I did not get the opportunity to read this ARC before it was archived. I’ve got The Three Mrs Greys on my summer read list. My rating is based on my wanting to read the book but I hadn’t been able to make it a priority.

Once again Shelly Ellis did not disappoint. The Three Mrs. Greys was something else, each one was naïve in there own way thinking they were the one and no way this could be done them. I know this this story is fiction but I feel like there is a man out there doing this for real and getting away with it. This story kept me engaged and I look forward to reading the next story.

I received a gifted copy via NetGalley and am providing a review. This is book 1 in this series.

What a deceiver Cyrus turned out to be. Vanessa, Noelle, and Diamond had no idea about each other until an accident that landed Cyrus in the hospital. Noelle had the idea that the three of them should meet and decide exactly how to handle the situation. This is not to say these women were not guilty of their own secrets and deceit. Cyrus gave to each of these women what he thought they needed, and how he was able to keep his lies straight for each one is a bit of a mystery. Tariq, Bilal, and Julian also play important roles in this tale.

How Ms. Ellis was able to keep these three women’s voices distinctly separate is intriguing to me. It should be interesting to see what these women decide to do about Cyrus and how they continue on, each with their own strengths. Who knows, maybe they will become the best of friends due to circumstances beyond their control.

Thank you for y copy! This one was very similar to Three Mrs Wrights. I found it to be a bit sow, but overallentertaining.

Below are a few (somewhat) brief, $.02 opinions about books I've read or listened to recently but don't have the time, inclination, or opportunity to review in full. Their appearance in this recurring piece often has little to nothing to do with merit. Some I enjoyed as much or more than those that got the full court press. I hope you'll consider one or two for your own TBR stack if they strike your fancy whether they struck mine or not.

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THE THREE MRS. GREYS, by Shelly Ellis


Cool cover, author of color, fun premise: three women believe they are the only wife of wealthy businessman Cyrus Grey until he's shot and comatose in the hospital. I was expecting a thriller with a little soap (a little I can take), but this was a bit over the top in the drama department for me. I might have pushed through were it not for the staggering overuse of the exclamation point. Hot tip: USE THEM SPARINGLY. If at all. It felt like every line of dialogue had one and I just couldn't do it. I tapped out early.

While I didn't like any of the characters, the excessive foul language, or the abundance of sex, I really enjoyed the story. It was an easy, fast read and kept my interest. It ends in a cliffhanger, but I'm not sure if I care enough to give book 2 a try.

Honestly, I thought it was bad....just poorly written, terrible characters, and the storyline was bad. But...I can't help myself, when the next one comes out, I'll probably read it. It was sort of trashy like a good Fifty Shades.

3/5 Stars

This book shocked me!! You would think it is a good thing that a thriller shocked me. I would think so. But THIS BOOK ENDED ABRUPTLY IN A CLIFFHANGER!!

Mr. Grey got shot while he was with Mrs Grey and both were taken to the hospital. Imagine the authorities plight when they had to inform the three Mrs Greys.

The story went on to describe their lives, the good, the bad, and the ugly. All of them had secrets in the past. And the author Shelly Ellis made them distinctive and interesting.

The writing had a lot of not so politically correct words but I couldn’t comment if it was okay for the author to use them. I felt a bit comfortable.

I liked how secrets unfurled slowly down the pages, especially when Mr. Grey got up from his coma.

Then the story ended. Whaaaaat!!! To me this felt to be a pure gimmick to buy the next book as all the plot threads were kept open. It was a waste of my time and money that I was not given a complete story. And nothing in the blurb hinted at it too.

My rating was based on the fact that I felt dissatisfied, disappointed, and cheated.

This was a great read. I featured it as Book of the Day on all my social media platforms, and I’ll include it in my monthly roundup of news releases for my Black Fiction Addiction blog.

Wow! While I would not call this a thriller as much as a domestic suspense, I have to say it was amazing! Well written, with amazing character development, which absolutely draws you into the story! Unputdownable! Twisted webs slowly being unraveled in a dramatic, twisted, chilling, shocking, and thrilling way! Highly, highly recommend! Cannot wait for more by this amazing author!

I didn't realize it until the book stopped abruptly. My galley was only a long sample. It worked out though, I wasn't that interested in this book. For some reason, it just didn't hold my attention. The only character I liked was Noelle, and she was beginning to get annoying.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

This book has a very fun premise, but I did find myself skimming through parts. The book is very fast-paced and there is a lot to keep up with, which is nice. I love how developed each character is. I have a very clear understanding of the motives and morals of each character, which I really enjoyed. The cliffhanger at the end made me a bit annoyed, but in a good way because I now want the next book. Generally, the book kept my attention, was something different from other books, and leaves you wanting more.

Grey is not an uncommon surname. It’s not out of the question for there to be three – or probably a whole lot more – Mrs. Greys in the Washington DC/Baltimore megapolis.

But Cyrus William Grey is a considerably less common name taken all together. While it’s still possible for the man to have had three wives one after another – divorce is certainly a thing, after all – for three women to all believe that they are CURRENTLY Mrs. Cyrus William Grey is a bit of a stretch.

That they all had a reason to kill him – or to have him killed – after their mutual discovery isn’t actually a surprise. That one of them may have attempted to do the deed before she found out about the other two is what makes this story so fascinating.

The story of the three Mrs. Greys is really about the falling of a house of cards – and just what happens to all of those cards once they’ve crashed to the ground around the builder of that house – in this case Cyrus William Grey.

At first, it seems like the story is all about the women – and just about the women. Mostly because Cyrus is laid up in the hospital after taking three bullets to the chest and is in a medically induced coma. He’s not “there” to keep his house of cards from crashing.

That’s where things get interesting, as the three Mrs. Greys reveal who they are, or who they used to be, or a bit of both, without Cyrus there to keep them guessing or placated or too busy to notice what the man behind the curtain is doing.

Who might not be, or might not only be, Cyrus Grey.

Escape Rating B: I don’t want to say too much about the story, because this is one of those stories where layers keep peeling back, not just the layers that Cyrus deliberately put in place, but also the layers of secrets that his three wives managed to wrap around themselves during all the time when they thought he was away on a business trip.

After all, if each of them was only getting about a third of his time, that means they each had another 2/3rds to spend alone. Or not alone, as at least one of the cases turns out to be.

The story is told through alternating points of view, day by day, for the week after Cyrus Grey gets himself shot. And he certainly did get himself shot. Not that he set himself up, but that he wasn’t keeping track of all the messes he left in his wake as he danced between his wives and his not-quite-successful-enough business.

Supporting three separate households in the style to which they wished to become accustomed is an expensive undertaking. One that threatens to send Cyrus Grey to an undertaker – one way or another.

This isn’t a case where the reader has to like one – or honestly any – of the protagonists in order to get caught up in the story. No one has clean hands in this one, and everyone has secrets that aren’t as secret as they thought they were. But the whole thing is utterly fascinating. The reader – along with all three Mrs. Greys – can’t help but marvel at the whole thing. It’s not a surprise that it fell apart, it’s a surprise that he managed it as long as he did.

So The Three Mrs. Greys is that kind of deliciously scandalous story where just desserts get passed all around. And it’s so satisfying in the sense that the whole thing couldn’t have happened to a more deserving bunch of people. (Not quite like the Thrombey family in Knives Out – but comparisons could be made)

It’s also not over yet. The author plans to continue the story in further books. After all, nobody’s dead yet. Considering just how big of a mess this is, somebody’s going to be a dead body before the last of those just desserts is finally served.

One final note: when I was growing up, Cincinnati was not as big as the Baltimore/DC metro area is now, but it wasn’t exactly a small town, either. We used to regularly get telephone calls for the other Joe Harris who lived in Cincy, whose wife was also named Shirley like my mother. It’s probably a good thing I wasn’t old enough to be interested in books like this one, otherwise I would have been VERY suspicious!

Thank you so much to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

Three women, all married to the same man. Noelle the beautiful model, who wonders why they can't have kids, they certainly have the money. Diamond, who Cyrus Grey saved from a life of treachery, beatings and prostitution. Vanessa, beautiful mother and also wife of Cyrus Grey, with a beautiful house and three children.

Now Cyrus Grey ends up shot and in a coma? Did one of the three Mrs. Grey's find out? Well, if it's not one of them, they certainly know about each other now because Cyrus is in a coma hanging on for life. Betrayals, lies, envy and lots of delicious drama, will the real Mrs. Grey please stand up?

4 stars!

Cyrus, Cyrus, Cyrus...what the heck were you thinking?! 😑 Shelly Ellis is an author who can effortlessly create a world of suspense and intrigue with mere words that when put together - yank you into the lives of the 4 main characters and don't let hold until you know exactly who they are and what is happening to them. The Three Mrs. Greys was an unstoppable force of a novel that unquestionably left you begging for more! I loved the way each character was introduced into the novel and how each one was "flawed" in some small way that made them seem so down-to-earth you couldn't help but relate to them. A MUST ADD to a TBR list for thriller/suspense book lovers out there. And the best part about it is that it's not over...dive into the world of the Greys and be prepared for a astounding ride! 😉📖👍🏼

Most of the characters were completely unlikeable. Maybe one or two were marginally OK. Plot was simple to figure out.

Lots of stereotypes, which really detracted from the book.

The cliffhanger really sucked. I won't read the second book.

The Three Mrs. Greys is the first book I've read by Shelly Ellis, and it's a fun read that's full of drama. I liked that the story was told from the perspectives of all three wives, and I was really invested in finding out who shot Cyrus. I'm glad this is going to be a series instead of a standalone novel, and I can't wait to read the sequel! Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Three Mrs. Greys. : )

REVIEWER: Shirley Fleming: RATING: A

Cyrus Grey is a wealthy man living a secret life juggling three wives and maintaining three households. Vanessa, Noelle, and Diamond Grey have no idea their husband is cheating on them until he is shot. Cyrus’s carefully orchestrated house of cards comes tumbling down while he lies in the hospital bed unconscious. His wives learn of each other’s existence and the reality of their situation devastates them. The wives get together and compare notes. They can’t believe a man so kind and loving could do this to them. Who is Cyrus’s legal wife? Will the real Mrs. Grey please step forward. In the meantime, the police are searching for the person who tried to kill the bigamist. And the wives are persons of interest.

Vanessa hasn’t worked in the last ten years. She is a stay-at-home mom of three having an affair of her own that is not so secret to her husband. Noelle is a sweet person and an ex-model with mental problems. She now owns a boutique funded by Cyrus. Diamond is a hostess at a local restaurant. She is also a twenty-three-year-old ex-prostitute who Cyrus rescued from the streets and gave a better life. Cyrus is the glue that holds these three ladies together. He’s cheating on them. but he provides financial support to maintain the lavish lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to.

THE THREE MRS. GREYS is drama at its best. The author has written a great story filled with secrets, lies, anger, frustration, and a host of other emotions. I like the premise of one man juggling three wives. He did it with such finesse until a near-tragedy struck. The hodgepodge of characters from different walks of life makes for very interesting reading. Cyrus and Julian have at best a tenuous partnership. Those two know secrets about each other they’d rather stay hidden. The three wives are like oil and water; they don’t mix. Makes you wonder what attracted Cyrus to women with such distinct personalities. Needless to say, this book is well-written with excellent characters and enough mystery to keep you interested to the end.

If you like an entertaining love triangle, THE THREE MRS. GREYS is a must-read. All the twists and turns keep you reading to see what other secrets and skeletons come to light. And the ending leaves you wanting more. This book is part of a series so stay tuned for the next entry.

14th April 2021 | romcol@caribsurf.com

Lies, secrets and suspense. Shelly Ellis packs a wallop with her latest release.

Three unsuspecting wives with a now dead husband. Which one did it?

With interesting characters and a totally "draw you in plot", readers will have fun while trying to figure out Cyrus Grey AND his wives. This was the perfectly balanced read and I'm looking for the next book.

There were more thing that I didn’t like about this book then there were that I liked. The language bothered me – I thought the way they talked to each other was disrespectful. The women were head strong but didn’t seem to be able to function without a man. And the ending didn’t have a conclusion but was a prelude to the second book.
2.5 stars