The Body Painter was so good to read! It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I couldn't put it down. Their story was both tragic and wonderful and I can't wait to read what happens next!

ARC provided by Netgalley through Xpresso Book Tours!!

3.50 Stars

Let me start out by saying that Pepper Winters is one author I love to read. This book was one that I found took me awhile to get through it. There was just to much back and forth with the main characters that I would skim over most of their conversations. The idea behind the book was great and heartbreaking. I just couldn't stand that Olin let Gil talk and treat her like that without standing up for herself. The scenes when they are "together" were hot and the times when Gil actually showed emotion for his "O" was amazing. I really want to read the second book( I have a feeling that it might be a lot better than this one) so I can see how these two will end up.

As she always does, Pepper has created an incredible story of two people meant to be together, yet torn apart by their past and a secret. Olin and Gil have known each other since high school and formed a bond that no one could break. That is until Gil disappears from her life, never to be heard from again and with no explanation as to why.  Fast forward to years later when Olin is desperate for work, applies for a job as a model for a body painter and finds herself face to face with the man who broke her heart all those years ago. Now that she's found him, will she get the answers her heart has been longing for? What she didn't know was that Gil's past is closing in on them and now that she's found him, there is no escape. Left on a major cliffhanger, I can't wait to devour the rest of this dark, yet beautiful story!

Okay so this one was a complicated and at times frustrating story. Definitely not your average romance that's for sure. I was 100% absorbed in the story from beginning to end. I had moments when I wanted to throw my kindle and others where my heart hurt.

Olin and Gil were VERY complicated characters and their motivations and emotions were seriously complex.

I am definitely hooked on their story and can't wait for book 2.

3 stars
Broken people seem to be like magnets to each other. They try to pull away, sometimes practically destroying themselves and others, only to find their way back to the one they are destined to be with.

But with all this push/pull in the mix and back and forth without much movement to release the pain and frustration, it can be a hard read until the last half or so.

Pepper Winters is an accomplished writer and she has an idea of where she is taking this tale...We will have to see what the outcome is in the final book.

This is a duet so it ended with a cliffhanger.
Olin Moss has big dream to be a dancer but her plan was disrupted – she is emotionally and physically scarred. Now living back home in England, she is barely making rent so when an ad for a job came up she did not hesitate to apply. Said job is a living canvas…naked! What happened when she came face to face with her new boss Gil Clark aka the man who broke her heart seven years prior?
I love the unique plot. The story is intense, steamy, suspense, mysterious full of betrayal and lies. I thought the pace is a bit slow and the dialogues are repetitive at times, but I feel that is partly due to the hero self-destructive nature and the persistent heroine. The hero is troubled, flawed, broken. The heroine is also imperfect but she is sweet, caring, trustworthy (to the point of putting her life in danger). She is relentless, determined to help Gil even though he is hell-bent on believing he is undeserving of love or life. Gil has a pretty good reason though (that’s the twist). I am eager to find out what happen next and if they will have a happily-ever-after at all. The Body Painter is not lovey-dovey romance. Angsty, sexy, complicated.

I love second chance romance and this book seemed to be just perfect for me.
I enjoyed this book with all the angst and suspense, the characters are reliable and I need more of them.
I didn’t liked some repetition of the same thoughts but putting it in other words and at times it felt like stalling for me as well as some other times it felt too rushed.
I must admit that it’s my first book by the author and i’ve heard so much about her that I just needed to read at least one book but it won’t be my last.

This is a really difficult review to write because I really am not even sure what to think after reading the book. The Body Painter is definitely a mysterious and darker read, which I don't have an issue with. I think I generally found the story interesting and I was curious to see where the story was going to go and what was going on with Gil, however, my issues were mainly that the first half of this book was petty slow and it dragged out too much. I find this author to be far too wordy for me. I think this story could have been told far more effectively much shorter and with fewer words. I can usually read a book a day and this book took me like four days to get through, and not necessarily because it was longer, but just because it was so wordy and not in a good way. It just kind of took away from the story. I found myself really invested in the last 10% of the book and so excited to finally see how it was going to end, only to find out that it is a cliffhanger, which is my fault, as I wasn't aware it was part of a duet. So while it ended on a cliffhanger, although I wasn't super suprised at the "surprise", I am not sure I would read book two just because I felt like this story was way too drawn out. I also didn't quite relate to either character. Olin seems to have no sense of personal safety and seems totally okay with throwing herself in danger for someone she used to love, who keeps telling her to stay away from him. While I think a lot could have been done with this story line, it has missed the mark for me sadly.

Wow did I love this book! The romance and the suspense just made me keep reading. I had to look up this author because this is my first book by her. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this book.
I love Pepper Winters.
She is my absolute favorite guilty pleasure author and read. If I ever want to indulge myself into some troubled men / troubled women I ALWAYS go to her— her writing never fails me.

I love how Pepper creates the relationships that she does. The heart-wrench filled / angst filled ones. The troubled boy, the troubled girl. The troubled past. I LOVE THE TROUBLE! LOL! Give me all of your turmoil and trouble, Pepper! I’m stingy.

I also really loved how Pepper created such dynamic characters and I think the use of her dual first person POV helps with that immensely. Getting the past and present and the girls POV and the boys really helped build this story into what it was. The writing and time-line building was genius.

Not only allll of that— but her story line is completely original. I loved the entire concept and felt the characters filled their parts perfectly. The way these character shift and change, really kept me flipping the pages.

If this book surprised me the way that it did. I can only IMAGINE what the next book will do to me. RUIN MY LIFE, PEPPER! Do it. I dare you.

The Body Painter is the first half of Pepper Winters Master of Trickery duology and as I have come to expect from this author, the story is a twisted account of the darker side of life, and the angst, danger and emotional turmoil suffered by the main characters. Gil and Olin have intense chemistry, but the push/pull relationship is somewhat unnerving. So while this is not my favourite story by this author, it definitely lives up to the expectations of a chilling reality and a jaw-dropping close. I’ll anxiously await the final conclusion.

Heartbreak. Young love. A dark secret that tore them apart. The end was just the beginning. A heartbroken girl who lost her dream moves home again, only to face starvation and eviction when she can't find work. Until an add for a body painter comes up and she jumps at the chance for work. Even if she does not meet all the requirements. Enter the body painter, who just happens to be the boy that broke her heart and destroyed the life she dreamed they would have. Of course he still hates her. He wants her to leave. He still holds a secret. A secret he will do anything to protect her from. Even at the cost of his own heart. But he never could resist her. Their connection is still there. The lust is overpowering and no matter how many times he tells her to stay away, he does not have it in him to not give in. Just once. That's what they all say! Once will never be enough. Until it all comes crashing down on them and an end you never could have imagined will destroy them. If they let it.
This ends on a cliffhanger, so be forewarned! I loved every minute of it and cannot wait for the final book!

YAAAASSSSS!!!!! I really loved this one! PEPPER IS BACK! OMG I wasnt expecting a certain scene to happen, but since I have no limits I went into this blind. I was even avoiding teasers etc. Im so glad that the entire book wasn't past/present alternating chapters. I think this one worked very well in that format. Pepper knows how to write some tortured heroes, and I feel for Gil! I just hope Olin finds out! And those last 2 pages, its a cliffy I'm sure to remember when book 2 hits.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In the course of two trips to the Craig Tracy Gallery in New Orleans, I’ve acquired four signed lithographs that are prominently hanging in various rooms of my house. So you can imagine how excited I was to see an erotic romance take on the world of body painting. The colors and textures of body painting are so sensual that it seemed like a match made in Heaven.

The Body Painter, however, is not a soft and sensual book. It’s dark and raw. In fact, this novel ought to have a content/trigger warning associated with it because of one of the particularly rough scenes. (It’s central to the novel, so I won’t spoil it.) The art is a device for the two main characters to meet, but it takes a back seat after that. There are two or three scenes that attempt to make the art come alive, but those feel drowned out by all the drama between the two characters.

This novel read very quickly because it was so repetitive. Basically the male character is holding secrets; the female character wants him to let her in; the male character pushes her away; the female character wins her way back in. But the male character is still holding secrets, so the cycle starts over again. Done right, the cycle could have been a very seductive dance of seven veils that built and released suspense over the course of the novel. But the cycles were so quick and frequent in this novel that, rather than build the suspense, the back and forth between the two main characters in the present became tiresome. My eyes started to skip over these exchanges.

I really disliked how the novel ended. To my mind, the ending was worse than a deus ex machina resolution. The ending resolved nothing: it just bought the author more time to let things play out in another book. With a sharper pencil, this sincerely could have been just one phenomenally mind blowing novel. Instead, it feels very thinly spread with a lot of filler. But that’s not going to stop me from reading the next installment. I have a feeling how it’s all going to work out in the end (it is a romance after all) but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to take the ride.

I received this book as a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book and only had a vague idea on what it was about and holy wow did it take on a ride. This book had me hooked from the start and it had enough mystery and suspense to keep me reading until the end. I NEED the rest of Gil and Olins story, I need their final story.

I feel like I have been waiting for this book for so so long and the blurb was so amazing it set my expectations way high. I was expecting a dark romance with an artistic world build with a tortured dark hero and while I got some of that, the rest was missing. First the whole premise of being an artist and the uniqueness of being a body painter was completely missing from this story. Gil could have been a landscaper and the story would have read the same.

My biggest issue with this book is that it became too repetitive. I get the author wanted to build the suspense and leave you wondering WHAT IS HAPPENING? But she absolutely let it go on too long. The back and forth between Gil and Olin was great... until it wasn’t. By the 20th version of “leave and never come back” I was like ENOUGH ALREADY. It was pretty clear after about the 50% mark what the twist was going to be and after the strawberry smell it became more apparent that there was only one thing that would cause Gil to act the way towards Olin.

The authors writing was poetic and beautiful S always but the story pacing completely took me out of it. I wanted more substance instead of the same rinse repeat. It made the big reveals fall flat because I was already exhausted.

Perhaps I had too high expectations, perhaps the blurb was misleading but overall I felt disappointed. I will 100% read more by this author. But this just wasn’t that book I had hoped for.

** ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **

The Body Painter is another gut wrenching book from this great author, as usual there were times reading this story my heart was almost beating out of my chest.
This book follows the rekindling of a relationship between Gil a loner and his classmate Olin. Told in dual perspectives past and present it’s a brilliant and twisted tale. Ending in a cliff hanger leaving me almost throwing my kindle on the floor, as with a Boy and his Ribbon I’ve been left bereft unable to await the next in the series.
A wonderful read.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I can't wait for the sequel to this book! Pepper Winters never fails to weave a brilliant story! It's, dark, erotic, raw. Just everything. Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

4.25stars--THE BODY PAINTER is the first instalment in Pepper Winters’ contemporary, adult MASTER OF TRICKERY erotic, dark, romantic thriller focusing on body painter Gilbert ‘Gil’ Clark, and Olin Moss.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Gil and Olin), using present day and memories from the past, THE BODY PAINTER follows the rekindling relationship between high school friends Gilbert ‘Gil’ Clark, and Olin Moss. Gil Clark was a loner; a young man whose life was spiralling out of control and the only bright light in his otherwise dark work was classmate Olin Moss. Olin knew something wasn’t right at home where is concerned Gil Clark but her heart wanted more for the young man whose aura screamed heart break and pain. But one night would change everything pushing Olin Moss out of Gil Clark’s life, a night that would control Gil’s future, and all that he touched.

Gil Clark’s life has never been easy, and discovering his new ‘canvas’ was the girl he had always loved found Gil caught between head and heart in order to protect the people he loved. As Gil’s life continues to circle the proverbial drain, Olin will be pulled into a nightmare not of her making.

THE BODY PAINTER is an emotional, dark, raw and heart breaking story of one man’s battle to survive in a world that is continuously threatening to take him down. A history tormented by betrayal and abuse, Gil is unable to let go of the chains that bind him to the sins of the past. A bit of a Pollyanna, Olin is desperate to save the boy/man that she never stopped loving but saving herself should be her first priority. Pepper Winter’s writes a gritty, abrasive and tragic tale about an ill-fated friendship with disturbing consequences. THE BODY PAINTER ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.



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If you've read anything by Pepper Winters, you know what you're in for. If you have not had the chance prior to The Body Painter, you're in for a rollercoaster of emotions. I couldn't put this book down. Right from the start, I was thinking to myself "what will the end be???" and I cannot wait for the sequel. Olin was an incredibly strong and relatable character. Gil was a great contrast to her, and the two of them together was amazing.