Renewing Forever by Kelly Jensen
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date (Print & Ebook): November
12,
2018
Subgenre: Contemporary Romance
Order here:
Riptide Publishing: https://riptidepublishing.com/collections/author-kelly-jensen/products/renewing-forever
Synopsis:
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.
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.
My Two Pennies' Worth
My, this was lovely. The thing with second chance love is that if the story is done right it should evoke conflicting emotions in me: a sadness that they've missed out on all those years and a joy that they've finally found each other. It's a combination that has the capacity to leave me strung out and emotional. This had it in spades, in fact the first half of the story was melancholy. Scattered through the book are a few chapters that cover some important moments in their friendship as children/teens.
We first met Frank in Simon and Charlie's story and they pop up on occasions as does Simon's ex, Brian (I'm hoping it's his story next). This takes place between the end of Simon and Charlie's story and their epilogue (the event of which in mentioned in the last 25% of this book).
I preferred the Frank we met in this book and loved that we had two MCs fast approaching 50. They didn't always act like it, but who ever claim getting older made you wiser, especially when they're both stubborn as anything.
High recommended if you like second chance love stories and older MCs.
“They weren’t messing
around here. They were, but not as teenagers. Sure, they might be recapturing
their youth. But if the rest of it did work, then this could be it for them. A
place to rest their forevers.”
Excerpt
Frank spread his towel on a warm rock, kicked off his sandals, and
dipped a toe in the water. “Shit! That’s not water, it’s liquid nitrogen.”
Tom stepped out of
his flip-flops and stepped into the pool until the water lapped at the bottom
of his shorts. “I seem to remember someone once telling me you had to jump in
all at once. Like they did in Sweden.”
Frank met his gaze.
He hadn’t expected Tom to talk about the notebook. “I never got to
Scandinavia,” he said by way of continuing the conversation.
Tom’s mouth crooked
up on one side. “You’ve got time.”
Nodding absently,
Frank picked his way carefully over the arrangement of stones until he finally
stood face-to-face with Tom in the shockingly chilly water. “It’s still cold.”
“You’ll go numb
soon.”
“I might never find
my balls.”
A flicker of
something passed over Tom’s face, then he smiled a certain smile. By the time
Frank had figured it out—what that smile meant—Tom had ducked down into the
water and warm hands were tugging at Frank ankles. It was too late to steady
himself. Set a stance. Find a rock big enough to hold on to. Too late to do
anything but fall backward until he splashed down into freezing hell, creek
water sloshing up his nostrils and over his head. Frank swallowed a yelp and
more water. He splashed and flailed. When he surfaced, his sinuses burned and
his mouth tasted like old tea. And Tom was sitting across from him, hair
plastered in a wet tangle across his forehead, laughing.
Slicking his hair
back with one hand, Tom lunged forward with the other, catching a wave and
pushing it toward Frank’s face. Frank’s block came too late. After swallowing
another bellyful of creek, he gathered water on both sides, creating a wave on
two fronts that Tom couldn’t escape. Except he did, the bastard. He ducked
underneath the swell and splash, and his hands, cooler now, tangled with
Frank’s ankles again. Frank kicked backward only to find he’d reached the rocks
stacked around the edge of the creek. Tom pulled him under.
Frank opened his eyes
under the water and sought out Tom’s sleek shape, catching a leg before Tom
managed to swim away. He yanked him backward and pushed him down. Bubbles rose
up. He let Tom surface briefly before dragging him down and rolling over him so
they tumbled through the shallow pool, each fighting to be the one on top.
Frank forgot about air and breathing until he tried to suck in a mouthful of
water. He tapped Tom’s side, a gesture from thirty years or more gone by, and
Tom immediately let him up.
And then they went at
it again, remembering how to play. How to tease each other with the thought of
drowning, how to sneak in a small pool of water. How to shout and laugh and
splash too many times, but not once more because enough was enough.
Frank could feel
bruises developing on his elbows and knees. His hip ached and by the time he
dragged himself out of the water to lie on his back on a wet, slick rock, chest
heaving toward the sky, he existed in a place he hadn’t visited in forever. A
space without conscious thought.
Tom landed beside him with a wet squelch, and panted breath joined his
chorus.
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.
Enter the giveaway: Win
one signed paperback of Building Forever, by
Kelly Jensen. Open Internationally
Thanks for the review!
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