Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller on March 28, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / 20th Century, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
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Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller is a Historical Romance that will have you wishing you could go to a ball. Biller has a way with prose that makes the words flow so smoothly and quickly. The setting of the Viennese Victorian-era hotel was so perfect for this book. This has everything. It has romance, historical fiction, a little mystery, and some wacky characters that you won’t soon forget.
Just an advanced warning….this has a few open door scenes.
I don’t even know where to start with this. I loved this one so much. The Hotel Wallner is the setting of this one and Maria is the current owner/manager. It has been in the women of her family for generations. Her mother ran it before she did, although she ran it into the ground, and her grandmother before her. But Maria is trying to make the hotel a success again. Someone is not wanting her to succeed. The attempts on her life and hotel are numerous. Then she meets Mr. Tall, dark, and handsome. He is so different than any other man.
Eli is the guy of dreams….except he is celibate. But when Maria runs into him one night in a drunken state, she might say too much. This book made me laugh so many times! (Example…When Eli cites his sources during sex…I couldn’t stop laughing!!)
Just imagine a single gal who is very free with herself, but is surrounded by family and friends who want to protect her. Her grandmother ran the hotel back in a time when she could use secrets to get what she wanted so she still holds onto a few secrets. But the hotel is also its own character. Maria worked hard to restore it and add a few amenities…like a linen closet made for an erotic good time.
I love the little mysteries that were uncovered along the way. Also, Eli is an investigator from the US who is in Vienna on a case of code theft. He is constantly suspicious of everyone. But he learns who he can trust. And will his celibacy last long with Maria by his side in their adventures?
Maria’s mother, Elizabeth, is in a relationship with her father even though he is married to someone else. At the balls, Elizabeth has to wait to dance with him until his wife has left. Until she refuses to wait anymore. Let’s just say Elizabeth likes the drama. She puts the MAMA is MAMA DRAMA.
At every other page I was laughing or ahhing. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Maria and Eli bloom and excited to see where it was going to go. The rest of the characters were so fun that I wished I could be there with them at the hotel. This book did take a little setup, but I so enjoyed the premise, the quirky characters, and the picturesque setting. If you like romance mixed with historical fiction, you CAN’T miss this book.