The Playlist Paperback – December 4, 2016

This is a review for Angel's Song by Chip Davis.Oh wow, I was floored. This is a love story like none I have read in ever maybe? I am still getting over it and I cried, I scowled a character or two for being stupid and I asked the question why. But I am getting ahead of myself.Meet Jim, never left his town or his grandpa's farm, this is who he was. He just finished school with his best friend, Johnny, and they just finished their last summer job. Johnny was going to be famous. But he needed a favour from Jim, this favour will change Jim's life.Lisa Angel, she was going to be part of Johnny's band - but she needed a place to recoup. But she found more than she was looking for.This love story is about a couple that learns about love, but I like the way Jim's grandpa explains love (but you need to buy this book in order to learn from grandpa). All the advice grandpa gives Jim is something that I wish could be taught in our lives, maybe others will change the way we love.The way Jim comes to love Lisa is no in that rushing and demanding ways we so often read about. He gives her the freedom to open up when she feels the time is right, and in doing that, he freed Lisa in approaching him. Once that tap was open they were both goners. But it was not for long and we are plunged into sadness with Jim.Chip Davis takes us on this nostalgic journey where we meet Jim and Lisa. He has let them fall in love quietly (not in the usual - wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am way) but you can actually feel them grow in love. With this journey, Chip has placed some songs throughout his story in such a way that it only adds substance to this story.Oh I cried. It is filled with laughter, sadness and love. And good advice from grandpa. What I love more is the subtle intimate scenes and the way it bonds them closer.All I can tell you is that you need to read this story. you will fall in love with Jim who is a true gentleman and you will cry.

The Playlist Anthology by Chip Davis, Kindra Sowder, Aimee Shaye, Barbara Lieberman, Ellie Lieberman, Ben Lieberman, Alyse Taggart, and Toni Kerr is simply magical. The best part of this anthology it has given me new authors to read. I love discovering new to me authors.Angel’s Song by Chip Davis will make you homesick for a simpler time. This is a love story that will make you smile, laugh, and cry. Chip Davis has really outdone himself on this story.Sparrow by Kinda Sowder. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this too short story. I hope that the author expands it into a full-length story. I’m that greedy reader who always wants more of a story. The story was that good.Lachrymose by Aimee Shaye, is simply beautiful. It’s definitely a story that no one should skip over. I love the author’s writing style. Her style is jarringly real. I look forward to reading more of her works in the future.Be by Ellie Lieberman is full of action and drama. The takeaway from the story is that you do what you must do to protect your loved ones.Shadowman’s Smile by Ben Lieberman is hauntingly beautiful. Long after I finished it, the pain and the anger the character feels could be my own. It really resonated with me. It just makes me want to evaluate friendships, relationships, and even myself. Thank you, Mr. Lieberman for writing this story.Strawberry Avalanche by Alyse Taggart is simply magical. I could definitely relate to Maggie. Sometimes we are not aware that we need to make changes in our life until something jars us.Courage: Never Look Back by Toni Kerr is the story that hurt to read. Tristan’s story seriously hurt. I have never wanted to hug a character so badly in my entire life.I know I couldn’t do the stories justice with this review but I hope the glowing recommendation helps. These stories are fantastical. They make you think and more importantly there are life lessons in each story. I will recommend this story to others. I strongly give it 5/5 Platypires.

This is only a review of Chip Davis' "Angel Song". I have not had time to read the rest.As a writer, I find that there are three elements to a story that will typically make, or break, my reading enjoyment. As such, I focus my reviews on these elements.ExpectationsI've read a couple of other works by Chip, and though he'd warned me this one was different, I wasn't expecting it to be THIS different. I was honestly expecting something that had a heavy undercurrent of sarcasm, possibly something with a nice bite of wit as well. That was not what this piece was at all. Really turned the tables on me.World BuildingCurrent day, modern world. Not much actual world building needed to be done, just some scene setting. Chip managed to sketch in and paint the setting quickly enough to leave tons of room for the story to develop. I'm still not exactly sure where this takes place, though just about any ranching/farming community in the foothills of the US would work.Character DevelopmentTwo main characters, two secondary characters is all it took to make this piece come alive. The leads have a nice blend of virtues and flaws that counter each other in the beginning. As the tale unfolds, the characters find their flaws lessening as they learn more about themselves, and about each other. The changes are not instantaneous, though to some it may feel that way. The story actually covers multiple years, which allows for the changes to be compressed, as this is a short story.The secondary characters are a little more archetypal, as they are not the main focus but do provide guidance (or temptation) to the mains. I don't usually identify the type of story arc within a tale, but this one really stood out to me. Despite that, the growth and development of the leads remained realistic in the struggles they underwent to achieve their ultimate victory.PacingWhile this piece isn't a rollicking race, it's not one that stalls in the starting gate either. It covers a good stretch of time in a very short space, which helps keep things moving. Chip does a nice job skipping over the day-to-day boredom while maintaining enough cut scenes to allow the reader to keep in touch with the time flow so when the story pauses to expand on specific events they have enough context to make sense.Overall? The dock is due to the length - short stories rarely feel long enough to me. This one does have a beautifully wrapped up story line, so that's a huge plus. Definitely recommend if folks like music, romance, and a farm life setting.