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Steamy romance and scintillating mystery in one hilarious romp!Fans of Janet Evanovich and Katie MacAlister will love this sexy new adventure.
Luke Hansen, gentle giant and piano tuner from Minneapolis, is on a mission. He needs to catch the con man who sleazed off to Florida with a treasured piece of Piano Tuners Guild property. But when he tracks the thief down to the Castillo Import Company in Miami, he has no idea what kind of sexy Cuban insanity he's in for.
Esmeralda Castillo, swimsuit model and aspiring zookeeper, is not going to let some hunky piano man get in her way, not when there are elephants that need saving from unscrupulous ivory dealers. But when she finds herself up to her bikini in cocaine gangsters, drag queens, and alligator catchers, she decides that a smokin' Minnesotan who can beat the daylights out of all of them just might come in handy.
Esmeralda and Luke soon find themselves in a fight to the death over illegal commodities, family, and honor. But the most dangerous thing they'll encounter? Love.
Rated R for sex, violence, and pianos!
Luke Hansen, gentle giant and piano tuner from Minneapolis, is on a mission. He needs to catch the con man who sleazed off to Florida with a treasured piece of Piano Tuners Guild property. But when he tracks the thief down to the Castillo Import Company in Miami, he has no idea what kind of sexy Cuban insanity he's in for.
Esmeralda Castillo, swimsuit model and aspiring zookeeper, is not going to let some hunky piano man get in her way, not when there are elephants that need saving from unscrupulous ivory dealers. But when she finds herself up to her bikini in cocaine gangsters, drag queens, and alligator catchers, she decides that a smokin' Minnesotan who can beat the daylights out of all of them just might come in handy.
Esmeralda and Luke soon find themselves in a fight to the death over illegal commodities, family, and honor. But the most dangerous thing they'll encounter? Love.
Rated R for sex, violence, and pianos!
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2019
20 people are currently reading
967 people want to read
About the author
J.B. Curry
4 books36 followersJ.B. Curry is an artist and writer. She has traveled to every corner of the United States, but currently lives in beautiful New England with her family and her vast collection of houseplants. Follow her on Facebook, Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 14, 2019
I could not put this book down even though I wanted it to last forever. It's got great, quirky characters, a fast-pasted story, a lot of heart, and it's funny as hell. The hero Luke is so great—a humble Midwestern guy who's sure Esmerelda could never want him. Every time they get into danger, he tosses the bad guys around and made me all swoony. He has a great foil in Esmerelda, and when the two of them get together, it's seriously hot. Having never read this author before, I didn't know how sexy the book would be, but it's fun and bawdy and the heat amped up more and more throughout the book, and then it seriously delivered. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. It's been a long time since I discovered a writer with such an original voice and style.
April 2, 2019
AAAHHHH!
A little slow in the very beginning, but then hang on for an exciting read with hot sexual overtones. Esmeralda and Luke make a unique couple as she is a fashion model, and he is a piano tuner. Miami is the setting and the story encompasses a lot of it from downtown to the beach and the Miami Zoo. The characters even include Raj, an elephant.
I’m anxiously awaiting time to read more by this author!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
A little slow in the very beginning, but then hang on for an exciting read with hot sexual overtones. Esmeralda and Luke make a unique couple as she is a fashion model, and he is a piano tuner. Miami is the setting and the story encompasses a lot of it from downtown to the beach and the Miami Zoo. The characters even include Raj, an elephant.
I’m anxiously awaiting time to read more by this author!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
May 10, 2022
I chose this book as a filler book while I waited for a few others to become available on my library app. I only chose it due to one of the main characters being from Minnesota (where I live) and what a fantastic surprise! It is a quick witted, suspenseful, and sexy love story of a piano tuner from Minnesota and an elephant loving swimsuit model from Miami. Definitely worth the time.
November 4, 2025
I actually really liked this. It was funny, the characters were all unique, and the setting was well written. It was something different that worked well. My only problem with it was that the ending was really abrupt, much like the ending of this review.
April 17, 2019
Promising Start
I felt like this book didn't know what kind of book it was: a romance, a mystery, a whacky caper? It wasn't totally without merit. For me it started very rocky, smoothed out toward the middle and ended in a whimper. It was readable but the mystery was transparent, the character voices were inconsistent, the mix of f-bombs with words like twerp felt strange, and there were three chapters with very descriptive sex (not necessarily a bad thing, but they felt somewhat out of place). Sadly, it wasn't a successful blending of genre/styles for me. Still, I appreciated what the author was trying to do with the main characters and I liked Luke and Esmeralda. Also, I love anything piano and there was plenty of that. I will probably try the next installment in hopes that the author finds her voice.
I felt like this book didn't know what kind of book it was: a romance, a mystery, a whacky caper? It wasn't totally without merit. For me it started very rocky, smoothed out toward the middle and ended in a whimper. It was readable but the mystery was transparent, the character voices were inconsistent, the mix of f-bombs with words like twerp felt strange, and there were three chapters with very descriptive sex (not necessarily a bad thing, but they felt somewhat out of place). Sadly, it wasn't a successful blending of genre/styles for me. Still, I appreciated what the author was trying to do with the main characters and I liked Luke and Esmeralda. Also, I love anything piano and there was plenty of that. I will probably try the next installment in hopes that the author finds her voice.
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March 25, 2022Full review available at The Smut Report.
Heat Factor: They almost bang on a piano.
Character Chemistry: She brings out his long-suppressed inner alpha – and they both like it. Too bad they are soooooo terrrrrrible at communicating.
Plot: An outrageous caper.
Overall: I enjoyed myself immensely, with one small caveat.
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Heat Factor: They almost bang on a piano.
Character Chemistry: She brings out his long-suppressed inner alpha – and they both like it. Too bad they are soooooo terrrrrrible at communicating.
Plot: An outrageous caper.
Overall: I enjoyed myself immensely, with one small caveat.
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
August 27, 2019
A laugh out loud funny debut novel
I couldn’t put down this fast-paced, sexy, romantic comedy that has a little suspense thrown in for good measure. The characters, Luke Hansen and Esmeralda Castillo, are a bit unusual (a piano tuner and a swimsuit model / elephant activist), but lovable just the same. They have an instant connection to each other and make the perfect pair. The story is laugh out loud funny. I loved the plot and all the twists and turns throughout. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a great romantic comedy and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
I couldn’t put down this fast-paced, sexy, romantic comedy that has a little suspense thrown in for good measure. The characters, Luke Hansen and Esmeralda Castillo, are a bit unusual (a piano tuner and a swimsuit model / elephant activist), but lovable just the same. They have an instant connection to each other and make the perfect pair. The story is laugh out loud funny. I loved the plot and all the twists and turns throughout. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a great romantic comedy and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
April 16, 2019
FUN, FUN, FUN!!
I love it when I find a book that dares to break out of the typical romance formula. BAD KEYS has unusual characters, an element of suspense, a sweet and spicy romance, and plenty of surprises that made me giggle. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I can’t help but smile at the characters' antics and the plot twists that kept me turning pages. For a real pick me up, I highly recommend this book!
I love it when I find a book that dares to break out of the typical romance formula. BAD KEYS has unusual characters, an element of suspense, a sweet and spicy romance, and plenty of surprises that made me giggle. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I can’t help but smile at the characters' antics and the plot twists that kept me turning pages. For a real pick me up, I highly recommend this book!
April 3, 2020
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for a review. This is no way effected my opinion of this book.
This book was highly entertaining to read. The plot was really good and kept me engaged the whole time. I really enjoyed how most of the characters were written. By about the halfway point I was rooting for the main characters to get together. I would definitely recommend it.
This book was highly entertaining to read. The plot was really good and kept me engaged the whole time. I really enjoyed how most of the characters were written. By about the halfway point I was rooting for the main characters to get together. I would definitely recommend it.
July 1, 2020
He is a piano tuner and a gentle giant who needs to find a missing piece from the guild. He soon bumps into her who may have something to do with. They will soon be in deep trouble and a mystery. Can they solve it? What will happen? Will live be at the end? See how they get on
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 18, 2019
Exciting and strong romance with Esmeralda and Luke. Writing is strong. This is a voluntary review of an advance reader copy.
May 12, 2019
Loved Esmeralda and Luke! This is a fast paced book with fun characters.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews