The Mistletoe Mystery: A Maid Novella (Molly the Maid)

“Have you ever had a day when everything turned upside down and backwards out of nowhere…When everything you knew–or thought you knew–suddenly seemed uncertain?” “‘It’s Christmas…The time of year to be generous and charitable.’ ‘Even to those who don’t deserve it?’ ‘Especially to them.’” And this year’s Secret Santa theme at the Regency Grand Hotel is right up Molly Gray, Head Maid’s alley: “recycle and reuse…discourage excess consumerism, reward thrift, and promote charity and thoughtfulness at this time of year…Give a gift for the other person, not for yourself. That’s real generosity…And the true spirit of Christmas.” But what is what she thought was generosity is something else entirely? When her beloved boyfriend/sous chef Juan Manuel begins acting strangely, “Somewhere deep in my chest, my heart protests…pounding against my rib cage–an empty cup clanging against iron bars…If you want to know where someone’s going, watch their feet, not their mouths…Getting lost is the first step to being found…What if I search for evidence that he loves me instead of fixating on the proof that he does not?” “Most princes turn out to be frogs in really good costumes…We must learn to see past the grime, for what’s beyond it may shine more brightly than any light you could possibly imagine.” With a nod to O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi–in which “nothing goes right, but all is well in the end”–Molly discovers that under the mistletoe “all my troubles, all my strife melts away. It’s as if we’re in a snow globe, a tiny perfect world where only the two of us exist…Just like that, the mystery is solved.” Pine needles and mulled cider, cinnamon and spice, with a sprig of mistletoe held by a red velvet bow, Nita Prose’s The Mistletoe Mystery is magic.

What I liked: Molly the Maid and the rest of the characters from the Regency Grand Hotel are back. A fun/quick palette cleanser between reading more meaty books. What I disliked: Why promote as a mystery? Really, this is just a cute Christmas holiday short story.

I requested this from NetGalley after hearing a few people talking about a Christmas Cozy Mystery. I walked into this book having not read any of the previous Molly the Maid books before and felt this novella gave enough information that I wasn't completely clueless. This was indeed a cozy, sweet Christmas mystery and while predictable I did enjoy this quick read. I could practically smell the pine trees at the Regency Grand Hotel Molly and Juan worked at. 3⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC of The Mistletoe Mystery.