“Googling ‘what to wear to an orgy’ had resulted in little assistance.”

I picked up A Gentleman in the Street because I had read that it’s pretty good erotica (check) with a reversal on the rich-guy-poor-girl scheme (check) AND the heroine is very experienced and the guy doesn’t have a problem with it (check.) So if that sounds like something you’d want to read, it’s worth checking out this book.

Goodreads says: “Billionaire businesswoman Akira Mori can get anything and anyone her heart desires. Anyone, that is, except for a certain aloof author who has been dominating her dreams for over a decade. Accustomed to Jacob Campbell’s stern disapproval, Akira has turned provocation into an art, using every trick in her arsenal to keep the man from guessing the depth of her filthy fantasies.

Since the moment the sexy, sultry socialite sidled up to him years ago, there hasn’t been a time when Jacob didn’t crave Akira. But as guardian to his younger siblings, responsibility has controlled his life. Confining his darkest desires to secret, stolen moments maintains his carefully disciplined world…but a cold bed is the price he pays.

A single touch is all it takes for their simmering need to explode. As secrets and fears are stripped away one by one, shame becomes a thing of the past. They find themselves becoming addicted to each other, in bed and out—a frightening prospect for a man just learning to live…and a woman who thinks she doesn’t know how to love.”

Let me tell you what else is in it, so it doesn’t catch you off-guard: lots of group sex. An orgy. A really strange word for “nipple” (nubbin.) Mild pain, asshole parents, and gratuitous wood-chopping. In addition to all that, there’s some pretty declarative feminist statements in there, like the hero instilling in his younger siblings that women aren’t to be called sluts and whores regardless of however much sex they are or aren’t having, because it’s no one’s business; also, the heroine calls out paternalistic behavior, even well-meaning. It wasn’t unexpected, in a book that deliberately flips tropes, but still nice to see these moments spelled out so clearly, since so much contemporary — I feel — trades in casual sexism at best, and straight-up slut-shaming at worst.

Key quote: “When do you sleep?”
She glanced deliberately at her watch. “Sometime between fucking and ruling the world.”

There’s also a hilariously on-point parody of the Kardashian reality show, featuring a wannabe mother, five obnoxious, spoiled kids, and the wealthy, daft father who is the butt of every joke.

I questioned whether to give this 3 or 4 stars, because I quite liked it. It was funny, played with tropes, and very sexy. It’s also reasonably well-written, if not excessively clever. Being erotica, though, the romance itself takes a backseat to the sex, so you’re definitely meant to believe that humping like bunnies is a fast track to HEA. Sometimes that kind of story is exactly what I’m looking for, and this one fit the bill; however, all things considered I think I would have preferred just a bit more development in their attraction to each other that didn’t just revolve around sex. Overall, though, I’d recommend this for what it is: steamy fun with a progressive bent.