“Time doesn’t matter when hearts are involved”

Is this star-crossed couple running out of time? The heart-wrenching conclusion to THE MASTERY OF TRICKERY duet was emotional, raw, and erotic. Body painter Gil and his ballerina Olin had so much farther to fall as love, lies, murder and consequences all come to a riveting head. This ill-fated couple broke my heart because they’ve spent their lives hiding behind lies and not being honest with each other about their true feelings. When is enough, enough? A certain recipe for disaster on top of Gil’s compounding mistakes and bad decisions of doing whatever it takes to protect those he loves. But, who is there to protect his heart? Gil, much more than Olin, drew me into the deepening mess of their relationship and a murder trial that tears them apart. I despised the things that happened to this couple in the past, railed against things that should have happened that didn’t, and wanted to kick them for vowing to always be each other’s family, yet constantly letting each other down while hiding their true feelings. Coming to terms with the past is the hardest necessity before either one can move forward toward redemption, honesty, and a fresh start to happiness. Aside from repetitious prose, the duet was a tragic, but ultimately uplifting, and emotional exploration of selfishness vs. self-sacrifice. A different story from the author, but I love her ability to always take us off-guard by switching up characters and story ideas.

“The sensation of falling into her and out of me, of creating something new together, wrapped around my heart and squeezed” -- It squeezed my heart, too.

It's a moving story full of painful betrayal, aching love, beautiful heartbreak, and redemption. This heartbreaking conclusion picks up right where it left off in the last book. Boy, oh boy does it start off with the intense situation that tears at the heartstrings for these two characters. I don't want to ruin it for you, but what O and Gil go through is just so profoundly emotional. The grief and sacrifices that each have to endure is heartbreaking, The author does a wonderful job of creating these scenarios so when the characters are in these scenes, you believe their emotions, their inner dialogues. There was times that the author convinced me of something (I really felt she was leading me there and I was just hoping it wasn't going to happen) because she was so able to portray the characters. It's a story you won't regret reading
**I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.**

This is the concluding part of the story and book one does need to be read first here.
So we start this exactly where we left things with that shocking finale and my heart was literally breaking for the sheer grief and betrayal that must have been running through Poor Orin with her current circumstances.
This was very much a lose-lose scenario for all involved and while on the one hand I kinda understood how we had arrived at this set of circumstances I still thought that Gil's decisions lacked cohesive thought and he was largely responsible for where we are now at.
This book mainly deals with the repercussions and fallout from its predecessor and while the secrets and lies are exposed here the consequences for Orin and Gil are not good and are very real.
On O's part, the love is still there but Gil has lost her trust completely and though he is desperate to gain it back she doesn't know if she can ever forgive his prior actions.
So I get that O was upset and betrayed and all that Jazz but bloody hell that girl is indecisive and it was annoying in the extreme.
She needed to decide what she wanted and just stick with it, in the previous book, it was all I want you whatever it takes and in this, it was all it's over I can never forgive you but I will still jump your bones anyway.
I get it he betrayed her in the worst possible way he could but make a decision one way or the other and mean it.
Finally and this is a small thing, I take it this was set in the UK, in Birmingham actually, there was a couple of things that stood out to me that were small things but bugged me nevertheless.
The first was CPS (child protective services) in the UK its social services, not CPS we would never use the former phrase its a USA term.
Secondly being kept back at school if your behind academically is not a thing in the UK I know it is in many countries but the UK is not one of them it doesn't happen here.
These are small things in the scheme of the story but being British I did pick up on them so thought they deserved a mention.
So, in conclusion, this was a really imaginative series, bit too heavy on the angst for me personally.
but how much you enjoy this will all depend on your fiction taste.
It was well written and definitely original in its content.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Living Canvas (Master of Trickery Duet, #2).

I really enjoyed this book and I am a big fan of Pepper Winters. Can’t wait to see what’s next. The story flowed really well and was extremely well written. Don’t want to give much away but this is a must read.

**ARC provided through Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours! **


This book was better than the first one in which Olin finally stood up for herself a little more. The one thing that made me want to strangle her was the fact she was so hurt about what Gil HAD to do to. I mean come on who wouldn't do the same thing he did. I liked the suspense in the beginning, I absolutely loved Olive. Justin was a great friend to them all. Gil poor poor Gil.. when all the secrets came out, I was shocked, crushed and so so sad. I loved that finally he got to get it all off his shoulders and started to live freely !! All in all a good read!!

The perfect ending to a tumulous yet enduring connection. Pepper has a way of writing stories that are not only dark and painful but beautiful and full of hope. Dark fairytale perfection. Olin and Gil have known each other since they were children and Gill's unexplained disappearance many years ago still haunts Olin, knowing he was the only man she ever felt truly connected with. Now that he's back, she has been sucked into the dark secrets he has been trying to hide all of these years and can't seem to find the strength to walk away. Now it's too late.... Another strong, unbreakable couple that has gone through hell from Pepper, and I hung on and loved every word.

There’s no doubt that I love Pepper Winter’s writing, and while the first part of this duet was not one of my favourites by this author, I still anxiously awaited the conclusion to this story. So, for me this book raised mixed emotions; while we witnessed the expected passionate and emotional struggles of this compelling couple throughout the storyline, I also felt The Living Canvas was repetitive in its scenarios, rehashing events that were already covered in The Body Painter. There was also a hurried feeling to this book, that left me with more questions than answers in many situations. So while I liked the concept of the story, it left me somewhat confused and disappointed.

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself 😊]

This is the end of Gil and Olin's story and, although I didn't love The Body Painter, it got me hooked. Sadly, I found The Living Canvas less addictive. It's not a bad book but it isn't one I'm going to remember. The murders mistery is resolved too soon (quite poorly, I must add) so you have almost the entire book dedicated to other problems that didn't have the same strenght. One of the things I liked is getting to see Gil's true character. Although I love strong H, I must confess that hard guys with sensible hearts can make me melt. I suffered a lot with Gil's past (it was the best thing of the previous book) and seeing him again in trouble was very sad and touching. O never got to me at the same level. If I found the book repetitive it's mostly because of her, she's always going through the same idea when we all know she got her mind made up. I now Gil is also very repetive but his problems are much more serious and more intriguing to the reader. And Olive and Justin are very charming but too flat (seriously, a guy like Justin!?!? Too good to be true).
Like I said, the book it's ok but it's not a reading I'm going to remember. It's well written but too repetitive and sometimes too simple for my taste. However, the sex scenes are great and the love ones very cute. I wouldn't mind reading more Pepper Winter books.

Book two in this duet starts off in a bad bad place. And the rest is mostly the fallout of it all and how they can go on. It's full of physical and emotional torture. You just want them to get their happy ending and don't see how they can.

The covers for both books are so eye catching. This story was unique, emotional, and unexpected. The epilogue was so cool, their story ending in the way only Olin and Gil's could.

Well… in conclusion to this duet: I did not love this last book and I did not hate it. I feel like the author really rushed to get The Living Canvas out and the repetitiveness and the scenarios that we have already seen played out throughout the entire book… was just not needed. Too much rushing, not enough time tending to a more stronger plot line.

Pepper always has such emotional writing and this book really wasn’t any different in that department. Throughout both books we see a lot of struggle in both characters but really other than that– we don’t see much. What we see in the second book is a lot of things that were actually already mentioned and addressed in The Body Painter.

Unfortunately, I found The Living Canvas to be repetitive when it came to the same situations being mentioned and played out over and over. I felt like there was very little progression with the characters and their growth and just not enough answers that seemed to satisfy me. There were some things going on that were different from the first book but I felt as if I was reading about two completely different characters in each chapter that were experiencing the exact same situations from the first book.

This dramatic conclusion is not to be missed!

Wow. Just wow. This story will take you places you never thought you'd ever go in a book, much less a romance. This is darker than dark, uncomfortably so in a few places (and that's a good thing), covering a wide range of victims and crimes and the triumph of humanity through it all.

Gil and Olin's entire history is revealed step by step in Part Two, dropping bombshell after bombshell as each of their struggles - both separately and together - are revealed. It becomes clear how Gil found himself on the horrific road he's on, yet the reader's heart can't be anything but sympathetic for him.

There are no questions left unanswered at the end of this story, just a hard-won HEA and a book hangover that requires a therapeutic debriefing before starting another book. If you read Part One, you don't need me to tell you that you must read this one. If you haven't read it, I recommend you grab them both right now and prepare for an uninterrupted reading session. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

The Living Canvas continues straight in from the shocking ending of the Body Painter. A dark psychological edgy romance with twists and turns that leave you dizzy and breathless with their intensity.
The characters of Gil and Olin are so well written, strongly developed with angst and depth.
Unable to say more without giving away spoilers, as good if not better than the first and a great finale to this series from this author who knows only too well how to wring you out and leave you in wonder of her imagination and skill.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

The Living Canvas is book 2 in the series. I enjoyed this book even better than the first. You must read book one, The Body Painter, as this book picks up where it left off. It was a great conclusion to the series!

Pepper Winters writes a really good dark romance. For those who read the Body Painter (book 1 in the Master of Trickery), they'll love The Living Canvas. Finishing the first book left you with such a dissatisfaction that it ended. Olin is such an incredible character. She is strong, developed, and genuinely nice. Gil is a hard character to like, but I feel like your feelings toward him roller coaster throughout the entire series. I love Pepper Winters, and was very happy with this ending!

I had some issues with the first book in this duet but I was still looking forward to book 2. Unfortunately the dialogue in this second installment felt over the top straight out of the gate and I'm not interested in continuing. Shelving the book at this time.

This is the conclusion to The Body Painter, and if you haven’t read it ... go back and read it because this book starts where the first one ended. Once again Gil and Olin will take you through their story with lots of twists and turns. You will also be shocked by what transpires. Gil is definitely a broken soul ... will Olin be able to help him put the pieces back together or are they too small and scattered? I don’t want to say anything more and wreck the story for others. Just know that this is another great story that shouldn’t be missed.

I received a copy courtesy of the author through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

THE LIVING CANVAS is the second instalment in Pepper Winters’ contemporary, adult MASTER OF TRICKERY dark, romance duology focusing on body painter Gilbert ‘Gil’ Clark, and Olin Moss. THE LIVING CANVAS should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book one THE BODY PAINTER.

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) THE LIVING CANVAS continues to focus on the fractured relationship between high school friends, body painter Gilbert ‘Gil’ Clark, and Olin Moss, but not all is right in Gilbert Clark’s world, and Olin will discover she is about to become collateral damage. Having replied to an ad to become a living canvas, Olin realized that the painter is the boy she once loved, a boy who destroyed all of her hopes and dreams. Shattered beyond repair, and desperate to save someone he loves, Gilbert will sabotage any chance at happiness by offering up one soul for another but in doing so will lose much more than he could have ever imagined.

THE LIVING CANVAS is a psychological tale of what ifs. How far would you go to protect someone you love? Who would you sacrifice to save someone else? Pepper Winters weaves a story of lost love and lost innocence; of fractured lives and broken promises; of a dark past, a dangerous life, and a damaged soul beyond repair. THE LIVING CANVAS is a raw, real, gritty and impassioned story of the ultimate betrayal and flawed nature of the human soul.



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CHAPTERS/INDIGO (Sandy_At_the_Reading_Cafe) posted

One thing about this author is that she does not disappoint me when it comes to her stories. I absolutely loved this duet. It was emotional, twisted and suspenseful, and it completely blew me away. I finished the book in one sitting and I'm already waiting for her to publish her next book. Every book this author writes plays with my emotions in some sort of way and that's what keeps me coming back for more. I love that all of her stories are different and take me on an emotional rollercoaster rides.

The advert was so similar to one I should never have applied for.A twist of fate that brought two destined people back together.A job I would take in a heartbeat if the employer could offer such terms.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Pepper Winters is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.