Chasing Forever

Aaaand...she sticks the landing! Kelly Jensen concludes her “mature MC” trilogy with a focus on everyone's favorite asshole, Brian, Simon's cheating ex from [b:Building Forever 41262741 Building Forever (This Time Forever, #1) Kelly Jensen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535196982i/41262741.SY75.jpg 64478057]. It's always a risky move to try to redeem a bad guy; you can't make him so good that he's unrecognizable, but you can't let him stay too jerky or no one will want to see him get his HEA. Jensen does a good job of providing sufficient backstory so that the reader understands - but doesn't excuse - Brian's previous bad behavior, while also giving him a catalyst for change and growth. It helps that in the second book in the series [b:Renewing Forever 41710260 Renewing Forever (This Time Forever, #2) Kelly Jensen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536234971i/41710260.SY75.jpg 65054359], Brian showed some signs of remorse and was actively helpful to Frank and Tom (while still being kind of a bastard about it), so his redemption doesn't come out of left field.Then there's Malcolm, the high school history teacher with two broken legs who has lost a lot physically since his days as a high school football hero but who does his best to focus on his blessings, including a great job and a loving family. He is insecure about his ability to attract someone as handsome as Brian but once he has him in bed he displays a delightfully bossy side that is anything but absent-minded professor-like. It's interesting to see what troubles him about Brian's past, and what doesn't ; he's more upset about Brian not telling him about his 12 year relationship with Simon than the fact that Brian repeatedly cheated on his former partner. I wanted more than anything else for Mal to find happiness and if he thought Brian was the one for him, then I trusted that Brian would continue on the path he started towards being the mensch that Mal needed.The secondary characters, especially Mal's twin brother Donny and Brian's runaway nephew Josh add a lot of depth to the story, and it would be fine with me if Jensen wants to revisit this setting a few years down the road so we can see how Josh is doing. I can always tell that I've got a winner on my hands (or in my Kindle) when I wait to read the last few chapters until I'm sure that I'm alone and uninterrupted, and the ending of Chasing Forever was definitely one to cherish in solitude.