I promised Ms. Emma Anne Tate an honest review of her masterfully crafted “Duets” and so please consider this blog post an in-depth review of her work. First off, allow me to say this, Emma has a gift that few writers seem to have she is a mistress at building a world that seems so real, you can crawl right into it. And “Duets” is a tour de force of her talent. She artfully displays her keen insight to human mind within the digital pages.

Now “Duets” focuses to me on growth. In the first few digital pages we are introduced to the main character Cameron Savin, a young, though somewhat overly educated young man from the mid-west who lives a very spartan life. Cameron is a young lawyer that is employed with the firm of Cavendish, Edward and on a business trip with his firm me happens to meet a woman who will forever alter his life and lead him down the wild, often thorny road of self discover her name fitting enough is Liz Talbott.

Now, what struck me about “Duets” is how much it spoke to me. And how much of my adolescent years were echoed. Memories I had long locked away away came back and struck me a bolt of lighting. Forcing me to wrestle with hidden emotions that have lain dormant since for decades. And questions better left unanswered were unearthed. Questions I still need to answers too. Here is one line that struck me and left me in a tail spin for the rest of the morning.

“I confessed that I had dressed in women's clothes as a child and was aroused while wearing them as an adolescent.” that line right there. Struck me, and stood out. Because so much of my own sexual development had been tied to the idea of being a boy dressed like a girl. Well being a boy dressed like a girl and getting pied and gunged. But that a kettle of fish for another time. But that is the gift of Miss. Emma Anne Tate's writing. She straps us in for a rollercoaster ride and then sits back and smiles as we are thrown for loops, and sudden drops!

Anyway through exchanges and what not, Liz and Cameron break up. But not before Liz subjects Cameron to a humiliating request that turns both of them on and sets Cameron on a path of self discovery. Through the humiliating request, Cameron discovers an different person a girl that lives within this girl is named “Candi” Who name I can now never detach from Voltaire.

Now the next element that struck me, was the elements of BDSM that we are introduced too in the first half of the book. (The part this review covers, a review following the second half will soon follow, as soon heath permits). What struck me there again was a old memory that resurfaced over years of being hidden. Allow me to explain..

When I was in High School, I started to question if I was transgender or not. Afraid to come out in real life, I took solace by escaping for hours at a time to then popular internet chat room called IMVU. According to their office website. “IMVU is an online metaverse and social network were users can create 3D avatars, connect and chat in 3D with other people around the world.”

As strange as it sounds. The sex scenes in “Duets” conjured up countless summer, winter nights, sexual roleplaying as a 3D girl on what was then the only 3D Avatar chat game on the internet. I think this was around two thousand and five maybe? Anyway I ramble as I often tend to do.

Revisiting the sex scenes for a bit. The first two are well written, they are light, and they add to to the story. A refreshing change of pace from what I normally read. So Extro Kudo's to Miss. Emma Anna Tate for that! I only know a handful of writers who can pulled that off!

Another Kudo I would like to give to Miss. Emma Anna Tate is the fact that she switches points of view, giving us the reader a wider view of the action. In fact it's need because the action takes places from three different points of view. The first is Cameron, Candi and then Liz.

Another thing that struck me was the depth of the conversation that Cameron had with Liz over breakfast the following the morning after she had totally domed Candi and brought her to tears. As somebody who has played a domed and a sub in kink roleplays before it hard to balance both much less write about both. So again a major Kudo for that!

The last thing I would like to touch on in this review is first set of instructions that Liz gives Candi after their first “Visit”. I'm found myself almost enlightened and I had to go back and reread that section several more times before I could really wrap my head around the information given me. Now, at the half way point I would like to take a moment here to pause, recharge and reflect. I'm sure I'll have more to say when I finish the second half. But my closing remark will remain the same. Do yourself a favor and go go ahead and buy “Duets” not only does money from the sale go to support the site. That along should enough for anybody to buy a copy. But do it for yourself.

I myself missed this lovely heart warming story the first time around because I was too afraid to venture out of my comfort zone. I read one chapter and put it down, it was not the type of TG fiction I wanted to read nor did I feel it was what TG fiction should be. I was wrong, I foolish, no, I was damn fool. I should have followed the advice outlined in an old saying that being. “You can't judge a book by it's cover.” I did and I paid dearly for it, Thankfully Miss. Emma Anna Tate is forgiving, I hope.

In short. I'm enjoying this ride and hope to read more about Candi and the woman she will become and the friends she would make along the way.