Renewing Forever

While I appreciate the fact that Kelly Jensen created a trilogy featuring mature MCs who are at or around 50, this installment was slow and somber, filled with too many regrets, and easy to put down. Frank felt like a different character than the life of the party that we met in [b:Building Forever 41262741 Building Forever (This Time Forever, #1) Kelly Jensen https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1535196982s/41262741.jpg 64478057], and although he explains that a lot of his flirtatious personality was covering up heartache, I missed that certain spark. And then there's Tom, who is accurately told by his ex-girlfriend that “your head is so far up your own ass it's a wonder you don't have a permanent migraine.” He won't tell Frank why he turned him down 30 years ago because...he just won't. He's got Reasons. Until almost the very end of the book, and it's extremely annoying. He also won't let Frank know anything about his current financial problems until he is facing absolute disaster. I understand that he has a massive self-esteem problem from his difficult childhood, but there's nothing attractive about the “you're too good for me, I'm nothing so I'm going to let you go” trope. Jensen is a talented writer and the dynamics between the two men feel realistic - but frustrating. The author says this book combined an idea she had about a man living in a run-down resort, with her readers' request for a romance about Frank. Maybe they would have been better off as separate stories. I'm hopeful that the third book, [b:Chasing Forever 42436117 Chasing Forever (This Time Forever, #3) Kelly Jensen https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1541162324s/42436117.jpg 66156068] featuring S.O.B. Brian will bring back the energy.