I liked this book but it took a long while for the 'romance' to start and I felt it was just a little long. However, I think I'm the anomaly on this one because after I finished, I read the reviews and it's mostly a five star for all other readers.

This book was an easy read, but still managed to have great emotional moments. It follows Charlie, a single father who is also a published author working on his latest book, and Simon, an architect who moved to Bethlehem to put distance between himself and his past. Both men have painful history with their previous partners. Charlie’s wife, Merry, passed away five years ago from cancer, while Simon’s ex had cheated on him ten out of the twelve years they’d been together.

I really love Charlie with his daughter, Olivia. They have a really close relationship, especially since his wife had passed. Liv is seventeen years old and has her first real boyfriend, which causes stress for Charlie. Because he and Merry got pregnant with Liv about seventeen and she got a rare form of cancer as a result of her pregnancy, Charlie has instilled a fair bit of fear into Liv around pregnancy.

I also really like Frank, Simon’s best friend, who helped him move into his new house and is always there when Simon needs him. There is just a great cast of secondary characters in this book.

There is insta-attraction between Simon and Charlie, but it takes some time before they actually start seeing each other outside friendship roles. Charlie has known he was attracted to men, but had never defined his bisexuality or acted on it until Simon, which concerns Simon initially. I like there’s an element of Charlie defining himself, but he’s always known that about him and had used his main character as a way to explore his attraction in some ways. There is a scene where Charlie comes out to Phil, his best friend and brother-in-law, and some scenes where he introduces Simon as his boyfriend, but the only negative response I can think of is Charlie’s mother-in-law who already was angry at him because of Merry’s pregnancy 18 years ago.

Overall, I found this a really easy read and I enjoyed the characters. I love the friendships and familial relationships seen, and how much love was so obvious to see. In some ways I wonder if the relationship between Simon and Charlie progressed a little fast, but I did like how they fit together and complimented one another. It also makes me curious about the future books, which will follow Frank, Simon’s best friend, and Brian, Simon’s ex. I also really like that these are older characters, all closer to 50 than 20.

You cant love them all, when I first came across this book I was super excited to read it, something about it was giving me all the feels. The cover is beautiful and the blurb sounded so good to me, I think it was giving me Amy Lane vibes if you have read Bonfire you will understand. Anyways, I knew as soon as I got to chapter 2 I was heading into struggle town.

Now don't get me wrong, the idea of this story is great, I didn't mind the writing style, but it was the two characters I didn't like either of them. Charlie and Simon, just didn't do it for me. and then the little twist at the end, I was eye rolling hard, because I saw that coming! it had a lot of small things simular to another story I love. but even if it didn't I just could not bring myself to love this book.

I must say, I can see why reader will enjoy this story, but I also will see why some will not, with the beginning very hard to get through, and the romance that begins is very slow and awkward. I have been reading MM stories very a really long time now and there sexy times was meh for me. at some point I skimmed over it and continued on my way...

But hey each to there own, and I could be in the minority of readers that didn't enjoy this as much as they were hoping.

I cant really say more then that because it would just giveaway the story. It has some great humour and it does have a sweet romance.

Overall I gave it a 2.5 stars

Building Forever was refreshing to read especially reading about slightly older characters who had lived and experienced life before they met. I particularly liked the build up in Charlie and Simon's relationship, it was touching and sensual and so cute. I thought the ending was a little rushed though, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

This was a wonderful little book.
I really really enjoyed it and the characters and the ages and the strife and even though I felt the ending was a little rushed it was a book that Icouldn't wait to see how it ends and didn't want to end all at the same time.
I am looking forward to reading book 2

Mare~Slitsread

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

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.

Building Forever (This Time Forever #1) by Kelly Jensen is one of those books to hug close to your heart.  Once finished I wanted to pick it up and start it all over again, lose myself in the richness of the relationships the author has created within.  It's so easy to fall in love here.  To embrace the people and their lives.

Charlie and his daughter, Liv?  You can feel the truth of their lives, the pain of having lived through watching a beloved mother and wife dying of cancer and then her death, the void her loss has meant and the guilt for Charlie.  And the warmth Charlie exudes, the "realness" of that father/daughter relationship just jumps off the page at you until you almost are a part of their lives as well.

Simon is just a connectable.  Viable, human, hurting.  His chemistry with Charlie and his, unbelievably Charlie's house (a character in its own right) is so vivid that I kept re-reading passages for the shear joy of them.  I loved these two men together.  Their conversations, the funny dialog.  Especially, Charlie's conversations and Simon's reactions to them.  Priceless!

But, of course, it's so much more than that.  It's Phil, it's the dog, Liv, Justin, that house...it's the whole of this story.  It's every element that combines to bring a town, a family, and this couple together so memorably alive that your heart feels warm and happy and so not ready to see everyone go.  I wanted to stay, seated in their midst, ready for another story from Charlie, another chapter in their lives, their next step forward.  Their next anything....

Building Forever (This Time Forever #1) by Kelly Jensen is beautifully written with wonderful characters and a heartwarming story you will truly love.  Yes, I absolutely recommend it.

Cover art: Natasha Snow.  I love this artist's work but that isn't the house as I pictured it with greystone and slate roof which is a big fail seeing that it's a huge part of the story.

There is a lot to love about this book. I appreciated the fact that our MC were older with some life experience behind them. Charlie was married for 12 years, widowed and has a daughter. After his new neighbor moves him, he finally grabs the opportunity to explore his attraction to men. Simon is coming off a bad breakup and the loss of his business. He's looking for a fresh start. The author really approached the GFY with a fresh take. Simon coaching Charlie through the physical aspects of their relationship was awkward, heartwarming and steamy all at the same time. The relationship with Charile, his daughter and his guilt was an interesting side plot that definitely affected his relationship with SImon. How Simon comes to terms with moving forward and pulling Charlie with him is a journey worth reading. The characters are complex and relatable, the writing is smart and engaging. This book definitely pulled me in and made me want to read more from this author. I highly reccommend this book.

I must say while reading this book it was hard to get into at the very beginning but after that little time this book blew me away! I truly enjoyed reading building forever it's set at a sensual steady pace. I loved how Charlie and Simon love for one another came to be. # Building forever #Netgalley

3* Started off with the potential to be really heartwarming and sweet, but the leads were both a little boring.

This tale, unfortunately, had better blurb than execution. It's not a bad tale and it's readable, but it's not a Keeper. The leads don't seem to spend an awful lot of time together in this, with each lost in his own head - Charlie with his storyline and deadlines (and hiding from his editor) and Simon just doing... not a lot. I expected him to either be a workaholic type in an attempt to put his ex out of his mind, but he wasn't. In fact, did he actually do any work?

There were a couple of characters who kind of didn't really go anywhere in this, and one who did. There was also an old harpy full of vitriol who got shut down by a guy I'd like to have as a partner in crime (Phil), but other than that, the tale didn't have much to it.

ARC courtesy of Riptide Publishing and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.