Well, here’s something I didn’t expect to be writing this week…

I’m absolutely thrilled (and still a little stunned) to share that Bane has won a Silver Medal in the 2025 Independent Publisher Book Awards, taking second place in the Best Romance/Erotica eBook category.

The Independent Publisher Book Awards (or IPPY Awards, as they’re affectionately known), celebrate the best independently published books from around the world. They’ve been running since 1996, and receiving a medal is a big deal in indie publishing circles. Thousands of entries are submitted each year, and the romance category is one of the most competitive and popular. So placing is both rare and ridiculously exciting.

Apparently Chaos Is IPPY Award-Worthy

It turns out that a steamy hook-up with your high school crush, one brutal falling out, and a false alibi that leads to fake dating, small-town sleuthing, and the long, messy journey from sex to enemies back to lovers… is officially award-winning material.

Who knew?

Okay, maybe I had a sneaky suspicion. But it’s still surreal and utterly delightful to see Bane receive this kind of recognition.

See A Red Flag…Wrap Yourself In It

Bane is one of those books that started out as a messy little idea and somehow grew into something bigger. Yes, there’s spice and tension and banter. But underneath all that, it’s about trauma, trust, and what it means to risk everything for someone who once broke your heart.

It’s also the book that introduced Michael Bane. If you’ve ever messaged me in a panic halfway through yelling “WHY AM I INTO HIM?!” you’re not alone. You’re also not wrong. (And I’m not sorry.)

I’d love to say that if I knew Michael in real life I would so NOT be into him, but alas, that would be a lie. There’s something about this guy that makes me (and many others) swoon. And we know there are red flags.

We see them.

But for some reason, that just makes us crush harder.

We’ve all known a guy like this in real life. He’s kind of a dick, but he’s so fucking beautiful while he’s doing it that women fall for him anyway. And he’s happy to let them. But he never falls back.

Until he does.

Anyone with a bad boy fetish (or even a bad boy persuasion) will admit that, deep down, the root of that desire is how good it would feel to know the bad boy chose you.

The guy everyone wants, but nobody can truly have, because he’s really not into all that picked you.

You’re the one that suddenly made him think, “Hmm maybe I do see the point of a real relationship.” 

You’re the one that made him stop looking at other women because he couldn’t stop staring in awe at you.

That is the magic of Michael.

Gorgeous, sexy, flawed, scarred even, but somehow you know if you can attain that guy’s affection, if you can hold that guy’s interest, it will be the greatest feeling you’ve ever experienced.

The greatest validation you could hope to achieve (romantically at least…possibly socially).

Everyone Loves A Bad Boy

We all want the bad boy to love us back.

Michael Bane is your new favourite book boyfriend, and he has a medal to prove it.

If you’re into morally murky men, fake dating with feelings, unresolved high school crushes, and a touch of murder… Bane is available in paperback and eBook now.

👉 Get Your Copy Of The IPPY Award-Winning Bane Here

And if you’ve already read it, thank you. Truly. I’m so glad it found its way to you…a review on Amazon or Goodreads and a shout out on social media would be phenomenal!😉

Briar x

P.S. If you’ve read Bane and want to know what really happened before Aimee came home and literally ran into Michael, Eve Was Framed is where it all begins.

It’s short, sharp, and simmering with feminine rage. This is the story of a woman walking away from everything that made her small. No murder, no fake dating. Just one very hot yoga instructor, a toxic job she sets fire to on the way out, and the first spark of the boss-girl energy she brings into Bane.

You don’t have to read it first, but if you like watching women burn things down before they rise, this one’s for you.