I've been reading a TON lately, especially through Kindle Unlimited. And rather than write a review for each and every book of a series, it has seemed to work well to write a review on the series as a whole. This series is, as yet, incomplete, but I've caught up with the four books that are out and they are FANTASTIC!
This is my first exposure to Claire Kingsley, and her Bailey Brothers series did not disappoint. This is technically a spin-off series of her Miles Family series, but I haven't read those, and I didn't feel that I was lost or missing out by not reading them first. The characters from the Miles books do show up briefly in the second and third books of this series, but since these are romance novels, we shouldn't at all be surprised that people have ended up together.
The Bailey Brothers series follows Asher, Evan, Logan, Levi and Gavin Bailey. Their parents passed away when they were all young and their Grandmother, known to everyone as Gram, raised them. They live in a small town in Washington called Tilikum and of course, they're a bunch of hell raisers. Add in a town feud (that is completely hilarious) and the coolest Grandma around, and it makes for a very entertaining series.
'Protecting You' and 'Fighting for Us' are the first two books in the series and they are about Asher Bailey and Grace Miles. 'Protecting You' is very much the "origin story" of the entire Bailey family and the start of Asher and Grace's love story. Their story is not easy and straightforward, so 'Fighting for Us' is the real meat of their story. I don't want to give away why their story isn't easy, because it is a great plot element. If you read the synopsis of 'Fight for Us', you'll find out what it is, but I encourage you to be patient and just work your way through 'Protecting You' first. You won't be disappointed. Asher and Grace have been best friends for their entire life and as they get older, they both start to develop romantic feelings for each other, but their both so scared of ruining their friendship that neither of them change the dynamic, until one summer when Grace is home from college, they tentatively test out the flirty waters and find them to be inviting! Their story has a really sweet beginning, a heartbreaking middle and a lovely HEA. It is a "sort-of" second chance/childhood sweethearts romance.
By far my favorite book of the series is 'Unraveling Him'. This is Evan's story and it is so funny! Evan is the family grump, though nobody really knows why. He dropped out of college, bought a house a few miles outside of town, and started his own custom car restoration business. This life suits him perfectly, because he can be all by himself (with his faithful dog, Sasquatch). In blows Fiona. She is the daughter of a man who has just screwed Evan over, but he also just messed up Fiona's life and she needs Evan's help. Lucky for her, she has an ace up her sleeve that she is sure will convince Evan to help her. Fiona is seriously one of the funniest characters I have ever read. She is so happy and seems to sprinkle joy wherever she goes. We learn that it's because she's had a bit of a hard life, but instead of letting it turn her bitter, she makes happiness where she can find it. My favorite thing about her is her house plants. She starts the book with two house plants that are her best friends. She gives them old lady names and talks to them as if they are her babies. Evan thinks she's a bit wacky, but she really grows on him. It turns out Fiona is exactly what he needs to overcome the hurts from his past that have turned him in to a loner. She is the perfect combination of cheery, loving, badass, sassy and super competent. She is perfect for Evan and I loved them together. This is a frenemies to lovers romance.
The most current book is the story of Gavin Bailey and Skylar Stanley, who is the daughter of the Fire Chief, who happens to be Gavin, Logan and Luke's boss. Skylar comes home to her dad (her parents are split) after a nasty break-up and a crushing career blow. She needs a fresh start, so she decides to move in with her dad in Tilikum. She meets Gavin Bailey when she runs in to him with her car. Gavin is the town daredevil who feels no fear and Skylar is afraid of everything. When Skylar hits Gavin with her car, he breaks his leg and can't work until it's healed. He decides since he has a lot of time on his hands, he will be Skylar's first friend and help her get comfortable with her new town. Of course, being friends can't last forever and things turn steamy. This story was really sweet, because Gavin, while seemingly a crazy lunatic, is actually a really sweet guy on the inside with scars of his own. He helps Skylar conquer her fears and Skylar eventually shows him that there are things that he is afraid of and she is just the woman to help him overcome them.
This series is very good and I am looking forward to the final two installments. I really hope the next book is Logan's. He has a hilarious hate-filled relationship with Grace's best friend, Cara, and you just know there is a story to that one. They'd make a great enemies-to-lovers story.
On top of enjoying this series, I really enjoyed Ms. Kingsley's writing style, so I'm sure it won't be long until I start reading her other series'.
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