Wards of the Women by Denise N. Wheatley Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Wards
of the Women
by
Denise N. Wheatley
Genre:
Romantic Suspense
They
bought men from a prison to fulfill their every need. What could
possibly go wrong with such a simple little purchase?
WARDS
OF THE WOMEN introduces three desperate girlfriends who, on the
surface, appear to have it all, but underneath are in the midst of
various crises. Mysterious deaths, extortion, straying husbands and
illegitimate children have suddenly overtaken the lives of Violet
Christianson, Shayne Wentworth, and Fifi Gentry. Eventually, when
Violet becomes fed up with all of their circumstances, she does what
any sensible woman would do—blackmails the state prison warden into
letting each of them buy an inmate from the jail for their own
personal fulfillment. But never in their wildest dreams did they
imagine all the chaos that would ensue from a simple little purchase…
THE PRETENSE
Chapter
One
Violet
Christianson was a woman who knew what her name meant to most.
Perfection.
Everyone either wanted her, wanted to be her, or simply wanted her to
go away.
Violet
considered herself to be the most beautiful woman on her block, and
never missed an opportunity to ponder her stunning image. At
five-eight, she kept her lean, size two figure draped in outrageously
expensive designer clothing at all times. Her dazzling, widespread
hazel eyes were framed with long, lush lashes. Her retroussé nose
had finally been perfected after several invasive surgeries. Her
soft, plump lips accentuated high cheekbones when they puckered. Her
raven hair swung so low that she could practically sit on it.
Violet’s
husband, Elliot, was rich. The richest man on the block, to be exact.
Elliot worked as a real estate developer and closed more big-money
deals than a little bit. As a result, he allowed her to spend his
money on whatever she wanted, and whenever she wanted. As he should
have, considering how unsightly he was. Elliot’s pockmarked skin,
hair plugs, bifocaled eyes, rat-like teeth, pot belly, and squat body
were enough to send most into hysterics the moment they laid eyes on
him. But Elliot was wise enough to hide his ghastly appearance behind
his vast fortune. So by the time people noticed his looks, they’d
already been so blinded by his Benjamins
that his ugliness became a blur. Which is exactly how he said he
wanted it.
Violet’s
house was big. The biggest house on her suburban block, to be exact.
It boasted a huge great room, six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, an
Olympic-size pool, and even a room designated just for gift wrapping.
The house had been designed by Jacques Lolique, interior decorator to
the stars, which meant that her contemporary décor was nothing short
of flawless—as was the house’s appearance, which was constantly
being serviced by a small army of workers.
To
top it all off, Violet was smart. Smart enough to have earned a
doctorate in psychiatry. But rather than open a high-end practice and
service the rich and famous, she’d gone with her heart and decided
to work with inmates at the local state prison.
Violet
Christianson. Beautiful, lucky, and
charitable. All the reasons why most people either wanted her, wanted
to be her, or simply wanted her to go away.
Chapter
Two
Shayne
Wentworth loved how the mere mention of her name brought smiles to
most faces. She knew she may not have been the most beautiful woman
on the block, but she certainly was the sweetest.
Shayne
was an ex-pageant queen. Ex, simply because she now had five
beautiful children and a wonderful husband to look after. If it
weren’t for them, she could certainly still be competing. Because,
after all, when she looked at herself, her bright-green eyes still
danced. She made sure her straight white teeth still gleamed. And her
creamy, clear skin still glowed. As for her shoulder-length platinum
blonde locks, all she’d have to do was pull them out of the bun
that she usually wore and shake it out a bit. As for her figure, all
it would take was a crunch or two to get back in fighting shape. And
as for the rest? Nothing a tube of lip gloss and a dazzling evening
gown couldn’t fix. So, all things considered, she was still a
contender.
Shayne’s
husband may not have been the richest man on the block, but he
certainly was the most powerful. Russell worked as a criminal defense
attorney and had a reputation for being ruthless and cutthroat. At
home, however, he was a different man. Russell was a gentle pussycat
who worshipped his wife and doted on his children. He allowed Shayne
to stay at home while he worked to provide for the family. Which was
good for her, considering she knew nothing beyond the world of
pageantry.
Shayne
may not have had the biggest house on the block, but the one she did
have was bursting with energy. Her sixteen-year-old son, Matthew, was
following in his father’s star-studded footsteps by playing
football at Russell’s high school alma mater. Her fourteen-year-old
daughter, Sloane, was a straight-A student who’d managed to skip
two grades and was taking accelerated courses in high school. Her
twelve-year-old son, Ryan, already knew he wanted to be an attorney,
so he spent every possible moment with his dad at the law firm.
Eleven-year-old Cadence was carrying her mother’s torch by
competing in statewide beauty pageants and winning numerous trophies
and prizes. And Basil, Shayne’s ten-year-old son, was simply
brilliant. His wit, intellect, and cunning sense of humor amazed all
who knew him.
Shayne
Wentworth. Nurturing, fortunate, and fulfilled. She may not have had
the best on the block, but at least she had her family.
Chapter Three
Fifi
Gentry knew that the mere mention of her name meant only one thing to
most. Business. And while she may not have been the sweetest woman on
the block, she certainly was the feistiest.
Fifi
was a go-getter. A five-foot dynamo. A twenty-eight-year-old spitfire
who was too busy fighting for the rights of others to worry about
trivial things. Like looks, for instance. Fifi would much rather
spend her time amending proposals than getting a makeover. She did,
however, put forth an effort to appear presentable, considering she
wanted to be taken seriously.
Fifi
never missed her monthly hair appointments to have her sleek brown
bob, which complemented her almond-shaped eyes, dyed and trimmed. She
cleansed her flawless olive skin with plain water and smoothed
Vaseline
over it every night, which was her secret to keeping it radiant. She
followed a strict macrobiotic diet and practiced Ashtanga
yoga to
help keep her enviable size zero in shape. And she did take the time
to lengthen her lashes with mascara, brighten her cheeks with blush,
and accentuate her lips with gloss every day.
Fifi
may have been the only woman on the block without a husband, but her
boyfriend certainly was the most influential man in the state.
Senator Edward Hynes was Fifi’s current beau, and the buzz amongst
politicians was that he’d be the one to beat during the next
presidential election. And even though Fifi and Edward didn’t share
many of the same political views, she couldn’t have been prouder of
him.
Fifi’s
house may not have been bursting with energy, but at least it was all
hers. She still lived in the home she’d grown up in, which her
parents had been kind enough to give to her. She hadn’t changed
much by way of décor because she loved having the feel of her
parents and memories of her childhood surrounding her. And the house
would be perfect for raising a family in, which she was definitely
looking forward to doing one day.
Fifi
may not have the goods to compete in beauty pageants, but her
advocacy work more than made up for that. Fifi worked as a lobbyist
assistant, fighting to have bills passed that would enforce tougher
child protection laws. She was currently lobbying to have convicted
child molesters serve harsh, mandatory jail sentences, then once they
were released, have electronic tracking devices implanted inside
their bodies so their whereabouts could be traced at all times. More
importantly, she was working to have a bill passed that would force
child molesters to undergo physical castration.
Fifi
Gentry. Purposeful, altruistic, and unrelenting. She may not have had
the most on the block, but at least she had a mission.
THE
TRUTH…
Denise
N. Wheatley is a lover of romance, happy endings and the art of
storytelling. She’s best known for her chick lit novel I WISH I
NEVER MET YOU, which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2004.
She has since traditionally published several novels and novellas,
including contemporary, suspense and paranormal romance. She strives
to creative characters who are strong, colorful and relatable, and
tell entertaining stories that embody matters of the heart.
Denise
received a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at
Chicago, the city where she was born and raised. She’s written
screenplays and ghostwritten for some of your faves, and when she’s
not sitting behind a computer, you can find her in a movie theater,
on a tennis court, watching true crime television or chatting on
social media.
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Thank you so much for hosting my novel! I truly appreciate it. Best of luck to all the giveaway entrants! <3
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