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Tracy Potter’s life changes dramatically when her husband dies unexpectedly. Left with mounting debts, children to take care of and only a dilapidated, abandoned hotel as her last remaining asset, Tracy courageously decides to make a go of it by renovating and reopening the Heartbreak Hotel. Wade Johnson is a man at the end of his tether. With the death of twelve innocent women on his conscience, he’s looking for a place to hide and perhaps even kill himself when he comes across Heartbreak and decides to stay.
As betrayals of the past come to light, Tracy comes to the slow but devastating realization that her entire marriage was one colossal lie. At the same time, inspired by dreams of a long-dead sailing Captain and his tragic love, Wade starts writing again. From the instant they first meet, there’s an unmistakable fission of interest between Tracy and Wade. Carrying more than their individual share of emotional baggage, they’re hesitant to take it to the next level. Does more heartbreak lie in their future or is it smooth sailing for them from now on?
Author Jill Marie Landis brings her Twilight Cove series books to a successful conclusion with this final, heartrending story of the trilogy. Both these wounded people at a place called Heartbreak – well, it seems pretty obvious what’s going to happen…or not, depending on whether the reader is an optimist or a pessimist. Tracy’s courage and determination in light of her bleak circumstances is a beacon of hope that inspires Wade who’s close to suicide. But whether this ray of hope lasts, whether these two ever come together, is the true suspense and one which is maintained beautifully till the end. Landis’ engaging and soulful writing is what takes this story beyond mundane and which, despite the overall predictability of the whole scenario, keeps the readers engaged up until the very end. Heart-wrenching emotional drama, which as a character itself puts it, feels like something from out of a soap opera, some suspense and appearances of characters from other books in this trilogy, all serve to make this a one stylish and enjoyable read.
Reviewed by Rashmi Srinivas
for The Road to Romance
June 1, 2005
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