Monday, September 5, 2011

Week With An Author - Carolyn Moncel - Review of 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover - A Collection of Short Stories - September 5, 2011

WEEK WITH AN AUTHOR  -   Carolyn Moncel!


First of all, I am very happy to have author Carolyn Moncel on Black Diamond's Book Reviews all Week for Week With An Author. The fact that she is on all week does not influence my review in any way.  My reviews are always my honest reflection of what I feel about a book.

Carolyn Moncel is not only a great author, but I am impressed with how thorough she is at giving me all the information I needed for this week!  She got everything to me so quickly and was such a pleasure to work with!

Make sure to stop in every day!  There will be a giveaway later in the week!
Today we will start with my review!




Book Title:   Reasons to Leave a Lover – A Collection of Short Stories 

Author:  Carolyn Moncel

Publisher: Mondavé Publishing via CreateSpace

Date Published: September 5, 2011

ISBN-10: 1456339273

ISBN-13: 978-1456339272

Language:  English / BISAC:  FIC044000

Genre:  Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Description:  In 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover, author Carolyn Moncel offers up a fresh batch of stories based on love and loss.  As singer/songwriter, Paul Simon so eloquently suggested in a famous song from the 1970s, there are many ways to leave a lover.  However, Moncel's characters demonstrate that the reasons for leaving in the first place are quite finite.  Encounters in Paris` Ellery and Julien Roulet return, picking up their lives after the short story, "Pandora`s Box Revisited."  This time the Roulets are involved in a love triangle, and along with two other couples, must explore how love relationships are affected and splinter due to abuse, ambivalence, deception, cheating and death. This bittersweet collection of tales proves that some breakups are necessary; while others are voluntary; and still others are simply destined and beyond anyone's control.

Print Format: Paperback

Book Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.3 inches

Number of Pages:  284

Book Price:  $13.99

Availability:  Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes&Noble.com, Goodreads.com, Smashwords.com

Digital Format: KindleKindle DXKindle (2nd Generation)Kindle (1st Generation)Kindle for PCKindle for MacKindle for iPadKindle for iPhoneKindle for AndroidKindle for BlackBerry

File Size: 151 KB

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Language: English

ASIN: B0053GCGFS

Price:  $5.99

_____________________________________________________________________________

Contact: Carolyn Moncel

Author Website:  www.carolynmoncel.com  / Author Blog:  http://carolynmoncel.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/carolyn.moncel /

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/carolynmoncel

LinkedIn:  http://linkedin.com/in/motiontemps

Publisher Website: www.mondaveinc.com
Book Trailer:

My Review

Short stories can go either way for me.  It's always hard to tell whether or not I will like a book that is composed of short stories.  Sometimes they are so short that you just don't get enough to make a good story.  This was not the case for this book.  I felt satisfied after reading each story.  The stories were well written and complete.

Ellery had to deal with the all too common issue of being cheated on.  She had a feeling that her husband was cheating on her, but she tried to overlook all of the signs.  Then she tried to think of  reasons why he would do that.  She thought she let herself go too much, etc.   There was also a story about Leah, Steve and Cinnamon.  It's definitely not your normal story and I wasn't sure who Cinnamon was.  I had kind of an idea after I got into it.  It was a very cool style of writing.   Also there was a story about Herman and Beth.  It paints a picture of their life together.

Carolyn Moncel did an excellent job in making the characters seem real.  I felt like I was reading a true story.  Nothing seemed far fetched.   These are believable stories that were very thought provoking.  She really showed the emotions of the characters and really sends the message across about trusting your feelings.  I enjoyed every moment of this short story collection.  What are the 5 reasons to leave a lover?  You will have to read the book to see, but its not just because of infidelity.   Some things we just have no control over.

I would highly recommend this short story collection to everyone.   No matter who you are, these stories will make you think and maybe even make you reflect on your own life.

My Rating:
5/5 Diamonds - Highly Recommend!
Disclaimer:  My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.

© 2011, Cheryl of Black Diamond's Book Reviews. All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this on a site other than, Black Diamond's Book ReviewsUrban Image Magazine, or Cheryl's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

1 comment:

  1. I'm with you in regards to short story collections...i just never know if I'll like it or not. This one sounds like it has it all!!

    ReplyDelete