Hotel Of Secrets by Diana Biller
Genre : Historical Romance
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
Publication date : March 28th, 2023
During ball season, anything can happen, even love.
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.
Eli Whittaker also only wants one thing: to find out who is selling
American secret codes across Europe, arrest them, and go home to his
sensible life in Washington, DC. He has one lead - a letter the
culprit sent from a Viennese hotel. But when he arrives in Vienna, he
is immediately swept up into a chaotic whirlwind of balls, spies,
waltzes, and beautiful hotelkeepers who seem to constantly find
themselves in danger. He disapproves of all of it! But his disapproval
is tested as he slowly falls deeper into the chaos - and as his
attraction to said hotelkeeper grows.
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!❣️✨
You can also find my review on my bookstagram here
*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I think the best way to you about myself is to tell you about the
things I love. So here's a completely inexhaustive list: I love my
husband, my dog and cat, my family, and my friends. I love
ballet--both watching it and taking adult beginner classes. I love
hiking alone, writing in gardens, and jumping in waves. I love Los
Angeles, where I live. I love reading--it's my oldest passion and my
favorite.
And I love playing pretend, which is, for me at least, the thing
underneath all the words and writing. I love living in worlds I've
imagined, and I love meeting every new character who walks into
them. I hope you'll love them too.
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