3.5 Stars Entertaining, intense, and emotional

This is the first book in the Master of Trickery Duet, and the story of Gil, and Olin. We are introduced to these characters through chapters that move from the present to the past, and back.

Gil, and Olin are both intriguing, but troubled characters, Gil is an intense, mysterious, and very complicated man, and Olin, is a fighter, determined, and stubborn, hell bent on reminding Gil of their past. This book is intense, mysterious, suspenseful, and emotional 3.5 Stars

There is an interesting story in its core but you have to dig through so much to get there. This book needs some massive editing. There is so much unnecessary description. The repetitive and overly flowery descriptive dialogue slows the pacing down. And the the push/pull from the male protagonist is over the top. Its problematic and unrealistic.

I ended up skimming to get to the good parts. There was a lot of skimming.

A SWIRLING MIX OF ARTISTRY, PASSION, AND TRAGEDY THAT LEFT ME SPEECHLESS

“Monsters walk among us. They wear the same skin. They just hide who they are.”

“A man who earns money by turning others into a chameleon might also be a chameleon himself.”

His art is awe-inspiring. Her dancing could make the gods weep. Their love was celestial. What happened to the unbreakable love between the poor boy and rich girl outcasts?

THE BODY PAINTER was one of my most anticipated books of 2019, but whatever I was expecting from this raw and mysterious love story was far off the mark. Once again, the prolific and creative mastery of Ms. Winters has snatched the rug right out from underneath me with mounting tragedy, nail-biting suspense, shattered love, and one of the most volatile and enigmatic heroes in her repertoire Told in past and present chapters, the duet love story of broken ballerina Olin and tormented body painter Gil bewitched me with the sweetness of first teen love that can overcome the stiffest odds only to break my heart piece by piece with the cruelty of fate and life choices years later. Two ill-fated soulmates who find, lose, and find each other again … only to face a bombshell of a cliffhanger that may tear them apart for good. Don’t confuse Olin’s perseverance and determination to save troubled Gil for being a doormat without any self-respect. And, don’t dismiss Gil’s seemingly abusive push-pull of Olin as mean and selfish. Much of their interactions is repetitive for a reason, and lays the twisted foundation for an ending that chilled my heart. I felt immersed in the danger and volatility of their soul-deep passion, while champing at the bit to find out what and who was controlling Gil to make him keep Olin at arm’s length. Secrets of the past hold all the answers to the present toward a compelling crescendo of unimagined revelations. I’m putting my trust in Ms. Winters’ trademark style to deliver the final, paradoxical blows in what will certainly be an explosive ending to this tragically passionate, romantic suspensor.
Thank you to NetGalley for offering this book in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis quickly had me hooked -- the job description was definitely intriguing and I found myself wanting to know more. The art of body painting is incredible. Especially since the artist has to be incredibly talented and the model has to be able to stand completely still for such a long amount of time. Based on the description, I was completely unsure what direction this book would go. The added mystery and thrill was my favorite part though!

Both main characters, Olin and Gil, were incredibly unique with very different histories and lives. On one hand you have the girl who seemingly had it all and had it taken away from her, then on the other the guy who had nothing and then made something of himself. Completely opposite, they keep finding their way back to each other.

Throughout the book there was a lot of tension -- sexual tension and just plain tension. While Olin is happy to have found Gil again, Gil does not feel the same. Gil is brooding, moody, and full of secrets. Meanwhile, Olin is an open book who just wants to be let back in to his life.

Unfortunately, this book fell completely flat for me. I found myself getting incredibly annoyed with how Olin never stood up for herself. I get that she is trying her hardest to help and be there for Gil, but there is a point where you have to put yourself first. I don't care how selfless you think you are. There was too much frustration for me. I loved the idea of this book, but I just was not a fan.

I will admit, though, that I want to read the second book because I want to know what the heck is going to happen!

OMG I loved this book. I love Pepper Winter;s writing style. From the beginning of this book I knew that I found something to hold my interest. The descriptions and the development of the story was great. The scenes and the interaction between the characters were sexy and fun to read. Thank you for the chance to read this book.

4.5 Stars / 3 Steam Fans

I am still reeling from the beginning of this crazy, dark, and twisted duet. Olin and Gil have been frustrating, annoying, but in the end if you stick with the crazy you are left dying to know how everything ends. Since this is a duet and there are so many twists and turns to the story it is hard to write a review without any spoilers. So these are the things you should know: Gil hires Olin as a canvas, Olin and Gil have a complicated past, and there is some is something very wrong with their entire situation.

This specific video review will be included in the September 2019 wrap-up.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

3 <b> Stay Away </b> Stars
This book is super haard to rate. This book ranges from 2 to 5 stars depending on where you are in the book. But I must say overall you basically just want to punch them both in their stupid faces because they just keep making the same mistakes over and over again. The book shows no character development or growth and there is a large focus on threats and violence which I love when done right but when done to someone who just rolls over and takes it like a carpet.. ehhh doesn’t really have the same vibe. There are some very sexy moments in this book especially any moment involving paint. But the whole book is still a huge WHAT IS GOING ONNNNNNNN mystery. Since the author is one of my favorites my heart hurts with the low rating but I will most likely read the second book. My heart also hurt for Gil’s backstory deeply.. and I think it broke me as it broke him.

ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of my opinions are my own, and are in no way affected by the exchange.

I really love Dark Romance as a genre. I love messed up relationships and screwed up pasts, I love asshole characters and messed up situations.
Being that I love these things, I was very excited to read this book. I dont think I've read anything from this author before so I was very hype to read something from them.
Unfortunately I figured out VERY quickly that this was not going to be a book for me. The writing was fine but within the first 5% through the book I could already tell that this "relationship" was going to be volatile and abusive. There are passages where Olin is talking to Gil and he says that he will physically hurt her if she does not leave. While one might be able to see that as a bad boy exterior, Olin thoroughly believes he will in fact hurt her. And her first reaction is to be his whipping girl.
Idk. This just seems like a story about a girl who will go through literal hell for a mediocre man.

This book was ultimately, too dark and abusive for me - I just couldn't get past that. I can handle some dark romances - but this wasn't particularly romantic to me. And the physical and mental abuse was too much. I wish I could be happier with it! I had to stop reading because it really bothered me alot..

I will try some other books by this author!

3.5 Stars
A dark, twisted, heartbreaking story; The Body Painter is the first in the Master of Trickery Duet. I like this story, slow in part and long to get to the point but once we got there wow what a thriller. I look forward to the conclusion.

“Monsters walk amongst us. They wear the same skin. They just hide who they are.”
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Olin desperately needs to find a job, and she accepts an offer to pose as a living canvas, she agrees to met the artist and ends up being surprised by a twist of fate.
The Body Painter is a dark romance book that narrates the story of Olin and Gil, who share a painful past.
I had high expectations with this book, but I just couldn’t connect with the characters or the story, it was the never ending story, I found it repetitive at times and slow.
This book is part one of a duet and there’s a cliffhanger at the end, but I’m not even sure if I want to read the second one.
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Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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“Funny how life could promise such hope, then snatch it away so quickly.”
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“I was the boy everyone left alone. She was the girl everyone wanted to be with.”

I voluntarily received a copy of this book for an honest review!
This is one of those times I hate reviewing! I would rather keep my opinion to myself. But I can’t.
I love this author in fact I own most of her books but this one....I just couldn’t finish. I felt like it kept repeating itself and then I felt lost and confused. Maybe this one just wasn’t in my wheelhouse. But it was a fight to get half way through and in the end I said no and just stopped torturing myself.
I honestly hope other people like it because she is such a great author this one just wasn’t for me!

Pepper Winters builds deep and intricate stories, and this one is no exception. Part of a duet so don't expect all the story here but this was a very push and pull romance between the characters and had me feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all. A decent and very intricate story, not my fave book of the authors but the blurb had me enticed and the cover is gorgeous

Nobody does tortured souls like Pepper Winters.
I loved Gil from the start and was glad he found a friend in Olin when he most definitely needed someone to show him they cared.
I also loved the push and pull from these two and the indecision from both of them as it felt real. 7 years apart has changed them but the intense connection is still there, whether they want to accept it or not.
This book left me aching for Olin and Gin and the difficult situation, huge understatement, they find themselves in at the end of the book.
The only thing i didn’t like were some of the terms used in the book as they weren’t ‘English’ terms for example Gil and Olin would have met in senior school in Birmingham not high school as mentioned in the book but these weren’t a deal breaker and i still absolutely loved the book.

Intense, dark romance - Part 1, Cliffhanger

This unusual premise blooms into quite an emotional read. The chemistry is intense, the suspense is palpable, and the characters are well-written and play off each other beautifully. It was a bit slow in some parts, but overall Gil and Olin's push/pull relationship is fraught with uncertainty and besieged by secrets.

The ending of this part leaves more questions unanswered, but it does open up a whole new and wholly unexpected avenue to be explored in the conclusion of this duet. This story isn't for the faint of heart; it's as far from a light and frothy romance as any book can be. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

The cover to the one is the first thing that grabbed my attention!! I really loved this cover. The story was so much better. I loved this one!!! Mystery and secrets are abound in this one! Each character plays their part with intense romance and sexy sexy situations. I really fell in love with the plot and pacing and just about everything!! I just wished it would have been longer. I can't wait for the next title!

So I went into this book knowing that it was going to be dark. but I think that it was a little too dark for my soul. I think that there were parts of it that were super abusive and it kind of glorified a toxic relationship. There is just a lot of issues I had with Gil. he is not a good character to me. The way he treats Olin is just garbage, and in my opinion very psychologically damaging. and it could be triggering. So people should be aware of that when they read this. Then Olin just kind of laid down like a rug and took all the crap that Gil gave her. I am not a huge fan of that type of character. I just didn't like this book at all. At times it made me sick to my stomach. I am not sure that was what the author was going for. I have read other titles from Pepper Winters and I like them a whole lot more than this.

Wow. SO DIFFERENT From what I’m use to reading. But loved it. Look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks.

I’m a HUGE fan of Pepper Winters, and I hate to have to write this review, but this book just didn’t do it for me. I think the storyline had a lot of potential, but it dragged on for sooo long without there being much substance to the story itself. By the end, I understood why Gil continued to push Olin away, but he was such a jerk throughout the entire book and Olin came across as a bit of a pushover, so I personally didn’t like either of those characters. Sad to say I was disappointed with this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2419340986

An achingly beautiful Heartbreak. The pull - and-tug between Gil and Olin is electrifying as they dance among the shattered memories of their shared pasts and passionately try to create a new future amidst the tortured present. To love Gil is a deadly game with rules that Olin doesn't know and it has just put not only her life in danger, but someone far more precious to him. I can't wait to see how this series turns out.

** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **