Heat Wave    by Jill Marie Landis Order:  USA  Can Ballantine, 2004 (2004) Hardcover     Reviewed by Martina Bexte After getting shot while working a case, PI Kat Vargas concedes to partner Jake Montgomery's assessment that she's been burning the candle at both ends for far too long. She agrees to housesit for him while he and his new wife are away on vacation. The peace and quiet of Twilight Cove soon grates on Kat's nerves, and as she'd feared, memories of a tragic past come back to haunt her. She's ready to head back to Los Angeles and her caseload when a new client knocks on her door. Ty Chandler has recently discovered that he fathered a child with his high school sweetheart. He's determined to find his daughter, but has no idea where to start. Impressed by his unwavering commitment to locate his child, Kat agrees to help Chandler but warns him that things may not turn out the way he hopes. Within days Ty finds himself face to face with his daughter, Sunny, and his grand daughter, Alice. Sunny has been living on her own for a long time and wants nothing to do with her father, assuming he'd abandoned her just as surely as her drug addict mother had. Ty accepts her rejection and mistrust and agrees to step back, but not before offering Sunny the chance to get to know him, any time she's ready. Kat and Ty return to Twilight Cove and give in to their attraction, despite Kat's inability to put her tragic past behind her. She knows Ty isn't at all like her fiancé, but is still afraid to trust a man. Ty's stubbornness and sincerity soon win her over. Just when she begins to feel at ease with their relationship, Sunny arrives with Alice. Now it's Kat's turn to step back and allow Ty time to get to know his new family. But Kat senses that Sunny isn't being completely honest with her dad, and that she's come to Twilight Cove with a lot more secrets than either Kat or Ty realizes. Heat Wave is Jill Marie Landis's second contemporary romance, and also second in a series begun in last year's Lover's Lane. Here again, Landis offers her readers what they've come to expect from her books - vibrant characterizations and an emotionally charged story of families damaged by lies and secrets. Heat Wave hits the mark and the heartstrings. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews