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Randolph Family Ties #1
Family Ties
book
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
3 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Wayne
188 books59 followersReal name: Jo Ann Vest
Pseudonyms: Joanna Wayne.
Joanna Wayne began her professional writing career with the release of her first novel, DEEP IN THE BAYOU, in 1994, but Joanna will be the first to tell you that the wheels were set in motion years before. She started reading at four years of age, the same age that she began making weekly trips to the library to check out as many books as they’d let her have, only to finish reading them all before bedtime. That love of books never waned.
Joanna was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana and was the middle child of a large family. She moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1984 when she married her current husband. New Orleans opened up a whole new realm of activities and she found the mix of cultures, music, history, food and sultry southern classics along with her love of reading a natural impetus for beginning her writing career. It was there that she attended her first writing class and joined her first professional writing organization. From that point on, there was no looking back.
Now, forty published books later, Joanna has made a name for herself as being on the cutting edge of romantic suspense in both series and mainstream novels. She is known for the suspense and emotion she brings to the page, as she takes ordinary people and thrusts them into life-and-death situations. She has been on the Walden Bestselling List for romance and won many industry awards. She is a popular speaker at writing organizations and local community functions and has taught creative writing at the University of New Orleans Metropolitan College.
She currently resides in a small community forty miles north of Houston, Texas with her husband. Though she still has many family and emotional ties to Louisiana, she loves living in the Lone Star state.
Pseudonyms: Joanna Wayne.
Joanna Wayne began her professional writing career with the release of her first novel, DEEP IN THE BAYOU, in 1994, but Joanna will be the first to tell you that the wheels were set in motion years before. She started reading at four years of age, the same age that she began making weekly trips to the library to check out as many books as they’d let her have, only to finish reading them all before bedtime. That love of books never waned.
Joanna was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana and was the middle child of a large family. She moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1984 when she married her current husband. New Orleans opened up a whole new realm of activities and she found the mix of cultures, music, history, food and sultry southern classics along with her love of reading a natural impetus for beginning her writing career. It was there that she attended her first writing class and joined her first professional writing organization. From that point on, there was no looking back.
Now, forty published books later, Joanna has made a name for herself as being on the cutting edge of romantic suspense in both series and mainstream novels. She is known for the suspense and emotion she brings to the page, as she takes ordinary people and thrusts them into life-and-death situations. She has been on the Walden Bestselling List for romance and won many industry awards. She is a popular speaker at writing organizations and local community functions and has taught creative writing at the University of New Orleans Metropolitan College.
She currently resides in a small community forty miles north of Houston, Texas with her husband. Though she still has many family and emotional ties to Louisiana, she loves living in the Lone Star state.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 1, 2025
Ashley Jackson was all set to marry senator Dillon Randolph, but he is shot on their wedding day. She believes it to be the work of Lester Grant, who did a robbery with her brother, Peter. Peter was shot and killed and never able to tell anybody where the $1 million was. Lester thinks that Ashley knows and will never leave her alone until he finds out where it is.
Ashley flees (also because Dillon blames her for being shot and basically kicks her out), gives birth to baby Petey, and starts a new life. Three years later, Dillon tracks her down after learning they have a son together. Along with the usual threats of having full custody and demanding that Petey be raised the way Dillon sees fit - everybody else including Ashley be damned - he also seems to want her to return to his ranch. Unfortunately - not sure how - Dillon tracking down Ashley has also enabled Lester Grant to track her down as well, and he follows Dillon and Ashley back to the ranch to cause more havoc.
This was unfortunately one of the more stupid and repetitive category romances I've come across. Dillon was such a prick that I didn't blame Ashley for not telling them they had a child, and that usually riles me in romances. He uses the power imbalance to his advantage to ride roughshod over Ashley's autonomy, insisting she do things his way lest she lose her child. Yuck. He's always referring to Petey as "his" son, as opposed to "ours" or "theirs". Their relationship ended because he was a complete asshole to Ashley and didn't want her around anymore! How am I supposed to get behind a romance that rests on the hero simply changing his mind about the heroine?
However, Ashley was no prize herself. Even though she knows that Lester Grant is after her again, she never tells anybody! After that first attack, when the police came, she could have simply told them that Lester Grant did it. She seems to justify this through thinking that the police will not do anything about it because they never believed he may have been behind Dillon's shooting. That doesn't mean they won't believe he attacked you now, Ashley! For God's sake. She doesn't tell Dillon that it's Lester either. She also thinks that she'll be seen as an unfit mother because someone is stalking her. Or something. It's all rendered stupidly because we never get an explanation as to WHY the police never thought Lester was connected to the shooting. We're just told that they won't be any help and that's it.
The books hits a pattern and never deviates. Some incident occurs that Ashley thinks Lester was responsible for. Dillon doesn't believe her. Ashley insists she needs to leave the ranch and draw Lester out of hiding and deal with him herself. Dillon convinces her to stay. Ashley blames Dillon for not having a good reason for ending their relationship the first time around. Dillon agrees. Then they have sex. This is all interspersed with devil spawn Petey kicking Dillon in the shins. Rinse and repeat. I was not feeling any tension because I couldn't see how these two could ever have a believable shot at a relationship again when they just kept having the same damn argument over and over again.
Things weren't helped by Petey, one of the more odious child characters in a category romance. We waste a lot of energy on Petey being a tantrum-throwing spoilt brat, although I could understand his penchant for kicking Dillon in the shins. It was actually kind of amusing to have a child character hate the hero - usually, they're calling him "papa" within a few pages. But Petey grew very tiresome very quickly. This also throws in a pointless subplot about Ashley being visited by the mother who abandoned her at birth, padding proceedings out to an interminable 250 pages.
Joanna Wayne's output can vary wildly. I notice this one came early in her career, because she has certainly done better stuff since this. However, this is repetitive and stupid, with main characters who I hated and never for one second believed in their second chance.
Ashley flees (also because Dillon blames her for being shot and basically kicks her out), gives birth to baby Petey, and starts a new life. Three years later, Dillon tracks her down after learning they have a son together. Along with the usual threats of having full custody and demanding that Petey be raised the way Dillon sees fit - everybody else including Ashley be damned - he also seems to want her to return to his ranch. Unfortunately - not sure how - Dillon tracking down Ashley has also enabled Lester Grant to track her down as well, and he follows Dillon and Ashley back to the ranch to cause more havoc.
This was unfortunately one of the more stupid and repetitive category romances I've come across. Dillon was such a prick that I didn't blame Ashley for not telling them they had a child, and that usually riles me in romances. He uses the power imbalance to his advantage to ride roughshod over Ashley's autonomy, insisting she do things his way lest she lose her child. Yuck. He's always referring to Petey as "his" son, as opposed to "ours" or "theirs". Their relationship ended because he was a complete asshole to Ashley and didn't want her around anymore! How am I supposed to get behind a romance that rests on the hero simply changing his mind about the heroine?
However, Ashley was no prize herself. Even though she knows that Lester Grant is after her again, she never tells anybody! After that first attack, when the police came, she could have simply told them that Lester Grant did it. She seems to justify this through thinking that the police will not do anything about it because they never believed he may have been behind Dillon's shooting. That doesn't mean they won't believe he attacked you now, Ashley! For God's sake. She doesn't tell Dillon that it's Lester either. She also thinks that she'll be seen as an unfit mother because someone is stalking her. Or something. It's all rendered stupidly because we never get an explanation as to WHY the police never thought Lester was connected to the shooting. We're just told that they won't be any help and that's it.
The books hits a pattern and never deviates. Some incident occurs that Ashley thinks Lester was responsible for. Dillon doesn't believe her. Ashley insists she needs to leave the ranch and draw Lester out of hiding and deal with him herself. Dillon convinces her to stay. Ashley blames Dillon for not having a good reason for ending their relationship the first time around. Dillon agrees. Then they have sex. This is all interspersed with devil spawn Petey kicking Dillon in the shins. Rinse and repeat. I was not feeling any tension because I couldn't see how these two could ever have a believable shot at a relationship again when they just kept having the same damn argument over and over again.
Things weren't helped by Petey, one of the more odious child characters in a category romance. We waste a lot of energy on Petey being a tantrum-throwing spoilt brat, although I could understand his penchant for kicking Dillon in the shins. It was actually kind of amusing to have a child character hate the hero - usually, they're calling him "papa" within a few pages. But Petey grew very tiresome very quickly. This also throws in a pointless subplot about Ashley being visited by the mother who abandoned her at birth, padding proceedings out to an interminable 250 pages.
Joanna Wayne's output can vary wildly. I notice this one came early in her career, because she has certainly done better stuff since this. However, this is repetitive and stupid, with main characters who I hated and never for one second believed in their second chance.
July 21, 2018
Good Read
Joanna Wayne you really did good with this one.I was sitting on the edge of my seat,from the very first page to the last one.Can't wait for your next book.
Joanna Wayne you really did good with this one.I was sitting on the edge of my seat,from the very first page to the last one.Can't wait for your next book.
May 10, 2023
I love stories about families! This did not disappoint. I read it in under a day.
Read
December 31, 2017A Mother
As Dillon's bride, Ashley Randolph finally got the family she yearned for. But when a bullet nearly killed Dillon, she was forced into hiding with her secrets and the best part of Dillon his baby.
A Father
It had taken Dillon almost three years to find Ashley, to learn he was a father. Except the years hadn't prepared him for the sight of his beautiful bride and his toddler son.
Their Child
Dillon had come to claim his boy and return him to the Texas ranch that was his birthright, but he hadn't bargained on leading the gunman straight back to his family. Would a man bent on misguided revenge send Ashley and his child on the run again?
As Dillon's bride, Ashley Randolph finally got the family she yearned for. But when a bullet nearly killed Dillon, she was forced into hiding with her secrets and the best part of Dillon his baby.
A Father
It had taken Dillon almost three years to find Ashley, to learn he was a father. Except the years hadn't prepared him for the sight of his beautiful bride and his toddler son.
Their Child
Dillon had come to claim his boy and return him to the Texas ranch that was his birthright, but he hadn't bargained on leading the gunman straight back to his family. Would a man bent on misguided revenge send Ashley and his child on the run again?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews