In The Older Man Plan, the debut novel of the Coble Coffee series by Noelle Adams, 25 year old Vivian Carmichael is determined to turn around her streak of bad dates. In order to do so, she comes up with a plan that seems foolproof: date older men. In her perspective, they are more stable, confident, and settled—everything she thinks she needs to turn her disastrous dating life around.

But the truth is, Vivian’s so-called “plan” is less about a new dating pool and more about getting over one man in particular—Rick Grant, the grumpy, unkempt, quietly sexy science fiction writer who practically lives at her favorite coffee shop. 38 of age and emotionally unavailable, he has shown that he is clearly not interested. Or so she thinks.

Rick knows Vivian’s been into him. It is hard not to notice the vibrant, too-pretty, too-smart, and too-young woman who keeps talking to him, smiling at him, making him feel far more alive than he would like to admit. He keeps telling himself that it is a bad idea, that he has been around the block, and that he does not want marriage, and that Vivian deserves more. But watching her try to date other men in his age group? That turns out to be something else entirely—perhaps the one thing that breaks his tenuous self-control.

While this novella had all the hallmarks of Ms. Adams’ work—low-key angst, internal conflict, and a slow tipping-over from resistance into desire, it somehow failed to give me the feels that I was looking for when I picked this up. I liked the characters well enough. Vivian is the what-you-see-is-what-you-get kinda girl, someone who knows what she wants and is not afraid to admit to the fact. Rick is the direct opposite in many ways—reserved, emotionally guarded, and trying very hard not to let himself fall for the woman who seems to be tailor-made to challenge his every instinct.

It is Rick’s deep resistance to vulnerability that serves to be the main conflict in the novella. While he is not pining for Vivian at the start; he does actively avoid her because of how much in fact, he does notice her. For her part, Vivian is convinced Rick is not interested and does what many women would—tries to reason herself out of her crush, only to find that logic is no match for genuine chemistry.

Perhaps it was the constraint of the novella format, but I found myself wishing there had been more time to explore Rick’s internal struggle, or to build up the quiet moments of tension that often elevate a romance of this kind. The pacing was brisk, but at the cost of richer development. I loved the concept, I liked the characters well enough, but I wanted just a little more than what I got. Still, there is an enjoyable, mature undercurrent to this romance. Rick’s attraction to Vivian and his resistance—and the way he finally succumbs made for memorable moments.

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy May-December romance and reluctant heroes.

Final Verdict: The Older Man Plan had the workings for an age-gap romance that would have delivered. Charming as some of it was, the story left me wanting more.

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