Sometimes it is remarkable what you can find in a typical Cape Town Winter storm. Joe found something he could not resist. But first he needed to get her off the cliff, away from the edge, and away from jumping into the sea.
Size: 59 KB (11,452 words)
Genre: Romantic
Sex Contents: No Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, Romantic, Fiction
Review by gmbusman [other reviews by gmbusman]
Reviewed:
There’s no sex in this story. It isn’t needed. It would actually get in the way of a beautifully told romantic tale of a recluse and the waif who came into his life on a windswept cliff in a raging storm. Sounds like the beginning of one of those romance novels of old, doesn’t it?
Jody Daniel has taken the trope and made it work without making it feel “tropey.” (If that’s even a word.). Throw in a ginger cat, a thatched roof cottage and a pot of seafood chowder and you have a delightfully told tale that follows the formula, without feeling formulated.
Perhaps my only complaint about “Caldo Largo” is it ends too soon. The last quarter of the story felt just a bit rushed, with the main characters falling into each other’s arms once the sun comes out and the wind dies down. I think the author could have spent a few more words once the noir sequence ended, describing the heartwarming illumination of the characters once they truly found each other. (And of course they found each other… it’s a romance damned it!)
All in all it’s a great work. But I think a little more plot, a little more description, and a little more amplification of the last third of the story would have made it even more outstanding.
