Fabulous story of young Love, Murder, Suspense and coming home to realized that your first love is the one you really are suppose to be with. Aiden and Jolene find that out when they both return home to Honeymoon Harbor. Aiden returns home to recover and forget the ambush he barely survived and his best friend fellow undercover cop Bodhi Warfield was killed. Jolene returns home to make sure her mother takes a test to see if she has cancer or not. They both are dealing with consequences of their jobs. Jolene is an Emmy nominated make-up artist who also sign a letter #TimesUp harassment list began getting attention. Aiden was finally getting out of the fog from drinking to numb the guilt of being alive while his partner and best friend was dead.

Ex-marine, ex-alcoholic, sniper and former undercover California cop Aiden Mannion, whose homeland security job at the Port Authority has resulted in a gunshot wound to his leg and the death of his partner, is the walking wounded in multiple ways.  Off on a holiday season fishing trip/convalescence/family visit to Honeymoon Harbor, he accepts it when the ghost of said ex partner joins him on the ferry trip in and refuses to disappear. Bodhi Warfield’s ghost seems to have no real mission – or maybe he’s a manifestation of the survivor’s guilt haunting Aiden – but they hang out, just like old times.

Aiden’s father pressures him into temporarily acting as police chief while the abusive man who held that position recovers from a stroke. Aiden agrees with a shrug, and even settles in by going to the wedding of a friend.  That’s where he spots the redhead of his distant fantasies mingling in the crowd – Jolene Wells.

Jolene and Aiden went to high school together, but unlike Aiden, Jolene never fit into any social set.  That didn’t stop them from embarking on a clandestine romance and, after Aiden saved Jolene from a drugging and assault, a little more.  But Aiden messed everything up, and Jolene’s moved on – hasn’t she?

Jolene has escaped childhood bullying and her trailer-trash roots to become a globetrotting Emmy-nominated makeup artist – albeit one who has to live on the fringes of Beverly Hills society and is too busy to even have much more than a goldfish in her life.  She harbors hopes of starting an organic makeup and skin-care line which she researches between jobs, but first she needs time to settle down and think.  The opportunity is afforded to her when a number of factors combine to give her that time.  Her fiancé breaks things off to become engaged to a twice-married starlet, her apartment burns down, and she learns that her mother Gloria might have breast cancer and refuses to get properly diagnosed, all within the space of a week.  Until Gloria’s status is settled, Jolene tries to help her mother open her new spa-cum-salon in the local lighthouse.

Jolene and Aiden meet again when Aiden pulls her over for a traffic stop.  Jolene’s spark for Aiden continues to glow, and as Aiden supports Gloria and Jolene through Gloria’s mammogram and biopsy, things begin to turn passionate for the couple.  But can these two really manage to pull together a happy relationship?  Can Aiden quell a corruption problem in the police department while tracking down a crazy survivalist?  Will Gloria beat cancer?  And just why is Bodhi haunting Aiden?  They have until New Years to find out.

Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane is both a delight and a frustration.  Smoothly, engagingly written, with some good characters and interesting conflicts, it also suffers because of an overstuffed plot that hinders part of the novel’s progress.

Jolene and Aiden are excellent leads (I liked Jolene’s love of sappy romantic movies for instance), and among the supporting players I enjoyed Gloria and Brianna specifically.   The chemistry between the leads is beautiful and flirtatious, which is a fun hallmark of most Ross romances.  For this alone you’ll enjoy spending more time in Honeymoon Harbor.

But there’s a lot of extraneous plot padding in this book clogging up its hallowed pages that doesn’t need to exist.  The machinations to get both Jolene and Aiden to stay in Honeymoon Harbor, especially when it comes to Jolene’s life, are way too over the top.  Especially when piling a humiliation conga line onto Jolene’s shoulders and an overwhelmingly tragic backstory onto Aiden’s to make them stay in Washington State.  In Jolene’s case it’s worse, because she keeps firmly insisting that she wants certain things in her life, only for her mother and best friend to tell her that no, she wants to be married, to be “claimed”, to have children.

The whole ghost/guilt thing had me straddling the fence.  Bodhi is undeniably one of the funniest parts of the book, and he’s one of its best supporting characters.  On the other hand, his supernatural presence is distracting and doesn’t match the grounded, realistic feeling of the novel; it’s also extremely odd to have a ghost investigating a murder and feeding Aiden information throughout the novel.  That’s just as fantastic as Aiden becoming the chief of police temporarily because his dad just hands him the job.  It’s not hard to believe that Aiden, after suffering what he did, might want to transfer out of his high-pressure job – but it’s also hard to believe an ex-adrenaline junkie would go from busting drug lords to helping old ladies find their stolen lawn gnomes.

So why am I recommending this book?  The chemistry between the leads is just that strong.  The setting and the way the characters scrape through life feels realistic, and is romantic and interesting.  This is Ross writing her romantic best, and though it’s sometimes fanciful and unbelievable, it’s also sweet-natured and well-meaning, just like those romantic movies Jolene loves.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

There's Aiden Mannion, an ex LA cop, who has had a pretty tough time lately and coming home has its own issues to deal with. Then there's Jolene Wells, who doesn't have a lot of great memories from Honeymoon Harbor, but her mom needs her so she has to come home. Aiden and Jolene have a history together - people don't really know about it and both of them have tried to forget it too.  Now, this second time around, will they be able to make things right? 

This is a small town romance book about people getting a second chance and how they deal with their past. I have to say I was very surprised that the author included a ghost in this story - seemed like it would have been a great story without the ghost but hey, it was a great story overall.

I received an advanced readers digital copy of this book from Little Bird Publicity through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and unbiased opinion. Thanks NetGalley and Little Bird Publicity!

Fans of JoAnn Ross will be glad to read the second book in the Honeymoon Harbor series. It's the holidays and a second-chance love story sure to satisfy fans and new readers alike.

I have enjoyed the previous Honeymoon Harbor books, and this one was no exception. Aiden has had a tough road lately, and coming home has it's own bumps to navigate. Jolene didn't have a lot of great memories from Honeymoon Harbor, so coming home to stay was not on her to do list, but her mom needs her. The two have a past not many know about, and that both have tried to forget. Now with life intervening, will they have a second chance to make things right? Ross has a way of making every day life feel special, and filling it with moments that feel as familiar as home but as spectacular as a movie. This book was another winner.

Hallucinating is comforting, but he better not tell anyone.

Bodhi sounds like a character. He was lucky to have him as a partner and friend.

Oh, his dad is good.

Good for her. She's not giving up. Her business is a great idea.

Poor Charlene.

That's a good memory she has with her mom.

James is going to end up on the other side of a domestic abuse call one day.

He's doing a good thing for Amanda.

Ugh they really should have reported Deputy Jerkface.

Huh, Miranda Priestley did have Helen Mirren hair.

Haha, young Ryan is whipped!

Snort. Did he get detention at home and at school, I wonder?

What is this, a town prank on an old lady?

Entitled prick.

Intriguing.

Ah, Michael Bannion.

She has great fantasies.

Madison married IV? Why am I not surprised. Their poor kids.

The DC murdered his wife and Bodhi.

Who doesn't love a Christmas love story.

It would be so cool if she could also hear Bodhi!

"Only" spousal abuse? A few more days, and Aiden might have gotten him for murder. Is that preferable, S.A. Douchebag?

I hear ya, Mrs. Hooper.

That was very nice of Ashley. A classy move.

You're a good man, Quinn.

Aww, Jarle is so cute.

Hell no. I would have run screaming from that house as soon as I saw one cat.

Ugh, she's better off staying home and building up her business. Aside from Shelby, what else is waiting in California?

That was sneaky. He's lucky she didn't choke on the omelet.

You definitely have unsuspected depth, Bodhi, to paraphrase Jimmy Stewart.

Yay! So long, sucka! I hope you rot in jail.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Aiden Madden, ex LA cop, has gone back to his hometown, Honeymoon Harbor, after a shooting that results in him being shot and his partner killed. His partner has come back a a ghost to haunt him. Jolene is a successful Hollywood make up artist. She returns to town when her Mother has a health scare. Aiden and Jolene were a couple for awhile in high school.

I was surprised this book had a ghost, not my favorite genre. Not what I would expect from a Ross book. For me the book dragged in parts. This is a second chance romance that I would have liked much more without the ghost. This is also the 2nd book in a series but it could be read on its own. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane is book two in the Honeymoon Harbor series. Jolene was the character from the previous book I was most looking forward to learning more about.

Jolene grew up dirt poor with a wonderful mother but an alcoholic father in a small town. As soon as she could she left town and made a life for herself as a makeup artist in California. After an Emmy nomination, things are going very well for her in her career, but after the mother of all bad days - she finds out her boyfriend is engaged to someone else and her apartment burns down - she learns her mother may be sick. She's been wanting to develop a line of organic beauty products, so she heads back home to Honeymoon Harbor to work on that and be with her mom.

Aiden Mannion was a hellion as a teen, but after a stint in the Marines and several years working undercover with the LAPD, he's settled down. After his partner was killed in an op gone bad, he's back in Honeymoon Harbor to lick his wounds and heal. The town needs an interim Sheriff and he reluctantly accepts the job on a temporary basis. He and Jolene have history, and he's quick to renew their friendship - and more - once she returns to town. But things are never simple in a small town, especially when he's starting to think he never wants to leave and Jolene has a life several states away.

I enjoyed the small-town setting and the romance. Honeymoon Harbor came to life and I felt a real connection to those who live their. It was clear Jolene and Aiden had a true, deep foundation once they got past their initial awkwardness over their separation. They dated in high school, but broke up right before Aiden left for the Marines. He always regretted not telling Jolene how much he cared for her, and he's glad to have the opportunity to renew their friendship...and possibly have more.

I did struggle a bit with the pacing. Parts seemed to drag on, especially in the middle. The book had a paranormal element I wasn’t expecting that seemed out of place given this is a contemporary romance.

[spoiler] Aiden's dead partner, Bodhi, is stalking him. I thought this would end up being a case of Aiden's subconscious messing with him, but as the story went on it turned out Bodhi was actually a ghost haunting him. Bodhi even talks him into contacting some friends back in LA to investigate the night he was killed. I actually liked Bodhi and thought their conversations were hilarious, but it seemed so out of place in what I thought was a straight up contemporary romance.[/spoiler]

Still, I can't deny I enjoyed those parts, so I guess I can't complain too much.

Overall I liked the story, though not quite as much as the first book, Herons Landing. If you're looking for a sweet, small-town romance, this is the book for you.

<strong>3.25 out of 5</strong>

Love this author, loved this book! The only thing I didn’t like was the lack of sleep I got because I couldn’t put it down. JoAnn Ross is a master storyteller and you can definitely see that in this book.

Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane is the perfect book to cozy up with this fall/winter. A second chance romance with relatable characters and dramatic issues, this one is hard not to devour. The setting is perfect and picturesque (just how I like it), and the plot is interesting and entertaining. This is my first novel by the author and I look forward to reading more of the books in the series.

This is a romance book about people getting a second chance and how they deal with their past. It is part of a series so it does have quite a few characters. Some of the characters I really liked and some I did not

This is a sweet story with two characters that are getting a second chance to be together. Each has personal issues that they have to deal with. Aiden is dealing with survivor's guilt (and his dead partner's ghost) while Jolene's mom has a health scare. I loved Aiden in the role of sheriff, and seeing him deal with his deputies. I was also really interesting in Jolene's business, and hope that she makes appearances in future books. The whole town is great.

No published review. Book is obviously part of a series--too many characters who seem to have little to do with the story. Just never grabbed me. Thanks anyway