Hotel of Secrets is set in grand, decadent Vienna in the late 1800s, where Maria Wallner is working hard to restore Hotel Wallner back to its former glory and status; after a financial crash and careless management under Maria's mother Elisabeth, the hotel is not at all what it once was under Maria's grandmother Josephine or her great-grandmother Theresa. Elisabeth cares only for Maria's father Heinrich, who is married to Adelaide, and Maria swears she will not put a man ahead of her life's work: the hotel.

Meanwhile, buttoned-up American Eli Whittaker is sent to investigate a problem at the American Legation in Vienna, while a case he worked for years to crack back in the States is getting buried to save prominent politicians' reputations. Eli saves Maria's life a number of times, and thinks she must be connected to the case he is working on now - a letter referencing the stolen codes was sent from the Hotel Wallner.

As Eli works to solve his case and protect Maria, who is obviously someone's target, Maria works with chef/baker Hannah and her grandmother Josephine to prepare for the hoteliers' ball, an event that could restore the Hotel Wallner's reputation - IF it goes well. But someone is trying to sabotage the ball...

More assassination attempts than the usual romance novel, and some very spicy scenes in linen closets, this is a real page-turner in more ways than one. Maria and Eli's romance is trauma-informed in a very modern way that is a pleasure to read about even as it's unlikely in that time and place.

Quotes

"Not many people can see past what society says is right to what is actually right. You can." (Maria to Eli, ch. 24)

It wasn't quite that easy, of course. Elisabeth had chosen Heinrich many times before, and those times had mattered. Those wounds wouldn' simply disappear because of one moment. But that one moment mattered too. (ch. 33)

But now that she recognized it, she found it everywhere; it had climbed inside her like a flowering vine on an arbor. Everywhere she looked, love bloomed back. (ch. 33) ( )

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin & NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

If you’re looking for a sizzling and steamy historical romance with a mystery, this is the book for you. Taking place in 1888 Vienna there are spies and secrets, an aristocratic family, friends, and lovers. Most of the action occurs in a currently languishing hotel full of family members and other quirky characters.

Hotelkeeper Maria Wallner is working hard to restore her family’s formerly glamorous Hotel Wallner. American Eli Whittaker arrives to discover who is leaking secret codes and finds himself saving Maria from numerous assassination attempts. It doesn’t take long for the sparks to fly between them in bedrooms, ballrooms, and linen closets.

I didn’t finish this (DNF at 61%) as the plot was convoluted and confusing. The characters reminded me of a Marx Brothers movie with everyone bursting in and out of hotel rooms, bordering on hysteria without the comedy. I didn’t care about the hotel, the mystery, or the characters. It felt like the plot was developed merely to bring the two main characters together for racy intimacy every few chapters.

The cover and description led me to think I would be reading historical fiction rather than lusty historical romance. This was not for me. ( )

Lovely storytelling and descriptive - I felt like I was in Vienna during Ball Season. And the found family that Biller created within the Hotel Wallner was superb. I loved all the supporting characters, but Maria and Eli were obviously the stand outs. Their romance was meet-cute, while also being very passionate.

The Hotel Wallner has been in Maria’s family for four generations, gifted to her great-grandmother by the Emperor himself. However, in recent years, it has fallen to disrepair, but Maria wants to return it to its former glory. This is hard, however, when it seems Vienna itself is conspiring against her. But Eli, an American foreign agent, seems to be there to help her at every turn. They both have reasons for avoiding relationships, though and despite the clear chemistry they each strive to push each other away - until that becomes impossible. Will they be able to overcome all the obstacles in their way? ( )

Hotel of Secrets by Diane Biller
Historical drama with mystery and romance.
Maria Wallner is third generation owner and manager of the Hotel Wallner in Venice. The hotel has fallen on difficult times and business is down. Maria is trying to get a bank loan to refurbish the hotel but with business down and hard times all over in 1877, they aren’t lending. Strange accidents are befalling Maria and foreign agent Eli Whittaker has come to Maria’s rescue. Eli is smitten with Maria but really just wants to find the spy who is selling secrets and go back home.

An intriguing family drama and mystery with a steamy romance thrown in. It moves quickly as the mystery is drawn deeper and the characters get depth with history and unexpected problems.

🎧 I alternated between an ecopy and an audiobook. The narration was done by Carlotta Brenton who did a wonderful job with voice variances, emotional expression and timing. I especially liked her voice for Maria. It seemed to bring her to life. The passion in the story was done with a breathlessness that truly had me mesmerized.
I listened to the audio at a speed of 1.5 which is my preferred.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. ( )

It's ball season in Vienna and after having thrown a successful New Year's ball, Maria Wallner is finally starting to pull her family's legacy, the Hotel Wallner, out from the brink of ruin. And when she's offered the opportunity to host the Hotelkeepers Ball, she cannot turn it down.

Eli Whittaker is in Vienna from Washington DC to investigate whomever is selling American codes across Europe. His one lead has brought him to the doors of Hotel Wallner. Vienna is a city that is always bustling. It's too much for Eli who enjoys his easy life back in the states. He's determined to wrap this investigation up as quickly as possible.

When Eli ends up saving Maria's life on more than one occasion, he becomes intrigued by not only Maria herself, but the possibility that she has some connection to his investigation.

I have come to highly anticipate Diana Biller's releases. She has this way of writing these engaging historical romances with often thrilling/mysterious plot points to solve, but also includes such quirkiness and levity to the characters that her books are fun. The balance between the fun and the serious is on point.

I loved the setting. In this Hotel that has been passed down through the women in the Wallner family for generations. Each chapter begins with a snippet of a journal entry from a previous Wallner matriarch and it's fun to see how these spirited women live their unconventional lives.

Maria being the newest manager of the Hotel Wallner has her work cut out for her. In her mother's hands before, the Hotel did not thrive. Her mother wasn't as interested, coupled with the political climate of the past few years, and the Hotel started to decline. Maria wants to make the Hotel Wallner the place to be and be seen. Of course, just when she thinks that she's on track to bring the Hotel back to glory, Maria is attacked and a series of terrible events befall the Hotel. Through all of this, I liked Maria's strength and determination. She's not one to get flustered easily and when one obstacle presents itself, I loved seeing her pivot to another direction. I'd call her unflappable.

Eli is a slight opposite of Maria's. He's never had the family or friendship loyalty that Maria has. He has little life beyond his work. Being in Vienna, in the middle of ball season no less, is throwing him for a loop. He used to relying on himself alone. Some of the best moments of the book are seeing him like a fish out of water being put in situations where he has to work with others or rely on someone else for information.

Honestly, I think this is the steamiest book from Diana Biller. The attraction between Eli and Maria jumps off the page and each of their interactions are perfect. I really love how they each take the other as they are. There's nothing that they try to change about each other. Instead they fit as they are into each others lives.

I liked the twisting of the mystery in this one. Diana Biller balanced everything well enough to keep the momentum going in the story, while also providing a satisfying ending.

Overall, another good read from Diana Biller. You can go wrong with her blend of historical romance. ( )