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A Madness Most Discreet
When a struggling writer finds his muse in the form of a high-paid, mysterious escort, madness soon follows…
Michael D'Agostino, a bestselling mystery author, is suffering from writer’s block when he meets Arden Evans, a beguiling male escort and catalog model who is attempting to write a memoir of his own.
Captivated by the young man, Michael finds Arden to be refreshingly honest and authentic. When Arden asks that they “keep it simple” with a no-strings-attached relationship, Michael readily agrees. Their arrangement becomes increasingly complicated, however, as Michael begins to want more from his enchanting lover.
And then there is the matter of Arden’s finances. The young man is drowning in debt, but is so fiercely private and prideful that he refuses to discuss it. This same debt is what obligates Arden to his wealthy benefactor, much to Michael’s suspicion and vexation.
Arden isn’t used to being loved and cared for, doesn’t understand that emotional intimacy isn’t just an obligation for Michael, but a deep desire. Michael wants their love affair to last, but how do you hold onto a man whose gaze is forever fixed on the horizon?
A MADNESS MOST DISCREET is a contemporary M/M romance centered around class differences and set in New York City. Both characters live a fairly libertine lifestyle that involves sharing and exhibitionism. There is no cheating in the traditional sense, but Arden is sex worker throughout. Trigger warning for sexual assault. The story ends with an HEA.
Michael D'Agostino, a bestselling mystery author, is suffering from writer’s block when he meets Arden Evans, a beguiling male escort and catalog model who is attempting to write a memoir of his own.
Captivated by the young man, Michael finds Arden to be refreshingly honest and authentic. When Arden asks that they “keep it simple” with a no-strings-attached relationship, Michael readily agrees. Their arrangement becomes increasingly complicated, however, as Michael begins to want more from his enchanting lover.
And then there is the matter of Arden’s finances. The young man is drowning in debt, but is so fiercely private and prideful that he refuses to discuss it. This same debt is what obligates Arden to his wealthy benefactor, much to Michael’s suspicion and vexation.
Arden isn’t used to being loved and cared for, doesn’t understand that emotional intimacy isn’t just an obligation for Michael, but a deep desire. Michael wants their love affair to last, but how do you hold onto a man whose gaze is forever fixed on the horizon?
A MADNESS MOST DISCREET is a contemporary M/M romance centered around class differences and set in New York City. Both characters live a fairly libertine lifestyle that involves sharing and exhibitionism. There is no cheating in the traditional sense, but Arden is sex worker throughout. Trigger warning for sexual assault. The story ends with an HEA.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2020
28 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Laura Lascarso
30 books500 followersMM+ AUTHOR | Romance so good it hurts
Laura Lascarso wants you to stay up way past your bedtime reading her stories. She aims to inspire more questions than answers in her fiction and believes in the power of storytelling to heal and transform a society.
When not writing, Laura can be found screaming “finish” on the soccer fields, rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender, and trying to convince politicians to act on climate change. She lives in North Florida with her darling husband and two kids. She loves hearing from readers, and she’d be delighted to hear from you.
Join her Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/LaurasLounge
Sign up for her newsletter at www.lauralascarso.com
Laura Lascarso wants you to stay up way past your bedtime reading her stories. She aims to inspire more questions than answers in her fiction and believes in the power of storytelling to heal and transform a society.
When not writing, Laura can be found screaming “finish” on the soccer fields, rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender, and trying to convince politicians to act on climate change. She lives in North Florida with her darling husband and two kids. She loves hearing from readers, and she’d be delighted to hear from you.
Join her Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/LaurasLounge
Sign up for her newsletter at www.lauralascarso.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
April 10, 2021
As is often the case with me, I tend to forget what books are about by the time I pick them up. There are obviously times where this isn't the case but it happens more often than you might think. Case in point : I had convinced myself that Lascarso had written something light and fluffy because a) my brain is a sieve these days due to work and the world and b) that cover is gorgeous and lovely and gives me happy vibes.
This book was way more than the cover implies. But it's also a Lascarso so I'm an idiot for thinking it wouldn't be more.. though one day she'll probably write fluff just to mess with me.
What started out as a story leaning into a PRIDE AND PREJUDICE vibe (as explained by the author herself) due to the economic disparity -- as well as the vast distance between opportunity and circumstance -- between the protagonist's situations shifted instead into a something sorta resembling Sex and the City. But with an HBO edge.
"You're cultivating a mystique."
"I have to. It's my only currency."
This is a story I'll admit did not hook me right away (though to be fair reading is a struggle these days..). But after a turning point, and I couldn't even really say what or when that was, I looked up and it was eleven PM on a worknight, so. That says it all.
A MADNESS MOST DISCREET isn't all sparkling Cosmos and the male-equivalent of Manolo Blahniks (right, that was the shoe? I maybe watched one episode of SatC), there are some less than comfortable situations, abutting completely real and often testy but still lovely friendship dynamics, so much steam it's unreal, and is, still, somehow, also really sweet.
My one complaint is to do with an element of one of those uncomfortable situations because I do wish it had been clearer if there had been an end-in-sight to a certain arrangement, how long it had lasted, and/or how much traction had been made in the ensuing years.. but perhaps I had missed some of this info, as I did read well past my bedtime and it could've been one of those situations where your eyes see the words but the brain doesn't get the memo. So, as I fully see myself rereading this, I will table that under the "maybe I'm just dumb" and eventually follow up. If it's not mentioned, I mean, it doesn't have to be, we as readers definitely get the idea, as well as the breadth of the situation, but it's something I found myself musing on after finishing the book.
That said, if you couldn't tell, I definitely recommend, and I definitely want more from this series. Whether that's a companion, a sequel, or even a book focusing on the other couples. I don't care what it looks like. I just want it.
** I received an ARC from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
----
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
This book was way more than the cover implies. But it's also a Lascarso so I'm an idiot for thinking it wouldn't be more.. though one day she'll probably write fluff just to mess with me.
What started out as a story leaning into a PRIDE AND PREJUDICE vibe (as explained by the author herself) due to the economic disparity -- as well as the vast distance between opportunity and circumstance -- between the protagonist's situations shifted instead into a something sorta resembling Sex and the City. But with an HBO edge.
"You're cultivating a mystique."
"I have to. It's my only currency."
This is a story I'll admit did not hook me right away (though to be fair reading is a struggle these days..). But after a turning point, and I couldn't even really say what or when that was, I looked up and it was eleven PM on a worknight, so. That says it all.
A MADNESS MOST DISCREET isn't all sparkling Cosmos and the male-equivalent of Manolo Blahniks (right, that was the shoe? I maybe watched one episode of SatC), there are some less than comfortable situations, abutting completely real and often testy but still lovely friendship dynamics, so much steam it's unreal, and is, still, somehow, also really sweet.
My one complaint is to do with an element of one of those uncomfortable situations because I do wish it had been clearer if there had been an end-in-sight to a certain arrangement, how long it had lasted, and/or how much traction had been made in the ensuing years.. but perhaps I had missed some of this info, as I did read well past my bedtime and it could've been one of those situations where your eyes see the words but the brain doesn't get the memo. So, as I fully see myself rereading this, I will table that under the "maybe I'm just dumb" and eventually follow up. If it's not mentioned, I mean, it doesn't have to be, we as readers definitely get the idea, as well as the breadth of the situation, but it's something I found myself musing on after finishing the book.
That said, if you couldn't tell, I definitely recommend, and I definitely want more from this series. Whether that's a companion, a sequel, or even a book focusing on the other couples. I don't care what it looks like. I just want it.
** I received an ARC from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
----
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
December 30, 2021
Wow. This book. Beautiful cover. Beautiful words.
He whimpered when I withdrew and cried out when I surged forward. Our bodies shifted like tectonic plates, creating mountains and trenches with every collision. The sturdy wooden frame knocked against the wall in time with our cries of ecstasy.
Don’t let the cover fool you. It’s filthy. We have a gorgeous escort. A writer madly in love with the escort. Exhibitionism. Sex with other people. Johns. Threesomes. Heartbreak. Friendship. I was simultaneously enjoying every page and dreading what came next.
I loved Michael. I loved Arden. Together they were toxic. Arden was cruel, testing Michael’s devotion. Seeing how far he could go. What he could get away with. He was also fragile and insecure. His past helped explain why he is the way he is, but I wanted more. More answers. Especially about Matteo. But also about Arden’s feelings for Michael. I have lots of questions, but I’m happy with the ending and the solid HEA.
He whimpered when I withdrew and cried out when I surged forward. Our bodies shifted like tectonic plates, creating mountains and trenches with every collision. The sturdy wooden frame knocked against the wall in time with our cries of ecstasy.
Don’t let the cover fool you. It’s filthy. We have a gorgeous escort. A writer madly in love with the escort. Exhibitionism. Sex with other people. Johns. Threesomes. Heartbreak. Friendship. I was simultaneously enjoying every page and dreading what came next.
I loved Michael. I loved Arden. Together they were toxic. Arden was cruel, testing Michael’s devotion. Seeing how far he could go. What he could get away with. He was also fragile and insecure. His past helped explain why he is the way he is, but I wanted more. More answers. Especially about Matteo. But also about Arden’s feelings for Michael. I have lots of questions, but I’m happy with the ending and the solid HEA.
Read
July 1, 2020Well. I finished. Honestly? That I did finish is amazing. I had such a battle royale with this book and mostly with the characters. I did not love them. There were times they actually agitated me. Some of them were so snobby, pretentious, entitled. Rudely opinionated. That's especially true of Michael's friends, but you hang with them, Michael, they're your birds of a feather.
Also, I felt like I was being manipulated by the MCs.
Some things didn't go anywhere
Laura Lascarso is clearly passionate about these MCs, that I could feel as I read. The MCs improved when it was just them, and no friends or (Michael's) father were in sight to be aggravating. And, as I said in the beginning of this review, I finished it. I wasn't going to but I got pulled back in each time I tried to completely leave. I needed to know where it was heading and how it would end.
I bought this book off the back of reading the fabulous Book of Orlando. I am hoping that will be followed up soon because I could not get enough of Orlando and Henri - flawed characters whom I adored. Truth be told I would have preferred that was in my hands instead.
This is an interesting book. It does offer something different in the genre and for that I'm always grateful. The memoir was a change of pace to give a backstory to the enigmatic Arden. The memoir is contained in 'parts' between the chapters. There are nice touches to this story but I couldn't quite breathe into it like I would have liked. No rating from me as I have no clue where this sits.
Also, I felt like I was being manipulated by the MCs.
Some things didn't go anywhere
Laura Lascarso is clearly passionate about these MCs, that I could feel as I read. The MCs improved when it was just them, and no friends or (Michael's) father were in sight to be aggravating. And, as I said in the beginning of this review, I finished it. I wasn't going to but I got pulled back in each time I tried to completely leave. I needed to know where it was heading and how it would end.
I bought this book off the back of reading the fabulous Book of Orlando. I am hoping that will be followed up soon because I could not get enough of Orlando and Henri - flawed characters whom I adored. Truth be told I would have preferred that was in my hands instead.
This is an interesting book. It does offer something different in the genre and for that I'm always grateful. The memoir was a change of pace to give a backstory to the enigmatic Arden. The memoir is contained in 'parts' between the chapters. There are nice touches to this story but I couldn't quite breathe into it like I would have liked. No rating from me as I have no clue where this sits.
May 26, 2022
It's funny when you read other reviews, how different people interpret the characters they are reading about. Or the meanings of an author. At the same time, that's exactly why books are so meaningful. Although the story is there, written on pages, it's still up to everyone's own fantasy to mold it into something that fits their own imagination.
I've discovered Laura Lascarso a while back when I read her book When Everything Is Blue. It was one of the first books I read in m/m romance and it's still one of my favorite books to read.
Having said that: this book is something completely different! There's no way you'd be able to compare these two reads story wise. The only thing they have in common is Laura Lascarso' superb writing. I love how she describes events and the way she creates characters. She's not afraid to add some less likable character traits to her MC's, which make them only more human.
In this story we meet Michael, a writer whose latest series of books have been quite successful, though he suffers from a writers block and he feels quite some pressure to come with a new book, specially from his father, with whom he has a bit of a strained relationship. To me Michael felt vulnerable and a bit insecure, specially when it came down to his father. He has a couple of friends who are quite outspoken and though their friendship seemed real enough and something Michael cherished, it sometimes also felt a little like he was the odd one, like he wasn't their equal in some ways.
He meets Arden and he's immediately mesmerized by him. They develop a friendship at first, but Arden's charms and the mystery that surrounds him, pulls Michael further and further into their relationship until Arden seems to become some sort of addiction that keeps him from thinking straight once he is around. I think Michael crosses his own lines more than once in order to please Arden or to give Arden what he seems to need. He even tries to set aside his own beliefs and discomforts in order to be able to keep Arden from leaving him.
While reading I couldn't keep myself from wondering what Arden's motives were. From the beginning it was clear Arden would become an obsession for Michael, but what was Michael to Arden? It wasn't until I was close to finishing the book, that I finally was able to see (and understand) Arden's motivations, and they are truly valid!
Throughout the story there are glimpses of Arden's memoir. We see how he grows up on the boat, with his father as his only adult influence. Later on, while they harbor on exotic islands and small towns, he learns a lot more about life. You get to see where he comes from, and with each part about his life as a boy, you learn and understand more of him and the mystery that surrounds him.
I loved Arden; he seemed quite a contradiction at times. Vulnerable, but yet disposing a strong character. Insecure, but not afraid to tell or show what he needed. It's best described in the scene where he takes Michael to the bar to show him his true self and ends up picking up this guy to have sex for money. Michael sees Arden change as soon as they enter the bar. I think it's something that happens throughout the whole story, even if it's not described as clearly as it is in this particular scene.
There's a lot of sex in this book; the author used it to show how far Michael is willing to go to please Arden. Therefor it's meaningful, but I can imagine it could bother some readers. As for me, I think it was a natural part of the story the author is telling and some of it was just real hot and I really loved that!
All in all, it's quite an unusual story; I find it quite a challenge to review it properly.
I was lucky enough to be one of the beta readers for this book, so maybe I'm also a bit biased, but I'm still convinced it's totally worth your time!
I've discovered Laura Lascarso a while back when I read her book When Everything Is Blue. It was one of the first books I read in m/m romance and it's still one of my favorite books to read.
Having said that: this book is something completely different! There's no way you'd be able to compare these two reads story wise. The only thing they have in common is Laura Lascarso' superb writing. I love how she describes events and the way she creates characters. She's not afraid to add some less likable character traits to her MC's, which make them only more human.
In this story we meet Michael, a writer whose latest series of books have been quite successful, though he suffers from a writers block and he feels quite some pressure to come with a new book, specially from his father, with whom he has a bit of a strained relationship. To me Michael felt vulnerable and a bit insecure, specially when it came down to his father. He has a couple of friends who are quite outspoken and though their friendship seemed real enough and something Michael cherished, it sometimes also felt a little like he was the odd one, like he wasn't their equal in some ways.
He meets Arden and he's immediately mesmerized by him. They develop a friendship at first, but Arden's charms and the mystery that surrounds him, pulls Michael further and further into their relationship until Arden seems to become some sort of addiction that keeps him from thinking straight once he is around. I think Michael crosses his own lines more than once in order to please Arden or to give Arden what he seems to need. He even tries to set aside his own beliefs and discomforts in order to be able to keep Arden from leaving him.
While reading I couldn't keep myself from wondering what Arden's motives were. From the beginning it was clear Arden would become an obsession for Michael, but what was Michael to Arden? It wasn't until I was close to finishing the book, that I finally was able to see (and understand) Arden's motivations, and they are truly valid!
Throughout the story there are glimpses of Arden's memoir. We see how he grows up on the boat, with his father as his only adult influence. Later on, while they harbor on exotic islands and small towns, he learns a lot more about life. You get to see where he comes from, and with each part about his life as a boy, you learn and understand more of him and the mystery that surrounds him.
I loved Arden; he seemed quite a contradiction at times. Vulnerable, but yet disposing a strong character. Insecure, but not afraid to tell or show what he needed. It's best described in the scene where he takes Michael to the bar to show him his true self and ends up picking up this guy to have sex for money. Michael sees Arden change as soon as they enter the bar. I think it's something that happens throughout the whole story, even if it's not described as clearly as it is in this particular scene.
There's a lot of sex in this book; the author used it to show how far Michael is willing to go to please Arden. Therefor it's meaningful, but I can imagine it could bother some readers. As for me, I think it was a natural part of the story the author is telling and some of it was just real hot and I really loved that!
All in all, it's quite an unusual story; I find it quite a challenge to review it properly.
I was lucky enough to be one of the beta readers for this book, so maybe I'm also a bit biased, but I'm still convinced it's totally worth your time!
June 28, 2020
The writing is pretty great (once one gets past that rather purple-y first paragraph). The characters are well-developed and likeable. There's nothing groundbreaking about the plot and there's about 200 commas too many, but what this book goes to show is how transformative strong writing can be.
Take heed: if you're only into strict one-on-one monogamy, this is probably not the book for you. Luckily, I'm not in that camp of readers.
Take heed: if you're only into strict one-on-one monogamy, this is probably not the book for you. Luckily, I'm not in that camp of readers.
May 30, 2024
”He was hard to look at—so beautiful it hurt. It was dangerous for me to fall for a man like him. His ”lesson”made that perfectly clear. He was unavailable, reckless, probably unstable. The red flags were all around. I should walk away. Or run.”
”We made perfect sense. As elemental as land and water converging at the shore. I called to him and he answered, as he always had. Harmony and balance and the easy give and take between us that was not only born of mutual respect, but of a need to satisfy one another’s desire. He didn’t hold back, but gave freely, gave me everything. I would love this man my entire life.”
”We made perfect sense. As elemental as land and water converging at the shore. I called to him and he answered, as he always had. Harmony and balance and the easy give and take between us that was not only born of mutual respect, but of a need to satisfy one another’s desire. He didn’t hold back, but gave freely, gave me everything. I would love this man my entire life.”
August 9, 2022
DNF @ 17%.
Michael tells us that he has been told he speaks “like an eighteenth-century poet” or “snobby as fuck”. But apparently that extends to his thoughts well having sex.
Keep in mind, this is a first person narrative, so word choices like “sheathed corona”, “rim of his glans” and “his inguinal lines were a work of art”, had me rolling my eyes.
I don’t think I’ve ever encountered “spend” outside of historical and fantasy settings but yet:
But the straw that broke this camel’s back was:
Oh, and let’s not forget the obligatory penis comparison:
Michael tells us that he has been told he speaks “like an eighteenth-century poet” or “snobby as fuck”. But apparently that extends to his thoughts well having sex.
Keep in mind, this is a first person narrative, so word choices like “sheathed corona”, “rim of his glans” and “his inguinal lines were a work of art”, had me rolling my eyes.
I don’t think I’ve ever encountered “spend” outside of historical and fantasy settings but yet:
I milked his length with suction, tightening my throat around him, pinching the base of his cock with my thumb and forefinger so he wouldn’t spend too quickly.
But the straw that broke this camel’s back was:
His pink cockhead peeked from between the circumference of my fist like a shy, spring bloom.
Oh, and let’s not forget the obligatory penis comparison:
Similar to our builds, he was longer than me, but I was thicker.
June 11, 2020
I have only read two books by Laura Lascarso but I can for certainly say this: Damn that woman can write. I found myself forgetting these were people I didn't know, that they didn't even exist in real life. I couldn't put the book down, I literally stayed up to 5 am reading.
This book was different from anything I have read before, which was a good thing. It was little more ... I don't know what words to use, bitter seems to harsh, serious maybe, than I usually read/like but this was so well written that the story completely captivated and fascinated me.
I loved Michael right from the beginning. I definitely liked Arden too, but there was something about Micheal that got to me. I wasn't super into Michael's friends, but Franco grew a little bit on me.
A part of me wish we got to read some things from Arden's perspective, to get to see his thoughts more. But at the same time it felt right that it was from Michael's POV, it added to the mystery that surrounded Arden that really fitted the story. And we did get to know Arden more since there were glimpses of his memoir between the chapters, which I absolutely loved.
The ending was perfect. There was some frustrating moments through out the book, absolutely, but after I finished it I had the biggest smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart.
Bonus points for the cover! It's absolutely lovely.
I received this ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This book was different from anything I have read before, which was a good thing. It was little more ... I don't know what words to use, bitter seems to harsh, serious maybe, than I usually read/like but this was so well written that the story completely captivated and fascinated me.
I loved Michael right from the beginning. I definitely liked Arden too, but there was something about Micheal that got to me. I wasn't super into Michael's friends, but Franco grew a little bit on me.
A part of me wish we got to read some things from Arden's perspective, to get to see his thoughts more. But at the same time it felt right that it was from Michael's POV, it added to the mystery that surrounded Arden that really fitted the story. And we did get to know Arden more since there were glimpses of his memoir between the chapters, which I absolutely loved.
The ending was perfect. There was some frustrating moments through out the book, absolutely, but after I finished it I had the biggest smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart.
Bonus points for the cover! It's absolutely lovely.
I received this ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
September 13, 2022
This turned out to be a bit disappointing. For the first quarter I thought I had found a new (to me) author to follow. The writing is good, smooth reading with good pacing. Some OTT language, but it had a kind of catnip to it that had me anxious to return and read more. And there was a suggestion of something darker to be revealed, a twist that would show that all was not as it seemed.
But then….
First off, there’s too much sex. And it’s of the earth-shattering variety that just makes me roll my eyes. I can see where some (most?) might find it hot if you like the scenarios and the way it’s described. But I’m not a big fan of threesomes, group sex, or dirty talk, and I definitely could’ve done without one episode where
Then there’s the fact that I don’t think it’s adequately explained why Arden keeps up the sex work and his arrangement with Matteo. How exactly did he get in debt? How much is it? It’s all a bit vague. His modeling work is not lucrative enough? And though he had an unconventional childhood, and living hand-to-mouth could make him anxious about money for the rest of his life, I didn’t think the memoir bits described anything so bad as to leave him with such low self-worth or to explain the way he was living as an adult. There seemed to be love between he and his father, no? So there wasn’t really a satisfactory payoff for the suggestion of bad things to be revealed.
The author says in the note at the end that this was her attempt to write something lighter than her usual fare, but this didn't feel light to me. In looking over her backlist to give her another try, nothing looks right for me. I own The Bravest Thing (bought for 99c, as Madness was) so I may give that a go at some point, but I’m less enthusiastic about it than I was in the opening chapters of this book.
But then….
First off, there’s too much sex. And it’s of the earth-shattering variety that just makes me roll my eyes. I can see where some (most?) might find it hot if you like the scenarios and the way it’s described. But I’m not a big fan of threesomes, group sex, or dirty talk, and I definitely could’ve done without one episode where
Then there’s the fact that I don’t think it’s adequately explained why Arden keeps up the sex work and his arrangement with Matteo. How exactly did he get in debt? How much is it? It’s all a bit vague. His modeling work is not lucrative enough? And though he had an unconventional childhood, and living hand-to-mouth could make him anxious about money for the rest of his life, I didn’t think the memoir bits described anything so bad as to leave him with such low self-worth or to explain the way he was living as an adult. There seemed to be love between he and his father, no? So there wasn’t really a satisfactory payoff for the suggestion of bad things to be revealed.
The author says in the note at the end that this was her attempt to write something lighter than her usual fare, but this didn't feel light to me. In looking over her backlist to give her another try, nothing looks right for me. I own The Bravest Thing (bought for 99c, as Madness was) so I may give that a go at some point, but I’m less enthusiastic about it than I was in the opening chapters of this book.
June 27, 2022
I just enjoyed this book, so much. This book took me on a journey and I really appreciated that. I love how this book always kept me on my toes and how it kept me guessing what would happen next. I really enjoyed how twisted and toxic the romance was. I just really enjoyed this book.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
avoid
May 12, 2023Shelved for: sharing
I am SO HAPPY that the sharing aspect of the relationship is mentioned in the blurb and I didn’t have to dig through reviews to find out if it was something I’d want to read.
I am SO HAPPY that the sharing aspect of the relationship is mentioned in the blurb and I didn’t have to dig through reviews to find out if it was something I’d want to read.
June 26, 2022
Reading the blurb it tells the story in raw lines, what it doesn’t tell is how preciously it’s written. It doesn’t tell about the many layers of the characters, and what depth there lies behind attitude and presentation.
There’s a painful honesty in this story, blunt honesty coming from everyone.
How to keep a man when he doesn’t want to be kept. Michael is head over heels with Arden. Arden wants to keep, what they have, simple. Very early you could feel there’s more to Arden than only his beautiful features. If Michael only knew how much more.
It’s written from Michael’s perspective and I must say, it made me struggle to bond with Arden. I saw how beautiful Arden was, his struggle, his reluctance, only I couldn’t connect with him emotionally.
I would have loved to dive deeper into his soul. There’s so much to dive into, for me it didn’t come out.
The scenery and circumstances were at times a sight to the eyes, at times hard, at times scorching, at times downright painful, all well done.
It’s a wonderfully written, entertaining, enjoyable, story, with flawed, intriguing main and side characters.
There’s a painful honesty in this story, blunt honesty coming from everyone.
How to keep a man when he doesn’t want to be kept. Michael is head over heels with Arden. Arden wants to keep, what they have, simple. Very early you could feel there’s more to Arden than only his beautiful features. If Michael only knew how much more.
It’s written from Michael’s perspective and I must say, it made me struggle to bond with Arden. I saw how beautiful Arden was, his struggle, his reluctance, only I couldn’t connect with him emotionally.
I would have loved to dive deeper into his soul. There’s so much to dive into, for me it didn’t come out.
The scenery and circumstances were at times a sight to the eyes, at times hard, at times scorching, at times downright painful, all well done.
It’s a wonderfully written, entertaining, enjoyable, story, with flawed, intriguing main and side characters.
Read
July 21, 2020A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
Once I started reading, A Madness Most Discreet is a book that kept me hooked with each passing page. I say once I started, because after reading the author’s note first, I was not as immediately hooked. The author states that she started out wanting to write a modern-day Pride and Prejudice, and as well known as that book is, it has never been a book I have wanted more of. The author then states that she thinks she mostly wrote a retelling of “Sex in the City,” and if you are going to compare your book to a popular contemporary work with a large following, it would be helpful to have the correct title, as it’s Sex and the City, and so I was hesitant about this book from the start.
Taking a large step over that, the writing in this book has some beautiful passages. The book deals with some intense subjects, but the writing is also lyrical and soft. I appreciate that Lascarso went in a direction that many books in the genre do not.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
Once I started reading, A Madness Most Discreet is a book that kept me hooked with each passing page. I say once I started, because after reading the author’s note first, I was not as immediately hooked. The author states that she started out wanting to write a modern-day Pride and Prejudice, and as well known as that book is, it has never been a book I have wanted more of. The author then states that she thinks she mostly wrote a retelling of “Sex in the City,” and if you are going to compare your book to a popular contemporary work with a large following, it would be helpful to have the correct title, as it’s Sex and the City, and so I was hesitant about this book from the start.
Taking a large step over that, the writing in this book has some beautiful passages. The book deals with some intense subjects, but the writing is also lyrical and soft. I appreciate that Lascarso went in a direction that many books in the genre do not.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
June 5, 2022
This was something else...
Just as a heads up, this does have drug use on top of the cw's in the blurb.
The overall story line for this was about how two people could love each other but need some serious therapy. Arden was a sex worker who meets a rich and connected writer who's dad helped him get published, Michael.
They really were bad for each other. Arden didn't trust and Michael was an arrogant rich person surrounded by other rich people. The writing in here was way too over the top to convey the supposed passion between these two. I honestly really enjoyed the little snippets of Arden's life and everything that happened after the breakup. I found the ending much better than most of the book.
Also, the sex was mostly non descriptive, considering what was going in with the story.
Just as a heads up, this does have drug use on top of the cw's in the blurb.
The overall story line for this was about how two people could love each other but need some serious therapy. Arden was a sex worker who meets a rich and connected writer who's dad helped him get published, Michael.
They really were bad for each other. Arden didn't trust and Michael was an arrogant rich person surrounded by other rich people. The writing in here was way too over the top to convey the supposed passion between these two. I honestly really enjoyed the little snippets of Arden's life and everything that happened after the breakup. I found the ending much better than most of the book.
Also, the sex was mostly non descriptive, considering what was going in with the story.
June 6, 2022
ANGSTY but worth the journey to their HEA
This book is painfully sad in parts. Rip your heart out sad. The writing is excellent but hard to read in parts. You want to look away at the train wreck you know is coming but you can’t. It was definitely more angsty than I anticipated but there is an HEA that was worth reading all the angst to get to it.
Arden and Michael aren’t your traditional MCs. Their relationship is complicated. Michael’s friends mean well but we’re hard to take. Especially Liam, ugh 😣. By the end, you are happy for having been through the journey with Arden and Michael.
This book is painfully sad in parts. Rip your heart out sad. The writing is excellent but hard to read in parts. You want to look away at the train wreck you know is coming but you can’t. It was definitely more angsty than I anticipated but there is an HEA that was worth reading all the angst to get to it.
Arden and Michael aren’t your traditional MCs. Their relationship is complicated. Michael’s friends mean well but we’re hard to take. Especially Liam, ugh 😣. By the end, you are happy for having been through the journey with Arden and Michael.
March 17, 2023
Cuestan enganchar la historia pero la buena pluma de la escritora consigue que no lo dejes y lo acabes disfrutando.
Las historia acaba siendo muy bonita pero el final le ha quitado puntos. No todas las historias de amor tienen que acabar con un final feliz y en este caso le quita veracidad además de verse muy forzado, yo creo que ella tampoco lo "veía" y por ello no le puso muchas ganas, plantó un HEA totalmente irreal en dos capítulos y punto.
Aún así le mantengo las 4* porque es de lo más decente que he leído últimamente (en otras ocasión le quitaría unas sino pensármelo mucho)
Las historia acaba siendo muy bonita pero el final le ha quitado puntos. No todas las historias de amor tienen que acabar con un final feliz y en este caso le quita veracidad además de verse muy forzado, yo creo que ella tampoco lo "veía" y por ello no le puso muchas ganas, plantó un HEA totalmente irreal en dos capítulos y punto.
Aún así le mantengo las 4* porque es de lo más decente que he leído últimamente (en otras ocasión le quitaría unas sino pensármelo mucho)
April 27, 2022
✽ 5 STARS ✽
Laura Lascarso I love you so much! I am so happy I discovered your books. Each of them always makes great impression on me. I wish more readers would rate and review your books because they are simply amazing!
This book should be "something light and summery with dash of passion" (Laura's words), but it was so much more: so significant in different ways, so much depth this characters brought out. It was maybe even more significat to me because at time of reading I was roaming streets of NYC and everything just fitted together. It was right book just in right time. I adore Michael and Arden and my heart broke a little for both of them. Story is told in first person by Michael POV. In between are chapters of Arden's memoir from which we get to know Arden's past. But, nevertheless, I craved Arden's POV in present so much!
Laura Lascarso I love you so much! I am so happy I discovered your books. Each of them always makes great impression on me. I wish more readers would rate and review your books because they are simply amazing!
This book should be "something light and summery with dash of passion" (Laura's words), but it was so much more: so significant in different ways, so much depth this characters brought out. It was maybe even more significat to me because at time of reading I was roaming streets of NYC and everything just fitted together. It was right book just in right time. I adore Michael and Arden and my heart broke a little for both of them. Story is told in first person by Michael POV. In between are chapters of Arden's memoir from which we get to know Arden's past. But, nevertheless, I craved Arden's POV in present so much!
November 10, 2020
This is one of those rare books I'm going to rate 3 stars even though I don't think I actually "liked" it. But it's a good book, and it's well-written, it's just about the kind of people I wouldn't actually want to spend any time around.
Michael's voice feels very authentic, but it's the voice of an ivy league/trust fund kid who is a writer and has close friends and family that operate in NYC literary circles and want to make sure you know it 🤢🤮🤮 Ew, and hell no.
We don't spend a whole lot of time with those people -- because Michael sees them for what they are, too, and doesn't really share any of those obnoxious personality traits -- but there's something about that world that permeates the whole book.
Which is on purpose, and there's a reason, because it is a very well-crafted book... it's just the kind of thing that automatically rubs me the wrong way, sometimes unfairly. I mean, it's definitely not a coincidence that The Old Man and the Sea -- the very first book I ever remember HATING -- plays a featured role here.
And yet, I liked Michael, I read this in one sitting, and it's an easy read with a lot of depth. By the end, I genuinely wanted the author to write a book about my least favorite member of his friend circle, and that takes TALENT.
But then there's Arden, the kind of person whose self-defense mechanisms have officially turned from protective to destructive since they're now keeping the good guys out, too. I've known Ardens, and it definitely makes me a bit of an asshole, but I have no patience for that shit!!
There was one point where I really wanted Michael to dump him. I don't think I've ever experienced that in a romance novel that I ended up "liking," and this was no exception.
I just felt like we never got any resolution on the mistakes he made. Because he made some very poor decisions, period. And that is not about him being a sex worker. He and Michael established some very simple, straightforward guidelines on how to make a relationship work around his profession, and he was the one who kept trying to blur the lines. Not Michael. It put Michael in a really shitty position to navigate, and that was never fully addressed.
Yes, we have a basic understanding of what was going through his head and how he got there, and yes, most importantly, Michael is 100% satisfied with how things resolved, but I'M not, dammit!
So yeah, it's a good book, but if I ever met these perfectly likable people in real life, I would turn around and never come back. We are not on the same journey, thank all the lords.
Michael's voice feels very authentic, but it's the voice of an ivy league/trust fund kid who is a writer and has close friends and family that operate in NYC literary circles and want to make sure you know it 🤢🤮🤮 Ew, and hell no.
We don't spend a whole lot of time with those people -- because Michael sees them for what they are, too, and doesn't really share any of those obnoxious personality traits -- but there's something about that world that permeates the whole book.
Which is on purpose, and there's a reason, because it is a very well-crafted book... it's just the kind of thing that automatically rubs me the wrong way, sometimes unfairly. I mean, it's definitely not a coincidence that The Old Man and the Sea -- the very first book I ever remember HATING -- plays a featured role here.
And yet, I liked Michael, I read this in one sitting, and it's an easy read with a lot of depth. By the end, I genuinely wanted the author to write a book about my least favorite member of his friend circle, and that takes TALENT.
But then there's Arden, the kind of person whose self-defense mechanisms have officially turned from protective to destructive since they're now keeping the good guys out, too. I've known Ardens, and it definitely makes me a bit of an asshole, but I have no patience for that shit!!
There was one point where I really wanted Michael to dump him. I don't think I've ever experienced that in a romance novel that I ended up "liking," and this was no exception.
I just felt like we never got any resolution on the mistakes he made. Because he made some very poor decisions, period. And that is not about him being a sex worker. He and Michael established some very simple, straightforward guidelines on how to make a relationship work around his profession, and he was the one who kept trying to blur the lines. Not Michael. It put Michael in a really shitty position to navigate, and that was never fully addressed.
Yes, we have a basic understanding of what was going through his head and how he got there, and yes, most importantly, Michael is 100% satisfied with how things resolved, but I'M not, dammit!
So yeah, it's a good book, but if I ever met these perfectly likable people in real life, I would turn around and never come back. We are not on the same journey, thank all the lords.
February 17, 2024
3.5 I think
Oh dear. This suffers from a problem I noticed in many of Laura's books. The prose is beautiful, sometimes to the detriment of the plot. Also: this is trying really hard to be more poetic than it is. Don't get me wrong, I'm always incredibly captivated by Laura Lascarso's prose. She's good. But sometimes you need to get to the grit of it, I'm afraid.
Michael here was a weird character. Even if the story is entirely told in his 1st person pov, he's got much less personality than his love interest, Arden. Arden shines through the whole book, while Michael is always a little basic. I get it, he's a writer. He's got this hard relationship with his asshole dad. He's sort of snooty and has got snooty friends. What else? Not much. This also mean I couldnt quite fall for their romance, alas.
I could see a lot of Giovanni from Laura's Master's schiavo i Arden. It's like Arden is working prototype for Giovanni, and Matteo for Valentin. And It's fine. I am into this sort of thing so I mean.
In this book tho, is Michael to be Italian-American. And here I am going to say the same thing I said about Master’s schiavo: LAURA GET AN ITALIAN SENSITIVITY READER. A PROPER ONE.
First: Michael says his family is from the north of Italy, and therefore they are not as dark and strong featured as Matteo. Also his last name is D'Agostino.
Laura, hear me out. I'm an Italian whose last name is D'Agostino (yep), I'm Sicilian and I'm a fucking ginger. So please learn your Italian history about how we look the way we do and why we are so sensitive on our whole north/south dichotomy.
Thanks byeeeee
Oh dear. This suffers from a problem I noticed in many of Laura's books. The prose is beautiful, sometimes to the detriment of the plot. Also: this is trying really hard to be more poetic than it is. Don't get me wrong, I'm always incredibly captivated by Laura Lascarso's prose. She's good. But sometimes you need to get to the grit of it, I'm afraid.
Michael here was a weird character. Even if the story is entirely told in his 1st person pov, he's got much less personality than his love interest, Arden. Arden shines through the whole book, while Michael is always a little basic. I get it, he's a writer. He's got this hard relationship with his asshole dad. He's sort of snooty and has got snooty friends. What else? Not much. This also mean I couldnt quite fall for their romance, alas.
I could see a lot of Giovanni from Laura's Master's schiavo i Arden. It's like Arden is working prototype for Giovanni, and Matteo for Valentin. And It's fine. I am into this sort of thing so I mean.
In this book tho, is Michael to be Italian-American. And here I am going to say the same thing I said about Master’s schiavo: LAURA GET AN ITALIAN SENSITIVITY READER. A PROPER ONE.
First: Michael says his family is from the north of Italy, and therefore they are not as dark and strong featured as Matteo. Also his last name is D'Agostino.
Laura, hear me out. I'm an Italian whose last name is D'Agostino (yep), I'm Sicilian and I'm a fucking ginger. So please learn your Italian history about how we look the way we do and why we are so sensitive on our whole north/south dichotomy.
Thanks byeeeee
August 18, 2020
Arden Evans had the kind of sweetness heralded by theologists and poets alike as divine. Like that first crunch of a fresh apple or the pop of a ripened grape as it spreads across the tongue, Arden’s sweetness had the potential to move me toward ecstasy or madness.
This was absolutely delicious. Laura Lascarso does it again with another amazing story that is luscious, sexy and heart throbbing. If I could describe this book in 3 words it would be pleasurably hedonistic art. But with anything hedonistic, there’s danger and darkness because we humans are not meant to seek pleasure in vanity or aesthetics. As Oscar Wilde presents in Picture of Dorian Gray, we are only meant to observe the art and once we delve too deep into it, we lose ourselves.
While I was reading I had a constant pit in my stomach but I couldn’t look away or stop. I would definitely say there’s a lot of triggers in this book and it contains some things which may bother some people.
Despite this, however, I really do believe Laura is an incredible writer who is rare within the MM romance genre. She is able to find this intricate balance between the aesthetic and pleasure of art but also fleshes out the ugly and the scary. She is not afraid to write about things that will make you constantly question humanity and even her character’s actions are questionable. Not only is her prose impeccable, but the actual story (while it feels plotless) is also one of a kind.
This is going in my all-time favourites and I definitely recommend if you want something more within this genre. But please heed my warnings because this won’t be for everyone.
Like waves cresting and breaking in the shallows, it was a rhythmic pleasure spiked with knee-weakening euphoria.
This was absolutely delicious. Laura Lascarso does it again with another amazing story that is luscious, sexy and heart throbbing. If I could describe this book in 3 words it would be pleasurably hedonistic art. But with anything hedonistic, there’s danger and darkness because we humans are not meant to seek pleasure in vanity or aesthetics. As Oscar Wilde presents in Picture of Dorian Gray, we are only meant to observe the art and once we delve too deep into it, we lose ourselves.
While I was reading I had a constant pit in my stomach but I couldn’t look away or stop. I would definitely say there’s a lot of triggers in this book and it contains some things which may bother some people.
Despite this, however, I really do believe Laura is an incredible writer who is rare within the MM romance genre. She is able to find this intricate balance between the aesthetic and pleasure of art but also fleshes out the ugly and the scary. She is not afraid to write about things that will make you constantly question humanity and even her character’s actions are questionable. Not only is her prose impeccable, but the actual story (while it feels plotless) is also one of a kind.
This is going in my all-time favourites and I definitely recommend if you want something more within this genre. But please heed my warnings because this won’t be for everyone.
Like waves cresting and breaking in the shallows, it was a rhythmic pleasure spiked with knee-weakening euphoria.
August 7, 2020
This is the story of a best-selling author, Michael, who falls for a beautiful model/escort named Arden. Arden grew up hungry and just shy of homeless, wandering the Caribbean on a small sailboat with his dad. And while Arden’s vagrant past sheds light on why he treats Michael the way he does - knowing the man is in love with him while continuing to have paid sex and carrying on a dependent relationship with his rich, older “benefactor”- it didn’t make it any easier to read.
Lascarso weaved a story of two men from wildly different worlds and their endeavors to build a bridge between them. Michael and his friends are arrogant, privileged New Yorkers who couldn’t remotely fathom what it’s like to not know where your next meal is coming from. His friends (and his father) treat Arden with barely concealed disdain, which is partially what keeps Arden with one foot out the door while Michael becomes increasingly invested in their relationship (and increasingly insecure about Arden’s “Johns”).
So while I was frustrated by Arden’s antics through much of the book, I still enjoyed Lascarso’s writing (especially her self-absorbed, jaded secondary characters)...and she did give Michael and Arden a fittingly dreamy HEA.
Lascarso weaved a story of two men from wildly different worlds and their endeavors to build a bridge between them. Michael and his friends are arrogant, privileged New Yorkers who couldn’t remotely fathom what it’s like to not know where your next meal is coming from. His friends (and his father) treat Arden with barely concealed disdain, which is partially what keeps Arden with one foot out the door while Michael becomes increasingly invested in their relationship (and increasingly insecure about Arden’s “Johns”).
So while I was frustrated by Arden’s antics through much of the book, I still enjoyed Lascarso’s writing (especially her self-absorbed, jaded secondary characters)...and she did give Michael and Arden a fittingly dreamy HEA.
June 13, 2022
Shakespeare’s Romeo described love as “a madness most discreet”
Arden is a beautiful model/sex worker. He has no intentions of quitting either anytime soon. Then he meets Michael. An author of several books that Arden adores. Their resultant coming together seemed to be very fated and sweet
A few things I learned: Michael’s friends are crap. So is the Benefactor. So is his father. Some exhibitionism and a threesome take this way out of the monogamy range.
I liked that we got Arden’s backstory through his memoir. It was sad and heartbreaking but it showed where his strength came from. Both Arden and Michael’s stories were angsty but even through the sad their lights shown through.
I received an arc of this book.
Arden is a beautiful model/sex worker. He has no intentions of quitting either anytime soon. Then he meets Michael. An author of several books that Arden adores. Their resultant coming together seemed to be very fated and sweet
A few things I learned: Michael’s friends are crap. So is the Benefactor. So is his father. Some exhibitionism and a threesome take this way out of the monogamy range.
I liked that we got Arden’s backstory through his memoir. It was sad and heartbreaking but it showed where his strength came from. Both Arden and Michael’s stories were angsty but even through the sad their lights shown through.
I received an arc of this book.
July 31, 2022
An interesting read.
3.5 stars.
I’m new to this author and have not read a book with this descriptive style of writing for a while so it took me a few chapters to get into the book. I found the characters and story interesting, and perhaps I was not in the right mood, but I found that I needed to think too much about the words which drew me out of the story, and I felt that sometimes that caused me to miss what was really going on. While it’s not on my favourites list I didn’t dislike this book and I liked the ending. But while that’s my opinion we all read and interpret books differently so I would still encourage others to give it a go.
3.5 stars.
I’m new to this author and have not read a book with this descriptive style of writing for a while so it took me a few chapters to get into the book. I found the characters and story interesting, and perhaps I was not in the right mood, but I found that I needed to think too much about the words which drew me out of the story, and I felt that sometimes that caused me to miss what was really going on. While it’s not on my favourites list I didn’t dislike this book and I liked the ending. But while that’s my opinion we all read and interpret books differently so I would still encourage others to give it a go.
June 18, 2022
I just love Laura Lascarso's writing. Every book I've picked up by this author has been a top read of mine. All her Characters are so complex and there is so much emotion in the writing! A Madness most discreet is no exception. I loved Michael and Arden and hated them too, but I was completely compelled by them. This is such a good read.
June 3, 2022
Laura is such a wonderful writer- she can create a scene and make you feel like you're right there! This book was clever, smartly written and intriguing. I didn't really connect with the characters, but I still couldn't put it down!
dnf
July 26, 2020DNF al 38% Me he tragado spoilers y paso, not my cuppa
December 27, 2020
Alarmingly beautiful prose and thoughtful, compelling characterization
nope
December 31, 2021Too much sex
February 16, 2022
This really wasn't it. Honestly I was happy when they broke up, so that will tell you all you need to know.
June 7, 2022
Although brilliantly written I couldn't help but find Arden's lifestyle a touch repugnant, and Michaels seemingly calm acceptance of it was like a bit of a let down. At around 37%, when they returned from the cottage, I deeply considered abandoning the story, but decided to soldier on and in doing so I discovered I did find out one thing, although I was greatly impressed with the writing, plot, and Michael, I did not like Arden one. single. bit! He played Michael, oh he may have loved him in his own screwed up way, but other things were more important, like money and fucking. But I did finish it in the end, for Michael.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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