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Old Fashion Man #1

An Old-Fashioned Man

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Ava didn’t realize there were still old-fashioned men who looked after their women, cared for them and disciplined them when they thought they needed them. But she found such men when she went to spend the Christmas holidays with her friend, Frankie. Frankie’s oldest brother, Heath, is the head of the family and takes his role seriously. He’s an old-fashioned man who believes in ensuring the health and safety of those in his care. And that includes spanking them when they disobey. Ava has always looked after herself and her son and it’s hard for her to get used to the way Heath cares for his family. And it’s hard to get used to the way he disciplines them. Especially when he tells her he’ll be disciplining her when she breaks the rules with a long, hard spanking.

Warning: This book contains sassy woman and men who care for them, love them and spank them. Adults only.

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 9, 2012

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397 people want to read

About the author

Laylah Roberts

136 books1,799 followers
Laylah loves reading, but she particularly loves a good romance with some seriously alpha men. Protective, possessive men with large hearts. Writing has become her passion and she hopes her readers enjoy her stories as much as she does writing them.

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5 stars
807 (46%)
4 stars
524 (29%)
3 stars
300 (17%)
2 stars
89 (5%)
1 star
34 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
Profile Image for Sue Lyndon.
Author 198 books916 followers
February 25, 2012
I have a weakness for domestic discipline fiction, and this one had me swooning with delight. The men in this book are yummy, especially Heath. I love how protective he is of his family and how this protection extends to Ava while she's visiting for the holidays. Even though there's not any sex in this book (other than a vague mention of it), I still thought this was a very hot read. The characters are very realistic and the relationship that develops between Ava and Heath is so sweet. If you like dd fiction, this one is a must read. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cindy.
2,349 reviews172 followers
October 18, 2012
Squeeee I love finding a new spanking author. If you haven't noticed I have a thing for spanking romances :)

This series is about 4 brothers and 1 sister. When there parents died, when the youngest Frankie was just 15, Heath being the oldest takes over as provider and protector of the family. Heath is truly an old fashioned man. He believes in domestic discipline, no sex before marriage and that its a man job to take care of a woman. After the death of there parents Frankie had the hardest time. She took to acting out in all the wrong ways to get attention. She is now a nurse and is coming home to the ranch for Christmas and is bringing her friend who is a widow and her small son along. Ava didn't know what to make of Frankie's brothers when she first met them. They were so alpha and if she tried to so something they didn't think she should be doing they threatened to spank her. Heath knew almost as soon as he saw her she was the one for him but getting her to believe that and to also get her to take care of herself wasn't going to be easy. I really liked how the author gave Eva a condition that isn't used in books often. Not only did she suffer from hypoglycemia but she also had coeliac disease. Since Eva was still nursing her son if she didn't eat right and get enough sleep she would run down to the point of passing out. After one of these episodes Heath stepped in vowed to make sure she took care of herself or else she was going over his knee.

In this book we get to get a good glimps of all the siblings. Everyone of the males in the family are dominate and believe in domestic discipline. Frankie who is the real definition of a brat gets engaged in this book and we get to finish her story in the 3rd book of the series.

Since Heath believes in old fashion values there is no sex in this book but that doesn't take away from the romance. And since I have already read the next two books in the series I can tell you there is plenty of hot sex in those :)
2,081 reviews14 followers
January 18, 2020
I loved this book. I liked that Heath and Anna meet when she comes to spend Christmas with Frankie's family. I felt for everything that Anna had been through and her absolute love for Jaron. I also loved that everyone was there for Anna and Jaron. Heath was very protective of Anna and Jaron and was definitely someone they needed. Anna and Heath have great chemistry and I loved their story.
Profile Image for Irene Kiew.
621 reviews66 followers
December 16, 2022
This is my first time reading Laylah Roberts and I jumped in without looking at the blurb first. My bad. Spanking for discipline is so not my kink. I didn't two-star this book because of the spanking, though.

I will say that it is weird to have a spanking book with ZERO sex scenes. Heath only spanked to punish, but never for pleasure; I would have liked the book more if there had been a balance between the two. And there was no aftercare whatsoever -- like cuddling Ava as she sobbed and comforting her, whispering how much he cared for her, affirming her after administering the punishment. I felt the spanking was done very clinically with no real emotion.

I find it really hard to believe that a nurse would not bother to remember her friend's health condition. Specifically, that she would not remember that Ava (our FMC) had celiac disease and was borderline hypoglycemic. Every medical professional I know is hyper focused on remembering all this stuff when it impacts a family member or close friend. This made me think that Frankie, Heath's sister, was a totally incompetent nurse. She never noticed when Ava looked exhausted, or got concerned when Ava said she wasn't hungry and didn't eat much.

In fact, the two women were caricatures. Ava was a doormat and allowed Frankie to take advantage of her in the name of friendship. She was so pathetically grateful for Frankie's friendship that she would pay Frankie's rent and bought all the Christmas presents for Frankie's family while allowing Frankie to take the credit for the presents. Ava was also a doormat because she would rather suffer and not eat than speak up about her dietary limitations. I understand not wanting to be any trouble and being shy about advocating for one's self. But she is a mother and she claimed that her baby son was the most important thing in the world to her. So it stands to reason that she ought to develop SOME backbone in order to ensure that she stayed healthy and able to take care of him. I found it hard to believe that she continued to be so reticent and careless with her own health when she knew that she was the only person her son had in the world, and she didn't want him to go into foster care (she had been in the system herself since she was two years old). It wasn't in character at all.

I also didn't believe that any man would come straight out and threaten to spank a guest in their home, especially one who wasn't exposed to their lifestyle beforehand and could misunderstand it. The way Heath talked to Ava was just over the top. I would have expected him to ease her into the lifestyle. And for a woman who had experienced abuse from a foster parent, Ava also didn't react believably. Her emotional responses were muted. Where was the horror, disgust, fear? The instinctive recoil?

The two stars is for all these issues, plus the failure of this book as a romance. I could see no reason why Heath would fall in love with Ava. She is irresponsible with her health; she doesn't understand his lifestyle; she's headstrong and disobeys his rules; she's reticent and closed off. In fact, she seems more trouble than she's worth. On the other hand, I can see that Ava feels protected by Heath, and why wouldn't she? He and his brothers help out with her baby, so she now has a support system that she didn't have before. But still, I didn't feel the romance was very believable on either side. There simply wasn't enough emotion in the writing to make me believe it.
Profile Image for Beverly McCall.
Author 2 books28 followers
November 21, 2023
An Old-fashioned Man is the first installment in Laylah Roberts’ Old-Fashioned series. In it she chronicles the romantic journey of Anna Montgomery and Heath Kent. Anna is a widow raising a baby boy, Jaron. She is the best friend of Frankie Kent, the only girl in the Kent family. Frankie invites Anna and her son home for Christmas. Anna suffers from coeliac disease which leaves her weak at times. It is in this weakened condition that Destiny brings her into the orbit of Heath. He is immediately attracted to her as she is to him. Realizing her vulnerability, Heath’s protective and possessive tendencies go off in high alert. Can Heath get past Anna’s emotional protection shields? Can they find happiness? To find out you must read this book.

Once again, did a remarkable job with this age-gap old-fashioned romance. Their characters are multi-dimensional, yet they are vulnerable. Their dialog is outstanding. These qualities endear them to her readers. I enjoy how they continue to showcase the camaraderie amongst a family of old-fashioned men as they journey toward finding their forever soulmate.
Profile Image for Eve.
564 reviews4 followers
February 2, 2021
Is there still men like Heather out there in this world?
Anna the main female protagonist agrees to go with her friend Frankie to her family's place for the holidays with her son. Anna has just been on her own since her husband passed away and she's been raising her son alone.
When she meets Heath Jamieson and the rest of the Jamieson brothers she's a little overwhelmed.
It was great watching her learn to give up control and accept help, though it took awhile lol.
The great thing I've found about this author is that even though does he/she like me scenario goes through her books it doesn't feel like nails on a chalkboard. Like you're tapping your feet and saying "oh come on already get it over with.".
This is the first non Dd/lg book I've read by Ms. Roberts and I still really enjoyed the interactions between the characters. I just wished we got to see Frankie more since she was the one to actually invite zanna down for the holidays.
I will definitely be finishing this series as well.
Profile Image for Bee.
274 reviews1 follower
February 29, 2024
I love Laylah Roberts's books (well, most of them), but oh god, this was bad. Really bad. I don't even know where to start.

At the beginning of the book, we can read that Ava was in foster homes since age 2, then, when she talks about her past, she say she lost her parents when she was 5 or 6 and lived with her aunt for a while.

Frankie is a bitch. A horrible person If your friends are like Frankie, you don't need enemies.

They talked about love and family when Ava barely spoke with anyone. The brothers and Ava's kid were just decorations because they didn't add anything to the story.

And for the love of god, I understand the spanking-thing, but not between siblings! Eww.

And when Ava gets mad and stoles Frankie's car to leave? She has no license or routine, but sure, put your kid in a dangerous situation! Stupid woman!

And there is no love or attraction between Ava and Heath. Ava was busy being sick and tired, and Heath was busy with spanking his own sister!

So, yeah, I love the writer's other books, but it was horrible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Liz L..
92 reviews2 followers
January 9, 2020
I want an old-fashioned man ♥️

I have fallen in love with this author! The title says it all. Heath is head of the household, dominant and as old fashioned as they come who falls for Anna almost instantly. Anna was much more reserved and it took her longer to admit her feelings for him. She wasn’t used to asking for help or being part of a big, loving family. But once she accepted her feelings for Heath she was all in. Book contains spanking and punishments if heroine doesn’t follow the rules set by her man. I liked how the first spanking between the two was handled. I felt like it truly helped Anna rid her painful past and finally let go and be able to move forward with Heath in a healthy, honest, loving relationship. The only negative thing I could say is that the editing was a bit lacking on some parts. Other than that I love the characters created here and have already purchased book two to indulge in!
53 reviews
July 27, 2020
The title pretty much speaks for itself. A man who grew up part of a large family, knowing love but also discipline and respect. Ava on the other hand was lonely, an only child, had been used to depending on herself. When Ava joins Frankie and her family for Christmas she envies their family unit, the love and togetherness she never experienced. A lot of ups and downs but a very simple case of an old fashioned man with old fashioned values, but having said that its only old fashioned if it doesn’t work anymore. Rules and spankings to make sure that those he loves look after themselves above all, a great read.
Profile Image for Isabelle.
361 reviews
February 21, 2024
so good!! 🥹🫶🏼👏🏼

tropes:
-Dom/sub
-instalove
-single mama to baby Jaron 🩵
-OTT, protective H
-age gap (37H, 27h)
-slow burn
-discipline spankings
-both Heath & Anna have been celibate since their divorces
-set during the holidays
*Anna has coeliac disease, anemia, & is hypoglycemic
-HEA

triggers:
-Anna’s husband passed away from cancer before their son was born
-Heath’s parents passed away
-mentions of cheating
-Anna’s parents were negligent. she had everything she needed materialistically, but there was no love ❤️‍🩹
-Anna’s uncle molested her when she was a child
*descriptive scene on page 84!

spice:
-2/5
1,506 reviews10 followers
July 20, 2018
This is one of my favorite books. Then I learned that the author updated and added to it. I was so excited and this author did not disappoint. Love this story of Anna and Heath. Heath has been the head of his household since his parent passed away when he was a young adult. He has raised his brothers and sister. Anna married her friend, who passed away very young, leaving her pregnant. She took care of her husband until he died, her son and herself. When these two characters meet, sparks fly. Don’t miss the story that kicks of the whole wonderful series.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
6,067 reviews113 followers
March 27, 2021
An Old Fashioned Man – Laylah Roberts – Frankie heads home to the family ranch for Christmas with some extra guests in tow. Anna and her son Jaron would have been alone for the holidays, but her spendthrift neighbor insisted she would be welcome. After a lifetime of having no one to rely on but herself, Frankie’s family stepping in help is a bit of an adjustment. Heath, the head of his family, is used to having his orders obeyed even by independent single mothers. Watching Heath and Anna circle one another is the cutest! Happy Reading!
Profile Image for Trish.
1,066 reviews5 followers
August 14, 2025
Beautiful story!

Heath, is the eldest brother, of a family of really good looking men, and one sister. Anna meets them as she's best friends with the only girl of this unique family. All raised the way that their Father believed. The man was the head of the house hold, and women were to always follow rules for their health and continued safety, or they were spanked. Heath meats Anna and is instantly attracted to Anna, very quickly imagining a future with her and her infant son. Lots of angst, due to her poor health, and not being able to sleep much. HEA ending. Trish. A.
Profile Image for Geeky Girl Review Cafe.
1,230 reviews99 followers
January 11, 2022
Anna & Heath

I'm reading the Old-fashioned series nearly a decade after it was written, and after reading Laylah's new series. I can totally see the bones of her writing skills and style in this series and also how far she's come as an author.

This was a good book, solid storyline, great side character setup for future books, and plenty of old-fashioned relationship that I've come to expect from Laylah.
1,246 reviews10 followers
March 17, 2020
Old fashioned, I want one

Anna has been dealing with things herself, her child, her health and not living. That all changes when she goes with Frankie to her family's house for Christmas. Not it takes her awhile to allow them to help her. I loved this book. Makes me want an old fashioned guy so much.
509 reviews2 followers
July 13, 2020
Old fashion

Anna's bestfriend talks her into coming home with her. A widow and a single mom she needs a change of scenery, meets the oldest brother who is a divorce. The feel an attraction but Anna doesn't know if she can handle Death's old-fashioned ways. Eventually she realizes that she needs a little discipline and structured to help her heal and Heath gives that to her.
Profile Image for Chriss.
504 reviews1 follower
Read
August 31, 2020
Exploring the unknown

Being the eldest of the siblings Heath is use to being in charge. Anna being on her own since being widowed is use to the same thing.

They explore the are of compromise (haha), and so many more delicious things, including a little spank and tickle.

As always love Laylah's stories and character development.
Profile Image for Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon).
16.4k reviews216 followers
September 6, 2020
Charming, beautifully written, and hopelessly romantic. Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. Read this series. You won’t be disappointed.
1,527 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2021
An Old Fashioned Man

This was a sweet romance between a lonely young widow and a dominant rancher. I really liked Anna and Heath and that he fought for her love and to take care of her in spite of her ‘so it all myself’ attitude. Their family was wonderful, and I’m looking forward to more of them!
Profile Image for Meleeta.
786 reviews10 followers
March 17, 2018
Romance that covered quite a few basics.

He's a man that believes in taking care of his family. She is not a member of his family but the minute he sees her, he is hit with the urge to protect.
Profile Image for Blue Moon-Shepherd.
105 reviews
October 16, 2018
Too Sort

Nice read; however, too compacted, short, with no depth to the story. Could be a really great one, had the characters been filled out a bit more. Nevertheless, it was good as a mini story.
Profile Image for JustALady.
193 reviews5 followers
November 21, 2018
Old fashioned love!

This was a sweet love story. Anna had lost her husband and used to doing everything herself for her and her son. A holiday visit teaches her what family and love really is all about. I hope we get a story for the brothers as well. Definitely recommend. 🥰
135 reviews
January 10, 2019
It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This !

I recommend this book and this series to anyone who is interested in a Domestic Discipline relationship, and to anyone who values family. Great book. 💓
Profile Image for Deb.
18 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2019
Could of been a 5

The whole series was great BUT it needs better editing. It's in Texas but a lot of the saying seem British. Words are missing or wrong.
You'll enjoy them just be ready to read corrections into it
Profile Image for Bran.
20 reviews
November 5, 2019
Love Sam Cresent

Ok so I read the reviews and if in to the hard core snaking scenes this ain’t the book for you yes it’s got some good hot and heavy scenes but over all it’s a really good book
Profile Image for Jessica.
51 reviews
November 8, 2019
Everything was actually really good plot and character wise, but there are a lot of grammatical errors. Whomever edited the book missed sentence mishaps and tense issues. To the point i had to reread many sentences over and “fix” them to make any sense of what was written.
451 reviews6 followers
November 29, 2019
Loved it

Wonderful Love Story a woman that grew with no love in her life cold older parents she Learned to close herself off and guard her feelings Then she meets a Wonderful Bossy man that puts her first
Profile Image for Heidi.
4,323 reviews2 followers
January 19, 2020
I really enjoyed this book i loved Heath and Anna and ther quaint old fashioned romance. Il be honest though Frankie she annoyed me she just doesnt see beyond herself.

4 Out Of 5 Hearts From Cariad Books.
2,780 reviews14 followers
April 16, 2020
Intriguing story

I really enjoyed reading Heath & Anna story. I am so glad that they found each other. As for Frankie & Tom i am just so happy that they finally figured out their relationship.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews

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