The Mystery Guest is a brilliant, captivating and engaging return to Molly the maid.

The story’s timeline starts with a prologue which really peaked my interest. You are then thrown in to the present, beginning with an introduction to Molly, and a recap, as it has been four years since The Maid. You are taken between present and past, with young Molly and her Gran. I enjoyed this as it felt like her Gran was part of the narrative despite her having passed away. The majority of the present story occurs in a relatively short timeline, we are then taken to one week later, and finally an epilogue.

Molly is once again the main character, although there are a few additional returning characters such as Cheryl and Mr Snow, who you’ll recognise if you have read The Maid. I liked the familiarity that came alongside this and it was nice to witness the change in them all! I was, once again, immediately captivated by Molly, her literal descriptions and her bluntness. Despite these traits she is very much likeable and following her along on another mystery is a pleasure!

Being immediately thrown straight into the drama, I felt absorbed from the outset. Nita Prose’s writing is brilliant. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions from Grimthorpe’s mansion, which are beautifully written. I really felt immersed in all the decor and antiques on display.

The initial recap of the first novel and Molly’s previous mystery was a nice touch. You can definitely read The Mystery Guest without having already read The Maid in my opinion.

I really enjoyed the balance of returning characters alongside new ones. I really liked Lily, she was a great character to slot in alongside Molly and brought out a new side in her. I particularly enjoyed learning a lot of interesting (and also shocking!) history of the characters. The mystery itself was unique and I didn’t see any of the twists coming which was nice. A fantastic story!

I loved the follow up to the maid and thought that this was a great adventure with Molly. The characters, new and old, were done really well. I loved the plot and pacing of this and thought the twists and turns were excellent. I thought the action was dramatic and it kept me hooked throughout.

Molly Gray is back at the Regency Grand Hotel .
She is back and better than ever she’s now the head maid and as you’d guess she’s wears the badge with pride .
A famous mystery writer drops dead at the hotel and once again the hotel is under a cloud .
Molly has a complicated past with the writer although he doesn’t seem to remember her .
Detective Stark is called in to investigate and soon realises that the death is not by natural causes and is now a murder investigation.
Molly begins to do some sleuthing herself and is more than able to match Stark’s detective skills ( in her own unique and indomitable way.)
Molly is a delightful and loveable character I could read about her all day every day .
The writing is excellent and I immersed myself in the story for hours .
A delicious read!
Highly recommended!
Can’t wait for Molly Gray’s next case .
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

Molly the Maid is back in the second book of this series and once again she’s embroiled in a murder in the Regency Grand Hotel. This time around the victim is a famously reclusive author, J.D Grimthorpe, who is hosting an event where he is about to reveal a deeply hidden secret. Before he can however, he collapses on stage and dies in front of his admiring crowd.

Molly, now Head Maid, was in charge of the event and so immediately comes under suspicion along with her Maid-in-Training Lily who served Grimthorpe his tea just before he mysteriously dropped dead.

I really enjoyed the first in this series which introduced us to Molly and her unique way of looking at the world. I was less enamoured with this book sadly, although I did enjoy parts of it. The highlight being the flashbacks we had of Molly and her Grandmother and the insights into her childhood. It really made you fall in love with her a little more knowing exactly what she went through and how the lessons her Grandmother taught her shaped her into the woman she became.

The central mystery was where it lost me slightly. Detective Stark returned and went from blatantly insulting Molly to telling her she could be a detective in the space of 50 pages. The side story with Cheryl, the disgraced maid, was so unbelievable it actually made me angry and the murder reveal was just meh.

This felt more like a cosy mystery rather than the interesting and character driven first book and while that’s fine (I enjoy a cosy mystery every now and then), I was expecting a little more substance. It was still an enjoyable read and it was nice to be back with Molly and the gang but it just fell a little flat for me.

I really enjoyed the maid and getting to know Molly. You definitely should read the maid before picking up the mystery guest one to understand Molly but also she how much as a character she has grown.
Overall i did enjoy the mystery guest getting Mollys past as a child and prescent. The pace was different to the maid, which did make the story slow. But you got to see how much she had matured and come our her shell over the time gap between the books. Its a change having a character like Molly although it leads to some repetitiveness, but thats also realistic as it is part of a montra/understanding/comfort, so i think it wouldnt be true to Mollys character to not have it.

Look forward to book 3 to see where various relationships grow/change but also see what Molly does next given the suggestion at the end of the book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a eARC for an honest review.

The truth will never stay buried!

Our wonderful Molly the maid is back in this second installment.
We meet a more confident Molly, somebody who is in a happy place in her personal life as well as her professional life.
She still misses her grandmother a lot and we get more of the backstory of her growing up and the events that affected her as a child.
She's also now in charge of a new maid in training, Lily.

Although we have a lot of the same characters this is a stand-alone novel with a new mystery and it all starts when a world-renowned author drops dead while making a big reveal in the tea room of the five-star Regency Grand Hotel.
Was it murder and if it was who could have done it? What was he going to reveal to the world?
Is it in the words of Lily "always the maid" or are there more sinister things at play?
It is then revealed that Molly knew the author as a child and this is where we get the backstory of what happened to her grandmother and her because her grandmother was working for this family when Molly was 10.

We also meet Detective Stark again but this time she needs Molly's help and she starts to understand Molly better. In the end, they make a mean team.

A delightful read that I can highly recommend!
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I was absolutely obsessed by The Maid, so was thrilled to have been accepted for the sequel. The story follows Molly a few years on from the original story, as she once again finds herself on the middle of a crime scene at The Regency Grand Hotel.

I liked that we got to delve into Molly’s past a bit more in this book - I loved her Gran’s character and it was so lovely to get to know her and her backstory in more detail. I wasn’t as hooked on the mystery elements as I was with the original, but it was still a really enjoyable read. I’d be interested to see how Molly’s story develops and hope this isn’t the last we see of her.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved this book! It was so lovely to be back in Molly's world and with such wonderful characters old and new. I really hope that there's more to come in this series! Would definitely recommend!

I Loved The Maid so I was really looking forward to the next tale of Molly and friends, this did not disappoint.
I enjoyed being back in the lovely Regency Grand Hotel with Molly and finding out about her past as she grew up with her Gran and how she came to know The Mystery Guest. I enjoy Mollys quirky ways, her honesty and her attention to detail which ends up helping in this thrilling case. I like a duel timeline in a story so enjoyed this also. I’d definitely say to read The Maid first then highly recommend this one right after it. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this early copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book featuring Molly the Maid and was so pleased to have the opportunity to read this second book, The Mystery Guest.

Once again I enjoyed Molly’s quirky way of looking at the world and her very meticulous way of speaking. Her precision and attention to detail mean she is not only an excellent maid but also an excellent witness. She can recall the tiniest details which others overlook. Adding this to her previous knowledge of the murder victim means she is vital to solving the case and seeing what others can’t, including Detective Stark who finally begins to appreciate Molly’s skills.

I particularly enjoyed finding out more about Molly’s earlier life in this book as the story of her past mingles with the present. I had liked hearing her beloved Gran’s wisdom through Molly’s recollections in the first book and here we find out why Molly was brought up by her Gran and what their life together was like. We also find out about how Molly came to know The Mystery Guest and what she knows about him. There are many secrets uncovered in this book including something which even Molly hadn’t guessed at!

If you want to find out how Molly restores everything to a ‘state of perfection’ again, I can recommend this book to you. Molly is a unique character and I would happily read more about her. I hope we will be checking into the Regency Grand in the future for another adventure.

‘When an acclaimed writer dies at the Regency Grand Hotel it's up to a fastidious maid to uncover the truth’.

‘The Mystery Guest’ by Nita Prose is the sequel to 2022’s ‘The Maid’ which introduced us to the loveable and quirky Molly Gray.
This story is told in first person with dual timelines and most of the major players are back in force. I really enjoyed the first book and was very excited to see what Molly’s next chapter would bring. However I didn’t find this one to be nearly as charming or as touching. It was great to see Molly develop her confidence and impart her particular style of wisdom to the new recruit. The flashbacks were interesting and gave more insight into Molly’s background and resilience. Molly’s relationship with her Gran is heartwarming if a little twee. However I did find the constant recollections of Gran’s words of wisdom to be a little repetitive and grating. I also found both the prose and the plot to be slightly underwritten and quite simplistic at times.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy cosy mysteries but while it is stated that this is a standalone novel, I would urge readers to read ‘The maid’ first in order to better understand the relationships between the characters.

With thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this sequel in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant sequel, you’ll definitely need to have read the first one and I’m sure you will love this.

How fabulous to be back at the Regency Grand hotel with Molly. This book is a great sequel to The Maid. Another brilliant storyline with a superb cast of characters. I could not put it down.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I loved the first book, and it was one of my top books of that year. So when I saw there was going to be a sequel I was first in line to read!!

The first book 'The Maid' was really cosy, quirky and unique. I fell in love with the protagonist Molly, and loved getting to know her. In this book, because we already 'know' Molly, it looses some of the cuteness, and the heart of the book. Molly has grown (which is great) but because of this, she isn't as vulnerable and therefore as as reader, I don't have the same feelings towards her as I did in the first book. Nita Prose has introduced a new character (that I feel is there to fill the void of the lack of vulnerable Molly) of the new 'maid in training' - she is very much naive. She is similar to how Molly was in the beginning. I also fear that if we have a third installment where Molly is in a new job (I won't go into detail as this could potentially be a spoiler) I fear that once again Molly will be so far removed from the character we initially fell in love with in the first book.

The plot of this book follows the same format of the first, but we have more of a focus on flashbacks to fill in the gaps. In these flashbacks, we learn more about Molly's relationship with her Gran, and we particularly learn more about Gran. The flashbacks for me were more interesting, and had more heart than the present day hotel storyline. I would find myself rushing through the present day to get to the flashback sections.
The murder mystery plot - the present day storyline wasn't particularly great and wasn't the most 'shocking' of murders or mysteries - but it worked well alongside the flashbacks.


Overall I still really enjoyed this book, but it didn't give me the same 'feels' as the first.

WOW! If this isn't a book to brag about I don't know what is... I started it late last night. Never did I anticipate I would be closing the book at 3am left in complete shock... This book was insane! It was twisted, it was gripping but it was so darn good! I loved the maid, and I loved this follow up too!

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This enjoyable cozy mystery is the second in the series following Molly the maid who works at the 5* Regency Grand Hotel.

When a famous writer suddenly drops dead in the middle of a conference at the hotel, it brings back memories of the time when she was the main suspect in another murder in the hotel.

Determined to solve the case, Molly works with Detective Stark to uncover clues even the detective misses.

Soon there are many potential suspects who had a reason to poison the author.

Who is the murderer? Will a maid be under suspicion again?

I loved the first book in this series, and as I have seen from many others was surprised to see it returning. I’m glad it did though, as I enjoyed reading this part even more.

Molly, although some may see as unusual in her ways is relatable to many and even when she doesn’t mean to adds a comical aspect to the storyline.

The interaction between the detective and Molly came as a nice surprise as Molly finally gets the recognition she deserves.

Overall, and enjoyable cozy mystery where Molly maid helps solve the mysterious murder of a famous writer.

Back at the Regency Grand with Molly the maid, another murder occurs and again the detectives are suspicious of Molly!
There are two timelines going on in this novel one showing some of Molly's background and the other in the present day with the murder occurring during a press conference from a very well known author.
I don't want to give too much away but would love to have a third instalment of Molly and the Recency Grand.
Many thanks to publishers Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.

Marvellous!! Just what I was expecting by Nita Prose and a second instalment of the delightful Molly. I loved the development of Molly's character and those around her. Finding out more about her background with the unravelling of the plot and also watching the relationship with Detective Spark develop as the book continued. The best progression for me with this second instalment was around the understanding of Molly and her 'quirks' - in the first book, whilst quite obviously ASD, it is almost written as a fault - by this book, Molly's personality and characteristics are written in a way that shows her using the traits she has with confidence. This for me was the more comfortable to read and more supportive of Molly. What I would have liked to see...Juan Manuel - he's not in this story and it would have been interesting to see the dynamic between him and Molly more. Whilst I look forward to another novel in this series - it would be good to see it beyond the Regency Grand hotel - otherwise it would be the unluckiest hotel in the world. With Mr Preston and his little bombshell at the end it means we will still get to see him too.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

I’ve loved being back at the Regency Grand with Molly and the team as I adored her first adventure in The Maid.
Molly is such a refreshing character- brutally honest and direct, her view of the world and life is just wonderful. The chapters of Molly and her Gran of her childhood were sweet and emotional and showed the depth of love in their relationship.
The mystery in this one is another page turner and I loved how Molly, Stark and the team uncovered each bit as more became clear.

Molly the maid is back in a second instalment and is the key in working out how famed author, J.D. Grimthorpe came to die on the hotel’s tea room floor. Will she manage to solve the mystery?

This is another fun, cosy crime mystery and revisits past likeable characters. Molly remains quirky and interesting and we get to discover more of her back story which helps to understand her better and builds her character further. Although the overall story was an amusing read, I did feel that it dragged slightly and was quite predictable. This wasn’t a bad second story in the series and definitely a book to pick up if you are looking for a light hearted, quirky, cosy murder mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.