Change of Address

Hartsbridge Island

By: Jordan S. Brock

Narrated by: Daniel James Lewis

Air Force sergeant Michael Baldwin wanted nothing more than to escape his family’s political ambitions, but his dream of freedom was shattered by an enemy bullet to the head. Two years later, he and his service dog Kaylee resist his father’s demand to join him on the campaign trail - where a photogenic “wounded warrior” is always an asset - and instead return to the family’s summer home on Hartsbridge Island.

There Michael and his beautiful German shepherd capture the attention of Josh Goldberg, co-owner of the local bagel shop. Josh has a knack for business and a killer repertoire of his bubbe’s recipes. But lack of education undermines his confidence, and Josh’s father doesn’t share his ambition for the restaurant’s future.

Chicken soup and bacon might be the way to Michael’s heart, but he and Josh need time to learn about everything that comes after - lessons that Governor Baldwin and his relentless ambition will do anything to thwart. Letting someone in is a tall order for two men who can’t trust themselves, but if they have any hope of a future together, that’s exactly what they’ll need to do.

©2016 Jordan S. Brock (P)2018 Riptide Publishing

I enjoyed this one a lot.

This is the first book I've read/listened to by Jordan S. Brock and I liked it very much. The story was very good and held my interest throughout the 8+ hours I listened to it.

Both Michael and Josh are very likeable characters. Michael joined the Air Force against his father's wishes and was medically retired after getting shot. Michael isn't out to his family and his conservative father is governor of the state and would not be happy to find out that Michael is gay.

Josh co-owns a deli with his father but has ambitions to make the business grow bigger while his father is content to keep things as they are. Josh is bi-sexual but his father doesn't have any problem with that and keeps trying to find him dates.

Michael suffers from PTSD and has a service dog who helps to keep him calm. I like how the story provided insight into how service dogs must be allowed to go everywhere with their owner and yet some places still don't know that. I have a friend with a service dog and she has also encountered places that don't understand that dog must be allowed access as long as they are working with their person.

I loved how accepting Josh was of Michael's problems (panic attacks, aphasia) while at the same time showing that he has understandable concerns about what he's getting into until he gets to know Michael better.

Overall this was really a good story.

Regarding the narration – I've listened to a couple of other books by Daniel James Lewis. His voice is really pleasing and easy to listen to. As I've said in other reviews of his work, my main problem is the way he phrases things. The cadence and inflections in his voice didn't always match the text and at times this was a bit distracting. I do think he's getting better, though.

A free copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

Is there more? Please? (Recommend)

I found Change of Address to be a charming story of guys with some serious quality of life issues finding someone who fits them & improves their quality of life when they’re together. Which is to say, the author did a great job constructing characters with real & believable, non-trivial issues and matched them up well. Recommended for romance fans.

Secondary characters are worked in fairly deftly, in particular, Kaylee the service dog & Josh’s dad. My only complaint about the story is it seems to cut off right when it’s gaining some good momentum. There are loose ends & minor bears/arcs unfinished. (Are they in sequels? I’ll check.) I would have liked a few more scenes at the end of how things work out, how they get on, how the bagel business goes, what does Michael do? Because I liked hanging with the characters and watching them cope with life. (TBH, I got sleepy at the end and may have missed some of the events I wanted more of. Worth another listen to find out.)

They’re good, kind, gentle people who anyone would want to spent time with. And most townspeople wind up being nice & supportive rather than catty and interfering.
The audiobook was fine although I felt some of the phrasing and emphases were flat or oddly done which distracts me. Then I mentally re-do the emphasis which makes me miss later bits. YMMV.


Usually I’m impatient for romantic couples to get to the sexy times. This coupling was a slower build but it made perfect sense and felt right for the characters & plot arc. And if you don’t like Josh & Michael, I can’t help you. I suspect any cosy romance fan will like this one.

Beautiful story

This is a beautiful story. The writing flow is smooth and the characters are very well developed.

I fell in love with the MCs. It's an insta-attractin story, but a slow burn to the romance. One MC is dealing with the aftermath of an injury from military duty, while the other has body issues, which you don't find very often in books.

I thought the author did a fire job with both characters and showing how they both cope with the other's problems.

The narrator is very good. I haven't heard him before, but I hope to hear from him again. His characters are very well differentiated, and he does accents well.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from getfreeaudiobooks.com.

Fabulous!!

As an Air Force Gay man with demons of my own, I can appreciate how difficult it is to find love. The story line is captivating and well read.