Briar Black Books In Order

Publication Order of The Cheshire Set Books

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About Briar Black

Briar Black is a British romance author blending fierce heroines, forbidden tension, and emotional grit into unforgettable love stories. Her writing is unapologetically feminist, deliciously messy, and rooted in the belief that romance can be both steamy and smart. From small-town secrets to tangled moral dilemmas, Briar’s books explore the complexity of modern love—with heartbreak, heat, and a respectable body count in both the bedroom and the morgue.

Eve Was Framed

📚 Read free at briarblack.com/eve-was-framed

Amelia Thornbridge is stuck—trapped in a thankless job, suffocated by a controlling boyfriend who expects her to play house while he coasts through life, content in his dead-end job and glued to his games. It’s not a romance, not exactly. It’s a story about realising you’ve been living a life someone else wrote for you—and choosing, finally, to write your own story.

Witty, relatable, and sharply feminist, Eve Was Framed is a novella about walking away from the toxic, the tolerable, and the tired—and walking toward something better. Reviewers have praised its balance of humour, spice, and truth, calling it “empowering,” “surprisingly funny,” and “so relatable it hurts.”

What Readers Are Loving:

🌱 Female empowerment & self-discovery
🔥 Female rage
🏢 Workplace takedown
👯‍♀️ Strong friendships
🌶️ Slow-burn sensuality
😂 Laugh-out-loud moments

This standalone prequel is Cheshire Set-adjacent—less romance and mystery, more liberation and fire. It can be read before or after Bane, or entirely on its own.

Bane

When Amelia returned home to launch her new marketing empire, the last thing she expected was to run into Michael Bane—the childhood crush who wrecked her in high school. But it seems they’re on the same schedule, and their daily encounters keep stacking up—until a flash rainstorm leads to a decidedly steamy moment as they shelter from the storm.

Just as she thinks she’s finally going to get her guy, old rivalries and high school nonsense threaten to derail everything she’s built. And the kicker? Michael hadn’t even recognised her. While she thought they’d finally connected after years of unrequited love, he thought it was just a quick fumble with a stranger.

Then he turns up bloodied and frightened, in need of an alibi. Michael is the prime suspect in a murder, and now Amelia is fake-dating the guy who just stomped on her heart—all while trying to untangle the truth and keep Michael (and herself) out of jail.

What Readers Are Loving:
🔥 High school crush glow-up
🖤 Unconventional enemies to lovers
🔍 Murder mystery
💬 Banter & betrayal
🌶️ Slow burn plus spice
🐾 Standout canine companion

Bane is a standalone novel, though readers looking for extra context on Amelia’s origin story can enjoy Eve Was Framed either before or after. While each book in The Cheshire Set features overlapping characters and a shared timeline, the novels can be read independently. For those wanting to follow the full arc in chronological order, start with Eve Was Framed, then Bane, followed by Nightshade.

Nightshade

Coming June 21st, 2025 (just in time for the summer solstice), Nightshade is a sun-drenched romantic murder mystery featuring fan-favourite Suzie—eco-warrior, fashionista, and newly minted conservationist.

As if a mid-thirties career shift wasn’t enough, she now finds herself trying to save Hugh Delaware’s bees and rescue his family estate from financial ruin. All while dealing with the emotional fallout of running into the ex who absolutely ruined her… and accidentally falling for Hugh.
He’s older. He’s brooding. He’s very much married.

What to Expect:

☀️ Summer-soaked suspense
🐝 Bee drama, botanical sabotage, & buried secrets
🔍 Murder mystery
🔥 Age gap
💔 Forbidden love
🏡 Found family
👑 Heir/local girl romance
🤎 Mixed race, cross-class relationship

More stories in The Cheshire Set are on the way. Stay up to date on her website, or follow Briar on Goodreads, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok for the latest updates, sneak peeks, and spicy chaos. For full book details, reviews, and musings on writing, visit briarblack.com.