Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Hotel secrets by Diana Biller. This is a suspenseful historical romance and while I enjoyed the story, I found some of the plot to be a bit absurd. Maria's family; her mother, grandmother and great grandmother, all had secret affairs which ended with each having a daughter. Starting with Theresa, who was given a hotel by her lover, each generation has maintained a diary in order to protect their family and the hotel. At the beginning of each chapter there is a diary snippet from the various Wallner women which I felt enhanced the story but I would have enjoyed it more had it been presented as a multi POV. I also enjoyed the historical setting of Vienna, especially at New Year's; the description of the balls and the traditions were wonderful.

Fantastic!

Biller wrote another funny, warm, exciting book that balances a dark mystery with sweet as candy romance. She transports the reader to magical 1800s Vienna and inserts the right amount of history into the background and just a little into the plot. She had me guessing who the baddie was until the very end!
Maria and Eli are both competent, strong, and likable. I usually find one or the other MC likable but Biller makes everyone likable, even Maria's mother.

Immersing myself in the world that Diana Biller creates in her books is a surreal experience. It feels so realistic and genuine that I feel at times like I'm reading a biography of a life, with added color from the narrator's point-of-view, and that seems to be the author's intention in her writing style. She incorporates real-world events and people, bringing to life a point in history that many of us know little about. 19th century Vienna was never discussed in any textbook I read, nor have I read about that setting in other books, but Hotel of Secrets makes me want to read even more. As with Diana Biller's other books, the story includes an array of strong, independent women, well-meaning men who stumble into their lives and upend everything, and a romance that creeps up on both characters and readers alike. If you haven't read a book written by Diana Biller yet, you are not living life to the fullest extent, I promise you.

After her mother spent years neglecting their family's hotel, which has been with them for generations, Maria Wallner got her hands on it and is determined to bring it back to glory again. If only she had more money...and things didn't keep falling apart. Living as the illegitimate daughter of a married man and a mother who seemed to care more about her dalliance than the wellbeing of her family, Maria has become used to managing things on her own. Handouts are not welcome, though the sentiment behind them are appreciated. When one of her recent guests, an American named Eli Whittaker, begins to insert himself into her daily happenings, she is intrigued by his mannerisms...and his mouth. And their acquaintance turns into something more when he saves her life not once but twice. Eli was sent to Vienna as an undercover operative of the US Treasury Secret Service, to determine who leaked American codes to foreign agents, and the trail leads to Maria's hotel. He soon discovers, however, that more is afoot than just leaked codes, and after saving Maria's life for a third time, he is newly dedicated to keeping her safe. His recent interest in her beyond the professional is just a passing notion...he hopes.

I loved watching the relationship between Eli and Maria develop. It wasn't too fast, happening gradually to allow for amazing development of the characters and their circumstances. It meant that when their feelings did come to fruition, it felt so natural and sweet. Eli was quite a bit of a grump, and Maria, while not necessarily a bubbly sunshine, tried to see the positive in everything. As they spent more time together, it was funny to watch Eli slowly find his smile again. One thing I think many readers will find intriguing is that we have a virgin hero on our hands in this book...with an experience lady willing to teach him the ropes. But perhaps the most hilarious part of that whole pairing is that Eli was so dedicated to ensuring his own education before they came together. He went to a special bookshop and purchased reading material...with pictures. It was adorable and so much sexier than I had imagined it would be. He was so concerned about making it good for her, and she was so patient with him the whole time. They really were the perfect pairing. Aside from the romance, the intrigue of the murder attempts on Maria kept me on the edge of my seat and had me guessing the whole time. Her family tree was wild, which meant I could never be sure if we were going to meet a potential suspect or a secret family member. Of which there were many.

As always, I am not disappointed in the slightest. Diana Biller writes with the intention to dazzle...and consider me dazzled. I can't wait to read what she writes next.

I read this too long ago to be able to write a proper review now, but I do remember really enjoying it! It was a different setting than I was used to, and I liked both the hero and heroine.

Hotel of Secrets is a stand-alone book. It begins on New Year's Eve with small ball in its honor. Maria Wallner is the manager of the Hotel Wallner. She inherited it from her mother and hers before her and so on. Each woman has written a diary about the hotel and their lives. The night is a success and Maria is very happy.

Eli Whittaker is sent to Vienna to find out who is selling American secret codes across Europe. Eli stays at the Hotel Wallner and meets Maria. He has never met anyone like her and it's all unsettling to him.

Maria is a little drunk after cleaning up after the ball when she goes outside and is almost run down until Eli sees that she is in danger and promptly rescues her. The next time he sees her she is in his room, he suspects and accuses her of spying on him, only she is there to clean his room since they are shorthanded at the hotel.

Maria Wallner has only one dream and that is to restore her family’s hotel to its former grandeur, but her mother didn't care about it when it was left to her. Now Maria has a chance to do that when she is asked that the Hotel Wallner host the Hotelkeepers Ball after the Hotel Hoffman suffered a catastrophic leak and could no longer do so. What Maria lacks in money she and Hannah combined have in creativity.

Maria is off to secure furnishings for the ball, and Eli offers to accompany her since there have been two attempts on her life. Eli feels as if the attacks are connected. While heading to their destinations the driver abandons them far enough from town. They are unable to return, and Eli gets injured. There are many more attacks and several sabotages involving the hotel and Maria. Eli will start to see Maria in a different light when it is apparent that she is not spying on him. As the ball is about to begin Maria sets off to solve a problem on one of the floors above when she is kidnapped.

This book has lots of quirky family members and the situations they get involved in are almost comical. I really enjoyed the setting of Vienna. All the history of the balls was romantic. The scandals in the families and the political intrigue were utterly fascinating. This made for a wonderfully entertaining story.

This book seems like a combination spy thriller / historical fiction / romance. For me, there was just too much going on, and I couldn't settle in. I think it will appeal more to women's fiction readers than romance readers.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

3.8 Stars
One Liner: Read it as a light mystery and romance novel

1878, Vienna, Austria
Maria Wallner has only one goal- to revive the lost glory of Hotel Wallner and make it the most successful establishment in Vienna once again. She is determined to not let anything come in the way of her plans, be it her dysfunctional family dynamics, the sudden attacks on her, and a handsome American agent with secrets of his own.
Eli Whittaker doesn’t have time for anything except his job. He is in Vienna to find out who is selling the American codes. He just wants to uncover the truth and go back to Washington, DC. Of course, life has other plans for him. Eli may be annoyed by the night-long waltzes and dazzling attractions. But when he sees that Maria Wallner is somehow in the middle of chaos, he is determined to keep her safe and also find the culprit selling American codes, no matter what it takes.
The story comes from the third-person POV of Maria and Eli.

What I Like:
The book is set in Vienna, and though it doesn’t exactly explore the region, it gives enough details about the local culture, the people, etc. I could picturize the hotel, the waltzes, those lovely gowns, and yummy cakes.
Maria is an interesting character, even if she needs Eli’s help a little too much. She is competent enough to handle her hotel (after all, she isn’t trained to deal with assassins) and knows when to put her foot down.
Hannah is one of my favorite side characters. Her love for baking and creativity comes across very well throughout the book. I sure wouldn’t mind tasting her cakes and cookies. The almond cake seems to be a general favorite.
The writing is easy to read once you get into the grove. It is lighthearted, a bit funny, quirky, and a touch sarcastic. Not something I expect in a historical mystery. But this one is a blend of genres (more in the next section), so the writing style keeps the plot light instead of weighing it down. It works for me as I don’t look for heavy plots.
A few scenes are quite delightful and entertaining. Some of it is a little cringe, but it somehow fits the narration and makes it funny. I’m not sure if it was intended or if I’m the only one who found some steamy scenes a bit humorous. A little weird but fun too.
I really like the reversal in how the FMC and MMC are portrayed. Let’s just say Maria has a lot more experience than Eli. ;)
The other side characters have varying roles. Some, like Mac, have an extra space to grow while a few waltz in and out whenever required.

What Could Have Been Better for Me:
I’m not sure how to categorize this book. It starts out as a spy-ish thriller with international mystery. The romance appears slow burn until around 50%. Then, the plot shifts genres, and we have romance at the forefront with steamy scenes. The mystery part weakens in the second half.
Eli is supposed to be a grumpy and standoffish brooding hero with a tragic past. He is okay and has good qualities, but his career isn’t fully explored. This is disappointing, given the strong start. An epilogue set a year later would have sorted this and given a more rounded ending to the plot.
Josephine, Maria’s grandmother, was a formidable character. I would have loved it with her in a greater role. Also, maybe more about her past would have been icing on the cake. The same goes for Adelaide. She has a limited role but aces it. I could visualize her with ease.
The reveal and climax are dramatic but more in the family drama genre rather than that of a spy thriller. The tension and suspense aren’t enough. The ending also feels a little abrupt after reading 400-odd pages.

To summarize, Hotel of Secrets is an entertaining historical novel that reads best as a drama with open-door romance and a bit of mystery. It’s lighthearted despite the heavy themes.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

<i>Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The walls have ears… and they’re writing down your secrets.

I’ve gotten to know [author:Diana Biller] through her duology [book:The Widow of Rose House] and [book:The Brightest Star in Paris], which were both sumptuous, deeply romantic historic stories (more women’s fic than romcom or romedy), set in Gilded Age America and Belle Époque Paris, respectively. Now, she takes us to Imperial Vienna, where scandal and intrigue surround the once-grand Hotel Wallner.

In [book:Hotel of Secrets] Biller weaves a mystery around four generations of Wallner women. Over 70 years, any manner of illustrious people have passed through the doors of the hotel, gifted to Theresa Wallner by the Emperor Franz Josef I. Maria, Theresa’s great granddaughter, is determined to restore Hotel Wallner to its former glory after her flighty mother all-but ran it into the ground. The opportunity to host one of Vienna’s famed balls – and put the hotel back on top – arrives at the same time as American Secret Service agent Eli Whittaker. Eli, an exacting and fanatically driven investigator of financial crimes, is put out to be sent by his boss to Vienna, ostensibly to chase down the leak of secret codes. But Eli isn’t a spy, and he’s got the niggling feeling the mission isn’t the true reason he was sent to Europe. Eli saves Maria from being run over by an out-of-control carriage, becoming entangled not just in solving the mystery of why Maria and the hotel suddenly seem the victim of a series of pranks of sabotages, but with Maria herself.

In Maria and Eli, we have a little bit of a sunshine + grump setup, but Maria is hardly a typical romcom manic pixie dream heroine. She marvels at how <i>competent</i> Eli is at things, but she is equally impressive in her aptitude for running the hotel. Eli, meanwhile, doesn’t stay grumpy for long. He is also one of the kindest, most generous romance heroes I’ve read in a long time (and that’s saying something, when most romance heroes embody those traits). Their love scenes turned a genre convention on its head, to :fanning self: I’ll never think of linen closets the same way again.

The mystery behind who has been attacking the hotel and Maria is less interesting. If anything, the final sequence leading to its resolution was shortchanged and, I think, out of character for Maria.

But overall, a fun, swoony read set against a really fun backdrop.

[book:Hotel of Secrets] by [author:Diana Biller]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ for a (G-)spot on choice of reading material
🍾💃🎻💐 fabulous decadence of Vienna’s ball scene
🐗 unexpected animal encounters

Diana Biller writes such unique historical romances. While this one lacks the paranormal elements of the Widow of Rose House or The Brightest Star of Paris, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to nineteenth century Vienna and the romance between the fiercely independent hotel manager and the American treasury agent on a secret mission.

Maria and Eli have nothing in common on the surface, but fate seems determined to bring them together—after all, he keeps saving her life. Her family is complicated; her hotel’s legacy is in danger. His country’s secret codes have been leaked, and he’s been sent to sort it out. Eli can’t shake the feeling that somehow the attempts on Maria’s life are somehow connected to his case.

This one has it all—sparkling banter, screwball humor, possessive kisses and a romance that I was rooting for from the first time he saved her life. And I LOVE a virgin hero. They’re my absolute favorite. And Eli is oh so competent—and he does his research!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Griffin for my advance review copy.

This book is an utter delight, and I foresee multiple re-reads of it in my future.

Hotel manager Maria Wallner wants to see her family’s hotel restored to its former glory, and no obstacle is too big to overcome—not lack of funds, not mishap after mishap, not sabotage, and not even the legend about the Wallner women each having their own fated man.

Buttoned-up Eli Whittaker has been sent from America to discover who has been selling secret codes. His one lead is connected to the Hotel Wallner. He just wants to wrap up the case and head home, but things get tangled for Eli as he repeatedly finds himself in the position of saving a certain hotel manager.

Set against the backdrop of Vienna ball season in the 1870s, it’s full of—well—secrets (of course), but also heart, drama, emotion, intrigue, humor, danger, strong women, and delicious steam. This book gave me a new appreciation for the word “competent” and I guarantee that if you read it, you will never look at hotel linen closets the same way again.

I highly recommend it.

I received an advance copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller is the story of a strong capable woman. Maria Wallner is attempting to restore the Hotel Wallner to its previous glory. While struggling to restore her family’s name and honor, she is faced with many challenges, one of which is several attempts on her life. This mystery of who is trying to kill her and why together with the rich and complicated history of the Wallner family and all its ramifications lends to a good read. Add to this story line a handsome Eli Whittaker, a very dysfunctional Wallner family, the history and traditions of 1887 Vienna, and you have an enjoyable novel.

Sparkles!

What a delight. Set in Vienna in 1878, this has everything. Spies, murder attempts, romance—all framed against the background of the Hotel Wallner, it’s owners and the scandals surrounding them.
A time of balls and waltzes, culminating with the Hotelkeeper’s Ball. A Ball the hotel has been requested to host once again as their competition who had taken over that role when the Wallner was no longer at its peak had suffered a burst pipe and water damage.
The hotel has been managed for seventy-five years by the Wallner women. Currently Maria was the manager, advised by her grandmother Josephine. Her mother Elisabeth had not been interested in running the hotel. After it had declined in popularity, and suffered losses and setbacks, Elisabeth had passed the responsibility onto her daughter Maria. Maria was focused on returning the Hotel to its former place of preeminence in Viennese circles.
“It had been given to [her] great-grandmother Theresa along with an Imperial decree allowing her and her descendants to operate it before that particular love affair had…deteriorated. The legend is they fall in love with a dark stranger, have one daughter and never marry. The running of the hotel passes from mother to daughter. Every night they write down their observations in a secret journal. Needless to say they can count their antecedents back to royalty.”
Eli Whittaker has been sent by the American state department to find out who’s been selling their codes to the Russians. However things aren’t as simple as they appear.
On the surface Eli is a clockwork, humorless official / spy, undeniably handsome. Eli however is so much more
His first night in Vienna, New Year’s Eve, he saves a drunken woman from a runaway carriage, who tells him that above all they can’t sleep together. Strange!?
The woman turns out to be the proprietor of his hotel. An interesting beginning for all.
This was not a fairytale and yet the joy and love contained within the story almost made it so.
A magical setting with an unexpected beginning, an intriguing middle and an all you could wish for ending.

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change

The setting is Vienna during ball season at the beginning of 1878. Maria Wallner is trying to return the Hotel Wallner to its former glory. I love Vienna and like learning about the time period. Some I already knew from my travels there. There is mayhem and mishaps happening at the hotel and someone is making attempts on Maria’s life. Enter Eli Whittaker, an American Treasury agent, who is on a secret mission to find out who is selling codes to enemy nations. The only clue is a letter written from the hotel.

Adding an extra twist our male hero is a virgin and Maria is an independent business woman with a past. He is grumpy and suspicious of her but of course she can win him over. Eli and Maria are thrown together as the attacks on her life continue. Is it because of the secret codes or someone thwarting the hotel coming back into greatness? It is an enjoyable romp and mystery moves along at a good pace.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary review. (3.5 Stars)

Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #HotelofSecrets by Diana Biller in exchange for an honest review.

This is another hit by Diana Biller. I loved so much about this book including the setting, the characters and the plot. First, the setting, it is beautiful and unique. Instead of the usual UK setting or even the backup of the American colonies, this book is set in beautiful Vienna in a gorgeous (if being remodeled) hotel during the ball season. Talk about gorgeous and unique. Secondly, the characters are interesting, funny, real, and flawed at times (like the rest of us). Thirdly, the plot will keep you thinking and engaged with the story from the beginning to the end of the book. I can't wait to see what else Ms. Biller does next.

Historical romance. 1870s Vienna. Standalone novel. Maria is the owner/manager of a flailing hotel in Vienna. After her mother’s mismanagement and an economic downturn, Maria hopes to rebuild the hotel to its previous grandeur. Meanwhile, Eli is an American in town looking for clues on some smuggled codes sent from the hotel’s address. And while he’s there, he saves Maria from certain death multiple times. It was slow start for me, but once these two team up to find her assailant and give into their attraction, I couldn’t put it down. It’s amazing that these two very serious people are able to smile and find joy and humor with each other. Plus Maria’s complicated family history comes into play at multiple points of the story, making things delightfully interesting.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Diana Biller delivers a strong new, genre-blending historical romance with Hotel of Secrets, dipping into mystery and suspense with a strong backbone of historical research, a large multigenerational family who play roles on-page, albeit mostly indirectly, and a swoony romance at its heart. It’s an ambitious project, and while there are some minor flaws, I finished the book feeling mostly satisfied.
For one, I love the detail that went into crafting the historical landscape and how the Wallner family fit into it. The bulk of the book takes place during the 1873 financial crisis in Austria, and there’s a lot of political turmoil in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the area surrounding it. While I know very little about the time period, apart from the fact that it was presided over by the great Franz Joseph, I appreciate how Biller provided context for this, as well as the politics of the century leading up to it, which one Wallner ancestor was involved in, at least peripherally through her personal connection with Emperor Francis II. The way it also ties into the mystery is also very well done.
The leads are both wonderful, and the romance…*chef’s kiss* Maria more or less continues in the tradition of her scandalous Wallner women forebears, although that has made her a target. This brings her into the path of American agent Eli. I loved them together! I’m a sucker for a virgin hero, and he delivers…him reading erotic literature to learn how to “perform” is both the cutest and sexiest thing ever! And they just work well together…he can keep a cool head, which is good in a crisis and can calm her more fiery nature, while she brings out his more fun side.
I admit to being a bit confused at the inclusion of some of the plot threads, especially the “past” elements, at first, but for the most part it’s clarified through the execution of the overall mystery plot. There are a few things that were left unaddressed, but they were relatively minor by comparison.
This is another winner from Diana Biller, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for historical romances set in unique settings and/or with mystery elements.

Diana Biller makes me happy that one of my resolutions is to read more historical romance. My last read of 2022 was her novel The Widow of Rose House, which I loved. Her newest romance, Hotel of Secrets, is another winner. Set in 1870s Vienna during ball season, Hotel of Secrets has the perfectly lush, opulent setting, with just the right blend of society scandal and political intrigue set to the inescapable sound of waltz and party chatter.

Our spirited and self-possessed heroine, Maria Wallner, is on a mission to restore her beloved family hotel to its former glory. Eli Whittaker, an American in town on an undercover assignment, crosses paths with Maria as part of his investigation. While he initially finds himself drawn to her purely for work, this stern, unflappable man finds himself baffled by both This Woman and also His Feelings for Her. They are, respectively, my favorite kinds of romance heroine and hero, and their chemistry is a treat. I was overjoyed when they bickered in the middle of a dance floor at a ball. Eli repeatedly saves Maria from danger, and his response to her shock (the only moments our independent-to-a-fault heroine allows herself to feel overwhelmed) is the most endearing type of confusion (she worries about the wrong things, like the rare orchids that were damaged in a fight, and not the fact that she could've been killed!!). I found myself repeatedly thinking, "I cannot wait until these two idiots kiss."

I found that Biller handles the trauma in the couple's backstory with exceptional care and grace, both in how the story is told, and how the partner responds. It made me love them even more. I found myself wishing for a fainting couch as the story progressed. Eli's investigation and Maria's mission to pull of The Event to put the hotel back on the social scene fit seamlessly together, threaded alongside an absolutely glorious love story. This book goes down like the champagne that flows so freely in Vienna's ballrooms: effervescent and exhilarating. I absolutely loved this book.

Enticing, adventurous, and fun!

Hotel of Secrets is a passionate, compelling tale that sweeps you away to Vienna during 1878 and into the life of Maria Wallner, a hardworking, intelligent young woman who embarks on a mission to do whatever it takes to get her family’s hotel refurbished in time to host the illustrious Hotelkeeper’s Ball, even if it means that with all the mysterious mishaps, accidents, and lack of money she may have to befriend and ask for help from the frustratingly handsome, American secret service agent Eli Whittaker who seems to be on a mission of his own.

The prose is smooth and light. The characters are resilient, independent, and resourceful. And the plot is an enchantingly scandalous combination of life, love, friendship, secrets, history, adventure, opulence, familial drama, wicked intentions, malevolent behaviours, tender moments, and delectable romance.

Overall, Hotel of Secrets is an entertaining, intriguing, satisfying read by Biller that was a pleasant surprise with its exceptional character development, swoon-worthy ending, twisty, action-packed storyline, and unique setting that’s often not found in this genre.

Another hit from Diana Biller! I loved the setting (Vienna) and the focus on the 'ball season' where hotel owners compete to host the most elaborate balls for Vienna society. In this book we get to know hotel manager Maria Wallner who's trying to save her family's crumbling hotel. What she didn't need was to have someone apparently out to get her.

Curses, assassination attempts, an unexpected romance from Eli Whittaker, an American Treasury Officer who's been sent to Europe on a case. Add in all the glitz and glam of the time and some great cameos from characters in past books and I couldn't put this book down. Great on audio too and I so enjoyed how eager Eli was to learn to please the much more experienced Maria!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Maria Wallner is a very determined woman: determined to restore her family's Viennese once-grand hotel to its former glory, and determined not to lose herself so much in a man that it destroys her (exhibit one: her mother). So far, her determination and intelligence have paid off, and how she's getting a shot at a comeback when the opportunity to host the "ball of the season" lands in her lap.
Meanwhile, Eli Whittaker is also a very determined man, sent to Vienna to investigate a suspicious leak in US intelligence there. So he follows the latest clue to Maria's hotel. But Vienna is more chaotic than he anticipated, and it doesn't take long for him to realize that his orderly life is in for a bit of disruption...and that may not be a bad thing.
Reading Hotel of Secrets was an immersive experience! Vienna was a cosmopolitan center of culture, politics, and wealth for a very long time, which is something we in the US don't always fully understand. I loved this window into mid-19th Century Viennese culture! But the characters are still fully human and fully relatable (quite modern in many respects). Sometimes it's easy to forget that culture clash was real back then too. I also loved the theme of strong, intelligent, successful women, who chose rather than required partners in their lives. The dialogue was witty and the love appeared in all different forms (chosen family, LGBTQ+, blended family, etc.). Consent as a theme wove in and out of this book, which is modern and refreshing and healthy. Heads' up for open-door scenes too...spicy ones!