Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Title: Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Author: Kate Roman
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: n/a
Genre: historical m/m romance
Length: short story (27 pdf pages, 6800 words)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Summary review: This little story is hot, sweet and enjoyable like a piece of candied ginger – and about as substantial.

A Guest Review by Feliz

The Blurb: Timothy Green, a senior aide to England’s ambassador to Italy, is finding the heat of Naples hard to get used to. His sense of duty won’t allow him to join the under-secretaries on the beach, but one afternoon he follows an errant bulldog to a beautiful fountain. There he meets a young, gorgeous Italian painter, and for once his sense of duty takes a back seat. He spends the afternoon in Cosimo’s arms, and the next day, when he sees the same bulldog in town, he can’t help but follow it a second time. Duty is duty, but Cosimo is something else, and Timothy knows he can’t live without his newfound love.

The Review:

It’s the 1950’s, and Timothy, senoir aide to the English ambassador to Italy, suffers through a stifling hot Naples afternoon that conventions demand he spends fully clothed sightseeing instead of at the beach. An encounter with a dog chasing a cat leads to an encounter with the dog’s owner, Cosimo, a local painter. In marked contrast to the conservative, stiff politeness  Timothy is used to from the people he meets during his everyday life,  Cosimo is cordial, welcoming and hospitable, inviting the stranger into his house, and into his bed not much later. The afternoon with Cosimo turns Timothy’s world upside down, but how can he ever hope for anything else with the beautiful, enticing artist? Their worlds are too different, and Timothy will soon go back to London  anyway. But Timothy can’t forget Cosimo, and it seems that the feeling is mutual. Will fate have mercy with the lovers and lead them back together? Timothy needn’t have worried; there’s a small white bulldog called Pazzia who’ll see to that.

The writing flows easily, and the story moves smoothly, without any major bumps or hangups. Due to the short format, it’s only Timothy’s character ( the narrator) which is a little more elaborate; everybody else  remains outlined to sketchy. Still, at least Cosimo was elaborate enough that I could picture him, and I really liked his boldness and the way he helped Timothy come out of his shell. Honorable mention to the dog, Pazzia, who I found adorable on first sight.

Likewise, there wasn’t room for much background. The author created an overall historical feeling with sparse descriptions of clothing, social interactions and Timothy’s mindset. Even so, the images the author created were vivid enough that I felt drawn into the story, into the pictures, smells and tastes of Naples. With only a few choice words, the author made me swing in the mood of this story, something I found very appealing.

This story doesn’t have much depth, no drama or major conflict, but some funny moments and beautifully erotic sex scenes. It’s nothing you’d have to chew. This story is exactly what its title says, a sip. Its a simple little delicacy of a story, a short, quick read. I really enjoyed it for what it was, delightful entertainment, and I’d recommend it for everyone who’s in the mood for something sweet and fluffy.