The Body Painter by Pepper Winters: This book not only consumed me, it swallowed me whole!

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Synopsis

“Must be slim, able to stand for long periods of time, and be impervious to the cold.”

The headline caught my attention.

“Hours are negotiable, pay is minimal, clothing absolutely forbidden.”

The second line piqued my curiosity.

“Able to hold your bladder and tongue, refrain from opinions or suggestions, and be the perfect living canvas.”

The third made me scowl.

“Other attributes required: non-ticklish, contortionist, and obedient. Must also enjoy being studied while naked in a crowd.”

The fourth made me shudder.

“Call or email ‘YOUR SKIN, HIS CANVAS’ if interested in applying.”

The final made my heart race.

I should’ve kept scrolling past the advertisement.

I should’ve applied for the boring receptionist job at minimum wage.

I should’ve clicked on any other job where I got to keep my clothes on.

But I didn’t.

I applied.

My interview is tomorrow…

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MY REVIEW

This book not only consumed me, it swallowed me whole! Mind blown! 😮😳😍.

OMG! OMG! OMG! Oh. MY GAAAAWD! That ending stopped my heart and left me with my jaw agape.

I was expecting a dark read but what I got was so much MORE than that! The angst, the suspense, the mounting tension, the consuming mystery. All of it devoured me whole. Throughout this book, I had a death-grip on my kindle and my heart rate skyrocketed.

Olin and Gil have a Desperate, fierce, protective, passionate and hurtful kind of love. There’s too much hurt, secrets and love for it not to be.

Gil is cruel and full of anger throughout the book. He is also passionate. He has secrets he is unwilling or unable to share and this torments him.

I was intrigued and pulled in by his darkness. Even though at times he pushes the envelope too far.

Olin comes off as weak in the beginning. Although I understand her motives and the star-crossed love they have, she had no backbone. I wanted her to stand on her two feet and give him a what-for, demand to be noticed and accepted and if not, bye! Her kind and compassionate nature, does not help her. I think. No. I KNOW in the next book her strength will be revealed.

I must say that the beginning was a little slow and that I wish the mystery aspect would’ve been brought about sooner. It would have made the book that much more intense.

Olin has reached bottom. She is desperately seeking a job to pay her rent and to fill her belly. When she finds a work add looking for a model, she answers it. She has no idea that add is about to bring her face to face with her heartbreaking past.

Gil is a talented body painter. When Olin answers his add, he is shocked and nothing short of cruel. He wants nothing to do with her. Their past is where it should be, in the past. He wants her to stay far away.

But the connection between them is downright powerful and undeniable. Olin needs answers to a past that Gil refuses to give. She also wants to take away the darkness he has cloaked himself with.

As Olin once again gets closer and closer to Gil, she realizes that his secrets and darkness may just be too much for her to handle.

Can Olin become Gil’s light? Or, will she be crushed under the weight of his monstrous secrets?

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EXCERPT

He stopped breathing as heat and history flared between us. So many things lurked beneath the surface. So many things trapped us from truth and stopped us from being honest, and it hurt.

It hurt way, way too much.

It hurt him too.

Pain glimmered in his eyes the longer he stared.

Standing in the cramped shower with the faint hint of strawberry on the steam, we washed in vulnerability and fragility. Two very breakable things because we were two very breakable people.

We did our best to seem unconquerable and brave, but in that moment, that heart-stopping, life-ceasing moment, we were the same.

Doomed.

His features shadowed with confliction and a heavy dose of self-loathing. With aching tenderness, he slipped his touch up my waist, caressed the sides of my breasts, and cupped my throat. His thumbs stroked me with irreparable reverence.

I didn’t want to.

I fought against the pull.

But I tripped a little.

I fell into him.

Literally and figuratively.

My body into his body; my heart into his heart.

I fell out of sanity and into lunacy because I had no right to feel this way. He had no right to make me feel this way.

His lips captured mine in the sweetest, softest kiss. His fingers braided through my hair, cupping the back of my neck. With our mouths touching, he paused as if giving me the chance to pull away.

I tried to.

I tried to stop loving him.

But my lips parted and the tip of my tongue requested more. A butterfly-inducing more.

His fingers tightened, holding me firm. He deepened the kiss, touching his tongue to mine, tasting me, dancing with me, slowly, gently, lovingly.

The shower disappeared.

The past and present blended, and I kissed him back.

I kissed him like he kissed me…with devotion, idolization, and a cold gust of fear.

This was truth.

This was authentic and legitimately real.

ABOUT PEPPER

Pepper Winters is a multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestseller.

After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She's an multiple #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. She's also honoured to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestseller.

Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work. Her Pure Corruption Series was released by Grand Central, Hachette.

Her books have garnered foreign interest and are currently being translated into numerous languages, including already released titles in Italian, French, German, Hebrew, and Turkish.