Reviews

Star Spanked by Leighton Greene

geowhaley's review against another edition

3.0

My Recommendation: This one is definitely lighter than Taming Tristan, but a little kinkier than Winter Wonders. So, if you think you might like it, give it a go. I doubt I'll seek out more in the series by Greene because the proofreading and copyediting seemed to drop off significantly over the last two novels and it affected my enjoyment of the novel. That being said, I'm glad I accidentally fell into these, it showed me a different side of MM Romance novels that I don't usually see in the ones I select to read.

My Response: And to finish off 2020 I finish off the kinky romance trilogy I unexpectedly walked into. Instead of a Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa (those are so hard to find!) or New Year's MM Romance I read a 4th of July Independence Day novel!? Oh well, I actually ended up reading one more MM Holiday Romance after the first because I forgot I'd put it on hold at the library.

Star Spanked finds us once again deep in the kink world of Los Angeles. We find out that Jon and Connor from Winter Wonders are now engaged (or married) and Tristan and Seth from Taming Tristan play a decent sized role in this novel as Ezra, a model seeking to get out of the industry is Tristan's roommate. The other protagonist is semi-celebrity British ex-pat Sebastian.

Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.

faysmmbooks's review against another edition

5.0

❤

notruse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

indiekay's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this. I mean, I was expecting more kink/sex scenes for a BDSM book (I'm not upset about how few there were, just surprised), and a lot of the conflicts were completely unnecessary, and for a holiday romance it BARELY touches on the holiday aspect. And there's a few plot points I could really poke with a stick and have a whole bunch of lose threads pop out.

BUT that all said I really just like Greene's writing style, and I needed something low-stakes after reading a really intense book, and this was perfect for that. I also liked the characters and the food aspects of the story a lot.

ltcreads40's review against another edition

4.0

A lighter Dom/sub romance where spanking is the key to this relationship between sweet Ezra and experienced Sebastian. I love that while Ezra and Sebastian are their own story, their world collides with other couples from previous books. An age gap romance with a surprisingly sweet and caring Dom.

nz_elle's review

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

fuzzywilson's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

lost_windsock's review

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I adored this book, and I am absolutely in awe of Leighton Greene's writing skill. I am already a huge fan of hers, but there was something about this book that really blew me away as far as making the characters seem real. Sebastian just lept off the page for me. The way he was written...he just felt so, so real. I loved watching his story with Ezra unfold, especially seeing him introduce Ezra to more aspects of kink safely, and the way he took care of him and cherished him. I also really love that this series is a spin-off, and that a ton of the characters from the original series are side characters in this one. This book was really sweet and really kinky and I just enjoyed it so much. There was drama without it being ridiculous, and the relationship development felt like it went at the perfect pace. There's only one book left in the series that I haven't read, but I'll be waiting until October to read it so that I can continue to read each book in the series near the holiday it's based around. Until then, I'll be looking forward to it!

lillylouise's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing

3.75

The mmc took to long to get together, it dragged a bit in the middle. When they got together I wanted there to be more of bdsm stuff, to be shown more of Ezra's exploration.

The beginning of the book - how the mmcs  met and their first spanking was so good,and so hot! I really wanted more of this.

dynamicdylan's review

5.0

My first read of 2021 was an explosion of stars!
This story follows a forty four year old English chef, Sebastian, and his romance with a twenty seven year old model, Ezra. They meet at a spanking club and form a close relationship built on trust. It's a low drama, high spiciness, and warm romance that I truly loved.
A kink relationship is built on trust and consent, and this one shows that perfect. Sebastian was very patient and communicative with his partner Ezra, and I appreciate that. Safe words, reassurance, checking in on your partner; this book has it all. It made me smile, like biting into a warm honey bun.
If you like steamy gay romance novels, please pick this one up!