This is the third book I’ve read of Ms. Biller’s and I loved the outrageous Moore family in the first two books. This story focuses on Eli Whitaker, a US Department of Treasury investigator who travels to Vienna to determine who has stolen American codes. He meets Maria, who is working to restore the family hotel and having a difficult time with assassins and more trying to derail her plans.

It's intriguing that Eli is a virgin but he is dedicated to reading erotic books and his attention to detail makes him a quick study and an entertaining part of the story. Maria is an independent woman with experience and there is plenty of sexual tension to their interactions during their romance. They seem like an unlikely couple but quickly become a great match.

The Hotel Wallner is almost its own character with the beauty and history. I love historical novels that also describe the architecture, landscape, dress, culture and more. Eli, Maria and the supporting characters all contribute to a great story which has an action-packed storyline full of romance, witty banter and mystery.

I look forward to reading more of Ms. Biller’s work.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this new book.

Hotel of Secrets
Diana Biller

Biller’s latest historical rom com/mystery/thriller, Hotel of Secrets, set in a fictitious and infamous Vienna hotel in the late 19th Century, is hilarious one moment and deadly serious the next and staring Maria Wallner, an incredibly forward-thinking woman. Her complex plot and excellent storytelling will draw the audience in and her fluent narrative, beautiful backdrops, audacious humor and over-the-top eclectic cast will hold them captive from page one until the end. Her female stars are as usual strong, ahead of their time and fearless and readers will absolutely fall in love with every one of the Wallner women, some right away and some eventually and especially with Maria who is funny, loving and has a heart of gold but who does not want any one man, even if he’s “the man”, in her life even if he’s unlike anyone she’s ever known. Then there’s Eli, now he’s a conundrum but as the pages turn readers will learn his story and love him too. Fans of historical fiction, the novels of Karen White, Lauren Willig or Beatriz Williams will not be able to put this down.

Four generations of Wallner women have owned and managed The Hotel Wallner, an alleged gift to current manager/owner Maria Wallner’s Great-grandmother Theresa from her lover the Emperor. The hotel, once the Grande Dame of Vienna now has fallen into disrepair because of Elizabeth Wallner’s (Maria’s mother) incompetence, but now it’s up to Maria to save it and she has vowed to bring the hotel back to its former glory if it’s the last thing she does. And that just might be the case since lately it seems she’s always in some sort of peril and always being saved by a too handsome American undercover agent whose cover has been blown since everyone knows he’s been sent to Vienna to investigate the selling of secret government codes.

Eli Whittaker is a man on a mission; find out who’s selling American secrets, expose them and then get back home to his simple life and away from the chaos that is the Vienna Ball Season. Things here are too crowded, too busy, too bright and much too tempting for him, especially the beautiful and feisty hotel manager who always seems to be in the middle of some sort of danger.

Set in the romantic and enchanting city of Vienna in the 1870s, "Hotel of Secrets" is a captivating historical romance and mystery that will transport readers to a world of hidden desires and dangerous secrets.

The story follows the lives of two intriguing characters, Eli and Maria, who find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other. Eli Whittaker is an American agent who arrives in Vienna with a mission to discover who is leaking secret codes. He is a complicated and exceptionally competent man who is celibate and chooses not to form relationships due to childhood trauma. Maria, on the other hand, is a stunningly beautiful and mysterious woman whose family owns the Wallner Hotel where Eli is staying. She is trying desperately to bring it back to its former glory.

As they get to know each other, Eli and Maria find themselves embroiled in a dangerous game, where nothing is what it seems and everyone has something to hide. As they delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding the hotel and the Wallner family, they uncover a web of deceit and intrigue.

Biller's writing is vivid and atmospheric, bringing the city of Vienna to life with all its grandeur and glamour. The characters are complex and multi-dimensional, each with their own secrets and desires that are slowly revealed over the course of the novel.

One of the things that sets "Hotel of Secrets" apart from other historical romances is the attention to detail that Biller puts into her research. The historical accuracy of the setting and the time period adds an extra layer of authenticity to the story, making it all the more engrossing and immersive.

Overall, "Hotel of Secrets" is a beautifully written and compelling novel that will appeal to fans of historical romance and mystery. With its gripping plot, well-drawn characters, and stunning setting, it is a must-read for anyone looking for a captivating and thrilling read.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.

**Setting aside the historical inaccuracies that made me want to scream** What a delicious book! No one here wants to read a bullet-pointed list of the historical inaccuracies, that could turn into a dissertation-length essay. However, if you set that all aside and look at Hotel of Secrets as a modern era or fantasy book, this is delightful. Strong lead characters, deep descriptions of beautiful Vienna, fantastic banter with a healthy drizzle of suspense and romance, what more could you ask for? A great beach or plane read you'll eat this like popcorn.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book both from just a reader standpoint and a personal one. I just recently found out a many times great grandmother of mine was the archduchess of Austria way way back and that Marie Antoinette was a cousin and I'm sure there are hundreds or thousands of us out there. My point is, it was interesting to find that out and then be immersed in Viennese life in a later time period by this book because that's what the author did, the setting and characters were so alive, that I felt I was a fly on the wall, watching the story unfold. The trials and tribulations, the love and the hate, and the intrigue and ruthlessness of the empire surrounding the daily life of these characters and the Viennese people with a glittery facade of a carefree existence. And how dangerous it was to be related to the emperor or his immediate family. And although this is a fictional story, I would not be surprised at all to learn that were some factual threads woven throughout. All the characters were interesting and had very distinct personalities. I loved how strong Maria was while still being vulnerable and adaptable and Eli was the perfect complement. This book has everything - love stories and suspense - and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to St Martin's Press/Griffin and NetGalley for a digital review copy. All thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed this story! It was adventurous and fun and luscious. I enjoyed the strong female character, the vivid details of Vienna, and the romance. Recommended!

I was excited to receive an arc of this book. I've heard some positive buzz and was particularly intrigued by the unique setting. A hotel in Vienna fun by generations of women who were all mistresses to important men. Our heroine is the current hotel manager in the late 1800's. Our hero is an American spy/secret serviceman sent on a mission to recover codes. Unfortunately, this book suffered from too modern language, wallpaper history and writing that was less than engaging.

Diana Biller does a fantastic job of taking a historical romance and flipping it on its head. This time, she puts us in 19th century Vienna. Eli has been sent there as an American spy to track down the person selling secret information and jeopardizing American security. His focus is on the Hotel Wallner. Maria has recently taken control of her family's rundown hotel and wants to restore it to the prize that it once was. She is solely focused on this and has zero plans for men other than enjoying a night or two with them until she runs into Eli and she just cannot help herself.

This is a fun, adventurous read. Eli and Maria could not be more different and the contrast is invigorating. He is super protective and cautious while she has little care for her safety and is willing to take chances. He is a virgin and she is decidedly not. He likes order and she is chaos. I loved watching him try to "handle" Maria as much as I loved seeing her open Eli up. There are a ton of characters in this book but the story was mostly easy to follow. I enjoyed the adventure and mystery that ran alongside the romance. It was fun to learn of some of the history of Vienna and see all of Maria's hard work and determination to get the hotel back to its glory.

If you are a fan of strong women in your historical romance paired with equally competent men, this would be a stellar book for you. While I don't think any book will overtake The Widow of Rose House by Biller, this read is a great addition to the library. Definitely recommend!

Hotel of Secrets was so much better than I expected. It is set in 1878 Vienna at the Hotel Wallner. Maria Wallner is hosting the New Year's Eve ball when the story opens. This ball is the start of brining the hotel back from the brink of disrepair that stemmed from the financial crisis and the Austro-Hungarian war. At the ball the psychics predict that Maria will finally meet "the man". Her family is known for meeting a man and having one daughter but Maria has not meet the man yet.

Eli Whittaker is in Vienna to look into stolen American codes. He is staying at the Hotel Wallner as that is where the codes that we stolen were sent from. To an American Vienna is chaos and Maira is part of that from their first meeting when he saves her from a carriage that is running down the street she is standing on.

Eli and Maria have interactions that I really enjoyed throughout the story. While there was an instant attraction it took time for them to come together and they do get to know each other during that time. I appreciated the history and the setting of the novel. It was well researched and the setting had such a different feel from the historical romances set in England. I've never been to Vienna but I could picture the city and the time period and I think I would like to visit even though it will be very different today than it was in 1878.

As the story unfolds we get to see the many different layers of the characters and the importance of the hotel to Maria and her family. I will be recommending this novel and will be looking for others from the author as it was fun read.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been gravitating towards historical romances that don’t take place in regency England lately and this got all of the right notes.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Great setting (1878 Vienna), good ensemble of secondary characters. It's a plot-heavy story, with several major threads (the ball, Eli's investigation, etc.) besides the romantic relationship. The demands of these plots didn't leave much room for the depth of character development I would have wished for.

Mac has great potential for his own book.

This book was so good! I really enjoyed how in this book the man was the one who was a virgin and how he researched what to do so that our female lead had a good time when they were together. The female lead, Maria, was amazing, she was such strong character who did not put up with anyone's garbage and a lot was thrown at her. You really got the feeling that she truly was happy with her life and what she was doing before the male lead showed up and he would just add to her already great life. The male lead, Eli, was awesome he was tall, dark haired, brooding lead which is always great in a romance novel but the way he competently handled the craziness of Vienna in the late 1800;s was such a fun thing to read. The side characters, which there were many, were such a fun delight to experience and added so much to the story. I would happily ready a book with any of them as the lead. For a fun romance novel the mystery present was actually really good. It had plenty of twists through out that kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next and who was behind everything that was happening. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun romance with a bit of mystery and suspense thrown in.

📖 Book Review: Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

I liked this book SO much more than I expected to. I slept on this ARC for an embarrassingly long time because I expected a typical period romance set around ball season. I have never been happier to be wrong!

Maria runs the hotel that has been in her family for generations. Eli is an undercover operative from America. There are definitely high society shenanigans, but they compliment the main plot lines of Maria and Eli falling hopelessly in love with each other, while also figuring out who is trying to kill Maria!

Both MCs are witty with quick tongues, which is very much my jam. The verbal sparring is great, and what starts as “I just met you but I certainly don’t like you” turns into affection and then love before too long as we see each character open up. I particularly enjoyed the undoing of the uptight virgin MMC at the hands of the no-nonsense FMC — always satisfying.

The mystery/political intrigue part was woven into the larger story well and I think the conclusion at the end was the right mix of unpredictable and implied/hinted at. Also I love the MC’s grandmother and want HER book next!

This book is my first ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for April and the first in a long time! I literally have no complaints. Recommend for historical fiction folks but also anyone who just likes a well-written romance!!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulous. Imperial Vienna is such a unique and unexpected setting. Add in some mystery, family drama, and political intrigue, and this historical romance absolutely shines.

Excellent slow burn with very clear chemistry between Maria and Eli. They are both independent, competent, and dedicated to their success. I loved how the story simmered with them both being determined to not burden or rely on others, while clearly wanting to support each other. And what a fantastically frustrating portrayal of selfish parents! The family dynamics are incredibly well written.

Also, the acknowledgments had me tearing up! This whole book is just incredibly beautiful from start to finish. I cannot wait to see what Diana Biller writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Hotel of Secrets had a little bit of everything and it was a delicious escape from reality. Maria runs a hotel that has been in her family for generations. After some years of some tight budgets, Hotel Wallner is trying it's best to be a destination for the Vienna social scene again.

Eli Whittaker is undercover from Washington DC, investigating the leaking of sensitive American information, when he gets thrust into another mystery and despite his best efforts falls for the beautiful hotel owner.

Dual POV allows you to see Vienna in the 1800s from a local and American voice and it was jut so fun. I almost wish there was more of the balls and society gatherings but the focal point was really the hotel which was fun. I do love a story that takes place in a hotel where everyone who works there becomes family.

This almost felt like part cozy and part steam historical romance to me and I liked that this story had both as only just one of those might have just dragged on for me. My only qualm is parts of the mystery were a little convoluted to me. I might have benefited from a family tree (but maybe that is a spoiler?) and I was a little confused about the actual crimes being committed were.

Overall it was a fun read and I'd recommend for fans of historical fiction but who want something with a little more mystery and spice.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maria is fighting to rebuild her family's hotel (Hotel Wallner) so it can be a shining jewel like it used to be. Drama unfolds when an unknown person sends out American secret codes from the hotel and Eli is sent to find the culprit.

Things I enjoyed:
* the plot is engaging and not predictable
* Maria is a strong independent woman and I really liked that for her
* I could understand how she'd be attracted to Eli / the development of their relationship

What I didn't enjoy:
* all the grunting that Eli did lol like why couldn't he just be curt instead of grunting?
* the chemistry between Maria and Eli dwindled in the 2nd half

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I love that Diana Biller writes historical romances with very original settings and very cinnamon roll-type men. And me not enjoying this one as much as her past works is because she didn't put a supernatural element in here as she has in the past. Instead, there's more intrigue and mystery, and it didn't grab me the same. Her pacing is very slow, and that coupled with a plot that didn't pull me in as much made this drag. Still, I will be excited to see what's next from her. If you like more sabotage and espionage-type plots with a very slow burning romance, this might work better for you!

This book is magnificent. Absolutely outstanding. This will likely be one of my top reads for the year. I loved the historical fiction aspect with spies in France, Austria, and the United States; the romance that bloomed between Eli and Maria; and the incredibly interesting plot regarding the stolen spy codes and assassination attempts on the Wallners. This book is well written and keeps the reader engaged throughout the entirety of the story, never reaching a lull. I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical romance!

**Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC

Hotel of Secrets is a historical novel set in Vienna in the 1870's. Maria owns the Hotel Wallner in Vienna. She is working to revitalize the hotel when she finds herself in danger. American detective Eli Whittaker saves her, and a romance begins.

I wanted to read this novel because of the Austrian setting! I am fascinated by Austria and rarely find historical fiction set in this country. The setting and historical details were delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Maria and Eli in this lively novel. Recommended for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone with an interest in Vienna or Austria.