Diana Biller's writing just moves me in ways I cannot explain. It's not overwrought or flowery, it just gets right to the heart of things in the most honest and poignant of ways. I really adored the 2 MCs in this book, both of their backstories contained a lot of pain, especially Eli's, and the way he chose to live his life in response to his past was heartbreaking. I really wish this book contained an epilogue - that's my only hiccup but regardless, the book still gets 5 solid stars from me.

Willkommen im Hotel Wallner

Diana Biller’s Hotel of Secrets was my first read of the new year, and it was just wonderful. It’s an exciting tale of romance, spies, and mystery, and it has a delightful cast of characters.

Viennese hotelkeeper Maria Wallner wants to restore her family’s hotel to its former glory. However, assassination attempts and other mysterious incidents keep getting in her way. And most distracting is the American agent, whose stern and sexy mouth makes her want to him drag into the nearest linen closet.

Eli Whittaker is a guest at the hotel, and he is there on a case to find out who has been selling American codes. But upon arrival, he is swept up in Vienna’s dazzling ball season and a swoonworthy romance, all while trying to unravel the secrets.

Hotel of Secrets sparkles with Biller’s brilliantly crafted plot and well-developed characters, interspersed with detailed Austrian history and political intrigue.

It's no secret that Biller's Moore family is my favorite fictional family. The Wallners and their friends, while different from the Moores, are equally endearing. The way Maria and Eli get to know each other and fall in love is such a heartwarming journey. I loved the character development. Eli goes from stern and starchy secret agent to soft and gooey orchid knight. It was so fun to watch him open up to Maria and her family and learn how to laugh. The hotel’s forced proximity causes some delicious banter-filled moments and lots of swoony tension between the two main characters. It was a joy to see them both realize that love is a miracle. I also really enjoyed the relationship arcs between Maria and her family, especially her mother.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the unique and simply magical setting of a hotel in 19th-century Vienna. The Hotel Wallner is as pivotal to the story as the main characters. And the exquisite Viennese backdrop adds an extra layer of beauty to this romance.

Last, but not least, the way this book addresses sexuality and consent is perfect. In this book, the FMC is more experienced than the MMC (celibate), and some of the secondary characters are queer. Everything is really well done and respectful of all the characters’ experiences and choices.

Content Warnings: explicit sexual content, gun violence, attempted murder, murder, killing in self-defense, discussion of past spousal and child abuse, government corruption and injustice

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. I felt like the characters were richly developed. Maria Wallner isn't your typical female lead, especially for a book set during this time period (late 1800s). She is bold, independent, in tune with her sexuality, & around 30 & not married. Eli is also not the typical male protagonist being a bit aloof & not sexual at all. Their story & the characters that surround them is filled with many twists & turns that keep you engaged from beginning to end. Thoroughly enjoyed this one & highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

"Diana Biller's Hotel of Secrets is chock full of banter-filled shenanigans, must-have-you kisses, and romance certain to light a fire in the hearts of readers everywhere.

During ball season, anything can happen - even love.

It's ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family's hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its former glory. She's not going to let anything get in her way - not her parents' three-decade-long affair; not seemingly-random attacks by masked assassins; and especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who's saved her life two times already. No matter how luscious his mouth is.

Eli Whittaker also only wants one thing: to find out who is selling American secret codes across Europe, arrest them, and go home to his sensible life in Washington, DC. He has one lead - a letter the culprit sent from a Viennese hotel. But when he arrives in Vienna, he is immediately swept up into a chaotic whirlwind of balls, spies, waltzes, and beautiful hotelkeepers who seem to constantly find themselves in danger. He disapproves of all of it! But his disapproval is tested as he slowly falls deeper into the chaos - and as his attraction to said hotelkeeper grows."

Ball season in Vienna? YES!

This book transports you to 1870s Vienna during the annual ball season. Maria, the proprietress of the Hotel Wallner, is trying to save her family’s hotel with a shoestring budget. But someone is out to kill Maria for unknown reasons. Eli is an American investigating stolen codes. Eli and Maria are both complicated characters. There was a lot of back story for both, and it comes out over the pages as Eli conducts his investigation and Maria tries to bring her fractured family together. The book does a great job of capturing the atmosphere in the city, but it does drag at times when you are trying to figure out where the story is going.

The most salacious historical romance, set against the glamourous backdrop of 19th-century Vienna! ✨🥂

A SHORT PREVIEW:
When Maria Wallner is handed the keys to her family's luxurious hotel, her dreams of restoring this crumbling facade come to fruition. She realizes that not everyone wants her hotel to succeed as she earns more success. A series of surprise assailants, being abandoned by a cab driver in the middle of nowhere, and major costly *manmade* problems pop up in the hotel as people start noticing a buzz around The Wallner Hotel. Then along comes Eli Whittaker, an American agent looking to uncover who's been trading American state secrets and committing heinous acts of treason. Neither expects to fall in love or for the stars to align and make their goals one and the same.

THOUGHTS:
- Much of this book is a slow-burn romance wrapped in a few mysteries. Some secret always seemed to be unraveling, whether big or small, and I LOVED it!
- This was unexpectedly a REALLY good spy novel! I thought it would be much lighter and almost be in the background, but this is my favorite type of historical romance where the characters are working to rectify some sort of conspiracy/corruption.
- Hotel of Secrets is full of such gorgeous imagery and definitely makes me want to travel to Austria! It was already on our list - so learning a little about the way Europe shaped itself during the rise and fall of familial dynasties etc, is incredibly interesting. (I cataloged this one on my 'travel inspiration' shelf because it's a fun, immersive read.)
- I also loved that it was unexpectedly a 'mature women's romance'. When you're young, you're always looking for that happy ever after, and while our characters did have that, they weren't expecting to. That lack of dramatic expectation is what makes this book so good! You just want to wrap the characters up and hug them because they found their happy while in their thirties... well past what many would consider being prime marrying age. *Insert eye-roll here.*

FAVORITE QUOTE(S):
-- "..it was hardly good manners to a leave a sexual partner unsatisfied." - I mean.. true.

-- “Ah, Josephine,” von Laziska said. “Now I’ll have to get rid of three bodies.” “We both know that once you have two a third makes no difference at all,” she said, wiping her hands with a handkerchief. -- There are surprising moments of dry wit all throughout!

NOTES:
- 🌶🌶🌶/5 -- Open-door romance & general themes of sexuality throughout the book
- HEA Ending
- Historical Fiction (Not a regency romance - even though the cover is a gal in a gorgeous dress in a ballroom!)
- Definitely funny at times
- CWs: Cheating (parents), domestic abu3e. parental abandonment

**Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Hotel of Secrets covers several tropes and is a Romance, a Mystery, and a Historical tale set in Vienna in the late 1800s. Our female MC, Maria, is a strong, capable woman who comes from a long line of strong, capable women who own a once-grand hotel. Our male MC, Eli, is an American who comes to investigate the loss of secret codes for the US Government. Eli is a very competent, tightly wrapped-man, with dark secrets of his own. Both are not looking for love, but you don't always get what you are looking for! The cast of characters is interesting, and Maria and Eli find themselves working together to save the Hotel and Maria.

I received an ARC for free from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

The story opens following Eli Whittaker being dispatched to sleuth some nefarious goings on at the American legation in Vienna. It quickly shifts over to Maria Wallner who is trying desperately to restore the grandeur of the Hotel Wallner. Mixed in is ball season in Vienna. But also confounding the plot is the colorful cast of characters - from Maria's family, the hotel staff, as well as the staff at the legation. How Maria navigates through the various calamities and challenges related to the hotel and to her personal life is masterfully crafted by the author.

Maria Wallner is running the Wallner Hotel now. Once a prestigious hotel in Vienna, the hotel is in disrepair by the time it is Maria's responsibility. Maria is the fourth Wallner woman to run the hotel and she is determined to save it.

The book opens in 1870 Vienna during ball season. The Wallner used to host the largest and most fabulous balls, but the large ballroom is in shambles. Then a flood in their competitor's hotel, leads to them hosting a ball that could bring the Wallner Hotel back. Now that Maria has agreed to host, will she be able to physically and financially be able to have the hotel ready?

At the same time, Eli Whittaker is sent to Vienna from America to find out who is selling secret codes. He can't believe how the entire city in a frenzy for ball season. Despite his best effort though, he gets caught up in the whirlwind of the city and in Maria.

Maria and Eli are caught up in murder, espionage, arson, and family drama. This is a fun read and I liked the interesting role-reversal of women in charge in a historical romance.

I love Diana Biller’s writing but this just wasn’t it for me:( the romance felt really forced in the beginning and I think it o would have been much more enjoyable if she had put more emphasis on Eli’s work and what he was doing in Vienna. I still liked the book i just think the romance wasn’t up to the same standards as Billers last book

This is the Diana Biller novel I've probably enjoyed the most. I liked the Vienna setting, the hotel culture, and the undercover spy storyline. I continue to think the characters are like cardboard and their romances too insta-love for me, so I will probably call it good on this author.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a little more romance and a little less historical fiction than I pictured, but it was really wonderful. I loved the Vienna setting and I actually enjoyed the characters. Maria was such a strong female lead and I was really rooting for her and her family. I did get a little confused with all of the people and their titles and am still a little unsure of the details, but it was an enjoyable read regardless!

What a fantastic book! It was comical and had so many suspects that I was shocked more than once at the end by all the unexpected surprises. It was a pleasant surprise by this author. My first time reading this author’s book and I look forward to more. Book provided by NetGalley.

This just didn't hold my attention like The Widow of Rose House did. I really liked the characters, but I just felt a bit lost a good chunk of the time and found myself struggling to keep up with the plot.

Book Name: Hotel of Secrets
Author: Diana Biller

ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

Stars: 4/5
Spice: 3/5

- Standalone
- Dual POV
- Fast-Paced and Plot Heavy
- Historical Romance
- Family Secrets and Spies
- Dialogue is Oddly “Modern”
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Fighting their Feelings
- Bridgeton Vibes
- Cutesy
- Linen Closets. ;)
- Who Hurt You
- “Bodyguard “
- Feminist. (Felt Nearly Revisionist)
- Journal entries at the beginning of each chapter were a fun touch.

Part historical fiction, part romance, part mystery, I had such a great time reading this book, I almost couldn’t put it down.

Maria is the current manager of the Wallner Hotel, which has been passed down from daughter to daughter over several generations. Recently, the hotel has fallen upon hard times, but Maria is determined to return her family’s hotel to it’s former glory, and nothing, not even a few assassination attempts or sabotage, will stop her.

Eli is an agent of the American Secret Service Division of the U.S. Treasury. He has been sent on a secret mission to discover the source of a letter discussing the sale of secret codes postmarked from the Wallner Hotel…

First of all, the romance between these two is so great. I loved watching their relationship build as they got to know one another, and as they each realized that their mutual attraction had grown into so much more.

The side characters were also such a delight; I especially enjoyed the burgeoning bromance between Eli, Mac (Maria’s brother), and the resident “French Spy”. The banter was so fun, and had me laughing and smiling throughout.

There were also a few mysteries to solve, and I could never guess where those mysteries were taking us, but when all was revealed, all the pieces finally clicked!

This was such an enjoyable historical romance, with the perfect amount of spice, and a heavy dash of mystery to keep things interesting. I had such a fun time reading it. If you feel like taking a trip to a fictional 1870’s Vienna, this is your chance!

What this book is giving:
✅ Historical Romance
✅ Dual POV
✅ Mystery
✅ Slow burn
✅ Virgin MMC
✅ Experienced FMC
✅ A man who does his research!
✅ Mac + Claude + Eli shenanigans

This is going to be one of my favorites of the year and it is only February.

It did take a beat for me to get into the story, there are a lot of characters introduced at once and I was just confused, but once I hit 15% I was obsessed and loved every minute of my reading journey.

I loved Maria & Eli so much! Diana Biller created such nuanced and lovable characters and were a joy to see fall in love. Maria loves fiercely and will do anything to save her family's hotel. And Eli is my favorite type of hero. A strong silence type who slowly (reluctantly) opens up to the people around him.

My only critique is that I wanted an epilogue since the plot gets wrapped up a bit quickly for my liking. Especially since they are from other countries and Eli now has to literally move to Vienna now!! I believe in their love and am sure they will make it work, but I wanted a snippet of them together in the future.

I loved all the side characters and Maria's strong relationships with her family. I love how her and her stepbrother have found each other and standby each other even when their parents try to pit them against each other. Also I don't like guns, but Josephine wielding a gun and taking charge was excellent and a blast to read.

Diana Biller truly balance the amount of mystery and romance perfectly which is hard to do! I loved all the different mystery plots and how they all wrapped up in different ways, but also wove together. Biller is also funny! Both Maria and Eli have some great moments of internal monologue and their banter was top notch. I highlighted so much of this book

Overall I am actually obsessed with this book and cannot wait for historical romance lovers to be able to read it!

This is a delightfully light, not-much-to-it romance set in 1870s Vienna. The interesting location alone is enough to make this fun to read and the repartee between the leads is well done. I did appreciate that the the man in the couple is the virgin. The plot is good initially but then slows way down in the middle, however the ending speeds up to a satisfactory conclusion.

Maria Wallner is determined to restore her beloved family hotel to its former glory, but its not going to be easy. Between years of neglect and economic catastrophe, her mother's all consuming affair with her father, mysterious assassins, political intrigue, and an intense rivalry with a neighboring hotel, Maria is bracing for a challenge. What she doesn't expect is the distractingly handsome and straight laced American agent Eli Whittaker who seems to have a knack for always showing up at exactly the right moment and for making her feel things she has no interest in feeling...

I've never been a big "book boyfriend" person, so when I tell you that Eli Whittaker has me in his clutches and I would do anything for him please know that it MEANS something. This man. This book. First of all, please please please set more historical romances in places that are not England or New York--the richness of the setting of fin de siècle Vienna was absolutely sumptuous and the political drama unfolding in the background was interesting and memorable. But where this book really shines is Maria and Eli, two strong, smart, experienced, and creative people who really bring out the best in each other and care for each other deeply. I also cannot close out this review without saying that the intimate scenes in this novel are SPECTACULAR...#LinenCloset #iykyk

I was gripped from the first line. The writing is wonderful and really transported the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.