HEARTBREAK HOTEL is the third novel in a trilogy by Jill Marie
Landis that takes place in the fictional town of Twilight Cove,
California, located along the coast near the city of San Luis
Obispo. The main character, Tracy, is a widow in her early thirties
and is raising a nine-year-old boy. She also has a stepdaughter
from her husband's previous marriage and has just found out that he
lied to her about their financial situation. Glenn has been
deceased for six months, Tracy is in debt, and she is struggling to
make ends meet by renovating an old hotel called the Heartbreak
Hotel.

Wade "Johnson," as he calls himself when he first meets Tracy, is a
stranger traveling through town, looking for a place to stay for
the night. What was supposed to be a one-night stop ends up to be
much longer than that. He is a man of mystery, and while the
characters in the book do not know his history, the reader is aware
that he's a famous writer with a past, a past that he would rather
forget.

Tracy at first wonders what type of person Wade could be. Her
friends warn her not to trust anyone off the street when taking in
boarders for her new hotel. But as she gets to know Wade, she
begins to trust him, and soon she finds herself relying on him for
emotional support. While she slowly opens up to Wade, she also is
finding out more about her husband's "other" life with the help of
her friend Jake, a private investigator. The news Jake brings back
to her is devastating. She turns to Wade for comfort, as the two
grow even closer.

As Tracy is dealing with her husband's death, so are the children.
Chelsea, the stepdaughter, is a college student at USC and is still
coming to terms with Tracy as her stepmother. Tracy's relationship
with Chelsea is fragile at times, and seeing Tracy and Wade getting
romantically involved doesn't help. Chelsea considers it to be a
betrayal of their father, and she responds to this in anger,
something Tracy does not need with all her other problems piling
up.

What Chelsea and her half-brother Matthew don't know is that Tracy
and Glenn's marriage had been falling apart for years. Glenn died
suddenly from a brain aneurysm, and Tracy is still continuing to
pretend that their marriage had been perfect. But the more she
learns about Glenn's secrets, the harder it becomes to keep up the
facade.

Wade's story involves a murder mystery novel that catapults him to
fame but unfortunately results in a series of murders that
eventually forces Wade to hide from the public, disguise himself,
change his name, and move as far away from the city of Los Angeles
as he can get. Only his agent knows of his whereabouts, wiring him
money whenever he needs it. Wade is a wealthy man, but his current
demeanor makes him look like a blue-collar worker. He hides his
identity from everyone, including Tracy, thinking her feelings for
him will change once she knows the truth about his past. Wade
initially had sought out this small town to end his life, but
something about Tracy and the Heartbreak Hotel help him get through
each day, and soon he learns that he has a reason to keep on
living.

HEARTBREAK HOTEL was as enjoyable as HEAT WAVE, the second book in
this trilogy. While much of the novel appeared realistic and true,
and the characters were highly believable, the paranormal bits in
the storyline that involved Captain Ezra Poole was a little
far-fetched. However, this shouldn't prevent the reader from
enjoying the entire story. There is an importance behind the
storyline of the ghost of Ezra Poole, as it will eventually affect
Wade's relationship with Tracy.

While this is a contemporary romance novel, there is a lot of
tension and intrigue connected with Wade's past, and it comes to a
head by the end of the novel. Readers will not be able to put down
the book until the last page is turned. Overall, HEARTBREAK HOTEL
comes recommended, and for those who enjoy this book --- a
stand-alone despite being part of a trilogy --- the reader should
seek out the previous two books, HEAT WAVE and LOVER'S LANE, which
contain characters from all three novels.