Title: Roxie

Author: Kimberly Dean

Series: Triple X

Published by: Samhain Publishing

Date published: July 6, 2014

Genres: Contemporary

Book Length: 233 pages

Steam Rating: Steamy

Main Characters: Roxie & Billy

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“With characters that you can’t help but love and a story that is written in a manner that drags you under, willing participant or not, and locks you in place until the very last page Kimberly Dean has created a novel that is the epitome of romance and mystery. With this series she has given us a story that both captivates and leaves you breathless.” ~Becca

It’s time for this identical triplet to meet her match.

Can a wild child ever really be tamed? Growing up in foster care has made Roxie Cannon tough and self-reliant, but being alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. She’s finally found her sisters. Is it time she met her match?

Roxie should be on top of the world. She’s formed bonds with identical sisters she never knew she had, and she’s buying the biker bar she’s managed for years. The feisty brunette has everything she’s ever wanted. Almost. Two things still elude her: answers to why her family was split apart and a man of her own to love. Seeing her sisters with their soulmates has made her aware she’s still the odd one out. Yet that all starts to change when a rough-and-tumble hottie from her past walks in The Ruckus’ door, wanting a second chance.

Billy knows trouble when he sees it, and Roxie is commotion in motion. They’ve always set sparks off one another. This time, he’s promised himself he won’t get burned. Yet things get serious when he learns of Roxie’s quest to find her parents. Can he save his hot-blooded lover from being hurt? Or will the wounded little girl inside her never trust him again?

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

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“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.

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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?

Title: Lexie

Author: Kimberly Dean

Series: Triple X

Published by: Samhain Publishing

Date published: September 3, 2013

Genres: Contemporary

Book Length: 240 pages

Steam Rating: Steamy

Main Characters: Lexie & Cam

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“This story has it all! It has romance, suspense, scandal, witty and hilarious banter, intrigue, and some pretty dang hot sex!” ~Becca

Desire is a double-edged dance.

Triple X, Book 1

Lexie Underhill works her tail off in hopes of winning her adoptive father’s approval. It’s never enough. The stinging proof? He’s brought in a reorganization expert. As if the prospect of losing her job in the family business isn’t enough, Cameron Rowe’s sexy, intimidating presence makes her palms sweat.

When Lexie’s face appears on a scandalous freeway billboard, her protestations of innocence go unheard. With orders to save the family name—or else—she marches into the bar the billboard was advertising and comes face-to-face with an identical twin sister. Roxie is wild and free, everything Lexie isn’t. Before the night is out, she welcomes the chance to explore her own sensuality.

As she dances wantonly on the bar, suddenly Cam is there, kissing her as if he has the right. The sizzle between them breaks out in four-alarm desire, but Lexie has recalibrated her life plan. And the equation doesn’t factor in Cam—until she’s sure where his loyalties lie. With her…or her father’s company.

Warning: Not all business relationships are formal and stodgy. Suits and ties (actually, all clothing) are optional.

Lexie was a massively addictive book! I started reading and just couldn’t stop! This was the first book I have read from Kimberly Dean…and I must say that I am officially a book stalker now!

So what made this book so great? Gosh, so many things! Lexie, who was adopted at age 2, finds herself not only dealing with some MAJOR family issues…but also the object of one sexy ruthless mans obsession! This story has it all! It has romance, suspense, scandal, witty and hilarious banter, intrigue, and some pretty dang hot sex!

The characters are deep, dynamic, realistic, and lovable. The way that they talk with one another and joke around makes them even more real and relatable. It’s so easy to understand the level of tension when it rises and yet you also get a glimpse of compassion and fear. The way the book is written you automatically feel like a part of the story and find yourself crying, yelling, shaking your head, slamming your fist down, and wanting to slap someone or throw something! Kimberly Dean’s writing style drags the reader in so quickly that I felt an immediate connection to the characters…even the ones I immediately hated! (Hey…hate is a connection too!)

Lexie is such a deep character! It’s easy to relate to her and understand that feeling of just wanting to be accepted by her family. She just wants them to love her and treat her the way they do their “blood siblings”.

Cam has a past that is unexpected and a present that is intense and hard to follow. Yet I found myself attracted to his character right away. He stood up for what he believed in…even when it wasn’t the expected thing. He may be known as ruthless…but he is also very protective and loyal.

There is a ton that I could and would love to say about this book…but unfortunately…if I say much more I’m going to be giving away plot lines and twists…and where is the fun in that! Just know that this is definitely something you want to read and I am dying to sink my teeth into book two in the Triple X series!

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.

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Excerpt from Lexie
by Kimberly Dean
Published October 23, 2012 (ebook), September 3, 2013 (in print)
by Samhain Publishing

Laser beams shot through Lexie’s eyes, making the back of her eyelids glow red. The bright color ran through her optic nerve straight to the center of her brain and set it on fire. She winced. Oh God. Light.

She rolled away. The move wasn’t a smart one. Her head spun, her stomach jounced and her back screamed. She went still, holding herself uncertainly. Oh Lord. What hell was this?

A hand cupped the back of her head and guided her back down. Warmth awaited her. Strong, comfortable warmth. She rested against the heat and held herself very, very still.

She hurt all over.

The hand at her head slid down and rubbed the tight muscles of her neck. She sighed. As if they knew just where the pain was centered, the fingers skimmed lower to the spot in the middle of her back. She was afraid to move, afraid to breathe too deep, but that touch coaxed her aching muscles to relax. Bit by bit, she found a more comfortable position. She rested her aching head on a strong shoulder and laid her hand against a hard chest. Her legs tangled with others, and she rubbed her toe against a muscled calf experimentally. He was warm and solid.
He?
Her eyes popped open, and she froze—partly because the morning light reflected off the pale yellow walls and partly because she was in bed with somebody. A male somebody. A male somebody with a body that rocked.

She squeezed her eyes shut, the light too bright. Gradually, she managed to open them to slits. Still afraid to move, she looked across the chest with which she was so up close and personal. It was sculpted with muscles that had no give under the light touch of her fingertips. She glanced down, careful not to move her eyes too fast. There was nothing soft down there either.

Her face heated. She’d been looking at the corrugated six-pack of the man’s abdomen, not the hard bulge pressing against the sheet. The very hard, very big bulge. Her pulse started to race. She wanted desperately to move but knew if she did it would draw more attention to their position. She was cozied up way too intimately against a man she couldn’t even identify.
Unless…
Her face went from hot to burning as fragmented memories returned. She remembered a hand on her leg…a hand that had been under her skirt. She remembered being picked up and carried to bed. She remembered a kiss. Her breath caught in her throat. She remembered a kiss that had made her toes curl in her shoes and her nipples dig into the cups of her bra.

She’d made out with…

Oh God!

She looked up and found dark eyes watching her, dark hair that was mussed, lips that looked ready to kiss her again…

Rowe? She was in bed with Cameron Rowe?

She surged upright, sitting straight up on the…foldout couch? Pain rocketed through her head, and she gasped. She pressed her hands against her temples in a vain attempt to hold her skull together.

“Easy.”

It was Cam, all right. She recognized the voice, and she recognized her reaction to it. Shivers danced across her skin, but this wasn’t right. Where was she? She pressed her hands harder against her temples. How had she ended up on a foldout couch with this man? The world’s most uncomfortable foldout couch, nonetheless?

“What happened?” she groaned.

“You had too much to drink.”

Drink? She didn’t drink.

He rubbed her back in comforting circles. Half of her struggled to move farther away, but the other half was in too much pain. Besides, the warm touch was the one good thing she was feeling, even if the hand was connected to the arm connected to the shoulder connected to…him. She couldn’t believe she’d slept with the hatchet man.

They had just slept, hadn’t they?

Her sluggish brain ping-ponged around as she desperately tried to think straight. She couldn’t remember doing anything more. She’d remember doing something more, wouldn’t she? With him? Her lungs began working hard as the kiss in the bar became clearer. She could still feel the press of his body. She could taste his hungry lips and sense the responding ache low in her belly.

“Stop thinking so much.” His morning voice was low and sexy. “Everything’s all right.”

All right? As desperately as she tried to remember last night, it remained fuzzy. She peeked open her eyes. She was still dressed…or half-dressed. The sleepwear her sister had given her didn’t leave much to the imagination.
Her sister?

Roxie!

The billboard. The Ruckus. Her twin.

Lexie’s head snapped towards the bedroom, and the wall wavered before coming into focus. Memories started flooding back in—at least she hoped they were memories. Alcohol couldn’t have caused such vivid dreams, could it? She couldn’t have made up such an outrageous story. She listened carefully, but she didn’t hear anything coming from the bedroom. She couldn’t sense anyone else in the place but her and Cam.

And she sensed everything about him.

He continued stroking her back. “Are you all right?”

“I feel like I’ve been steamrollered.”

“That would be the bourbon.”

She risked turning her head to look over her shoulder at him. The sight made her belly squeeze in an uncomfortably pleasant way. Oh, damn. Sex on a stick was right.

He was wickedly inviting, lying back against the white sheets. His one hand was reached out to touch her, but the other was tucked behind his head on the plump pillow. He looked big and tanned, muscled and lazy—like a hunk you’d find on the centerfold of a naughty magazine.

Or a naughty billboard.

Oh this was not good.

Lexie pushed at the covers.

He sat up so smoothly it made her envious. “Slow down. Don’t make it worse.”

Her breath shuddered. He was sitting so close, she could feel his heat. His naked heat. His chest bumped against her shoulder as he settled his hand on the mattress by her hip. He was dangerous enough in black Armani suits. Stripped down, he was lethal.

“Is it your head?” He brushed her hair over her shoulder, and shivers raced down her spine.

“My head. My joints. My back.”

He rubbed that spot in the middle of her back again, and she nearly moaned.

“Mine is crying too. It’s the support bar on this damn thing.”

She clenched the sheet beneath her. What had she done last night to get in such horrid shape? And how could he be sitting there, looking so good, while she felt like the dregs of the earth? “How…how bad was I last night?”

He hesitated. “I caught you dirty dancing atop the bar.”

Her eyes popped open, and the yellow walls glared. He had not! Although… Bits and pieces filtered through her cluttered brainwaves. Foghat’s “Slow Ride” struck a chord, and her entire body flashed hot.

He rubbed lower on her back. “Relax. I got you down from there.”

Somehow, that made it even worse. “Was I that awful?”

The teasing look left his eyes. “I didn’t say that.” His lashes dipped, and he focused on her lips. “You should let Sexy Lexie out to play more often.”

Lexie was off the sofa in a flash, her heart pounding, yet that left her feeling almost more exposed. The shorts she wore were too short, and the top was way too skimpy. Meanwhile, he was still lounging there half-naked on the bed. Ruthless Rowe. Dear God. She’d gotten all warm and cozy with the enemy. 

Do you believe in fate? How would you react if you were in Lexie’s place?