KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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RECKLESS LIES
White Wattle Creek Book 2
BY VIKKI HOLSTEIN

Blurb

Closely guarded secrets. A sinister shadow from her past. Will the truth set her free?

Carol has a tough exterior and relies on no one. She has her motorbike and her dog, and that’s all she needs. But underneath the hard shell she presents to the world, she’s fighting hard to put her sordid past behind her. Except when her manipulative ex shows up, he proves his power over her is still strong.

To make matters worse, when she comes face to face with Blake, the new guy in town, he reminds her of the one she’s trying to escape. She wants nothing to do with him, only Blake keeps proving that while he might look like the one haunting her, the two couldn’t be more different.

But as Carol slowly begins to open her heart to Blake and discovers a new world of love and tenderness, the hold her ex has on her tightens. She has a choice to make—submit to the monster’s control or find the strength to break free once and for all. Will she let her past destroy her future? Or will she shatter the silence with the truth?

Reckless Lies is the second book in the White Wattle Creek series, though each title can be enjoyed as a standalone. If you enjoy small-town settings and survival stories where good triumphs over evil, then you’ll be enthralled by this romantic suspense novel by Vikki Holstein.

RECKLESS LIES
White Wattle Creek Book 2
BY VIKKI HOLSTEIN

Carol McGrath, Character Interview

1. What is your name? Do you have a nickname?

She extends her hand, her grip firm and warm. “Carol McGrath. My best friend calls me Caz sometimes. The other nicknames people have aren’t that nice, so I won’t say them.”

2. Who is your best friend? What kinds of things do you do when you’re together?

Her eyes light up and she grins. “Kelsey Ryder. We got up to some crazy stuff when we were kids, but then she disappeared when we were sixteen.” She frowns a moment. “She’s back now, and we’ve both grown up, but we still have some fun while she’s helping me get back into riding horses again.”

3. If you have a family, how do you get along with them? If you don’t, are there people in your life that you consider family? How do you get along with them?

She picks at a stain on her jeans. “Mum and Dad are somewhere on a cruise ship. They call for my birthday each year.” She gives a shrug, one side of her mouth tipping up.  “But I have three surrogate brothers in Mark, Ethan, and Jex. They like to think they keep me out of trouble.”

4. Do you have a birthmark? Scars? Where is it? How did you get it?

“No birthmark, or scar, at least none that can be seen.” She frowns, then taps her finger to a small silver bar through her left eyebrow. “But I have this. It’s sort of a self inflicted scar.”

5. When you’re angry, what do you do? Where do you go? How do you deal with your anger?

She quirks that eyebrow. “Depends who I’m angry with.” Then she shrugs. “Taking Snow for a run is always good to blow off some steam. Otherwise, I draw and let my subconscious empty.”

6. If you had to make me a meal right now, without going to the store, what would you find in your refrigerator to feed us?

For a moment she gapes. “What sort of question is that? Did Mark put you up to that one? I mean, just because I don’t do regular shopping, and all you’d be eating is yoghurt and possibly an egg, doesn’t mean I’m a bad person.” She sits back and crosses her arms. “I only have to look after me and Snow, and he eats fine.”

7. What’s the one thing you’re afraid of losing?

She glances at the dog asleep on the floor at her feet. “Him. I don’t have much else.”

8. What makes you laugh out loud?

“Him.” She bends down and scratches the dog behind his ears. “He’s a big goofball, and he knows when I’m feeling down. He’s the one who’s always here for me. He knows all my secrets, and he loves me without reserve or judgement.”

9. Has anyone broken your heart? Who was he?

It’s more than pain that flashes in her eyes. “Yes. And I’d rather not talk about him.” She chews on her bottom lip. “He was, is, a manipulative bustard, and I just want to forget him.”

10. What’s the one thing you want out of life that you don’t think you can have? Why can’t you have it?

She stares at a spot on the floor. “There’s so many things it’s hard to single out one. I guess peace. I’m never going to have that contented feeling of fully belonging, because no one will ever know the real me. I won’t let anyone that close ever again. I don’t want to lose me in trying to be what someone else wants.” She lifts her gaze, the pain in them dark and deep.  “Does that make sense?”

About Author Vikki Holstein…

Vikki Holstein is the author of Breaking Storm and Reckless Lies, books 1&2 of her romantic suspense series, White Wattle Creek.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, her writing reflects the courage it takes to trust again, and the struggle to forgive ourselves on the journey to finding love, peace, and happiness. Her stories invariably feature horses as they were an integral part of her survival as a child and teenager.

Now a wife, mother, and storyteller, she lives in central Victoria, Australia, with her husband and herd of animals. When not writing, she spends time with her horses, helping her husband on his latest renovation project, reading, or gardening.

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