Molly Returns…
Molly the maid returns in this third outing in the series and, once again, it seems that there is a mystery that only she can solve. When a faux trinket is revealed to actually be a precious Faberge egg , Molly is thrust into the limelight - but events soon escalate when that same egg is stolen. It’s not long before Molly is scouring for clues and direction, determined to solve this mystery. Another endearing entry to this series with a likeable protagonist, a plot populated with a colourful cast of characters, a well imagined backdrop and a solid mystery at its very heart.

Molly Gray's life is going well, she's recently been promoted at the prestigious Regency Grand and she's planning her wedding to her beloved Juan Manuel.
An antiques TV show is going to filmed at the hotel and staff are allowed to take an item for valuation. Molly has many of her Grans sentimental belongings so places a few in a shoe box. The TV presenters are taken with an ornamental egg in Molly's box and quote her a figure in the millions. This sends naive Molly's life in a spin, especially when she starts getting threats to her life.
Her biggest treasure however is her Grans diary.
The novel flits back to the past when Gran, Flora Gray, was a snobbish teenager who felt she deserved the world. I preferred reading about Flora's past which shaped her life and influenced Molly. Her character grew on me as I read more.
Before in the previous books we've only been party to Grans little quotes, remembered by Molly, but in this novel she takes centre stage.

The Maid's Secret picks up from the events of the Christmas novella, The Mistletoe Mystery. Molly and Juan are now engaged and planning a modest wedding within their limited budget, and are blissfully happy, but, life is about to change in ways Molly could never have imagined.

Hidden Treasures, a hugely popular and delightfully camp and cheesy American version of the Antiques Roadshow, is to be filmed at The Grand Regency Hotel, and Molly takes some of Gran's trinkets to be appraised on the show.

One of the items is revealed to be a rare and coveted artifact worth millions. Molly becomes a rags-to-riches sensation, and a media frenzy swirls as she prepares to sell her priceless treasure. Then, on auction day, the treasure suddenly vanishes. and Molly and her friends find themselves at the centre of the boldest art heist in recent memory...

This time, instead of a murder mystery Nita Prose presents us with a novel that successfully manages to be both a heist caper and a love story. With a dual PO, we see Molly, the wonderful team at the hotel and the redoubtable Detective Stark solve the mystery of the theft, in chapters which alternate with entries from a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s Gran.

The diary, an inspired addition to this latest instalment, means that, for the first time ever, Molly learns about her grandmother’s secret past, something she would never speak about to her, and, it also provides Molly with the key to the mystery of the stolen artifact.

The Maid's Secret serves up the same heart-warming feels as the other books in the series and it's good to be back in the company of the world's favourite maid and all her friends.

The characters are as on point as in the previous titles, and Nita Prose is as sure-footed as ever in her depiction of a neurodivergant main character.

Readers of this series will be glad to know that the mystery is once again threaded with Molly's Gran's trademark truths and aphorisms, and as well as having an art heist plot line the story also explores themes of the meaning of love, social class, snobbery, and true worth.

As entertaining and charming as the previous Molly The Maid titles, The Maid's Secret is a delightful and fitting conclusion - if indeed it is - to a series we've all come to love.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, how I love Molly the Maid! The joy she takes from her simple life is a delight.

I loved getting to learn more about Gran and Mr Preston and their past lives - such an endearing and emotional tale.

Love the little humorous moments as well. A really wonderful series!

I've read at least 50% of this with my heart in my mouth! After the engagement in book 2.5, it was reasonable to expect the wedding to be next. This book is indeed the story of the wedding, but oh, so much more.

I really don't want to say too much because I genuinely don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I read this in two sittings because I couldn't put it down - to the point of reading whilst cleaning my teeth 🤣

Get your copy ordered now!

I have really enjoyed each of the Molly the Maid books - with the previous two novels getting five star reviews from me. I was excited to read book three in the series – The Maid’s Secret.

When Molly gets a box of knick-knacks appraised on a live TV auction show, she is stunned to learn that one of the items is worth a lot of money. But when a daring heist takes it all away, she is left with more answers than questions and her carefully curated routine is turned upside down. Can she uncover the secrets of the past?

The Maid’s Secret uses a narrative technique that I’ve seen used quite a lot in my 2025 reading – present day narrative interspliced with diary entries from the past. Sometimes I find this hard to suspend my disbelief on, as if the character had read the diary faster, then the whole rest of the plot is rendered useless. Nita Prose turns this trope on it’s head by starting the diary entries before Molly discovers the diary, so when the item appears in the present-day narrative, we already know all of the background to the story, and it’s just the last few, important chapters which are revealed. This really helps to keep the pace high throughout and the diary entries are exciting enough to make sure there is no abrupt change of pace.

In terms of the characters we all know and love from The Molly the Maid series, this is a nice development. Molly is about to be married, and we find out more about her Gran and her relationship with Molly’s grandfather. The end of the book almost ties things up too well, with some characters going on a completely different journey by the end. This makes the end of the book feel like it might be the end of the series which would be sad, but at the same time it’s a good ending so would be satisfying either way.

Overall, The Maid’s Secret is the third five-star read in the brilliant Molly the Maid series, and highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK – HarperFiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third instalment of the Molly the maid books by Nita Prose and it doesn’t disappoint. It does begin by recalling grandma‘s death and the letter it seems that was left behind. And that the hotel where she still works the Regency some TV personalities are appearing in order to assess valuables that the hotel staff or general public may have. and it turns out that Molly‘s Faberge egg is authentic and the very first one that was ever made. And as she prepares for her wedding in two months, it turns out it is worth over $1 million. So with this news Molly does what Molly does and promptly fainted right there on the stage in front of all.

Because of her admirable performance on TV and swooning in front of the cameras, Molly becomes an instant star. However, is not what she wants she longs for her peaceful life back. It doesn’t help that Cheryl has been selling pictures of her with fake autographs, on the Internet making her even more famous and Cheryl Rich in the meantime. Molly hates this even more and reports her to the manager who tells her to take the site down immediately. Anyway, Juan, her fiance, is pushing for Molly to sell the egg even though she wants to keep it for sentimental value. Anyway the egg eventually goes up for sale and sells for $10 million. She doesn’t faint but when the light comes up to reveal the egg in all its glory, it is gone, missing from the podium.

To Find out whether Molly gets her egg back, who took it and why you’ll just have to read the book. Which is a brilliant addition to the Molly series. As usual, it is well written and funny in many places. You get to feel for her and learn a bit more about her life and her grandmother‘s life in this book and it is very emotional in places. I thoroughly enjoyed it and if you haven’t read the series, you really need to before reading this one because there are references to the previous books which you will probably need to know.

While this was a very entertaining read (and I did enjoy the plot line of this fourth Molly the Maid story) I noticed too many irregularities which bothered me.
There were a number of word choices that I’m surprised were missed in the editing process; words that felt out of place for the character and the time. Then there were other errors that I wouldn’t expect to find in a professionally published story. For example, there are four headmasters at one school, and an observation made about sandwich contents which the observer wouldn’t have been able to see.
Perhaps these issues will be addressed prior to publication, but I found myself becoming slightly obsessed with them.
The other thing that made me roll my eyes were the derogatory and cliched portrayals of female intelligence, aspiration and aptitude. Now, don’t get me wrong, this series is full of cliches, caricatures and cheesy lines (which is fine, if a little repetitive), but while these views may be part of the character of the person expressing them, they were left unchallenged, which felt uncomfortable.
If you’re a fan of this series, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this story, particularly if you enjoy the humour and all of Molly’s little sayings.
For me, Molly’s story has run its course, so I’ll give this one four stars for a sweet story with a good plot and quirky characters, and bid Molly a fond farewell.
With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins U.K. for a chance to read the ARC.

Floray Gray is a maid at the Regency and we follow her on another mystery adventure. Even though this is part of a series it can be read as a standalone novel. All the regular characters make an appearance and we meet some new ones.
Recommend if you enjoy a mystery with heart

FAB-U-LOUS!!! So glad to have discovered this author. Beautiful story, well-written and captivating.. off to find more of hers to read!!

I am so grateful to HarperCollins for my e-copy of The Maid’s Secret. Honestly, I didn’t even read what the book was about before diving in, so it was all a surprise to me. Based on the title I thought the secret was going to be something else entirely. I’m so glad I was wrong!

In this book we swap between Molly and Gran. I loved finding out so much about Gran’s history through her diary entries. Her story was extremely endearing. The more you learnt about Gran, the more you understood Molly. It’s a complicated story with such a beautiful ending.

I’m really sad that this will be the final Molly the Maid story. I have loved spending time with Molly and all the characters from the Regency Grand these last couple years. Molly’s stories are ones I will be revisiting. The Maid’s Secret was easily my favourite of all the books.

Disclaimer: e-Arc provided by HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via Net Galley for Review. All thoughts are my own. My thanks to HarperCollins, for providing me with the arc for review.

Plot
The third and final book following the investigations by Molly the Maid, a sweet but naive woman working in the Regency Grand Hotel who inadvertently ends up acting as a detective. The book follows Molly finding out more about her grandmother, and a mystery linked to the previous books.

PSA read the Christmas novella before this one! Otherwise it will be spoiled within the first couple of chapters.

Thoughts
Never sure how to review the final books in series without spoiling previous books, especially when the mysteries are so interconnected…

This was a great ending to the series. The mystery was a lot more personal, but I just love Molly and all the characters at the Regency Grand and am happy it ended everything on a high note!

Molly the Maid is back in her final adventure. Over the series, readers have watched Molly grow and develop relationships with friends, family members and of course, Juan. This time, we learn more about Molly’s gran’s story. And what a story it is!

Through diary entries we are taken back to Flora’s early life and we watch her develop into the character we fell in love with in The Maid, the woman who shaped Molly. She is a very flawed young woman but we root for her because we know the adult she becomes is someone we like.

All of this is, of course, wrapped up in a mystery - the disappearance of Molly’s Fabergé egg. The usual cast of characters are soon on the trail of the egg, but as they go, secrets are uncovered which make Molly re-evaluate everything she thought she knew about her family.

This is a fitting end to what has been a fabulous series and I love that as we leave Molly, she is happy, with a very bright future to look forward to.

Book Review: The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose

If you loved The Maid, then The Maid’s Secret is an absolute must-read! Nita Prose has once again captured my attention with a brilliantly crafted mystery, all while maintaining the charm and warmth of the beloved Molly the Maid. In this third installment of the series, Molly finds herself at the heart of another gripping, intricate puzzle, and I couldn’t put the book down until I’d uncovered every layer of the mystery.

The story begins when Molly stumbles upon an old trinket, which turns out to be a priceless antique—a faux Fabergé egg. What should have been a moment of triumph quickly turns to dismay as the egg is stolen from right under her nose. But Molly, ever the determined and insightful maid, isn’t one to let things go. She digs deeper, unraveling a series of secrets that not only involve the hotel’s rich history but also tie back to her own family.

What makes The Maid’s Secret so captivating is its balance of lighthearted charm and suspense. Molly’s unique perspective on the world—through the lens of a maid who observes but doesn’t always engage—gives the narrative a fresh twist. She sees so much but says so little, making her the perfect detective in a story full of hidden motives and long-buried secrets.

I particularly loved how this mystery brought in elements from Molly’s past. The discovery of a diary from her late grandmother adds a rich layer to the plot and gave me a deeper emotional connection to the character. It’s not just about solving the mystery of the stolen egg—it’s about unlocking the secrets of Molly’s own history. The inclusion of the diary gave the story a sense of depth that went beyond the usual whodunit.

Molly’s character continues to shine in this book. She is endearingly awkward, incredibly perceptive, and remarkably brave in the face of challenges. Her personal growth is evident, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way. The supporting characters add so much to the story as well, from the quirky hotel staff to the enigmatic guests who seem to be hiding their own secrets. It’s the perfect mix of cozy crime and complex characters.

The twists and turns in The Maid’s Secret kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Nita Prose would throw in a curveball that had me rethinking everything. And the ending—wow! It was the perfect combination of satisfying closure and heartwarming moments.

If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries with heart, humor, and just the right amount of suspense, The Maid’s Secret is an absolute winner. Nita Prose has once again proven that she knows how to weave a compelling, feel-good mystery that leaves you wanting more.

Rating: 5/5
A delightful and enthralling read that combines charm, mystery, and unforgettable characters.

THANKS TO THE NETGALLEY AND PUBLISHER FOR THIS DIGITAL ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Molly is one of the characters unique enough to be stuck in my mind. I first met her in The Maid, and instantly, I wanted to read more about her. I was pleasantly surprised to know this is going to be a series. I enjoyed The Mystery Guest, but not as much as the first one. Molly faded from my mind after that until I got a review copy in my email and instantly wanted to get back to her.

This one is half Gran's story and half Molly's. Molly is happy with her life and loves her job and fiance dearly. They love to watch "Hidden Treasure," a popular show on which hosts appraise items the audience brings in the hope of finding something valuable. They are doing an episode of their show at the Regency Grand Hotel, and staff is instructed to bring any "valuable" items. Molly has a lot of artifacts that Gran left behind. She doesn't think anything is that valuable, but she couldn't be more wrong. Suddenly, she is not just a maid. I didn't realize I would enjoy Gran's story that much, which is the opposite of a fairytale. I loved her character arc and Mr Preston's role in it.

I won't say it is a hard thriller/mystery. The mystery was definitely a subplot; the main plot was unpredictable, and I didn't care if the story was not focused on Molly or the heist going on. I really like all of the characters and their dynamics. Especially Mr Preston, Molly, and Juan. Though, I want to see more insight into Molly and Juan's relationship. I really liked the ending; everything makes sense, especially knowing Molly's character. Will definitely follow Molly's journey if more books are in the pipeline.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley.

I have avidly followed Molly the Maid's stories throughout, including her recent Christmas novella. I thought that this (final?) installment was back to the high calibre of my first encounter. Molly learns about her beloved and belated Gran's life story. I loved learning about her backstory alongside that of Mr Preston's, Molly's grandad. To me, it read as a reversed Cinderella, and put all the familiar idioms and phrases found throughout the series into context. This installment revealed that 'bad eggs' do not necessarily set the future, and likewise 'good eggs' cannot predict an idyllic outcome. The tale of criminal activity at the Regency Grand was engaging, but it was Gran's voice that was truly compelling for me. I found Juan a bit too saccharine for my taste, but was pleased at the 'happy ever after' vibe.

I read the first two books in this series and found them quite entertaining, so I was looking forward to this third book, but I was really surprised and overwhelmed at how convenient this book turned out to be. There's not a lot I can tell you about what happens for fear of spoilers, but I think I can say that this is very much Gran’s story And you need to have read the first two in order to appreciate it fully.

The characters and I fully developed and likable individuals who you root for throughout. I was a little uncomfortable reading the first book, feeling that at some points that Molly is a caricature of a neurodivergent person, this was less so in the second book and by the third outing she is quirky and fully fleshed out, a real person. The mystery part of the book is an important the plot but really not the main point of this novel. We learn so much more about how the main characters come to be who they are today and I thought the ending was really lovely. It was a tough and emotional read at times, but I was absolutely hooked and captivated.

Thank you so much to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an E-ARC copy in return for an honest review.

It’s fantastic to immerse yourself once again into the world of Molly the maid and this time she’s a reluctant tik tok sensation. What can I say about this book, it’s just fabulous escapism with wonderful characters and a setting that seems so real. A five star read for sure and make sure you read the others in the series.

Always been a big fan of our pal, Molly.
If you've read the others, this one is quite different and has two focuses: Molly's present day life and the story of her Grans. It does feel a wee bit different but still a solid read.

Is it a mystery? A little bit.
Is it a bit predictable? Probably.
Was it a nice wrap up to finish the series? Totally.

My only gripe is I just wanted to read her Gran's story whilst Molly's felt a little bit tacked on to bring it back to the series. HOWEVER, I'd love to read more about Gran's life and all the very annoying people who were in her world at the time.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine


I've read previous books from this author and thoroughly enjoyed them
Loved this
Pacey and twisty = loved the writing style

I would recommend this without reservation