5 stars, my favorite Charlie David audiobook!

Originally released as three novellas—Getting Off the Ground, Infinity Pools, and On the List—this collection brings those all together and I’m actually very glad I was able to read and listen to this as one complete story. Given where the first two novellas ended, it would have driven me nuts to have to wait to read the next one each time as I loved this story of starting over and finding “the one”.

I found it easy to identify with Elliott—not from the left-at-the-altar aspect, but from the point of having to start over, and learning to take a chance. As for Derek, I always love a “player finds ‘the one’” trope, and boy was it tremendously satisfying to watch as Derek fell for Elliott. The circumstances that bring them together, and the way Elliott decides to go off his carefully scripted life made for such a good read, and I did not want to put this book down…or take off my headphones.

It’s become almost cliché to say a couple has chemistry that’s off the charts, or scorching hot, or any one of a number of similar phrases. Elliott and Derek? You can take all those phrases and just obliterate them with what they have together. And their wanting of each other is so persistent the also overused phrase of ****ing like bunnies would be quite appropriate…though even as intensely passionate and physical as they are, I only found that borderline gratuitous as opposed to over the top. Why? Because those scenes demonstrated how much they wanted each other and led to a deeper emotional connection, and even when they would purposely try to do things apart they were still drawn back to each other. The fact that the author can write these scenes so well doesn’t hurt either (and oh the kissing…*sigh*).

The first two novellas take place in Hawaii, and even with all of the physical scenes there is still plenty of story time devoted to enticing descriptions of the islands—so well done that I find myself wanting to rearrange my budget for a trip. It was easy for me to picture those scenes and see in my mind the beauty of the locations, especially since the first two parts are told from Elliott’s point of view, and it’s his first trip there.

The third novella is told from Derek’s point of view, and I was so glad to finally be able to hear his thoughts. With the conflict that arises with his family in this final part of the story, hearing his side of things helped to give the story another injection of emotion and introduce just that one bit of worry to keep things fresh and my attention fully attuned.

This collection is one of my favorite reads from this author, and easily gets a 5-star rating from me. The only thing that bugged me was the sudden change with Derek’s family at the very end as given the time frame it didn’t really ring true for me. But even that was not enough for me to waver in my rating…that’s how much I truly enjoyed the overall collection. As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, this one’s for readers/listeners 18+ for adult language and copious amounts of explicit, holy-hell-that’s-hot sexual content.

The narration: I’m already a fan of Charlie David’s deep, soothing voice and have enjoyed the other audiobooks he’s done. But I can honestly say that of all the ones I’ve listened to that he’s narrated, this one is my favorite. He has a smooth, even pace, and so accurately voices the character’s emotions that you feel like you’re right in the middle of the story yourself, particularly when it comes to those physically intimate scenes. This is definitely one story collection where I will always go for the audio version before the ebook version when it comes to future re-reads (well, re-listens). 5 stars for the narration!

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3 1/2 Out of 5 Stars

Total: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Performance: 3 out of 5 stars
Story: 4 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed the story a great deal. Derek and Elliott connected immediately in the airport and watching them drift through the beginnings of their relationship was fun and entertaining. Elliott and Derek were almost complete opposites in personality - Elliott was a planner with lists and goals. Derek was a by the seat of his pants kind of guy enjoying life to the fullest. Putting them together seemed natural.

The story flowed well and I really enjoyed getting Derek’s point of view in the last novel, BUT it was hard to distinguish who was talking/thinking without more difference in voice/inflection from the narrator. Had I been reading, I think it would have been more clear who was talking, but sometimes I found myself wondering who was saying what.


*** I voluntarily listened to this audio book in exchange for an honest review ***

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Fluffy vacation listen

The narration is ok…there is no differentiation in character voices so it took a minute to figure out who was talking a couple of times. Mr. David’s voice is pleasant enough to listen to and didn’t make me want to stop listening and switch to reading. It isn’t my favorite but I didn’t hate it.

This is a pretty fluffy, very sexy, low angst vacation read. I appreciate not having a lack of communication or miscommunication between characters when the time came to sort out what was happening between them.

Elliott and Derek are opposites. Elliott is a planner, almost obsessive with his need for control and organization. He has a backup plan for his backup plan. Spontaneity is not in his vocabulary. Derek is an impulsive adventure seeker. He lives by his own rules and is a self-proclaimed lifelong bachelor. While we don’t get much history on Elliott’s relationship that ends at the beginning of the story, he and his long-term partner had become comfortable and complacent but weren’t necessarily ready for the happily ever after. Derek helps Elliott forget his troubles and let loose while on his non-honeymoon. They have instant chemistry, both sexual and emotional. There’s not much more that happens in the three books…they meet in an airport in an unconventional way, they have fun together, they eventually figure out they want more than just a two-week fling and forge a long-distance relationship. There are a couple of hiccups along the way but that’s pretty much the whole story.

I liked the change in POV for the 3rd novella. I thought the little bit of angst introduced in this book was resolved way too quickly which makes me question the need for its introduction but I still liked the series.

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Lighthearted and engaging

Rebound relationships rarely work out in the long run, but the romantic in us can't help but hope for the best. That's exactly how Elliott and Derek start. I'll admit that I was a little bothered in the beginning with how quickly Elliott seems to bounce back from altar, and I even had to wonder why he would have been getting married in the first place, but that aside, this pair is just so darn good together that you can't help but want to see them together. The story is instalust and pretty darn quick love, but it works for this couple. The chemistry is obvious from the start, even when they're both insisting that it's just a couple of weeks and on with their lives. There is a lot of steam, and I do mean a lot, but there's some witty conversation as well as some fun banter as Derek shows Elliott around Maui and introduces him to friends and acquaintances, who are some pretty interesting characters in their own right. The three books should be read in order as it is a continuing story, but each one does have at least a happy for now conclusion. We do a bit of angst in the third book, but it's not over the top and for the most part, all three books are lighthearted and engaging reads. I listened to the audio version and Charlie David did a wonderful job with the narration.

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Sexy and Hot!

The Changing Plans Collection is a collection of three novellas about Elliott and Derek, who meet in an airport waiting area when their flight is delayed.

The first two books in the trilogy are told in first person by Elliott, who was stood up at the altar and decided to go on and take the honeymoon trip by himself. Bad weather delays his plane and he gets stuck in Seattle for another night. Fortunately, he booked a hotel room before they were all gone; Derek wasn't so lucky.

Elliott is on his way to Oahu for his non-honeymoon and Derek is returning to his home on Maui. Elliott offers to share his hotel room and thus begins their whirlwind relationship; Elliott doesn't end up going to Oahu. 😊 The first two books are told from Elliott's point of view and the third one from Derek's.

Charlie David's narration was good but at times I had trouble distinguishing which of the two characters was speaking. I haven't had this problem with other books I've listened to that he's narrated. Had I been reading the book there would have been no problem; but listening to audio is different and Charlie really needed to do a bit better job when voicing the two different characters. Still, it was a very enjoyable audio book and I really enjoyed the story.

The heat level of the compilation is off the charts sexy; these two go at it often and hard. 😊 Derek is a great guide, showing Elliott all around the island where he lives. There's just enough angst in the story to keep things interesting but not enough to make someone stay away if the don't like any angst at all.

While the three parts of this trilogy are available individually, both as e-books and as audio books, it's a much better value to get the set. It's also more enjoyable, in my opinion, to read the stories one right after the other as book one ends when Elliott and Derek arrive in Maui. Book two has a more satisfying ending and book three, told by Derek, is almost like an extended epilogue; it was a great conclusion to the series.

An advanced copy of this audio book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

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Very hot!

Story: 4.5 Stars!
Narration: 4 Stars!
Overall: 4.25 Stars!


The Changing Plans Collection consists of three books through which Elliott and Derek meet, fall in love and finally find their HEA. It's not an easy path, seeing as when they meet Elliott has just been left at the altar by his then-boyfriend of 6 years and Derek has an allergy to relationships. However, Derek starts talking to Elliott while they're waiting at the airport and after a hotter than hot night that was supposed to be a one-night-stand, Derek convinces Elliott to change his plans and come with him to a different Hawaiian island than he originally planned for his honeymoon.

I really liked both Elliott and Derek, they were flawed and realistic, with amazing chemistry and while their relationship was instalust/instalove, well, it worked great for them. I loved Elliott's slow realization that he wasn't as in love with his fiancé as he thought, and that whatever was happening with Derek wasn't really a rebound relationship. And of course, I adored that while Derek had never really cared to have a relationship with anyone else, his connection with Elliott made him realize they had something special, something worth cultivating despite the fact they lived so far away. It didn't hurt that the men were super passionate and while there's a lot of sex in this book, I didn't skim through any of it, which I will admit I do sometimes.

Regarding the audiobook, I just had to listen to this one when I noticed it was narrated by Charlie David. His voice is so sexy and really, he could pretty much read the phone book and I'd be drooling, so you can imagine when he reads the sex scenes and the kissing Ms. Witt is so good at writing, right? OMG!

Much as I enjoy Charlie David's narrations, sometimes I found myself confused over who's talking when because the voices for the main characters tend to be very similar. That doesn't make it any less enjoyable, it just means I need to pay better attention or repeat certain parts until it's clear who is talking.

All in all, this is a hot, sexy audiobook, very enjoyable and entertaining that I have no trouble recommending!

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Oldie but goodie

Changing Plans was one of my first LA Witt books and I loved them; it is definitely good to revisit the MCs. That being said, I'm very rarely a fan of Charlie David's narration and this one proved to be on the not so good side, I think the fake laughter is what annoys me the most. I

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3 people found this helpful

narration could be better

It was hard to distinguish between the 2 main characters. When the POV switched, in the third book, I kept forgetting who was talking because the was no change.

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1 person found this helpful

Nice narration by Charlie David

Would you consider the audio edition of Changing Plans to be better than the print version?

I liked the audio, but prefer the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Changing Plans?

What Derek and Elliott meant to each other by the end of the story

What about Charlie David’s performance did you like?

The feelings he put into the reading. The slight nuance for each man.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to it in one sitting

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed it a lot. Nicely done.

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Sweet

Being in aviation, I am a huge fan of a storyline that connects with my chosen field. In this case, Elliott, who was stood up at the altar, chooses to go on his honeymoon alone. Good for him, I would have, too. But, as if being jilted wasn’t bad enough, his flight is grounded, too. Bad fiances and bad weather leaves the door open for new possibilities…and in walks that new possibility, Derek.

Derek is grounded, too, but chooses to go for it where Elliott is concerned and the fireworks start almost immediately. If you love sweet and romantic and sexy and lots of loving, then this audio is for you. With Charlie David as the narrator, you are taken on a journey that is so sweet and fun you feel as if your teeth will fall out. I am not usually a fan of sappy, but Charlie did a stellar job of creating a romance that we all wish for and I look forward to listing to more from him…and of course, L.A. Witt is an auto-buy and with her you know you are going to love it.

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