Rating: 
Summary: The kind of book that leaves a warm glow!
Review: "I Got You Babe" was my first foray into contemporary romance. I was put off by the cartoonish cover, at first, but after a friend passed this book onto me, I couldn't resist taking a peak.
Renee Esterhaus is on the run for a crime she didn't committ. In the process she hooks up with exactly the kind of person she's trying to escape from - a policeman. She does some wrong things in the first few chapters, it's true, but I can understand the degree of desperation that led her to it. We feel her desperation as she realizes that the legal system is stacked against her - even if she didn't committ the crime, nobody will believe her, and she'll end up in jail - and she knows from experience that jail is NOT a place she wants to be in.
Along the way we meet John, and the struggles that he grapples with as he has to choose between duty and love - or is it that simple?
Although there were some parts of this book that did make me cringe, I loved this book, anyway. The book is well-written and fast-paced (with ALOT going on, you don't get bored), but mostly I loved this book because I love Jane Graves. I love the way she portrays the love between these two unlikely people, I loved her vivid descriptions and the warm fuzzy feeling that stayed with me long after I closed this book.
If you want to read a book that is all about love, if you want a book that will create a warm feeling inside of you long after you close the last page, "I Got You Babe" is definitely a book to try. Jane Graves has just made it to my auto-buy list. Try it, she may make you list, too!
Rating: 
Summary: The Fugitive and the Cop
Review: Classic premise - a fugitive on the run from the law inadvertently runs into instead of away from the long arms of a cop. In this case the fugitive is Renee Esterhaus, and she's running because she's all but been convicted of a crime she didn't commit. The evidence is pretty much against her, as well as her own juvenile record, and Renee doesn't see any other solution - she has vowed never to do jail time. John DeMarco is the guy she propositions in order to get a quick ride (no pun intended) away from the bounty hunter who momentarily captures her. Eventually John finds out who Renee is. From a long line of cops, John cannot simply let Renee go, no matter how appealing he might find her personally, and he sets out firmly intending to take her into custody. But ultimately he finds himself, if not convinced of her innocence, at least with some doubt to her guilt. Knowing that the system will indeed process her without digging any deeper, John has a decision to make. To get involved in the case - breaking the law he is there to uphold, or to do his duty.It might be an archetypal basis to a story, but in the telling Graves has created a very enjoyable tale with distinct and believable characters. The sexual heat between John and Renee builds up naturally, and is told without redundancy but to great effect. I liked that Renee was able to acknowledge her past mistakes, that she was unprepared and essentially unable to execute running away from the law (Graves did not invest her with any unlikely specialist knowledge or luck on new identities etc). Renee was aware of her situation, even if I think she should have revised her plan as she went along (for example she was always heading for New Orleans, having been tracked and caught already going in that direction). John was an interesting character, as much formed by his background as Renee was, although he had some serious character flaws - it made good reading when he let her go, but I didn't find it admirable how he did it. An interesting spin on a classic plot.
Rating:
Summary: I'm so glad Amazon recommended this author to me!
Review: I have some very favorite authors - their name on it, I buy without checking or questioning. I am very rarely disappointed. Jane Graves has just joined that list after I began to read her series about the DeMarco family of cops or law everything. A very deadpan sort of family - I love their attitudes, especially Grandma. In I Got You Babe, the action is downright too funny, with conflict thrown in just to keep it real. John DeMarco, a cop always trying to live up to his father's image, is approached by a very sexy lady and just can't turn her down despite his cop instincts that all is not right here. And our blue-eyed Renee doesn't let us down when her life just seems to get skewed no matter how hard she tries for 'normal'. Throw in a hulk with tatoos breathing down her neck with some very not nice plans for her, and this fiery girl shows her stuff. John struggles all the way through against his father's expectations of him even though the guy is dead. A pretty interesting take on how many of us view our parents - even in death we often still try to be what they always wanted us to be. Sounds like the Marine motto, but I imagine many readers can really identify. Outstanding romance is to be found and sighed over. The conclusion, however, is never taken for granted. We just hope it turns out the way we want it to - kind of like a parent. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I was hoping for...interesting characters with funny lines and the pacing was great!
Rating:
Summary: Woman Fugitve Meets Hot Cop...Whew...
Review: I was surprised I liked this book so much, because the cover is a cartoon and I was like, 'ugh, I dont know, but it sounds good', boy am I glad I read it and not judged a book by its cover! The male lead was perfect! Sexy and smart and sensitive. The ONLY two complaints I have with this book is the female lead(the fugitive) is kinda clingy and expects miracles out of John (the cop-male lead) but the plot made up for this flaw. The other complaint I had was that the chase between the crazy bounty hunter and Renee (female lead and the fugitive) ended too quickly and that the cabin scenes weren't enough. Other than that, it was great! Action, chase scenes and romance....ahhhh....was all perfect. John's family was wacky and fun and I am excited to read Ms. Graves next book about John's brother Alex. The bounty hunter was one of my favorites and added tons of humor to the story. Lots of funny scenes and humorous situations to make you laugh out loud. Especially the McDonald's scene...I will leave it to the imagination, or until you read it for yourself. Just remember...the drive-through and a fugitive and a cell phone....he he he he.... ~Renee Esterhaus is on the run for a robbery she didn't commit. Now she is stuck in the middle of a small town in Texas with no money and a broken car and a crazy bounty hunter hot on her trail. With no more ideas and nothing left to do, she pulls together a scewy plan to save her hide. She will proposition the first guy she sees for one night of incredible sex in exchange for a ride out of town. The handsome man she finds sitting at the small coffee shop in 'hillbilly' Texas turns out to be a cop with a steel pair of handcuffs and no patience for criminals! This could only happen to her! John DeMarco is on a much needed rest from his job as a detective in the piney woods where he is using the cabin his boss has given him to use to think. What he doesn't expect to encounter is a beautiful woman with a tempting proposal that he quickly learns was a way to trick him into getting her out of 'Dodge'! Besides the crazy bounty hunter that is after her and the story she tells him, he can't help but think she is innocent. Now, how to prove it? John is about to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life in order to prove to himself that Renee or Alice, as she is calling herself, is the angel she appears to be. But with what price? Harboring is a felony...but is love? Is she who she claims to be? Or some con artist who has perfected the art of lying so much that she can hide it in her eyes... Well worth the money! A keeper! Encore Ms. Graves! Tracy Talley~@
Rating: 
Summary: I Just Want to Cry
Review: No, wait, I can't cry; I can't let HIM see me cry. But then, I feel like crying, and if he sees me cry, maybe he'll realize what a jerk he's been. No, don't go there: don't you DARE let that jerk see you cry! Makes me want to cry. For cryin' out loud, I GOT YOU, BABE marked my brief and solitary sojourn into the romance genre. On the run for a crime she didn't commit, blonde bombshell Renee Esterhaus bumps into John DeMarco, a stern cop hiding his true heart of gold. John realizes he must do his duty and take Renee in, but there's something about her he just can't put his finger on--even though he'd like to put more than just his fingers on her. The two characters' on-again/off-again relationship results in a 200-plus page tease that calls to mind a futile lap dance that never ends. "Get on with it," I kept saying to this little book, "not that I care, but maybe a real story will emerge afterwards." But I really couldn't find a real story, although I GOT YOU, BABE has an implausible one. From the two protagonists' chance encounter, to all the subsequent escapes and confrontations, to a bewildering crime investigation, to a laugh-out-loud crossdressing conclusion, to all sorts of plot irregularities and errors on the part of the author, I kept wondering why I stubbornly limped to the final page. And I got so tired of countless character introspection--ten pages of Renee wondering what John REALLY thought of her, followed by ten more pages of John returning the favor as he agonizes over Renee. Again, it makes me want to cry. To be fair to author Jane Graves, she does possess a keen sense of humor and an admirable ability to create steamy scenes. Unfortunately, both qualities were not enough to carry this story. I'll give I GOT YOU BABE 2 1/2 stars. But only after a good cry.
--D. Mikels
Rating:
Summary: I Just Want to Cry
Review: No, wait, I can't cry; I can't let HIM see me cry. But then, I feel like crying, and if he sees me cry, maybe he'll realize what a jerk he's been. No, don't go there: don't you DARE let that jerk see you cry! Makes me want to cry. For cryin' out loud, I GOT YOU, BABE marked my brief and solitary sojourn into the romance genre. On the run for a crime she didn't commit, blonde bombshell Renee Esterhaus bumps into John DeMarco, a stern cop hiding his true heart of gold. John realizes he must do his duty and take Renee in, but there's something about her he just can't put his finger on--even though he'd like to put more than just his fingers on her. The two characters' on-again/off-again relationship results in a 200-plus page tease that calls to mind a futile lap dance that never ends. "Get on with it," I kept saying to this little book, "not that I care, but maybe a real story will emerge afterwards." But I really couldn't find a real story, although I GOT YOU, BABE has an implausible one. From the two protagonists' chance encounter, to all the subsequent escapes and confrontations, to a bewildering crime investigation, to a laugh-out-loud crossdressing conclusion, to all sorts of plot irregularities and errors on the part of the author, I kept wondering why I stubbornly limped to the final page. And I got so tired of countless character introspection--ten pages of Renee wondering what John REALLY thought of her, followed by ten more pages of John returning the favor as he agonizes over Renee. Again, it makes me want to cry. To be fair to author Jane Graves, she does possess a keen sense of humor and an admirable ability to create steamy scenes. Unfortunately, both qualities were not enough to carry this story. I'll give I GOT YOU BABE 2 1/2 stars. But only after a good cry.
--D. Mikels
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and funny
Review: Renee Esterhaus didn't rob that convenience store, but all the evidence says she did--and she doesn't plan to stay around long enough to rot in jail. When she barely escapes from a bounty hunter, Renee meets up with vacationing cop John DeMarco and promises him a night he'll never forget if he will take her home. Naturally, she has to lie to him, and naturally one lie leads to another. Renee and John zig and zag toward a relationship, fighting the sexual attraction that draws them together and the distrust that keeps them apart. He lives for his job and harboring a fugitive is hardly likely to lead to quick promotion. Renee knows too much about prison to take a chance on the justice system, especially when the evidence all points directly at her. Author Jane Graves (who writes as Jane Sullivan for Harlequin), turns up the fun in this witty and wacky romantic comedy. Building beyond the initial situational comedy (which sadly is too often the entire humor in romantic comedy), Graves introduces amusing characters (I especially liked DeMarco's all-cop family and the bald and battered bounty hunter Leandro), clever dialogue, and wacky handcuff moments of various types. I GOT YOU, BABE combines laugh-out-loud humor with adventure as DeMarco and Renee try to discover the truth behind the crime. This is Graves's first longer novel and it is a brilliant beginning. Well done.
Rating:
Summary: Don't want you, babe
Review: Renee Esterhaus is in deep trouble. This tall, blonde bombshell has just skipped bail and is running from a charge of armed robbery - that she didn't commit. The evidence against her, the crime weapon and the stolen money found in the back seat of her car, couldn't be more damning. She is also fleeing the 300 pound, gonzo-looking bounty hunter who is chasing her. No one, not even her court appointed attorney, believes she is innocent. Renee, who has a long juvenile rap sheet, has tried for eight years to overcome her past. She has just received a much earned promotion to Assistant Manager at Tolosa, Texas's only 4 star restaurant & instead of a bright future, she is facing 10 years in jail. The idea of 24 hours behind bars, let alone years, gives her paralyzing panic attacks. So she runs. Eluding the bounty hunter, (a hilarious escapade), on foot, sans car, Renee runs into a roadside diner & propositions the first man she sees - a 30-something, hunky, single cop on vacation & dining out. She promises him the wildest night of sex he's ever known if they can just go to his place - not hers - ASAP! How can he refuse ? It was a boring vacation anyway. Thus begins an adventure, mystery romance that will knock your socks off...as my grandmother used to say. Ms. Graves writes wonderfully well, her characters are over the top & her humor will have you laughing out loud. Plus, the romance is Steamy. If you are a fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, you will love Jane Graves' Renee Esterhaus. The two writers, Evanovich & Graves, have different styles, but their heroines - strong, gutsy, self-made women - have much in common. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Great romance!
Review: This is the perfect example of the words "Don't judge book by its cover" *grin*. The cover of the book is rather comical but what's inside is entirely different. Sure there are funny scenes, involving handcuffs ... but this book is not only funny but touching as well. Renee Esterhaus is on the run for a robbery she didn't commit. In a desperate attempt to get away from the sadistic bounty hunter who is hot on her trail, she barges into Red Oak Diner, Winslow, Texas and offer a man her body ...that will guarantee the man to scream all the way to Bangkok. Unfortunately, the man turns out to be John DeMarco, a police officer on vacation. This book is definitely a winner and sure do deserve a Rita Award nominations for Best Contemporary Single Title. I started reading this at 3 A.M. in the morning and finished 3 hours later (I'm always a fast reader when I'm into a book I love *smile*) with a smile on my face and a tug in my heart. John is such a delicious sweetheart and Renee is no pushover. I also enjoy the whole DeMarco family. I can't put this down ... and I'm surely can't wait to read Alex story (John's big brother) in October and to meet with the whole DeMarco family again.
|
