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Now You See Me

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Invisible. A ghost. No one sees her. No one knows her.

Until him.


For the last seven years, Jo has been a ghost in her own life. No friends. No permanent address. No long-term job. And that is exactly the way she wants it…until a typing error lands her on Nate’s doorstep in the city of Edinburgh, answering his ad for a roommate.

Nate and his luxury house are like a different world for Jo. Tall, rugged and with a voice that seems hardwired to Jo’s sex drive, Nate is a distraction Jo can’t afford, but neither seems able to fight the growing tension between them. Nate’s touch brings Jo back to life and every encounter leaves her craving more. As they grow closer and intimacy creeps its way around them, Nate knows there are things Jo isn’t telling him. What he doesn’t realise is the less he knows about Jo and her past, the safer he is.

For years Jo has been careful. Hasn't let her guard down or got too comfortable, or let anyone get close enough to see the person beneath her protective armour. Soon it isn’t just Nate that Jo has fallen for—it’s his whole family, from his adorable niece to his eccentric sister, Suze, who quickly becomes the best friend Jo has ever had. Against her better judgement, Jo let’s herself believe she can have a normal life. In Nate’s arms she forgets the things that haunt her, and the reasons she should leave that innocent family become all the reasons she can’t.

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of physical abuse and a reference to enforced undressing.

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 2014

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28 people want to read

About the author

Pamela L. Todd

14 books16 followers
I have been writing for as long as I can remember, but only in recent years since I began taking it seriously.

I have three books published with Totally Bound Publishing, and many more in the works. My first, Escaping Normal, is a paranormal romance short story. My first full-length novel, Now You See Me, is a contemporary romance with thriller elements. The latest release is Secrets, Lies & Vegas, Book One in the Beautiful Sinners series, is a contemporary/Chick-Lit romance and I hope many more will be in the future.

When I'm not at my computer typing feverishly, I can usually be found with my nose in a book. Reading and writing go hand in hand, and I cannot imagine my life without either.

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Gina Wilkins.
30 reviews13 followers
November 4, 2014
Wow…wow…I don’t quite know where to start with the brilliant book, Now You See Me by Pamela Todd. This book made feel every emotion I can think of…..from relief to grief, extreme happiness and joy. This book was brilliant from beginning to end!!
Jo and Nate, wow, they are definitely a pair. Jo is this timid and damaged girl that I found to be funny and witty. Nate is like every girl’s dream guy, handsome, rich, extremely kind and giving. What I found most intriguing about this book is the situation that Jo is going through. I think on some level that everyone either knows someone, or has experienced an awful relationship that has changed them on every level. It was easy to relate to Jo, as well as Nate’s sister Suze.
The suspense in this book has you easily flipping the pages well into the night. And at one point (that I will not discuss) I found myself standing up and pumping my fist after this incident. I felt like Jo was finally FREE! I loved every way that Nate made Jo feel again. He built her back up, and made her love again. They were on each other at all possible times and it was so VERY hot. It didn’t feel forced or redundant….I couldn’t get enough.
Pamela Todd had me hanging onto every word until the very end. I love the suspense and the turns and twists in this story. It’s a very multi-faceted story with lessons that every woman can respect. Beautifully written and I can’t wait to read more by this author!
Profile Image for Ashe Barker.
Author 142 books807 followers
November 27, 2014

Wow! Sexy plot, fast-paced, with an alpha hero to die for ….
…although leading lady Jo hopes it won’t come to that.
Now You See Me is set in Edinburgh, one of my favourite cities in the UK so that was a plus point straight away. I recognised the quiet sophistication of New Town and could easily visualise the elegant townhouse where Jo responds to an ad for a room to rent. There are lots of references to locations in the city, which makes the story seem more authentic.
Nate owns the house, and even though there has been a mix up about the rent he still lets Jo have the tenancy. It’s clear he doesn’t need the money, but his real reason for renting out space in his home does not emerge until much later.
Nate is my favourite sort of alpha. At first he comes across as aloof and rather private. He has his own space and expects Jo to remain in hers. Under the sexy, stern exterior though lurks a seriously squishy centre. And he comes out with some insanely sexy lines. My personal favourite… “You’re fucking beautiful when you come.” That would have me every time.
Jo has a past, a murky past which she is trying desperately to escape. Her fears colour everything she does, and she is permanently on standby to bolt at a moment’s notice. Nate and his family make that harder and harder for her to contemplate, and as the tension builds it’s clear something has to snap. When it does, the climax is terrifying, and so well written I felt I was actually there experiencing at all with Jo.
The two central characters make the book, but they are backed up by a strong supporting cast. Suze, Nate’s sister, is scatty but lovely. Tilly, Suze’s toddler is just adorable. The baby’s preoccupation with the inner cardboard tubes of wrapping paper was just spot on.
This is a book charged with emotion, and some of the most touching scenes involve the non-human characters - Cat, the stray who adopts Jo, and Ace, her German Shepherd puppy.
The sex scenes are plentiful, and hot. Right from the start the connection between Nate and Jo crackles, their attraction is unstoppable, and they christen just about every room in Nate’s house. The action on the kitchen island is particularly steamy.
I gave this book five we;;-earned stars for the fast pace, the gripping plot and the sheer sensuality of the relationship between Jo and Nate. If you like a book to offer hot sex underpinned by a solid storyline, this is for you. Heartily recommended.
Profile Image for Cara Nicole.
738 reviews15 followers
November 6, 2014
Powerful, chilling, engaging and provocative! Now You See Me was brilliantly written and had me anxiously turning the pages all the way to the end. Jo and Nate are impeccable together, in a flawed type of way. Jo has been running from her past for years, until she runs into Nate. When they end up living together, she unwittingly starts to make friends and start a serious relationship with Nate. Will the chemistry between them be enough for her to stay put? Or will her past make her run again to save him and his family she has fallen in love with. Pamela L.Todd weaved together an intriguing story of fantastic characters and a riveting plot, I fell in love with not only Jo and Nate, but his entire family as well.
There are a few scenes that were challenging to read because you are just rooting for this couple so much, but it adds to the complexity of the book, and makes the scorching hot scenes between Jo and Nate all the more worth it.
I'd definitely recommend this book, it's not only sweltering with a side of thrilling, but it tugs at your heart. I read a lot of books, and sometimes they start to jumble together, but this is one that will be at the top of my favorites this year.
Profile Image for Lisabet Sarai.
Author 181 books218 followers
November 29, 2014
Jo Carpenter barely exists. By her own design, she strives for invisibility. Every six months or so, she moves to a new town, rents a new hole-in-the-wall room, and finds a new job where she’ll be paid in cash. Her deliberately prickly personality helps her keep people at arm’s length. Friends are a luxury she can’t afford. Jo sleeps with a baseball bat under her bed and her shoes by the door, ready to flee if necessary, but all her precautions don’t dispel her nightmares.

Edinburgh was supposed to be like all the other cities where she has hidden in plain sight, a brief stop before moving on. When she answers a classified ad for a housemate, though, she finds a stunning luxury home that’s a far cry from her usual basic digs, and meets its even more gorgeous owner.

Nate Harding is licking his wounds after an ugly divorce. He hardly cares who rents his extra floor, as long as the tenant is quiet and responsible. Jo touches something within him, though, soothing his ragged feelings and moderating his cynicism about women. She’s sharp-witted, sincere, self-reliant and unpretentious, a huge contrast to his unfaithful, gold-digging ex Kate. And despite the impropriety of a sexual liaison given their respective roles, Nate finds Jo incredibly attractive.

Jo understands that it’s dangerous to get close to Nate, but she can’t help herself. Although she tries to pretend they’re nothing more than fuck buddies, both of them know their relationship goes well beyond the fabulous sex they share. As Jo grows more intimate with Nate and more integrated into his warm, quirky family, hiding her secret become more and more difficult. The openness that Nate craves, though, will threaten not only Jo’s life but those of the people she has come to love.

Now You See Me is phenomenally good, especially for a first novel. In a genre famous for straining belief, it may be the most realistic romance I’ve ever read. The first person narration puts the reader inside Jo’s head, where we’re party to her scheming, her uncertainty and her barely suppressed terror. The pressure is unrelenting, as she falls more deeply for Nate and fights harder to keep the skeletons from her past under control.

Nate begins as more of a fantasy figure, the tall, dark, dominant, arrogant lord-of-the-manor type that romance readers seem to crave. Cracks soon appear in this facade, though. Jo happens upon him late one night, when he’s drinking away the hurt after a run-in with his demon ex-wife Kate. When Jo tries to console him, he brags:

-----

“You think I’m lonely? You think I have a shortage of women waiting, willing, begging to fill my empty bed?”

I closed my eyes. “Meaningless sex isn’t companionship.”

“Sex with me is never meaningless. Even if it’s only once, it’s not like the women don’t get anything out of it. And you know what? They’re grateful for it.”

-----

Another author would have us taking this at face value – classic alpha male cockiness. Ms. Todd makes it clear that this sort of bravado is indeed a symptom of Nate’s craving for real love and affection – especially when he apologizes profusely the next day.

Jo and Nate have plenty of thrilling erotic encounters, in a wide range of locations including the kitchen island. They don’t fall into bed immediately, though, and even after they do, their relationship develops gradually, another realistic touch I appreciated. Jo is not the sort of person to let down her guard easily. Nate woos her with his tender care and true consideration, as well as his talented tongue and hard cock. In a pleasing turn-about, the male in the couple is eager for commitment long before the female can bring herself to even consider the possibility.

The pacing is brilliant. The author gradually ramps up both the erotic intensity and the suspense, until the point when Jo has to reveal her secret to Nate and to the reader. Her love for him will not allow her to stay silent any longer. Then she tries to leave, because she must, for her own safety and for Nate’s. Nate understands this, too. He goes off to work, giving her the space to make her own decision. She packs her few things into her battered suitcase but she can’t resist going upstairs to his room, one more time.

-----

Releasing a shaky breath, I sat on the chaise longue and pulled my knees up to my chest. The city was laid out in front of me, all sprawling rooftops, eccentric, almost random twists and turns of the streets. Views of the Water of Leith and the Gardens broke up this ancient city that had worked itself under my skin...not unlike Nate.

He had given me the perfect opportunity. The moment I tole him the story of my past was the moment my fate was sealed, and the first chance I got I would leave his world behind. And now here I was, poised above departure but unable to move.

When had it happened? I couldn’t pinpoint the moment everything had changed. When it had become an impossibility for me to leave.

I watched the light change. The pale sun sank over the buildings, casting shadows into the room before twilight began and the room turned a dusky purple. It was fully dark when I heard him behind me. My heart didn’t thump. I didn’t panic. It was almost as though I was resigned.

He crouched in front of me. “You’re still here.”

“I’ve been trying not to be.”

-----

This scene had me close to tears, something that almost never happens when I’m reading romance.

One might think that this is the happy ending, but this is only half way through the book. After this, things become truly dark – really scary – as Jo’s past catches up with her. At one point, I had to shut off my tablet for a while. Intuiting what was about to happen, I simply couldn’t bear to read further. There’s a reader’s advisory about violence and abuse associated with this novel. Take it seriously.

This dark section of the novel is equally believable, though, as Ms. Todd describes a real-life nightmare many women face. When the monster is finally defeated, terrible scars linger.

In the last quarter of the book, Jo tries to rebuild her life and her trust in herself. To be honest, I felt the book dragged a bit during these latter chapters. For one thing, it’s a bit too easy. Some therapy, a pet dog, a trip to the seashore with Nate, and years of psychological damage are undone. I’m fortunate never to have experienced anything like what Jo had to deal with, but I have close friends who have suffered in similar circumstances. It took a very long time for them to recover their sense of safety and self-respect.

In addition, there’s a sense of anti-climax. The major conflicts have been resolved and hence there’s nothing driving the narrative but the need to tie up loose ends.

On the other hand, I suspect many readers will find these chapters a huge relief after the almost unbearable tension in most of the book. Lots of sex and lots of love, including Christmas with Nate’s family. How happy can you get?

Overall, Now You See Me is a substantial and satisfying novel, as well as a brilliant instantiation of the “What’s Her Secret” theme. Jo’s secret drives the book from beginning to end. Revealed, it has as much power as it did when it was hidden. I applaud Pamela Todd’s skill in weaving this tale of terror, love and redemption.

Profile Image for Steph.
993 reviews90 followers
January 28, 2016
Hot sex, intense drama, humor and redemption make up NOW YOU SEE ME, and I couldn't get enough!

Nate Harding needs a roommate. Jo Carpenter needs a room. When she sees his ad in a local publication for a ridiculously cheap amount, Jo takes the chance and meets the sexiest man she's ever seen. She and Nate are like ships passing in the wind, but that doesn't stop the crazy attraction from taking hold of them both, and soon they find it impossible to keep their hands off of one another. To make matters worse, Jo genuinely likes him…and his crazy sister and bubbly niece. But Jo knows better than to get involved with anyone, and she would never want to put the three of them in danger from the man who'll never stop searching for her. But there comes a point where she CAN'T walk away from the man, the family, she's fallen in love with. And it could cost them all dearly.

I just love Ms. Todd's work! She's such a talented writer, making the reader feel as if they are besties with the characters in her books. Jo has some seriously big secrets and has been on the run from a pretty dangerous man. Her character is independent and used to a solitary existence, but when she falls in with Nate and his gregarious sister Suze and niece Tilly, life just clicks for her. Nate is a bit of an arrogant, attitudinal man whore in the beginning, but the two of them have delicious chemistry that made me salivate.

But it wasn't just hottie hottie hot sex, it was also the tension and, surprisingly, the humor, that did me in. Witness this little nugget of fun while Jo and Nate were discussing her job:

"But if you decide you don't want to, my offer still stands."

I elbowed him, laughing. "The offer where I come to work with you every day, sit on your desk in a short skirt with no knickers and feed you cake, you mean? Let's call that plan B, shall we?"

Nate huffed. "Fine, fine."

Their banter was funny and sweet and excruciatingly erotic and I loved it!! As they grew closer and their relationship developed, Nate softened immensely, falling hard and fast for the secretive little multifaceted woman who made him a better man.

And then the suspense started. I literally sat straight up with my eyes wide open and said "Oh, my god" out loud when Nick's sister Suze sprays the perfume…the creep factor shot from…not quite zero, let's say 20…to 60 with one line. EEK!!! But unlike a lot of books, it didn't end with drama, it ended with healing, and I LOVED that! Well done, Ms. Todd, this is an EXCELLENT read and I can't wait for more from you!

Bottom Line: Crazy good read that'll give you the feels in so many different ways. - See more at: http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/v...

The Romance Review - See more at: http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/v...
Profile Image for L.E.Olteano  .
514 reviews70 followers
December 3, 2014
Cool read & sweet love story :D

Originally posted at Butterfly-o-Meter Books on Nov 21 2014:

Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: We’re talking one fun Edinburgh setting for the story, and I loved that. It wasn’t too focused upon, but I loved the feeling of the place nonetheless.
Characters: Jo was interesting MC, transparent yet very secretive. I can’t say I liked or disliked her, most likely because for most of the novel she’d holding herself back in a way. You’ll get what I mean when you read the novel.
Nate was of course crush material, all yummy, alpha male, somewhat player vibe, but tender and caring. I loved his nutty family, especially his sister. Nate and Jo had awesome chemistry, and their one on one was very passionate and awesomely hot :D
If there’s one character I would have liked more developed, somehow, it’s Scott. But you know me, I always care more about the villain of the story.
Plot: The romance arc was really sweet, usually not my thing, and while I wasn’t head over heels with it, it worked out in the end. The suspense arc wasn’t terribly thrilling (for me…it’s tough to thrill me though, keep in mind), but it had a good tempo and though the action didn’t give me a rush, I liked how tension and conflict were resolved.
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, Jo’s POV. Interesting voice. I really loved Pamela L. Todd’s descriptions, not lengthy or too emphasized upon, but definitely suggestive.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, interesting blurb. Good impulsive buy candidate for my suspense-y reading moods.

All in all, I had a good time reading a story that I will say was very much vanilla and sweet for me. While we’re talking tortured characters and traumatic MC past, I’d say Pamela L. Todd’s writing has a way of making even shocking scenes flow smoothly, leaving your feathers quite unruffled somehow. As an adrenaline junkie and a totally sadistic & evil reader, I would have enjoyed a darker, more haunting kind of approach because that’s what I’m generally into, but even so the story worked for me.
I recommend the novel if you’re into suspense but not into gory details and much violence, plus I’m sure you’ll love this if you’re into sweet romance, because boy was it sweet! Not overly fluffy or anything, but on my scale of things, definitely sweet, even though we’re talking heroine with a traumatic past (and present).
Profile Image for J luvs books.
205 reviews11 followers
November 9, 2014
*I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book is an erotic, thrilling, sweet, touching romance about a lonely lost girl with a traumatic past and a handsome man that helps to save her. I absolutely love all the characters in this story, especially Nate, but it's rare that I like the secondary characters as much as the main. And, in this book I seriously loved them all, except of course one. Which you will know who, when you read the book.

Jo moves in to a room in Nate' s beautiful house in Edinburgh, expecting this to be just another stop until reality knocks on her door. She doesn't expect to fall in love with Nate and his family. After Nate' s chatty sister and adorable daughter, Tilly become amazing friends, Nate sees a side of Jo that he loves. But, will Jo's frightening past ruin everything?

The relationship between Nate and Jo is beautiful and totally hot. So, even though there was a lot of nail biting moments, that totally made up for it. This is a beautifully written story that had me on the verge of happy tears a few times, and touched my heart. It's my first by this Author and not the last.
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