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.

This one was a bit of a surprise for me. I’m not sure what I expected from the description, but I felt like it had a little bit of everything…..intrigue, complicated family issues, espionage, mystery, romance, spice, and danger. Set in Vienna in 1878, it tells the story of the Wallner women, who own and manage a hotel which has lost a bit of its luster and popularity. The women never usually marry but always have a daughter, and write everything down. What secrets does this hotel hold? Check into it and find out! This kept me invested in the story line the whole way through, but at times I felt like it was a bit too long. Having been to Vienna several times, I’m happy I got the chance to read this and loved the historical aspects of the times that were included in the story. Thanks so much to Diana Biller, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-ARC.

Diana Biller has been an auto-buy author for me since The Widow of Rose House. Hotel of Secrets, written with the same care and thoughtfulness, takes readers away from Moore family and brings us Hotel Wallner set in Vienna. Actually, I believe this was my first historical romance with a Venetian setting. Add in the drama of Maria trying to bring the hotel back to it's former self while hotel patron shenanigans and exceedingly complex family entanglements (complete with a curse) swirl around. We almost don't have time for romantic fates featuring a dark haired man and a not so sneaky spy.

Eli and Maria were an absolute delight! Solid characters in their own right and a sparks in the best way when they are together. This romance was fluffy and absolutely decadent. Biller's heroes are always swoon-worthy and this time we have some angsty background on Eli's side. Eli's history and how it impacts his relationship with Maria and others was very well done. Usually this trope wouldn't work for me but: Virgin hero. A virgin hero that goes the extra mile to be studious with some erotic material. We love a man who reads to up his bedroom... or linen closet game.

Now I have to explain to my husband why I desperately need a walk in linen closet with certain items and surfaces being available for... reasons in our next home. Eli truly is a dreamy stoic hero with passion just waiting to be released! Maria is equally lovely and is high on my list of favorite FMCs. Much like in her previous works, Biller delivered some fabulous side characters to round out an already rich and layered story.

Truly, I can't crow about this romance enough! Not coherently anyway. If you enjoy a plot of mystery with a dash of family drama to your historical romance. Biller has you covered. Even better if you are looking for a change from regency or just want a historical romance set outside of London.

*I voluntarily read to an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 Unique Stars
When I read historical fiction, it usually takes place in England, and the Ton is in full swing with the "season". There are either wallflowers, newbies of the finest diamond, or a woman who needs to marry in order to save the estate.

This tale was very different as it takes place in Vienna and has a "worldly " woman and a man who has a purpose but is not a rogue, a man who is not experienced. We have a hotel that needs reviving, suspense, and an unexpected romance.

I love historical fiction and also books set in hotels. This was intriguing enough to make me feel like I was right there in the hotel. Good book that kept me captivated throughout

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller was a wonderful historical fiction. Sometimes that genre can be hit or miss for me and this one was great. Who doesn't love a glimpse in the past with the mystery, romance, family drama, and secrets. I felt like I was whisked off to Vienna and actually in the hotel. This was a quick read and left me wanting more. I will be reading more from this author!