The Cheshire Set
Award-Winning Romantic Suspense Series by Briar Black
ScandalSecretsSchemesStrong WomenIt’s never quiet in the country...
The Cheshire Set isn’t just a term for footballers’ wives and Range Rover-driving socialites…though we do love a cheeky cocktail party in Alderley Edge.
It’s also the name of my romantic suspense series, a set of thriller romance novels set in the fictional Cheshire town of Ashfordby.
Small Town. Big Secrets. Killer Chemistry.
Packed with scandal, secrets, and strong women who refuse to stay in their assigned place, The Cheshire Set blends mystery, romance, and the delicious tension of a small town that’s anything but quiet.
Whether you’re here for the boss girl vibes, the bees, the bodyguards, or the buried skeletons (literal or otherwise), The Cheshire Set is one romantic suspense series you won’t want to miss. It’s got that cosy romance feel but with added sass, extra spice, and more than a few thrills thrown in.
The Books In The Cheshire Set Series
From prequel novellas to full-length romantic suspense, The Cheshire Set dives into the tangled lives of Ashfordby’s fiercest women. Each book stands alone, but together they reveal the secrets of a town that’s as beautiful as it is dangerous.
You can read them in any order, but they do have overlapping characters, and from Nightshade onwards there’s a whole arc going on at Delaware Grange. If you’re planning on bingeing them all, go in publication order (Start with Eve Was Framed, then Bane, followed by Nightshade, then That Boy).
Here’s a bit more about each book, plus a peek at how a romantic suspense series came to be called The Cheshire Set…
“Empowering.”“So relatable it hurts.”“A story about self discovery and standing up for yourself.”“A gripping, thought-provoking story.”“Sharp and immersive.”“Suspense with emotional depth.”“A compelling narrative.”“Strong character development.”“Watching Amelia discover her wants and dig out of complacency was so relatable.” “A good prequel.”“A must-read for those who enjoy powerful, feminist-driven fiction.”“A wonderful read.”
Technically not part of the series, but definitely Cheshire Set-adjacent. The main books in the series are all standalone, full-length Romantic Suspense novels. Eve is a bit different. No mystery. No traditional romance. Just a boss-girl origin story with spice.
Instead, Eve Was Framed serves as an origin story for Amelia (the main character in Bane). To a lesser extent, it’s also a great bit of background on Suzie, the main gal in Nightshade.
You absolutely do not need to read this before (or after) diving into the main series. But if you’re curious how Aimee became the boss babe she is in Bane, and you’re dying to know what really went down at the marketing agency she used to work for (events that are referenced in Bane), then give it a go.
It’s short, sweet, and just a little bit spicy. Also free. Which is always nice.
The story follows Amelia as she starts to realise she’s been living a life someone else wrote for her. Trapped in a dead-end job, with a boyfriend who treats her more like a live-in maid than a partner. It’s about walking away from the toxic, the tolerable, and the tired, and choosing to start again. Alone, but finally free. Expect female rage, workplace takedowns, slow-burn sensuality, and a few laugh-out-loud moments along the way.
It’s also completely FREE. You can download it right here on the site, or head over to Amazon to grab it on Kindle Unlimited (or in paperback).
“A gripping and unpredictable read.”“A rollercoaster of emotion.”“A steamy page turner.”“I devoured this book.”“I was definitely hooked from the beginning.” “Electric.”“Fantastic.”“Intoxicating slow burn.”“The perfect blend of thrilling investigation and swoon-worthy romance.”“Twists I didn’t see coming.”“Kept me guessing right until the very end.”
The IPPY Award-Winning Romantic Suspense Novel you didn’t know you needed (until now).
If you had a childhood crush who grew up to be way too hot and way too complicated, Bane is for you.
Amelia Thornbridge is (finally) living her best life. After ditching her toxic job and even worse boyfriend, she’s back in her hometown of Ashfordby, running a successful marketing business, and thriving on boss girl energy.
Enter: Michael Bane. The boy she once adored. The man who now shows up on her doorstep bruised, bloodied, begging for her help.
He says he attacked the man who tried to hurt his niece. She believes him. Until that man turns up dead. And Amelia finds herself serving as Michael’s alibi in a murder investigation.
Lying to the police is bad enough. Falling for Michael all over again? Downright reckless.
There’s an irresistible Lovers-to-Enemies-to-Lovers vibe going on in this one that readers can’t get enough of. Bane is a book about desire, danger, about learning the difference between trust and fantasy. It’s got slow-burn chemistry, sizzling heat, and a murder mystery that keeps the tension simmering to the very last page.
Expect a misfit glow-up, banter, betrayal, murder, and a canine sidekick who just might steal the show.
Bane can be read as a standalone romantic suspense novel but introduces some of the core characters of the series. If you want to read all the main books chronologically, start here!
Available in paperback, on Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.
“A beautifully written slow burn.”“The romance was swoony, the mystery was perfectly layered.”“A really engrossing read.”“I haven’t agonized this much for the brush of a hand in eons.”“A quiet, powerful story.”“Wasn’t just a story, it was a whole mood.”
Suzie Greene isn’t your typical member of The Cheshire Set. A reformed fashionista who struggled for years to be what everyone told her was a good idea, Suzie fully embraced her inner eco warrior and retrained as a wildlife ecologist and beekeeper. Now she’s back in Ashfordby to investigate a worrying crisis: Hugh Delaware’s bees are dying, and no one knows why.
What was supposed to be a straightforward consultation quickly spirals into something far more complicated. There’s sabotage on the estate, poisonous plants where they shouldn’t be, and one very dead body turning up in the middle of it all.
Then there’s Hugh himself. Infuriating, noble, frustratingly handsome.
Very much married.
As secrets unravel at Delaware Grange, Suzie finds herself caught between duty, desire, and danger. Nightshade blends a summer-drenched romance with buried truths, tangled loyalties, and the slow, twisting burn of a love you probably shouldn’t want… but absolutely do.
Expect aching slow-burn tension, forbidden attraction, quiet humour, emotional healing, and a mystery that keeps tightening its grip
Nightshade can be read as a standalone, but it kicks off the Delaware Grange arc in the series, and trust me, you’re going to want to devour every one of these, in order, so start here (you don’t need to have read Bane first, but it is set prior to Nightshade, so to avoid spoilers I do recommend you read them in order).
Available in paperback, on Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.
That Boy
“Steaming hot spice.”“Messy, addictive.”“Messy, addictive and I could not put it down.”“The twisted Christmas romantic suspense you didn’t know you needed.”“Festive and unhinged.”“The moody side of winter.”“Weirdly cozy gloom.”“Small town moody winter vibes.”“Some of the best banter making me laugh out loud.”“Slow burn to scorching heat.”“Steaming hot spice that had me fanning myself.”“A cosy festive read mixed with a darker romance novel.”“Twisty and cozy in a little bit darker way.”“Dark twists, suspenseful mystery, and complex relationships.”“A really original story.”“A great blend of spicy romance, twisted mystery plot & small town moody winter vibes.”
Sofia banjaxed her career a while back. In order to salvage it, she agreed to help Hugh Delaware realise the impossible dream of growing a tea farm on an English hillside. She loves her work, but it’s graft. And her workaholism has hindered any kind of social life. With Christmas looming, she’s feeling the seasonal blues even harder than usual this year.
Matty also works on the estate. Hapless, dopey, loveable but lowkey useless, he’s the assistant gamekeeper Sofia’s never really noticed. Until suddenly, he’s all she can see.
But nothing about Matt is what it seems. There’s a darkness in him, and something even darker lurking beneath Delaware Grange. He was sent there to manage things Sofia doesn’t even know exist.
Part of that was getting close to her.
Sofia was supposed to be his mark. She becomes his obsession.
Matt should be off-limits. Younger. Subordinate. Reputation suicide. Everything about him leaves Sofia anxious, conflicted, and painfully aware that what she’s doing is absolutely wrong… and yet absolutely right.
Her sadness sees his darkness, and falls for it. But the dark has a bad habit of swallowing you whole.
That Boy is the darkest and spiciest book in the series so far, blending razor-sharp banter, forbidden love, and escalating danger as buried secrets begin to surface.
Expect dual POV, twisted Christmas vibes, a slow-burn start that rapidly ramps up to scorchingly high heat, next-level banter, and darkly delicious gallows humour.
That Boy can be read as a standalone, but it sits within the Delaware Grange arc that begins in Nightshade. While Nightshade is technically set after That Boy, reading it first avoids spoilers and gives important context. Trust me on this.
Available in paperback, on Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.
What Does The Cheshire Set Mean?
Well, in this context, The Cheshire Set is a series of standalone Romantic Suspense novels set in the fictional town of Ashfordby, featuring fierce female characters native to Cheshire. The play on words here is intentional—The Cheshire Set is also a term traditionally used to describe the wealthy elite of Cheshire. You may be forgiven, then, for assuming all my heroines are high-flying socialites.
But you’d be wrong.
They’re a mixed bag.
Where Is Ashfordby In Cheshire?
There is no town called Ashfordby in Cheshire. Nor is there a Marquis of Ashford. These are completely made up.
(There is a town called Ashfordby in Leicestershire. But that’s entirely unrelated—and, embarrassing confession, when I came up with the name, I thought I’d invented one that didn’t exist. Turns out it does. Oops.)
Anyway, this Ashfordby is an entirely fictional creation. And while there’s glitz and glamour and high class drama you should also expect serious country vibes. Specifically English countryside energy.
4.28 Average
