Now You See Him... (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 429) [Paperback]

Anne Stuart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1992

Who was he? This enigmatic stranger with the sexy smile wasn't what he seemed. The man who called himself Michael Dowd came into Francey Neeley's life under mysterious circumstances and soon had her heart fluttering and her blood pumping. For wherever Michael went, danger followed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Silhouette; 1 edition (April 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373074298
• ISBN-13: 978-0373074297
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,545,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing since the dawn of time. A child prodigy, I made my first professional sale to Jack and Jill Magazine at the age of 7, for which I received $25 (admittedly my father worked for the publisher). Since then I've written gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, historical romance, series romance -- anything with sex and violence, love and redemption. I misbehave frequently, but somehow have managed to amass lots of glittering prizes, like NYT, PW and USA Today bestseller status, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America, and a decent smattering of Romantic times and RITA awards.
I live on a lake in Northern Vermont with my incredibly fabulous husband. My two children have flown the coop, but the three cats do their best to keep us from being lonely.
In my spare time I quilt and play around with wearable art, and the rest of the time I write write write. Apparently women of a certain age get a rush of creativity, and I'm currently enjoying it. Too many stories to write, not enough hours in the day.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Echoes of Moonrise!!, September 26, 2002

By 

Deborah MacGillivray "Author," (US & UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Now You See Him... (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 429) (Paperback)

This book is very similar in style as Moonrise, and since that is my favourite Anne Stuart book that is high praise.

Francey Neeley's life is turned into a nightmare because she thought she loved the wrong man. She fell for The lilt of the Irish voice, the dancing blues eyes and the charm of a man from Ireland, but learn all that was a facade, a mask to hide his real purpose in marrying her - to gain her fortune and use her to get back into Ireland. He planned to kill her afterwards. Francey learns this from his 'sister' who was actually his lover. She tells Francey of the plot to kill the Queen of England when she is visiting the United States, but says someone has blow his cover - she believes it is Francey and both rush to see if they can stop him from the suicide mission.

They arrive just in time to see her attempt to kill the Queen, but she is saved by her guard who takes several bullets before killing the Irish Terrorist.

Now months later, Francey is hiding out on a Jamaican island trying to heal her soul, when her cousin says he is sending a man to stay with her. A man supposed hurt in a car accident, named Michael Dowd. She instantly sees the man is weak and recovering and her heart feels for his pain.

He is recovering all right, but not from a car accident, but the bullets her boyfriend pumped into him while he nearly gave his life to save the Queen. He has come to find Francey, find out what she knew about the incident, how much she is involved. Make love to her to get the information, and then kill her if he discovered she is one of the terrorists.

From the instant her arrives on the island, it is clear someone is trying to kill them both so they must run from their lives.

This again is one of those beautiful gems that Stuart conjures so well!! Another of those Gamma rogues with black hearts and even blacker souls that you cannot help but love!

5.0 out of 5 stars If I was Francey, I would have lost my mind....., October 17, 2008

By 

Holly R (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Now You See Him... (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 429) (Paperback)

Several weeks ago Francey Neeley was all set to finally accept Patrick Dugan as her lover. With her loft all staged and ready for seduction and her bathtub filled with scented water, she was just putting on the finishing touches when Patrick's sister, Caitlin Dugan, came barging into her apartment, ranting about Patrick having been betrayed. It seems ol Patrick wasn't quite the good guy he made himself out to be and was in fact, a stone cold, fanatical killer, set to assassinate the Queen of England. Caitlin forces Francey to join up with them to see if she can't be used to rescue Patrick but the two women get there too late. He has already sprayed the crowds with a hail of bullets and Francey barely gets away. Right before she faints, she sees Patrick shoot someone who was trying to stop him just moments before that mysterious man shot and killed him. After weeks of protesting her innocence to the various agencies suspicious of her, Francey hides herself away at her cousins healing resort of Belle Reste in the Caribbean. It's taken awhile but she's almost feeling better when her cousin sends a wounded man to her for care. Michael Dowd was in a car accident and is in need of some relaxing R&R. If it's strange that the still discernible trauma to his body looks suspiciously like bullet wounds, she chooses not to dwell on it.

This British schoolteacher might look and act affable and charming but something about him made her nervous. It could be the fact that a few months ago she trusted the wrong man and almost ended up abused and dead. Or it could be the flashes of deadly intent and searing coldness she can sense in his eyes. Right away, murder attempts threaten her new found peace and Michael's close proximity finishes off the rest of her hard won calm. Despite his best efforts to appear easy going, Francey isn't really fooled and when she finds out about him her sense of betrayal doesn't outweigh her hopes of saving the man her heart is crying out for. She can sense how lost the mysterious Michael Dowd is and instinctively knows that just one more death on his conscience will tip the tenuous balance of his soul and she might lose him forever. So she fights for him and won't take no for an answer. While she follows him, danger and intrigue is following her and forces are converging against them hoping to tear these two lovers apart.

Now You See Him is an extremely fast paced and thrilling story by Anne Stuart. Michael Dowd comes across as an utterly ruthless and enigmatic wild card. His mission is to find out how much Francey knows about the fanatical Cadre organization and whether or not she merits his killing expertise. He's here to seduce her and betray her but something about her causes him to falter. She's gotten through his well rehearsed act and he knows that makes her dangerous. Francey is a wounded and uncertain young woman. She doesn't trust her own instincts any more but her instincts were obviously working just fine because they told her Michael was not what he seemed.

Obsession reigns in this story. Nearly everyone has a hidden agenda and poor Francey is left behind to stumble her way through the myriad of lies and deceit going on around her. That she was able to keep her sanity despite everything that befalls her is a testament to the strength of her character and the strength Anne Stuart was able to pour into her. That she made it through everything in a believable manner is just proof of what a good authoress Anne Stuart is because in another author's hands this story wouldn't have flown, much less soared. This was a gripping and extremely engaging read. It reads like an early Ian Fleming spy novel and Michael Dowd is an earlier version of a more rough and deadly James Bond. This was a perfect blend of romance, gripping suspense and action as well as enough scintillating sensuality to make this a highly recommended read. Michael Dowd is definitely not your average hero, he is in fact reserved only for the brave who are able to see past his icy reserve and cold ruthless brilliance. Enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars Bond-Like Cougar (5 + stars), February 15, 2007

By 

Louisiana Lady (Louisiana USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Now You See Him... (Hardcover)

Book Description: NOW YOU SEE HIM... The man who called himself Michael Dowd wasn't exactly what he seemed. Wherever Michael went, it seemed to Francey Neeley, danger followed. But she couldn't escape an attraction to him. He was trying to pry information from her about a terrorist group, a group that was trying to kill him - and her. Soon, Francey became swept into a world of death and deceit, but she couldn't stay away from Michael. Somehow they had won each other's hearts - a dangerous combination for both.

Romantic suspense as only Anne Stuart can do it. Just when you think the story is going in one direction there's a twist then a turn and the plot thickens. The required, multi-talented bad-boy is present and making things happen. A must read for any Stuart fan.