If you like English regency romances, this one set in Vienna around the same time period is right up your alley. Why? Because frankly the Viennese were more fun than the English - their societal rules weren’t quite as rigid and this book makes it sound like everyone was down for a good time. This book is set at a hotel in Vienna, featuring the proprietress of the hotel and an American who is in Vienna to investigate the leaking of top secret codes. It’s got intrigue, found family, actual family, a big ball, oh and a little espionage and mystery. Very much open door, and in this scenario our central lead Maria is the “rake”.

Hotel Wallner in Vienna has always been run by strong willed and independent women. Maria is the fourth in the lineage of her family to run it, and she is tasked with bringing it back into fashion after years of mismanagement and distress. When she meets American Eli Whittaker who is in Vienna to investigate for the American Legation, she instantly is attracted to him, and not just because he saved her life. As the hotel seems to be targeted for attacks, Eli saves her over and over again. They each begin to fall for the other, but a Wallner doesn’t fall in love. And Eli has secrets of his own.
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💭Thoughts💭
To be completely honest, I loved this book until it was Eli’s POV. His storyline got a lot more interesting after the investigation storyline stopped, but it was slow going. This book was VERY steamy which I didn’t expect, but you grow to like Maria and Eli together.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
The planning of the Hotelkeeper Ball was so fun! The theme of Fairyland and the ways Maria was trying to create a masterpiece on a budget was so cool to read about.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Drink up and dance! Vienna has a long ball season and they like to have fun. Waltz around and eat some almond cake- the hotel was famous for it!

I read this as an ARC.
Most enjoyable for me; I didn't know much about Vienna in the mid-to late-1800s and the setting helped me visualize it.
The story was gripping, dramatic, and at times thrilling. The characters were well differentiated with severe family conflicts. The secrets were well handled and kept me reading. One was a big surprise.
Recommended for all who enjoy historical mysteries.

Diana Biller can do no wrong. The political intrigue was first rate, encompassing a location and upheaval I knew nothing about. But Biller does romance better than just about anyone. Fierce females and swoony males - sigh and *mwah* - chef’s kiss!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I absolutely loved Hotel of Secrets! It was so easy to get lost in 1870's Vienna. This story has mystery, romance and intrigue.

Maria Wallner is the fourth generation of women to run Hotel Wallner and her goal is to bring it back to its full potential as one of the best Hotel's in Vienna. Despite Maria's best efforts there are decades worth of secrets, affairs, and espionage that Hotel Wallner keeps within its walls and Maria must deal with them all.

With everything else going on the last thing Maria needs in her life is for her to meet "the man", a charming dark-haired American who always seems to be at the right place at the right time.
No. Nothing will come between her and the success of Hotel Waller, or will it?

A must read this spring! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC.

I thought the description of Diana Biller's novel, Hotel of Secrets, sounded interesting. But I was so wrong--it was compelling. It was fun, with comedy, romance, fancy dress balls, wonderful characters, a good mystery, and an element of danger. There was also sexual tension and some nicely described sex. I never wanted to get to the end of the novel, and now that I have, I am so sad.

The setting for Hotel of Secrets is 19th c Vienna, during ball season. The descriptions of the street scenes, the balls, and life in Vienna are captivating. The small vignettes that begin each chapter help to provide more of the history of Vienna, as well as the family history. There is some political intrigue, but it does not overwhelmed readers. The characters are delightful and nicely developed, although I did wonder why Claude was included and what purpose he provided, beyond comic relief. But perhaps comic relief is a good enough reason.

Hotel of Secrets is not intended to be factual. It is historical fiction, but this is fiction that is enjoyable to read and with characters, who proved to be exceptionally interesting and enjoyable. I read fiction for enjoyment, and where possible, to open a window into another world. Bitter's novel does that for me. I definitely recommend Hotel of Secrets. I have already recommended Bitter's novel to friends, while also explaining that it won't be published until March. I will remind them a second time after publication.

I never provide spoilers in my reviews. Why ruin some other reader's fun? A huge thank you to Bitter and to St Martin's Press for providing this ARC for me to read and review. The above is my honest review. And thank you also to NetGalley for introducing me to yet another wonderful new author.

I would like to petition more historical romance authors to set their romances in other countries BESIDES England please. Diana Biller blows be away with every romance she writes and Hotel of Secrets is no different. The setting is late 19th century Vienna and I can safely say I’ve never read a historical romance set in Austria. More please!

Maria is the manager of the Wallner Hotel and is desperately trying to restore it to its former glory. Eli is an American under cover agent and staying at the hotel. He keeps saving her life and they slowly start to fall in love. I thought this might be a romance that’s light on the romance and heavy on the political intrigue but the romance is definitely front and center and the chemistry between Maria and Eli is off the charts. I would also love it if more historical romances had scenes of masterbation like it’s hot and the scene where Eli watches Maria is just 🌶️🥵.

Anyway, if you love historical romances with exquisite historical detail, an independent heroine and a hero who knows just how capable the heroine is but likes to help her out, then please don’t hesitate to read this one. Can’t wait to see what Biller writes next!

Much thanks to Diana Biller, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book! I liked it better than Brightest Star in Paris. Just a few small issues with it:

1. It got long and could have been slimmed and trimmed (e.g., their sex scene was waaaay too long, I skipped it), but, strangely, the pace never suffered; it maintained a quick clip, the story just seemed to go on....and on....and on....

2. It didn't feel all that historical aside from the obvious---current events, lack of technology, etc. The characters spoke in modern (American?) speech patterns and didn't behave with the stiff formality one would expect of 19th century society. Though maybe Austrians weren't as stodgy as the British, I don't know. But I mean, Maria was hopping up to sit on kitchen countertops and wasn't at all abashed about taking lovers. Eli invited her to have a drink in his room alone with him, which I would have thought was a no-no---not that she had much reputation to save, since it seemed to be common knowledge that she often took lovers. I got the sense that her grandmother's female lover of 50+ years was the worst kept secret in Vienna. Things like that.

3. The story ended rather abruptly. To my memory, only a few plot threads were adequately concluded. Apparently we can just assume that Eli went back to America and got those rich sons of Bs charged with their crimes, because we sure weren't shown him kicking bureaucratic ass. We can also assume that Hotel Wallner really did become a success again, because we weren't shown that, either. We weren't told what happened to the wedding; I assume it fell through and didn't happen? What happened with Mac? Did he remain living at Hotel Wallner or did he move home? Did he find something to do that he found fulfilling? Did anything happen between him and Hannah? What happened to Heimrich and his debts, his crimes?

And wtf with Claude the spy? Just---wtf? He had absolutely no purpose in the story. I kept waiting for it to be revealed that he was involved in something but as far as I can tell, he was just utterly irrelevant comic relief. And he had to be the most obvious spy I've ever witnessed. Everyone knew he was a spy, he openly called himself such and admitted snooping from time to time. Yet he didn't have anything to do with anything. *shakes head in bafflement* What was he even doing in Vienna?

A last chapter or even just an epilogue would have been appreciated. It was almost like Biller realized the script was getting long and just decided to end it as soon as the ball and central mystery was over, which left me a bit unsatisfied.

Aside from those issues, though, I enjoyed this tale overall. Maria and Eli were wonderful, sympathetic protagonists and had great emotional arcs. I didn't expect the sex to become so graphic and explicit, but that was easy enough to skim and skip. And Josephine! Easily my favorite character, despite my being scared of her.

A super unique story of a woolen reviving her family’s hotel in 1900s Vienna, when a mystery man saves her life. Suddenly bad luck is everywhere she turns, but so is he to save the day and help her keep her dreams on track.

Not a book I would have normally picked up, but I found the plot compelling, the characters charming and the setting absolutely incredible. Would recommend!

Enticed by the beautiful cover of this book, and the promise of secrets in the title, I was definitely intrigued. With bubbly humor at times, the reader is taken on an escape to Vienna, Austria in 1877. The story takes off, beginning with a New Year's Eve ball, a shooting by a jealous husband, and an auspicious meeting between a beautiful woman and a handsome man. At that point, I was hooked.

Maria Wallner is the manager of the Hotel Wallner. She is trying to save her struggling family-owned establishment, while also dodging multiple assassination attempts on her life. Eli Whittaker, an American undercover agent, sent to investigate the theft of secret American codes, becomes smitten by Maria as he also becomes her intrepid hero. Their burgeoning romance leads to hot, steamy sex. (I'm blushing just remembering it.) This turned out to be a delicious romping mystery/romance novel; one to joyfully lose oneself in and make you forget anything and everything else in your life for a moment. Very entertaining.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin"s Press for providing me with the opportunity to read and review a digital ARC of this book. Publication: March 28, 2023

I went into this book expecting it to be part of the current series about the Moore family and while in fact it was, it was just as gorgeous.
This is m/f historical romance with some queer side characters that is set in 1870/80s Vienna. Rich historical background that related to the uprisings in the Balkans against the Ottoman Empire that took place around that time. There is enough political detail to ground the story in the real world without it becoming overwhelming and overshadowing the romance. There journal entries at the beginning of every chapter which take us back and forth in time, adding another historical / intergenerational perspective.
We get a strong, independent heroine, Maria, trying to save the family hotel and to bring back its days of glory. And we get an America hero, Eli, a financial investigator (spy of sorts) on the mission in Vienna, staying the Wallner hotel.
The romance was exquisite – a more experienced heroine and a celibate hero. He was really intriguing for me – childhood/adolescent trauma that made him restrain his emotions/limit his focus to work only to the point of making him almost robot-like in the beginning. And he came to Vienna during Fasching where everything is loud and vibrant and overflowing with emotion. Then there was Maria – he saw her as a miracle he never expected to appear in his life. His admiration for her, his desire to keep her safe and to make her happy, it was just everything. I do think the assassination attempts and the times she found herself in mortal danger were really too many but I can overlook this details for the sake of the story and their romance.
We see Eli on a journey of self-acceptance, of seeing himself worthy of love and being able to care and love someone else. It was different for Maria, she was trying to resist a prophecy regarding the women in her family. She was OK with casual sex (and she has been surrounded by casual and not so casual relationships all her life in Vienna), it was the depth of her feelings that caught her of guard. Taking about relationships, they do not get much messier than the family/romantic relationships in Maria’s family. I had a hard time keeping track of who is related how to whom but in the end it didn’t matter than much. It was all about the strength of the relationships, the care and the support and not their official titles by law.
There is a great cast of secondary characters and so much potential for more books in the series!
In short, this is a vivid and moving historical romance with outstanding main characters falling deeply and forever in love against the background of some light espionage, imperial intrigue and political upheaval.

CW: violence, cheating/extra-marital affairs, kidnapping, gun violence, parental neglect

This is a historical woman's fiction with strong romantic elements.

With scandalous parents, family drama a decaying hotel and a mystery Maria has her hands full. She is a strong, modern heroine who relies on her abilities and smarts to get things done. She is the experienced one in the relationship in a nice twist on the virgin trope.

Eli is also a competent character who takes any mission in front off him seriously. He in inexperienced but up for the challenge. The residents of the hotel bewilder him with their behavior.. They are both biological and chosen family that except his terrible spy self.

I enjoyed this novel. It is uneven in parts though the fast pace and lyrical writing make sup for this. I recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: gun violence, Attempted murder, Murder, Killing in self-defense, violence, parental neglect, animal attack, discussion of past spousal and child abuse, kidnapping

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f historical romance
-close-proximity
-some suspense
-bodyguard vibes
-competency kink at its finest
-a virgin inspector
-a chaos hotel manager
-a family curse

Gosh this book. It is a gorgeously written, tender, horny amazing read. The story just flows beautifully. The plush setting, amazing secondary characters that I just want to learn more about, and a gorgeous love story at the heart of it. Two fiercely independent people learning how to let someone in, rely on them, and accept love.

Maria has a family legacy, taking care of the hotel, living independently, and falling in love with one man. But she has her family at the hotel, what more could she need. but add in some accidents and a starchy inspector and life is starting to change for her. Gosh I loved Eli. Stoic, living his life by the rules, Eli. This was competency kink at its finest. Two entirely capable people, admiring it in the others. And sweet virginal Eli, when he sets his sights on something he needs to excel at it, and gosh does he.

The sexual chemistry between these two. Gosh. How they found humor and joy with each other all while slowly and beautifully falling in love. These two make excellent use of every nook and cranny of the hotel. Sex education, consent and just the intimacy as they let the other in. How they came to trust and rely on the other. Chef's kiss.

The softest, tenderest book of intrigue. A masterpiece. A must read.

Steam: 3.5

When secret codes are compromised American Eli is sent to Vienna to see if he can get to the bottom of things. There he meets Maria Wallner, owner of the Hotel Wallner that has been in her family for generations. As Eli tries to find out the connection between the stolen codes and the hotel he finds a complicated family headed by strong women who get things done their way. As murder attempts on Maria’s life and other political dynamics come to light Eli and Maria work together and fall for each other. Will Eli be able to keep Maria and her family safe? There isn’t anything I didn’t like about this book. It had action, adventure, romance and the beautiful Vienna setting. I want to immediately go back and read it again. I know this will be a favorite 2023 book of mine!

I really enjoyed the first half of this book but towards the ending I got very very bored and couldn’t continue on reading it.

I enjoyed the first half of the novel … the romance, the family interaction and especially the hotel. All this was great building the story … then it stopped … the story got a little unbelievable… the investigation of both the codes and why someone was after Marie fell very very flat. Is that all it was … this was my reaction to the way the book concludes. Was hoping for more… Sorry it just didn’t make for a book worth a better review.

Hotel of Secrets was an intriguing romance/mystery with a ton of plot and very enjoyable characters. Diana Biller is great at writing atmospheric, captivating reads about different time periods and locations in history.

This story is set in Vienna, Austria in the 1870s, and ball season is in full swing. I loved the opening scenes of this book. It completely set the mood of a glittering, extravagant society. Maria is the manager of her family's hotel, Hotel Wallner, a place that is slightly past its prime. Maria has big plans to bring it back, but forces seem to be working against her. Eli, a taciturn American, is visiting Vienna on official government business, and is trying to figure out who has been selling American information. When they are continuly thrown together time after time, sparks begin to fly. They also will have to solve the mystery of who is trying to sabotage Maria and the hotel.

I loved the setting of this book. Anything other than Regency England is welcome! Diana Biller completely brought this setting to life with the description of the balls and Vienna culture. Both Eli and Maria had well developed backstories and were characters that I wanted to root for. The story was interesting, but complicated and may have had a few too many aspects. I can think one or two of the story lines could have been cut, and I still would have felt like I had a complete story. Despite that, I was happy with the wrap up of the book.

Diana Biller continues to impress me and I can't wait to read more from her. She is a historical author who is doing unique things.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Great book that keeps you Enthralled. Wonderful characters that will capture your heart. I love the way the story unfolded . I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Where do I even start with this book? It was everything. This was my first Diana Biller book but since reading it I've gotten my hands on all of her other novels. Yes, it was good enough for me to abandon all reason and get everything else she's written. Let me get into why this book caused me to create sentences of absolute chaos:

-All of the characters in this book are multifaceted and complex. Each one is written like they are the protagonists, which is so hard to find in books done in this beautiful of a manner. Eli and Maria are easily some of the best main characters I have read. Both are so perfectly flawed and wow did they feel like real humans. The story arcs for the characters too?!? I am FLOORED.

-The plot was everything I love: part romance part mystery with political undercurrents. This is my catnip, especially when it's based on real events with serious issues. Add in international politics? Perfection.

-I'm going to be quite honest with you, Eli Whittaker may be in my top two fictional men ranking. He's smart and his competency is an ongoing bit in the book. And for good reason. The man goes and reads literature to learn how to make sure Maria is pleasured... like omg. Seriously, Eli could take me to a linen closet any day.

-The writing itself is compelling with surprising lyricism. There are enough descriptions to make you feel like you're apart of the scene in the book, but not bogged down in all of the details. It moves quickly enough through the plot. It's a perfect balance.

I'm probably missing a million things that make this romance a must read novel. But it truly is. While I got the ARC I also pre-ordered a signed copy because it is a NEED. I want to reread it already. This is an absolute stunner of a historical romance novel and I highly recommend it. Perfect for those who like Meredith Duran or Emily Sullivan.

OMGosh! This was such a fun and riveting read! Going into it based off the description, I did think it was going to be more mysterious and have darker elements, but it turned out to be quick lighthearted and -literally- FUN. The characters were so ECCENTRIC and hilarious-pulling stunts that were so slapstick and random, I felt as if I was watching a funny sitcom. I LOVED the dynamic between Maria and Eli- and how the *roles* were reversed! (If you've read the story you get my meaning, spoilers!) I adored Josephine SO much (and can we say representation!!) I also really enjoyed how the author incorporated the meaning of family into her novel.
I can't say much for the plot, since I felt there really wasn't much of one. To be honest, Eli's mission confused me. It felt a lot like she just threw in a little mystery for suspense, but didn't really follow through with it. Even the ending was hurried and sudden.
This was definitely more of a romantic comedy with historical elements, as opposed to a historical fiction mystery.