Thank you #netgalley for this #giftedaudiocopy

I was so excited to read this book because it is set in Vienna and had excerpts of history throughout, but I am sorry to say it couldn't hold my attention. The love story seemed contrived and unbelievable to me, so it distracted from the mystery. There were occasionally bits that entertained, but I unfortunately found myself struggling through this one. With attempted assassinations, kidnappings, and romance, I expected more.

I really struggled with the first half of this book. I would find myself half paying attention while listening to the audiobook. At the 25% mark, I was surprised to find out that I wasn’t at least halfway. I felt this book was unnecessarily long and not a whole lot happens until way after the 50% mark.

There are random side plots that didn’t seem to add anything to the story, except to be disguised as “conflict” to keep the story moving. I also didn’t find the characters all that compelling. The author does try to give depth to Eli by revealing some deeply-rooted childhood trauma involving an abusive father, but it felt out of place and forced because none of the other characters get this kind of attention.

The historical context around what would be deemed “appropriate” in terms of romantic advances in the time period it’s supposed to be set in is basically non-existent. This book is effectively a modern day romance with a very, very slow burn that is supposed to take place in the late 1800s. I often forgot it was supposed to be a historical romance because the history barely comes up.

Things do start to pick in the latter half of the novel, but you still have the issue of unrealistic portrayals of romance for the time. Once you get past that, it’s an okay story.

There were moments that I felt Eli was endearing, such as when he goes to a shop to purchase some books to learn a new skill. I won’t reveal anymore to avoid spoilers, but these moments are when I felt the spark of potential for something great.

Alas, the book couldn’t be saved. I really wanted to like it, but it just wasn’t executed very well. The pacing was off, and it didn’t know what kind of book it was trying to be. I’m surprised so many people like the book as is. I guess this is why everyone is different.

The narrator does use an accent, and I’m not sure how accurate the portrayal was. It always sounded a bit off to me, but perhaps I don’t have the ear for Viennese accents. Otherwise, I didn’t have any qualms about the narration itself.

** spoiler alert ** Set in 19th century Vienna, hotel manager Maria is preparing for the opportunity of a lifetime. Through many obstacles, sabotage and truly, hotel secrets, she interacts with an American named Eli Whitaker and her large, complicated family.

Lovers of historical fiction, drama and spice will enjoy this one. There is something for everyone here.

I’m not sure this is a spoiler, but each chapter opens with a journal entry. For that purpose, and for the many characters and connections, I would suggest doing a physical/digital copy read before listening with audiobook. That being said, the narrator was fabulous.

There are many wonderful elements of this one. It was just a bit slow for me. I would give it 3.5 stars if possible on this platform.

I received an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a compelling and unique historical romance! I enjoyed being transported to Vienna in the 1870s and I relished in the abundance of humour and witty banter!

This one has a lot of characters and relationships that can be tricky to initially sort out, but once you get it, you can really applaud Biller on her exceptional character development. We have a virgin hero and steamy and swoon worthy romance with a side of mystery! This one really has something for everyone!

While it was a bit long for me, it was extremely well written and certainly intriguing and entertaining!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Liked it, fun while it lasted
🌶🌶🌶🌶 1-3 explicit scenes, but still has a plot

Set in 1870's Vienna, at The Hotel Wallner, this book was a fun blend of historical fiction, romance, and intrigue, with a dash of madcap humor. I enjoyed listening to it, although at times, especially in the beginning, I had a hard time keeping track of the secondary characters, even though they added so much color to the hotel.

I found the blend of modern sensibilities with the old world setting interesting, especially around consent and women's independence and pleasure.

At the heart of it, this book is more of a romance set during a historical time and place rather than historical fiction. There are multiple explicit sex scenes. It's not one of my preferred genres, but I did enjoy listening to this and went through it pretty quickly.

The narrator, Carlotta Brentan, did a good job distinguishing the different characters with accents and cadences.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, NetGalley, and author Diana Biller for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Hotel of Secrets is out March 28, 2023.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this story!

This was a mystery wrapped in a love story wrapped in some family drama. It is set back in the days of balls and the big fancy hotels that hosted them. The main character, Maria, is the newest family member to be running Hotel Wallner, trying to get it back to its former glory. I love the way that Biller brought the two main characters together. They don't seem to have a real connection, but boy does that change quickly! This definitely has the romance bit down. There are several romantic encounters that are described in detail. Definitely puts this book more into the adult audience. I enjoyed it overall and would love to read more stories about Maria and Eli.

A mystery,suspense,romance with some intrigue
Set in Vienna 1870,Maria runs her family hotel which is having some problems can she solve them and find out who the mysterious man is with the help of some new friends.
Good narration and narrator.
Enjoyed the intrigued.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Historical romance set in 1870s Vienna, with dual POVs, and some fairly sizzling romantic tension.
I really enjoyed this book. Well written, hitting all the beats of a good romance, fun and interesting characters. The perfect amount of romance ridiculousness, as our couple are forced to spend the night in a deserted hunting lodge (etc), but it is all well-justified. I always appreciate when the motivations and actions of the characters make sense.
I also appreciate that the tall, dark & handsome leading man is brooding and tortured without being an actual a$$hole to anyone. And I am HERE for competence being sexy!
I flew through this on audio (although I’m not sure how I felt about the accents) and definitely recommend it for all lovers of spicy historical romance!

This book was well written and was a story about a young woman that takes over a hotel. I somewhat got a little lost in the story at the beginning and then it got a little dry for me. I stuck with it and in the end it was a pretty decent book. I enjoyed the banter back and forth amongst the characters and the depictions given during the book really led me to believe that I was involved in the story.

Historical romance often comes with icky power imbalances. Diana Biller did a marvelous job of building a romantic relationship that felt balanced, but also believable for the time. The central couple has off the charts chemistry with hints of sweetness. The writing style is sophisticated and captivating. The storyline outside of the romance passes the Bechdel test with flying colors. From the outset of the book Maria is described as a self-sufficient business owner with complex supportive friendships. With a fast-paced engrossing plot, I was never tempted to walk away from Hotel of Secrets. In fact, I struggled to put it down. I am eager to read the rest of Dianna Biller's books as soon as possible.


Thank you Diana Biller, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

Plot - 5
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 5
Narration - 4
Personal Bias - 5
Final Score - 4.6

Vienna's Hotel Wallner has legendary beginnings- gifted to an illegitimate daughter of the crown, it is passed down from daughter to daughter by women who love strongly once and only once, and also known to keep journals of all the secrets that are overheard during meetings between high officials and frequent spies. Maria is the current owner, her mother having damaged the reputation of the hotel during the financial crises of recent years, and she's desperate and motivated to bring back the hotel, her home, to it's original glory.
Eli Whittaker is an American who is charged with investigating secret codes that were revealed from the Viennese embassy. When his path keeps crossing Maria, the history of the hotel, the secrets it holds, and several mysteries all unravel as Maria and Eli find together how to build their legacies and uncover truths.

#arc
#netgalley
#hotelofsecrets

Absolutely loved this one. Eli is the grumpiest grump of a bodyguard there ever was and he's perfect. This story was so unique and fun. I loved that Maria was her own person especially during an era in time where it might have been hard to be a woman in charge of a hotel. I also loved that there was romance and mystery with this one, and not just one mystery but a few. I also definitely did not have the mystery figured out, so the ending was a bit of a surprise for me. The narration for this was perfect and the accents were sublime. One of the best audiobooks I've listened to this year. I've read another of Diana Biller's work, but I think this one might be my favorite so far of hers. Diana is definitely an autobuy author for me now.

Maria Wallner is dead-set on restoring her family hotel to its former glory. She's well on her way when a handsome but infuriating American guest comes poking his nose around, saving her from certain death a handful of times, but still mostly just annoying her with his presence. When Hotel Wallner is asked to host the ball of the season, Maria is frantic to prepare, but she is beset by misadventure and sabotage. She and annoying Eli investigate who could be out to get her, and they land in way more trouble than they expected. Physically and romantically!

Well. It’s sort of my fault for not understanding from the synopsis that this is a romance novel first, and historical mystery second. I was expecting a lot more 19th century Vienna and a lot less contemporary smut, but alas. Smut it is! That being said, author Diana Biller doesn’t use sexual euphemisms like “velvet steel” or “the apex of her thighs” which I honestly SO APPRECIATED for once. Thank you for using normal anatomical terms!!!

Like I said already, I wish this book had included really any detail about Vienna in 1878, but the scene-painting was sparse at best. I also found the dialogue and behavior of the characters to be way too contemporary for the supposed time period.

Now, the story itself. Pretty solid, if romance is your thing. The mystery aspects are a little confusing, because there are several different things going on, but I think the "overall" resolution at the end was satisfactory. The romance for me was way too insta-love, but again that's my mistake for not understanding what I was picking up. I enjoyed the Wallner lore about "The Man" and the two resident psychics — that was probably my favorite part! Maria is spunky, sassy, and incredibly independent for a 19th century Viennese woman, which is nice but perhaps not super historically accurate.

Thank you to Diana Biller, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for my advance audio copy.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing the Advance Reader Copy of Hotel of Secrets!

Maria Wallner only wants to see her family’s Hotel Wallner restored to its former glory after her mother’s eight years of mismanagement. The Hotel Wallner has been managed by the women in her family for the past four generations. Eli Whittaker has been sent to Vienna from Washington DC to investigate a code theft that is entirely out of his area of expertise and his only lead is Maria’s hotel.

I enjoyed Hotel of Secrets but didn’t love it. As other reviewers have mentioned the language seems to modern for a historical fiction novel. I also felt the novel switched from being an historical fiction story to a fairly spicy romance story. Eli’s reason for being in Vienna was flimsy at best and then just evaporated by the end. Spoiler alert: I do understand that the US was trying to get him out of the way because they didn’t end up charging most of the characters in his big bust before going to Vienna but all of his plot felt too thin.

The narration was also just okay. Some of the voices she used for minor characters were jarring and/or inconsistent which distracted me from the story.

Overall it was a fun but forgettable story.

Maria is working on getting the Wallner Hotel back to its former glory. Eli gets sent to Vienna on an undercover assignment by the U.S. government and ends up suspecting Mara and staying at the Wallner Hotel. He starts to fall for Maria and Maria for him, while a death plot unravels in the background with Maria at the center. It was an intriguing listen and was highly enjoyable. The narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the story to life.

Maria Wallner is restoring her family's hotel, Hotel Wallner, to its former glory, but disaster seems to be around every corner... Fortunately for Maria, an undercover agent from America, Eli Whittaker, always seems to be there to rescue her.

The audiobook was fantastic. German accents during the dialogue 👌 really brought the story to life.

• Sometimes she rescues herself, too, and is especially good at it once Eli teaches her what to do. She's not quite a damsel in distress trope, but she does go off alone often even when she knows someone is trying to murder her.
• I enjoyed this setting: Vienna in the 1870s. Definitely a different feel to it compared to all of the London based histroms I read! More scandalous and murdery.
• Chapters begin with journal excerpts from Maria, her mother, and her grandmother.
• A zillion assassination attempts, murders, injuries and danger for the main characters. Fantastic protector vibes and caretaking trope.
• Mystery and family drama, a bit of political drama, too.
• I loved the way Maria fell for Eli's lips, how unfiltered and honest she was, and the way her thoughts always drifted to redesigning the linen closets in case guests needed to sneak off for a private tryst...
• I loved absolutely everything about Eli. I loved his mysterious past and the reveal of it. He was the perfect virgin hero, doing his research beforehand. Steam was gorgeous, wished for more!

Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media for the ALC!

I really enjoyed listening to Hotel of Secrets. It was an action-packed book full of love and history. I love books set in Vienna during the Habsburg monarchy so this was the perfect book for me. At times it got confusing with so many characters, but it was okay. The narrator was great except when she did Eli’s voice. Thank you for letting me listen to this audiobook!

Diana Biller is a new author to me. I read the blurb for this book and was very intrigued. Mystery/Suspense/Historical Romance is a sub-genre I am very interested in reading. The narration by Carlotta Brentan was fantastic. This novel takes place in Vienna in January 1888 and is a period of history and an area in Europe I know very little about. So many details of the era make it very much an Historical Fiction, but there is a very good romance taking place in the context of this period. I fell in love with this family of women and their fight to bring their hotel back to its' former glory. The mystery/suspense has you guessing as to exactly who is in danger and what the real reason is. The romance is warm and wonderful, and I just loved Eli and Maria. I also loved how these women solve their problems.

Maria Wallner is on a mission to restore her family's hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its' former glory. But someone wants Maria dead. Maria is not easy to kill thanks to the timely intervention of a handsome American spy. Now all she can think about is his lovely mouth. Her attraction to the handsome American spy has no place in her priorities. Her family needs her and the Hotel Wallner has just received a highly coveted commission to host a premier ball and there is so much to do to get ready, but bad things just keep happening.

Eli Whittaker an American spy in Vienna to find out who sold American codes. He wants to solve this case and be back in Washington D.C. as soon as possible. Vienna is not to his taste at all. Wild, gay and always there is a waltz on the air. His starting point is a letter sent from the Hotel Wallner. Surely it will be easy to find out who sent it and be done with the case. He has no intention in becoming involved with Maria and her eccentric and complicated family, but from the first time he saves her life he finds his life entwined with hers.

Court intrigue, spies, secrets and not so secrets all come to light and Maria and Eli must figure it all out before someone destroys the Hotel and is successful in eliminating Maria.

My thanks to the Publisher, and Author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I enjoy historical fiction, its definitely one of my favorite genres. I really liked "Hotel of Secrets" a story about a family of women who manage a Vienna hotel filled with secrets, spies and lies. An American named Eli is hiding his own secrets but becomes entangled with Maria and the other mysteries inside the Hotel. Someone is trying to kill Maria and Eli is determined to help her stay alive and save her hotel which is struggling financially. The attempted murders give the book a nice dose of action and the eventual romance between Eli and Maria gives a dose of romance and way more spice than I would have anticipated. It was almost too much spice and at times I felt like those scenes were steps removed from the rest of the story. My favorite thing about the books was the found and formed family within the cast of characters. Some were so quirky and fun. I highly recommend the audiobook as the narration was fantastic. An enjoyable read for sure.

Link to Goodreads Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/60784550

At the start of another ball season in Vienna, Maria Wallner is determined to see her family’s hotel, which she manages, restored to the prestige it once held. She won’t let anything stand in her way, despite facing plenty of obstacles: her parents’ embarrassing thirty-year affair, apparently random attacks by assassins, and a disturbingly handsome American agent to whom she already owes her life twice now.

Eli Whittaker just wants to reveal the source of a leak of US secret codes, arrest them, and return to his well-ordered life in Washington, DC. His one lead is a letter sent from the Hotel Wallner, but when he checks in, he finds him swept into sheer madness awash with balls, spies, and a beautiful hotel manager in the middle of everything, one who just happens to keep finding herself in danger. Eli is prepared to disapprove heartily of all this frivolity and chaos, but he’s soon swept away by it all as his attraction to her grows.

Eli was just the sort of strong, quiet, somewhat broody hero I love, and it didn’t hurt that he was utterly competent and also happened to be a virgin. The intimacy that developed between him and Maria was incredibly well drawn and I was thoroughly convinced that they had indeed fallen completely in love and established a trusting bond despite the relative shortness of their acquaintance. Maria struggled to accept help, having never truly been able to rely on anyone before, but Eli showed her what was truly possible when it comes to relying on another person and in turn she showed him how to trust someone else with his heart and vice versa. In fact, Maria challenged Eli’s views and assumptions about everything, showing him just how much more he could truly have. I loved the give and take of their relationship, as well as Maria’s courage in revealing her feelings and the sheer maturity demonstrated by the openness of their communication. There was also plenty of intrigue and court secrets floating around to keep my interest peaked, though I would still say this was a very character-driven story. Even the supporting characters felt fleshed out and the narrator did a great job of making them come alive. I’ve never read anything from this author, nor have I read a romance set in Vienna, but I loved this one and it won’t be my last.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and its audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.