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Bailey Brothers #6
Rewriting the Stars
Firefighter Levi Bailey is used to being alone. Not that he’s lonely. How could he be, with a band of unruly brothers, and their wives and growing families. Maybe he’s the odd man out. The one brother who isn’t destined to be with his soulmate.
Besides, he has her.
She’s his Juliet, the only woman in the world he can’t ever have. To an outsider, it probably seems crazy. But the Tilikum town feud is no joke—especially now—and Annika Haven is strictly forbidden.
Annika Haven never expected to be back in her hometown, let alone as a single mom with two jobs. Add in a pack of overprotective brothers, a brewing family crisis, and a gossipy, feuding town on the brink of chaos, and life gets complicated.
But at least she has him.
He’s her Romeo, a son of the enemy. He makes her smile on her worst days. Yet, despite his brooding sex appeal, the one thing she cannot do is fall for Levi Bailey. They’re just friends and that’s the way it has to stay.
But after months of secret texts and stolen glances, one soul-stealing kiss changes everything. And Levi Bailey is about to do the impossible.
Defy the feud.
Author’s note: an intense hero who relentlessly pursues what he wants and a single mom with a tender heart. Small-town shenanigans, a hundred-year-old mystery, a riot of crazy brothers, enough heat to melt your Kindle (and your ovaries) and the biggest, heart-burstingest, happily ever after you’ve been waiting for.
The Bailey Brothers series is meant to be read in order. Start with book one, Protecting You.
Besides, he has her.
She’s his Juliet, the only woman in the world he can’t ever have. To an outsider, it probably seems crazy. But the Tilikum town feud is no joke—especially now—and Annika Haven is strictly forbidden.
Annika Haven never expected to be back in her hometown, let alone as a single mom with two jobs. Add in a pack of overprotective brothers, a brewing family crisis, and a gossipy, feuding town on the brink of chaos, and life gets complicated.
But at least she has him.
He’s her Romeo, a son of the enemy. He makes her smile on her worst days. Yet, despite his brooding sex appeal, the one thing she cannot do is fall for Levi Bailey. They’re just friends and that’s the way it has to stay.
But after months of secret texts and stolen glances, one soul-stealing kiss changes everything. And Levi Bailey is about to do the impossible.
Defy the feud.
Author’s note: an intense hero who relentlessly pursues what he wants and a single mom with a tender heart. Small-town shenanigans, a hundred-year-old mystery, a riot of crazy brothers, enough heat to melt your Kindle (and your ovaries) and the biggest, heart-burstingest, happily ever after you’ve been waiting for.
The Bailey Brothers series is meant to be read in order. Start with book one, Protecting You.
503 pages, ebook
First published March 10, 2022
6623 people are currently reading
11456 people want to read
About the author
Claire Kingsley
81 books12.4k 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 1,455 reviews
August 3, 2023
4.75stars.
I wanted to obsess about a good series and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest to pick up 'The Bailey Brothers'.Just sad I devoured it so fast
and when I say I enjoyed it so much it’s an euphemism! I loved everything, even the squirrel!
first Gram Bailey, she carried the series and was this seventy something badass who had a sixth sens and knew EVERYTHING. I absolutely loved her character and relationships with each grandson and appreciated the diversity that her personage and aboriginal ethnicity added to the plot and to the Bailey family’s dynamics.
secondly, the mystery around the feud and the Montgomery treasure was pulled cleverly; the chronology of events in each book and what happened to each main characters in their own books were all masterly drawn schemes to the PERFECT ending.
In this book the references to Romeo and Juliette were thrown here and there, but it was fitting. Annika was a Haven and Levi a Bailey. Their families had been ENNEMIS for generations, hence the feud.
they defied the odds and became friends in High school more like “pen pals ”. maybe a little sneak peak at their correspondence back then would’ve been a good start for the book. they fell in love pretty much quickly and I was excepting a slow burn but anyway that wasn’t all of a sudden kind of story and the insta lovely situation wasn’t impromptu. Annika had a little boy and I loved his relationship with Levi but there wasn’t a lot of depth to it. there was a lot going plot wise so it was sort of understandable that the relationship between the son and the love interest wasn’t a lot explored like i wished.
Anyway this Bailey was no exception, I loved him as much as his brothers. And I’m sooo excited for the Haven series to come out !!!!!
❛ I wasn’t her Romeo. Turns out, I was something better. Romeo and Juliet had died tragically. But star-crossed lovers we were not. We’d rewritten the stars. ❜
I wanted to obsess about a good series and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest to pick up 'The Bailey Brothers'.
and when I say I enjoyed it so much it’s an euphemism! I loved everything, even the squirrel!
first Gram Bailey, she carried the series and was this seventy something badass who had a sixth sens and knew EVERYTHING. I absolutely loved her character and relationships with each grandson and appreciated the diversity that her personage and aboriginal ethnicity added to the plot and to the Bailey family’s dynamics.
secondly, the mystery around the feud and the Montgomery treasure was pulled cleverly; the chronology of events in each book and what happened to each main characters in their own books were all masterly drawn schemes to the PERFECT ending.
"I was a Bailey in love with a Haven."
In this book the references to Romeo and Juliette were thrown here and there, but it was fitting. Annika was a Haven and Levi a Bailey. Their families had been ENNEMIS for generations, hence the feud.
"We were just friends, but even that was forbidden according to the rules of the feud."
they defied the odds and became friends in High school more like “pen pals ”. maybe a little sneak peak at their correspondence back then would’ve been a good start for the book. they fell in love pretty much quickly and I was excepting a slow burn but anyway that wasn’t all of a sudden kind of story and the insta lovely situation wasn’t impromptu. Annika had a little boy and I loved his relationship with Levi but there wasn’t a lot of depth to it. there was a lot going plot wise so it was sort of understandable that the relationship between the son and the love interest wasn’t a lot explored like i wished.
Anyway this Bailey was no exception, I loved him as much as his brothers. And I’m sooo excited for the Haven series to come out !!!!!
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March 10, 2022It's TIME!
The epic conclusion to the Bailey Brothers series, Rewriting the Stars, is available!
Firefighter Levi Bailey is used to being alone. Not that he’s lonely. How could he be, with a band of unruly brothers, and their wives and growing families. Maybe he’s the odd man out. The one brother who isn’t destined to be with his soulmate.
Besides, he has her.
She’s his Juliet, the only woman in the world he can’t ever have. To an outsider, it probably seems crazy. But the Tilikum town feud is no joke—especially now—and Annika Haven is strictly forbidden.
Annika Haven never expected to be back in her hometown, let alone as a single mom with two jobs. Add in a pack of overprotective brothers, a brewing family crisis, and a gossipy, feuding town on the brink of chaos, and life gets complicated.
But at least she has him.
He’s her Romeo, a son of the enemy. He makes her smile on her worst days. Yet, despite his brooding sex appeal, the one thing she cannot do is fall for Levi Bailey. They’re just friends and that’s the way it has to stay.
But after months of secret texts and stolen glances, one soul-stealing kiss changes everything. And Levi Bailey is about to do the impossible.
Defy the feud.
Author’s note: an intense hero who relentlessly pursues what he wants and a single mom with a tender heart. Small-town shenanigans, a hundred-year-old mystery, a riot of crazy brothers, enough heat to melt your Kindle (and your ovaries), and the biggest, heart-burstingest, happily ever after you’ve been waiting for.
Rewriting the Stars is available on Amazon (in both paperback and ebook) and is in Kindle Unlimited. The audiobook is coming later this spring and stay tuned for a huge announcement about audio. You're going to LOVE it.
Happy binge reading!
The epic conclusion to the Bailey Brothers series, Rewriting the Stars, is available!
Firefighter Levi Bailey is used to being alone. Not that he’s lonely. How could he be, with a band of unruly brothers, and their wives and growing families. Maybe he’s the odd man out. The one brother who isn’t destined to be with his soulmate.
Besides, he has her.
She’s his Juliet, the only woman in the world he can’t ever have. To an outsider, it probably seems crazy. But the Tilikum town feud is no joke—especially now—and Annika Haven is strictly forbidden.
Annika Haven never expected to be back in her hometown, let alone as a single mom with two jobs. Add in a pack of overprotective brothers, a brewing family crisis, and a gossipy, feuding town on the brink of chaos, and life gets complicated.
But at least she has him.
He’s her Romeo, a son of the enemy. He makes her smile on her worst days. Yet, despite his brooding sex appeal, the one thing she cannot do is fall for Levi Bailey. They’re just friends and that’s the way it has to stay.
But after months of secret texts and stolen glances, one soul-stealing kiss changes everything. And Levi Bailey is about to do the impossible.
Defy the feud.
Author’s note: an intense hero who relentlessly pursues what he wants and a single mom with a tender heart. Small-town shenanigans, a hundred-year-old mystery, a riot of crazy brothers, enough heat to melt your Kindle (and your ovaries), and the biggest, heart-burstingest, happily ever after you’ve been waiting for.
Rewriting the Stars is available on Amazon (in both paperback and ebook) and is in Kindle Unlimited. The audiobook is coming later this spring and stay tuned for a huge announcement about audio. You're going to LOVE it.
Happy binge reading!
March 10, 2022
The prefect end to the best small town romance series!
Full of love, laughter, heat, action and the most epic HEA ever!!
Full of love, laughter, heat, action and the most epic HEA ever!!
December 24, 2022
2.25 ⭐️
This book started out really strong for me but unfortunately once it started going downhill, it went down quick. I have a thing for relationships that initially start via texting, so I was really liking how their story was being set up.. and the situation that’s keeping them apart has been building up throughout the whole series so I really liked that we got a romance that was particularly touching upon that whole aspect…
But once the heavy Romeo and Juliet references started coming into play… it started to feel very cringy/corny to me. A masquerade ball / him throwing rocks at her window and kissing her on the balcony / her jumping out of his window… They’re 30 years old - not 15… Idk. I wasn’t into it and I didn’t love how much the story was directly playing into the retelling.
Then we hit the midpoint of the book and I feel like they jumped to being madly in love way too quickly and I started to really check out on caring for the romance at that point (which in turn made me check out on caring about everything else that was going on as well). It started feeling repetitive and much longer than it needed to be and it was almost as if the romance was over halfway through the book and now it was taking a back seat so we can jam in a ton of stuff to officially be able to finish out the series (like the treasure mystery and town drama stuff… as well as leaving crumbs for her next series which I’m assuming is gonna be about the Haven brothers based off how much unnecessary details we got about all of them).
I also felt like our two main characters weren’t flushed out enough. I wanted a bit more from them other than basic characteristics to give them the slightest amount of personality - plus, I felt like their dialogue was very off. Something about it felt too basic to me and it had no oomph to it at all. Also I wish the story played more into the whole single mom thing… i feel like it could have done a bit more with that element.
There were still aspects that I enjoyed about the story and series overall - but all of the books after Grace and Asher’s ended up being very meh for me and I wouldn’t have minded if I just read their story (which I lovedddd) and then stopped myself there.
And on a side note… the way that their secret relationship got found out had my eyes rolling so hard... as well as the whole ending to the town feud/mystery thing - Idk… it all felt a bit OTT to me - I thought it was a cute storyline to follow throughout all the books but by the end of this one I just really didn’t care anymore.
Favorite part of the series though was Grams and her nickname thing… as well as the squirrels 🐿️.
This book started out really strong for me but unfortunately once it started going downhill, it went down quick. I have a thing for relationships that initially start via texting, so I was really liking how their story was being set up.. and the situation that’s keeping them apart has been building up throughout the whole series so I really liked that we got a romance that was particularly touching upon that whole aspect…
But once the heavy Romeo and Juliet references started coming into play… it started to feel very cringy/corny to me. A masquerade ball / him throwing rocks at her window and kissing her on the balcony / her jumping out of his window… They’re 30 years old - not 15… Idk. I wasn’t into it and I didn’t love how much the story was directly playing into the retelling.
Then we hit the midpoint of the book and I feel like they jumped to being madly in love way too quickly and I started to really check out on caring for the romance at that point (which in turn made me check out on caring about everything else that was going on as well). It started feeling repetitive and much longer than it needed to be and it was almost as if the romance was over halfway through the book and now it was taking a back seat so we can jam in a ton of stuff to officially be able to finish out the series (like the treasure mystery and town drama stuff… as well as leaving crumbs for her next series which I’m assuming is gonna be about the Haven brothers based off how much unnecessary details we got about all of them).
I also felt like our two main characters weren’t flushed out enough. I wanted a bit more from them other than basic characteristics to give them the slightest amount of personality - plus, I felt like their dialogue was very off. Something about it felt too basic to me and it had no oomph to it at all. Also I wish the story played more into the whole single mom thing… i feel like it could have done a bit more with that element.
There were still aspects that I enjoyed about the story and series overall - but all of the books after Grace and Asher’s ended up being very meh for me and I wouldn’t have minded if I just read their story (which I lovedddd) and then stopped myself there.
And on a side note… the way that their secret relationship got found out had my eyes rolling so hard... as well as the whole ending to the town feud/mystery thing - Idk… it all felt a bit OTT to me - I thought it was a cute storyline to follow throughout all the books but by the end of this one I just really didn’t care anymore.
Favorite part of the series though was Grams and her nickname thing… as well as the squirrels 🐿️.
March 11, 2022
Wild and crazy and full of adventures and finally some answers to questions we've had this whole.
This really is the best small town Romance series I may have ever read.
********************************************************
Okay, it is the next morning now and I want to actually write a better review, instead of just my late night ramblings.
I think CK has something so special with this series and I am so glad she had strength to come back to writing and give us this finale. I also can't wait to see what she does next, hopefully the Havens like we think.
I enjoyed this Romeo and Juliet tale of two children who are supposed to be enemies but instead become friends. They are parted by life and college and now they have been communicating and being friends on the down low. While their families feud and things slowly escalate.
Annika and Levi are tired of the drama between their families and they have tried to push down their feelings because they knew nothing could come of it. But why? what really is the center of this feud that has lasted 100 years? Is it really reason enough for things to be the way they are?
But like every good Bailey man, once he sets his sights and is sure of his feelings, nothing will stop him. Nothing will keep him back from getting what he wants. Feud, brothers, and town be damned. And that really is the strength of this series as a whole, the brothers who fall in deep and the family connection that supports them when they do.
The connection between Levi and Annika was the strongest part of this book for me. They are a true love and it is so beautiful. The steam in this one was a little lack-luster for me in comparison to previous books, and that was sad.
Now, the main thing that kept this from being a 6 star book for me, because I really wanted it to be. Was how the feud and the treasure mystery all played out... I was just expecting a bit more and the clues and the abrupt end to everything was a bit too much. And the mystery was so well down through the rest of the series, so this was a bit of a let down.
But again, the family and the romance and the sweet and warm feelings I had with the ending were enough to win me over. I do still stand by that this is one of my favorite Small Town Romance series either.
5 stars
3 on the spice scale
This really is the best small town Romance series I may have ever read.
********************************************************
Okay, it is the next morning now and I want to actually write a better review, instead of just my late night ramblings.
I think CK has something so special with this series and I am so glad she had strength to come back to writing and give us this finale. I also can't wait to see what she does next, hopefully the Havens like we think.
I enjoyed this Romeo and Juliet tale of two children who are supposed to be enemies but instead become friends. They are parted by life and college and now they have been communicating and being friends on the down low. While their families feud and things slowly escalate.
Annika and Levi are tired of the drama between their families and they have tried to push down their feelings because they knew nothing could come of it. But why? what really is the center of this feud that has lasted 100 years? Is it really reason enough for things to be the way they are?
But like every good Bailey man, once he sets his sights and is sure of his feelings, nothing will stop him. Nothing will keep him back from getting what he wants. Feud, brothers, and town be damned. And that really is the strength of this series as a whole, the brothers who fall in deep and the family connection that supports them when they do.
The connection between Levi and Annika was the strongest part of this book for me. They are a true love and it is so beautiful. The steam in this one was a little lack-luster for me in comparison to previous books, and that was sad.
Now, the main thing that kept this from being a 6 star book for me, because I really wanted it to be. Was how the feud and the treasure mystery all played out... I was just expecting a bit more and the clues and the abrupt end to everything was a bit too much. And the mystery was so well down through the rest of the series, so this was a bit of a let down.
But again, the family and the romance and the sweet and warm feelings I had with the ending were enough to win me over. I do still stand by that this is one of my favorite Small Town Romance series either.
5 stars
3 on the spice scale
March 5, 2022
I finished this book last night and I’ve been turning it over in my mind since then. This is retelling of Romeo and Juliet romance style with a HEA. But it’s so much more than just that. For those that don’t know, Ms. Kingsley suffered a tragic personal loss last year when she was writing this book. I only bring this up because I do feel this impacted this book. The characters in the book show amazing strength and perseverance, which is a reflection of anyone who has suffered a personal tragedy and is working through the struggle. I have my own experiences with loss and what truly resonated with me was the realization by the characters that whatever struggle you face it isn’t about making the struggle easier or more bearable but figuring out what makes the struggle worth it. While reading this book I laughed, cried, nibbled on my thumbnail with minor anxiety and cried some more. There is just something about reading a book that makes you feel like the author understands life and you, as a person and a reader. A book that can make you feel all the emotions of the characters because they are deep and real. Rewriting The Stars is all that and more. Relationships, friendships, passion so intense your heart pounds. It’s all here in this amazing journey of a book. Ms. Kingsley’s dedication to her craft and her understanding of true love shines through in every word. Thank you Ms. Kingsley for not giving up on this story. We needed Levi and Annika. Thank you for sharing a bit of yourself with us. Thank you for Rewriting The Stars, in every sense of the word.
March 5, 2022
Did Levi and Annika just take the spot of my favorite Bailey couple from Evan and Fiona? Yes, yes they did.
This book was well worth the wait. This star-crossed lovers romance between Annika Haven and Levi Bailey is EVERYTHING. I fell so hard for these two and Annika’s son, Thomas. This book made me laugh, cry, and everything in between. It answered every question I had during this series. It was honestly the perfect series ending. Claire also did a great job of setting up her future series about the Haven brothers.
I left this review purposely vague because I don’t want to spoil a single thing. Read this series (in order!) and prepare to fall in love!
This book was well worth the wait. This star-crossed lovers romance between Annika Haven and Levi Bailey is EVERYTHING. I fell so hard for these two and Annika’s son, Thomas. This book made me laugh, cry, and everything in between. It answered every question I had during this series. It was honestly the perfect series ending. Claire also did a great job of setting up her future series about the Haven brothers.
I left this review purposely vague because I don’t want to spoil a single thing. Read this series (in order!) and prepare to fall in love!
August 5, 2023
Single Mom
Small Town
Forbidden Love.
Es el último libro de la serie de los hermanos Bailey y los voy a extrañar mucho.
Y toca el turno al único hermano soltero el gemelo más serio e introvertido Levi y su protagonista es Annika Haven.
Imagínense que viven en un pueblo donde todos se conocen y hay una rivalidad de años con otra familia no se pueden ni ver y hasta tienen sus propios sitios en definitiva no se pueden cruzar y se la pasan haciéndose bromas pesadas todo el tiempo.
Ahora tu perteneces a una de esas familias y te enamoras de un miembro que pertenece a la otra familia ¿Qué harías?
Pues justo es la trama de este libro Annika y Levi se hicieron amigos desde que estaban en la High School por mensajes de texto nunca quisieron cruzar la línea, años después ella está de vuelta en el pueblo y se vuelven a mandar mensajes pero ahora la amistad se hace más profunda y la atracción crece, se ven el pueblo, se echan miradas pero por miedo a sus familias y que ahora la rivalidad escaló más allá a casi odiarse, es imposible para ellos dar un paso más.
Llega el momento que ya sus sentimientos los rebasan que dicen FUCK IT lo vamos a intentar.
Si me gustó mucho el libro, yo estaba que me moría de los nervios por saber cómo iban a resolver todo y de paso el misterio de la historia de como se originó el conflicto entre familias que se viene desarrollando desde el primer libro, los accidentes que han sufrido aquí tenía que resolverse y concluir.
El romance fue muy bonito, me gustó que fueron muy claros con sus sentimientos desde el principio, nunca hubo dudas, ni decirse te amo por temor a no ser correspondidos como surge en los Friends to Lovers.
Me hubiera gustado que nos mostraran más escenas de Levi con Thomas porque las que tuvimos fueron muy tiernas y yo amo los libros con niños.
De lo que más disfruté fueron los epílogos todos teniendo su HEA, extendiendo su familia.
Me gustaría con todo mi corazón que los Haven tengan su serie.
PD: Nunca una nota de una autora me había destrozado tanto como ésta. Claire narra como perdió a su esposo cuando estaba escribiendo éste libro. Fue el amor de su vida estuvieron juntos desde que tenían 15 años se casaron tuvieron hijos es como un final triste de un libro pero así es la vida real y me puso triste.
Small Town
Forbidden Love.
Es el último libro de la serie de los hermanos Bailey y los voy a extrañar mucho.
Y toca el turno al único hermano soltero el gemelo más serio e introvertido Levi y su protagonista es Annika Haven.
Imagínense que viven en un pueblo donde todos se conocen y hay una rivalidad de años con otra familia no se pueden ni ver y hasta tienen sus propios sitios en definitiva no se pueden cruzar y se la pasan haciéndose bromas pesadas todo el tiempo.
Ahora tu perteneces a una de esas familias y te enamoras de un miembro que pertenece a la otra familia ¿Qué harías?
Pues justo es la trama de este libro Annika y Levi se hicieron amigos desde que estaban en la High School por mensajes de texto nunca quisieron cruzar la línea, años después ella está de vuelta en el pueblo y se vuelven a mandar mensajes pero ahora la amistad se hace más profunda y la atracción crece, se ven el pueblo, se echan miradas pero por miedo a sus familias y que ahora la rivalidad escaló más allá a casi odiarse, es imposible para ellos dar un paso más.
Llega el momento que ya sus sentimientos los rebasan que dicen FUCK IT lo vamos a intentar.
Si me gustó mucho el libro, yo estaba que me moría de los nervios por saber cómo iban a resolver todo y de paso el misterio de la historia de como se originó el conflicto entre familias que se viene desarrollando desde el primer libro, los accidentes que han sufrido aquí tenía que resolverse y concluir.
El romance fue muy bonito, me gustó que fueron muy claros con sus sentimientos desde el principio, nunca hubo dudas, ni decirse te amo por temor a no ser correspondidos como surge en los Friends to Lovers.
Me hubiera gustado que nos mostraran más escenas de Levi con Thomas porque las que tuvimos fueron muy tiernas y yo amo los libros con niños.
De lo que más disfruté fueron los epílogos todos teniendo su HEA, extendiendo su familia.
Me gustaría con todo mi corazón que los Haven tengan su serie.
PD: Nunca una nota de una autora me había destrozado tanto como ésta. Claire narra como perdió a su esposo cuando estaba escribiendo éste libro. Fue el amor de su vida estuvieron juntos desde que tenían 15 años se casaron tuvieron hijos es como un final triste de un libro pero así es la vida real y me puso triste.
April 18, 2022
4🌟
I had a feeling this will end up being my fav from the whole series and i wasn't wrong. I couldn't wait to read about Levi and Anika forbidden love story since the previous book and it didn't disappoint.
I don't know whats up with me and star-crossed lovers lately but i'm obsessed with this trope.
Levi is def my fav Bailey brother. He is so sweet, thoughtful but at the same time so intense and possesive. 😍 his dirty talk had me blushing.
Anika was also such a strong fierce h, i loved her.
My fav part was probably seeing the 2 families coming together and leaving the feud behind. Their banter and pranks were hilarious.
I'd say my least fav part was how quickly their relationship progressed, i'd liked more build up but since this was the last book and a lot of things needed wrapping up i kinda get why their relationship was so quick and tbh it didn't bothered me that much.🤷♀️
and that epilogue was so sweet and wholesome.🥺🥺🥺 seeing all of them with their kids was so precious, i'm sucker for cute kids.🥺
i'm gonna miss the bailey brothers but can't wait for the haven brothers now.😌
I had a feeling this will end up being my fav from the whole series and i wasn't wrong. I couldn't wait to read about Levi and Anika forbidden love story since the previous book and it didn't disappoint.
I don't know whats up with me and star-crossed lovers lately but i'm obsessed with this trope.
Levi is def my fav Bailey brother. He is so sweet, thoughtful but at the same time so intense and possesive. 😍 his dirty talk had me blushing.
Anika was also such a strong fierce h, i loved her.
My fav part was probably seeing the 2 families coming together and leaving the feud behind. Their banter and pranks were hilarious.
I'd say my least fav part was how quickly their relationship progressed, i'd liked more build up but since this was the last book and a lot of things needed wrapping up i kinda get why their relationship was so quick and tbh it didn't bothered me that much.🤷♀️
and that epilogue was so sweet and wholesome.🥺🥺🥺 seeing all of them with their kids was so precious, i'm sucker for cute kids.🥺
i'm gonna miss the bailey brothers but can't wait for the haven brothers now.😌
September 18, 2022
~~“Annika and I had stayed and fought. And I liked to think the entire town was better for it. Love had officially won.”
~~ “We’d done it. We’d defied the odds by defying the feud. A Haven had become a Bailey.”
<><> Story Overview <><>
^^ ~ Levi is a Bailey. Annika is a Haven. And the two shall NEVER mix - or so their families have thought for a hundred years.
~~Levi: “I wasn’t supposed to be friends with Annika Haven. It went directly against the rules of the feud. And in a town where loyalty was everything, I was careful to make sure no one ever found out.”
~~Annika: “Levi Bailey and I were not supposed to be friends. I wasn’t supposed to know him, or talk to him, or secretly text him whenever I needed to smile. Because he always made me smile.”
This all started when Levi and Annika were paired together for a high school English project
~~ “We’d first become friends—secretly, of course—in high school. We’d been in the same English class senior year and our teacher had assigned anonymous critique partners.
Outside the constraints of normal teenage social interaction, we’d started opening up to each other. Our notes had become increasingly personal.
And then one day, there was a phone number on the back of one of my papers. I’d sent a text. He’d immediately replied. And our conversations had gone from sporadic messages on our assignments to daily texts.
A few weeks later, when I’d come into English class and started looking around the room—more curious than ever as to the identity of my secret friend—Levi Bailey met my eyes and winked.
My heart still fluttered at the memory of that wink. That moment when I’d realized it was him. It had been both exhilarating and sad. Because I knew that no matter how much I liked him, it could never be more than what we already had—a secret friendship of anonymous notes and texts.”
Levi and Annika lost touch for a few years when Annika moved away. She returned home when she was pregnant and about a year ago Levi reached out to Annika via text to see how she was doing. They’ve been texting ever since.
It’s clear Levi and Annika have strong feelings for each other, but the family feud isn’t something they can just ignore.
~~ “Disloyalty was a mortal sin in Tilikum. Dating the enemy would be unforgivable.”
~~ “As much as I wanted to say fuck the consequences, the consequences were real and would affect her, too. I couldn’t charge in headfirst, defying the feud, and expect it to turn out well for either of us.”
Thankfully Levi and Annika find their HEA, but mending the century old rift between these families was not an easy task for these two.
Overall - this was a great ending to the Bailey Brothers series ❤️
~~ “I wasn’t her Romeo. Turns out, I was something better. Romeo and Juliet had died tragically. But star-crossed lovers we were not. We’d rewritten the stars. Annika and I were going to live happily ever after, together with our beautiful children. And yeah, they were going to grow up in a crazy town with nosy neighbors, tall tales, and ridiculous pranks between the two sides of their family. But it was also a town where they were surrounded by people who knew their stories and loved them fiercely.”
<><> Characters <><>
Hero: Levi Bailey (aka Lynx)
~ Age: 29
~ Occupation: firefighter
~ Levi (and his identical twin Logan) are the 3rd and 4th brothers in the Bailey family. Levi has a very close relationship with his family, but he is a little less outgoing than some of the others. He likes his alone time and the quiet peacefulness when he’s not surrounded by the Bailey chaos. Lately he’s been feeling alone, left out (he’s the last Bailey without a significant other) and he’s been in a pissed off, dark mood.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Levi: serious, quiet, angry, grouchy, cynical, keeps to himself, has a temper, not one to start shit, stays in the background, neat
~ “Darkness ate at me. It whispered from the empty place in my soul, mocking me. You’re alone. And you always will be.”
Heroine: Annika Haven (aka Dove)
~ Age: 28
~ Occupation: works part time for her brother Luke at his garage and also helps manage properties for her other brother Josiah
~ Annika is the youngest in the family and has six overprotective half brothers. She moved away after high school, but an unplanned pregnancy and a jerk of a boyfriend (who dumped her) brought her back home to Tilikum. She is a single mom to 2 1/2 yr old Thomas.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Annika: peacemaker, has a crafting addiction (bring out the glitter, sequins and glue guns 😉)), fantastic mother
~ “The weight of being the sole parent was especially heavy on days like today. I knew sometimes kids threw tantrums, but had I handled it properly? Was I doing the right things? Making the right decisions? He was my kid, and it was my responsibility to raise him. How he turned out was going to be on me, for better or worse. I loved him so much I’d die for him. But there was no denying that doing this alone was hard. Even with my family here to support me.”
<><> A Few Thoughts <><>
^^ ~ I’m glad there was never a point where Levi and Annika gave up on each other or their relationship. They knew what they wanted and neither family was going to stand in their way.
^^ ~ cute kid alert….was it a bit cheesy and over the top Thomas said “cock” instead of truck? Sure. Did I love it and laugh anyway - absolutely!
~~“Big cock,” Thomas said, pointing to the fire engine.
Levi raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, that’s a big truck,” I said, emphasizing the words.
“We-vi’s cock?” he asked.
I cleared my throat, trying not to laugh. “Um, yes, Levi drives in that big truck.”
“We-vi’s big cock,” he said and nodded gravely.
Levi smiled and pressed his lips together, like he was trying as hard as I was to keep from laughing.
“Thanks, buddy.” “Gotta love toddler language,” I said.
^^ ~ I really enjoyed life in Tilikum. The pranks, the squirrels, the mystery, the feud, the hot Bailey brothers and their perfect female counterparts, and of course Gram. Can I please be adopted?? 😀
^^ ~ I don’t have any complaints with how the mystery of the Montgomery treasure resolved itself. I was leaning toward that culprit anyway, but just wasn’t sure why.
^^ ~ in this series, there wasn’t a single Hero /heroine that I didn’t love. No one disappointed me. Each book I read I was sure that was my favorite couple. Then I read the next book and I was sure nothing could top that couple. And so it went for each book. So I can’t say which I loved best because all were awesome.
^^ ~ I wasn’t too sure about the Haven brothers - especially Zach. He seemed like a total asshole. But, by the end of the book they grew on me. I’m sure I’ll read their stories at some point.
^^ ~ the Epilogue - perfect
^^ ~ the bonus Epilogue (if you sign up for Claire’s newsletter). OMG - absolute perfection!!! Asher finally, finally, finally gets his life long dream!! I teared up. ❤️And, the splitting of the piece of gum—talk about a full circle moment. 💞. I’ve read this short little add in twice - and I just might go read it again. 😍
<><> The Basics <><>
- Content Warning: kidnapping (a child and an adult, resolved quickly)
- Setting: Tilikum, Washington
- Do you need to read previous books in series?: Yes. This is a series you need to read in order. All the supporting characters were introduced in the previous books and this story continues to build on the dynamics of the brothers established in the prior books, their families, the Tilikum feud and a few town mysteries
- POV: Dual POV
- Tropes: Romeo/Juliet (feuding family), single mom
- Hero likable? yes.
- heroine likable? yes.
- h virgin? No
- First time they kiss: 20%
- First time they sleep together: 44%
- Safe sex? Yes. Condoms were used. Later (after the all important safety discussion) no condoms used
- First time they say I Love You: 44%
- steamy? Yes. Descriptive bedroom scenes
- Chemistry? great chemistry
- OW/OM drama? No
- H/h cheat? No
- Time apart? No
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? the family finds out about Levi & Annika around 53%
- Did I cry? No
- Did I laugh? yes. Thomas is a cute toddler
- Did I swoon🥰? Yes. Levi had some swoony moments - especially with little Lynx (aka Thomas)
- Cliffhanger? No
- HEA? Yes
- Epilogue? 9 months later
- Recommend? Yes. ALL the previous books in this series have been 4 stars. My other reviews:
Book 1: Protecting You
Book 2: Fighting For Us
Book 3: Unraveling Him
Book 4: Rushing In
Book 5: Chasing Her Fire
<><> Quotes <><>
“I realized something as I stared at her. I wanted Annika Haven. I’d wanted her for a very long time. This feeling inside me wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t going to meet someone else. I wasn’t going to get over her. And if that was the case, I had a decision to make. So I made it.
Fuck the feud.”
“There was glitter everywhere. I did my best to keep it contained, but everyone knew glitter was the herpes of the craft world.”
“The feud keeps going because we keep it going. The only way it’s ever going to change is if someone defies it and shows the rest of the town that it can be defied. The space time continuum won’t break down if Havens and Baileys stop hating each other.”
“It felt like I was on a train, racing toward a cliff with no bridge.”
“Often when our hearts yearn for a new beginning, it’s best to let them have their way.”
~~ “We’d done it. We’d defied the odds by defying the feud. A Haven had become a Bailey.”
<><> Story Overview <><>
^^ ~ Levi is a Bailey. Annika is a Haven. And the two shall NEVER mix - or so their families have thought for a hundred years.
~~Levi: “I wasn’t supposed to be friends with Annika Haven. It went directly against the rules of the feud. And in a town where loyalty was everything, I was careful to make sure no one ever found out.”
~~Annika: “Levi Bailey and I were not supposed to be friends. I wasn’t supposed to know him, or talk to him, or secretly text him whenever I needed to smile. Because he always made me smile.”
This all started when Levi and Annika were paired together for a high school English project
~~ “We’d first become friends—secretly, of course—in high school. We’d been in the same English class senior year and our teacher had assigned anonymous critique partners.
Outside the constraints of normal teenage social interaction, we’d started opening up to each other. Our notes had become increasingly personal.
And then one day, there was a phone number on the back of one of my papers. I’d sent a text. He’d immediately replied. And our conversations had gone from sporadic messages on our assignments to daily texts.
A few weeks later, when I’d come into English class and started looking around the room—more curious than ever as to the identity of my secret friend—Levi Bailey met my eyes and winked.
My heart still fluttered at the memory of that wink. That moment when I’d realized it was him. It had been both exhilarating and sad. Because I knew that no matter how much I liked him, it could never be more than what we already had—a secret friendship of anonymous notes and texts.”
Levi and Annika lost touch for a few years when Annika moved away. She returned home when she was pregnant and about a year ago Levi reached out to Annika via text to see how she was doing. They’ve been texting ever since.
It’s clear Levi and Annika have strong feelings for each other, but the family feud isn’t something they can just ignore.
~~ “Disloyalty was a mortal sin in Tilikum. Dating the enemy would be unforgivable.”
~~ “As much as I wanted to say fuck the consequences, the consequences were real and would affect her, too. I couldn’t charge in headfirst, defying the feud, and expect it to turn out well for either of us.”
Thankfully Levi and Annika find their HEA, but mending the century old rift between these families was not an easy task for these two.
Overall - this was a great ending to the Bailey Brothers series ❤️
~~ “I wasn’t her Romeo. Turns out, I was something better. Romeo and Juliet had died tragically. But star-crossed lovers we were not. We’d rewritten the stars. Annika and I were going to live happily ever after, together with our beautiful children. And yeah, they were going to grow up in a crazy town with nosy neighbors, tall tales, and ridiculous pranks between the two sides of their family. But it was also a town where they were surrounded by people who knew their stories and loved them fiercely.”
<><> Characters <><>
Hero: Levi Bailey (aka Lynx)
~ Age: 29
~ Occupation: firefighter
~ Levi (and his identical twin Logan) are the 3rd and 4th brothers in the Bailey family. Levi has a very close relationship with his family, but he is a little less outgoing than some of the others. He likes his alone time and the quiet peacefulness when he’s not surrounded by the Bailey chaos. Lately he’s been feeling alone, left out (he’s the last Bailey without a significant other) and he’s been in a pissed off, dark mood.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Levi: serious, quiet, angry, grouchy, cynical, keeps to himself, has a temper, not one to start shit, stays in the background, neat
~ “Darkness ate at me. It whispered from the empty place in my soul, mocking me. You’re alone. And you always will be.”
Heroine: Annika Haven (aka Dove)
~ Age: 28
~ Occupation: works part time for her brother Luke at his garage and also helps manage properties for her other brother Josiah
~ Annika is the youngest in the family and has six overprotective half brothers. She moved away after high school, but an unplanned pregnancy and a jerk of a boyfriend (who dumped her) brought her back home to Tilikum. She is a single mom to 2 1/2 yr old Thomas.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Annika: peacemaker, has a crafting addiction (bring out the glitter, sequins and glue guns 😉)), fantastic mother
~ “The weight of being the sole parent was especially heavy on days like today. I knew sometimes kids threw tantrums, but had I handled it properly? Was I doing the right things? Making the right decisions? He was my kid, and it was my responsibility to raise him. How he turned out was going to be on me, for better or worse. I loved him so much I’d die for him. But there was no denying that doing this alone was hard. Even with my family here to support me.”
<><> A Few Thoughts <><>
^^ ~ I’m glad there was never a point where Levi and Annika gave up on each other or their relationship. They knew what they wanted and neither family was going to stand in their way.
^^ ~ cute kid alert….was it a bit cheesy and over the top Thomas said “cock” instead of truck? Sure. Did I love it and laugh anyway - absolutely!
~~“Big cock,” Thomas said, pointing to the fire engine.
Levi raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, that’s a big truck,” I said, emphasizing the words.
“We-vi’s cock?” he asked.
I cleared my throat, trying not to laugh. “Um, yes, Levi drives in that big truck.”
“We-vi’s big cock,” he said and nodded gravely.
Levi smiled and pressed his lips together, like he was trying as hard as I was to keep from laughing.
“Thanks, buddy.” “Gotta love toddler language,” I said.
^^ ~ I really enjoyed life in Tilikum. The pranks, the squirrels, the mystery, the feud, the hot Bailey brothers and their perfect female counterparts, and of course Gram. Can I please be adopted?? 😀
^^ ~ I don’t have any complaints with how the mystery of the Montgomery treasure resolved itself. I was leaning toward that culprit anyway, but just wasn’t sure why.
^^ ~ in this series, there wasn’t a single Hero /heroine that I didn’t love. No one disappointed me. Each book I read I was sure that was my favorite couple. Then I read the next book and I was sure nothing could top that couple. And so it went for each book. So I can’t say which I loved best because all were awesome.
^^ ~ I wasn’t too sure about the Haven brothers - especially Zach. He seemed like a total asshole. But, by the end of the book they grew on me. I’m sure I’ll read their stories at some point.
^^ ~ the Epilogue - perfect
^^ ~ the bonus Epilogue (if you sign up for Claire’s newsletter). OMG - absolute perfection!!! Asher finally, finally, finally gets his life long dream!! I teared up. ❤️And, the splitting of the piece of gum—talk about a full circle moment. 💞. I’ve read this short little add in twice - and I just might go read it again. 😍
<><> The Basics <><>
- Content Warning: kidnapping (a child and an adult, resolved quickly)
- Setting: Tilikum, Washington
- Do you need to read previous books in series?: Yes. This is a series you need to read in order. All the supporting characters were introduced in the previous books and this story continues to build on the dynamics of the brothers established in the prior books, their families, the Tilikum feud and a few town mysteries
- POV: Dual POV
- Tropes: Romeo/Juliet (feuding family), single mom
- Hero likable? yes.
- heroine likable? yes.
- h virgin? No
- First time they kiss: 20%
- First time they sleep together: 44%
- Safe sex? Yes. Condoms were used. Later (after the all important safety discussion) no condoms used
- First time they say I Love You: 44%
- steamy? Yes. Descriptive bedroom scenes
- Chemistry? great chemistry
- OW/OM drama? No
- H/h cheat? No
- Time apart? No
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? the family finds out about Levi & Annika around 53%
- Did I cry? No
- Did I laugh? yes. Thomas is a cute toddler
- Did I swoon🥰? Yes. Levi had some swoony moments - especially with little Lynx (aka Thomas)
- Cliffhanger? No
- HEA? Yes
- Epilogue? 9 months later
- Recommend? Yes. ALL the previous books in this series have been 4 stars. My other reviews:
Book 1: Protecting You
Book 2: Fighting For Us
Book 3: Unraveling Him
Book 4: Rushing In
Book 5: Chasing Her Fire
<><> Quotes <><>
“I realized something as I stared at her. I wanted Annika Haven. I’d wanted her for a very long time. This feeling inside me wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t going to meet someone else. I wasn’t going to get over her. And if that was the case, I had a decision to make. So I made it.
Fuck the feud.”
“There was glitter everywhere. I did my best to keep it contained, but everyone knew glitter was the herpes of the craft world.”
“The feud keeps going because we keep it going. The only way it’s ever going to change is if someone defies it and shows the rest of the town that it can be defied. The space time continuum won’t break down if Havens and Baileys stop hating each other.”
“It felt like I was on a train, racing toward a cliff with no bridge.”
“Often when our hearts yearn for a new beginning, it’s best to let them have their way.”
September 24, 2024
4.5/5⭐️
3/5🌶
Por fin llegó la historia de Levi, el último de los hermanos Bailey. El libro es muy lindo. El romance precioso y toda la intriga del tesoro Montgomery se revela.
Amé a Levi, es un poco como Evan, reservado y solitario, era obvio que iba a caer fuerte.
Annika fue una gran heroína, amé esta cosa de "romeo y julieta" del principio.
La resolución del conflicto estuvo bien. Pero nada muy destacable.
Lo mejor sin dudas fue la historia de amor.
Me gustó mucho. Y me emocionaron las palabras finales de la autora. No puedo pensar siquiera como logró escribir una historia tan bonita en esa situación. Me saco el sombrero.
Lo recomiendo ♥️♥️♥️
3/5🌶
Por fin llegó la historia de Levi, el último de los hermanos Bailey. El libro es muy lindo. El romance precioso y toda la intriga del tesoro Montgomery se revela.
Amé a Levi, es un poco como Evan, reservado y solitario, era obvio que iba a caer fuerte.
Annika fue una gran heroína, amé esta cosa de "romeo y julieta" del principio.
La resolución del conflicto estuvo bien. Pero nada muy destacable.
Lo mejor sin dudas fue la historia de amor.
Me gustó mucho. Y me emocionaron las palabras finales de la autora. No puedo pensar siquiera como logró escribir una historia tan bonita en esa situación. Me saco el sombrero.
Lo recomiendo ♥️♥️♥️
March 10, 2022
Claire has rendered me speechless. Top book of 2022. What a great way to close out the series! You find out about the treasure, who's been behind all these mysterious fires, will the feud finally end? Did Claire save the best Bailey for last with Levi? Getting introduced and finding more about those Havens brothers. And let's not forget about Thomas who was the glue for both Annika and Levi but more surprises at the end will make you want to reread multiple times!
March 5, 2022
Rewriting the Stars is the fantastic finale of a phenomenal series - amazingly written, heartfelt, swooney, suspenseful and steamy rom-com stories with all the feels!
Rewriting the Stars is book 6 in the Bailey brothers series. There is an underlying mystery woven throughout the entire series that doesn’t get resolved until book six, so you will want to start with book one and I promise you - you will not be disappointed!!!
I’ve anxiously awaited each new installment in the series and tremendously enjoyed all six books. Tilikum is a quirky little town with century old feud between two families. I loved meeting all the characters over the past 2 years and feel as if they’ve become close friends. I’d love nothing more than to vacation in Tilikum - visiting with Gram and soaking up her wisdom, having fun as the Havens and Baileys play their pranks on each other, and as the surprisingly well organized squirrels wreak havoc on the little town.
In Rewriting the stars, we witness the last Bailey brother - Levi - find his forever love; and the interwoven mystery unravels in a dramatic culmination of events as the ever present danger lurks around.
Claire Kingsley has masterfully brought the series home with captivating story line, relatable and remarkably well developed characters and just the right amount of swoon, steam and laugh out loud fun!
I enthusiastically recommend Rewriting the Stars and The entire Bailey Brothers series to all romcom enthusiasts, and to everyone who loves to enjoy a good book!!!
Rewriting the Stars is book 6 in the Bailey brothers series. There is an underlying mystery woven throughout the entire series that doesn’t get resolved until book six, so you will want to start with book one and I promise you - you will not be disappointed!!!
I’ve anxiously awaited each new installment in the series and tremendously enjoyed all six books. Tilikum is a quirky little town with century old feud between two families. I loved meeting all the characters over the past 2 years and feel as if they’ve become close friends. I’d love nothing more than to vacation in Tilikum - visiting with Gram and soaking up her wisdom, having fun as the Havens and Baileys play their pranks on each other, and as the surprisingly well organized squirrels wreak havoc on the little town.
In Rewriting the stars, we witness the last Bailey brother - Levi - find his forever love; and the interwoven mystery unravels in a dramatic culmination of events as the ever present danger lurks around.
Claire Kingsley has masterfully brought the series home with captivating story line, relatable and remarkably well developed characters and just the right amount of swoon, steam and laugh out loud fun!
I enthusiastically recommend Rewriting the Stars and The entire Bailey Brothers series to all romcom enthusiasts, and to everyone who loves to enjoy a good book!!!
March 4, 2022
Claire Kingsley saved the best for last!! We all fell in love with Levi and as each brother found their one true love Levi was left the last man standing. But falling in love with the enemy is never a good thing. So will Levi risk his heart or his loyalty to the Bailey clan? With each and every turn of the page, the author takes the reader on an emotional journey of fighting for what is right and having the balls to admit it. Levi might have been the last - but he was definitely the best. Loved everything about this book and I hope that the dreaded Havens get their own series as I really need more!!
June 20, 2024
I love this forbidden romance 😍 I LOVED Levi and Annika’s story! It had everything I love about forbidden romance: feuding families, secret rendezvous, and the ache of wanting what you shouldn’t—what you’re not allowed to have. Annika and Levi are my favorite Bailey Brothers couple, and this is my favorite book in the series. I adored the star-crossed Romeo-and-Juliet aspect of their story as two highschool kids who should have been enemies formed a secret friendship and kept in contact over the years, hiding their relationship from friends and family, and eventually falling in love. I loved Levi’s relationship with Annika’s son, Thomas. And let’s not forget about little Thomas’s mispronunciation of the word “truck”—LOL!
By the time this book begins, the town is ready to boil over. What had always been pranks and moderate hostility between the Baileys and Havens had escalated to the next level. Our Hero, Levi Bailey, was not in a good place. The most important calming factor in his world was the girl with whom he exchanged text messages in secret, the lone sister in the rival family, single mom Annika Haven. I love them. The way they made each other come alive and take care of the other before even talking in person was the sweetest. After the first “meeting,” I was smitten. Every wink, glance, small smile. Swoon. My heart! Those Bailey boys are as loyal as they come. Once Levi was in, he was all in, despite the repercussions. Love really was what mattered the most. It was so unbelievably perfect.
There are so many little nuggets of Bailey Brother humor, heart, fun, and soul in this novel. Little pieces from the other books make an appearance in this story and prove that Claire Kingsley is a master storyteller. The way she interconnects stories and characters is next level good. Your questions from the series will be answered. You will love the way everything comes together. You will even start to like the Havens (insert gasp here) and crave their stories.
This is the perfect conclusion. 🤗
There’s always a bit of sadness when a beloved book series ends, and while I felt that sense of impending loss going into reading this book I wound up coming out of it with a renewed sense of joy and excitement.
Readers who have followed the entire series will appreciate the pranks and everlasting loyalty of the Bailey brothers, love being immersed in the bonds of kinship and friendship, and will revel in the strong independent women who are always capable of seeing the bigger picture and helping everyone else see it with full focus and clarity.
**Forbidden love
**Pranks/Hatred
Online audiobook 🎶
By the time this book begins, the town is ready to boil over. What had always been pranks and moderate hostility between the Baileys and Havens had escalated to the next level. Our Hero, Levi Bailey, was not in a good place. The most important calming factor in his world was the girl with whom he exchanged text messages in secret, the lone sister in the rival family, single mom Annika Haven. I love them. The way they made each other come alive and take care of the other before even talking in person was the sweetest. After the first “meeting,” I was smitten. Every wink, glance, small smile. Swoon. My heart! Those Bailey boys are as loyal as they come. Once Levi was in, he was all in, despite the repercussions. Love really was what mattered the most. It was so unbelievably perfect.
There are so many little nuggets of Bailey Brother humor, heart, fun, and soul in this novel. Little pieces from the other books make an appearance in this story and prove that Claire Kingsley is a master storyteller. The way she interconnects stories and characters is next level good. Your questions from the series will be answered. You will love the way everything comes together. You will even start to like the Havens (insert gasp here) and crave their stories.
This is the perfect conclusion. 🤗
There’s always a bit of sadness when a beloved book series ends, and while I felt that sense of impending loss going into reading this book I wound up coming out of it with a renewed sense of joy and excitement.
Readers who have followed the entire series will appreciate the pranks and everlasting loyalty of the Bailey brothers, love being immersed in the bonds of kinship and friendship, and will revel in the strong independent women who are always capable of seeing the bigger picture and helping everyone else see it with full focus and clarity.
**Forbidden love
**Pranks/Hatred
Online audiobook 🎶
June 8, 2022
This was the perfect ending to the Bailey Brothers series. I loved how Claire Kingsley pulled everything together, giving us a heartfelt and emotional story, filled with lots of laughs and some truly scorching times. That scene in the Timberbeast is not one I’m going to forget! *fans self*
Rewriting the Stars had the perfect amount of childhood-ish friends to lovers and second chance vibes to balance the forbidden/star crossed lovers trope. What I appreciated most was that the angst and final conflict in the novel wasn’t between Levi and Annika. They are all in and ready to take on the world to be together. This is definitely my favorite book of the series.
The narration by Desiree Ketchum and Sebastian York was wonderful and they paired well together. Desiree Ketchum’s performance was especially amazing. I did feel that Sebastian York sounded a smidge too mature for Levi, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the audiobook. Aaron Shedlock’s appearance was such a treat and that bonus epilogue left me smiling ear to ear.
This series has been such an amazing ride and I’m excited that the Haven’s are getting their own series so that we don’t have to leave this world just yet.
Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars
Note: It’s best to read this series in order since there is a mystery subplot that spans the entire series and characters from all the previous books appear.
Rewriting the Stars had the perfect amount of childhood-ish friends to lovers and second chance vibes to balance the forbidden/star crossed lovers trope. What I appreciated most was that the angst and final conflict in the novel wasn’t between Levi and Annika. They are all in and ready to take on the world to be together. This is definitely my favorite book of the series.
The narration by Desiree Ketchum and Sebastian York was wonderful and they paired well together. Desiree Ketchum’s performance was especially amazing. I did feel that Sebastian York sounded a smidge too mature for Levi, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the audiobook. Aaron Shedlock’s appearance was such a treat and that bonus epilogue left me smiling ear to ear.
This series has been such an amazing ride and I’m excited that the Haven’s are getting their own series so that we don’t have to leave this world just yet.
Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars
Note: It’s best to read this series in order since there is a mystery subplot that spans the entire series and characters from all the previous books appear.
April 6, 2022
It's never easy to say goodbye to a series you love, but Claire Kingsley wrote the perfect ending and I'm left feeling like I just got the biggest hug. This story follows Levi, the last of the Bailey brothers to find love, and Annika Haven. The Baileys and the Havens have been feuding for hundreds of years, so Levi and Annika are the definition of star crossed lovers. After texting in secret for years, Levi decides he's sick of the feud keeping him from the woman he's been falling for.
I love a good sneaking around plot, so the beginning stages of their relationship was so fun and flirty. But because they've been friends for years, they also had a really strong foundation and a really mature relationship from the start. Annika is a single mother, so she knew that she had to be serious about Levi if she was going to risk getting involved, not only because of the feud, but because of her son as well. As they continue to hide their relationship until the timing feels right, more "accidents" keep occurring that the Havens and the Baileys blame each other for, further adding to the tension. Levi and Annika are determined to end the ridiculous feud and get to the bottom of all the suspicious activity around town.
This was just the cutest, sweetest story from start to finish. I love that there was no drama within the relationship and that all of the "conflicts" were external. I absolutely lost it when Gram gave out more nicknames and wholeheartedly welcomed Annika and her son into the family. I also loved getting to know the Haven brothers a little better, and I will be counting down the days until we get to see them all fall in love as well.
It's hard not to go into the final book of a series without high expectations, especially one like this that has continuing mysteries from book 1. But I truly couldn't have asked for a better ending to a series I'm so so fond of.
I love a good sneaking around plot, so the beginning stages of their relationship was so fun and flirty. But because they've been friends for years, they also had a really strong foundation and a really mature relationship from the start. Annika is a single mother, so she knew that she had to be serious about Levi if she was going to risk getting involved, not only because of the feud, but because of her son as well. As they continue to hide their relationship until the timing feels right, more "accidents" keep occurring that the Havens and the Baileys blame each other for, further adding to the tension. Levi and Annika are determined to end the ridiculous feud and get to the bottom of all the suspicious activity around town.
This was just the cutest, sweetest story from start to finish. I love that there was no drama within the relationship and that all of the "conflicts" were external. I absolutely lost it when Gram gave out more nicknames and wholeheartedly welcomed Annika and her son into the family. I also loved getting to know the Haven brothers a little better, and I will be counting down the days until we get to see them all fall in love as well.
It's hard not to go into the final book of a series without high expectations, especially one like this that has continuing mysteries from book 1. But I truly couldn't have asked for a better ending to a series I'm so so fond of.
March 24, 2022
Great ending to this series and the mystery is finally solved!
If you need a break from the harsh real world then I highly recommend this series for a light hearted, sometimes cheesy but always swoony bunch of brothers.
Really looking forward to the Haven spin off about the rival family in this town.
If you need a break from the harsh real world then I highly recommend this series for a light hearted, sometimes cheesy but always swoony bunch of brothers.
Really looking forward to the Haven spin off about the rival family in this town.
June 18, 2022
HOW CAN THIS SERIES BE OVER?
all I am saying is perfect book. perfect ending. perfect everything...
NOW GIVE ME THE HAVENS!
5/5 stars!
all I am saying is perfect book. perfect ending. perfect everything...
NOW GIVE ME THE HAVENS!
5/5 stars!
March 10, 2022
Rewriting the Stars is the perfect title to the final book in the Bailey Brothers series because that is exactly what Levi Bailey and Annika Haven do. Their forbidden love affair had a ripple effect and not only changed the trajectory of their future, but their families’ future, and that of the entire town. This book was the perfect way to end a fabulous series about five brothers who each find love and happiness in their hometown of Tilikum.
I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I swooned over Levi Bailey. He’s a hot alpha firefighter who only has eyes for one woman, Annikan Haven, a single mom whom he can’t stop thinking about. She’s the youngest of seven, with six overprotective, interfering older brothers, who have been at odds with the Bailey family their entire lives, making her completely off limits. But these star-crossed lovers, a modern day Romeo and Juliet, have been secretly talking and sharing texts since high school, and when a magical night at a masked ball takes things to the next level, all bets are off. It changes everything.
The author certainly knows how to write a scene where the hero sweeps a woman off her feet, because their first kiss is sweet, sexy and smoking hot! There is another series Claire wrote, Bootleg Springs, that also features an unforgettable first kiss scene featuring Jameson Bodine, and this one is right up there with my all-time favorites.
The longing and desire they both feel is evident until Levi can’t hold back any longer. The author kept us guessing book after book, as to who will capture his heart, and Annika was perfect for him. I admired how they are both fearless, and stood up to their families and the entire town to profess their unconditional love. Levi was protective and strong, and also loved her adorable son, Thomas, which makes him hero worthy in my book.
The antics and practical jokes between the two families had been all in good fun over the years, but then things took a dangerous turn. This story has so many layers–there is the century-old feud between the Baileys and the Havens, a mysterious third-party Montgomery family history that unfolds, a search for a missing “treasurer,” and a puzzle that needs to be solved as to who is causing such havoc in their lives if it’s not one of them? The author takes great care in including all the little details so this story comes full circle and answers every question a reader may ask.
Love and forgiveness is the theme of this slow burn with all the feels, and how two brave people fought against all odds to be together. I loved the epilogue! While most books can be read as a standalone, I highly encourage you to start with book one of this series, Protecting You, so you can understand the background of the feud, and get to know all of the interconnected characters including Levi’s brothers and their wives, his grandmother who raised him, and the Havens who will be getting their own spin-off series. Can’t wait for more!
I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I swooned over Levi Bailey. He’s a hot alpha firefighter who only has eyes for one woman, Annikan Haven, a single mom whom he can’t stop thinking about. She’s the youngest of seven, with six overprotective, interfering older brothers, who have been at odds with the Bailey family their entire lives, making her completely off limits. But these star-crossed lovers, a modern day Romeo and Juliet, have been secretly talking and sharing texts since high school, and when a magical night at a masked ball takes things to the next level, all bets are off. It changes everything.
The author certainly knows how to write a scene where the hero sweeps a woman off her feet, because their first kiss is sweet, sexy and smoking hot! There is another series Claire wrote, Bootleg Springs, that also features an unforgettable first kiss scene featuring Jameson Bodine, and this one is right up there with my all-time favorites.
The longing and desire they both feel is evident until Levi can’t hold back any longer. The author kept us guessing book after book, as to who will capture his heart, and Annika was perfect for him. I admired how they are both fearless, and stood up to their families and the entire town to profess their unconditional love. Levi was protective and strong, and also loved her adorable son, Thomas, which makes him hero worthy in my book.
The antics and practical jokes between the two families had been all in good fun over the years, but then things took a dangerous turn. This story has so many layers–there is the century-old feud between the Baileys and the Havens, a mysterious third-party Montgomery family history that unfolds, a search for a missing “treasurer,” and a puzzle that needs to be solved as to who is causing such havoc in their lives if it’s not one of them? The author takes great care in including all the little details so this story comes full circle and answers every question a reader may ask.
Love and forgiveness is the theme of this slow burn with all the feels, and how two brave people fought against all odds to be together. I loved the epilogue! While most books can be read as a standalone, I highly encourage you to start with book one of this series, Protecting You, so you can understand the background of the feud, and get to know all of the interconnected characters including Levi’s brothers and their wives, his grandmother who raised him, and the Havens who will be getting their own spin-off series. Can’t wait for more!
July 22, 2024
Rewriting the Stars to be honest is boring. I thought it would be tragic. Instead Miss Kingsley just tied up a loose ends from the previous books.
Levi and Annika love story is not the highlight of the story. More like background. Well we now know who is the culprit after all this time. Not so surprising anyway.
Overall, OK book.
3 stars
Levi and Annika love story is not the highlight of the story. More like background. Well we now know who is the culprit after all this time. Not so surprising anyway.
Overall, OK book.
3 stars
March 13, 2022
Before I start the review, a bit of background. I first heard about Claire Kingsley on Twitter last year when someone tweeted she had recently lost her husband and asking for support for her. I’d never heard of this author before but having lost my husband (cancer) long before I should have, I checked her books on Amazon. They looked like something I would enjoy so I picked up the first two books in her Bailey brothers series and absolutely loved them. I have the reviews posted here. She still had the last book to write so I moved onto the Miles family series and loved these books too. Claire Kingsley was for sure my best author find of 2021. I also have more of her books in my TBR pile. All of which brings me to Rewriting the Stars, the sixth and final book in the Bailey brothers. I’d signed up for her newsletter so I knew when Levi’s story was coming out and I started reading it the day it showed up on my Kindle.
We knew this was going to be a Romeo/Juliette, West Side Story. Levi Bailey, twin brother of Logan from the previous book and Annika Haven have been in touch with each other and though they haven’t really interacted in person, there are definitely feelings between the two of them. But you see, the Baileys and the Havens are bitter enemies. For years it’s just been hilarious pranks between the two sets of brothers, the results of a decades long feud. But over the course of this series, things have escalated and it’s no longer just harmless pranks. Instead some of the things done to both sets of brothers are dangerous and they now hate each other and the whole small town is just waiting for real violence to break out.
It’s in this situation, Levi and Annika begin to connect in person and their feelings for each other grow stronger and stronger. So what do they do? This is the story and a wonderful story with so much heart it truly is. We haven’t had a chance to get to know Annika in the previous books but she is such a great character. Though she dearly loves her brothers and is loyal to them, she is also falling deeply for Levi. She is also frustrated with her brothers for their over protectiveness and they don’t listen to anything she has to say about this feud even though she’s affected by it.
And Levi is equally conflicted. He’s falling for the ‘enemy’. He should be part of the growing hostility, but these are the beloved brothers of the woman he’s falling deeply in love with. He feels that even telling his own brothers about Annika would seem to be a betrayal of family.At the same time, he has this love he can’t share with them. They’ve all met the women of their hearts and now they want Levi to find ‘his’ woman too. And he has.
I’m not going to say anymore about what happens - I want you to read it for yourselves. I really recommend you read the other books first as they are layered. Each book reveals more of the underlying mystery of the ongoing feud and what started it so long ago. You could understand this book without reading the others but having done so makes this one ever so much richer.
The good news is though this is the last Bailey brothers books, now we have the Haven boys to look forward to and we will get to see them and the very strange and fun town of Tilikum. I’ve grown attached to it.
Now having started out about the author, I have to talk about her again. There is an afterword she gives us where she tells us she was writing this book when her husband died unexpectedly. My heart broke reading her story and Claire Kingsley has become one of my heroes. Though my husband died quite time ago, I will never forget the crippling loss and agony I experienced with his death. There were times even breathing became almost unbearable. Time has healed me as I know it will her, but there will always be a scar. A part of me is missing and that part will never be replaced no matter what. Claire has made it through the same way I did. Faith has played a huge role for both of us. Also just taking things so very slowly, one small step at a time.
I admire her so very much for what she has accomplished during the worst time of her life. Though I’m much further in my journey than she is, we have both travelled the same road. I’ve never written something so personal and heartfelt in a review before but if she reads this review, I want to thank her for so many things. I want to thank her for her resiliency, for not quitting when it would have been so easy. I want to thank her for her bravery. I want to thank her that even though her own heart was breaking, she gave us a wonderful story of love and overcoming and of triumph. I want to hug her and tell her she’s not alone. And I want to tell her that I know her husband is so damn proud of her.
I know my husband is still with me and I know hers is with her.
Thank you from my deepest heart Claire Kingsley.
We knew this was going to be a Romeo/Juliette, West Side Story. Levi Bailey, twin brother of Logan from the previous book and Annika Haven have been in touch with each other and though they haven’t really interacted in person, there are definitely feelings between the two of them. But you see, the Baileys and the Havens are bitter enemies. For years it’s just been hilarious pranks between the two sets of brothers, the results of a decades long feud. But over the course of this series, things have escalated and it’s no longer just harmless pranks. Instead some of the things done to both sets of brothers are dangerous and they now hate each other and the whole small town is just waiting for real violence to break out.
It’s in this situation, Levi and Annika begin to connect in person and their feelings for each other grow stronger and stronger. So what do they do? This is the story and a wonderful story with so much heart it truly is. We haven’t had a chance to get to know Annika in the previous books but she is such a great character. Though she dearly loves her brothers and is loyal to them, she is also falling deeply for Levi. She is also frustrated with her brothers for their over protectiveness and they don’t listen to anything she has to say about this feud even though she’s affected by it.
And Levi is equally conflicted. He’s falling for the ‘enemy’. He should be part of the growing hostility, but these are the beloved brothers of the woman he’s falling deeply in love with. He feels that even telling his own brothers about Annika would seem to be a betrayal of family.At the same time, he has this love he can’t share with them. They’ve all met the women of their hearts and now they want Levi to find ‘his’ woman too. And he has.
I’m not going to say anymore about what happens - I want you to read it for yourselves. I really recommend you read the other books first as they are layered. Each book reveals more of the underlying mystery of the ongoing feud and what started it so long ago. You could understand this book without reading the others but having done so makes this one ever so much richer.
The good news is though this is the last Bailey brothers books, now we have the Haven boys to look forward to and we will get to see them and the very strange and fun town of Tilikum. I’ve grown attached to it.
Now having started out about the author, I have to talk about her again. There is an afterword she gives us where she tells us she was writing this book when her husband died unexpectedly. My heart broke reading her story and Claire Kingsley has become one of my heroes. Though my husband died quite time ago, I will never forget the crippling loss and agony I experienced with his death. There were times even breathing became almost unbearable. Time has healed me as I know it will her, but there will always be a scar. A part of me is missing and that part will never be replaced no matter what. Claire has made it through the same way I did. Faith has played a huge role for both of us. Also just taking things so very slowly, one small step at a time.
I admire her so very much for what she has accomplished during the worst time of her life. Though I’m much further in my journey than she is, we have both travelled the same road. I’ve never written something so personal and heartfelt in a review before but if she reads this review, I want to thank her for so many things. I want to thank her for her resiliency, for not quitting when it would have been so easy. I want to thank her for her bravery. I want to thank her that even though her own heart was breaking, she gave us a wonderful story of love and overcoming and of triumph. I want to hug her and tell her she’s not alone. And I want to tell her that I know her husband is so damn proud of her.
I know my husband is still with me and I know hers is with her.
Thank you from my deepest heart Claire Kingsley.
July 13, 2022
when there’s no 70-80% break up!! love!!
Read
May 6, 2022I could probably write an entire essay on my thoughts and feelings about this book and series but I’m going to try and keep it somewhat brief. This series has been my absolute favorite small town romance series for the last few years and I had high hopes and expectations for what Levi’s story would be and how this series would wrap up. And Claire? She absolutely knocked it out of the park!
Levi and Annika got the love story they very much deserved. Levi as an uncle was so swoony and even more when he steps up to the plate with Annika’s child. Annika was so relatable, feeling like the peacemaker among her family as the youngest and the only girl. Their love story reminded me of Chase and Brynn, they knew what they had and it was more about getting everyone else on board. The feud continues to build throughout this book. Levi and Annika work to solve both the feud and the mystery of the Montgomery treasure before it’s too late. Every moment of this book was special and I read it entirely in one sitting because I could not put it down. I almost completely lost it when Gram gives out the last of the nicknames in this series. It was special, meaningful and I think the perfect ending to it all. This book was everything and the only reason I’m not completely broken is because I know the Haven series will be coming.
Claire, I can’t imagine the strength and perseverance it must have taken to finish this book through all that life threw at you this last year. It was truly so beautiful, moving and honestly completely magical. I will be counting down the days until we return to Tilikum and find some women who will put up with these Haven boys. Thank you so much for the ARC!
Levi and Annika got the love story they very much deserved. Levi as an uncle was so swoony and even more when he steps up to the plate with Annika’s child. Annika was so relatable, feeling like the peacemaker among her family as the youngest and the only girl. Their love story reminded me of Chase and Brynn, they knew what they had and it was more about getting everyone else on board. The feud continues to build throughout this book. Levi and Annika work to solve both the feud and the mystery of the Montgomery treasure before it’s too late. Every moment of this book was special and I read it entirely in one sitting because I could not put it down. I almost completely lost it when Gram gives out the last of the nicknames in this series. It was special, meaningful and I think the perfect ending to it all. This book was everything and the only reason I’m not completely broken is because I know the Haven series will be coming.
Claire, I can’t imagine the strength and perseverance it must have taken to finish this book through all that life threw at you this last year. It was truly so beautiful, moving and honestly completely magical. I will be counting down the days until we return to Tilikum and find some women who will put up with these Haven boys. Thank you so much for the ARC!
March 8, 2022
"Because I was Annika Haven and he was Levi Bailey. And as silly as it might have seemed to an outsider, that was enough to kill whatever could have blossomed between us."
What can I say? I fell in love with this series just a few days ago and completely devoured it. I am lucky enough to know Claire's wonderful assistant, and she was able to send me an early copy of Rewriting the Stars.
This book was the best finale possible. It tied everything up nicely, it didn't leave me with questions, or feeling unsatisfied. I absolutely loved finally knowing more about the infamous treasure, as well as who was really behind the kidnappings and fires.
Levi and Annika's story was perfect. And I think it was smart of Claire to leave them for the end. Levi being a Bailey and Annika being a Haden. What I especially love with Claire's writing is that she doesn't rush the relationship, but she also doesn't make us wait until the end for them to be together. Rewriting the Stars was emotional, and I loved seeing Levi come out of his shell and accepting the fact that he wanted to be with Annika despite their family feud. I loved that Annika was brave enough to stand up for their relationship and to go for what she also wanted. They were amazing together. As always with Claire, the sex scenes were fire, and the longing and angst were just what was needed. I also really liked the fact that we got to learn more about the Haven family, and see a side of the story that we hadn't until now.
There is so much I could say, my heart is full. I just love these characters so much, their bond as a family, the banter, the jokes, the dialogues… I completely fell in love with all of them, and I am looking forward to be back in Tilikum with the Haven brothers!
What can I say? I fell in love with this series just a few days ago and completely devoured it. I am lucky enough to know Claire's wonderful assistant, and she was able to send me an early copy of Rewriting the Stars.
This book was the best finale possible. It tied everything up nicely, it didn't leave me with questions, or feeling unsatisfied. I absolutely loved finally knowing more about the infamous treasure, as well as who was really behind the kidnappings and fires.
Levi and Annika's story was perfect. And I think it was smart of Claire to leave them for the end. Levi being a Bailey and Annika being a Haden. What I especially love with Claire's writing is that she doesn't rush the relationship, but she also doesn't make us wait until the end for them to be together. Rewriting the Stars was emotional, and I loved seeing Levi come out of his shell and accepting the fact that he wanted to be with Annika despite their family feud. I loved that Annika was brave enough to stand up for their relationship and to go for what she also wanted. They were amazing together. As always with Claire, the sex scenes were fire, and the longing and angst were just what was needed. I also really liked the fact that we got to learn more about the Haven family, and see a side of the story that we hadn't until now.
There is so much I could say, my heart is full. I just love these characters so much, their bond as a family, the banter, the jokes, the dialogues… I completely fell in love with all of them, and I am looking forward to be back in Tilikum with the Haven brothers!
March 5, 2022
Rewriting The Stars had everything I was hoping for as the last Bailey Brothers book! Levi and Annika’s story is an amazing modern-day Romeo & Juliet tale.
I loved these Star-crossed lovers, and how they were determined to be together despite the generations-old Bailey/Haven feud and how much her brothers hated his. My heart melted at how sweet Levi was with both Annika and her son, Thomas. Their road to happily ever after is certainly bumpy, but the epilogue in this book is everything.
For readers familiar with the entire series, Rewriting The Stars also nicely answers many questions about the squirrels, Tilikum’s Montgomery treasure and the ongoing mystery of John and Eliza. But I also think this book can easily be read on its own as a standalone. But trust me, read the whole series from the start!
As much as I couldn’t wait to dive into Rewriting The Stars, I am so sad to see the Bailey Brothers come to an end! But hopefully we will still get some appearances from the boys when CK writes books for Annika’s brothers!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
I loved these Star-crossed lovers, and how they were determined to be together despite the generations-old Bailey/Haven feud and how much her brothers hated his. My heart melted at how sweet Levi was with both Annika and her son, Thomas. Their road to happily ever after is certainly bumpy, but the epilogue in this book is everything.
For readers familiar with the entire series, Rewriting The Stars also nicely answers many questions about the squirrels, Tilikum’s Montgomery treasure and the ongoing mystery of John and Eliza. But I also think this book can easily be read on its own as a standalone. But trust me, read the whole series from the start!
As much as I couldn’t wait to dive into Rewriting The Stars, I am so sad to see the Bailey Brothers come to an end! But hopefully we will still get some appearances from the boys when CK writes books for Annika’s brothers!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
October 30, 2022
3.5 stars.
Book five in the series, Rewriting the Stars, was middling. This one is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. There’s a long running feud between the Baileys and another family in town, the Havens. Usually the feud only amounts to pranks but lately there have been some incidents that were dangerous to the characters’ lives and that most of the Baileys and Havens assume to be feud motivated.
(Throughout the series, a feud in this day and age felt contrived to me, but the pranks were fun and occasionally hilarious so I willingly suspended some of my disbelief.)
Levi Bailey and Annika Haven started texting in high school despite the feud, and a year or two before the book begins, Annika returned home with a young child after her marriage ended. Annika and Levi had stopped texting for a while but resumed their communications when she returned. They have the hots for each other and when they bump into each other a couple of times, their desire intensifies. They start sneaking around kissing and then having sex. When the families find out, there’s fallout.
The Romeo and Juliet allusions in this book were heavy handed, with Annika filing Levi’s texts under Romeo and Levi naming her Juliet in his own texting app, though neither knows the other is doing that. The beginning of the book was very romantic and hewed pretty to closely to the play, considering that this is a contemporary romance and the characters are adults, not teenagers (though you wouldn’t always know it from the way they behave, with all that sneaking around at night). There was a balcony scene and a masquerade. I liked what happened between them at the masquerade, but the other allusions were a bit silly so I was glad when they gave way to the rest of the story.
However, the middle of the book was almost its weakest section (topped only by the squirrel stuff). This book is another case where the pacing felt off, but here it was rushed instead of sluggish. The part where Annika and Levi fell in love was mostly skipped over; it happened in high school and we were only told about it briefly. So when they start risking everything to meet up and have sex, it feels like hormones are ruling the day, like Annika and Levi are in it for the hot sex and not because of deeper emotions.
(It’s a shame the falling in love was wrapped up quickly, because I feel that more development of and flashbacks to the high school portion of their relationship could have made their interactions feel more meaningful and given the sex scenes greater depth.)
The way their relationship is revealed is pretty ridiculous.
Despite this, I liked Annika. Levi too. There were a couple of lovely scenes involving Annika’s toddler son. An early one where he got lost in a hardware store and Levi found him and handed him to Annika in front of her dad was really sweet.
A running gag about Annika’s little boy saying “big cock” instead of “big truck” (in reference to the fire engine) was broader humor than I prefer. I also wanted to see more of Logan and Levi’s closeness, since their twinship connection was mentioned.
The second half of the book had a suspense plot that was much better than the one in Evan’s book and held my interest partly because it was an outgrowth of the earlier books. I liked this part of the book pretty well, even though the villain went to lengths that were so extreme that they read as contrived.
A treasure hunt that runs through the whole series is, of course (since this is the last book), resolved here. The way the treasure was discovered was absurd but it was still nice to see it resolved. I liked the way the book ended overall. The peacemaking among the feuding families happened in an enjoyable and satisfying way.
Gram is still a MagicalNegro Indian and I still like her as a person outside of that. Her gentleness is lovely, but why oh why does she have to be a stereotype?
Though the rushed and silly parts of this book made it feel a little half-assed, it was enjoyable enough to rate 3.5 stars.
Book five in the series, Rewriting the Stars, was middling. This one is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. There’s a long running feud between the Baileys and another family in town, the Havens. Usually the feud only amounts to pranks but lately there have been some incidents that were dangerous to the characters’ lives and that most of the Baileys and Havens assume to be feud motivated.
(Throughout the series, a feud in this day and age felt contrived to me, but the pranks were fun and occasionally hilarious so I willingly suspended some of my disbelief.)
Levi Bailey and Annika Haven started texting in high school despite the feud, and a year or two before the book begins, Annika returned home with a young child after her marriage ended. Annika and Levi had stopped texting for a while but resumed their communications when she returned. They have the hots for each other and when they bump into each other a couple of times, their desire intensifies. They start sneaking around kissing and then having sex. When the families find out, there’s fallout.
The Romeo and Juliet allusions in this book were heavy handed, with Annika filing Levi’s texts under Romeo and Levi naming her Juliet in his own texting app, though neither knows the other is doing that. The beginning of the book was very romantic and hewed pretty to closely to the play, considering that this is a contemporary romance and the characters are adults, not teenagers (though you wouldn’t always know it from the way they behave, with all that sneaking around at night). There was a balcony scene and a masquerade. I liked what happened between them at the masquerade, but the other allusions were a bit silly so I was glad when they gave way to the rest of the story.
However, the middle of the book was almost its weakest section (topped only by the squirrel stuff). This book is another case where the pacing felt off, but here it was rushed instead of sluggish. The part where Annika and Levi fell in love was mostly skipped over; it happened in high school and we were only told about it briefly. So when they start risking everything to meet up and have sex, it feels like hormones are ruling the day, like Annika and Levi are in it for the hot sex and not because of deeper emotions.
(It’s a shame the falling in love was wrapped up quickly, because I feel that more development of and flashbacks to the high school portion of their relationship could have made their interactions feel more meaningful and given the sex scenes greater depth.)
The way their relationship is revealed is pretty ridiculous.
Despite this, I liked Annika. Levi too. There were a couple of lovely scenes involving Annika’s toddler son. An early one where he got lost in a hardware store and Levi found him and handed him to Annika in front of her dad was really sweet.
A running gag about Annika’s little boy saying “big cock” instead of “big truck” (in reference to the fire engine) was broader humor than I prefer. I also wanted to see more of Logan and Levi’s closeness, since their twinship connection was mentioned.
The second half of the book had a suspense plot that was much better than the one in Evan’s book and held my interest partly because it was an outgrowth of the earlier books. I liked this part of the book pretty well, even though the villain went to lengths that were so extreme that they read as contrived.
A treasure hunt that runs through the whole series is, of course (since this is the last book), resolved here. The way the treasure was discovered was absurd but it was still nice to see it resolved. I liked the way the book ended overall. The peacemaking among the feuding families happened in an enjoyable and satisfying way.
Gram is still a Magical
Though the rushed and silly parts of this book made it feel a little half-assed, it was enjoyable enough to rate 3.5 stars.
March 4, 2022
The Baileys and the Havens have been feuding for years it’s been harmless, but lately it’s getting serious. Behind their families back Levi Bailey and Annika Haven have been texting for years and are friends. A masquerade ball and a kiss changes friends to more, but how can it work. Great characters and storyline Highly recommended Amazing Book. There is a little mystery, swoony moments, sexy steamy, and a perfect ending or is it a beginning.
March 13, 2022
Kingsley's done it again! 4 beautiful stars! Full review at my blog: Rewriting the Stars by Claire Kingsley
What I liked about the book:
1. I love Tilikum and the small-town world Claire has created there. With thirsty old ladies, crazy-ass squirrels, and those devious pranks between the Bailey brothers and the Haven heathens, I would move here in a heartbeat! So glad their pranking was addressed as an ongoing thing in the epilogue. It wouldn’t be Tilikum without it.
2. I love the tie ins to all her other books. The Miles Family and the Jetty Beach series I can specifically recall numerous references to, but there may be more!
3. I love that we get to see a new side to the Haven family. I was super excited when Claire announced the Havens will be getting their own spin-off series, especially since I loved Luke in Unraveling Him. I can’t wait for this next series!!!
4. Of course, I love the small-town mystery of the buried treasure and the infamous Bailey-Haven-Montgomery feud. I was happy to see all the work throughout the other books finally come to a head in a delightful way I didn’t see coming. And Harvey got his happy ending too!
5. I love all the characters. That’s not an exaggeration. I loved Every. Single. One. Of. Them. I was excited to find out what Levi’s animal name was from Gram, as well as what Annika’s and Thomas’s were. They work so well for them! Gram always knows best! And the names in the epilogue?!?! So good.
6.…I knew Levi was a spanker. Not that I’ve been thinking about that at all for 6 books…
7. I loved the epilogue. When Gram was knitting that blanket? Totally called it!
8. I loved the bonus epilogue. I love how everything tied back to the beginning with Asher’s story and how the final turn in his life came back around. I legit wanted to cry for that man.
9. So many good lines!!
“Don’t worry about me. I can handle a pecker.” Oh, Gram. How I love you.
“I bit my lip. Was he flirting with me? ‘A cute mom? Are we talking MILF level cute or just nice to look at?’ ‘MILF for sure.’” Goals!
“Sometimes I wonder what’s more dangerous in this town. The squirrels or the thirsty old ladies.” Ahem…we’re not all that old.
“I know it sucks, but I can’t keep telling myself I’m not hung up on you. I’m really fucking hung up on you. And now that I’ve kissed you, I don’t think I can live without doing it again.” Jesus, why don’t real people talk like this? This just proves that men written by women are the best men.
What didn’t do it for me:
1. I felt the romance was a little rushed. I know they have this long history of texting, but we didn’t really get to see any of it. I wanted to see more courting before the I-love-yous, like in all her other books. I wanted to see how Thomas and Levi grew close to one another.
Also, I felt like there was still a bit to be desired in the intimate scenes. They were pretty quick, and not nearly as satisfying as other books in the series. Maybe it’s because I claimed Levi as my own a long time ago, and I just wanted more….
What I liked about the book:
1. I love Tilikum and the small-town world Claire has created there. With thirsty old ladies, crazy-ass squirrels, and those devious pranks between the Bailey brothers and the Haven heathens, I would move here in a heartbeat! So glad their pranking was addressed as an ongoing thing in the epilogue. It wouldn’t be Tilikum without it.
2. I love the tie ins to all her other books. The Miles Family and the Jetty Beach series I can specifically recall numerous references to, but there may be more!
3. I love that we get to see a new side to the Haven family. I was super excited when Claire announced the Havens will be getting their own spin-off series, especially since I loved Luke in Unraveling Him. I can’t wait for this next series!!!
4. Of course, I love the small-town mystery of the buried treasure and the infamous Bailey-Haven-Montgomery feud. I was happy to see all the work throughout the other books finally come to a head in a delightful way I didn’t see coming. And Harvey got his happy ending too!
5. I love all the characters. That’s not an exaggeration. I loved Every. Single. One. Of. Them. I was excited to find out what Levi’s animal name was from Gram, as well as what Annika’s and Thomas’s were. They work so well for them! Gram always knows best! And the names in the epilogue?!?! So good.
6.…I knew Levi was a spanker. Not that I’ve been thinking about that at all for 6 books…
7. I loved the epilogue. When Gram was knitting that blanket? Totally called it!
8. I loved the bonus epilogue. I love how everything tied back to the beginning with Asher’s story and how the final turn in his life came back around. I legit wanted to cry for that man.
9. So many good lines!!
“Don’t worry about me. I can handle a pecker.” Oh, Gram. How I love you.
“I bit my lip. Was he flirting with me? ‘A cute mom? Are we talking MILF level cute or just nice to look at?’ ‘MILF for sure.’” Goals!
“Sometimes I wonder what’s more dangerous in this town. The squirrels or the thirsty old ladies.” Ahem…we’re not all that old.
“I know it sucks, but I can’t keep telling myself I’m not hung up on you. I’m really fucking hung up on you. And now that I’ve kissed you, I don’t think I can live without doing it again.” Jesus, why don’t real people talk like this? This just proves that men written by women are the best men.
What didn’t do it for me:
1. I felt the romance was a little rushed. I know they have this long history of texting, but we didn’t really get to see any of it. I wanted to see more courting before the I-love-yous, like in all her other books. I wanted to see how Thomas and Levi grew close to one another.
Also, I felt like there was still a bit to be desired in the intimate scenes. They were pretty quick, and not nearly as satisfying as other books in the series. Maybe it’s because I claimed Levi as my own a long time ago, and I just wanted more….
July 13, 2024
four stars! *:･ﾟ✧ okay this last book is officially my favorite of the series, and levi is officially my favorite bailey brother 🤧 god this shit was like CRACK! it had absolutely everything i wanted in a romance novel. it was sooo bittersweet to read the ending, bc i’ve definitely fallen for the bailey clan and their little town. i swear to god one of these days i’m going to escape to a small town and live out my own romance like these damn books!! it’s a must for me at this point. anyways,, this book was so freaking cute and i adored the relationship between levi and annika. the whole forbidden love thing really did it for me, and the fact that levi had annika in his phone as ‘juliet’ and annika had levi in her phone as ‘romeo’ BUT NEITHER ONE KNEW ABOUT IT?! *chef’s kiss* instantly melted. i’m genuinely so upset about finishing this series but i’m about to buy the paperbacks asap so that i can revisit the town and the bailey fam over and over again <3
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