Review: Bondage by the Bay Tales of bdsm in San Francisco

Bondage by the Bay Tales of bdsm in San Francisco by M. Christian

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Are you ready for a buffet catered by a chef with eclectic tastes? M. Christian’s Bondage by the Bay provides sensual appetizers to meaty entrées. There are a couple of sweet dessert stories as well as a couple of dishes I’d have rather left untouched. This is the double-edged sword of an anthology. I’m generally not fond of anthologies for a good reason. I don’t always like the writing material or styles of all the authors included. The more authors, the less likely I’m going to enjoy the anthology. The plus side of an anthology is I’m introduced to authors I haven’t read before and I’m able to discover a true gem.

In Bondage by the Bay, the tying theme other than sex is that it revolves around San Francisco California. If the book was designed to perpetuate the image of San Francisco as a hedonist haven, it succeeded. Some of the stories were light and sweet. One that I found amusing and light was a couple celebrating their anniversary in a top flat. The Dom husband and the sub wife enjoyed a D/s interlude sans their children. The first few stories were a bit more intense with edge play and mind fuck tactics. I enjoy edge play as well as the mind fuck tactics. I was particularly delighted with the fear and terror play session. I did not enjoy the edge play where someone was repeatedly punched. I found it tasteless and a complete turn off. If I want to watch punching, I’ll tune into my favourite sport – UFC. Punching isn’t sexual nor is a turn on for me when applied to BDSM sexual play.

I did find a few others hot – such as the piano player with his voyeuristic tendencies and the surprise gift where a man submitting to a Domme is taken by another man. I found the writing styles of each author varied greatly. Some were a pleasure to read, smooth and potent like a fine whiskey. A few were crass like bottom shelf liqueurs with a burn and taste that I could do without. I was originally going to compare a few to the bawdiness of a burlesque show until I realized the ones I didn’t enjoy were because it came across as a dirty back alley glory hole. In particular the slut of San Francisco did nothing for me except laugh at the stupidity of a woman who wants a bareback dick in her pussy after it’s just been in her ass.

Overall, the majority of the stories were enjoyable with some hot sexy scenes. I would find this anthology comparable to Penthouse Letters with a bondage focus and much better quality writing. I recommend this book to BDSM lovers who enjoy trying a little bit of everything.



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