Book Review: The First Time I Saw Your Face by Hazel Osmond

Jennifer had it all. But a terrible accident has taken almost everything. Moving back home, her future isn't looking too bright. Until she meets Mack.
Sexy, dishevelled and just a little clumsy, he starts to make her believe that she can move on from the past and embrace life all over again. But he has a secret he'd do anything to protect and he'll have to betray her to keep it...

The First Time I Saw Your Face explores what happens when you betray those that you love. Mack Stone is a freelance journalist, he is blackmailed into taking on a job which will mean him betraying someone in the worst possible way.
Mack travels to Northumberland under the guise of Matt Harper, a writer writer working on a new book about walking in the area. His real aim is to befriend Jennifer Roseby; she is the cousin of Cressida Chartwell, a  Hollywood starlet. Mack needs to gain Jennifer's trust in order to find out who Cressida is sleeping with in America. Gaining Jennifer's trust will not be easy. Mack was not informed about her accident, a car accident that has disfigured her face and stripped her of any confidence. Mack did not want to take the job in the first place but he has no choice. However, he had no idea that he would fall in love with Jennifer and still have to betray her.
This book is 501 pages long but I read it very quickly. The book is clearly set out to deal with Mack being given the job, carrying it out and falling in love with Jennifer and then finally, the aftermath and consequences of his betrayal.
What Mack does is truly horrible but I did have sympathy for him. I don't think he would have taken the job on unless he had been blackmailed and he really didn't expect to fall for Jennifer. Regardless of what he has done in the past, Mack is clearly a good guy and he is completely devastated to hurt those close to him. Jennifer is quite a complex character, the injuries she sustained in the accident have obviously changed her life. But her interactions with Mack show us glimpses of the woman she used to be. They are only brief glimpses but Jen cannot believe how different he makes her feel, which makes his duplicity even worse.
Hazel Osmond gives you a lot to think about and she keeps you guessing right to the very end as to whether Jennifer will be able to forgive Mack.
As I said, I did read this book very quickly, there was a lot going on to keep me interested. You want to know how Mack will gain Jennifer's trust, will she allow him in, can he really betray someone he has fallen in love with, will Jen ever be able to forgive Mack and face the world again?
The First Time I Saw Your Face is a book that I would highly recommend.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Quercus for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is out now!