I loved this book! I haven’t read a historical in a while and this was just the right one to go back.
Maria was such an independent woman who just wanted to make her family’s hotel successful again and Eli was just a man trying to so his job, and somehow they were thrown together and fell in love, but the journey is so delightful and the side characters are so real
I absolutely loved that they were no misunderstandings and the almost end of the book break up was handled swiftly and wasn’t dragged forever, a delightful book.

I struggled to get into this book. I usually love historical fiction and romance novels, but for some reason, I just couldn't connect with the story so I didn't finish it. I think I struggled with the 3rd person point of view the most. The way it was written made Maria dry in my opinion. I truly hope that other people enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me.

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. 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.

In 1870s Vienna, Maria is the illegitimate child of a prominent man. She also runs the Wallner Hotel and wants to restore it. Eli is an agent sent from America whose investigation into the selling of secret American codes across Europe has led him to the Wallner Hotel. They find themselves flung together more than once as secrets and danger surround them.

This is a unique and somewhat shocking novel, as there is a definite sensual side to it. It is quite funny at times and not at all what I was expecting. Frankly, it's way too "spicy" for me, but others will enjoy it. I loved the descriptions of the hotel, which almost had its own personality. The mystery aspect is well done and compelling.

I'm more interested in historical mystery than romance, so this wasn't the perfect fit for me. However, I appreciate great writing and this was well written.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

This novel is a historical romantic suspense, chock-full with the kind of dry sarcastic humor I understand. It also broke my heart, in the best possible way, a few times.

Despite the length of the novel, the pacing is so good, that I read it in essentially one long sitting. Who needs sleep? But seriously, each chapter builds on the previous one, barely letting up so the reader can breathe.

The story is set in Vienna in the first weeks of 1878, as tensions between European countries rose in the midst of the Turkish-Russian war, and it follows a woman determined to rewrite her future by restoring her legacy, and a man who doesn't know how to break the bonds of his own.

For four generations, the Wallner women have been as much a Viennesse high society institution as their hotel, ever since Francis I, Emperor of Austria, gave it to his mistress, Maria's great-grandmother as a parting gift. For just as long, part of the family tradition is to maintain daily journals recording everything that happens at the hotel and in their lives. Snippets of these entries appear at the beginning of each chapter, and they are very illuminating indeed (also, funny).

With each chapter, the author builds the characterization of the protagonists and main players, as well as further building the world around them; late nineteenth century continental Europe, and specially Vienna, is very different from Victorian England (where so much of genre romance historicals are set).

As the novel starts, Hotel Wallner is in a precarious financial position; aside from a recent banking crisis and the ongoing war, the previous manager--Maria's mother, Elizabeth--was basically useless. Now that she's in charge, Maria is determined that 1878 will be better; starting with the success of the New Year's Eve ball, things will work out for them.

If only the plumbing stopped giving her grief, and her parents stopped being...Well. As Eli remarks later in the novel, her family tree is complicated, and the relationships among the different branches only more so.

Maria herself is a very competent woman of thirty or so, who has so far managed to keep herself heart-whole, while surrounding herself with loving friends and family--other than her parents, that is.

For his part, Eli Whittaker is an extremely competent agent for the U.S. Treasury. A bit too competent, as he's now on the brink of charging and arresting a number of important people, including a U.S. Senator, for all kinds of federal crimes. Except, somehow, he's suddenly sent to Vienna, to act as an undercover agent there for the U.S. Secretary of State. This makes no sense to Eli, but, duty is duty; he's determined to find out who's selling U.S. state secrets in Europe, and get back to his investigation, and his well-ordered life, post haste.

However, much to Eli's vexation, Vienna is definitely not Washington D.C., and the Hotel Wallner bears no resemblance whatsoever to his boardinghouse there. Just arrived from the very young and, well, outwardly straitlaced, United States, everything about the city is a shock to his senses--from the opulence of the buildings to the revelry in the streets, never mind Maria herself: a woman who is both part of high society and outside it.

Eli's reaction to Vienna is, in a word, provincial, and just a bit prudish. He's not necessarily shocked by all the sexual affairs going on, as by how much no one really bothers to hide them from...well, anyone, including the parties being cheated on.

Ms Biller does so many things so well in this novel!

For starters, our heroine is the experienced one. Maria hasn't had romantic relationships; she's had liaisons with men she has liked well enough to enjoy some satisfying sex with. "...for me, sex is a thing I do for fun. It's separate--a thing that is enough on its own." (Chapter 24) She has never dreamed of marriage and babies; all her dreams revolve around the Hotel Wallner. Restoring it to its former glory will keep her family (both by blood and found) safe, and that is all that matters.

Eli, on the other hand, is a virgin. There's a very traumatic event in his past, and he has planned the rest of his life along very specific (and solitary) lines as a direct consequence. Here I will note that it strikes me that Eli may have been written as being in the autism spectrum: math calms him, he prefers routine and solitude, is very observant, struggles with subterfuge and some of society's 'niceties'. Eli's focus is justice, and his view of what that is is very much black and white.

It is a legitimate shock to Eli when he realizes he can't--and doesn't want to--fight his attraction to Maria. "It wasn't that he hadn't been attracted to people before her. He had a very efficient system in place to handle it--he ignored it." (Chapter 13)

The treatment of consent between them is beautifully done; not just as it pertains to sex, but general communication as their relationship develops. They are gentle with each other, and as emotionally honest as they can be. The tenderness between them is leavened with a lot of subtle humor. (One of the great joys of the books is to see Eli find laughter, and discover that he too can be devious and enjoy it.)

And the sexual tension! They don't have intercourse until well past the half point of the novel, but oh my! Arguing. Dancing. Kissing. Thinking about each other.

And as Eli and Maria grow closer, things keep happening. Curses, plumbing mishaps, attempted murder, blackmail, treason, spies, stolen codes, and more.

Through it all, with few exceptions, the other characters in the story are fully developed people with their own lives and interests, who interact with, and react to, each other in complex ways, according to their own, sometimes fraught relationships.

There are all sorts of non-traditional romantic relationships of long standing, some very happy, some not so much, and one of the great things about all these, is that the author doesn't reveal all the secrets, doesn't answer all the questions: relationships are often messy in real life!

Josephine, Maria's grandmother, for example; not only is she exceedingly strong in character, she's clearly bisexual, currently in a lesbian relationship of very long standing.

It is also notable that the suspense thread is anchored in historical events, as well as the mores of the time and place; the research is evident without the details overwhelming the narrative.

At the end of the story, all the important questions have been answered, and for the most part, "the universe has been righted", to borrow a fellow reader's phrase. The villains get their comeuppance--sometimes with extreme finality--; some characters redeem themselves, and I am convinced that Maria's and Eli's relationship is built on a solid foundation, and will last for a very, very long time.

Because, in the end, it's the two main characters who made the book for me. Even though Eli's emotional arc is the most overtly significant, given the terrible heartbreak of his past, Maria has her own trauma to overcome. "She couldn't keep him" (Chapter 20)

The way they help each other break free from their past is just beautiful.

Hotel of Secrets gets 9.50 out of 10.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

DNF at 26%

I was excited about this one, and I thought the blurb sounded like this was going to be a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, the characters in this fell flat for me and I didn't find that I cared what happened to them, if they were together, or about anything else in the story. I am not sure why I couldn't connect, but I couldn't.

I'm unable to recommend this title.

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.

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 suspects Maria is the culprit, all while he is 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 of it. It was an intriguing read and highly enjoyable.

I fell in love with Diana Biller's first two books and was so excited to sink my teeth into her latest, Hotel of Secrets. It's a stand-alone historical romance filled with history, intrigue, steam and plenty of wit. I didn't think her latest could possibly surpass her prior stories, but she managed to do just that. I'm in awe of her storytelling.

Maria Wallner wants nothing more in life than to return her family's hotel in Vienna, the Wallner Hotel, to the glory of its heyday. It's not easy trying to bring that to fruition, having to deal with her histrionic mother's 30 year affair with her father (who's married to someone else), random attacks by would-be assassins, and a stern yet handsome American agent who saved her life twice already. Maria especially doesn't have time to deal with that man...if only he didn't have such a beautiful mouth! Eli Whittaker was reluctantly sent to Vienna to discover who is selling secret American codes across Europe. He just wants it done quickly so he can return to his quiet home in Washington, D.C. His only lead is a letter sent by the culprit from the Hotel Wallner. Eli is unwillingly drawn into a miasma of balls, waltzing, spies, and a beautiful hotelkeeper who can't seem to avoid danger. But he can't help himself from being sucked into Maria's world!

First, a little housekeeping: a trigger warning of familial abuse. Now that the warning is out of the way, I can tell you all about this captivating story! It was special that the setting was Vienna, a beautiful place I've been to twice. It helps makes the story come to vivid life. And now I have two of my favorite characters ever in Maria Wallner and Eli Whittaker. Maria is the current hotel manager; she's trying her best to help return her family's hotel to its former grandeur, which was diminished by a market collapse and her mother's inept stint as manager. When a rival hotel is unable to carry through with hosting the annual Hotelkeepers Ball, the Hotel Wallner is given the opportunity to take over the event; finally Maria has her chance to shine. She is very self-sufficient, often choosing to do everything by herself. She's a warm and caring woman with a wonderful sense of humor. She doesn't plan to ever marry; she will just take temporary lovers when she wants companionship. Maria has absolutely no idea why someone would want to harm her. Then there's Eli, my newest book boyfriend and one of my all-time favorites! He's in Vienna under duress; he wants to see a case at home to its completion, but his superiors send him anyway to suss out who is selling secret codes. Eli wants nothing to do with waltzes, balls, strangers who want to be friends, but most of all he wants to avoid the beautiful woman who keeps finding herself in trouble. Or so he tries to tell himself! But he cannot resist Maria, a woman who reminds him of the night sky. ~Sigh~ It's beautiful to see this stern man with a horrible secret bloom thanks to Maria. Eli and Maria have remarkable chemistry; their sexual.encounters are steamy yet fun and sweet. There are some really fantastic supporting characters such as Hannah (the hotel chef and Maria's friend), Mac (Maria's half-brother) and her grandmother Josephine (who seems to have a dangerous past). My favorite, however, is Claude, a French spy. He lit up the page every time he appeared! I loved how Mac and Claude would treat Eli like he was "one of the boys" when he just wanted to be left alone; they were so amusing. The identity of Maria's would-be assassin and that of the code stealer totally shocked me. It's the beautiful romance, however, that has put Diana Biller in my group of top favorite authors. I eagerly await her next story.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Terrific historical fiction . Utterly readable and delightful with characters that are so well defined and articulated. Great settings.

This book was so good, I couldn’t put it down!

The setting, the characters, and the linen closet kept me reading until late into the night.

It is hard to pinpoint what I liked the most about the book, but I think it was the well plotted mystery combined with an excellent romance threaded throughout.

I urge you to give this five star book a try!

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

Maria Wallner is working hard to put her family hotel; Hotel Wallner is back on the map just in time for Ball Season. She has to dodge scandals, and random attacks against her and her hotel as well as the mysterious Eli Whittaker on a spy placement for stolen codes to ensure her family’s success.

First, I would like to explain that this book is first and foremost a romance and then historical fiction. Vienna was a very romantic backdrop for this novel. Despite being mid – 1800’s I have to say I love that most of the characters in this novel are progressive. Maria is a strong-willed, independent woman from a long line of strong-willed independent woman. I enjoyed reading her story and the regal Hotel Wallner.

Set in Vienna in 1877, this latest book by Diana Biller had much of what I have come to expect from the author - richly described setting, with captivating characters and plot. However, it also defied some of my expectations. Having enjoyed Biller’s first two books, I picked this up without investigating what it would be about. I expected it would be a third installment in the Moore series, but it is separate from that. I also thought it would be a paranormal historical romance, but it is not. There were superstitions among some of the characters to ward off perceived curses, but that a small aspect to an overall problem.

The primary setting for this book is the Hotel Wallner, ran by the very capable Maria Wallner. Maria is the fourth generation of Wallner women who own and operate the hotel. Her mother had not been interested in managing the hotel and had let not maintained it well. Maria’s goal is to restore the hotel to its former glory.

Eli is an American working for the Treasury department. He is sent to Vienna on a hush hush mission to investigate a leak at the embassy. However, when he arrives, it seems to be common knowledge who he is and what he is doing there. Instead, it becomes his top priority to protect Maria from suspicious accidents.

I very much enjoyed the characters and setting in this story. The setting was vivid and unusual for your standard HR. The characters were interesting, compelling and treated with care by the author. The leads had good chemistry and the romance was hard won. I look forward to Biller’s next offering.

<I>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. Views are my own.

4.5
As I began reading Hotel of Secrets, I anticipated a historical fiction that focused mainly on a mystery or spy plot with a bit of romance tossed in, but as I read, I realized it was actually a steamy historical romance with a bit of humor, mystery and spying woven into the story. The hotel's manager, Maria, is following in the footsteps of her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother as she takes the reins of the business to return the hotel to its former glory as a prestige hotel, restaurant and ballroom. The readers gain a glimpse into the hotel's past through excerpts from each of the women's journals that they keep while helming the hotel. Maria meets Eli, an American working undercover for the US Treasury department, as he is staying in the hotel on official business. Their blossoming relationship opens their hearts and minds to new future possibilities as neither of then had ever imagined ever having a life partner and each thought they would be solo in life, only trusting in themselves for safety and security. They have an enthusiastically consensual passion that opens their eyes to who they truly want to be instead of who they always thought they should be or had to be based on past experiences or what others thought of them. The story is delightfully detailed with descriptions of elaborate balls and gowns, delectable dishes and desserts, and intricate family secrets and ancestries. I truly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more of this author's work. This would make a fantastic streaming series!

In 1870s Vienna, it's ball season. Jugglers and violinists perform in the streets, and the music and gaiety pour out from every ballroom. Soon, Maria's ancestral hotel will feature the premier ball of the season and launch its comeback...if she can only concentrate on that and not the handsome American investigator. Eli is in Vienna to find out who stole secret codes from his government, and he's staying in Maria's hotel. After a dynamic meet-cute, the two of them keep running into each other, and after he rescues her from several assassination attempts, Maria, sexually experienced, takes Eli, improbably a virgin, under her wing. This book is filled with compelling characters and settings, the sex is hot and the romance believable. I enjoyed it from start to finish.

Hotel of Secrets kept me entertained and guessing from start to finish. It was a perfect mix of mystery, thriller and romance. I can’t wait to read more from Diana.

The background and backstory in this historical romance is so well written, I have a vivid picture of WWII Vienna and the many characters that populate the hotel and the surrounding areas. Diana Biller built the story with so many layers and such detail that I found myself talking to the characters. An excellent reading experience that ended way too soon.

Family secrets, assassins, secret romps, and love all in the back drop of extraordinary Vienna in the 1870's

Maria may be the illegitimate child of a Baron, but that doesn't stop her from running her family hotel and bringing it back to its former glory after some hard times. Eli is a visiting American on the hunt for answers after secrets have been shared and sold to other European nations and he is determined to find those responsible and report back home. After multiple suspicious attempts are made on Maria's life with Eli coming in to save her, both their stories intertwine in the most fascinating of ways, and keeping Maria safe may lead to him finding more than just answers, but maybe someone who finally accepts and understands him for who he is.

Was this historically accurate in any way? Absolutely not. The female characters were so kick ass and independent it was so refreshing. This was over the top and fun in the best way and I had to the most wonderful time following along with all the shenanigans within the pages of this story. This was fun, flirty, and sexy in all the right ways.

This was a beautiful historical romance set in Vienna with amazing characters that I couldn't help but fall for!

Maria Wallner is the owner of Hotel Wallner and is hoping to restore it to its former glory while taking her first steps towards this goal during the hotel season. If only someone wasn't intent on attacking her. And in comes Eli - an American agent who is investigating some leaked codes. Except neither were the codes a secret nor was his undercover status kept hidden for long 😂 lol. He manages to save her multiple times and goes from suspecting her to helping her 😆 Despite all of this Maria is determined to host the Hotelkeeper's Ball though they haven't found out who is behind her attacks.

Maria and Eli are quite different from each other as Maria is confident, charming and more experienced while Eli is quieter, more stoic and protective(& celibate 😆) but I loved how they connected with each other. They're both very dedicated when it comes to their job and the people they love. They're used to taking care of everyone around them while forgetting to take care of themselves, so I loved it when they took care of the other person while encouraging each other to do their best! There's no deception here because they never hide anything from each other! And Eli is so sweet because not only does he rescue Maria from danger but he's observant enough to see when she's tired or hurt and helps her get away when needed. As if that wasn't enough he even does his 'research' to make sure Maria is *ahem* happier. Gosh, I can't stop gushing about him.

There's also a intergenerational story with the Wallner women and as we get to meet Maria's mother and grandmother we learn more about them and Maria's great grandmother too in snippets from their journals at the beginning of every chapter too. This was done so well and I loved how different they were but with a hidden strength that they all shared. I wasn't a fan of Maria's mom at first but she did surprise me by the end! The setting with the undercurrent of the political and historical events that shaped their lives was also described beautifully! The mystery plot runs parallel to the romance but I'd say that the romance is the main focus here!

I don't have much to complain about here except for the lack of epilogue, because who doesn't love a good epilogue?😆 But, anyway if you're in the mood for a beautiful historical romance set in vibrant Vienna with amazing characters and a little bit of mystery, you'll love this one!❣️✨

Diana Biller's Hotel of Secrets is chock full of banter-filled shenanigans, must-have-you kisses, and romance certain to light a fire in the hearts of readers everywhere.
It’s ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family’s hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its former glory. She’s not going to let anything get in her way - not her parents’ three-decade-long affair; not seemingly-random attacks by masked assassins; and especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who’s saved her life two times already. No matter how luscious his mouth is.