Review of Sunset on Monarch Bay

[Brenda Creech]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sunset on Monarch Bay" by Patricia Yager Delagrange.]

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Monarch Bay by Patricia Yager Delagrange is a fictitious story of a violent marriage. After years of abuse, Stella Walker was determined to end her marriage to Robert Walker. She had been planning for years to get out and finally had the money and a plan. After Robert left for work one morning, Stella and her twins grabbed their suitcases and left without looking back. Stella had located her sister after not being allowed to contact her for years, and she and the twins were on their way to Monarch Bay, Ca. where Katrina lived. The twins, Gabriel and Loreen, were not happy with the move, but they wanted their mom to escape so that she would not have to endure more violent attacks from their father.

It had taken Stella years to save enough money for her and the twins to leave. She covered her tracks to make sure Robert couldn't trace her. Her sister was married so he couldn't get information on Katrina either. Stella and the twins arrived safely to her sister, courtesy of a long-haul truck driver. Stella enrolled the kids in high school and began looking for a job. She met a man named David, whose wife was dying of cancer, and soon David and Stella were in a relationship. Then sudden chaos paid a visit causing significant issues that affected Stella, her daughter, Loreen, and Katrina, Stella's sister. Stella had been relieved when she left Robert, knowing he would never again hurt her. Was she right? Was living with her sister and brother-in-law going to work? Was her daughter heading for trouble with her boyfriend? You will have to take a ride on this rollercoaster to find out.

Monarch Bay is one of those books I had difficulty putting down. Patricia Yager Delagrange kept me on the edge of my seat with suspense. With every page I turned, I expected the tide to turn for Stella in some negative way just when she was finally happy. What I liked best was the relationship between Stella and her sister Katrina. They had not seen each other for over ten years. They were opposites, but their sisterly love outweighed any differences they may have had. My favorite character in the book was Remy. He was Kat and Marcus's Labrador. He was protective of the family. When one of them was upset, Remy would go to that person and comfort them. Remy is the hero of the story.

There are several things in the book I didn't care about. I couldn't get too involved in the relationship between David and Stella because it happened too fast. David's wife died of cancer, and Stella was immediately there to comfort David. I would have liked to see their relationship develop slowly. There is a lot of profanity, much of which is by the twins. I am out of touch if teenagers talk to their parents that way today. There are a couple of moderately violent scenes, but they are not graphic enough to disturb the mature reader. There were a few errors in the book, but not enough to interfere with my reading pleasure. Overall, the book appears professionally edited.

I enjoyed reading this book. It has a good storyline, well-developed characters, and an emphasis on essential issues such as domestic violence, teen pregnancy, and the importance of family. There is a delightful surprise at the end of the book. Therefore, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The negative aspects mentioned above were not significant enough to warrant the deduction of a star. Adult readers who enjoy romance with some intense moments will enjoy this book. I don't recommend it to anyone under sixteen because of the amount and level of profanity.

******
Sunset on Monarch Bay
View: on Bookshelves

[Nwoko E]

Monarchy bay is one of those novel I had difficulty putting down. Patricia yager Delegrange kept me on the edge of my seat with suspense. Great review.

[Umar Tijjani]

agree with the author that parents should always answer their children's questions about the body and sexual topics honestly. A funny story aside from this: When my son was around six years old, he asked me how babies got inside their mommy's stomach. Being a 'modern' mother, I explained to my son. Later that day, when we stopped by MY mom's house, he ran in and said, "Grandma, do you know where babies come from?" My mom was shy and would have never talked about such things to her grandchildren, so she was shocked that I had! Despite that, I believe we need to be as honest as possible based on their age and ability to understand. What do you think?

[Patty Allread]

I enjoyed your review! The title of the book sounds delightful, but the storyline sounds turbulent and suspenseful. I can appreciate any book that causes the reader to keep turning pages.

[Brenda Creech]

Monarchy bay is one of those novel I had difficulty putting down. Patricia yager Delegrange kept me on the edge of my seat with suspense. Great review.

Thank you, and thanks for stopping by and commenting!