Summer Paths: An anthology

by Angela Wren, S.C. Eston, Pierre C. Arseneault

This, the fourth and final selection of stories, completes the Seasonal Paths
series created by a consortium of best-selling and award-winning North
Atlantic writers.
In this anthology you will encounter unintentioned consequences, love in later
life, the pull of family dynamics, misguided assumptions and murderous
soulmates.
These yarns will take you to new worlds, into a ghostly abyss, across an
ocean in pursuit of truth and into the darkness of ancient beliefs.
Make yourself comfortable and surrender to these multi-styled tales, all linked
by the theme of summer, within the covers of this book. You will be surprised
and entertained by what you find.

179 pages, Paperback

Published July 4, 2024

About the author

I’m an actor and director at a small theatre a few miles from where I live in the county of Yorkshire in the UK. I did work as a project and business change manager – very pressured and very demanding – but I managed to escape and now I write books.

I’ve always loved stories and story telling so it seemed a natural progression, to me, to try my hand at writing and I started with short stories. My first published story was in an anthology, which was put together by the magazine ‘Ireland’s Own’ in 2011.

I particularly enjoy the challenge of plotting and planning different genres of work. My short stories vary between contemporary romance, memoir, mystery and historical. I also write comic flash-fiction and have drafted two one-act plays that have been recorded for local radio.

My full-length stories are set in France where I like to spend as much time as possible each year. I’m currently researching and working on the follow-up to Merle.

Reviews

[Michelle Hunter-Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories all around theme of ‘summer’. The stories are very different from each other. From fantasy to mysterious happenings on a cruise ship, each story is unique. The reader is bound to find something to their taste in these pages.

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for my e-book.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting collection of short stories some of which I very much enjoyed and some less so. The variety and length of the stories kept me engaged. Family dynamics, murder, ghostly goings on, intrigue and misunderstandings are just a few topics covered in these nine stories. One thing I liked was how a couple of them really got me thinking about human nature and one in particular had me wondering what might have happened next. All in all a great collection.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories all with the theme of summer. All the stories are so different. There were a few I liked more than others. It’s a good way to check out different authors and their writing style.

[Felicity Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

BOOK 21/52 READ FOR THE 52 BOOK CHALLENGE 2025.
PROMPT 7: SET IN SUMMER.

The fourth and final selection of stories to be penned by a consortium of North Atlantic writers working under the collective name of The Seasonal Collective.

Ranging from, amongst other themes, a somewhat obscure tale about the pros and cons of hanging laundry on a line to a story set aboard a ship by way of a pregnant goat who must be found before something bad happens to her and, possibly my favourite, a tale, set on an aeroplane which has an unexpected, oddly sinister twist. As one might expect of such an anthology, Summer Paths is a collection of short stories featuring a diverse selection of topics and a variety of writing styles which is not only a great introduction to authors who readers may not have come across before but more or less guarantees there is something for everyone.

Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer ... One of several bloggers participating in the Blog Tour/Book Birthday Blitz of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reviewing this as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This is an anthology of summer themed short stories. I thought the cover was eye-catching and very pretty, and something that I'd potentially feel drawn to if I saw it in a bookshop or library.

Reading this book, I felt there was a very mixed bag; a good variety of stories to suit all moods and reading tastes. Some of the stories were humorous, entertaining and heartwarming. Some of them I found intriguing and thought-provoking, in a dark sort of way. If you're in the mood for a historical or fantasy short story, there's something for you too.

I think that short stories are always a good idea when you're feeling uncertain about what to read, or don't have time for a long read, which is why all readers need a book like this.

Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, and to the respective authors and publishers, for the opportunity to read and review this.

[Allan Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nine wonderful compelling stories from these authors. I love it!