The Briars

Former ballerina Claire and dominatrix Ruby work at the Briars, a commercial dungeon in Los Angeles, which has been haunted by the benevolent spirit of its founder since her death in the 1990s. Yet with the arrival of a mysterious new submissive, the ghost’s behavior turns dangerous. As employees are injured, clients scared off, and the women’s livelihoods threatened, Ruby and Claire must work together to uncover the ghost’s sinister secrets.

Ruby and Claire enlist the help of their fellow sex workers to stop the increasingly violent ghost, and the women draw on their sisterhood as they take the offensive against their supernatural adversary. Meanwhile, the explosive chemistry between Ruby and Claire disrupts the identities both women have carefully constructed for themselves, and leads to a deep connection they will fight to preserve.

As the ghost’s identity and its darkest intentions come to light, Claire, Ruby, and the other women at the Briars must access an inner strength they never imagined they possessed in order to save their dungeon, the women they love, and themselves.

“With THE BRIARS, Stephanie Parent delves fearlessly into an exploration of desire and darkness, deftly weaving threads of urban modernity, folklore, mystery, and romance into a tapestry that is both compelling and harrowing. In a world dominated by men's wishes, Parent brings female relationships to the forefront, celebrating love, sisterhood and women's strength. Superb and spellbinding!”

—Antonia Rachel Ward, author of Marionette