Coke Solomon has lived a full life.He’s a retired army drill sergeant, so he is more than used to getting his way.And if he can’t have it his way? Well, let’s just say that’s never happened before… beat of her own drum, and a lot of times that drum takes her farther away rather than closer to where he feels she needs to be.
He can’t stand it.
He wants her, and he has to have her.
It doesn’t matter that she’s twenty years younger than him, and has a father that would rather see him dead than have his baby girl anywhere near him. Nor does it matter that his ex-wife is highly offended that she’s been replaced with a much younger woman.
Despite the odds stacking against them, he’ll fight for what he wants.
His ex-wife, her father, and their age difference be damned.
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Coke and Cora are just perfect characters. The way that these two meet was something that sets the tone for their relationship. Neither one of them was looking for their other half. All Cora was wanting to do was live her life away from her smothering family. Hence moving next door to the one man that can turn her life upside down. Coke just wants to be able to live his life and not have to deal with his ex wife. Friends that’s all that they can be to each other. That is until their chemistry burns so hot that they can’t fight it anymore.
I’ve wanted Coke’s story when he was introduced in Get You Some. He was just a character that you just wanted more of. And Cora was a daughter of one of the men from Free, so of course there’s a curiosity of how she turned out. And let’s just say LLV gave the perfect story for them both. I loved seeing the men of Free again. And I loved how LLV made Cora a lot stronger than what you would have thought.
I just loved Coke and Cora’s story. It was so sweet, funny and a little drama. These two meet one late night when Cora goes and asks her neighbor to keep the noise down. And who does her neighbor end up being but Coke. No matter who avoids who fate has decided these two are meant to be.
I would definitely recommend reading this story and the others from this series, it won’t disappoint.
Lani Lynn Vale has become one of my favorite go to authors, her books are fun, suspenseful, entertaining and heartwarming. I’m glad that Coke got his own story. Coke and Cora are beautiful together. They may have an age difference but who cares, the friendship they developed and their chemistry makes you forget about it. This was an enjoyable book.
Review by: Melanie
(4.5 stars)
Cora (Gabe and Ember’s daughter) has followed Janie and Kayla to Hostel, although she hasn’t made it known to them, preferring her privacy. Working from home allows her to do this but her new job requires her to need her rest and her new neighbour revving his engines late into the night is not conducive to this. When she goes to request he stop, she is stunned with how he makes her feel and how her body reacts to him, this older, bearded, gravelly voiced hunk called Coke. Days later she overhears an altercation between Coke and his crazy ex-wife and after deciding to help him out the pair start a relationship that slowly grows from friendly supporter to feelings of desire. This was definitely more of a slow burn romance with quite a few things holding them both back at the start, from Coke’s POV the main one being the age difference.
I am so glad my blog buddy introduced me to LLV as each book she releases brings the reader a little more into this world she has created. A few little continuity mistakes but the story was good and it was great to see some of the Free men. I give Ain’t Doin It 4.5 stars.
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Review by: Jennifer
(4 stars)
Little Cora grew up and fell in love! Well not right away, but eventually she did. Cora decided to move to Hostel, right where Janie and Kayla are, well sort of. She is more out in the country, but she does have a neighbor. Coke, June’s boss is her neighbor, and their first meeting is where Cora is telling him to keep his noise level down. For Coke, the neighbor is too young and innocent, and doesn’t need to be pulled into his drama, even though he wants her. Cora isn’t going to let Coke push her away, but she will be the one pulling away. When Coke realizes what Cora is doing, he will do what he can to make her see that she can’t pull away…. but will the drama that Coke gets pulled into pull Cora in as well?
Wow, I can’t believe that I am going to say this, but I am a bit unhappy with some aspects of this story. Not Coke and Cora, or their relationship, its more the little details; Coke didn’t retire from the Army, he only served 12/13 years, and his DS stint only goes for three or four years at most, DS isn’t an MOS its something that after you join you get to a certain rank and go to school for, but that wouldn’t have been his WHOLE military career. The mix up with Cora’s last name is just a bit sad, it was nice to see later in the book it was right. Janie and Kayla coming off as bullies? Calling Ember, Ember, in the end…. she only knew her as mom, not sure what that was about. This had some good entertainment, drama, and nice sexy times… I’m just a bit tired of getting a book that has plot issues. I LOVE Lani Lynn Vale’s writing, but at this stage in the game, these style of mistakes that were in the Freebird series shouldn’t be happening. This gets 4 stars.
Awesome start to a new series! Read it in one evening and can’t wait to read the next one.
4 1/2 out of 5 stars
I really enjoy the books in this series. The author does a great job of crafting a story that the reader falls into…and seeing old friends is always a good addition to any story!
Coke and Cora are worlds apart in life – he’s already raised a daughter, retired from the military and settled in his life. She just bought her first house and started her first real job. She’s also a virgin with little “real-life” experience.
I enjoyed this story more than some of the others in the series because I thought the drama played out better and felt better incorporated into the story. There were definitely tense pages. There were pages where I laughed. I just feel like this book is some of this author’s best work yet.
*** I voluntarily read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ***
Every time I read a LLV book it always ends with me smiling my butt off and releasing a huge sigh. I absolutely love her books and the characters she creates.
I have been waiting for what feels like forever (but is really just a few months) for Coke’s book. The rough voiced….poor soul that was married to the shrew Beatrice for 17 years….man that I fell in love with at the beginning of this series. If anyone deserved a HEA it was him.
In comes Cora, all grown up. We first met her in her fathers book and I for one fell in love with the little girl instantly. I love how we see her as an adult now. The struggles she has overcome to get where she is. The quiet fierceness in her that makes her special.
Coke and Cora’s book was perfect for them. Lots of laughs…lots of action…and plenty of sexy time. As long as LLV is writing I’ll be reading her books.
Reviewed by: Heather S.
4.5 Stars for Lani’s latest instalment in the Simple Man Series. She always manages to bring us sexy, alpha males with sassy, quirky females that embed themselves into you heart.
Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down as Lani brought us a brilliant story, fantastic characters in Coke and Cora, and returning favourites from other books in the series. All this along with her trademark humour, passion, sweetness mixed perfectly with the drama and suspense, makes this one hell of a gripping MUST read.
I had already had a glimpse in Get You Some when he hired June at his salvage yard. You saw what type of man he was when he stood by June despite her being the towns outcast. This book just cemented my love for him. You also got to meet his ex-wife Beatrice too in that book and well this book cemented my hatred of her too! When he meets Cora you can feel the palpable tension simmering between them. They are so perfect for each other. The age difference means nothing.
After reading this book I am seriously hoping Luca and Fankie’s book is next as I can’t wait to see Coke deal with his daughter falling in love
“I was convinced, though, that the comic hadn’t come because she was mad — at least not at me. But because she didn’t like how my ex-wife had cornered me. And I smiled. It was nice to know someone cared.”
Coke was someone that was wasn’t easy for me to like. He was a man that was pretty hardened toward the world, and women especially, so lent him toward acting a bit gruff. This totally suited him, though, and it was almost endearing when you learn what he had to deal with.
Cora was quite interesting to me. I feel she represented a female character not often at the forefront of stories, especially romance. There were times it was difficult to connect to her, but only because we were so vastly different. It took me a little while to get to the heart of Cora, but she was totally worth it. There was so much to her that I think provides a fresh, new perspective into humanity.
These two together were a bit unexpected, but somehow perfect. It’s odd how sometimes how our shortcomings can enhance someone else. Both Cora and Coke had things from their life that were difficult to face, but when they were together they each offered the support that they lacked.
I love going back to Hostel and getting to know more of the characters and even to see some of them get what’s coming to them for being awful!
I liked my first impression of Cora. I felt she was strong and independent. She wanted to do things for herself and didn’t want to rely on anyone else. But Cora has a few issues. Issues that come from an event she went through when she was little.
I liked Coke from the first time we meet him. That poor man and his WITCH of an ex-wife. I felt so bad going through the story and learning what he went through. He was such a strong man for dealing with her.
Coke tried to keep his distance from Cora. He knew she wanted different things in life and he was trying his best to let her live her life with messing it up. But what doesn’t always happen, does it? Sometimes we can’t stay away from the ones we want.
This book will take you on a wild ride. Can’t we have a happy book without anything crazy happening?!? Of course not….then it wouldn’t be a Lani book.
You get to see a lot of characters from other books in this one. I love when old characters re-appear!
I enjoyed Coke and Cora’s story. It was sweet and refreshing to see an alpha-male be a really good guy!
This is the fourth book in the Simple Man series. You can read them as stand alones, but Cora is Gabe and Ember’s daughter from the Freebirds series. I have read every LLV book, and they are all in my re-read pile for when nothing is hitting me. This one is now there also.
I really love Cora. I’m an introvert too, so I get the whole wanting to be alone deal. I love how she gives comics to show how she feels.
Coke is a great man. He’s a great father and he works hard. Even if he has a psycho ex-wife/baby momma.
I don’t want to say too much and give anything away. There is a huge surprise at the end that I now want more of!!! Please!
“The best thing about having a penis is sharing it with people who don’t.” – Coke to Cora
“I thought you were in a bad mood, but it’s been a few years, so I guess that’s just who you are now.” – text from Janie to Cora
Single, sort-of alpha a-hole dad meets quirky, virgin animator that’s usually seen as just strange. Add in a ten year age gap, a crazy ex-wife, a failed kidnapping, and someone’s aversion to relationships, and you have the recipe for disaster… or happily ever after.
Ain’t Doin’ It was a sweet story with Cora’s weirdness drawing you in as easily as she draws her characters. Although Coke is a single dad, his daughter is closer to Cora’s age (she’s in her early twenties, Coke’s daughter is 17), allowing them to bond more like friends than mother/daughter. Cora is compassionate, loving, and a little more reserved due to her upbringing. She doesn’t express herself well in person, so she pours herself and her feelings into her artwork. But she ain’t weak that’s for sure. Coke’s desire to stay single is because of a crazy ex-wife, who’s seriously off her rocker. It doesn’t happen all at once, but through Coke’s resolve, Cora worms her way into his heart little by little (like we all knew she would, I mean seriously.)
Why is this book 4 stars and not 5? For a couple reasons. One, the blurb is seriously misleading. The age gap is not that big. I believe it’s only ten years. Am I being picky because of this? Maybe, but blurbs lead you to read the book and this one doesn’t accurately depict the novel. Two, this book was mostly fluff. Sure, there was drama, but it moved past everything so quickly you didn’t really have time to comprehend what was happening. There was just a lot of sex. The oomph I wanted just seemed to be missing.
Despite these, this book deserves every star I gave it. It’s well written, and cute. There’s also the mental illness factor. I’ve only read 2 Lani novels (I know! Shame!) and both have had, what seems to me, like well researched problems. They weren’t thrown out there for the hell of it, but added another dynamic to the characters. There comes a sort of normalization with adding this layer. They characters aren’t crazy, and aren’t made out to be crazy, and they don’t make excuses for themselves, but have identified their problems and learn to lead well rounded lives with them. And their significant others try to understand them as best as possible, even though it takes experiencing it to truly understand it. It helps create not-so-perfect characters living with things that are common, yet taboo to talk about.
Overall, this will not be my last Lani book.
4.25 ‘ His Voice made me DO IT’ Stars
Oh LA LA… Talk about a orgasmic voice! And the whole package – even some excess one, lol – that went along with it! Cora had ZERO chance to resist her new and silver fox neighbor!
Cora has recently moved to Hostel, and barely settled in, she has to deal with a apparent noisy neighbor. After gearing up for a confrontation, she was shell shocked, and speechless when faced with the handsome and raspy voiced that was Coke Solomon.
Yep, the voice really was the deal breaker. After that initial meeting and the instant sizzling chemistry and bilateral attraction, they develop a easy – and special – somewhat of a friendship.
After the nightmare that was Coke’s more than seventeen year old marriage, and even after two years divorced the constant presence of his ex, and his new found solitude with his seventeen old daughter away at college, let’s just say that Cora is exactly the breath of fresh air he needed to uplift his life in more ways than one. He more than deserves his HEA!
That’s right, he describes the level of insanity and clinginess of his ex wife, to the perfection. I have to say that if not for the EVER presence – even if not exactly physical – of this OTT insane woman all throughout the book, always causing problems and drama of some kind, I would have enjoyed the book even more and would definitely rate it higher. She just took too much of their love story, stealing too much of my attention, and distracting me from their connection. I just wished her presence and relevance had been toned down a bit. If you are a follower of my reviews, you know how I always prefer my OW drama in small doses, and that the angst comes from outside forces, but nonetheless, I think Coke really was worth all this baggage, the man was such a GOOD GUY!!!
Cora was just as brilliant! As an introvert at core like myself, I so deeply sympathize with her, and though – much like Coke – that she was incredible! Their instant attraction and their ever growing friendship, and blossoming feelings, truly sold me out! Not to talk about all the sexiness going on!
Oh boy, with how much they craved each other, you can imagine the level of explosion that went on when they finally decided to give in to their desires. The sexy times were OFF THE CHARTS hot! One would never guess that we were talking about a virgin, and a not overly experienced man – I absolutely loved that he had been with only five women in his thirty five years old! – that’s right, they were THAT hot for one another!
Of course at some point events (and extremely awkward situations) happen that bring Cora’s insecurities and deep seated issues to light, and once again, I loved how real Ms. Vale portrayed Cora and the complexity of her character. Her doubts were palpable, and I was right there with her in her internal battle and rooting for her to pull trough and take a chance. To choose a chance of a HEA!
Indeed she had valid points, but the man that was Coke Solomon, fought for her, but at the same time respected her issues, and supported her all the way throughout their love story.
Another relationship that I adored in this book was the ‘sisterly’ behavior of Janie (specially this one), Kayla and Cora. Like true sisters, the two former, really pushed Cora’s buttons, and got on her last introvert nerve, but you could see and feel that in the end, it all came from a place of love. They were ALWAYS there for her, even if it was the last thing Cora wanted. Very sisterly like indeed! LOL
Coke showed what fantastic person he was, even in the previous book, Get You Some, with how he dealt and helped June. I loved him then – even already knowing of the crazy ex, lol – but added to that, being an amazing father, a spectacular alpha, he was without a doubt the very perfect match for Cora, (even if I wished that he had realized a bit sooner 😉 )so no wonder she feel for the man! Just check out come of the things he said and thought, totally swoon worthy material hero!
Ain’t Doin’ It is another Lani Lynn Vale success, and an amazing addition to this that is now one of my all time favorite series of hers, SIMPLE MAN! Emotional, hilarious, suspense, romance and super steamy moments, we had it all. And now I’m literally counting down the days so we can get the fifth book of the series, Too Bad So Sad! Can’t wait! <3 <3 <3 <3
Another amazing book in this series. I love all the characters in this series. Cora is a strong woman and her dad, Gabe, along with all her Uncles and sassy strong as he’ll aunt’s at Free played a large part in her being able to stab a guy in the throat with screw driver. Was so happy to get to read her story. Gabe and Ember are one of my favorite couples. Always give star reads from these characters.
This series is just outstanding. Every installment just gets better and better. Each man has his own little piece of specialness and each heroin is just a strong powerful woman trying to make her way through life. Knowing that Coke was much older than Cora, left me wondering how this would work, but Lani made me a believer in it. Every page was turned quickly because I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. 10 STARS for Amazing writing and Wonderful characters.
I’m not sure if it’s the English teacher in me or if it’s the fact that each book in Lani Lynn Vale’s Simple Man series has a complex storyline that takes readers on one hell of a ride, but what’s clear is that there is nothing simple about any of the stories in this series; in fact, the title’s ironic meaning is beyond exemplified in each story because readers don’t know what they’re getting themselves into when they start one of these books, and let me tell you, Lani Lynn Vale may have just created one of the craziest female antagonists I’ve read in a long time in her newest release, Ain’t Doin’ It because Coke’s ex-wife is beyond cray cray and by the time Coke and Cora’s story ends, there’s not a doubt in my mind that Coke was so much better off when he got rid of that demented and despicable woman.
In Get You Some, readers were introduced to Coke, and we couldn’t help but instantly have a man crush on him due to the way he gave June a chance with no questions asked and also due to the strong bond he has with his daughter. So the fact that Lani Lynn Vale was going to allow her readers to get to know this growly former Drill Sergeant on a deeper level as well as witness him get a chance to find happiness and love with a woman who deserved him was just what we wanted, and I have to say that Vale picked the perfect woman to make Coke believe in love again and take a chance even after he tried his hardest to not give into his feelings.
Out of all of Lani Lynn Vale’s heroine that I’ve been introduced to, Cora Maldonado is probably the one I relate to the most. I see so much of myself in her character; she’s not a people person; she’s beyond introverted, and her sense of self is not the best because she’s constantly unsure of herself and her abilities. Cora gets stuck in her head a lot, and she feels like not many people understand her need to not go outside of her comfort zone because her awkwardness and discomfort exponentially grow when her surroundings are unfamiliar. But Cora is also an extremely strong person. She’s passionate, creative, and one heck of a cartoonist, so while she struggles in certain aspects of her life, her other amazing characteristics make her absolutely worth of love and every positive thing that comes with it.
A lot of out of control situations occur in Ain’t Doin’ It, but with the men and women who Coke and Cora have at their backs, it’s clear that they’ll make it through whatever they encounter because any other outcome is unacceptable.
While some readers may take issue with the age gap between Coke and Cora, it’s clear that Cora doesn’t mesh well with men of her own age; she’s an old soul, which makes Coke perfect for her because he easily reads her moods and knows what she needs and his knowledge about life and the hard lessons he’s learned help them to traverse through the difficulties they encounter along the way to their happily ever now/after.
4.5 Poison Apples
Lani Lynn Vale has created my newest book boyfriend in Coke Solomon!
OMG! I so totally fell in love with Coke. I thought I knew what he had to deal with when it came to his loony bin of an ex … but I was SO WRONG! That woman brings another level of crazy, which definitely spiced up the story. But his character is so likable! He is very funny, passionate and caring and seems to take things in stride. But boy when that fuse is lit does he blow! Then dominant and dangerous comes into play.
And Cora …. I did not know this kid at all, but again there wasn’t as much written about her as there was Janie. But, what she brings to the story was absolutely awesome. She is so contained and self-reliant, but at the same time very vulnerable and easily hurt. That is part of her condition, which I didn’t really think about what happened in her past affecting her in the future. I really end up empathizing with Cora more than I have the other women in the series so far.
The storyline is at times humorous and serious, and then playful and passionate. The way that Coke and Cora play off each other is freaking awesome to read! They are so in tune with each other and take each other as they come. Coke has no problem with Cora and her issues. All he cares about is her and having him in his life. And his brothers! Lani Lynn Vale so definitely has to write stories about them!
All in all, great book! It has everything that I love, but most especially characters that pulled me into the story and wouldn’t let go. I went along for the ride and freaking loved it! I laughed, shed a tear of two, but mainly enjoyed the whole ride.
Can I just say I am LOVING the Simple Man series!? Characters new and old all together in every book making even more incredible stories that feed my addiction to Lani Lynn Vale’s writing. This time with Cora and Coke, I fell even more in love with this book than I have the others. Cora has had a special place in my heart since she was first introduced and she’s grown into a woman I can relate to on so many levels.
Smart, beautiful inside and out, but struggling with her own issues that I felt on a personal level. I want to take a second to thank Lani for how perfectly she wrote about something that so many people struggle with. You don’t know what it means to someone who has struggled to be able to relate to a character like Cora. None of this means that Cora isn’t the sassy, witty, and fantastic woman we all love and look forward to with Lani’s books because she definitely is. More than once I was rolling laughing while reading her and Coke’s story.
Coke is a new favorite for me. I immediately liked him when he was introduced, but when he’s with Cora? *swoon* He’s magnificent! This man has sexy down to an art form. A loving father, a good man, and every bit the alpha his love for Cora is a thing of beauty! Their story is loaded with sweet and swoony romance, hilarious antics, and beautifully emotional moments and I loved every page!
I am really loving this series!! Ms. Vale does such an amazing job of really having the readers connect to the characters. Coke is a simple man and wants to lead a simple life, that is easier said than done with his crazy ex-wife making waves for him. Then he meets Cora, his beautiful but timid neighbor, and he feels like he can finally breathe.
Cora follows Janie and Kayla to Hostel but doesn’t announce her arrival because she wants privacy. She struggles with people in general but these two especially because they try and include her in everything.
Coke and Cora are not total opposites but they fit well together. Coke’s big thing that is holding him back Cora’s age. But she perseveres and slowly chips away at him. Then his crazy ex inserts herself into their relationship, when will it end?!
I love these characters and plot lines. I can’t wait for more in this series!
Another amazing book written by a truly talented author Lani Lynn vale has written some of my favorites stories her books always find their way on the top of my list after the the first page . If she is a new author to you you need to get her books as soon as possible you wont regret it and to those who are on the Lani train this is already in your kindles and you don’t need me to tell you how incredible this Ain’t doin it is you’ll just know . I’m a huge fan of next gen and seeing the children of characters that I fell in love with find love well that is just a cherry on top for me plus we get to see how that couple is doing . Coke is mentioned alot in Get you some (but this can be read as a standalone ) he is oh so yummy I would totally do that one thing that he always wanted but was never given but sadly Cora beat me to it …..I’m so not pouting , more about him he’s an great father , protective , HOT , and would so love to hear his gravely voice . Cora was another awesome heroine to add to my list I felt really connected to her she’s the daughter of Gabe he was the hero in Highway Don’t Care side note there is a mini spoiler that does occur in Ain’t doin it if you haven’t read it but plan to I suggest that you get it first . Coke and Cora just make the perfect couple they were funny , HOT , smart , protective , and would do anything for the ones they love . Lani does introduce some new characters and possible coupling in future stories to come I can’t wait to see what’s to next for one of my top favorite authors you don’t want to miss it .
copy provided for honest review
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hero=10 heroine=10 secondary characters=10 Chemistry=10 steam=7
romance=6 humor=7 darkness level=4 action=4 mystery=3
enjoyment=9 angst=3 story line=9 Story ending=10
character development=10 pacing=10
cover= 10 stars=5
would I recommend this book=yes
would I re read this book=yes
would I read future books by this author= yes