The Living Canvas (Master of Trickery Book 2)

“Love…the most terrible weapon of all.”

His art is his pressure valve. When the pain and anger built up too much to handle the creativity was his outlet. Or, it used to be. Then it turned into survival. No longer could he follow his muse and see what developed, not since he painted himself into a corner that he couldn’t escape. Are you wondering what kind of trouble he’s gotten into? Well, I wish I could tell you, but it’s a secret.

The author has blown my mind…again. Following her down dark paths without knowing where she is leading me has become a favorite pastime. The unknown is like a beacon I can’t resist. Never knowing if it’s going to lead me to a good place or a bad one, but I’m never disappointed. Lies and betrayal, paint and passion, pain and loss. I fell so hard for these broken characters. I felt so helpless in the face of their torment. The mistakes that couldn’t be undone. Forgiveness might have been granted but the pain remains. I wanted so badly to remove the many obstacles keeping them from the forever they dreamed of as teenagers.

“We destroyed each other with a violent kind of lust that incinerated right and wrong, past and present. All I wanted was him. All he needed was me.”

This duet had me totally entranced from beginning to end. I could not stop thinking about it even after I finished reading it. Another amazing, spellbinding, thought-provoking masterpiece that guarantees that I’ll be ready for wherever she takes me next. The line forms here…

The fastest paced story by Pepper Winters which in itself is a big feat. She generally draws out the story in its full panorama of drama, angst, turbulent emotions with the full spectrum of actions and their consequences at an unhurried tread.
But here She changes the trot and the speed adds to the melodrama. Add to that an intoxicating journey of frustrating, unrequited love and you have pure concentrated dose of misery on your kindle.
“Our foundations were rotten and full of holes.
Our walls were riddled with secrets and lies.
Our trust was torn apart.
There is no us anymore.”
Book 1 took its fare share of time showing us the background story of Olin and Gil, how they met, the ordeals they went through and the catastrophic cliffhanger where pepper left us hanging bewildered and slackjawed.
“His paint on my skin, and my death on his hands. He didn’t deserve my forgiveness, but he did have my understanding.”

This book picks up at that same exact point. Tragic and devastating events take place at a rapid pace, I didn’t have enough time to collect my thoughts or measure the full impact of intensifying volatility of the situation Gil “forces” O to participate in, leaving her as a bait and then succumbing to the wounds he suffers, I mean it was quite a flurry of activity which is so not Pepper’s MO generally, but I LOVED IT!
There’s a tautness in the plot which I relished & pulse pounding drama which kept me on tenterhooks throughout. I was a step BEHIND the characters, frustratingly wanting the dice to roll their favor but alas, Pepper’s a superior author who doesn’t let cheesiness creep in and give unrelatable twists. She actually throws the karmic gauntlet and runs her characters through it to show growth and emphasize the importance of law and protocol.
“Just remember, nothing lasts forever. Good, bad, terrible—it all passes in the end.”
I had many many teary moments, hiccuping with sobs, yelling for my fave characters to be left alone. Gil’s fate and tragic solitary figure were reminiscent of Ren from Ribbon series, not in life story but in pathetic feel. I so wanted him to catch a break, prayed to Gods above to let him breathe a bit, have a respite to hug his daughter to his heart’s content.
Tragedy was the main emotion in the forefront. The painting scenes which were pregnant with eroticism in book 1 slipped into ticking time clock in book 2. You knew once painting was over, it was time to part
“Be my canvas.”
“It’s too late,” I whispered
“It is too late. Everything is too fucking late. I’m too late to make any money. Too late to fix my business. Too late to save my daughter. Too late to repair everything broken between us. But it’s not too late to say goodbye.”

Any scene where Gil and Olin bask in the stolen warmth of their love, was generally followed by untold pain and cataclysmic woe. It made their few and far between minutes of togetherness all the more treasured and momentous.
The twists and turns were severe and inflexible, there was no escaping them or bypassing them.
The narration was slick and relentless, I felt as if I had to read fast or the events would unfold without me!!
The characters of Jeffrey and Olin were remarkably noble and gallant, it could’ve been caricature like but I personally know of such people in real life, so it was believable to me. There’s still too much kindness and good in this world, enough to make me not cynical. Pepper has portrayed that through Jeffrey.
Olive Oyl the Girl prodigy, showed sensibility way beyond her age and considering the emergencies and mishaps that have scarred her, it’s remarkable that the child wasn’t permanently damaged except a few nightmares. The adorable bond she shares with O and then opens her circle of trust for Jeffrey eventually, highlights the tenacity and grit of this beautiful young girl.

And Gil- The tragic Shakespearean hero. His classic personality is of a lonely artist, a creator of magic and trickery where he fools the world yet can’t untangle himself from the web of villainous design. His purity of heart is his biggest asset turned into greatest drawback. I loved that he wasn’t overrun by cynicism and yet had enough nobility in him for acceptance and resignation.
“I was born to a pimp, whore to a teacher, and now, I’m a collector for a murderer. The first two crimes weren’t my fault. But the third… I’m guilty.”
The story will stay with me forever, it’s cogency deriving from the soul stirring story and compelling characters. It rattles you while you read it and leaves you shaken after you’re done.
Very unique and unprecedented, impactful and poignant, a typical Pepper Winters saga which will be delightfully devoured by her loyal fans.
5 stars for Owls and Otters

This is hard! This book was amazing. No spoilers. Gil was a character that checked every box for me. His emotion bled thru the pages. Olive stole the light every time she was mentioned. She was an amazing character. Justin and Olin so selfless. As time moved thru the book you are so aware of the growth of each person. They came together to form a family. A family that stood by each other thru it all. You need to read this book!

Yet another brilliant read from Pepper Winters! I’ve devoured every last one of Pepper Winters books except this duet right here. I don’t know why I waited to read it. It’ll forever be a mystery. Pepper Winters is so deep in her writing. She’s very detailed and I love that about her books. I dislike when authors will skip over areas or scenes and I feel like it makes the book incomplete or had potential if they would’ve filled in the blanks a little more but Pepper is all about the details and everything adds up and is put together so nicely you never miss out on anything.

I wasn’t expecting anything that happened in this book at all. It’s very different from other books she’s written before. A body painter, second chances, murder mystery, it was all just different but it was still amazing. She wrote this book perfectly. I absolutely loved it like I expected I would since I’ve loved all her other books too. She’s just such a phenomenal writer.

I received an ARC via Expresso Book Tours

I don’t understand how Pepper has this insane ability to make my heart physically break. I cried–not as much as some of her other books–but I did. When I wasn’t crying for Olin and Gil, my chest was in pain solely from the words on the page. While The Body Painter was mystery and angst, this one was all heartbreak and angst. Secrets are out; it’s the outcomes of those secrets to deal with now.

Unlike The Body Painter this book only takes place in the present, all besides one chapter in the beginning. All there is to be said of the past has been said and this book is how that past and that horrible teacher just continues to ruin Gil’s life and affect the present.

The book picks up right where the first ended with Gil telling Olin he will be sacrificing her. The book immerses you into the sadness right away. It did take me for a bit of a surprise as I wasn’t expecting the blackmail thing to be resolved as quickly as it was, but I can see why and appreciate why the author didn’t just get stuck on that one plotline. It has much more of an impact to the characters than I first thought, and the rest of the book is about the outcome after that night.

I do need to say how I do appreciate the author for going through with it and not giving Gil that happy ending right away. I can’t describe much here to avoid giving out spoilers, but if it was all cut and dry, it’d be unrealistic, considering the events. Plus, it only added to the sadness that much more, and later, when he does get his happy ending, even more angst is tacked on as Gil deals with what occurred during the time.

Oh, Gil. I reflect on The Ribbon Duet as well as it’s companion, and I am trying to figure out who has caused me the most sadness: Ren, Jacob, or Gil. I’m not sure I have an answer to it and if Gil isn’t the winner here, then he’s a close second or third. Ever since that first scene in book 1, life has been throwing hell at him. Between Olin, the teacher, Olive, and the events of this book…my goodness, can someone have more bad luck than him? Even at the end, when things are going right, he thinks otherwise in regards to O, so you just feel for him here.

I’ve said this briefly, but the story is fantastic. The plot is realistic; not an everyday thing, but something that is plausible. The romance and angst is there, causing half the heartbreak. Olin and Gil are a childhood romance that never fully came to be and they’re still trying to make it work. It’s a story of survival, at its core. Surviving the past, surviving the past’s effects on the present, and surviving to make it to the future. Survival in the book occurs in many forms: surviving life’s challenges, parenthood, relationships, and near-death. Olin survived Gil and Jeffrey, Olive survived absence and Jeffry, and Gil survived everything.

I talked about Gil already, but in regards to the other characters, I have nothing negative to say. Justin turned out to be one of my favorites. He’s genuine and good and is a true friend. Nothing he does is for his own benefit. He doesn’t try to take Gil’s place in any way; just supplement it for the time being. As much as my heart broke for Gil mostly, it also broke for Olin. The poor girl just keeps losing him, and when she has him, given what he has done, can she cope with it all?

It’s one that will keep my mind reeling for a long time. I’m really happy Pepper got this duet out into the world and now bring on Goddess Isles!

This is the second book in The Master of Trickery Series. I was super frustrated at the end of The Body Painter because I had to wait until this was released. I dont often enjoy the second book in some duets and only speed read or finish it when I have an idea of how it’s going to end and I’m not super interested. That was not the case with this book, I was interested until the very end.

I had hope after Book 1, but sadly the second one didn’t work for me…
I didn’t DFNed, but I certainly skipped pages, so that’s not a good sign.

***ARC kindly provided by author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review***

Well I must say after reading The Body Painter and liking it just enough to want the end of Olin and Gil’s story but definitely not loving it I was very surprised and pleased with how Ms. Winters redeemed herself with The Living Canvas.

At the beginning I felt it was written very much in the same vein as book 1 but it picked up very quickly and the story just took off with enormous steam and I just had to know how it was all going to end.

I really didn’t connect much with both Gil and Olin in the first book but when you get the whole story and see the full picture the connection becomes very intense very quickly.

I really didn’t think I would recommend this duet but believe me that book 2 really makes it all worth it.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

I felt Gil’s pain and Olin’s despair. Pepper Winters was able to lodge both of these characters into my heart and keep them there.
The Living Canvas is the conclusion to The Body Painter and it picked up exactly where it it finished. I was frustrated to no end with the push and pull of Olin and Gil but it was needed as it as it showed the development and growth of them both and them finding solace within themselves.
I adored Olive. She burst onto the pages with tenacity and I just fell in love with her.
Justin proved to be so much more than just a guy who checked in on Gil every so often. He was so selfless and a true friend. I felt that this was the perfect ending for Gil and Olin and that the road they travelled was perfect.
I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and devour their story of a body painter and a living canvas.
Thankyou Pepper Winters for giving us not just 2 but 4 fantastic characters.

“Love painted in pain.”

“You’re a walking gift of pain, Gilbert Clark.” “And you’re the ultimate gift of redemption, Olin Moss.”

I recently read Pepper Winters blog and basically, she said that really did not like this duet which she wrote. I was baffled a bit by her statements regarding her own work. While she may feel this way, I personally am here to tell you that I truly loved this duet! I love the ideas, complexity, the eroticism and the struggle that the heroine and hero went through as a result of the choices they made while being victims of the evil, cruel and careless villains in their world.

Certainly, the hero Gibert Clark started out as a dark anti-hero and his character progressed almost to the point of repulsive. His slow redemption came from his first one true forever love, Olin, with her noble and loving heart, viewed by some readers as weak. Yet, she proved to be a warrior, advocate and healer. She is a survivor that always held on to the bright side of life with hope, despite life-changing setbacks, traumas and tragedies.

Ms. Winters writing is always simply beautiful and this story was inventive, suspenseful while laying bare the suffering of the naive being coerced and manipulated, a decent and loving man being tortured and blackmailed,Gilbert Clark, and a young women whose parents have all but abandoned her, Olin Moss. She had to suffer the destruction of a her dreams by her body being broken in a life-altering accident. She also suffered the loss of her one true love inexplicably not once but twice. The last time was unspeakably traumatic.

Somehow, no matter how twisted and dark the tale, there are pops of color and light that explode in erotic scenes whether tender or rough or in revealing the core or development of her characters. Ms Winters, I am in awe of your talent for beautiful words and soul deep ideas. You take us to dark places and lead us back to the light..even back to ourselves.

I realize the Pepper Winters has set the bar extremely high for her writing. I have read most of what she has published and I have never been disappointed. Her insight into human nature both dark and light is ever present in your characters. Eventually she takes the reader to a profound and sublime place after dragging our hearts through devastation.

Thank you for writing this, Ms. Winters. It is a triumph and comfort especially for those who have ever been manipulated into false choices by being vulnerable to the evil doers in this world. I highly recommend any reader of complicated, darker romance that stings at first to read this beautiful duet.