Old wounds, new directions, and a forever worth chasing.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 … 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.
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This entire series has been like a warm blanket on a rainy day: nice and cozy and real. And by “real” I mean that every book has featured main characters who aren’t perfect. They have flaws and quirks and they mess up every once in a while, making them feel like real people.
Brian and Mal are no different. And honestly? I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, and that’s because I didn’t much care for Brian in the first two books. But Kelly Jensen made him so damn likeable in Chasing Forever.
There’s a lot happening in this novel. Mal’s recovering from two broken legs, he’s just been put in charge of the high school’s GSA club, and he deals with an endearing awkwardness mixed with occasional self-esteem issues. Brian suddenly finds himself the guardian of his fourteen-year-old nephew who’s just been kicked out for being gay, and he’s dealing with old wounds from when he himself was kicked out of his home for the same reason. Throw in some family tension and a bid to save the local bar, and there’s a lot to unpack. But all of that is weaved so well into Mal and Brian’s burgeoning relationship.
Brian and Mal are both relatable characters, and they’re both dealing with emotional wounds. But despite those wounds they nevertheless come together. And it’s not an easy journey; they both pull back despite wanting to move forward, but their hard-won HEA is so worth it. And watching them…not overcome those wounds…but deal with them, learn to live with them, together? I loved it. I loved everything about this book. I fell so hard for both Brian and Mal, and I loved watching them come together.
One of the things that I loved about this novel was that, while all of the plot threads come to a satisfying resolution at the end, not all of those resolutions are tied with a pretty bow. Some end favourably, others not so favourably, which is one of the things that made this book feel so real and genuine.
I thought book 1, Building Forever was my favourite book in this series, but Chasing Forever just took that spot!
This entire series is fantastic and I can’t recommend it enough.
I would rate this 4.5 stars.
This is the third book in this series. They will work as standalones so you don’t have to read them in order, although you may get more of an emotional impact for this story if you do. This story focuses on Brian, Simon’s ex from book one. He makes a brief cameo in book two. What is known about Brian so far doesn’t make him the most likeable character, so the author has her work cut out to flesh him out in a sympathetic way. He’s an architect and still has business ties to Simon. Malcolm and Brian actually meet at the local bar. Malcolm is on medical leave from teaching and coaching until he recovers from a car accident that broke both his legs. They really aren’t each other’s type, but Malcolm’s well intentioned family and friends trying to warn him off Brian ends up backfiring.
When Brian’s nephew Josh shows up after being kicked out for being gay, Brian knows he may not be the best role model but there isn’t anyone else and he does step up to the plate. Because the alternating POVs are from Brian and Malcolm, Josh is as much as mystery to the reader as he is to Brian. Josh ends up in Malcolm’s class so when he needs help mentoring the school’s LGBTQ society, he asks Brian since he is already on the board for the Smart Kids Foundation that helps disadvantaged kids. This allows Mal and Brian to get to know each other in ways Brian normally wouldn’t bother.
What makes this book work is seeing Brian struggle with feelings and memories of his own past as he helps Josh. Finally getting Brian’s side to the break-up and how his past affected his life with Simon was crucial. Now that Simon has had a chance to reflect, he sees his part in what went wrong also–this doesn’t excuse Brian’s cheating, just makes it more understandable. When they finally talk about the past, I did want a little more, but maybe it was enough for them to both let go and move on towards a healthier friendship. Where Brian shines is his patience and thoughtfulness with Mal’s injuries. Also, his best friend Vanessa is proof of his ability to have a long term, honest relationship. There are several times in the book where there is dissonance between how others see Brian and how he sees himself; if he could only see the good he does instead of using his persona to distance himself, which makes him less likeable. Mal getting to see the real Brian and accepting him seems to be what he needs to start a new chapter.
I thought this book was very well done. There were minor things I think could have been more fleshed out to give the story a bit more roundness, but the framework is solid. I like Mal and Brian together. I like that helping Josh and confronting his past, helps Brian start to heal so he could be a better partner to Mal. Brian actually interacting with the LGBTQ society instead of just hiding behind giving money is a great step. So, I ended up liking Brian. There, I said it.
I think this has been my favorite book in the series. Talk about two men with some issues…and I loved them even more for it. I also loved that the two guys are 48 and 50…middle aged heroes? YES, please!
It was a great book with a ton of depth and layers to the story line. So much I didn’t see coming…especially falling in love with Brian (who was a jerk of an ex in a previous book). I love that Kelly Jensen kept that real, but the reasons…lovely angst and the way she brought all that out with Brian’s nephew…just fantastic!
This book can easily be read as a standalone. But regardless of whether you read just this one or the entire series (yes, they’re all good), I highly recommend you read it!