Building Forever by Kelly Jensen
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date (Print & Ebook): October 15th, 2018
Subgenre: Contemporary Romance
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Synopsis:
A new town, a new neighbor, and a new chance to build a forever.
Charlie King is doing fine. Sure, he’s a widower raising a teenage daughter who just got her first boyfriend, his book series isn’t writing itself, and he has a crush on his new neighbor — the guy next door. But everything’s just fine.
Simon Lynley is doing better. He moved to Bethlehem to fall out of love and rebuild his career. An affair with his neighbor isn’t part of the plan, but the attraction between them is too hard to ignore.
But when Simon’s ex follows him to Pennsylvania seeking reconciliation, and Charlie’s life starts to feel like a video on repeat, everything comes apart. Charlie worries that he’s failing as a father, and Simon is a distraction he can’t afford. Meanwhile Simon doesn’t know if he could survive being left again, and he hasn’t come all this way to make the same mistakes. But despite their fears, it’s only together that they’ll find the strength to slay old foes and build the forever they’ve been waiting for.
Teaser Excerpt:
Charlie needed to think his idea through, and that meant putting on his running shoes. His calves complained as he stretched, and his lower back tried to convince him that couch surfing was a better form of exercise. Never mind the fact that Sunday’s post-pancake nap-a-thon was probably responsible for every twinge back there.
By the time he got to the corner, he felt less like a jar of marbles being shaken too hard. When he got to the end of Bierys Bridge Road, his stride had lengthened and his breath had fallen into a regular rhythm. A sort-of path alongside Monocacy Creek meandered all the way into Bethlehem. He didn’t usually run that far, but with as much thinking as he had to do, he needed to put a few miles beneath his shoe soles.
The dense canopy blocked most of the sun, and cool mist rose from the water. Charlie dropped into that space where his legs did one thing, his mind another. He breathed and ran and drifted. The outline of book six floated through his head, a tangled mess. He picked at the snags, one by one, until a couple pulled free. Then his thoughts turned to Olivia and The Boy. Justin. He’d gotten a name on Sunday, but neither a description nor address.
Over the past four days, his imagination had crossed Charles Manson with Donald Trump. Justin probably wasn’t a serial killer or the face of American lunacy, but any man left alone with his thoughts for too long got dangerous and maudlin. He dismissed Manson Trump, and tried to imagine a younger face. An innocent face.
And pictured Simon from next door. Damn, if Justin looked like that, he and his daughter were both in trouble.
Pausing, he leaned against a tree to stretch out his calves and hamstrings again. Bent each leg behind him to loosen his thighs a little. His breathing was good. Not shallow, not ragged. Sweat clung to the back of his neck.
Every time he blinked, he saw Simon’s face.
Then it clicked. Simon loosely resembled Jory Ondel—or close to how Charlie had imagined him, anyway. Jory was the hookup from book three. Charlie remembered the twist in his stomach when he’d submitted the pages to Shelly. He’d fully expected her to veto the idea, but she hadn’t. She’d loved Jory. His subplot had been great.
The idea of bringing Jory back, of expanding his story, was curiously exciting. What Charlie couldn’t decide was whether he liked it because of his own curiosity about Simon, or if Jory represented something deeper. Something he’d put aside nearly eighteen years ago upon hearing the words: I’m pregnant.
A breeze tickled the sweat at his nape. Charlie pushed off the tree and started running back the way he’d come. By the time he got home, he had a new plan for book six. A plan that rekindled his enthusiasm for Kaze and his retirement.
If only life was as easy to plot.
Quotes about the book:
“Jensen’s talent for world-building and memorable, unique secondary characters are on full display here in this fabulous series starter. Deeply felt emotions and a lovely romance have me eager for more in this world!”
- Annabeth Albert, author of Out of Uniform series
"Moving and well written, Building Forever will leave you with a mansion-sized smile."
- Sarina Bowen, USA Today bestselling author of Goodbye Paradise.
4.5 Stars!
OMG! What an emotional rollercoaster this book was! I laughed and cried and sighed and just loved Charlie and Simon.
Charlie was absolutely adorable, from his rambling to the way he spaced out and got lost in his thoughts to how much he loved Liv and how he approached his relationship with Simon, even if he'd never been involved with another man, he was amazing. He was imperfectly perfect, showing how human he was when he got overwhelmed at some of his parenting issues. It took me longer to warm up to Simon, I was kind of frustrated with him because of how he pushed away Charlie after Simon's ex came back into the picture, but he eventually won me over. I won't say I loved him as much as Charlie, but I ended up loving him and how caring and supportive he was with Charlie when he needed Simon. Their relationship was a slow burn, which made sense considering it was all new for Charlie, and while not picture perfect, it was still hot and sweet.
I loved the small town feel of Bethlehem and Charlie's friends and family, especially Phil, Liv and Rosie. And while I wasn't much of a fan of Frank, Simon's BFF, I'm still looking forward to his story.
All in all, this was an amazing read, one that I'm sure many will enjoy and I highly recommend. Fair warning, though, you'll probably need tissues at one point or another during the reading. ;)
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
About the Author:
Kelly Jensen
If aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly will not be prepared, despite having read over a hundred stories of the apocalypse. Still, she will pack her precious books into a box and carry them with her as she strives to survive. It’s what bibliophiles do.
Kelly is the author of a number of novels, novellas and short stories, including the Chaos Station series, co-written with Jenn Burke. Some of what she writes is speculative in nature, but mostly it’s just about a guy losing his socks and/or burning dinner. Because life isn’t all conquering aliens and mountain peaks. Sometimes finding a happy ever after is all the adventure we need.
Connect with Kelly: Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter | Instagram | Website
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