Desert Isle Keeper

A Retro Review

originally published on February 23, 1999

And to think I almost put this book down because one of Beau Dupree’s first lines is: “The minute Jose Lee’s out the door though, I’m picking it up right where I left off. First thing I’m going to do is find me a little blond with big tits.”

I am not at all fond of womanizers, especially as heroes. But is Beau actually a womanizer, or does he just think he wants to be?

Juliet Rose Astor Lowell comes to New Orleans to open up the newest hotel in her Daddy’s chain – the hotel she thinks of as a sign of her growing independence, as she was in charge of it from the day it was conceived. Juliet comes from old East Coast family lines, and for the first time finds herself away from family constraints, or so she thinks. There has been a threatening letter by someone who is unhappy with the opening of her hotel – threatening enough for her Daddy to ask the acting police chief to assign her some protection. Thus, police officer Beau Dupree finds himself the unwilling babysitter to a northern socialite. He vows to offend her enough to get himself reassigned, but finds Juliet not as easily offended or even as predictable as he at first believes.

There is so much to like about this book that I will attempt to keep it short. For one, both Juliet and Beau are complex, interesting, strong, and very likable. The whole book vibrates with atmosphere – I felt the heat and humidity, sensed the casual intimacy that is New Orleans, felt the history and the constant flow of good times. The suspense and the budding relationship are perfectly balanced. The secondary romance is filled with wonderful humor and is almost as delightful as is the romance between Beau and Juliet. Beau’s nickname for Juliet starts off as an irritant, and gradually becomes endearing. And who could resist a hero named Beauregard?

If I have any complaints about the book at all, they are niggling. I didn’t like how Juliet’s Daddy was portrayed – even if he was the coldest man on earth he would have to be at least a little affected by the danger that his daughter is in, I would think. I also thought Beau was a little too well known in the area strip clubs, even for a police officer investigating a crime which takes place there. Probably prudish of me, but there it is.

Be My Baby starts a bit on the shaky side, especially if you aren’t fond of heroes who so easily can fit the word tits into casual conversation (Jose Lee, by the way, is the youngest of Beau’s three sisters). Stick it out for those few more pages, because you will not only get an excellent and entertaining read, you might feel like you have actually been to New Orleans, and that, to me, is saying something about the talent of this author.

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