Braided by Sean Michael

Braided by Sean Michael
Stars: 3.5/5

Overall
If you want hot sex, and lots of it, then pick up this story! If you want deep plot, go else where. If you want character studies, you'll find it here. If you want deep, overwhelming emotions, this probably isn't the place. So am I saying this is worth it? Yes. As long as you go in knowing what you're going to get, you will be happy with what you get in the end. The writing was enjoyable enough that half way through (when I realized there wasn't really going to be much plot), I shrugged my shoulders and kept reading...and I love plot-driven stories.

Warning: Contains BDSM involving fisting, twincest, sounds/wands, threesome and more

Strengths
Twins. I know my weaknesses, and it's twins. While I would never go for it in real life, fantasy worlds are a fun place to play. Michael does an excellent job of playing up this particular interest and does great things with making the twins similar in just enough ways that it's interesting and yet making them so very different. Also in this category is tattoos and piercings. Michael plays with many ideas in this story, many of which touch upon my buttons.

Writing. Michael has a very strong and consistent writing style that rarely falters. Even when there are several chapters without any real plot, I didn't mind because it's just enjoyable to read his stuff. And I'm a huge fan of plot, so that's saying something.

Ending. It has a very nice ending, which I won't divulge.

Weaknesses
PWP. The story does have plot, but the rate of plot to pages is really low. Michael seems to focus more on character development and advancement, exploring the human psyche and pulling it apart as he unthreads his characters. However, he doesn't seem to do this through plot (at least in the Velvet Glove series), but through character interactions. I think this works, overall. His writing is strong, he writes good scenes, and he has interesting characters. However, despite thoroughly enjoying this novel, I kept waiting for something to happen. There are a few small events, but not much else aside from sex. I suppose in some ways this is a strength too.

Peter's Story. I felt like Peter's story never got developed. For all Peter's issues, I was surprised that Paul received most of the attention plot wise. Maybe Michael felt it would be too obvious to go for the "broken" twin, which I can respect, but I still wish we'd gotten more of his story. Maybe there is another story out there that I didn't see.