this cast of characters and the found family at the Regency Grand, I found myself skimming some of this. I think this will be the last one for me, even though I have liked these books. Chapters alternate between present day Molly and excerpts from her Gran’s diary explaining her full back story. In present day, Brown and beagle, a famous duo that had an antiques roadshow type show, are filming at the regency grand. Employees and fans are invited to bring their treasures to get appraised. Molly brings her Faberge egg, not expecting to be told it is worth millions. The egg is stolen after being auctioned off and Molly and her crew try to figure out what really happened. Good ending and I’m glad I read this, but I think this may be the last Molly the Maid for me, although I am still intrigued about what may happen in future for Mollys mom.

The third and last part of this series ties everything up with a bow. It makes for a few hours of easy, happy reading and brings back the same adorable characters from the first two novels. The real focus is the Molly's Grans's backstory and we get to read it through her diary so the reader skips from past to present every other chapter. You can, of course, only fully appreciate it if you have read the first two, so if you have some time to spare for light reading and like cosy mysteries, this is a series for you. Delightful is the word that comes to mind.

When a popular antiques television programme comes to film at the Regency Grand Hotel, Molly the Maid and her fiancé, Juan, decide to take part in the fun and take along some of their most loved possessions for appraisal. However, when one of their items catches the eyes of the presenters, Molly’s neat and tidy world gets completely turned upside down.

Oh, what a bittersweet read this was. It was wonderful to return to the world of Molly, Juan, Mr. Preston and the Regency Grand Hotel, but all the while I knew this was the last in the ‘Molly the Maid’ series from author, Nita Prose. However, any sadness was completely swept away by the wonderful writing, larger than life characters, and gripping storylines.

I wrote in my review of ‘The Mystery Guest’, the second book in the series, that I enjoyed the parts where we were given glimpses into Molly and her grandmother’s past. In ‘The Maid’s Secret’, the book regularly revisits her gran’s past in the form of diary entries and, once again, I particularly enjoyed these parts. These extracts seamlessly link in with the events taking place in the present, with Molly and Juan’s lives thrown into disarray by the discovery that one of the items Molly takes to the auction could be worth a lot of money.

I feel that the author has saved the best book in the series for last, with the series going from strength to strength across the three main ‘Molly the Maid’ titles and the Christmas novella. That being said, I won’t miss Speedy, the new doorman introduced in this book, who I felt was overdone a bit, and maybe too much of a change for the Regency Grand! If this weren’t the last book in the series, I might have concerns about his introduction, but as it stands, it remains a minor quibble in an otherwise extremely enjoyable read.

Thank you to Harper Collins for an advance copy, on which this review is based.

*** Review will be posted on tiktok and Instagram (jesswanders_andreads) on publication day! ***

The Maid's Secret

I absolutely adored this book!! Mysterious yet heart-warming!

It follows a dual POV - one is obviously Molly, and the other is Molly's gran through her diary

I was so happy we finally we get an insight into Molly's gran (Flora) and her background, and let me tell you, she is not what I was expecting!! She lead a thrilling yet troubled childhood and adolescence and I enjoyed finally getting to know her on a deeper level!

Finally makes sense why Flora has always referred to money as here faberge 🥺

I have absolutely loved this whole series, and I'm not sure if there will be a fourth installment - I'd love if their was, but I feel like this one has wrapped up all the loose ends in Molly, Juan and Flora's lives!

The Maid's Secret is the third book in the Molly the Maid series, so I can't and won't say too much because it might be a little spoilery of the previous books.
What I'll say is: in this book, we, the readers, learn all about the secrets Molly's granny kept from her, which also involves a certain heritance object Molly has been given by her granny - an object that appears in the second book of this series -, and this certain object takes a massive part of the present timeline in this new book. There is also a past timeline, told by Molly's granny through her diary entries, on which she narrates her entire life story to Molly.
In her private life, in this book Molly takes a further step in her relationship.

What I least enjoyed about this book: most part of the (many) past timeline chapters focused on granny's diary entries and her whole life story, ever since she was a child. Personally, I was not truly invested.
What I most liked: everything that happens in the present timeline. LOL
I loved what Nita Prose did here with Molly and...hmm...what happens in the hotel where she works at involving that object from book 2. Very, very entertaining.
As well as the conclusion. For a moment I thought it would be very cheesy and Disney-like. Luckily, I was wrong!

I'm loving this series. Book 1 is my least favourite, actually, and the second one is my most favourite, and I hope Nita Prose will continue writing books with this fascinating and adorable main character.

I highly recommend this book if you've read the previous ones and enjoyed it. And if you haven't read any books by Molly the Maid and you are into cozy mystery, stop wasting time and go read them!

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the Publisher for the ARC of The Maid's Secret. Having really enjoyed the first book of the series and really disliked the second book I went into this book with no expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book. I really liked the mystery in this book and was enthralled by the diary entries from Flora. This book kept me guessing and it was brilliant the way both the present day stories and the diary entries linked together in the end. It has been my favourite book of the series!

This third instalment in the series brings us much more depth into Gran's character. I really enjoyed the diary entries and seeing how Gran grew up- I'd love a spin off following her!
However, the main plot with the egg and Molly felt a lot weaker than the Gran portion. I enjoyed the book, but it felt a bit far fetched at times.

(3.5 stars rounded down to 3)

This third installment in The Maid series really was an emotional rollercoaster.

The alternating chapters between Molly (in the present) and her Gran Flora (reminiscing about the past) worked really well. They both had distinctive voices and the stories were so contrasting yet interwove well.

I did enjoy the relationship elements of this but Molly's plot in the present day did feel a tad lackluster and the crime/thriller elements did feel a bit anticlimactic compared to the previous two installments.

Overall I did enjoy this but felt it was missing a bit of a spark to make it more memorable.

Absolutely love the Molly the maid series and this is a smash hit! Glad that we have been able to find out what Molly's background is and how she became to be who she is. Molly finds some old things and takes them to be valued by some antique dealers who come to the hotel for a show. She's not expecting much but gets the surprise of her life when she learns she's going to be super rich, only to have it stolen from her! Whilst trying to find out what happened she begins to read her grans diary and suddenly her past (finding out more about her family) and present collide.
Can't wait to find out more about Molly, so excited for another book in the series!

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this and most of all Nita for writing these fabulous novels! Highly recommend, would give more than 5* if I could.

Okay, imagine this: Molly, who used to clean houses, is now super rich! She's got some old stuff, and takes it to fancy art people, Brown and Beagle. Boom! One thing is crazy valuable, like, makes-you-want-to-cry money. But then, poof, it's gone! Stolen right in front of them!

Now, Molly's got to figure out who took it. And while she's doing that, she finds her grandma's diary. This diary tells us about her grandma, Flora, when she was young, and this guy, Mr. Preston. We learn about Flora's tough life and her connection to Mr. Preston, which is way more complicated than anyone thought.

Then, BAM! Molly's mystery and her grandma's diary stories smash together, and it's a huge surprise! You get to see how Flora became who she was, and Mr. Preston's not just some guy anymore, he's got a real story. And Molly? She's not just rich, she's learning about her family, and it's making her feel all sorts of things. It's funny, it's sad, and you just want to know what happens next.