This Time Forever

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, 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 will find their second chances and the happily ever after they’ve been waiting their whole lives for.

This time it’s forever. .

*While each book does stand alone, this series is best enjoyed in published order.

BUILDING FOREVER
(This Time Forever #1)

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.

“Moving and well written, Building Forever will leave you with a mansion-sized smile.” —Sarina Bowen, USA Today bestselling author of Goodbye Paradise

“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

RENEWING FOREVER
(This Time Forever #2)

Frankie and Tommy once dreamed of traveling the world together. But when seventeen-year-old Frank kissed Tom, their plans ended with a punch to the jaw and Frank leaving town without looking back. Thirty years later, Frank’s successful career as a journalist is interrupted by his uncle’s death and the question of his inheritance—the family resort where his childhood dreams were built. When he returns to the Pocono Mountains, however, he finds a dilapidated lodge and Tommy, the boy he never forgot.

Tom’s been keeping the resort together with spit and glue while caring for Frank’s uncle, Robert—a man he considered father, mentor, and friend—and his aged mother, who he refuses to leave behind. Now Robert is gone, taking Tom’s job with him. And Frank is on the doorstep, wanting to know why Tom is still there and why the old lodge is falling apart.

But before they can rebuild the resort, they’ll have to rebuild their friendship. Only then can they renew the forever they planned all those years ago.

“In Renewing Forever, author Kelly Jensen creates a tenderly written, slow-burn second-chance romance full of genuine emotions, wholly-realized characters, and a dash of nostalgia. Add to it seasoned lead characters with a lifetime behind them, and another lifetime waiting for them in their sweet, hard-won HEA.” —A.M. Arthur, author of the Clean Slate Ranch series

CHASING FOREVER
(This Time Forever #3)

Malcolm Montgomery was a history teacher and track coach until an accident left him with two broken legs. He’ll recover, but life has knocked his feet out twice now. He’s not sure if he’s ready to try again, especially when it comes to love—and slick guys like Brian Kenway. Still, he needs help mentoring the school’s LGBTQ society, so he asks Brian to take some responsibility.

Brian has been hiding behind his reputation as a liar and a cheat for so long that he actually believes he’s that guy—until his nephew, Josh, turns up on his couch, tossed out for being gay. Brian has never considered being a father, but he knows all about being rejected by loved ones. Now Brian wants to be more: a partner for Mal and a role model for Josh.

But when Mal’s recovery is set back and the sad truth of Brian’s past is revealed, the forever they’ve been chasing seems even further from their grasps. It’ll take a rescue effort to revive their sense of worth and make Brian, Mal, and Josh into a family of their own.

Chasing Forever is a beautifully written story that never stops giving the reader heartbreak and hope, and delivers an emotionally charged, hard-earned happily ever. The book is a definite page turner and one you won’t want to put down.” —Felice Stevens author of the Man Up series

EXCERPTS AND EXTRAS

This Time Forever (series epilogue novella)

18 Books I’d Love To See on High School Reading Lists (Frolic)

It Still Happens (essay on supporting LGBTQ youth at The Mary Sue)

Giving His Interest a Pronoun (excerpt, Building Forever)

Behind the Book (Building Forever)

The Zucchini Derby (excerpt, Renewing Forever)

Behind the Book (Renewing Forever)

The Mall (excerpt, Chasing Forever) ​

Behind the Book (Chasing Forever)

NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS

2019 HOLT Medallion Finalist, Long Contemporary (Building Forever)