Review – The First Time I Saw Your Face by Hazel Osmond

This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.

When The First Time I Saw Your Face dropped through my letter box, I couldn’t wait to explore something new…What’s new about it? you might ask. Well, as a reader of mainly humorous chick lit or the occasional scandalous bonkbuster, The First Time I Saw Your Face’ offered a more delicate story, a story about trust and re-building your life, a story that really touched me. Jennifer is the actress who has it all: successful career, money and exactly the kind of glamorous life that she wants. Until she is involved in an accident that leaves her with scarring on her face and completely decimates any confidence that she once had. Moving back home to Northumberland, Jennifer is struggling to rebuild her life and, especially when faced with an interfering ex-boyfriend on her doorstep, she doesn’t know where to turn. Until Mack comes along. Sexy, rugged and a little clumsy he starts to make Jennifer believe that she can live again and move on. But Mack has a secret of his own that he doesn’t want to come out and he must decide whether he is prepared to betray the woman he loves to protect it… I very much enjoyed this book, I sympathised for Jennifer as a character and I enjoyed seeing parts of her old personality come through as she became more comfortable with Mack and started to believe that she could live again and be happy. The descriptions of beautiful Northumberland are detailed and every time I read the book I was transported there. Mack is a very detailed and complex character. Without giving away too many details he is in Northumberland because he is being blackmailed over a secret he does not want to get out, but he does not expect to fall in love whilst he’s there. His story was addictive to read: he is torn between his secret and betraying the woman he has fallen in love with. It was totally compelling.  This novel is definitely a page turner, I loved seeing Mack and Jennifer grow closer and Jennifer come out of her shell again after her accident. There are moments of comedy that lighten the mood of the book and all of the characters are well written and a pleasure to read. By the end of the book I had so much empathy for the characters that I was really rooting for them. Reading the book at a particularly busy time in the year for me was a wonderful escape. As soon as I opened the pages I was drawn right in. The First Time I Saw Your Face is a poignant tale with a dash of humour…a gorgeous Novelicious read. 7/10 MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK