It is a fun romance novel with lots of twists and suspense.
Renee has jumped bail after she is arrested for a robbery that she did not commit. John is a police officer on vacation who meets her. Enjoyable read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

meh - a decent story that sounded intriguing. but it's a bit long winded in spots that make it drag, but the good parts kind of keep you going.

3 stars. I enjoyed this one, but found it a little long winded at times. I liked the antics that Renee got up to, but there were a few plot elements that didn’t work for me overall. So 3* from me.

First off, while it doesn’t state it in the description, this book is a reprint. And that becomes obvious when reading some of the dated storyline. The book started strong. It was engaging and I found myself thinking that I might have found a new favorite author. I liked the back and forth between the characters, and, ignoring some plot holes, it was good. That changed about a third of the way through the book, I’m sorry to say. The heroine, who had been strong and sassy, turned whiney. The hero couldn’t make up his mind. It was frustrating to read a book that started out with so much promise just devolve into over-used tropes and situations. And I was particularly disappointed with the characterization and use of cross dressing in the final part of the book. Yes, the book was written years ago and attitudes have changed, but I would have thought the author and/or publisher might have decided to reflect that change by a few tweaks to the story. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this one.
Note: I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

Renee is on the run from the law and a crazy bounty hunter for a crime she did not commit. Trying to out run said bounty hunter she promises a night of toe curling sex to the most normal looking guy in the bar. Of course that guy happens to be a cop on vacation. Despite his repeated rejection he ends up taking her home. Of course nothing is as it seems and there is no way she is having sex with a stranger. When he finds out the truth can he trust that she is innocent when he is falling for the cute blonde? Such a fun a quirky story with handcuffs, a family full of law enforcement and a big crazy scary bounty hunter. Super Cute read.

There is a whole lot of crazy things happening in I Got You Babe, from a woman on the run from the law to the lawman who gets caught by her. I had to catch my breath reading all the adventures Renee Esterhaus creates while trying to escape jail and a likely prison sentence. She runs right into the arms of John De Marco, a cop on an enforced vacation, and the craziness begins to escalate. I kept wondering how the heck she was going to ever get out of the messes she creates and then how was John going to ever justify his actions and not get blown off the force. I have to say, Renee is a champion at escape and at being a strong, driven woman.

Renee is on the run. From her past and from a very angry, determined bounty-hunter named Leandro. She desperately does not want to go to jail. John is having a private pity party. He is contemplating his life and his decisions. And in this rural Texas setting, Renee charges into John’s life, shakes him from his stupor, and makes him question his beliefs.

Renee and John sure make some very questionable decisions. Renee seems very young to me (mostly in spirit, she is 26 after all) and she has lost all faith in the justice system. John’s faith in the system has also been shaken, but in a different way. Together they slowly change the way the other person sees the world and realizes that no matter what their beliefs are, things are rarely as black and white. Renee put John in a very difficult position because she refused to let justice take its course. And John went back-and-forth between wanting to help Renee and wanting to turn her in (do the right thing).

There was an interesting twist at the end, that was a lot of fun to read. The author managed pretty successfully to obscure the identity of the real culprit. Sure, I had some suspicions, but not for certain.

The story is pretty fast-paced and easy to follow. I would recommend this to romance readers who also like some action and suspense thrown in. I would like to read the books following this one.

I also posted a review on Goodreads.

I GOT YOU, BABE kicks off The DeMarco Family series with a fun and sexy, suspenseful, banter-filled journey to love… eventually. Renee is accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Now she’s on the run trying to prove her innocence and keep one step ahead of a determined, nasty bounty hunter. In trying to escape she made an offer she had no intention of fulfilling to the wrong guy or maybe the right guy depending on how it all works out.

Just so happens that guy was a police officer on vacation, one who has no tolerance for true criminals. The problem for John becomes the more he’s around Renee the more he’s beginning to believe her wild tale of not being guilty. Now it’s a race to prove the woman he’s falling for is innocent before it all blows up in their faces.

I was easily caught up in I GOT YOU, BABE. Sure, there were moments when I did a bit of eye rolling at both Renee and John’s decisions and stubbornness, but they are a believable couple tangled up in unusual circumstances.

If you enjoy figuring out a puzzle, love bantering families, and watching two people fall in love in spite of themselves – then you’ll enjoy this one.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

I really got into this one. I enjoyed the main characters John a cop on vacation, he’s staying at his boss’s cabin in the woods and Renee who is on the run for a crime she didn’t commit and a bounty hunter who she has managed to ditch. Oh and the author has made the whole cast of characters believable, a couple who ran a dinner tickled my funny bone.
There is a part where Renee is coming on to John and he felt his common sense leave his body, I loved it. Yes there was tense moments, and others that made me laugh and then there was the romance. I have never read this author before but she has a good way with the words and I will be watching for the other books in this series.

I Got You Babe is a re-issue by a new publisher for Jane Graves. I didn’t realize that at first but thought the story seemed familiar. After checking, I feel sure that I read this book in paperback several years ago. No matter, I enjoyed this romantic story just as much the second time around.

Guilty until proven innocent causes Renee to run. Unknown to her, running leads her straight into the arms of a police officer, John. Still running, still doubting, still needs to prove her innocence keeps this story going until all is resolved. It has humor to go with the unusual meeting and circumstances. I found it to be a contemporary romance with a strong suspenseful element, perfect for an afternoon of escapism reading.

I Got You Babe by Jane Graves
She picked the wrong man… only to find Mr. Right.
On the run for a robbery she didn’t commit, Renee Esterhaus is stuck in East Texas with a broken-down car and a nasty bounty hunter hot on her trail. Desperate for a way out, she makes a promise she never intends to keep – offer the first man she sees a night of unforgettable pleasure in return for a ride. A night to remember, all right, since the man turns out to be a cop on vacation with zero tolerance for sweet-talking criminals.
When the truth comes out, John DeMarco is determined to take Renee to jail, but it isn’t long before he thinks she may be innocent after all. Soon they’re working together to clear her name, but that means dodging his all-cop family, dealing with oddball suspects, staying one step ahead of a pissed-off bounty hunter – and trying to pretend they’re not falling in love.
This is Renee Esterhaus and John DeMarco's story.
Renee Esterhaus peered out of room fourteen of the Flamingo Motor Lodge at the intersection of Highway 37 and the middle of nowhere, shivering a little in the crisp October air. She cast a nervous glance left and right down the sidewalk in front of the other rooms, then turned her gaze to the gravel parking lot and the dense pine forest beyond it. Everything seemed quiet. No suspicious-looking people. No cars she hadn’t seen before. No helicopters circling overhead, ready to drop a SWAT team.
Nothing but the evening breeze rustling through the trees.
She slid out the door, leaving it ajar, then scurried to the snack machine in the breezeway between her room and the motel office, telling herself to calm down, that no matter what she’d done, the SWAT team thing was pretty unlikely.
John DeMarco sat at the counter of the Red Oak Diner three miles outside Winslow, Texas, with the front page of the Winslow Gazette spread out in front of him and his hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. He took a sip of the thirty-weight liquid and winced, wondering how much more of this stuff he could drink before he overdosed on caffeine.
He glanced out the window. Evening was edging into dusk, filling the countryside with the muted shades of twilight. Soft sizzling sounds came from the kitchen, like raindrops on a tin roof, mingling with the muffled conversation of a gangly teenage boy and his mousy girlfriend, who were sharing an order of fries in a booth by the window.
This place was like a hundred other backwoods multipurpose establishments—a diner that also carried convenience store items, a small collection of action-adventure videos for rent, and a rack of magazines that centered around four topics—hunting, fishing, hot cars, and sex—aimed directly at the rifle-toting, tobacco-chewing, kick-ass locals on the assumption that they could actually read. Marva Benton served up Texas home cooking guaranteed to clog your arteries, while her husband Harley ran the cash register and shot the bull with the locals. Just about anything you needed to sustain life you could find at the Red Oak, as long as you didn’t set your standards too high.
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
I Got You Babe by Jane Graves is a 4 star book.
Jane's Books with Tule:
I Got You Babe
The DeMarco Family
Wild at Heart
The DeMarco Family
Flirting with Disaster
The DeMarco Family
Light My Fire
The DeMarco Family

A book that will pull you in from the first page. A girl who is being blamed for a crime she didn't do. I Got You, Babe by Jane Graves. A great plot with some good dialogue. First book in the DeMarco Family series. I look forward to seeing what the next book brings you.

Loved this book!! This is John and Renee book, Renee is running from a mean bounty hunter for a crime she didn't commit and ends up in a diner making a lascivious play for a man their just so she can get away from the bounty Hunter! He jumps at the chance because he's on a forced vacation by his boos so why not take this hotties offer?! They take off right before the bounty hunter shows up! The man she picked up is none other than John! A police officer!! Lol John doesn't know she's running from the law and Renee doesn't know he's a cop! This book was so funny! Was a big who done it! And lots of angst and drama! I highly recommend reading this book! I seriously can't wait for more of this series! I'll be on the lookout that's for sure! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me! Thank you for introducing a new author to me also! Lol

Just finished reading this book and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. Not your typical romance novel but that's what makes it so fun. Lots of humor, lots of twists and lots of romance. The craziness Renee and John find themselves in will keep you completely entertained. This is a reissue of a previously published book. It has been updated very nicely! Definitely a recommended read for everyone!!

I wish I could have liked this book more. The wrongly accused fugitive versus cop plot is not my favorite and in this version the characters would seem to make progress but then they kept rehashing the same ground. It felt like 50 percent of the story was filler, though once we got to the action at the end the story moved and then ending was satisfying. I just wish it didn't take so long to get there. I know this is a re-issue of an earlier book but I found the wording and descriptions of the "gender bending" lifestyle old fashioned and a bit jarring.

On the run from a bounty hunter after being falsely accuse of robbery, Renee offers the first man she sees at a run-down diner a night to remember for a ride to anywhere. She is unaware that the man is police officer by the name of John on vacation with zero tolerance for sweet-talking criminals. When the truth is revealed, John is determined to take Renee to jail, but it isn’t long before he thinks she may be innocent after all. Would they be able to work together to prove her innocence before falling in the traps of the determined bounty hunter? It becomes a race against time.

To start off, I've become annoyed by the repetitive back and forth between Renee and John. It was a sense of re-reading the same line or and over again, and Renee's dialogue and actions made her seem childish. Moreover, the conclusion dragged on and the author could've easily ended this a lot sooner than it actually did. Let's also mentioned the barely there conversations between the leads that ended up with them falling in love. How? Good question since I didn't think there as any real conversations held by them nor connection to create a bond. I guess love works in mysterious ways. Overall, the blurb was better than the content and there was nothing that stood out. Kudos to me for not dropping this half way through.

I Got You Babe is so well written! It is a longish book, but so, so readable. This is romance with hints of comedy, suspense and angst blended seamlessly together to create a book that has been very easy to get invested in. There is the potential for awful things to happen to Renee and John, the stars of the show, yet there are plenty of moments through the book when I wanted to smile or even laugh out loud. There are tender moments too, building in intensity as these two get to know each other, and moments where I just wanted to hug them. The pacing is perfect and with well placed hooks I found myself unable to put the story down. I absolutely loved this one!

4.5☆
I liked it!

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: The DeMarco Family
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

This is John and Renee’s story. Renee is a wrongfully accused woman (with a sealed juvenile record) of armed robbery who is on the run. She has a fiery run in with a bounty hunter whom she escapes from and wantonly propositions John (a cop on forced vacation) at a backwoods diner. Renee narrowly escapes from the bounty hunter by telling John she is running from an abusive boyfriend.
Through many trials and tribulations, Renee tells John the truth. Will he help her or will he turn her in? Read on to find out how this wonderfully written romance turns out.

A hilarious adventure for Renee Eserhaus as she fights to get ahead and to clear her name when she is arrested and accused of an armed robbery. Renee is running for her life, having changed her “teenage” ways and finally feeling good about herself and her future. That is until her car is stopped due to a taillight issue and a gun and money are found in her car. When she misses her court date, she is attacked by a bond enforcement agent, but manages to get away. To escape, she convinces a man in a diner to take her to his cabin (you’ll have to read the book to find out how she does this – lol). She did not know he was a cop, one who was taking a break after an arrest he made was overturned and a criminal was turned loose. John DeMarco is that man in the diner and one hilarious event after another leads you through a wonderful “laugh out loud” story. John has a large and crazy family and Renee fits right in. Renee has courage and grit and won’t stop until the guilty person is found. I loved this story and the zany characters. I look forward to reading the stories about John’s siblings - Alex, Dave and Sandy. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)