Virtual Blog Tour: Building Forever by Kelly Jensen (Review, Guest Post + Giveaway)

Building Forever is the first in a series of standalone novels focused on older characters who think love has passed them by. I loved writing these second chance romances, and I hope you enjoy reading about the books—especially this one because Charlie and Simon will forever be the characters who started me on this journey.

About Building Forever

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.

Now available from Riptide Publishing!

About the This Time Forever Series

Small towns and second chances.

Simon, Frank, and Brian think love has passed them by. Each is facing down his fiftieth birthday—Simon in a few years, Frank next year, and Brian soon enough. Each has loved and lost. But for these men, everything old really is new again, and it’s only when they return to their roots that they’ll find their second chances and the happily ever after they’ve been waiting their whole lives for.

This time it’s forever.

This series includes:

1. Building Forever — releasing October 15, available now!
2. Renewing Forever — releasing November 12, available for preorder!
3. Chasing Forever — releasing December 10, available soon

Festivals, Food, and Fun

Building Forever is the first of three novels comprising the series: This Time Forever. The idea behind the series was to tell stories about older men who have loved and lost, and maybe think happiness has passed them by. Then they meet someone (or in the case of the second book, reconnect with someone) and realize this could be it: this time could be forever.

Although all three books approach the romance angle quite differently, because they form a series I wanted them to feel cohesive as a unit. So the settings are all small towns—not dots on a map, but small cities that are some distance from the sprawling metropolises of Manhattan and Philadelphia. I’ve lived in or close by all three and researching them for these novels brought me great joy.

Family forms an important component of all three books. A lot of my characters are close to their parents and have substantial support networks. The two who lack that bond find it with the families of their partners, or the network of friends and found family they’ve created over the years.

I love to write children and there are kids in every book. <3 (Actually, there are two delightfully surly teenagers, and… I’m going to leave the kids in Frank’s book as a surprise.)

There are also structural similarities to all three, even though the stories are very different. In every book, my couple visits a festival, has a date, and there is quite a bit of food—because I love food, so my characters mostly do too.

In Building Forever, the theme foods are Cheez-Its (Charlie’s favorite—and mine), a good Scotch whiskey (for Simon, also courtesy of me), and pizza with anchovies and olives. Mmm. On their date, Charlie and Simon go to a brew pub that specializes in burgers, and both order one. I’ve eaten there and they make excellent burgers. They also brew their own beer and Charlie orders up one of my favorites while Simon settles on a scotch that’s acceptable. The pub doesn’t have my favorite on their menu, but a few that are drinkable.

I chose these snacks and drinks, and the date location, based on Charlie and Simon’s personalities. Charlie is pretty loose when it comes to nutrition. He spares a thought for it—insisting his daughter eat regularly, and include a vegetable, but he’s also a fan of ice cream for lunch, and Sunday brunch. The fact he runs regularly and works around the house means he can get away with most of it, but Charlie doesn’t have an enviably flat belly or any kind of visible abs. He’s a pizza and Xbox every Friday guy. He’s got the comfortable physique of someone who is active and enjoys beer.

Simon has a more refined palate, but I got the impression he eats because his body requires fuel. I think he enjoys good food, but wouldn’t necessarily travel for it. He’s a sustenance eater. But I did like the idea of him enjoying the occasional glass of very nice whiskey. I imagined someone bought him a pricey bottle at some stage and he drank it and decided he liked it and so it became a vague habit.

In Simon and Charlie’s happy ever after, there are going to be some interesting food decisions. I can’t imagine Simon ever eating pizza with olives and anchovies. He’s more likely a cheese and mushrooms kind of guy—if he eats pizza at all. It’s messy. But I do think he’d be into the idea of ice cream for lunch, especially if lunch is in bed with Charlie.

I’ve attended quite a few festivals in Bethlehem. If there’s one thing a small town does well, it’s a street fair. We have a lot of them up here in the Poconos, literally one every week in some town or other, and I loved the idea of featuring one in each book. In Bethlehem, I chose an art festival so the scene could include interaction with Charlie’s daughter Liv, and their neighbor, Cassie.

This was one of my absolute favorite scenes to write and I giggled throughout, even after several rounds of revisions and edits. In fact, it’s one of the few scenes that really didn’t change appreciably by the last draft! What I love about the scene is Simon’s absolute bewilderment when it comes to cultural references he’s not familiar with: Dungeons & Dragons and anything science fiction. He’s a total nerd when it comes to architecture, but he’s probably never played a game in his life. (He probably drew sketches of buildings as a child. Or read serious books.)

When confronted with a pottery beholder that is “too large for tabletop use” he thinks that means it’s meant to hold condiments. I’ll admit I giggled pretty hard at that. And his reaction to Charlie’s book covers—wormholes and spaceships—is priceless.

But Simon is a lovely guy. He’s quiet and shy, but very, very sweet. He wants to learn about eyestalks and spaceships and becomes Charlie’s number one fan. And he also takes Liv’s art seriously, which is an important step to winning the heart of a girl who is going to feature largely in his life from here on out.

I’m looking forward to sharing the food, festivals, and fun for every book in this series with you! Until then, I hope you enjoy reading about Building Forever, and are inspired to take a look at the book.

4.5 Stars

Charlie, omg, Charlie was such a fun guy. He was sweet, funny and I absolutely adored his rambling. I loved him immediately upon meeting him. Simon, I wasn’t so sure about at first, but I quickly fell in love with him, too. Together they were amazing. The sexual tension between them was palpable and their chemistry amazing. This was a slow-burn, but once they gave in to their desires, they were smoking hot together!!

I absolutely loved this story. It was well-written and paced well. It had me laughing, crying and swooning and I can’t wait to read the next two stories in the series. This was a sweet, fun and sexy read that was very enjoyable and of course, highly recommendable!!

*copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

About Kelly Jensen

If aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly will not be prepared, despite having read over a hundred stories about 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, cowritten 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:

• Website: kellyjensenwrites.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kellyjensenwrites/
• Twitter: twitter.com/kmkjensen
• Tumblr: kmkjensen.tumblr.com/
• Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/kmkjensen/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kellyjensenwrites/

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Building Forever one lucky person will win a $25 Riptide Publishing gift card and a swag pack of stickers, art cards, and bookmarks! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 20, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!