Review: 'First Sight' by Danielle Steel (2014)

New York. London. Milan. Paris. Fashion week in all four cities. A month of endless interviews, parties, unflagging work and attention to detail. At the centre of the storm is Timmie O'Neill, who has created an international empire that inspires, fills, and consumes her life.
Yet as blessed as Timmie feels by her success, she harbours the private wounds of a devastating childhood and past tragedy. Always willing to take risks in business, she never risks her heart - until an intriguing Frenchman comes into her life during Paris Fashion Week.
There is every reason why they must remain apart. But neither can deny their growing friendship and the electricity that sparks whenever they meet. Are they brave enough to face what comes next?
Danielle Steel is one of the world's most popular authors with more than 80 international bestselling novels in print and 600 million copies of her books sold... Wow, are those impressive numbers or what? When I was a little girl, I used to see my mum reading lots of Danielle Steel novels and I promised myself I'd check out some of her titles someday, just to see whether I would enjoy the books as well. So, when I received a review copy of Danielle Steel's 'At First Sight', which was released on the 17th of July, I was really excited to finally get the chance to check out Danielle Steel's work for myself! 
Timmie O'Neill is an incredibly successful fashion designer who has, after many years of dedication and hard work, managed to build a name for herself within the world of fashion. Her business empire is her life and she is used to travelling all over the world, from New York to Milan to Paris, spending every minute focused on her job. This means she doesn't have time for some romance in her life, but Timmy is fine with that. She has managed to leave her horrible past behind her and won't give up what she has achieved for just any man. Until she meets that particular man, a handsome Frenchman named Jean Charles, who suddenly makes her rethink her life decisions. But is Timmy really ready to trust someone with her heart?
I have to admit I had pretty high expectations when I started reading this novel, mainly because it was my first Danielle Steel book, an author of whom I had heard so many positive things. Maybe my expectations were a bit too high, because unfortunately the book didn't quite manage to live up to them. It took me some time to warm to the main character, Timmy. She's a strong and independent woman who has had to deal with quite a lot in her life. I admire those qualities in any person, but I personally got the feeling Timmy was almost a bit too perfect. I couldn't really relate to her in any way, which was a shame. As the story progressed, and the pace quickened, I started to enjoy it more and I was captivated by Timmy's story and wanted to know what would happen to her. The story was quite slow-paced, especially the first 100 pages or so, and contains a lot of descriptions and repetition and not that much dialogue, which I missed. I also would have liked it if more attention had been given to some of the secondary characters such as Jade, Timmy's assistant, instead of only focusing on Timmy's narrative.
I've read some other reviews of this book online, mainly from people who are familiar with Danielle Steel's work, and they all state this particular novel is not one of her best books. Because of this, I will certainly give one of her other novels a go in the future, in the hope I will enjoy it more than I did this one. Even though I didn't fall in love with this book, I think others who are looking for a romance read that doesn't require you to think that much could really enjoy this. Overall, 'At First Sight' is an enjoyable and trustworthy 'classic' romance read, but I have to admit it didn't quite live up to my personal expectations.
Rating:

6,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.