One night brings them together. Another night tears them apart.Grace Miles misses her easy friendship with Asher, but growing up means growing apart. And really, how could he fall for her when they spent their childhood getting muddy in the creek and splitting sticks of gum?But this summer, something feels different. If Grace didn’t know better, she’d think Asher was flirting with her. Those dark … flirting with her. Those dark eyes, hard body, and wicked smile make her insides swirl and her heart dare to hope for things she’s convinced herself she’ll never have.
Falling for your best friend shouldn’t be complicated, but for Asher Bailey, loving Grace is anything but simple. The road to romance isn’t smooth thanks to his pack of wild brothers who are protective of the girl next door, a take-no-sass grandmother, a small town where gossip is a spectator sport, and a feud that spans generations.
But Asher realizes his feelings are too big to ignore. Loving her isn’t the risk. Losing her would be.
And one night, one kiss, changes everything.
Finally admitting their feelings is the beginning of their happily ever after. Until their fairy tale love story is tragically interrupted, and neither of them will ever be the same.
Author’s note: Lifelong soulmates, ridiculous pranks, brother shenanigans, and a feuding town. Protecting You is the Bailey Brothers series origin story. Be there when it begins and fall in love with this wild band of unruly brothers.
The Bailey Brothers is meant to be read in order, and Grace and Asher’s story concludes in book two, Fighting for Us.
more
Gah, I fell in love with Asher Bailey. It was so good to see his love with Grace develop. We know they have their own obstacles based on what we’ve learned in the Miles’ series, but we had no idea.
It is heartbreaking. You’ll fall in love, you’ll be happy, and then Claire will break you. But I know she’ll make it better, it’s just a matter of time.
Grace and Asher are so sweet. I love them.
I didn’t know how much I needed this in my life! The origin story was amazing. I feel so connected to Asher & Grace, and the rest of the Bailey family getting that backstory of how they grew up before getting into their book. Even getting to know the town itself impacted my feelings. Counting down to Fighting For Us!
No spoilers here but do you KNOW how long we have waited for this series to begin!?!?! Totally worth it! Off to an amazing start.
As soon as The Bailey Brothers books were announced they became some of my top most anticipated reads of the year! I’ve been wanting to read more of Ms.Kingsley’s books this year as well and I’m so happy that I got the chance to with this one! I couldn’t wait to get into this series and I had to pick this one up as soon as it landed on my Kindle! I loved it!
This first installment of Asher and Grace’s journey grabbed my attention from the first chapter and didn’t let go! I had to finish reading it in one sitting. I so enjoyed getting to know these characters and their connection. I felt so much throughout reading.
I can’t wait to find out what happens next in Fighting for Us!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from the author*
Our lives sometimes turn on a dime and that certainly holds true for Grace and Asher. Childhood best friends whose lives ebb and flow as they grow up, finally admit they love they have had for one another all along. Then in a blink of an eye it’s gone just gone. One of them demands the other move on and that one refuses.
Great kick off to what will be an amazing series, as if anyone should doubt the fabulous story telling brought to us by Claire Kingsley.
We finally get the back story to Asher and Grace. It’s sweet and funny and heart wrenching. Yeah, it might even make you alittle mad but we know book 2 will make us all feel better.
I loved finally meeting all the Bailey brothers and Grandma Bailey is someone we all need in our lives. Can not wait for book 2!!
Ever since we were introduced to Grace Miles in the Miles Family series, I was completely invested in her story. So when I found out The Bailey Brothers series was being written, I was ecstatic. What I didn’t realize is how much I needed this origin story. I can’t imagine this series starting any other way than with this heartwarming story of how Grace and Asher’s love grew from an innocent childhood friendship to so much more before the tragedy that separated them. I loved it from the first page and can’t wait for the rest of their story in Fighting for Us. I’m also excited to see what comes of the other Bailey brothers in the rest of the series.
Side note–you don’t have to read the Miles Family series prior to The Bailey Brothers but you totally should!
OMG this story was so great and so terrible too! Asher and Grace have been best friends their whole. They start to drift apart a little because both are feeling more, and are afraid to wreck their friendship. The emotion between them finally are up in a passionate love affair that exceed all expectations. Their future is bright and beautiful.
And then everything explodes into a nightmare. I will not go into detail and spoil it but basically Asher saves her and ends up in state prison for an 8 year sentence. It was so heartbreaking it made me nauseous. Waiting for the next story is going to be torture! What will 30-year old Asher be like after 8 years in prison? What will Grace be like after those 8 years without him? I want to know and I’m also afraid to know … definitely the sign of a wonderful story at the hands of a great author.
I have to tell you that it is the first book by Claire Kingsley that I read and it is the begininig of everything and explain a lot of what Grace and Asher will face in the future.
I loved this book because it introduced the Bailey family and how Grace and Asher have first met and began to love each other.
A beautiful book to start a saga of brothers that are so fun to read!
I loved it
We’ve been waiting for this book for what seems like decades. OK, a year or so. As always, though, Claire Kingsley doesn’t disappoint. Protecting you is the prequel story to Grace Miles and Asher Bailey’s story. We know Grace from the Miles series; we’re meeting the Baileys for the first time. And what a first impression they have made. This story has an expected ending (if you’ve read the Miles books, you know a little already), but the journey to get there is beautiful. All of the expected Kingsley wonderfulness is on full display here – humorous, loving, smart people placed in situations that can be funny, heart breaking and (hopefully!) happy endings. (Who am I kidding? Claire Kingsley always delivers the HEAs!). Looking forward to their full story coming in a week. Can’t wait to see how it all comes together. #freeasherbailey #ClaireKingsleyisaQUEEN.
I’ve been anxiously awaiting this book like all other Claire fans since Gaining Miles came out and she did NOT disappoint! I loved getting the background on Grace and Asher and while my heart is 100% broken right now, I know Claire will fix it with the next book!
Let me just make this fact known. I. Hate. Cliffhangers. Luckily, I only have to wait two days for the sequel. This book will leave you with all the feels. Young love and tragedy. I’m not going to lie either, I was mad at the ladies Grace was with. I kept thinking “why would they leave her alone not once but twice?” But I get it. It was necessary to get to where Ms. Kingsley was taking us.
Ok it took a while for me to read this purely because life got in the way.
Claire gives us snippets of the back story to Asher & Grace in The Miles stories and oh my gawd did she follow through. The love story of childhood best friends who both secretly want more but for their own fears don’t act on them until it’s almost too late.
Unfortunately due to previous events an incident where Asher proves how much he loves Grace leads to him having to serve a custodial sentence. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.
I loved this. The story was great. The characters are hilarious. A sweet romance with the promise of more. Small towns, friends since they were kids growing to romance. You won’t be sorry you read this.
Ok, I am starting this with #freeasherbailey. Now.
Oh my Lord, how sweet can a story be? We hit on ALL THE FEELS with this one. We know Grace from the Miles Family series and have been waiting impatiently (*cough cough* write faster Claire) for her story and the mystery of the engagement ring. Grace and Asher have grown up with each other; they are the quintessential boy and girl next door. He is the eldest of five boys, including a set of twins, being raised by their grandparents. Grace is the eldest daughter of a single mom. They are best friends, but as life happens, they slide apart.
Grace has come home from college, and as Asher’s grandmother says, seasons change, and so does the wind. The time is right, the people are there, and the magic happens. It’s so sweet, it’s so right, and it is so darn beautiful. Honestly, the sweet perfection that is the love scene between Asher and Grace is just beyond words. Their love story that unfolds is one not built on physical attraction alone but a lifetime of shared memories, respect, and love. Their families are intertwined and bonded. The tragedy that ensues is of trainwreck proportions and leaves devastation in its wake. Seasons change, and so does the wind.
Now we wait.
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite genres, especially when they knew each other from childhood, and Protecting You pulled at my heartstrings and was everything I hoped it would be and more. The new Bailey Brothers series is a spin-off of the Miles Family series which I ADORED! I couldn’t get enough and was thrilled to pieces when Claire Kingsley announced her new venture.
We were first introduced to Grace Miles when we learned she was a surprise step-sibling to the Miles clan. I don’t want to give away anything, but it all comes together so beautifully. At the end of that series, we get an update into the future when Grace tells her siblings her finance, Asher Bailey, is in prison. But why and how and when we did not know, and now we do. As you can surmise from the title, our hero is just that and more, and willingly accepts his fate with grace and fortitude.
In Protecting You, we learn their backstory from their childhood when they were next-door neighbors, and how their friendship evolved into a tender, sweet young adult romance. I can’t say enough about these two! They knew each other so well, drifted apart when they went to separate colleges, yet bounced right back to the ease of their friendship as soon as they reconnected. Both are strong and focused, family oriented, have morals and values, and truly love one another.
Asher was adorable when he pursed her for a romantic relationship. He was vulnerable and unsure if she felt the same way, yet was steadfast in his mission to win her heart. And win her heart he did, but just as they began to enjoy their new status as a couple, something happened that will forever change their future. He loves her enough to let her go, and she loves him enough to wait. Oh be still my heart! Claire always writes with so much emotion that you truly feel for her characters as if they were real and part of your life. The character development and interconnected details will pull you into the story and make you feel every emotion.
It was fun getting to know Grams, the matriarch of the five Baily brothers, as well as Grace’s mom and younger brother. This book was real and riveting and so relatable.
I especially enjoyed revisiting the Miles family in the epilogue of Protecting You which advances six years into the future. This is a total standalone that continues with book 2, Fighting For You, and you do not have to read the previous series to enjoy it. Highly recommend!
Claire is a new author to me and I’m so glad that I found her. This book was amazing and I’m so looking forward to the rest of Asher and Grace’s story. Best friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes. These two have been best friends since they were little. Their lives are so intertwined, it was given that they would end up together. What wasn’t given was the pain and sacrifice they’d have to go through to get there. A must read.
This book broke my heart in the best way possible, and I can’t wait for Claire Kingsley to put it back together again!
Protecting You is first act in Asher Bailey and Grace Miles’ love story, spanning years of friendship and young love. They are truly a couple that grows up together, and grows in love together. Childhood best friends, they are the calm in each other’s storm when they need it. Just when it looks like they are on their way to their happily-ever-after, they are thrown a horrible curveball that keeps them apart for 8 years. Through it all, Asher strives to be what Grace needs, and to always put her first.
I can’t wait for the conclusion of their story in Fighting for Us. Luckily the two books will be released close together because if anyone deserves their happily-ever-after, it’s Asher and Grace.
Grace and Asher have been friends forever. Growing up next door to each other was the foundation for a friendship that lasted through everything. When Grace comes back home from college for the summer things change. Asher sees her in a different light. When grace’s feelings are finally revealed they go instantly from friends into lovers. But true love and happiness is not in the cards for them when tragedy strikes. Can Grace prove to Asher that her love will not fade? Or will they both not only lose their lover but their best friend too? Once again Claire Kingsley created characters that the reader instantly falls in love with but this time she took us a wild ride that left us breathless. I cannot wait for the next installment in Grace and Ashers tale.
This book was a prequel to the main story, but man was it good. I was swooning over Asher and Grace from the very beginning; their chemistry is off the charts, and we only get a small glimpse at that chemistry in this book. There’s so much action, so much angst, so much drama packed into this prequel that it seriously left me with a book hangover. I am so ready for the second book! Definitely a must-read!