In HOTEL OF SECRETS, Maria Wallner is throwing a grand ball for her hotel’s comeback into society, but keeps getting distracted by an American agent investigating leaked codes (and her). The hotel sabotaging incidents and assassination attempts on Maria’s life are, however, more troubling than some leaked codes. Something is afoot, and it’s clear that the scandalous Wallner family is knee-deep in imperial intrigue. There are three generations of Wallner women, and each secret is more shocking than the last. Eli Whittaker. What a starchy, blushing, completely besotted man Maria finds when she crashes into him tipsy, in Vienna. The whirl of the waltz is ever present as Eli has to find his spot and not spin out with lust and love, and figure out that he deserves it no matter what his awful family put him through. I love that he's a numbers guy, a paperwork guy. he's going to solve the problem that is Maria, but Maria isn't actually a problem at all. She's the answer to all of his everything. Maria and Eli’s romance was fun, open, and honest, but also very passionate and sensual as well as spicy, This story is so unique. It is not the typical historical romance that you have read. This is more like women’s fiction with a historical twist.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity

Thanks to Netgalley for another outstanding book. Aside from some editing issues, which I presume will be fixed by publication (I’m still recovering from the shock when Eli Whittaker changed to Eli Whittier), I have no criticisms of this book.

There were many parts that made me laugh. At first, Eli is so stiff and emotionally distant, he cannot allow himself to feel anything. As he starts to feel things that are unfamiliar to him, and that he believes will make him weak, “Eli frowned. Listened to that thought once more. Frowned deeper.” Maria is sunshine and cotton candy. No matter what obstacles are thrown in her path, she maintains a positive attitude, remaining hopeful throughout. They are an unlikely pair, but as Maria comes to find out, Eli is actually kind and thoughtful and feels deeply.

Vienna is very different from America and Eli has trouble understanding the constant need to dance, the constant parade of entertainers like musicians and mimes in the streets. He considers it madness, but when he expresses this to Maria, she tells him, “The madness one needs to maintain sanity.”

Humor, though abundant, is understated. There are no slapstick, laugh-out-loud scenes. The narrative conveys humor through the words that are used. When they are forced to seek the help of the police, they end up finding a young man who must have recently joined. They take him to the scene of the crime, and his discomfort is palpable.
“‘Police,’ the young officer cried. Well, cried was overdoing it. Said, possibly. Certainly he at least squeaked it.”

On multiple occasions, Eli refuses treatment from doctors, saying he can take care of himself. Meanwhile, Maria refuses to ask for help from her group of family and friends, saying she can do it all herself. Maria calls the doctor for Eli and he helps her without being asked. Both Eli and Maria put everyone else in their lives ahead of them, worrying about their needs first. They realize that they need to take care of themselves as the other points it out to them.

The love that builds between them is beautiful and miraculous. It’s poetic and emotional. It is memorable and unique. It affected me and will last in my memories. This is the way a love story should be told. I will happily read more from Diana Bold.

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller is a wonderful historical romance, adventure, and a knock off your feet swoon worthy American Secret Service agent, Eli Whittaker. The setting is 1878 Vienna where our protagonist Maria Wallner, a hotelier, is hosting the Hotelkeeper’s Ball, and in between refurbishing the hotel, the lack of funds, and other mishaps and mysteries, she needs to pull this off.

I loved this book and will definitely re read in audio which I had just purchased! So exciting.

Highly recommend!

I thought I would love this — the synopsis and other reviews I’ve read gave me Bridgerton vibes! Which I loved. But, I’ll be DNFing this. I have no interest in the plot or characters. I’m so disappointed! Thanks anyway for the ARC.

Maria Wallner wants to restore her family's hotel to its former glory. Eli Whittaker is in Vienna to find out who is selling American secret codes in Europe. Eli is staying at the Wallner Hotel and is drawn into the whirlwind of balls, waltzes and the mystery surrounding the hotel. Along with an attraction to the hotel manager.

This is a great story, with a great plot and wonderful characters.

Hotel of Secrets revolves around the Hotel Wallner. Maria is 3rd generation owner and manager. Maria needs the bank to loan her money to renovate the hotel. Enter Eli - a foreign agent who adds romance and intrigue to Maria's life. I enjoyed this book tremendously. I look forward to reading more of Diana Biller's books.

I actually ended up liking this book quite a lot, but the cover certainly didn't give me a good idea what it would be like. It's a little bit historical, but mostly mystery and romance, both are done well! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really unique historical romance with great characters! Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I'm not going to lie I knew this book was going to be a struggle for me. I'm not a fan of mysteries in my romance and while this one did move along at a decent pace, it just didn't keep me entertained. I did really like Eli as a virgin hero (we need more virgin heroes)

I am impressed with the book; the way that Diana could incorporate history into this love story was fabulously done.

I enjoyed Maria's antics and drove to make her hotel work. The history embedded within this hotel and the drama within this adjacent royal family. And we have Eli, who doesn't smile but has a huge heart and is always willing and able to help whenever he can

All the supported characters added to this storyline's fun and mystery.

This budding romance was Chef's Kiss so good, and I enjoyed reading and listening to this one.

The only secret here is the one that all the readers who enjoyed the book are in on.

The premise was intriguing but it quickly became clear this top secret espionage plot was cobbled together haphazardly. Is it still a top secret espionage mission if more than half the characters know who the spies are within the first 30 pages? I also never asked for a remedial sex ed lesson either but here we are apparently.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I did not mean to go so long without reviewing this one – I LOVED it. The hero was one of my faves ever, I already want to re-read this and swoon all over again. Maria was also fabulous. Everyone and everything = fabulous. Loved. Need more. Absolutely love this author!

A magical historical romance with characters that I loved from the moment they appear on the page. Setting the story in Vienna while it was still part of the empire and right as the ball season is beginning is the perfect setup for beautiful dances and lots of intrigues, and making the leading lady the proprietress of a family-owned hotel with a long history of strongwilled women behind her is a masterful stroke.
Maria is interesting on her own. She knows what she wants and she's learned to make do with what she has without depending on others. I loved how protective she is of those she loves, her hotel, and the people in it. It makes everything she does to keep her family's legacy alive even more special. And then there's leading man Eli, an American very much out of his element but deadset on doing everything he can to help Maria. He's adorable and headstrong and the fact that he opens up to Maria and is willing to be vulnerable with her makes everything extra romantic.
It does feel like a couple of plot threads get dropped toward the end in exchange for a series of very unexpected surprises that give the book a lot more depth, but everything works out so perfectly and the emotional rollercoaster is so great that I'm okay with that.
Overall, it's an incredibly romantic story full of mysteries and romance played out by enthralling characters.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the romantic read!

Hotel of secrets has a little bit of something for everyone. History, romance and some mystery. I LOVE this cover it’s as beautiful as the story. Literally swept me away to Vienna. Maria’s strong character was way ahead of her time.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press & NetGalley for a digital ARC. I don't often read historical romance, but this was recommended by a few Bookstagrammers I follow. It was pretty interesting, although maybe a little unrealistic. There was of course the romance, some family drama, and a little bit of a mystery. I was surprised at how many affairs were in this story, by various major and minor characters. I really enjoyed exploring the unique relationships between Maria and her mother and her grandmother. I also liked the event planning aspect of the story and all the decadent food mentioned. Overall, this was a fun read to break up my fantasy streak in May.

Mystery, intrigue and romance combine in this fun novel set in the beautiful city of Vienna. This one started off a little slow for me. The character development took a little while but about halfway through I was really into the and the fun characters who inhabit the Hotel Wallner.

Great historic fiction with modern enjoyable characters.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.

Family drama, mystery and romance. Does it get any better?

This was my first time reading a Diana book but it did not disappoint.

Maria Wallner's only goal in life is to restore her family's hotel to its former glory. Strange occurrences and setbacks seem determined to foil her efforts, and Maria finds her life frequently in peril. The oddities seem to coincide with the arrival of Eli Whitaker, a government official from the US who may or may not be a spy, depending on who you ask. He wants to finish his investigation on stolen codes in a Vienna office and go home, but he finds himself drawn to the alluring woman who is surrounded by chaotic mystery.

I absolutely loved the Viennese hotel setting! It was vibrant and lovely, and I wanted to waltz in a grand ballroom after finishing this book.

Eli is SUCH a grump, and it was a fabulous foil to Maria's optimistic spirit. I really enjoyed the tension building and growth that they both experienced throughout Hotel of Secrets. The slow burn led to such good spice. I will never look at coat closets the same way.

Thank you to St Martins Press for an eARC. All thoughts are my own.

For generations, the Wallner women have run the Hotel Wallner in Vienna. They do not marry, but they do take lovers and each generation has a daughter.

Maria Wallner is the current manager of the Hotel Wallner, which has fallen on hard times from which she is trying to rebound. Hosting Vienna's annual hotel ball will go a long way toward restoring the Wallner's reputation. But mishap after mishap occurs as she plans. At her side is the handsome but inscrutable Eli, a visiting American who seems slightly disapproving of Maria, her family, her hotel, all of Vienna... But their mutual attraction is too great to ignore.

Interspersed with snippets of European history, this historical novel is sweeping, entertaining, and slightly scandalous, like the Wallner women themselves. I took too long to read it, so some of the secondary characters were a little muddled for me, but it contains just enough history for background, but focuses primarily on Maria's relationship with her mother and grandmother, and of course the very hot Eli. #HotelofSecrets #NetGalley

This book felt like it was plucked right out of my dreams. I found myself getting lost in this story, constantly wondering what was going to happen next and who would end up where.

The main thing this book showed me is that I was born in the wrong era, I want to go to balls, run off to linen closets with my husband, have an occultist tell me my future, and eat tiny cakes while walking through halls of a hotel packed with history and secrets.

With secrets, spice, and spies this book checked so many of the things I look for in a good book, throw in the family drama and the descriptions of the hotel itself and it felt like a fantasy, and I need more.

Maria and Eli and that couple that just makes you forget everything, I was so invested in their love story and each of them and how they got to that fateful meeting in the street.

This book had so much more than I was expecting and I loved all of it, I'll be grabbing any other books by Dana Biller I can get my hands on because she's phenomenal.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this e-book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.