It’s a new year 1878 in Vienna, Austria at the Wallner Hotel, struggling to house guests after the financial failures across the country a few years prior. Maria Wallner loves her hotel, somewhat of a legacy in her family, she’s excited to host the Hotel Keeper’s Ball.

When a premonition is made about “The Man” Maria will meet and fall in love with, she’s not interested in falling in love with any handsome strangers. She meets the dark handsome Eli Whittaker while he’s saving her from getting hit by a carriage. On assignment from America, Eli is looking for a spy in possession of their secret codes. Their attraction however cannot be denied, Eli can’t help to protect Maria when multiple attempts are made on her life, why is she being targeted?

A group of quirky characters, family drama, masked assassins and the mystery really move this story forward. I particularly enjoyed the historical aspects of this novel, detailing in short journal entries real life events such as the Panic of 1873, the Herzegovina uprising, even Beethoven made a couple appearances! A bit of a slow burn but I thought the last couple chapters were gripping and made the story come together when the mystery is revealed. Big kudos to the narrator, Carlotta Brentan, for bringing whimsy to the characters, especially Hanna as I enjoyed all her baking and general shenanigans happening at the hotel, you will be laughing about the linen closets for a bit 🙂

Big 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early copy of the audiobook for an honest review.

Title: Hotel of Secrets
Author: Diana Biller
Genre: Historical Romance/Mystery
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️