Kelly Jensen's Building Forever is a fabulous book!

A romance between two middle aged men, one a widower, the other off a breakup.
Their tale is sweet, tender, and full of some wonderful first times.

I would recommend this to anyone!!!

I finished this sitting in the waiting room of the ophthalmologist, hoping no one noticed I was getting teary. It was very sweet and they were tears of joy. I thought the author got a little didactic at times, at one point going so far as to have a character look up the definition of pansexual to ensure the reader knew it. But I also found so very much relatable in this book. The whole messy and contradictory idea that you can love your life and the people in it, but still mourn the life not lived is one that struck me dead centre. I also very much appreciated that there were no misunderstandings or pointlessly kept secrets. There were several times Jensen could have taken this over-trod path and instead opted to have a character be brave, honest and upfront. Similarly, Charlie didn’t agonize over his newly embraced identity. He was open and honest with himself and everyone else about it. I loved that and the characters for it. All in all, I call this a success. And considering romance without a trace of sci-fi or fantasy in it isn’t wholly my jam is really saying something.

I just finished reading Building Forever by Kelly Jensen, the first book in the This Time Forever series. This was a great read with interesting characters. Charlie – sci-fi writer, widower father of one; and Simon – architect running from the memories of his broken heart. Simon moves in next door and so begins this heartwarming romance.

I had no expectations for the story. I like the idea of a second chance at love. I found the idea of a widower promising as it would provide a source of potential conflict. Charlie had his own memories and guilt that he battled during the story. He meets Simon, who moved in next door.
Simon escaped to the small town because of the memories of his failed relationship . His ex who had also been his business partner.

Charlie is a late bloomer. He spent so much time focusing on raising his daughter after the death of his wife that he was out of practice dealing with romance. But his growing feelings for Simon forces him to own up to his bisexuality.

Charlie comes to terms with the feelings that he is having and pursues Simon. Their romance is not without bumps and bruises, but worth the journey. I was just as invested in watching Charlie struggle to finish writing his novel, as I was in he and Simon getting together.

It was somewhat of a slow burn romance, the relationship between Charlie and Simon didn’t heat up until about half way into the book. There were a lot of smiles and longing looks. And that was fine. It gave the characters more time to connect, and their relationship felt real.

Good story. I feel this a great start to the series and I look forward to the rest of the books in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced electronic copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Strong emotions, family and love are the heart of BUILDING FOREVER, a beautiful and bittersweet romance that is full of love and hope.

Charlie is a writer raising his teenage daughter by himself, after his wife's death. His crush on his new neighbor, Simon, is a distraction he can't afford if he wants to finish his new book. Simon has moved to Bethlehem to rebuild his career. He wasn't expecting the attraction he felt for his charming neighbor. But when their present start to look too much like the past, the possibility of a new relationship becomes a liability as they have to face their own demons.

It was a beautiful book. It is slow paced and was a little hard for me in the beginning. It also took me awhile to get in touch with the main character's emotions, but I got to a point, even without realizing when it happened, when I was so in love with them that I couldn't stop reading. One of the things that I loved the most about was the hardest moments Simon and Charlie had to face.

I loved Charlie's parenting self-doubts. It felt so realistic. I loved how much Olivia and Charlie love each other, it was impossible not to feel how much love there was between them. Charlie was a charming character. I'm sure most readers are going to love him. Another thing I liked about him was the constant guilt about certain events of his life. I can imagine how people under those circumstances would feel the same. It was so easy to care for him. Simon was also a great character. I think I liked him the most. There was some kind of hopelessness in him at times that made me care for him very quickly. It was interesting to see how different the situation was, compare to how Charlie was living, but how deeply it hurt him too.

As for the love story between them, it was adorable. I loved every interaction they had and how the emotions start to develop. As everything in the book, it felt realistic and that's the kind of romance I love to read. The doubts, the hope, life trying to interfere, everything was perfect about it, and seeing them fighting to get their happy ending was beautiful.

Overall it was a lovely read, so full of love and grief and with so much hope that made me so happy. Recommend it to readers who enjoy M/M romance.

*4.5 stars*

A refreshing story about mature characters that have loved and lost in their lives and are now fighting for a second chance at happiness.

Charlie and Simon both have their pasts and they are trying to move forward knowing they can't forget about them. I liked that there was no secret about either's story. Everything was out in the open and they were both honest with the other.

I had a small issue with the MCs' names: though they aren't very similar I still spent the majority of the book mixing them. I had to consciously think about who was supposed to be the local guy with the kid and who the architect making a new start in a new city. That was pretty frustrating and totally up to me, but once I found a solution to tell them apart the story flowed much more easily.

The events with Charlie's daughter weren't a surprise to me, I suspected what was going to happen from the start and I kept wishing that the author would prove me wrong because I didn't like that she decided to take the story there. Despite that, Kelly Jensen handled the situation very nicely. There was the obligatory bump on the road for the couple towards the end of the story, but it happened in such a way that it didn't feel like crafted drama.

I wish that the author would have been more generous with the timeframe, because even though the way the characters acted was fine and didn't seem sappy, when you thought about the events in terms of how many days had passed it was clear that it was too soon for Charlie and Simon to have developed the feelings they were supposed to have. Their relationship felt rushed, but I decided to ignore it because the narration was really good and didn't feel insta-love.

I kept waiting for something to happen with the ex, but in the end nothing much did. That thread seemed like it was abandoned at some point and I know that Brian has his own book in the series but I still wanted a more solid conclusion for his new efforts to approach Simon.

All in all this was a very enjoyable story about second chances at happiness. Recommended!

4.5 Stars

I am going to just flat out say that I loved this story despite the “twist” at the end, which was pretty predictable. Despite that small niggle this was, hands down, a delightful romantic comedy with a few serious spots here and there, low angst and two main characters that begged the reading audience to fall in love with them. Kelly Jensen is a new author for me, but I have already requested the sequel to Building Forever because I was so impressed with this novel.

Charlie is a worrier with no filter, a running inner dialogue that usually comes to surface at the most inopportune times, and a new neighbor that has shaken up some long-buried feelings. Charlie is also a widower—an in love, happily married, once-upon-a-time, widower with a teenage daughter who is on the cusp of graduating high school and spreading her wings, which has Charlie fairly terrified. When his new, very handsome, very male neighbor drops by, Charlie is flustered, attracted, unhinged, attracted some more, and unsure as to why he is any and all of the aforementioned. But what Charlie is not is scared to admit that his long-buried attraction to males means he is definitely bisexual and ready to embrace that truth with all he’s got.

Simon, is the polar opposite of Charlie in almost every way. Gay, alone after a twelve year relationship had ended, starting fresh as a partner in an architectural firm, and trying his best not to brood over the mistakes he has made in the past. He knows he wasn’t responsible for his ex cheating on him and yet each time it happened, Simon stayed, trying to make it better and failing each time. It didn’t help that his ex was also his business partner at the time. Now Simon is starting over, doing the type of work on historic reclamation projects that he has always wanted to do, and trying to fight off the attraction he feels for his very flustered but undeniably cute neighbor. Surely he’s just not ready to take on a man who has just discovered his bisexuality and all that entails…or is he?

I loved—no, I adored—Charlie. He was just a huge ball of fun, and his decisions to expose his bisexuality to his closest friends and daughter was so brave. I enjoyed his fumbling attempts to woo Simon and how he almost always blurted out exactly what was in his head, no matter how awkward it made a situation. Simon was the perfect foil to rambunctious Charlie. Simon with his quiet, wounded soul that was so much in need of being loved, was just the right man for someone like Charlie, whose heart was big enough for so many to call home.

Building Forever has just the right amount of sexual tension, acts of intimacy, a few moments of real angst, and a beautiful romance between two deserving men. Both Simon and Charlie had lost someone they loved—for Simon that really meant forgiving himself and believing that he was worth any effort Charlie put forth, something that was not easy for Simon to accept. While the twist in the fairly smooth plot was a bit too easy, it did reveal just how much Charlie really struggled after his wife’s death, and that was important to understanding Charlie fully. It also gave Simon’s character a chance to realize that Charlie was worth fighting for, and that made the plot twist worth it in the end.

Building Forever is a really lovely romance that promises hope and love and reminds us that family is more than just those you are born with, but also that which you create and hold most dear.

Once again, we have a very enjoyable series by Kelly Jensen featuring very down-to-Earth protagonists with good hearts you can't help but loving. Life may have thrown them curves but they are doing the best they can in the circumstances. This particular series features older men, all around 50 years old, and each finding second chances in relationships they had long since thought passed. A recurring theme is that most are not what they seem - even the ones that seem like antagonists may become protagonists by book three.

Story: Charlie King became a father and a husband at a very young age. Now, dealing with all that involves being a widower and father of a teenager, he is starting to realize there is more to his life than he thought. Simon Lynley is a very successful architect looking to start over in Charlie's home town. When he rents the place next door to Charlie, he becomes involved in Charlie's very complicated life. More so in Charlie himself.

Both main characters are easy to follow and have distinct personalities. Simon is more uptight and neat while Charlie is much more complicated and distracted. Both will help each other: Simon helps Charlie in dealing with his daughter's dating life (and Charlie not wanting his daughter to repeat his mistakes) and Charlie helping Simon get past the end of a long term relationship.

There is no melodrama - these are just two men with different perspectives on life in a unique position to help each other cope or move on. The writing is, as always, smooth and flows naturally. At the end, there is a wonderful feeling of a true happy ever after - something we can actually believe might occur in real life and therefore cheer for these protagonists. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

Okay. Wow. I wasn’t expecting this book – and I really loved it. This small town, slice of life romance is different in theme and tone than anything else I’ve read by Kelley Jenson. Simon and Charlie are slightly older and slightly jaded. When Simon moves in next door to Charlie, both men have a chance at a fresh start.

For me, it is the writing that makes this book special. The author’s careful observations make each character feel almost unnervingly familiar and relatable. I loved Bethlehem and I even loved some of the more peculiar characters in the town. The romance in this story builds slowly and while there’s a little bit of heat, this isn’t a terribly sexy book.

I don’t enjoy kids in romance, but Charlie’s daughter is an older teenager and I really like her relationship with her father. At the end of the book, her storyline is frustratingly predictable but for the most part I actually enjoyed the family dynamic in this story.

This is a gentle, quiet romance between two men who are both recovering from past hurts. I love that Charlie and Simon are both flawed, both a little bit unsure of themselves, and both a bit quirky in their own ways. There is a lovely, reassuring warmth to this book that I thoroughly enjoyed.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/M Romance
Triggers: Cancer, Teenage pregnancy

Charlie is a writer of science fiction. He has a teenage daughter who he's trying to raise, but feels like he's floundering. When a new neighbor moves in, Charlie is instantly attracted. However, because he's never had a relationship outside of his marriage, he's a little wary. Despite his apprehension, he wants to take this plunge with Simon.

Simon is wanting to create – let his artistic side out. When he was in his previous relationship, not only was he blind to his partner cheating, but he was in a lull in his job too. So, he picks up and starts over. He meets his neighbor in an awkward time but is instantly taken with him.

When their lives start to unravel, both will have to decide if they are worth the risk.

Overall, this was just an okay story for me. It took quite a while for me to actually engage in the story. The characters were well developed, but I just couldn't quite connect with them. It will be interesting to see if the daughter gets the next book, since her life has taken a giant turn, but I don't know if I would be okay if Simon's ex gets a story – he seems mean and petty. While this story wasn't quite what I expected, it was an okay, well thought-out story.

Charlie King is a great guy. He’s a widower raising a teenage daughter and writing a successful SF series. But then, Simon Lynley moves in next door and makes him consider where he is going with his life and future relationships.

Simon has moved to Pennsylvania for a fresh start and isn’t sure if his new neighbor is a good candidate.

They become friends and then more then friends but their past and present lives collide putting their budding romance in jeopardy.

This was a sweet romance of discovery and healing with a nice focus on likable, believable characters who are genuinely invested in a relationship. Some aspects of Charlie’s acknowledgement of his bisexuality seemed a bit unbelievable to me but this was still a satisfying read and a good choice for libraries looking to expand their LGBTQ offerings.

3.5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a nice gentle romance.

Charlie is a single dad and widower. He is also bisexual but all his previous relationships have been with women. He blames himself for his wife's death and dotes on his 17 year old daughter Olivia. When Simon moves in next door Charlie begins to wonder if he should ask Simon on a date.

Simon is an architect running from his previous life. He has spent the last ten years of his life in an unsatisfactory relationship but when he sees Charlie he wonders if this is an opportunity for something new.

Eventually the two men get together but the road to love is not smooth and the shadows of the past haunt both men. Can they overcome the hurts of the past and move towards a future together?

This was ok and the characters were engaging. I did find it a bit predictable especially towards the end but it is still a nice story to read.

Copy provided by Riptide Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

A sweet, later-in-life romance between two very different men. Building Forever focuses on building a community, a family, and a place for oneself; it's a pleasant read, with charmingly low stakes and a healthy approach to managing grief.

I think that there are more than a few parents out there – single or married – that think that they’re failing somehow. No one’s perfect, but Charlie feels like he’s floundering more often than not. He misses his late wife. She was his best friend and a true partner in parenting their daughter. He really needed the balance she provided when it came to his daughter’s teenage years. And he definitely didn’t need the distraction of his new neighbor.

Simon had a lot on his plate. A new job, a new home, new goals… he didn’t need to be distracted either. Some things you can’t fight though and his attraction to Charlie was one of them.

I felt for both these men. They needed each other, but they were each too guarded to let the other in fully. I liked both Charlie and Simon and I could see where they were coming from… but I couldn’t wait until they both gave in…

This is also one of those books that is enhanced by the supporting characters. I loved Simon’s friends and Charlie’s family was great too… with a couple of exceptions. I’m sure that the rest of the series can be read as stand alones, but since the characters in the next two books were introduced in Building Forever, I going to enjoy getting to know them better. Renewing Forever is next in the This Time Forever series, but I personally can’t wait to see how Kelly Jensen redeems a certain character in Chasing Forever 😉

I’ve come across Kelly Jensen before as an author of m/m Sci-Fi romance (I’m thinking of the Chaos Station series she co-wrote with Jenn Burke) but haven’t so far managed to read anything of hers. When I saw that her new contemporary romance series, This Time Forever would feature protagonists a bit older than the norm, I jumped on book one, Building Forever, in which a widower with a teenaged daughter and the handsome architect who moves in next door find themselves slowly falling in love.

Charlie King married his childhood sweetheart, Merry, after Merry got pregnant when they were both around eighteen. He never regretted it and loved his wife dearly, but she died of cancer five years earlier, and he’s been caring for his daughter Olivia (who is now seventeen) on his own ever since. As every parent is, he’s continually beset by doubts about his parenting skills, worried about Liv’s health – and when he finds out she’s got a steady boyfriend, his anxiety levels go through the roof. (As the parent of teenage daughters myself, I could understand a lot of his concerns!) He’s a writer – technical manuals by day, Sci-Fi novels by night (as it were) – so he works from home, which is how come he’s in his kitchen stuffing his face with Cheez-Its and covered in crumbs when his gorgeous new neighbour comes in through the back door.

Simon Lynley has moved to Bethlehem from New Jersey intending to make a fresh start. He ended a twelve-year relationship with the man who was also his business partner a few months back, and still beats himself up about the fact that he let things between them go on for so long – like, a decade too long – when he knew Brian wasn’t faithful and that Simon wasn’t happy, either personally or professionally. He’s an architect, but had become disillusioned with the way his career was going, unhappy with projects that required no imagination, designing homes with no soul or character. The move offers him the opportunity to build something of his own and work in a town full of character, to immerse himself in a like-minded community, converse with people who, like him, wanted to preserve the old rather than flatten it to make way for the new – and to work on projects he believes in.

The character property next door is just the sort of thing Simon admires and so, it turns out, is its owner. He is immediately struck by Charlie’s handsome features, his ready smile and open-hearted garrulousness. Charlie doesn’t seem to have a brain-to-mouth filter, but Simon doesn’t mind; in fact he’s charmed by it, even as the alarm bells are ringing because Charlie is (as far as Simon knows) both straight and married.

Over the next few weeks and months, Simon and Charlie see each other occasionally; sometimes by design, such as when Charlie takes Simon to a local art festival, sometimes accidentally, like when Simon discovers Charlie furiously digging in the garden trying to repair a hole in the hedge. Each finds himself growing more and more attracted to the other, but isn’t sure what to do about it. Having married so young – and been a faithful husband – Charlie never had the chance to explore the bisexuality he’d acknowledged in his teens. He hasn’t had a serious relationship since his wife died, confining his sexual encounters to a few hook-ups at the Sci-Fi conventions he attends – but the strength of the pull he feels towards Simon is something he’s never felt towards anyone, male or female.

Building Forever is a funny, charming and sensual romance between two men who’ve been knocked about a bit by life and are recovering from past hurts. Both leads are extremely likeable and feel like real people, complete with individual quirks, emotional baggage and messy lives; they’re not perfect, but they’re perfect for each other, and the author creates a strong emotional connection between them at the same time as she develops their physical attraction. The chemistry between them fizzes delightfully, and Charlie is, quite simply, one of the sweetest, most adorkable heroes I’ve read in some time. He’s warm, funny and utterly captivating; I loved his self-awareness and honesty when it came to admitting to his feelings for Simon, and his unashamed enthusiasm for new sexual experiences is both cute and sexy. Charlie’s impulsiveness and compulsive chattiness are a nice contrast to Simon’s quieter, more cautious personality; Charlie brings some much needed lightness and sunshine into Simon’s life, and Simon brings a calming influence to Charlie’s.

Family and friendships are important to both men, and although the secondary cast isn’t large, the relationships between Charlie and his brother-in-law (and best friend) Phil and between Simon and his best friend, Frank, are nicely done and add a bit depth to the principals and the story. Olivia is a fully-realised individual (so often, children of protagonists in romances are little more than ciphers) and I loved that she’s so supportive of Charlie and Simon together; she’s obviously as devoted to her dad as he is to her. The one criticism I have of the novel overall is that there isn’t really anything much keeping Simon and Charlie apart, except their own insecurities and some pretty bad timing, but fortunately, Ms. Jensen doesn’t go overboard with the roadblocks or silly contrivances to create unnecessary drama.

Ultimately, Building Forever is a fun, feel-good read with a little bit of angst and a lot of warmth and humour that, for all its frequent light-heartedness, still packs an emotional punch. If you’re in need of a romantic pick-me-up on a grey day, I reckon this one is more than up to the task.

Grade: B+ / 4.5 stars

I’ve come across Kelly Jensen before as an author of m/m Sci-Fi romance (I’m thinking of the Chaos Station series she co-wrote with Jenn Burke) but haven’t so far managed to read anything of hers.  When I saw that her new contemporary romance series, This Time Forever would feature protagonists a bit older than the norm, I jumped on book one, Building Forever, in which a widower with a teenaged daughter and the handsome architect who moves in next door find themselves slowly falling in love.

Charlie King married his childhood sweetheart, Merry, after Merry got pregnant when they were both around eighteen.  He never regretted it and loved his wife dearly, but she died of cancer five years earlier, and he’s been caring for his daughter Olivia (who is now seventeen) on his own ever since.  As every parent is, he’s continually beset by doubts about his parenting skills, worried about Liv’s health - and when he finds out she’s got a steady boyfriend, his anxiety levels go through the roof. (As the parent of teenage daughters myself, I could understand a lot of his concerns!)  He’s a writer – technical manuals by day, Sci-Fi novels by night (as it were) - so he works from home, which is how come he’s in his kitchen stuffing his face with Cheez-Its and covered in crumbs when his gorgeous new neighbour comes in through the back door.

Simon Lynley has moved to Bethlehem from New Jersey intending to make a fresh start.  He ended a twelve-year relationship with the man who was also his business partner a few months back, and still beats himself up about the fact that he let things between them go on for so long – like, a decade too long – when he knew Brian wasn’t faithful and that Simon wasn’t happy, either personally or professionally.  He’s an architect, but had become disillusioned with the way his career was going, unhappy with projects that required no imagination, designing homes with no soul or character.  The move offers him the opportunity to build something of his own and work in a town full of character, to immerse himself in a like-minded community, converse with people who, like him, wanted to preserve the old rather than flatten it to make way for the new - and to work on projects he believes in.

The character property next door is just the sort of thing Simon admires and so, it turns out, is its owner.  He is immediately struck by Charlie’s handsome features, his ready smile and open-hearted garrulousness.  Charlie doesn’t seem to have a brain-to-mouth filter, but Simon doesn’t mind; in fact he’s charmed by it, even as the alarm bells are ringing because Charlie is (as far as Simon knows) both straight and married.

Over the next few weeks and months, Simon and Charlie see each other occasionally; sometimes by design, such as when Charlie takes Simon to a local art festival, sometimes accidentally, like when Simon discovers Charlie furiously digging in the garden trying to repair a hole in the hedge.  Each finds himself growing more and more attracted to the other, but isn’t sure what to do about it.  Having married so young – and been a faithful husband – Charlie never had the chance to explore the bisexuality he’d acknowledged in his teens.  He hasn’t had a serious relationship since his wife died, confining his sexual encounters to a few hook-ups at the Sci-Fi conventions he attends – but the strength of the pull he feels towards Simon is something he’s never felt towards anyone, male or female.

Building Forever is a funny, charming and sensual romance between two men who’ve been knocked about a bit by life and are recovering from past hurts.  Both leads are extremely likeable and feel like real people, complete with individual quirks, emotional baggage and messy lives; they’re not perfect, but they’re perfect for each other, and the author creates a strong emotional connection between them at the same time as she develops their physical attraction. The chemistry between them fizzes delightfully, and Charlie is, quite simply, one of the sweetest, most adorkable heroes I’ve read in some time. He’s warm, funny and utterly captivating; I loved his self-awareness and honesty when it came to admitting to his feelings for Simon, and his unashamed enthusiasm for new sexual experiences is both cute and sexy.  Charlie’s impulsiveness and compulsive chattiness are a nice contrast to Simon’s quieter, more cautious personality; Charlie brings some much needed lightness and sunshine into Simon’s life, and Simon brings a calming influence to Charlie’s.

Family and friendships are important to both men, and although the secondary cast isn’t large, the relationships between Charlie and his brother-in-law (and best friend) Phil and between Simon and his best friend, Frank, are nicely done and add a bit depth to the principals and the story.  Olivia is a fully-realised individual (so often, children of protagonists in romances are little more than ciphers) and I loved that she’s so supportive of Charlie and Simon together; she’s obviously as devoted to her dad as he is to her.  The one criticism I have of the novel overall is that there isn’t really anything much keeping Simon and Charlie apart, except their own insecurities and some pretty bad timing, but fortunately, Ms. Jensen doesn’t go overboard with the roadblocks or silly contrivances to create unnecessary drama.

Ultimately, Building Forever is a fun, feel-good read with a little bit of angst and a lot of warmth and humour that, for all its frequent light-heartedness, still packs an emotional punch.  If you’re in need of a romantic pick-me-up on a grey day, I reckon this one is more than up to the task.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

I Loved This Book! Reading it gave me so many feels, so many happy moments, so many little laughs, and sighs, and OMG.

I loved Charlie and Simon so much. They each have such different personalities, yet fit so well together. They were fun to lean about, to see their relationship slowly growing while each of them have their own major issues going on in their personal lives.

This was so fun to read, written really well, characters developed really well, I'm just excited to read more Kelly Jensen. There was probably only one moment in the book that I wished was handled differently, only because OMG YOU KNOW BETTER AND SHOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO... but I'm going to leave you clueless here because it's kind of a major thing and I don't want to spoil anyone. Just pick it up. It's great.

I enjoyed this it was a nice flow not in your face. It was a romantic and loving story. The characters were well developed and the story kept my interest all the way through.

I've enjoyed quite a few of Kelly Jensen's books. This was one of the few where I liked the story, but it didn't have that extra something that pushed it higher. It's a good solidly crafted romance, but the blurb made me worried. As time's gone on, I've come to find this one plot "twist" incredibly tedious -- the return of the old flame who treated one of the main characters like crap, but "has changed" and "wants to try again". <spoiler>You have no idea how happy I was when Simon very quickly found he cared less and less about Brian. And then Brian became "Sir-No-Longer-Appearing-In-This-Book" and my relief was overwhelming!</spoiler> If you're going to waffle over your decisions regarding who you're going to love, you won't be doing it in a book I continue reading. Love is too definite a thing.

Jensen's descriptions of Charlie endeared him to me right away. I love people who clearly say what they're thinking. And cheerful blather is so much fun. It took me a little longer to warm to Simon because of his reserve, but he had every reason to protect himself and there was a lot of warmth under the reserve. There were interesting side characters, daughter, friend(s), etc. Even Herbert the dog. If you're looking for a light happy read, with just a touch of family and relationship angst deftly handled, Building Forever is good contender!

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 into 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*

.5 Stars. I wanted to love this book. It has a beautiful cover and the synopsis sounded so interesting but it just didn't quite live up to the expectations I had for it. The MC's are interesting characters but for some reason I just didn't feel the chemistry between the two of them and the romance is a very slow burn in the beginning. The pacing was just a little too slow for me but I was still enjoying it until the big twist that I saw coming a mile away. I didn't really like it and although I know a lot of people will it just wasn't for me. I'm not sure exactly why because on paper this should have worked for me but I just didn't connect to the characters or the story like I wanted to. However, I do think a lot of people will so give this one a try. It's a sweet, slow burn romance with interesting characters.

I read this entire book in a single evening—it was that good!

Charlie has always suspected he was bisexual but never had a chance to explore his sexuality since he married his high school girlfriend after getting her pregnant when they were teenagers. Having lost his wife to cancer, he is now raising his 17-year-old daughter alone. However, Charlie can’t ignore his attraction when he meets his extremely handsome new neighbor, Simon. He hasn’t dated since he was a teen, and he’s never dated a man, so Charlie struggles to figure out how to approach Simon. Meanwhile, Simon is still recovering from the end of a twelve-year relationship, so he’s hesitant about getting involved with anyone, even though he likes Charlie a lot. But of course, they do get together, until a crisis in Charlie’s life threatens their romance.

I think the reason I liked this book so much was because Charlie is just kind of adorable. From their first meeting, when he nearly spits out his mouthful of Cheezits when an incredibly hot Simon wanders into his kitchen to say hello, to his tendency to babble hilariously when he gets nervous, Charlie comes across as both funny and incredibly sweet. I laughed out loud a few times, including when his daughter catches him and Simon in bed before he has a chance to explain his bisexuality to her, which is a great scene. Simon is more reserved and less interesting, but he’s a good match for Charlie, and I thought the relationship that grows between the two of them was very believable and, again, very sweet.

It was also refreshing to read about a character who is nervous about changing his life by admitting he’s attracted to a man but who works through it and doesn’t let it become a major stumbling block. Charlie doesn’t have a big emotional crisis about his sexuality, which is a common scenario in m/m romances and is often the source of conflict in the story. Instead, the author found more interesting ways to complicate the relationship between the two men.

I’m three for three with Jensen’s books now; not one of them has been a disappointment, but this is my favorite. I think I’m going to have to put her on my list of authors to keep an eye on.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.