Angela's Reviews > The Gentlemen's Club

5 Stars

“We live in the wondrous here and now and it’s here that our flesh must take its pleasure. Your body is yours and yours alone, but not for long, and never long enough.”
Mademoiselle Noire

The Gentleman’s Club by Emmanuelle de Maupassant is a very erotic and risqué Victoriana story set in 1898 London. It is dark, graphic, raunchy, and quite different from a lot of other stories in this genre. The is a lot of sex happening in this book, which is kinky, often and varied- There are scenes with BDSM elements, humiliation, Multiple partners, m/m, m/m/f, and dirty talk (and more) …… so if you are offended by, or opposed to any or all of these subjects, then this probably isn’t the book for you!

“The nineteenth century was a time of prudery and hypocrisy. While it was expected that men would indulge their sexual impulses widely, regardless of marital status, it was unthinkable for a ‘genteel’ woman to admit even to enjoyment of her marriage bed.
For her to express undue interest in sexual matters was a sign of wantonness and questionable moral character. More ominously, it could inspire diagnosis of hysteria. In extreme cases, a woman might be referred to an asylum for treatment of this perversion. Engaging in sex outside of marriage made her a ‘fallen woman’.”

Lord MacCauley has the means and status to explore his sexual proclivities. His tastes are many and varied- he’s always on the lookout for the next experience or conquest. So it comes as no surprise to find he is a member of an exclusive ‘club’, a refuge of sorts for the high society gentlemen who frequented it. But if you pass through a certain doorway, you enter a world of pleasure and pain, with lovely ladies only too willing to enjoy some male company.
It is here that Lord MacCauley meets Mademoiselle Noire and succumbs to her incredible talents. His first experience in her theatre of sexual exhibitionism was humiliating, he was mortified by what had occurred, but couldn’t stop thinking about it. After avoiding the place, he finally gives in to his desire and seeks her out again. What starts off as an attempt at revenge ends up with him being drawn even further into her perverted web. His obsession grows and he can barely think of anything else. By day he wiles away his time in anticipation of the nights ‘entertainment’. Will she be his undoing? Or will she bring a clarity and freedom to his life that he didn’t know he was missing?

“Her power over him is a diabolic contagion. Yet, there is something else. He feels her exhibition of her basest animal impulses as a revelation: a miracle of honesty, against which the rest of his life stands in counterfeit. It is as if she has been sent to awaken him to his true self and to lead him on some previously unconsidered path.”

We also meet Maud, a progressive thinking and lovely young aristocrat who is desperately trying to gain some independence and establish her individuality, in the male dominated society of Victoriana London. She deals with the societal expectations of women and the frustrating double standards of the era. What happens when her path intersects with that of Lord MacCauley?

This story is very well written- even if the wording was a little ‘old fashioned’ for my tastes. At first I found it too flowery and a little jarring in places, but soon adapted to it and became more comfortable with it as the story progressed. The wording and dialogue is in keeping with the era, so I commend the author for extra authenticity.
Ms. de Maupassant’s scene setting was exquisite. Her attention to detail, and vivid descriptions transported me to Victoriana London- where I was pulled into the story and made a voyeur to all the kinkiness; as well as a witness to the journey of discovery that the characters embark on.
There is no cliff-hanger, but the story does continue in volume two- “Italian Sonata”, and I am curious to see what happens next.

Thank you Ms. de Maupassant!