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Bailey Brothers #1
Protecting You
One night brings them together. Another night tears them apart.
Grace Miles misses her easy friendship with Asher, but growing up means growing apart. And really, how could he fall for her when they spent their childhood getting muddy in the creek and splitting sticks of gum?
But this summer, something feels different. If Grace didn’t know better, she’d think Asher was flirting with her. Those dark eyes, hard body, and wicked smile make her insides swirl and her heart dare to hope for things she’s convinced herself she’ll never have.
Falling for your best friend shouldn’t be complicated, but for Asher Bailey, loving Grace is anything but simple. The road to romance isn’t smooth thanks to his pack of wild brothers who are protective of the girl next door, a take-no-sass grandmother, a small town where gossip is a spectator sport, and a feud that spans generations.
But Asher realizes his feelings are too big to ignore. Loving her isn’t the risk. Losing her would be.
And one night, one kiss, changes everything.
Finally admitting their feelings is the beginning of their happily ever after. Until their fairy tale love story is tragically interrupted, and neither of them will ever be the same.
Author’s note: Lifelong soulmates, ridiculous pranks, brother shenanigans, and a feuding town. Protecting You is the Bailey Brothers series origin story. Be there when it begins and fall in love with this wild band of unruly brothers. The series is meant to be read in order, and Grace and Asher’s story concludes in Fighting for Us.
Grace Miles misses her easy friendship with Asher, but growing up means growing apart. And really, how could he fall for her when they spent their childhood getting muddy in the creek and splitting sticks of gum?
But this summer, something feels different. If Grace didn’t know better, she’d think Asher was flirting with her. Those dark eyes, hard body, and wicked smile make her insides swirl and her heart dare to hope for things she’s convinced herself she’ll never have.
Falling for your best friend shouldn’t be complicated, but for Asher Bailey, loving Grace is anything but simple. The road to romance isn’t smooth thanks to his pack of wild brothers who are protective of the girl next door, a take-no-sass grandmother, a small town where gossip is a spectator sport, and a feud that spans generations.
But Asher realizes his feelings are too big to ignore. Loving her isn’t the risk. Losing her would be.
And one night, one kiss, changes everything.
Finally admitting their feelings is the beginning of their happily ever after. Until their fairy tale love story is tragically interrupted, and neither of them will ever be the same.
Author’s note: Lifelong soulmates, ridiculous pranks, brother shenanigans, and a feuding town. Protecting You is the Bailey Brothers series origin story. Be there when it begins and fall in love with this wild band of unruly brothers. The series is meant to be read in order, and Grace and Asher’s story concludes in Fighting for Us.
167 pages, ebook
First published May 21, 2020
13304 people are currently reading
33414 people want to read
About the author
Claire Kingsley
81 books12.3k followersClaire Kingsley is a USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author of sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance, romantic comedies, and small-town romantic suspense. She writes sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, romantic happily ever afters, and all the big feels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,146 reviews
May 25, 2020
***4 STARS***
I love the friends to lovers trope and this book definitely fit the bill in an adorable story.
Asher and Grace have been best friends since they were children living next door to each other in a small town. They were inseparable until they became teens and didn’t quite understand how their feelings changed. Now Grace is home from college for the summer and Asher finally acknowledges his feelings for her. The story continues to show the development of their love....the sweetness and the heart wrenching details will enthrall you.
This is the first book of this new series and I loved the characters introduced. Asher is the oldest of five rowdy brothers and I am sure they will each have their own story. The boys were raised by a wise and patient grandmother who sees and knows all.
The author packed a lot into this short story to introduce us to this new series. The pacing was fast and I read in one sitting. It is very different from my normal reads of bad boys but it was refreshing. It ends on a cliffhanger and the end of Asher and Grace’s story is in Fighting For Us r to be released on May 28, 2020.
If you are looking for a sweet, small town romance then you will enjoy this. No torrid and explicit love scenes though, just hometown sweetness. It is a good change of pace and I look forward to reading more of this series.
I love the friends to lovers trope and this book definitely fit the bill in an adorable story.
Asher and Grace have been best friends since they were children living next door to each other in a small town. They were inseparable until they became teens and didn’t quite understand how their feelings changed. Now Grace is home from college for the summer and Asher finally acknowledges his feelings for her. The story continues to show the development of their love....the sweetness and the heart wrenching details will enthrall you.
This is the first book of this new series and I loved the characters introduced. Asher is the oldest of five rowdy brothers and I am sure they will each have their own story. The boys were raised by a wise and patient grandmother who sees and knows all.
The author packed a lot into this short story to introduce us to this new series. The pacing was fast and I read in one sitting. It is very different from my normal reads of bad boys but it was refreshing. It ends on a cliffhanger and the end of Asher and Grace’s story is in Fighting For Us r to be released on May 28, 2020.
If you are looking for a sweet, small town romance then you will enjoy this. No torrid and explicit love scenes though, just hometown sweetness. It is a good change of pace and I look forward to reading more of this series.
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May 12, 2020
Protecting You is book one in the brand new series, Bailey Brothers, by Claire Kingsley. This series is a spin off from her much loved Miles Family series.
We first met Grace Miles in the Miles Family series. She was the sister the Miles Family never knew they had. Grace was raised by a her single mom, her dad would pop in and out of her life but was for the most part, absent. She grew up next door to Gram and her five grandsons, the Bailey brothers.
Asher Bailey is the oldest of his five brothers. They lost their parents when they were young and were raised by their grandparents, now just their Gram.
Asher and Grace have been best friends practically from the start. While Grace was close with the whole family, her relationship with Asher was always different, closer. But they never took the next step. Even though those unknown feelings were always there for both of them, those strange feelings in their stomach when they were together. While Grace went away to college, Asher went to a college at home.
When Asher is twenty one and Grace is twenty, she’s home for the summer, and Asher finally recognizes his feelings for what they are, love. After all this time, he is finally going to claim the woman he has always been meant to be with, the woman who has always had his heart.
Asher and Grace have a summer filled with dreams and plans for the future. Their lives are planned out, their love is secure. But in the blink of an eye, everything changes, and nothing will ever be the same.
Since I have read the Miles Family series, I knew Grace had a story, and wow is it a doozey. I couldn’t help but to fall in love with these two, as well as with all of the Bailey crew. This is a pretty short book, more of an introduction to the Bailey family. Asher and Grace’s story will be continued in book two, Fighting For Us. I can’t wait!
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
We first met Grace Miles in the Miles Family series. She was the sister the Miles Family never knew they had. Grace was raised by a her single mom, her dad would pop in and out of her life but was for the most part, absent. She grew up next door to Gram and her five grandsons, the Bailey brothers.
Asher Bailey is the oldest of his five brothers. They lost their parents when they were young and were raised by their grandparents, now just their Gram.
Asher and Grace have been best friends practically from the start. While Grace was close with the whole family, her relationship with Asher was always different, closer. But they never took the next step. Even though those unknown feelings were always there for both of them, those strange feelings in their stomach when they were together. While Grace went away to college, Asher went to a college at home.
When Asher is twenty one and Grace is twenty, she’s home for the summer, and Asher finally recognizes his feelings for what they are, love. After all this time, he is finally going to claim the woman he has always been meant to be with, the woman who has always had his heart.
Asher and Grace have a summer filled with dreams and plans for the future. Their lives are planned out, their love is secure. But in the blink of an eye, everything changes, and nothing will ever be the same.
Since I have read the Miles Family series, I knew Grace had a story, and wow is it a doozey. I couldn’t help but to fall in love with these two, as well as with all of the Bailey crew. This is a pretty short book, more of an introduction to the Bailey family. Asher and Grace’s story will be continued in book two, Fighting For Us. I can’t wait!
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
Read
May 20, 2020I'm so excited to introduce you to a new small-town family romance series, the Bailey Brothers! Be there when it all begins and fall in love with this wild band of unruly brothers.
A quirky, feuding town. A take-no-sass grandmother. Ridiculous pranks, banter, and lots of shenanigans. Plus tons of heat, a huge heart, and lots of big feels. You're going to LOVE this series, this family, and this town.
Quick note: This series is really, really (and I mean really) meant to be read in order. Start here with Protecting You!
Amazon
Universal Link
READ ON FOR AN EXCERPT FROM PROTECTING YOU
Asher leaned against the porch railing. He wasn’t watching the party, or his brother dancing with Gram. He was watching me. “Hey, you.”
A tingle of excitement made my heart flutter. “Hey.”
“Wanna take a walk?”
“Sure.”
He held out one of his strong, calloused hands to help me up, and the feel of his skin sent a buzz of electricity through me. Instead of moving back so I could go down the steps, he stayed where he was, just inches from me, his eyes intent on my face. He was so big. Asher’s size was both imposing and captivating.
He was safe.
For the space of a heartbeat, I thought he might kiss me. But he just smiled—a slow, sexy grin that made my legs feel weak.
“Let’s go.”
He took my hand in his, clasping our fingers together. This time, he didn’t tug me around the side of the house, joking that we had to sneak away. He held it like he meant it. Like this was important. Like I was important.
We walked down the porch steps and cut across Gram’s land, heading for the road. The farther we got from the din of the party, the harder my heart beat. The moon was nearly full and the stars twinkled in their full glory away from the fire. We didn’t need light to find our way. We’d grown up on this land. Getting lost would have been impossible.
Asher didn’t say anything. Just held my hand while we walked. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry, and I wondered if he had a destination in mind. Eventually we came to the road that led into town. He turned up it and we kept going, following the same route we’d taken to and from school countless times as kids.
The houses were closer together here. Some were dark save for porch lights, their residents probably at Gram’s house for the graduation party. Others had lights in the windows or the flicker of a TV peeking through the curtains.
Despite the way my heart raced with anticipation, being with Asher like this felt surprisingly natural. Our fingers fit together comfortably, like we’d done this a thousand times. Like we’d started dating back in high school instead of spending the last several years growing apart.
Something deep inside me ached for that version of reality. For a world where Asher and I were together. Because anything else felt so wrong.
That was an overwhelming thought to have while I walked hand in hand with him in the moonlight. To acknowledge how much my heart grieved for something I’d never had.
How could a few short weeks back home make me question everything?
It was Asher. He was making me question everything.
He stopped walking and I looked around in surprise. I hadn’t been paying attention to where we were going. We stood in front of the old abandoned house on Evergreen Street. It was a ranch-style home, its big front window overgrown with blackberry bushes and ivy. A chimney hinted at a fireplace inside, but no one had lived here in years. The grass was waist high, and most of the property was choked with vines and thorny blackberries.
When Asher and I were kids, we’d often stopped in front of this old house on the way home from school. We’d made up stories about it being haunted, or played a version of “house,” where he was the dad and I was the mom, and we were coming home from work. Once we’d even tried to break in, but everything had been locked up tight.
“Remember when we used to play house here?” he asked, finally breaking the long silence.
“Yeah, I was just thinking about that.”
He was quiet again for a moment. We stood facing the house, still holding hands, the only sound frogs croaking somewhere nearby.
“I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.” His voice was soft and low. “Growing up, and moving out, and the future. But I’ve also been thinking about the past. I feel like we went wrong somewhere, Grace. Like those kids we used to be were onto something.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I wasn’t sure what to say. So I waited.
“I made a big mistake in high school.”
“What was that?”
“Not telling you how I felt about you.”
I was grateful Asher didn’t let go of my hand because the weight of his words nearly knocked me over. My voice came out in a whisper. “How did you feel about me?”
“The same way I do now.” He turned me toward him and looked me in the eyes. “Grace, I’m in love with you.”
I stared at him. At his dark brown eyes, his face silhouetted in the moonlight. At the man who’d been my best friend for most of my life. Who my heart had missed so much.
He ran his thumb across my lips. “It’s okay; you don’t have to say anything right now. I wasn’t going to dump this on you tonight. I was only going to ask you out to dinner. I kept telling myself I had all summer to convince you to give us a shot and I needed to take it slow. But I just can’t. I need you to know. I love you. I’m not asking you to say it back yet. All I’m asking for is a chance. Just give me the summer.”
A quirky, feuding town. A take-no-sass grandmother. Ridiculous pranks, banter, and lots of shenanigans. Plus tons of heat, a huge heart, and lots of big feels. You're going to LOVE this series, this family, and this town.
Quick note: This series is really, really (and I mean really) meant to be read in order. Start here with Protecting You!
Amazon
Universal Link
READ ON FOR AN EXCERPT FROM PROTECTING YOU
Asher leaned against the porch railing. He wasn’t watching the party, or his brother dancing with Gram. He was watching me. “Hey, you.”
A tingle of excitement made my heart flutter. “Hey.”
“Wanna take a walk?”
“Sure.”
He held out one of his strong, calloused hands to help me up, and the feel of his skin sent a buzz of electricity through me. Instead of moving back so I could go down the steps, he stayed where he was, just inches from me, his eyes intent on my face. He was so big. Asher’s size was both imposing and captivating.
He was safe.
For the space of a heartbeat, I thought he might kiss me. But he just smiled—a slow, sexy grin that made my legs feel weak.
“Let’s go.”
He took my hand in his, clasping our fingers together. This time, he didn’t tug me around the side of the house, joking that we had to sneak away. He held it like he meant it. Like this was important. Like I was important.
We walked down the porch steps and cut across Gram’s land, heading for the road. The farther we got from the din of the party, the harder my heart beat. The moon was nearly full and the stars twinkled in their full glory away from the fire. We didn’t need light to find our way. We’d grown up on this land. Getting lost would have been impossible.
Asher didn’t say anything. Just held my hand while we walked. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry, and I wondered if he had a destination in mind. Eventually we came to the road that led into town. He turned up it and we kept going, following the same route we’d taken to and from school countless times as kids.
The houses were closer together here. Some were dark save for porch lights, their residents probably at Gram’s house for the graduation party. Others had lights in the windows or the flicker of a TV peeking through the curtains.
Despite the way my heart raced with anticipation, being with Asher like this felt surprisingly natural. Our fingers fit together comfortably, like we’d done this a thousand times. Like we’d started dating back in high school instead of spending the last several years growing apart.
Something deep inside me ached for that version of reality. For a world where Asher and I were together. Because anything else felt so wrong.
That was an overwhelming thought to have while I walked hand in hand with him in the moonlight. To acknowledge how much my heart grieved for something I’d never had.
How could a few short weeks back home make me question everything?
It was Asher. He was making me question everything.
He stopped walking and I looked around in surprise. I hadn’t been paying attention to where we were going. We stood in front of the old abandoned house on Evergreen Street. It was a ranch-style home, its big front window overgrown with blackberry bushes and ivy. A chimney hinted at a fireplace inside, but no one had lived here in years. The grass was waist high, and most of the property was choked with vines and thorny blackberries.
When Asher and I were kids, we’d often stopped in front of this old house on the way home from school. We’d made up stories about it being haunted, or played a version of “house,” where he was the dad and I was the mom, and we were coming home from work. Once we’d even tried to break in, but everything had been locked up tight.
“Remember when we used to play house here?” he asked, finally breaking the long silence.
“Yeah, I was just thinking about that.”
He was quiet again for a moment. We stood facing the house, still holding hands, the only sound frogs croaking somewhere nearby.
“I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.” His voice was soft and low. “Growing up, and moving out, and the future. But I’ve also been thinking about the past. I feel like we went wrong somewhere, Grace. Like those kids we used to be were onto something.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I wasn’t sure what to say. So I waited.
“I made a big mistake in high school.”
“What was that?”
“Not telling you how I felt about you.”
I was grateful Asher didn’t let go of my hand because the weight of his words nearly knocked me over. My voice came out in a whisper. “How did you feel about me?”
“The same way I do now.” He turned me toward him and looked me in the eyes. “Grace, I’m in love with you.”
I stared at him. At his dark brown eyes, his face silhouetted in the moonlight. At the man who’d been my best friend for most of my life. Who my heart had missed so much.
He ran his thumb across my lips. “It’s okay; you don’t have to say anything right now. I wasn’t going to dump this on you tonight. I was only going to ask you out to dinner. I kept telling myself I had all summer to convince you to give us a shot and I needed to take it slow. But I just can’t. I need you to know. I love you. I’m not asking you to say it back yet. All I’m asking for is a chance. Just give me the summer.”
August 25, 2020
This . . . travesty is supposed to introduce a new series as a follow-on of the author's Miles Family series. I skipped those because the first was so bad I couldn't take anyone seriously afterwards so I thought I'd give this a shot. I should have shot something else first.
Just so you know, this isn't an actual novel. I mean, technically, it's a short novel at least by length. But it ends on a freaking cliffhanger after the author takes a torch to everything she set up just before the end. And that's just... who does that?!? I mean, it's bad for a romance because, hello, HEA is the premise of the genre. But any book that does a sudden about-face and destroys everything that went before right before the end just for a setup for a different story is mistaken in what "story" actually is. Which would be fine if you were writing lit-fic maybe, but romance?
It turns out that it was the other book that was written first. And Kingsley's "brilliant" assistant had the idea that she should write their "before" and so she did. Which was a risk in the first place because what author can resist closing the romantic loop? This one sure didn't. There's literally nowhere else for their romance to go because it culminated already. Anything else is just extra drama so you can tread the same ground again.
And I'm not even going to go into how stupid the fire that burned everything to the ground is. Seriously, it was author manipulation and railroading that was outrageous on its face and carried a stupid amount of callous injustice and incompetence with it. It was like the author didn't really care any more about the characters now that the burning had started so she just skimmed up an outline to get it over with.
But making that even worse, the end has Asher pulling a unilateral idiocy about "find someone else to make you happy" while Grace explains exactly why that's a dumb thing to do and that isn't how love works. Which would normally be awesome because Grace gets it. But that means the next book, if I were idiot enough to want to read it, is going to be all about Asher being a drama llama mooning about the place with how he's bad and she's good and oh, the sorrow and brooding and poor-me bull crap he'll be spouting. So in writing this monstrous twaddle, Kingsley managed to mire the next one in a swamp of self-indulgent suffering and telegraph that to the discerning readers who will now know that maybe Kingsley isn't the author for them. Or, at least, that's how I choose to see it.
And I'll end by admitting that softer hearts may find great interest and solace in the good-guy done wrong and watching him overcome the hurt and pain and the love of a good woman gently nurturing him into kindness and light once again. And there's nothing wrong with that! Lots of people will absolutely love seeing the before and moving on to the after. So while yes, I insist that Kingsley should have either released a single, if very large, story or just have never published this pile of donkey dung and let readers pick up with Asher and Grace where she had originally planned, others will likely be along for the ride just fine. Just not me. Kingsley lost me for the whole series on this. Which is probably for the best for both of us...
A note about Steamy: There's a single, very sweet, explicit sex scene putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance (because the story is so short). It is yet another reason why I hate that Kingsley so callously set fire to everything in the end.
Just so you know, this isn't an actual novel. I mean, technically, it's a short novel at least by length. But it ends on a freaking cliffhanger after the author takes a torch to everything she set up just before the end. And that's just... who does that?!? I mean, it's bad for a romance because, hello, HEA is the premise of the genre. But any book that does a sudden about-face and destroys everything that went before right before the end just for a setup for a different story is mistaken in what "story" actually is. Which would be fine if you were writing lit-fic maybe, but romance?
It turns out that it was the other book that was written first. And Kingsley's "brilliant" assistant had the idea that she should write their "before" and so she did. Which was a risk in the first place because what author can resist closing the romantic loop? This one sure didn't. There's literally nowhere else for their romance to go because it culminated already. Anything else is just extra drama so you can tread the same ground again.
And I'm not even going to go into how stupid the fire that burned everything to the ground is. Seriously, it was author manipulation and railroading that was outrageous on its face and carried a stupid amount of callous injustice and incompetence with it. It was like the author didn't really care any more about the characters now that the burning had started so she just skimmed up an outline to get it over with.
But making that even worse, the end has Asher pulling a unilateral idiocy about "find someone else to make you happy" while Grace explains exactly why that's a dumb thing to do and that isn't how love works. Which would normally be awesome because Grace gets it. But that means the next book, if I were idiot enough to want to read it, is going to be all about Asher being a drama llama mooning about the place with how he's bad and she's good and oh, the sorrow and brooding and poor-me bull crap he'll be spouting. So in writing this monstrous twaddle, Kingsley managed to mire the next one in a swamp of self-indulgent suffering and telegraph that to the discerning readers who will now know that maybe Kingsley isn't the author for them. Or, at least, that's how I choose to see it.
And I'll end by admitting that softer hearts may find great interest and solace in the good-guy done wrong and watching him overcome the hurt and pain and the love of a good woman gently nurturing him into kindness and light once again. And there's nothing wrong with that! Lots of people will absolutely love seeing the before and moving on to the after. So while yes, I insist that Kingsley should have either released a single, if very large, story or just have never published this pile of donkey dung and let readers pick up with Asher and Grace where she had originally planned, others will likely be along for the ride just fine. Just not me. Kingsley lost me for the whole series on this. Which is probably for the best for both of us...
A note about Steamy: There's a single, very sweet, explicit sex scene putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance (because the story is so short). It is yet another reason why I hate that Kingsley so callously set fire to everything in the end.
July 7, 2025
3💫
poor asher😭😭😭
i think this novella was a good intro into this series and im excited to read their book and see how asher & grace can overcome this incident. i already love this family so much & hopefully each book is a different brother’s story?🤞🏻
i think this could have been a little shorter than it was. 160 pages isn’t crazy for an into novella/story but not much rlly happened until the last 30ish pages. it could have been a little shorter imo but i enjoyed it nonetheless!
poor asher😭😭😭
i think this novella was a good intro into this series and im excited to read their book and see how asher & grace can overcome this incident. i already love this family so much & hopefully each book is a different brother’s story?🤞🏻
i think this could have been a little shorter than it was. 160 pages isn’t crazy for an into novella/story but not much rlly happened until the last 30ish pages. it could have been a little shorter imo but i enjoyed it nonetheless!
May 2, 2024
3.5 stars
I was not expecting this book to end in the way it did! If I had read the blurb, I would have realized it wasn’t a complete story and that Grace and Asher’s story continued in book two. I went ahead and grabbed book two. I need to know what happens next! It's a short novella that packs a punch. I'm excited to read more about the Bailey Brothers.
I was not expecting this book to end in the way it did! If I had read the blurb, I would have realized it wasn’t a complete story and that Grace and Asher’s story continued in book two. I went ahead and grabbed book two. I need to know what happens next! It's a short novella that packs a punch. I'm excited to read more about the Bailey Brothers.
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrators: Aaron Shedlock & Samantha Cooke
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 4h 15m
November 9, 2021
Protecting You is more than what I expected. I am not a big fan of Miss Kingsley's works, to be honest. But Protecting You is promising. The story is short. More like novella. We got a glimpse into Grace and Asher's story.
The story started with a good tone and sad ending at the end. Do not worry Miss Kingsley will conjure a happy ending at the second book. I do wish the romance will be more intense and more dramatic. In Miss Kingsley hands, the drama is more subdue. Not in dramatic and heartbreaking detail. I still enjoy it very much.
The story is short but pack with the right punches. I am so looking forward for the next book.
4 stars
The story started with a good tone and sad ending at the end. Do not worry Miss Kingsley will conjure a happy ending at the second book. I do wish the romance will be more intense and more dramatic. In Miss Kingsley hands, the drama is more subdue. Not in dramatic and heartbreaking detail. I still enjoy it very much.
The story is short but pack with the right punches. I am so looking forward for the next book.
4 stars
May 12, 2022
This book is the beginning of a series and it really should have been labeled book .5 instead of book 1. This felt like it was the set up for their actual story that we get in book two. Grace and Asher were best friends growing up. Now, they're home from college for the summer and Asher decides he's going to pursue Grace and that they're meant to be. As soon as he decides this, Grace agrees and already planning their forever future together. The pacing of this book was off for me, so it felt very insta-love and we skip over them dating each other. Suddenly, they're madly in love. Then, we get to the end were drama FINALLY happens and then it ends on a cliffhanger. There were no real obstacles in their romance until the end and I was mostly bored. It felt like the only purpose of this book was to give backstory, and I could care less about backstory. I would have just skipped to book two if I had know that was where the real struggle and build up of the romance is. There was no struggle in this book. It rushed through a romance just so
September 25, 2022
This book was so entirely shallow. We skipped over the moments of them falling in love. I hate when authors don’t give me the moments!!!! How am I supposed to believe they’re in love??? Tbf though the book is not even 200 pages so I guess my expectations were too high?
The cliffhanger is wild and I’m curious so onto book two I go.
The cliffhanger is wild and I’m curious so onto book two I go.
April 29, 2024
➼ 4.25 ✰
“That was amazing,” I said in his ear. “You were so incredible.”
“Thanks, baby,” he said, still breathing hard. “Thanks for being here.”
“I’ll always be here for you,” I said. “Always.”
sleeping on the highway thanks 🙂↕️
this was so cute and sad. I honestly didn’t expect that ending 😭 I need them to live happily ever after with at least 3 kids ☹️💗
I don’t think I’m gonna read the next one anytime soon tbh, it’s 500 pages for what 😞 I doubt anything big is gonna happen anyways other than their marriage, so even though I love them, I don’t want to waste my time reading about boring and meaningless things :/
I did like the Bailey brothers as well but my love for them is not enough for me to continue this series at the moment.
“That was amazing,” I said in his ear. “You were so incredible.”
“Thanks, baby,” he said, still breathing hard. “Thanks for being here.”
“I’ll always be here for you,” I said. “Always.”
sleeping on the highway thanks 🙂↕️
this was so cute and sad. I honestly didn’t expect that ending 😭 I need them to live happily ever after with at least 3 kids ☹️💗
I don’t think I’m gonna read the next one anytime soon tbh, it’s 500 pages for what 😞 I doubt anything big is gonna happen anyways other than their marriage, so even though I love them, I don’t want to waste my time reading about boring and meaningless things :/
I did like the Bailey brothers as well but my love for them is not enough for me to continue this series at the moment.
October 23, 2021
this book puts the flash to shame. one second they were just saying i love you to each other and literally the next page, they're engaged. next chapter? he's in jail. what the fuck
August 20, 2020
A cute/sweet friends-to-lovers story centred on Asher Bailey and Grace Miles. Asher and Grace have been best friends since they were children living next door to each other in a small town with its own feuding families. The two were inseparable until things changed and both supressed their feelings, but now Grace is home from college for the summer and Asher finally acknowledges his feelings for her out loud recognising not telling her would be the biggest mistake of his life. Happily looking forward to the future neither see the massive curve ball coming their way.
Both MCs are
The Bailey brothers are fun and quite a show altogether, looking forward to each brother having his own story.
Ends in a cliff-hanger although not one that had be cursing thanks to the letter at the end. The ending did come out of left field but had me reaching for book two pretty fast.
Super glad part two to this was already out and on KU allowed me to finish Asher and Grace's story, if I had had to wait I may have had a little reader's tantrum.
Be in the mood for cute and light if you pick this up, things take a turn, very close to the end.
Potential Triggers:
Acquired via KU.
Both MCs are
The Bailey brothers are fun and quite a show altogether, looking forward to each brother having his own story.
Ends in a cliff-hanger although not one that had be cursing thanks to the letter at the end. The ending did come out of left field but had me reaching for book two pretty fast.
Super glad part two to this was already out and on KU allowed me to finish Asher and Grace's story, if I had had to wait I may have had a little reader's tantrum.
Be in the mood for cute and light if you pick this up, things take a turn, very close to the end.
Potential Triggers:
Acquired via KU.
March 27, 2022
The depiction of college students was simplistic and cardboard. The 21 year old hero acted like a kid. He’s passive and timid. Except when he is saving the heroine from sexual assault. Then he’s protective. You can tell the author doesn’t enjoy this age group or writing virgin characters.
I appreciated both of their reasoning for not sleeping with others. It made sense for their ages and situation.
I do not appreciate the abrupt shift of the story to a real bummer of an ending. I didn’t realize there would be a cliffy.
This couple will be separated for 8 years. 😐
Bottom line? It was ok. I hated the cliffy and separation. I won’t be reading the next book.
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW/OM drama
- no dubcon
- double virgins (20 and 21)
- condoms used
- attempted sexual assault on h by OP
- cliffy
- 8 yr separation (both celibate)
I appreciated both of their reasoning for not sleeping with others. It made sense for their ages and situation.
I do not appreciate the abrupt shift of the story to a real bummer of an ending. I didn’t realize there would be a cliffy.
This couple will be separated for 8 years. 😐
Bottom line? It was ok. I hated the cliffy and separation. I won’t be reading the next book.
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW/OM drama
- no dubcon
- double virgins (20 and 21)
- condoms used
- attempted sexual assault on h by OP
- cliffy
- 8 yr separation (both celibate)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2022
LMAOOO
Spoilers because this was insane and I need to talk about it.
This was comically bad. Not so bad to warrant 1 star, but pretty close to it. I didn't know there was a series before this (I think about Grace's family, but also I don't know and I really don't care enough to fact check it), but I skipped right to this one because it was available on kindle unlimited and I was stuck somewhere where I needed to kill some time. And, oh my god, I think I may have benefitted more from watching paint dry than reading this book. This, like, 180 page flaming piece of garbage (i say with love but also not because i am a hater above all else) managed to make a possibly interesting premise make me want to rip my hair out.
So, Asher and Grace, are best friends, right? Grew up together, secretly liked each other. Sounds like the perfect way to get some angsty friends to lovers in there right? Wrong. They get together almost immediately. I swear, the biggest conflict in their blossoming relationship was just them both thinking the other doesn't like each other for forty pages or so before they get together.SO, then, you may be asking yourself what the main point of this story is. Was it the romance, or was it the fact that Grace almost gets SA'd by a group of men and Asher KILLED a guy over it. Like... In a 180 pages (ONLY 180 PAGES, THAT IS LIKE NOTHING) Asher and Grace get together, they get ENGAGED, and then Asher kills a guy and goes to jail. WHAT???? Everything happened so fast. Like, one minute they're outside the bar and he got arrested and then the next we're at the station and he's like "yeah I like killed a guy" HUHHH? No preamble, no drama. It was just like bam, bam, bam. THEN he tried to white fang her?? Breaking up with her, saying she needs to move on, etc. Like, what was the point of the last 100 pages of them getting together??
I am baffled by the fact that this storyline was so wild yet it had some of the most monotonous dialogue and writing. Like, if I were an editor for this book, I would've gotten the 180 pages to like 120 just based off getting rid of dialogue and moments that added nothing to the story. Then, again, if I were an editor, I wouldn't step foot near this book unless I was holding a flamethrower. Sorry.
Okay. Yeah. I needed to get that out. Did I really not like this? Yes. Am I regretting my choice for giving it 2 stars literally mid writing this? Yes. Will I read the next one because it's also on kindle unlimited? Honestly, I am a glutton for punishment, so probably also yes.
Spoilers because this was insane and I need to talk about it.
This was comically bad. Not so bad to warrant 1 star, but pretty close to it. I didn't know there was a series before this (I think about Grace's family, but also I don't know and I really don't care enough to fact check it), but I skipped right to this one because it was available on kindle unlimited and I was stuck somewhere where I needed to kill some time. And, oh my god, I think I may have benefitted more from watching paint dry than reading this book. This, like, 180 page flaming piece of garbage (i say with love but also not because i am a hater above all else) managed to make a possibly interesting premise make me want to rip my hair out.
So, Asher and Grace, are best friends, right? Grew up together, secretly liked each other. Sounds like the perfect way to get some angsty friends to lovers in there right? Wrong. They get together almost immediately. I swear, the biggest conflict in their blossoming relationship was just them both thinking the other doesn't like each other for forty pages or so before they get together.SO, then, you may be asking yourself what the main point of this story is. Was it the romance, or was it the fact that Grace almost gets SA'd by a group of men and Asher KILLED a guy over it. Like... In a 180 pages (ONLY 180 PAGES, THAT IS LIKE NOTHING) Asher and Grace get together, they get ENGAGED, and then Asher kills a guy and goes to jail. WHAT???? Everything happened so fast. Like, one minute they're outside the bar and he got arrested and then the next we're at the station and he's like "yeah I like killed a guy" HUHHH? No preamble, no drama. It was just like bam, bam, bam. THEN he tried to white fang her?? Breaking up with her, saying she needs to move on, etc. Like, what was the point of the last 100 pages of them getting together??
I am baffled by the fact that this storyline was so wild yet it had some of the most monotonous dialogue and writing. Like, if I were an editor for this book, I would've gotten the 180 pages to like 120 just based off getting rid of dialogue and moments that added nothing to the story. Then, again, if I were an editor, I wouldn't step foot near this book unless I was holding a flamethrower. Sorry.
Okay. Yeah. I needed to get that out. Did I really not like this? Yes. Am I regretting my choice for giving it 2 stars literally mid writing this? Yes. Will I read the next one because it's also on kindle unlimited? Honestly, I am a glutton for punishment, so probably also yes.
November 23, 2022
This book is a good example of a MMC & FMC who actually communicate well and are open with their feelings with one another.
Didn't like the cliffhanger or set up for book 2 though...
Didn't like the cliffhanger or set up for book 2 though...
August 15, 2023
wow look at me finishing another book today?!
anyway, this was a solid start to a series! i generally don't like second chance romances but i hope it'll be different with this one as we saw their development a lot in this!
very excited to start the second book!
anyway, this was a solid start to a series! i generally don't like second chance romances but i hope it'll be different with this one as we saw their development a lot in this!
very excited to start the second book!
June 15, 2021
What?? Asher is one of the best man I've come to know! He doesn't deserve this 🥺
I think I'll have to see what happens after this... I just know it's not gonna be easy.
Grace will need alot of determination and strength to get the old Asher back😭. God please give her enough power!!🙏🏻
Asher❤️ Grace
I guess I need some time before heading straight away to that emotional messy journey, which is the second book of this series.
I think I'll have to see what happens after this... I just know it's not gonna be easy.
Grace will need alot of determination and strength to get the old Asher back😭. God please give her enough power!!🙏🏻
Asher❤️ Grace
I guess I need some time before heading straight away to that emotional messy journey, which is the second book of this series.
September 4, 2022
“Grace didn’t know it yet, but she was mine.”
<><> Story Overview <><>
^^ ~ Asher and Grace have been best friends since childhood. They never took it any further than friends, but the attraction has certainly been simmering.
~~ “We’d been inseparable. As kids, Grace and I had been best friends. Basically glued to each other.”
Grace is home from college for the summer and Asher has realized it’s now or never. He needs to make his move to make sure Grace is never out of his life again.
~~ “I couldn’t just kiss her and hope she felt something for me too. I couldn’t leave it up to chance. I had to work for it. Show her how great we’d be together. I had to chase her.”
<><> Characters <><>
Hero: Asher Bailey
~ Age: 21
~ Occupation: currently attending Tilikum College majoring in fire safety. Someday he hopes to be Fire chief
~ Asher is the oldest of five brothers. The boys lost their parents when they were young and were raised by their loving grandparents. They lost grandpa a few years ago, so now it’s just Grams who keeps the rambunctious boys on track.
Asher is currently a volunteer fire fighter. When he was seventeen he got in a fight and was charged with assault. After five years his juvenile record will be sealed if he doesn’t have any more problems with the law. And, in order to achieve his career goals, it’s imperative he stay out of trouble.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Asher: has understated confidence, competes in jiujitsu tournaments around the state, powerful, strong, has a strong sense of responsibility
~ “Grace had lodged herself into my heart a long time ago, and she hadn’t left room for anyone else to get in.”
Heroine: Grace Miles
~ Age: 20
~ Occupation: college student
~ Grace was raised by a her single mom and has a four year old brother. She has lived next door to the Bailey’s all her life. Grace attends Washington State College, but is home for the summer. She’s still figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Grace: Sweet, pretty, smart, has a strong stubborn streak, a good girl, an overachiever
~Grace talking about Asher: “He was enticingly new and intimately familiar, all at once. He was everything. He was home.”
<><> A Few Thoughts <><>
^^ ~ chapter 1 - my heart melted in a big pile of goo when Asher was just eleven years old. He had such a kind heart.
~~Grace: “My mom’s mad at my dad,” she said, her voice small. He was supposed to take me to Seattle to go to the big zoo. Now he says he can’t.” She sniffed. “Have you ever been to that zoo?”
~~Asher: “No.”
~~Grace: “Me neither.
~~Asher: “Well, if your dad can’t take you, I will. It’s only five years until I can drive. I bet Grandad will let me borrow the truck and we’ll go, just you and me.”
^^ ~ Baileys / Havens Tilikum town feud added some interest to the story. I’m sure it will come more into play in future books.
^^ ~ I loved the supporting cast. The brothers and Grams really enhanced the story.
^^ ~ Asher and Grace spent the last few years more apart than together. But now that Asher's eyes were opened, he knew they needed to spend more time together because he knew Grace was his future. I’m glad he figured out early on what he wanted and set out to woo Grace.
^^ ~ the way it ended - that was rough. I was a little confused how Asher was so out of control that he ended up doing that. His behavior seemed a little out of the blue.
~~Asher: “I had a mountain to climb. One that was brutal and mercilessly cold. There was only one thing I could do. Survive. And it was going to take everything I had.”
~~Grace: “Dear Asher,
This is not the end of our life together. This is a great big, soul-sucking, heart-wrenching tragedy. But it will only ruin us if we let it. And I refuse to let that happen.”
<><> The Basics <><>
- Content Warning: death of parents (off page), absent father, violence resulting in death. (off page), attempted rape (a couple guys held her down but she was saved before it got too far)
- Setting: Tilikum, Washington
- Do you need to read previous books in series?: Grace was introduced in the Miles family series. It had been a long time since I’d read that series, so I honestly forgot about Grace. You won’t necessarily miss anything if you don’t understand that backstory.
- POV: Dual POV
- Tropes: childhood best friends to lovers
- Hero likable? yes
- heroine likable? yes
- h virgin? Asher and Grace are both virgins
- First time they kiss: 46%
- First time they sleep together: 66%
- Safe sex? Yes. Condoms were used.
- First time they say I Love You: 44%
- steamy? Yes. Descriptive bedroom scenes
- Chemistry? I thought they had great chemistry
- OW/OM drama? No
- H/h cheat? No
- Time apart? Grace was attending college four hours away, but they weren’t dating during this time.
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? No
- Did I cry? No
- Did I laugh? I smiled a few times. The brothers had a good dynamic
- Did I swoon🥰? Yes. Asher had some swoony moments
- Cliffhanger? yes
- HEA? not in this book
- Epilogue? not in this book
- Recommend? Yes
<><> Quotes <><>
“Gram often said things that almost made sense, but left me wondering if I truly understood
“I didn’t just have a thing for Grace. I was in love with her. Crazy fucking in love with her. It was a fact I’d been denying for a long time.”
<><> Story Overview <><>
^^ ~ Asher and Grace have been best friends since childhood. They never took it any further than friends, but the attraction has certainly been simmering.
~~ “We’d been inseparable. As kids, Grace and I had been best friends. Basically glued to each other.”
Grace is home from college for the summer and Asher has realized it’s now or never. He needs to make his move to make sure Grace is never out of his life again.
~~ “I couldn’t just kiss her and hope she felt something for me too. I couldn’t leave it up to chance. I had to work for it. Show her how great we’d be together. I had to chase her.”
<><> Characters <><>
Hero: Asher Bailey
~ Age: 21
~ Occupation: currently attending Tilikum College majoring in fire safety. Someday he hopes to be Fire chief
~ Asher is the oldest of five brothers. The boys lost their parents when they were young and were raised by their loving grandparents. They lost grandpa a few years ago, so now it’s just Grams who keeps the rambunctious boys on track.
Asher is currently a volunteer fire fighter. When he was seventeen he got in a fight and was charged with assault. After five years his juvenile record will be sealed if he doesn’t have any more problems with the law. And, in order to achieve his career goals, it’s imperative he stay out of trouble.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Asher: has understated confidence, competes in jiujitsu tournaments around the state, powerful, strong, has a strong sense of responsibility
~ “Grace had lodged herself into my heart a long time ago, and she hadn’t left room for anyone else to get in.”
Heroine: Grace Miles
~ Age: 20
~ Occupation: college student
~ Grace was raised by a her single mom and has a four year old brother. She has lived next door to the Bailey’s all her life. Grace attends Washington State College, but is home for the summer. She’s still figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Grace: Sweet, pretty, smart, has a strong stubborn streak, a good girl, an overachiever
~Grace talking about Asher: “He was enticingly new and intimately familiar, all at once. He was everything. He was home.”
<><> A Few Thoughts <><>
^^ ~ chapter 1 - my heart melted in a big pile of goo when Asher was just eleven years old. He had such a kind heart.
~~Grace: “My mom’s mad at my dad,” she said, her voice small. He was supposed to take me to Seattle to go to the big zoo. Now he says he can’t.” She sniffed. “Have you ever been to that zoo?”
~~Asher: “No.”
~~Grace: “Me neither.
~~Asher: “Well, if your dad can’t take you, I will. It’s only five years until I can drive. I bet Grandad will let me borrow the truck and we’ll go, just you and me.”
^^ ~ Baileys / Havens Tilikum town feud added some interest to the story. I’m sure it will come more into play in future books.
^^ ~ I loved the supporting cast. The brothers and Grams really enhanced the story.
^^ ~ Asher and Grace spent the last few years more apart than together. But now that Asher's eyes were opened, he knew they needed to spend more time together because he knew Grace was his future. I’m glad he figured out early on what he wanted and set out to woo Grace.
^^ ~ the way it ended - that was rough. I was a little confused how Asher was so out of control that he ended up doing that. His behavior seemed a little out of the blue.
~~Asher: “I had a mountain to climb. One that was brutal and mercilessly cold. There was only one thing I could do. Survive. And it was going to take everything I had.”
~~Grace: “Dear Asher,
This is not the end of our life together. This is a great big, soul-sucking, heart-wrenching tragedy. But it will only ruin us if we let it. And I refuse to let that happen.”
<><> The Basics <><>
- Content Warning: death of parents (off page), absent father, violence resulting in death. (off page), attempted rape (a couple guys held her down but she was saved before it got too far)
- Setting: Tilikum, Washington
- Do you need to read previous books in series?: Grace was introduced in the Miles family series. It had been a long time since I’d read that series, so I honestly forgot about Grace. You won’t necessarily miss anything if you don’t understand that backstory.
- POV: Dual POV
- Tropes: childhood best friends to lovers
- Hero likable? yes
- heroine likable? yes
- h virgin? Asher and Grace are both virgins
- First time they kiss: 46%
- First time they sleep together: 66%
- Safe sex? Yes. Condoms were used.
- First time they say I Love You: 44%
- steamy? Yes. Descriptive bedroom scenes
- Chemistry? I thought they had great chemistry
- OW/OM drama? No
- H/h cheat? No
- Time apart? Grace was attending college four hours away, but they weren’t dating during this time.
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? No
- Did I cry? No
- Did I laugh? I smiled a few times. The brothers had a good dynamic
- Did I swoon🥰? Yes. Asher had some swoony moments
- Cliffhanger? yes
- HEA? not in this book
- Epilogue? not in this book
- Recommend? Yes
<><> Quotes <><>
“Gram often said things that almost made sense, but left me wondering if I truly understood
“I didn’t just have a thing for Grace. I was in love with her. Crazy fucking in love with her. It was a fact I’d been denying for a long time.”
August 15, 2022
4.5 ⭐️
I think a big reason why I loved this book was because I went into it knowing what I was getting myself into. I feel like if I went in blind I might have found a few things to complain about - like how maybe it didn’t need to be a whole book on it’s own - or how it could have been a regular sized book and made into a full blown duet with a part one and a part two instead of a 0.5 and a one. I might have even wanted to complain about how it felt a little rushed because of the size of the book and how I would not have been upset if there were more details and build up… but I’m not gonna complain because I was very prepared for what I was getting myself into even knowing that everything I just said are things that would potentially bother me… I just wasn’t gonna let it 😉
So with that said, I knew this was basically just an extended prequal/short story as an opener to this series (it’s less than 170 pages) and I knew that it would be leaving off on a cliffhanger. I also read the synopsis for book two before starting this one so I even knew a little bit about where this one was going to leave off. Still was suprised when it all went down though
Either way, this definitely felt like a beginning to something that’s going to be so much more so I’m excited to jump straight into the second book and see how everything ends up playing out…
But overall it was pretty good. It gripped me right away, was super short and to the point but had just enough there to get me invested in the story and the characters. I think if you go into it with the right mindset then it’ll be a great time. Hopefully book two will end up being good though, because I’m currently deeply invested and am really rooting for their HEA
I think a big reason why I loved this book was because I went into it knowing what I was getting myself into. I feel like if I went in blind I might have found a few things to complain about - like how maybe it didn’t need to be a whole book on it’s own - or how it could have been a regular sized book and made into a full blown duet with a part one and a part two instead of a 0.5 and a one. I might have even wanted to complain about how it felt a little rushed because of the size of the book and how I would not have been upset if there were more details and build up… but I’m not gonna complain because I was very prepared for what I was getting myself into even knowing that everything I just said are things that would potentially bother me… I just wasn’t gonna let it 😉
So with that said, I knew this was basically just an extended prequal/short story as an opener to this series (it’s less than 170 pages) and I knew that it would be leaving off on a cliffhanger. I also read the synopsis for book two before starting this one so I even knew a little bit about where this one was going to leave off. Still was suprised when it all went down though
Either way, this definitely felt like a beginning to something that’s going to be so much more so I’m excited to jump straight into the second book and see how everything ends up playing out…
But overall it was pretty good. It gripped me right away, was super short and to the point but had just enough there to get me invested in the story and the characters. I think if you go into it with the right mindset then it’ll be a great time. Hopefully book two will end up being good though, because I’m currently deeply invested and am really rooting for their HEA
May 10, 2020
Well I can say with 100% certainty that I’ve found a new favorite series! Asher has his whole life ahead of him with goals and dreams and the girl he’s loved most of his life by his side...but then a curve ball is thrown and nothing is the same. I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting on Fighting for Us.....and I have no doubt that Grace will be the fighter in this book!
June 26, 2024
It was going well until I had less than an hour left on the audiobook, then all hell broke loose. Ridiculous is all I can say. One minute they were planning to get married and next minute disaster strikes. I stopped listening right there and then. Where is the HEA???
May 20, 2020
Protecting You is the first book in the Bailey Brothers series by Claire Kingsley. Although short, this book is a nice introduction to the Bailey family. It's also the start of Grace and Asher's story, which will continue in Fighting For Us.
Asher is the oldest of five brothers. After their parent's untimely death, they were taken in and raised by their grandparents. Only now it's just their Gram. Asher has been best friends with Grace since an early age. The two were pretty much inseparable growing up until they finished with high school. Grace then left town for college while Asher chose to stay in town. With so many miles between them, they slowly began to drift apart. That is, until she came home one Summer, and it was like no time had passed. But in the blink of an eye, tragedy struck, and nothing would never be the same.
I completely fell in love with these two along with the whole Bailey clan. Asher and Grace are just perfect together. The connection they share moves past age and boundaries as it delves into the realm of soulmates. If you're into friends-to-lover's romance, definitely pick this one up. Five stars for Grace, Asher and Protecting You!
Asher is the oldest of five brothers. After their parent's untimely death, they were taken in and raised by their grandparents. Only now it's just their Gram. Asher has been best friends with Grace since an early age. The two were pretty much inseparable growing up until they finished with high school. Grace then left town for college while Asher chose to stay in town. With so many miles between them, they slowly began to drift apart. That is, until she came home one Summer, and it was like no time had passed. But in the blink of an eye, tragedy struck, and nothing would never be the same.
I completely fell in love with these two along with the whole Bailey clan. Asher and Grace are just perfect together. The connection they share moves past age and boundaries as it delves into the realm of soulmates. If you're into friends-to-lover's romance, definitely pick this one up. Five stars for Grace, Asher and Protecting You!
January 16, 2023
I understand what this book was trying to do but I think it could’ve been a little bit more well developed. This book relied too heavily on the fact that Asher and Grace were friends first and therefore didn’t take enough time to develop their relationship. I felt too often that I was being told that they loved each other rather than seeing it for myself. Also, if you are going to read this book, know that it ends on a cliffhanger and DO NOT under any circumstances read the blurb of the next book before reading this one. I think my enjoyment was hindered by knowing the plot twist of this book from reading the blurb of the next one.
April 27, 2025
MEH. This book is shallow! I couldn’t even connect with the MCs. They lacked everything because all the important moments got skipped.
I hope the next book is better.
______
Safety:
— H (21) / h (20)
— Childhood friends/neighbors to lovers
— Small town
— Absent father (the h)
— The MCs have had feelings for each other for years but they never confessed or dated.
The h thought the H only saw her as a sister but he was actually afraid that if they dated and it didn’t work out! it would ruin their relationship and their families’ too—since they were all close. That’s why he never crossed the line from friendship.
— Dual virgins!
• The H was with a few girls. He didn't sleep with them but done other stuff with them 🙄 (give me a real virgin).
“I haven’t…” I hesitated, not sure how to say this. I’d never told anyone. “I’ve never actually done this. At least, not all of it.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. I’ve done… other stuff. And I tried a couple of times, but I stopped it before it got that far. Don’t get me wrong, I can. Everything works. It just never felt right.”
• The h had only two boyfriends (in college). She fooled around a bit with both of her exes but she never slept with them.
• Both of them had broken up with their exes a while before the book started. The h mentioned that she and her ex are still friends.
• We never see the MCs with other people in the book.
— OM : There was a scene near the end when OM harassed the h in a bar but the H took care of him. He came back and tried to assault the h but the H saved her at the last moment. A lot of problems happened after that (the H killed OM).
— No OW/Cheating
— The H is the one who pursues the relationship
— Separation for 7~8 years at the end of the book :
• The H went to jail and broke up with the h so she could move on (they were engaged).
• The h decided to wait for him (she’s still wearing her engagement ring).
• They’re both celibate.
— Cliffhanger
I hope the next book is better.
______
Safety:
— H (21) / h (20)
— Childhood friends/neighbors to lovers
— Small town
— Absent father (the h)
— The MCs have had feelings for each other for years but they never confessed or dated.
The h thought the H only saw her as a sister but he was actually afraid that if they dated and it didn’t work out! it would ruin their relationship and their families’ too—since they were all close. That’s why he never crossed the line from friendship.
— Dual virgins!
• The H was with a few girls. He didn't sleep with them but done other stuff with them 🙄 (give me a real virgin).
“I haven’t…” I hesitated, not sure how to say this. I’d never told anyone. “I’ve never actually done this. At least, not all of it.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. I’ve done… other stuff. And I tried a couple of times, but I stopped it before it got that far. Don’t get me wrong, I can. Everything works. It just never felt right.”
• The h had only two boyfriends (in college). She fooled around a bit with both of her exes but she never slept with them.
• Both of them had broken up with their exes a while before the book started. The h mentioned that she and her ex are still friends.
• We never see the MCs with other people in the book.
— OM : There was a scene near the end when OM harassed the h in a bar but the H took care of him. He came back and tried to assault the h but the H saved her at the last moment. A lot of problems happened after that (the H killed OM).
— No OW/Cheating
— The H is the one who pursues the relationship
— Separation for 7~8 years at the end of the book :
• The H went to jail and broke up with the h so she could move on (they were engaged).
• The h decided to wait for him (she’s still wearing her engagement ring).
• They’re both celibate.
— Cliffhanger
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2022
**3.5 Stars**
Protecting You was a great introduction to the Bailey brothers and their friends and family. It’s a childhood friends to lovers and soulmates. I got a good insight into Asher of course but also his siblings Evan, Logan, Levi and Gavin.
Asher and Grace have a strong bond and it’s inevitable for them not being together. Them dating and being each other’s firsts only strengthened the bond. I already knew the story would end with a cliffhanger so I wasn’t surprised. The premise for the next book and the conclusion of Asher and Grace’s story bodes well. It’s all because of intriguing characters with a strong family bond that has convinced to me to continue on with the series.
A great start to a new series.
3.5 Stars
Protecting You was a great introduction to the Bailey brothers and their friends and family. It’s a childhood friends to lovers and soulmates. I got a good insight into Asher of course but also his siblings Evan, Logan, Levi and Gavin.
Asher and Grace have a strong bond and it’s inevitable for them not being together. Them dating and being each other’s firsts only strengthened the bond. I already knew the story would end with a cliffhanger so I wasn’t surprised. The premise for the next book and the conclusion of Asher and Grace’s story bodes well. It’s all because of intriguing characters with a strong family bond that has convinced to me to continue on with the series.
A great start to a new series.
3.5 Stars
May 8, 2020
Whew. Talk about going through a ringer. This prequel/part 1 has it all. Great love, humor, family, anxiety, and heartbreak. Sometimes you have to take action for those you love. And there are consequences.
You know the innocent young love just won’t be the same when we come back to Asher and Grace. If you read the Miles family (highly recommended) you know Grace has the backbone to bring Asher back to life when he comes home. Can’t wait for book 2!!
You know the innocent young love just won’t be the same when we come back to Asher and Grace. If you read the Miles family (highly recommended) you know Grace has the backbone to bring Asher back to life when he comes home. Can’t wait for book 2!!
March 28, 2022
I went back to the beginning. I hadn't read Grace and Asher's story yet and I am so happy to be hearing their love story.
This was a tough little novella to start with. Doesn't have an HEA, but it was an interesting start.
Let's see what Grace and Asher do once they get another chance.
4 Stars
1.5 on the spice scale.
This was a tough little novella to start with. Doesn't have an HEA, but it was an interesting start.
Let's see what Grace and Asher do once they get another chance.
4 Stars
1.5 on the spice scale.
did-not-finish
July 13, 2024DNF. Cliffhanger and no hea. The story is continued in the next book but I don’t like stories where one of the main characters life is ruined DURING the story. Sorry, nope. Not for me. Skipping the first two and jumped to the third book in the series.
May 30, 2020
Ready for the next book. This is everything that fans of Claire Kingsley are looking for to set up this new series to dive head first into.
There you go. What more do you want?
Okay fine. Let's talk series, series cross-over, tears, and other reader expectations.
Do you have to read the Miles Family series before this one? No. But you would be dumb not to. Let's say you choose no. This is the origin story of the Bailey family and the town of Tilikum. Here we learn about all those little known facts and inside jokes so we will feel part of the family once the series takes off. HOWEVER, there will be a cross over from the Miles connection and you will be sad you don't know that family. Let's avoid that unnecessary drama and read the Miles Family first.
Tears? Nope, not heavy angst or ugly cry here. This story ends at the point where you know (because you took my advice above) this was coming. I wasn't sad but more excited for where this story is going. However, I can see if you didn't take my advice above and start here, I can see this book would leave you forlorn. But trust the romance. We are getting book 2 soon and all the joyful HEA our reader hearts come to expect.
My advice- Grab a copy, a glass of favorite reading drink and spend a few hours to indulge in the start of another family of love stories.
Recommendation: Read It
Review Update after Book 2 can be found HERE
There you go. What more do you want?
Okay fine. Let's talk series, series cross-over, tears, and other reader expectations.
Do you have to read the Miles Family series before this one? No. But you would be dumb not to. Let's say you choose no. This is the origin story of the Bailey family and the town of Tilikum. Here we learn about all those little known facts and inside jokes so we will feel part of the family once the series takes off. HOWEVER, there will be a cross over from the Miles connection and you will be sad you don't know that family. Let's avoid that unnecessary drama and read the Miles Family first.
Tears? Nope, not heavy angst or ugly cry here. This story ends at the point where you know (because you took my advice above) this was coming. I wasn't sad but more excited for where this story is going. However, I can see if you didn't take my advice above and start here, I can see this book would leave you forlorn. But trust the romance. We are getting book 2 soon and all the joyful HEA our reader hearts come to expect.
My advice- Grab a copy, a glass of favorite reading drink and spend a few hours to indulge in the start of another family of love stories.
Recommendation: Read It
Review Update after Book 2 can be found HERE
January 15, 2022
The majority of the book was… cute? Boring?
Idk. All I know is that this book contained a trope I find hard to enjoy. I‘m not a huge fan of friends to lovers, that’s probably because I didn‘t like this book, as much as I could‘ve.
The plottwist was actually unpredictable. How could I’ve known that something like that would happen.
As for this I‘m a sucker for stuff like this happening in romance books and I don‘t even know why. Without this bit of action/ mystery whatever that was, this book would have been a one star book.
Idk. All I know is that this book contained a trope I find hard to enjoy. I‘m not a huge fan of friends to lovers, that’s probably because I didn‘t like this book, as much as I could‘ve.
The plottwist was actually unpredictable. How could I’ve known that something like that would happen.
As for this I‘m a sucker for stuff like this happening in romance books and I don‘t even know why. Without this bit of action/ mystery whatever that was, this book would have been a one star book.
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