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Claiming His Family
SECRET BABY
Alyson Fitzroy had a secret. A precious baby she struggled to protect, until the harrowing day her child was stolen! Now the only man she could turn to was Dex Harrington. The powerful D.A. who could put her baby's kidnapper behind bars forever. The lover who had fathered her child...
DETERMINED DADDY
Dex Harrington was shocked to discover he had a son-and determined to keep his baby safe. Even if that meant taking matters into his own hands. Even if that meant allowing Alyson Fitzroy into his heart. Because as soon as he joined forces with the beauty he believed had betrayed him, he realized so much was at stake. For he hungered to claim this woman and child as his own once and for all!
Alyson Fitzroy had a secret. A precious baby she struggled to protect, until the harrowing day her child was stolen! Now the only man she could turn to was Dex Harrington. The powerful D.A. who could put her baby's kidnapper behind bars forever. The lover who had fathered her child...
DETERMINED DADDY
Dex Harrington was shocked to discover he had a son-and determined to keep his baby safe. Even if that meant taking matters into his own hands. Even if that meant allowing Alyson Fitzroy into his heart. Because as soon as he joined forces with the beauty he believed had betrayed him, he realized so much was at stake. For he hungered to claim this woman and child as his own once and for all!
248 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
About the author
Ann Voss Peterson
106 books102 followersAnn Voss Peterson is the author of over thirty novels and has millions of books in print all over the globe. Winner of the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award and a Rita finalist, Ann is known for her adrenaline-fueled thrillers and romantic suspense novels, including the Codename: Chandler spy thrillers she writes with J.A. Konrath and her own thriller series featuring small town Wisconsin police chief Val Ryker.
A creative writing major in college, Ann worked all manner of jobs after graduation, ranging from grooming show horses to washing windows, and now she draws on her wide variety of life experiences to fill her fictional worlds with compelling energy and undeniable emotion.
She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her family and their border collie.
A creative writing major in college, Ann worked all manner of jobs after graduation, ranging from grooming show horses to washing windows, and now she draws on her wide variety of life experiences to fill her fictional worlds with compelling energy and undeniable emotion.
She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her family and their border collie.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 29, 2018
An AV P dual sided mystery novel. One side is understandable. However, the other side has an unknown variable. The life of a child has been threatened and a woman approached the father for assistance to protect his son. The woman has kept hidden the fact of her becoming pregnant with the man''d baby. The man is unaware that he has a child. The man is bound and determined to protect the child and woman. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
August 23, 2023
The story though predictable is fast paced and good for some light reading.
August 4, 2013
Compelling enough for me to finish reading but too may character problems and logic errors for me to thoroughly enjoy.
The hero is the DA. His son is kidnapped. Instead of doing what a lawman would do - call the FBI for help cause kidnapping is a Federal, not a local offense - he listens to the heroine who insists they follow the kidnappers demands - no police.
I don't believe a man who has committed his life to the law would refuse to involve the federal authorities. Yeah, maybe some of the local authorities were dirty. But the hero and heroine had enough evidence of the kidnapping and the identity of the kidnapper to (the partial recording of the first phone call) plus the heroine's testimony of being attached when her kid was taken to have the bad guy arrested. (All this by the end of chapter 2).
The hero allows the rapist/murder/ultra wealthy bad guy to isolate him from the resources he needs - such a stupid move I wondered how the hero managed to become the DA. I mean, he has power and connections and resources at this disposal.
Come on, they didn't even have or ask for any proof that the baby was still alive. They knew what this guy was capable of but decided to trust the bad guy's word that the baby was alive and well.
And the bad guy phoned the heroine on a regular basis. The hero makes some type of statement that it wasn't possible to trace or record the calls. Ever heard of a cloned phone? What about GPS on cell phones that can be activated by authorities to help them pin down a 911 call? Yeah, it's possible to trace a cell phone to it's location and it's possible to clone a cell phone with the clone attached to a voice recorder.
There were other things that bugged me, but those were out of character for a DA.
I don't know the original publication date for the print version of this ebook. But the writer obviously didn't watch TV crime dramas, or research what the authorities can do with technology.
All that aside, I appreciated that the author let me know the baby was safe and that the bad guy did not intend the kid harm. I would not have continued reading otherwise.
The hero is the DA. His son is kidnapped. Instead of doing what a lawman would do - call the FBI for help cause kidnapping is a Federal, not a local offense - he listens to the heroine who insists they follow the kidnappers demands - no police.
I don't believe a man who has committed his life to the law would refuse to involve the federal authorities. Yeah, maybe some of the local authorities were dirty. But the hero and heroine had enough evidence of the kidnapping and the identity of the kidnapper to (the partial recording of the first phone call) plus the heroine's testimony of being attached when her kid was taken to have the bad guy arrested. (All this by the end of chapter 2).
The hero allows the rapist/murder/ultra wealthy bad guy to isolate him from the resources he needs - such a stupid move I wondered how the hero managed to become the DA. I mean, he has power and connections and resources at this disposal.
Come on, they didn't even have or ask for any proof that the baby was still alive. They knew what this guy was capable of but decided to trust the bad guy's word that the baby was alive and well.
And the bad guy phoned the heroine on a regular basis. The hero makes some type of statement that it wasn't possible to trace or record the calls. Ever heard of a cloned phone? What about GPS on cell phones that can be activated by authorities to help them pin down a 911 call? Yeah, it's possible to trace a cell phone to it's location and it's possible to clone a cell phone with the clone attached to a voice recorder.
There were other things that bugged me, but those were out of character for a DA.
I don't know the original publication date for the print version of this ebook. But the writer obviously didn't watch TV crime dramas, or research what the authorities can do with technology.
All that aside, I appreciated that the author let me know the baby was safe and that the bad guy did not intend the kid harm. I would not have continued reading otherwise.
January 16, 2016
When I read some of these older books, I sometimes wish they could be rewritten today. I believe the original copyright for this was 2003, so not an '80s thriller - it has good bones and could be a much better book. Part of the problem of course is the length. No Harlequin is allowed to get too long but this book could have used a lot more depth. We should have learned quite a bit more about Dex's background and what happened with Alyson's father. His angst is real but without more details he comes across as a just a judgemental ass instead of the tortured hero he should be.
The actions of the villain and his accomplices would be even scarier if Dex (as the DA) would have called in the right police/FBI resources. All of the crimes and coverups would happen just as they did, but we would also get to see the police work. As it is, you know he'll be caught in the end, but the intervening crimes seem more like random things happening since we basically see no reaction. The end is anticlimactic - I would have liked the big police reaction and then a real "kiss and make-up" from our main couple. Can we petition Harlequin for a rewrite? Ms. Voss Peterson is a good writer and she deserves another 100 pages or so.
The actions of the villain and his accomplices would be even scarier if Dex (as the DA) would have called in the right police/FBI resources. All of the crimes and coverups would happen just as they did, but we would also get to see the police work. As it is, you know he'll be caught in the end, but the intervening crimes seem more like random things happening since we basically see no reaction. The end is anticlimactic - I would have liked the big police reaction and then a real "kiss and make-up" from our main couple. Can we petition Harlequin for a rewrite? Ms. Voss Peterson is a good writer and she deserves another 100 pages or so.
June 24, 2015
Alyson and Dex were lovers, until her father committed a crime and she stood by him. Feeling betrayed, Dex refused to allow Alyson to remain in his life - and consequently never found out that she was pregnant with his child.
Now that child has been kidnapped, and Alyson needs Dex's help to find their son...
I've read other Ann Voss Peterson books that I've quite enjoyed, but I found this one very poor. Alyson is a reasonable heroine, but Dex is so rigid and unbending that he's impossible for me to like. In addition, the plot is totally screwy. The idea that someone could be pardoned for a crime because the governor believed he had a "DNA clone" just blows my mind, and the level of incompetency in the legal system defies belief. (Yes, I know that the U.S. legal system is up the creek sometimes, but this book takes it to a farcical level.)
Not a keeper. 2 stars.
Now that child has been kidnapped, and Alyson needs Dex's help to find their son...
I've read other Ann Voss Peterson books that I've quite enjoyed, but I found this one very poor. Alyson is a reasonable heroine, but Dex is so rigid and unbending that he's impossible for me to like. In addition, the plot is totally screwy. The idea that someone could be pardoned for a crime because the governor believed he had a "DNA clone" just blows my mind, and the level of incompetency in the legal system defies belief. (Yes, I know that the U.S. legal system is up the creek sometimes, but this book takes it to a farcical level.)
Not a keeper. 2 stars.
March 2, 2012
Picked up in the ER...a quick read.
May 29, 2013
great book
April 9, 2015
Signed copy. Pretty good suspense set locally by a local author.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews