Title: Maxie
Author: Kimberly Dean
Series: Triple X
Published by: Samhain Publishing
Date published: August 20, 2013
Genres: Contemporary
Book Length: 221 pages
Steam Rating: Steamy
Main Characters: Maxie & Zac
“The chemistry is HOT, HOT, HOT, the plot line is still unique and so interesting that I wanted to constantly have the book in my hand, the characters are raw and realistic and so relatable…all of that put together equals one awesome book!” ~Becca
It’s just pretend…but nobody wants to stop.
Maxie’s quiet, predictable routine is shattered when she steps outside her flower shop and almost runs into two women. It’s not the near collision that’s startling. It’s the strangers’ faces. It’s like looking in a mirror times two, and it sends her into a dead faint.
Sheriff Zac Ford sees three identical copies of the woman who’s caused him more sleepless nights than he can count, and it stops him in his tracks. Maxie’s buckling knees snap him out of his trance, and he catches her before she hits the cement.
Two sisters she never knew she had? Maxie can’t deal with this turmoil, not on her own. She needs a shield, a rock. For the first time in her life, she takes a wild leap of faith.
When Maxie calls him her boyfriend, Zac has no trouble playing along. It’ll give him time to figure out what these “sisters” want. Soon, though, for-show kisses get hotter and playacting touches grow bold. And Maxie must choose to stay in her safe little world, or grab life by the horns.
Warning: Don’t lie. It only leads to more lies, hotter kisses, bolder touches, less bed space, strange looks about town, and a complete loss of shyness.
I so wanted to give this book 5 stars…I really and truly did! The story line is epic, the characters are deep and real, and the chemistry is absolutely insane! So why didn’t it get that illustrious 5th star?
Alright, so in book one we learned about Lexie and Roxie. They met and at the very end of the book we find out that they aren’t twins…they are triplets! Maxie logically picks up where book one left off, except from Maxie’s POV.
Maxie is a small town girl-next-door type. She is shy, quiet, and as far from impulsive as a girl can get. She also has the hots for the newly appointed local Sheriff. (hehe Roxie calls him Sheriff Sexy … and I think that fits perfectly!)
Zac…Mr. Sheriff Sexy himself, is an ex-undercover detective from Chicago looking for a calmer way to live. He finds that and more in the small town of Indigo Falls. He has lusted after Maxie from the flower shop since the moment he saw her at his welcome party.
Unfortunately, the day that Zac and Maxie both decide to take a step and say “Hi” to one another…Roxie and Lexie show up and throw things into crazy land! When Maxie’s reaction to her new found sisters requires a knight in shinning armor…Zac steps up to the plate and prepares for the best undercover job of his life!
So far things sound awesome right? I would have to agree! At this point the book was a total 5 star-er for me! I was loving the story, the depth, the emotion, the sexual tension that was starting to bud…it was all amazing! The writing style just made things that much more enjoyable and kept me wanting more.
So where did it go wrong? If the humor was great…the romance was perfect and the new found sister side of things was a great mystery…why didn’t I give it the 5 stars I wanted to?
Let’s dig a bit deeper. So, the story line is flowing beautifully and the romance is absolutely amazing! The witty banter worked in is epic and of course with Roxie around you know it’s plentiful! As the sisters get to know one another it is so much fun to watch their personalities grow and blend. Seeing them realize their similarities and differences and helping one another be the best version of themselves is charming and heart-warmingly sweet. While this book didn’t give off the same massive emotional response that book one did…it still had me deep within it’s grasp and kept pulling me under…
Until the names started getting mixed up! Somewhere around the 50% mark the sister’s names were just thrown about randomly…I mean a scene would happen where one minute Zac is talking with Maxie and then kissing Lexie…I know this didn’t happen in the story…it’s just a typo…but it’s biggie! I’m not sure if it’s just the copy that I received or if the purchase versions of the book have the same errors. I typically don’t take off stars for one or two typos…but this was an entire chapter of mixed up identities! it made the story difficult to read and some pretty major stuff was happening at the time!
So there you have it. The chemistry is HOT, HOT, HOT, the plot line is still unique and so interesting that I wanted to constantly have the book in my hand, the characters are raw and realistic and so relatable…all of that put together equals one awesome book! Even with the name issues, I still HIGHLY recommend this book and series. I cannot wait to get started on Roxie’s story and find out who gets to compete with that! 😀
Check out the other books in the series
When taking the Myers-Briggs personality test in high school, Kimberly was rated as an INFJ (Introverted-Intuitive-Feeling-Judging). This result sent her into a panic, because there were no career paths recommended for the type. Fortunately, it turned out to be well-suited to a writing career. Since receiving that dismal outlook, Kimberly has become an award-winning author of romance and erotica. She has written for seven publishing houses, both domestic and international, and has recently focused her efforts on the exciting world of self-publishing. When not writing, she enjoys movies, sports, traveling, music, and sunshine. In her mind, a beach, some rock ‘n’ roll, and a good book make for a perfect day.
An Excerpt From: MAXIE
© Copyright KIMBERLY DEAN, 2013
Published by Samhain Publishing
Only she didn’t relax.
Half an hour later, Zac could still feel Maxie’s tension. She was stiffer than a board, and the gears in her head were clacking along on overdrive. As quiet as the room was, that was all he could hear, imagined or not. He wished he knew what she was thinking about. Was it the fact that she had two brand-new, identical sisters? The fear that gossip about their skinny-dipping escapade was already making its way across town? The idea that people were talking about the two of them being together?
The unmistakable truth that they were lying in bed together, only a foot apart?
He could sense her heat coming across the crisp sheets and taste the kisses he’d stolen by the pool. They pulled at him, luring him closer, but he was trying to be a gentleman. He didn’t want to pressure her or make her think he was taking advantage, but he seemed to be paying the price anyway.
Space, apparently, wasn’t what she needed.
He closed the distance, scooting right against her
. If possible, the tension in the room ratcheted up another notch.
He didn’t give it time to crank up any further. Planting a hand beside her head, he leaned over her and kissed her. Full and firm, slow and deep. She parted her lips in surprise, but the tiny gasp of air she took was his exhale. She tasted sweet and powerfully addictive. He kissed her leisurely before pulling back to judge her reaction.
Her eyes were big under the moonlight as she clutched the edge of the sheet. She was holding it like a shield, but a flimsy one at that. “What…? What was that?”
He ran his lips along the line of her jaw. Her skin was so soft, he could drown in it. “I don’t know about these parts, but in Chicago we call it a kiss.”
The sheet twisted as he worked his way up to her earlobe. She was even softer there, even more responsive. A nip to her tender flesh got a shiver out of her, but she didn’t exactly pull away. “But why?”
“Because you’re not flopping.”
“What?”
“You’re lying there like you’re about to go into surgery, all anxious and tense. What’s your worry, Beauty? Strangers in the house? Me in your bed?” He brushed his lips slowly across hers. “This?”
She lay mute beneath him, watching him with those Red Riding Hood eyes.
“I’m not going to force you to do anything, Maxie, but I’m also not going to let you work your nerves into a frazzle and your blood pressure into the red zone.”
“I’m not worried about that. It’s just been a long time…” She let out a murmur when he nuzzled the side of her neck. “I can’t sleep.”
The three tiny words were almost peeped.
Arousal churned inside Zac, becoming thicker and tarter. He’d been fantasizing about this woman for months, dreaming of getting her right where she was—underneath him. But she was hurting and vulnerable. He stroked his tongue slowly across her pounding pulse. When it came right down to it, all he wanted was to take care of her.
In any way she needed.
“Why not?” He nudged aside the neck of her T-shirt with his nose and blew softly into the dip at the base of her throat. She swallowed convulsively, and the movement stroked her neck against the side of his cheek.
So quiet, yet so seductive.
She let out a frustrated breath. “Have you been paying any attention at all today?”
“Oh, baby. I always pay attention.” Especially where she was concerned. He let his hand drop to her waist. Her lungs were pumping now. He could feel the exaggerated motion of her rib cage under his thumb.
“Zac.” Dropping the sheet, she caught his arm. Her fingers dug into his biceps, but she didn’t push him away.
“You need to turn off that brain of yours,” he whispered. “You need to sleep. It’s been a long day.”
“I can’t. I can’t stop thinking.”
He kissed her again, only this time it wasn’t slow and soft. The hunger bubbled up in him, and he ate at her mouth. Taking and tasting. Dipping his tongue deep. “Yes you can, and I know how to make you.”
He knew what would stop the spinning of her brain. He’d done it earlier today, and he relished the challenge of doing it again. Letting his weight drop onto her, he raked his teeth across her lower lip. He knew how to draw her out of her own head. He knew how to reduce her to her base needs—to just feel, respond and demand pleasure.
Because she did the same to him.
She moaned when he pulled down the sheet and wrapped his hand around her breast.
The contact was full, firm and possessive. He ran his thumb deliberately over her nipple. The cotton T-shirt was soft, and he could feel her delicate nub stiffening and pushing towards him. He rewarded it with a flick of his nail. “You took my breath away at the pool tonight.”
She squirmed as he squeezed her. “I didn’t mean to… Oh!”
“To turn me on?” He chuckled, the sound getting stuck in his tightening throat. “You did.”
Her eyelids were heavy as she looked up at him.
“You were natural and free.” He kissed his way down her temple and fondled her intimately. “Naked and gorgeous.”
He molded their mouths together again as his thumb and forefinger pinched her nipple. Her entire body arched into the kiss, and she clutched at his sides, then his back and lower.
She wasn’t thinking now.
He grunted as her hands settled on his ass. “So mind-blowingly uninhibited,” he rasped.
She went still underneath him.
Damn it.
For a moment, Zac thought he’d done it again, like he had this morning in the kitchen. He pulled back to look at her, but what he saw in her face wasn’t what he expected. Her eyes were so dark the moonlight gave them no color whatsoever.
When her lips moved, the words weren’t even a whisper. “Not timid?”
Timid? “Hell no.”
Timid was the last thing she’d been and apparently the last thing she planned on being.
When she came at him, Zac almost wasn’t ready. Her body surged as she pressed against him. Her lips were hot on his and her hands… Good God, her touch was everywhere. On his ass, digging into his lower back and raking across his shoulders.
She was suddenly on fire, and her spark set him off too.
He anchored her to the mattress with his hips and a knee high between her legs. She rubbed against him needily, nearly sending him over the edge. His cock was lodged between them, and he felt every shift and wiggle.
“Maxie,” he groaned.
She wrapped one of those gorgeous legs around his waist and moaned when the position put them into even closer contact. He covered her other breast, and she shuddered when he used the material of her T-shirt to create more friction.
Deliberately, he slid his free hand down her belly.
“Skin,” she whimpered hoarsely.
She wanted skin.
Sometimes it was best to want. To ache and to crave.
He left her T-shirt where it was, using it as an erotic barrier that kept his touch from her but protected her from nothing. “Feel that?”
She gasped as he traced the crease at the top of her leg. “Zac, touch me.”
He was. He didn’t know if he could stop touching her.
What type of personality do you have? Are you any where near shy and timid?
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