A must-watch for pretty tight pacing, good writing and great characters! It doesn't really deal in extremes with emotions - which is a good thing given how many sageuks roam in the 'angst on max' territory' - but it does hit the right tonal balances and gives the viewer an overall deeply satisfying and entertaining watch. Best part is that despite its seemingly straight-foward narrative, the drama keeps the audience on their toes without dragging plot points out - so you get to do fun detective work without suffering from drawn out reveals or irrational behaviour from the characters.

Speaking of - the characters are also pretty well fleshed out and given ample time for development so that they can stand independently of the main leads, which is great because it means you can pick and choose what you want to emotionally invest in, if one of the subplots or characters aren't really doing it for you. Arguably, Kang Hoon is the star of the show in my eyes so I'd say honestly, if nothing else, watch it for him at least!!

In summary: probably one of the best sageuk releases this year so far & I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for something that's 'just right' (not too deep but not too superficial either, sitting in the 'goldilocks' zone as far as K-dramas go)

One of those dramas which should be watched without knowing anything, so the audience can play the "who is who" game, trying to guess the secrets that all the characters keep.

Really entertaining and fast paced, there is romance, friendship and mysteries. Palace politics are not dull nor boring here, so those who avoid sageuks because of the long discussions in the palace could give this a try.

Praises to Kang Hoon as Shi Yeol for being able to steal a show which, on the other side, is totally choral and gives all the characters their space, balancing their time really well.

Highly recommended. At first glance, this may seem as a typical ‘reverse-harem fusion sageuk’, but the final product is so much more than that. Tightly-written, well-paced and thoroughly entertaining, there was not a dull moment watch the drama. I was surprised by how engaging and twisty the central mystery was during the first half. I’ve seen more ‘serious’ dramas stumble and fall through their mystery elements, but The Secret Romantic Guesthouse manages to pull it off with style and finesse. If I was in charge of award shows, this would get Best Screenplay nominations, left and right. I was that impressed (for the most part). The characters, for the most part, felt real and well-written. There will be times when you as an audience member will feel a character is too weak for a certain task, or not developed for the storyline they’re a part of - only the show to reveal that that was the point and how that is actually a catalyst for further character development and a more intriguing plot. Special praise for Kang Hoon as Shi-yeol, who despite arguably being a second lead, completely stole the show. I cannot wait to see him become a leading man in his own right. It was a delight tuning in each week to see him. If not for anything else, watch this for a masterclass performance from him.

However, I don’t think the show is flawless. The second half, in particular, I think had more bumps along the ride than the first half. Not quite as smooth-going. I also find that the female characters become underutilized and often fall in the background during the more political plots. I appreciated when the writer did manage to interweave their stories into the palace intrigue (certainly did more than the vast majority of fusion sageuks), but it is worth pointing out. Overall, however, this is a very strong entry into the annals of fusion sageuks and a very, very fun watch. Not one, but two well-executed romances (without angsty love triangles taking up unnecessary runtime!!), a strong core-friendship between all the leads, an actually entertaining political heart at the centre, and a well-written and engaging mystery to keep everything together. There’s something for everyone here.

Oh, and also, they nailed the ending IMO. Even with the flaws along the way, the ending didn’t suck. That, in-and-of-itself, is a true rarity in dramaland.

It's worth watching! You'll be convinced after reading these beanie reviews. I loved it!

Sword fights, love 💕 and a mystery as to who shall claim the throne.
The story moved along pretty well by keeping the plot fairly simple . No overdose of ministers . Plenty of tropes, they wrapped it up nice and neat at the end, which is noteworthy !

A very well written sageuk that is sure to leave you satisfied. The writing is tight and makes sense which is sometimes rare. It is well-paced and the characters' arcs and stories are all very well fleshed-out. A real ensemble cast. The politics is also not to heavy. The characters were well-written, hence their decisions all made sense. The female lead was also very well written, as a savvy business-woman, very smart and independent. Overall, would definitely recommend it if one is looking for something that is fun, interesting and engaging throughout. I loved it!

Coming back to this and finally finishing it over Christmas break...

There was a lot to like in this drama (and some really beautiful cinematography!) I liked the found family feeling, the friendships, and the way everyone got what they really deserved in the end, and not just the kind of ending you'd expect. And Kang Hoon was just excellent, I will definitely watch for more projects from him!

I thought that while the overall storyline was good, the scene-level scripting made me scratch my head in frustration when the characters would repeatedly do dumb things that no real person would ever do. Maybe giving them smarter choices would have cut off two episodes' worth of time (but at 18 episodes...that would have been okay, too). There were also a lot of things that were rather obvious to viewers that got drawn out past the point of believability. So I felt a bit like the script was talking down to the viewers at times. And there were little things that would not believably work in the real world. (Telling orphans whose training program was just disbanded to just "survive"--how, exactly??) But if you take it as a kind of fairy tale, then you can just go along for the ride and enjoy it. The acting was good (especially Kang Hoon, again) and it was certainly pretty to look at. I think I would recommend this to people who like historicals, fantasy (even though there is no magic), light romance, and dramas where Things Happen, but that aren't too emotionally intense.