Review: Vintage Joey W. Hill.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 15, 2014
April 5, 2104ARC Review of NAUGHTY BITS I: THE LINGERIE SHOP.  by, Joey. W. HillReviewed by Jaycee for Books 'N Cozy Spots Book Reviews.Also purchased at Amazon.comAt a book Convention last summer, Ms. Hill announced that her immediate future held a four-part serial offering.  I smiled sweetly in the audience, all the while my so-not-a-serial-fan mind screaming, “NOOOOOOO”!  The purist in me was loathe to accept that the Queen of the Erotic Romance, the Head-Honcho of the art of the story, the CEO of all that is character-driven would deign to write a serial.  As with all the subjects of Ms. Hill’s books, I am here, reviewing, with the slim hope of redeeming myself.  “I am Jaycee, and I was a doubter…”“Naughty Bits” is a contemporary romance series.  It is erotic in the best sense of the word; Ms. Hill’s version of erotic is never base or trite.  It is a soul-deep experience born of understanding, a grasp of feelings.  It is a sense of being in the world as presented, which is vividly 3-D.  And while BDSM is a theme in her works, it’s not the focus.  The focus is/are the character(s), their journey(ies), and their resolution.  It is never a perfect world, but it is a relatable one, and one with a silver lining at its heart.  Best, as you begin the journey, to hold on to your own heart.  And have chocolate.  Lots of chocolate…Madison is an unrealized submissive who has inherited a Lingerie Shop-with-a-kink from her estranged sister.  Her journey begins with her struggle to accept her sister’s death, complete with the unfinished business that accompanies estrangement.  Her daily struggle is magnified by a drastic change to her structured professional life with the assumption of responsibility for the Lingerie Shop.  Her personal life has produced a series of relationships that not only did not satisfy her curiosity about her possible submissive tendencies, but in fact, dismissed or even criticized them.  And finally, to elevate her stress level to Def-Con 1, she finds herself face-to-business-neighbour with Logan Scott.Logan knows of Madison via his friendship with the deceased Alice.  Alice recognized who a fully realized Madison needed to be, and “gave” Madison into Logan’s keeping.  As always, it takes a relatively benign initial conversation with the story’s resident Dominant to have this reader drooling without benefit of a gag, and ready to drop on command…The poignant reminiscenses of past conversations with her sister, bring Madison’s life and thoughts, fears and wishes to brilliant life.  Despite internal struggles, a reader never feels that a Hill character is weak.  To the contrary, the inner strength of her heroines (if I must call them that) is inspirational.  And laudable.  Logan gently but firmly begins to guide Madison through the journey of self-discovery.  His Dominance is never in question, but again, as always, it is part of the fundamental character without consuming the character.At the end of Part I of IV parts, I can honestly say that this will be no typical serial.  This is vintage Joey W. Hill.  It will be a full story, and full-of-life, with all of life’s struggles and victories beautifully woven into the lives of tangible characters.  If you have read a Joey Hill book before, it will feel like another “welcome home”.  If this is your first exposure to a superb storyteller, then welcome:  come on in, put your heart on the table, and welcome to your new home.“My name is Jaycee, and I will never doubt again…”