Rating: 70% | ★★★☆☆
Synopsis (from NetGalley): 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. Non-Spoiler Review: Diana Biller's The Brightest Star in Paris was one of my favorite books of 2021. And in Hotel of Secrets, Biller continues to demonstrate her talent for creating rich historical settings. Vienna comes to life as Maria and Eli race across the city to gather everything needed for the Hotel Wallner's return to glory. The ending is triumphant, capping off a truly feel-good romance. And, of course, Biller's subtle humor shines in moments of fast dialogue and sweet platonic chemistry. However, I found this novel less engaging than Biller's previous novels. The story feels bloated at times, especially as the reader contends with too many zany characters and plot lines resolved as quickly as they are introduced; the third act, in particular, is rushed. Conversely, moments of interiority—largely repeating the character's previous thoughts—also drag the pacing. Maria and Eli, while engaging, remain two-dimensional for much of the novel, and their romance struggles to progress beyond love at first sight. Ultimately, Hotel of Secrets is a romance that many not always deliver on depth, but is sure to be a feel-good story for any reader. I continue to admire Biller's writing and look forward to her future novels. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Hotel of Secrets is out March 28, 2023.
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