Our First Impressions feature this week also happens to be the February Good Morning America Book Club Pick: Eleanor Shearer's historical novel River Sing Me Home is a vivid and emotional adventure following a mother's search for her children after the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean.

In our latest book club discussion, members are talking about Rosie Walsh's The Love of My Life, a domestic literary thriller involving a woman harboring secrets from her family.

In Editor's Choice, we cover another suspenseful work of fiction, Rachel Hawkins' The Villa, which focuses on two childhood friends with a fraught relationship spending the summer at an Italian villa, as well as some previous visitors to the same location. Our accompanying "beyond the book" article dives into the phenomenon of female "frenemies."

We also have upcoming discussions for you to check out - plus, new First Impressions and Book Club books for members to request!

With best wishes,

Davina Morgan-Witts

BookBrowse Publisher

Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.

"A keenly observed lyrical historical novel about an enslaved mother's resolve to search for her five children sold away from her. When the plantation master in Barbados announces in one breath that the Emancipation Act of 1834 abolishes slavery, but in the next breath takes all that joy away, stating the enslaved are now 'apprentices' for the next six years and cannot leave the plantation without grave consequences, Rachel decides to take her freedom now and runs away with a cruel overseer on her heels. Through Rachel's journey, with seemingly impossible odds and insurmountable obstacles to learning the truth of what happened to her children, the storylines explore how she and each of her children define freedom for themselves in the cruel world they inhabit." - Beverly J. (Hoover, AL)

"This was one of the best books I have read in ages! Imagine a novel that grips your entire being both physically and emotionally throughout. Every aspect was so well crafted, from the scenery, to the credibility of the storyline, to the characters. I cannot find any fault but highly, highly recommend reading this story that takes place at the end of slavery in the Caribbean. This book shares strength of character, love, fear, determination and, mostly, hope. I can't wait to read this author in the future…what a marvelous debut!" - ER (Vista, CA)

"The writing is so good that it puts you in the story, you can feel the heat, the rush of the river, and all the feelings and paths Rachel must follow. I recommend this very readable, interesting book." - Susan B. (Fort Myers, FL)

Emma loves her husband Leo and their young daughter Ruby: she'd do anything for them. But almost everything she's told them about herself is a lie.

And she might just have got away with it, if it weren't for her husband's job. Leo is an obituary writer; Emma a well-known marine biologist. When she suffers a serious illness, Leo copes by doing what he knows best – researching and writing about his wife's life. But as he starts to unravel the truth, he discovers the woman he loves doesn't really exist.

"I really enjoyed reading The Love of My Life. I empathized with Emma in her young years. Then the story-line twists and turns made for an interesting story." - carla a

"I enjoyed The Love of My Life, though I'm not sure how to categorize it. There was definitely a domestic suspense plot, but the book moved much more slowly than a typical thriller. I think I might call it a literary mystery. The characters are realistic and relatable, and the plot is compelling and kept me reading because I truly wanted to know the secrets." - rebeccak

"This novel is a good choice for book clubs." - joannej

Emily Sheridan's life is falling apart. She's been plagued by an unknown illness, her husband has left and a draft of her latest cozy mystery is long overdue. When her childhood best friend, Jessica "Chess" Chandler, who's now a self-help guru, invites Emily to spend the summer at a beautiful Italian villa, Emily thinks things may be turning around. But the villa also has an infamous past, with secrets still waiting to be discovered, and as Emily learns more about the house's bloody history, her friendship with Chess takes a dangerous turn. Fifty years earlier, Mari Godwick travels with her boyfriend and stepsister to Villa Rosato. It's meant to be a summer of music and relaxation, but as the summer progresses, the relationships in the group become twisted by drugs, jealousy and secrets until everything boils over and someone is murdered.

Told from the points of view of both Emily and Mari, The Villa is a story of two women surrounded by suspicion and betrayal and connected across time by the secrets of the villa. ... continued

In Rachel Hawkins's novel The Villa, childhood best friends Emily Sheridan and Chess Chandler decide to spend the summer together amid the splendor of Villa Aestas in Italy. Although the two women have fallen a bit out of touch over the years, this summer offers a chance for them to reconnect while combining work and play.

Although Emily and Chess initially began as friends, their relationship, as evidenced by the novel's opening line, has shifted to something closer to frenemies: "Somewhere around the time she started calling herself 'Chess,' I realized I might actually hate my best friend." Frenemy, or "frienemy" as it was originally spelled, is a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy," with a perhaps predictable definition: "a person who combines the characteristics of a friend and an enemy." The Oxford English Dictionary cites the first use of the term in an 1891 article in The Champion newspaper out of Norton, Kansas, but the use of the word has grown substantially over the past two decades, largely due to the influence of social media and cyberbullying. ... continued

Members! This month's First Impressions and Book Club books are now available to request. Offer closes end of Saturday Feb 11.

Books are provided free of charge to BookBrowse members resident in the U.S. with the understanding that they'll do their best to either write a short review or take part in an online discussion forum (depending on whether the book is assigned for First Impressions or the Book Club). Members who choose to take part generally receive a book about every 3-4 months.

Not yet a member? Free books from our monthly First Impressions and Book Club offers are one of the many benefits of a BookBrowse membership. If you're interested in becoming a member, or renewing a lapsed membership, and do so before end of this Saturday (the 11th), you'll have the opportunity to request the book of your choice from these five titles. As a new or returning member, if you request just one title you have a very good chance of receiving it; if you request two or more titles, you will definitely receive one of them.

Discussions are open to all, so please join us! By clicking below, you can see our opening dates for future discussions, and past discussions. If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification.