Keep Me
Sara Cate
Pub Date: Dec.3, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book is for some people but it was not for me…
It was a good book! It just had tropes that are not my person favorite. Toxic couple!! I got tired of the screaming matches.

It was a cute book. I think the story was interesting and well written. The plot was interesting and was mostly about the relationship and a little about other things. I’m happy with the ending and would definitely read another book by this author.

This was an enjoyable story with entertaining characters and some steamy scenes that kept the pages turning.

Sara Cate’s book, Keep Me has a very sexy story. It’s about Killian, a hot kilt wearing brute and Sylvia, a desperate woman who was cutoff financially from her parents and a fake marriage.

This book is for some people but it was not for me…
It was a good book! It just had tropes that are not my person favorite. Toxic couple!!

If being immature, demonstrating toxic relationship traits (sending mixed signals, miscommunication, lying, gaslighting, etc.), and calling people derogatory names in bouts of rage makes a modern romance “spicy” then I’ll gladly sit out of the genre.

Some choice quotes:

MMC to FMC: “I’d rather marry a selfish, rude, ugly, entitled cow like you so I never have to worry about hurting your feelings or wanting to make you happy.”

FMC: “Money can get me whatever I want, so anyone who says money can’t buy happiness is probably poor and bitter.”

MMC to FMC: “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be this fucking drunk. But after I realized I married such a heinous bitch, I couldn’t wait to get properly smashed.”

Kudos to the author for creating such despicable characters.
Really advise people to catch the trigger/content warnings before touching this book.

Nice age-gap, enemies to lovers romance. The characters both start out completely unlikeable so you’re not sure who to root for, but by the end you want them to get their HEA. Enjoyed this one immensely, will definitely check out the authors other books as she’s a tale tented lady and I’ve heard amazing things about her.

This book is not my usual style, but the description drew me in. While I enjoyed seeing Killian and Sylvia work through their pasts to find their happily ever after, I mostly skimmed this book to make it to the end.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Such a good time book with some smut, good banter and a (mostly) believable storyline. Totally recommend to anybody who's a fan of romance and the fake relationship trope

What I liked:
- the way the mutiple POVs were executed, it wasnt exactly a constant change but divided into parts and we stayed with one POV for multiple chapters. Really liked this as I felt more connected to each character individually (though the MMC could have had a bit more depth imo)
- nice take on the fake relationship trope and it did NOT contain some forced conflict which I really liked
- it reads really easily, I was immersed, invested and routing for the couple
- it was not insta-love but something that just grew over time, therefore felt quite plausible which as unsexy as it might sound really helps the story. There is so much out there with the MCs spending 3 days together and suddenly they are deeply in love forever.

What I didnt like:
- I mean the deal itself is pretty weird, with the trust and all. Im ok with it for the book but feel like we could have gone for a slightly more plausible trust clause?
- towards the three quarters of the book I felt like some of the inner dialogue of the characters flipped and it felt almost childish? These are adults with the MMC being 37. I dont know if I just didnt notice in the beginning or if that only happens toward the end which also leaves me to my last point
- the end felt kind of rushed. The pacing of the book is a bit off anyways at it takes course over roughly 2 years. But toward the end we got very little input into our MC and therefore the resolution just did not hit as hard as it could have

I binged this book sooo quickly I just ate it up! A brute Scottish man in a kilt with flirty banter had me drooling over this main male character. There’s a lot of angst and sexual tension and the spice takes a backseat to build a captivating plot and really give the characters depth. I do wish there was more of an explanation on the mom’s behavior at the very end but overall it was a great story that finished all loose ends into a pretty red bow. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends and family!

I really wanted to like this one - I thought the setup was fun and that the characterization was fairly clever when seen variably through first and then third person perspectives, but I just could not with this book. It felt terribly underbaked - there are all these characters in it and none of them really matter at all, the emotional story doesn't really hang together, it's got one of those weird scenes where the woman has a cold and the man loses his mind..,. maybe I've just gotten too old for new adult, but I could not with this.

One moment will change Sylvie's life but will cost her the one thing she secretly desires, to be deeply loved.

When it appears that her life is spiraling out and she's been cut-off from her family in every sense of the word salvation magically appears at her doorstep. Will she accept the offer?

✔ Strangers to Enemies to Lovers
✔ Grumpy Billionaire
✔ Sassy Heroine
✔ A contract
✔ Family Drama
✔ Trauma
✔ Age-Gap
✔ Mental Health Rep
✔ Loss/Grief
✔ Scotland

A sexy brooding Scotsman, a manor, dark secrets, trauma, and a whole lota spice.

Would you sacrifice the one thing you have been seeking in order to survive? This was an easy read with writing that kept the plot moving forward, the character arcs were easy to follow and the tropes...plenty of them!

If you like a good strangers to lovers with a heavy amount of spice be sure to grab this book and give it a read. I would give this an Inferno rating with all the heat and note the Trigger/Content warnings which I will post once the book is released to avoid potential plot spoilers. As of today they were not posted on the author or publisher website. I hope they include it as readers will want to know.


This was the first Sara Cate book I've read and I'm excited to read her backlist as I wait to see which characters might have their story unfold in future books.

BRB, I have to go break into a Scottish castle and make the grumpy owner fall in love with me.

"We're all a mess, but the trick is to find someone who thinks your mess is a masterpiece. Your parents might be blind fucking eejits, but I'm not. I know a masterpiece when I see it."

If a random woman approached me and asked me to marry her brother for somewhat questionable reasons, and a whole lot of money, I probably would have done exactly what Sylvie did.

I have yet to read a Sara Cate book that I do not love. And while I do love this one - truly, Killian and Sylvie are so so good - there were a few things that I wished we got a little bit more closure about. I think that there was a lot of allusion to sex parties and swinging, but it would have been nice to see some of those dynamics within the friend group I think the conflict with Killian’s friends felt unfinished - specifically the issue with the friend that he slept with his wife. Overall, I did love this book!! Sara Cate writes the books that I want to read.

Everything is better (and hotter!) with a brooding, sexy Scot. Didn't love the end, but still very satisfying.

ARC Provided by NetGalley: Ummm my favorite romance author writing a book set in a Scottish manor with a kilt-wearing "brute".....yes please! I love all of the Salacious Players Club books because Sara Cate does a fabulous job of mixing the spice with the heart and growth of her characters, and Keep Me is no exception. When I think of "Scottish Romance" it's hard not to conjure up a bodice ripper from the '70s; thank the Celtic gods that Cate was up to the task of modernizing the image in my mind.

Due to a tragedy in his past, our MMC Killian has become reclusive in his family home, mixing alcohol with debauchery to avoid his past. Our FMC has recently been cut off by her narcissistic parents and needs to find money fast to be able to survive- hello fake marriage, meet enemies to lovers <3

The spice is well-written, as I would always expect from Cate, and I really loved how Killian's character arc was portrayed. I cannot wait to read more in this new series!

I recently discovered Sara Cate and was immediately impressed by her ability to create empowering, strong, independent and sensual characters. Keep Me is alike her previous novels, straight to the point, fast paced and easy to read. The characters are interesting, with traumatic back stories that make this union the more powerful.
Although I enjoyed this book, I have finished this with quite a few questions and not completely understanding parts of the story. I know this is book one of a new series so I am hopeful the next book answers these questions.
Highly enjoyed, spicy, fast paced and quite swoony.

By far my favorite Sara Cate book ever! It was beautifully written, deliciously spicy, and come on - man in a kilt - what more do you want?! Killian and Sylvie have a permanent place in my heart. They had such beautiful trauma and grew so much through this book. And during that growth, Sara broke my heart and then put it back together. Can't wait to read more in this series!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, a rich and grumpy Scottish man... what's not to love? The reason for their fake marriage is far-fetched, but the high stakes of having millions of dollars on the line made things interesting. Although this book is spicy, it's more plot and character focused and thus there is less page time devoted to spicy scenes compared to Sara Cate's other novels and I appreciated that she shows this versatility in her writing capabilities. Some of the banter was fun but it frequently escalated into a level of cruelty that was uncomfortable to read and some may consider to be emotionally abusive. Overall this is a great choice if you're looking for something slow-burn and spicy with these particular tropes.

Enjoyed. Ridiculous but sexy fun set in a Scottish castle. I’m not typically a romance reader let alone one set in modern times so this was an enjoyed step out of my comfort zones.