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Chesterton Scandal #3
Lust & Loyalty
“Shelly Ellis is a new favorite to our list.”--Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors
It’s a life of high-profile drama for the powerful Murdochs of Chesterton, Virginia, and they just keep the scandals coming…
Evan Murdoch hoped things had finally settled down in his life. But now he’s caught between two feuding women: his pregnant fiancée, and his recovering alcoholic wife who’s fighting their divorce with every dirty, seductive trick she’s got. But even that doesn’t compare to the dangerous secret Evan’s harboring—one that could send a Murdoch to jail for a very long time…
Party boy brother Terrence Murdoch is recovering from his devastating car accident. But his relationship with his journalist girlfriend may not survive—especially when she reconnects with her family, her church—and her ex…
After the attempt on his life, half-brother Dante Turner lays low—but not for long. A mysterious young woman may be the answer to his vengeful prayers when it comes to bringing down the Marvelous Murdochs—and this time he’s going for the jugular…
Praise for Best Kept Secrets
“Secrets abound in this full-bodied tale.” --USAToday.com
“This fantastic novel is replete with scandal, entitlement, treachery and passion up to the surprising end.” --RT Book Reviews
“Drama, hot sex, and betrayals are all wrapped up in this addictive yet well-written story." —AAMBC Book Club
It’s a life of high-profile drama for the powerful Murdochs of Chesterton, Virginia, and they just keep the scandals coming…
Evan Murdoch hoped things had finally settled down in his life. But now he’s caught between two feuding women: his pregnant fiancée, and his recovering alcoholic wife who’s fighting their divorce with every dirty, seductive trick she’s got. But even that doesn’t compare to the dangerous secret Evan’s harboring—one that could send a Murdoch to jail for a very long time…
Party boy brother Terrence Murdoch is recovering from his devastating car accident. But his relationship with his journalist girlfriend may not survive—especially when she reconnects with her family, her church—and her ex…
After the attempt on his life, half-brother Dante Turner lays low—but not for long. A mysterious young woman may be the answer to his vengeful prayers when it comes to bringing down the Marvelous Murdochs—and this time he’s going for the jugular…
Praise for Best Kept Secrets
“Secrets abound in this full-bodied tale.” --USAToday.com
“This fantastic novel is replete with scandal, entitlement, treachery and passion up to the surprising end.” --RT Book Reviews
“Drama, hot sex, and betrayals are all wrapped up in this addictive yet well-written story." —AAMBC Book Club
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2017
44 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Shelly Ellis
16 books381 followersShelly Ellis is a NAACP Image Award-nominated women's fiction/romance author and creator of the Gibbons Gold Digger and Chesterton Scandal series. Her fiction writing career began when she became one of four finalists in a First-Time Writers Contest when she was 19 years old. The prize was a publishing contract and having her first short-story romance appear in an anthology. She has since published ten novels and was a finalist for 2015 NAACP Image Award in the Literary Fiction Category, a three-time finalist for the African American Literary Award in the romance category (2012, 2016, and 2017), and a finalist for the 2015 RT Reviewers' Choice Award in Multicultural Romance category.
She is married and lives in Prince George's County, Maryland with her husband and their daughter. Visit her at her web site www.shellyellisbooks.com.
She is married and lives in Prince George's County, Maryland with her husband and their daughter. Visit her at her web site www.shellyellisbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 21, 2017
CAUGHT UP in the DRAMA of the Murdoch family/friends/enemies...will this family ever catch a break from outsiders intruding on their happiness?! FYI...ends w/MAJOR cliffhanger moment...hope next book in this series is on the way REAL SOON!
March 12, 2023
Lighthearted gossipy and fun.
June 4, 2018
So happy to delve back into the lives of the Marvelous Murdochs. This family has more drama than a little bit. 3 1/2 stars
May 4, 2017
Starting off good a lot of characters to keep up with right now, but lets see how this goes..
February 18, 2017
YUGE thanks to Dafina and the author for granting me an advance copy of Book 3 in the Chesterton Scandals series. I'm not even a series reader, but this has become one of the few I follow and stay current with!
This book dives deeper into the dramatic, sexy, action packed lives of the well to do Murdoch family of Chesterton Virginia. Evan, who's caught between a rock and a hard place, is the de facto Patriarch of the family, sitting at the helm of Murdoch Conglomerates. This makes him a target, both for gold digging wives that can't let go and jealous illegitimate half siblings. When I tell you Charisse, Evan's soon to be ex is petty? Wooooo. When she shows up at a country club meeting to "expose" Leila as the mistress (like people didn't know who she was), and then subsequently does her very best to destroy her husband's pregnant fiancee's business and livelihood? Chick is cold. And crazy. But I don't get her end game. Chile, take that alimony and go on with your life.
On top of the drama between the two women in his life, Evan knows something that might send a member of the family to prison... for murder.
Terrance Murdoch was one of those characters that I didn't like at first-- spoiled playboy, former model who lives off of the trust fund he only earned by being a Murdoch... but then he had that terrible accident and I felt like it brought him to his knees. Terrance had to rebuild himself from the ground up with therapy and reconstructive surgery and his relationship with newspaper reporter CJ. But things get rocky when CJ's attentions are divided between him and her super religious family and Terrance doesn't deal well with not being the center of attention. Some of his bad boy behaviors return with a vengeance. Things come to a head when Terrance misunderstands what he sees and suddenly he's single again. But does Terry fit into this old life, with the women he used to chase, the alcohol he used to drink, the life he used to live anymore?
Dante..... *sigh* This brother right here. If there's one character I have to read with one eye closed because I'm not quite sure what he's going to do, it's Dante. Somebody tried to kill this dude, and it did not work and he is not happy about it. He's simultaneously in hiding and on the warpath and it's... frightening. He's an addict, he's angry, and he's in a position to hurt someone he's related to but has no love for and that means bad news for other members of the Murdoch family.
This book follows Shelly Ellis' tradition (from the Gibbons Sisters on down) of turning out books full of family drama, sizzling sex scenes and page turning, rapid fire action. I love books that make me want to pop a bag of popcorn to eat while I read. It's like a Soap Opera, but it's a book. This entire series is FIRE, and I already need the next book.
Each of these books ends in a cliffhanger, but not one that keeps you dangling. Stories that are introduced in the book come to conclusion but the overall arc of the story carries over 4 books. I can't believe I've been waiting a year for THIS book to come out, I've already read it and there's a year to go until the final book comes out next year. I can't WAIT!
This book dives deeper into the dramatic, sexy, action packed lives of the well to do Murdoch family of Chesterton Virginia. Evan, who's caught between a rock and a hard place, is the de facto Patriarch of the family, sitting at the helm of Murdoch Conglomerates. This makes him a target, both for gold digging wives that can't let go and jealous illegitimate half siblings. When I tell you Charisse, Evan's soon to be ex is petty? Wooooo. When she shows up at a country club meeting to "expose" Leila as the mistress (like people didn't know who she was), and then subsequently does her very best to destroy her husband's pregnant fiancee's business and livelihood? Chick is cold. And crazy. But I don't get her end game. Chile, take that alimony and go on with your life.
On top of the drama between the two women in his life, Evan knows something that might send a member of the family to prison... for murder.
Terrance Murdoch was one of those characters that I didn't like at first-- spoiled playboy, former model who lives off of the trust fund he only earned by being a Murdoch... but then he had that terrible accident and I felt like it brought him to his knees. Terrance had to rebuild himself from the ground up with therapy and reconstructive surgery and his relationship with newspaper reporter CJ. But things get rocky when CJ's attentions are divided between him and her super religious family and Terrance doesn't deal well with not being the center of attention. Some of his bad boy behaviors return with a vengeance. Things come to a head when Terrance misunderstands what he sees and suddenly he's single again. But does Terry fit into this old life, with the women he used to chase, the alcohol he used to drink, the life he used to live anymore?
Dante..... *sigh* This brother right here. If there's one character I have to read with one eye closed because I'm not quite sure what he's going to do, it's Dante. Somebody tried to kill this dude, and it did not work and he is not happy about it. He's simultaneously in hiding and on the warpath and it's... frightening. He's an addict, he's angry, and he's in a position to hurt someone he's related to but has no love for and that means bad news for other members of the Murdoch family.
This book follows Shelly Ellis' tradition (from the Gibbons Sisters on down) of turning out books full of family drama, sizzling sex scenes and page turning, rapid fire action. I love books that make me want to pop a bag of popcorn to eat while I read. It's like a Soap Opera, but it's a book. This entire series is FIRE, and I already need the next book.
Each of these books ends in a cliffhanger, but not one that keeps you dangling. Stories that are introduced in the book come to conclusion but the overall arc of the story carries over 4 books. I can't believe I've been waiting a year for THIS book to come out, I've already read it and there's a year to go until the final book comes out next year. I can't WAIT!
March 28, 2017
Lust & Loyalty ( A Chesterton Scandal Novel), was a book that definitely had it's share of drama and scandal mixed together.
The oldest of the Murdoch family, Evan, had the world on his shoulders from keeping family secrets and trying to divorce his wife Charisse and marry his pregnant fiancée Leila. Everything seems to catch up with Evan at one time and he can't handle it. He soon realize that he is more like his father than he actually knew. Charisse has gone to a new level of pettiness to keep Evan and destroy Leila. Leila was very pregnant and I thought she did a good job of trying to handle Evan, Charisse and her daughter Izzy at the same time. But she did have her breaking point and I don't blame her!
I am glad to see that Terrace has recovered from his accident. He tries very hard to balance recovery and maintaining his now relationship with CJ. CJ to me was caught up in her own family drama that she didn't see Terrace holding on to her while struggling with his insecurities. In the end, I am glad that they finally got it together!
Antonio and Paulette for some strange reason were the couple that pulled at my heartstrings. I would have liked to have read a bit more about them in this book, but what I did get from them was good. Paulette thought that her relationship with her husband was on the mend until Terrace blurted out Antonio's secret at the baby shower. I think Paulette handled it pretty well after she processed the whole thing. After all family over everything right?
Dante and his no good self, I wanted to kill him myself. Just when you start to feel just alittle but of sympathy for him he goes and do crazy things. It was kind of shocking to find out who KiKi was to him. But never mind, she seems like she is cut from the same grimy cloth Dante is made from. Ugh! I want to kill him myself. I hope he gets what he deserves in the next book!
This book kept my attention and had me on the edge the entire time. True scandal at it's finest! From the teaser at the end of book, I am impatiently waiting to see what happens with Evan, Leila and that whole Dante situation. I hope we get a bit more from Paulette and Antonio too.
Great read and great job by this author. She never disappoints her readers with her books! Please hurry with the next book!
The oldest of the Murdoch family, Evan, had the world on his shoulders from keeping family secrets and trying to divorce his wife Charisse and marry his pregnant fiancée Leila. Everything seems to catch up with Evan at one time and he can't handle it. He soon realize that he is more like his father than he actually knew. Charisse has gone to a new level of pettiness to keep Evan and destroy Leila. Leila was very pregnant and I thought she did a good job of trying to handle Evan, Charisse and her daughter Izzy at the same time. But she did have her breaking point and I don't blame her!
I am glad to see that Terrace has recovered from his accident. He tries very hard to balance recovery and maintaining his now relationship with CJ. CJ to me was caught up in her own family drama that she didn't see Terrace holding on to her while struggling with his insecurities. In the end, I am glad that they finally got it together!
Antonio and Paulette for some strange reason were the couple that pulled at my heartstrings. I would have liked to have read a bit more about them in this book, but what I did get from them was good. Paulette thought that her relationship with her husband was on the mend until Terrace blurted out Antonio's secret at the baby shower. I think Paulette handled it pretty well after she processed the whole thing. After all family over everything right?
Dante and his no good self, I wanted to kill him myself. Just when you start to feel just alittle but of sympathy for him he goes and do crazy things. It was kind of shocking to find out who KiKi was to him. But never mind, she seems like she is cut from the same grimy cloth Dante is made from. Ugh! I want to kill him myself. I hope he gets what he deserves in the next book!
This book kept my attention and had me on the edge the entire time. True scandal at it's finest! From the teaser at the end of book, I am impatiently waiting to see what happens with Evan, Leila and that whole Dante situation. I hope we get a bit more from Paulette and Antonio too.
Great read and great job by this author. She never disappoints her readers with her books! Please hurry with the next book!
February 17, 2019
The only word to describe this book is it's simply astounding and much better than the last one! The Murdochs are at it again and this time with a few new characters. I honestly can't stop reading the series. In an effort not to spoil it for other readers I won't go into too many details but this is certainly a page turner. This review came after I received to book. I hope it never ends!
Please read you will never have a dull moment I promise!
Please read you will never have a dull moment I promise!
November 15, 2021
Jealousy and hatred makes great enemies
The Murdoch saga continues.
Love continues to be main character in this portion of the this series,but hatred jealousy and racism rears it's ugly head in this family full of issues and problems.
A murder,a engagement,a new baby new beginnings and then a arrest based on racism and jealousy and a bold face lie.
This book has just so much, can't wait for the next book in this series!😲
The Murdoch saga continues.
Love continues to be main character in this portion of the this series,but hatred jealousy and racism rears it's ugly head in this family full of issues and problems.
A murder,a engagement,a new baby new beginnings and then a arrest based on racism and jealousy and a bold face lie.
This book has just so much, can't wait for the next book in this series!😲
June 24, 2017
The Murdochs are back and one of the is back with a bone to pick with the others. There is plenty of drama to go around for each of these family members, but it seems for Evan there's double the drama for him. This book held my attention until the very end and I can't wait to read the next installment. Shelly does not disappoint with this series.
March 26, 2022
First of all, how is it that Dante has a daughter who has more power than he and the police. What a LIE! Anyway poor Evan! Can’t wait to see how the next book turns out, they say the character you hate the most in a book or movie is the best character. Let’s just say this book has two weeks could do without, Dante and Celeste! I’m praying for justices.
March 11, 2024
The ending was good and I was NOT expecting it to end like that. SOO many secrets between everybody. It took me a while to read, but it ended really good! Can’t wait to delve into the fourth and final book. I really hope Dante Turner’s jealous ass gets what’s coming to him…hopefully an ass whooping or his death (he really getting on my nerves)!
August 24, 2018
Great series to read.
If you are !looking for a different story, check out this series. Entertaining and captivating. Definitely worth your time. It contains all the ingredients to keep you reading.
If you are !looking for a different story, check out this series. Entertaining and captivating. Definitely worth your time. It contains all the ingredients to keep you reading.
June 7, 2017
I LOVE her books. This was an excellent read and can't wait for the next one.
October 31, 2018
I really really enjoyed this book!!
November 29, 2019
Dante is the devil!
The family can’t win for losing. I lost what little respect I had for Dante after what he allowed that girl to do!
The family can’t win for losing. I lost what little respect I had for Dante after what he allowed that girl to do!
April 5, 2020
WHAT???
That damn Dante, just a mess!! Heading to book number four, can't wait to see how it all ends!! Do good!!
That damn Dante, just a mess!! Heading to book number four, can't wait to see how it all ends!! Do good!!
June 27, 2021
The story is getting deeper!
I am really liking this! Cantwait to read the next! I highly recommend others to read t his series. Thanks
I am really liking this! Cantwait to read the next! I highly recommend others to read t his series. Thanks
July 20, 2023
I guess I'm going to have to read the 4th book in this series.
July 7, 2025
Book 3 continues with secret and lies, which make for a great drama-filled listen! On to Book 4!!!!
June 13, 2019
This book needs its own television series. It’s a soap opera in written form. From the expected to unexpected twists and turns the Murdoch’s need to sit down and regroup 🤦🏾♀️🤷🏽♀️
March 8, 2017
Many thanks to NetGalley, Dafina Books and Shelly Ellis for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Wow!! I really enjoyed this book. This is the continuing story, (Book 3 of the series), of the Murdoch family of Chesterton, Virginia. You have Evan who is the head of the family, who holds a secret that may hurt his family but is also dealing with personal drama. Then there’s Dante, who is an addict and has a grudge against a family member, well most of his family members. Then you have Terrence who has a somewhat humbling accident that causes him to obsess/control his woman. Which, leads to him losing his woman. He then begins to ponder going back to the old life he led. This is my first time reading a book by this author, but it will not be the last. Definitely going to read books 1 and 2!
Wow!! I really enjoyed this book. This is the continuing story, (Book 3 of the series), of the Murdoch family of Chesterton, Virginia. You have Evan who is the head of the family, who holds a secret that may hurt his family but is also dealing with personal drama. Then there’s Dante, who is an addict and has a grudge against a family member, well most of his family members. Then you have Terrence who has a somewhat humbling accident that causes him to obsess/control his woman. Which, leads to him losing his woman. He then begins to ponder going back to the old life he led. This is my first time reading a book by this author, but it will not be the last. Definitely going to read books 1 and 2!
November 11, 2017
A new author to me. A well written, fast paced and enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.
March 31, 2017
OMG!!!
Lust & Loyalty was the perfect name for this book. I love the Chesterton scandals, The Murdoch's cannot catch a break no matter what and that is what keeps you on edge and the pages turning. This a great series , I love the authors writing style. I cannot wait to read the last and final installment. Great job once again.
Lust & Loyalty was the perfect name for this book. I love the Chesterton scandals, The Murdoch's cannot catch a break no matter what and that is what keeps you on edge and the pages turning. This a great series , I love the authors writing style. I cannot wait to read the last and final installment. Great job once again.
April 2, 2017
Good read
I have been waiting for this book for a while now. The book was good but, I just think it should have ended with this book. Some things could have been left out and some things could have been handled all in this book. Now I have to wait till a few months I'm sure to get part 4.
I have been waiting for this book for a while now. The book was good but, I just think it should have ended with this book. Some things could have been left out and some things could have been handled all in this book. Now I have to wait till a few months I'm sure to get part 4.
April 6, 2017
Scandal, drama, love, lust, lies. I love the Chesterton scandals, this is a great series; I’m not tired of it, not in the least! I love the author’s writing style; excellent writing, the story line is believable, and holds your attention. I cannot wait to read the next installment; I’mma need Shelly Ellis to hurry up and get to writing. I would recommend this book to everyone!
May 2, 2017
I read this novel a month ago. I was finally glad to see Terrence realize a need to change his life and for C.J. to put the brakes her hypocritical family. Evan still makes stupid moves. His divorce should have been over by now. As both have signed the papers, it is a done deal. Leila is still strong. She needs to read her daughter.
As I own all of Shelly's novels, I have yet to read one that I did not enjoy. I have already pre-ordered "To Love & Betray".
As I own all of Shelly's novels, I have yet to read one that I did not enjoy. I have already pre-ordered "To Love & Betray".
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews