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.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I love the combo of two grumpy main characters, I feel like their journey to falling in love wasn't entirely believable. Granted, neither is agreeing to marry a complete stranger and live in his Scottish castle for a year, but still...

The banter was fun, but it got a little too personal and mean for me at times. It went beyond teasing and straight into cruelty. And the pacing of the book felt wrong; it's not unusual for characters to hate each other in the beginning and be madly in love toward the end, but the falling-madly-in-love part happened too far into the story for my liking.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book. It looks like it starts a new series and I cannot wait to see where Sara Cate takes the next few books.

In this book, Sylvie is visiting Scotland with her boyfriend when they come across Killian, an older man who has been hiding from the world for years. They are immediately at odds with each other. When her boyfriend is right away cheating with her best friend, Sylvie receives a proposition she can't refuse. She is offered 10 million to marry Killian and be with him for a year, then his family will be able to get the estate he lives in back from him. Sylvie has a bad relationship with her parents and has no other options at that point, so she agrees.

Over the next few months they become more comfortable with each other and utlimately fall in love. Meanwhile both of them have their trust issues and are trying to deal with their own issues along the way. It was wonderful to see them both working on their issues while being there for each other. I loved the romance of their relationship and how both got to their HEA. Of course there was your standard Sara Cate spice. Highly recommended.

I recieved an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

This book has fake marriage and enemies to lovers, which are both tropes that I enjoy. Because of the tropes it is a bit of a slow-burn and perhaps not as spicy as other Sara Cate books I have read, but overall an enjoyable read.

The spice was a bit tame for my liking and I didn't love the characters. I love an enemies to lovers trope, but this wasn't it. I found it hard to suspend disbelief, both with the circumstances around the marriage that were full of plot holes and the two main characters going from being so mean to each other to falling in love.

Sylvie is still figuring out her life when she travels to Scotland with her then boyfriend and meets Killian, a brooding Scotsman who is quite angry to discover a random American woman breaking into his family's ancestral estate, Barclay Manor, which he also calls home. After a tense encounter, Sylvie returns to New York City, only for her boyfriend to cheat on her with her best friend and her wealthy parents to withdraw their financial support. On the verge of being evicted from her apartment, Sylvie is offered 10 million dollars by Killian's sister in exchange for entering a 1-year marriage of convenience with Killian himself. Naturally, she agrees.

I decided to DNF this book 37% of the way through for reasons mainly to do with plot and character development. To start, the marriage of convenience plotline made little sense. As is explained by Killian's sister, the primary intent behind the marriage is to remove Killian as owner of Barclay Manor. A sham marriage would achieve this goal because some legal document (of origins unknown to the reader) has stipulated that once Killian has been married for 1 year, ownership of the estate will transfer to Killian's wife. But why would such a stipulation exist in the first place? Even more baffling is the fact that Killian is entirely ignorant of these terms and instead agrees to the marriage merely to get his family off his case. But how could this be possible? Right from the start, it is established that Killian is aware that his family is trying to undermine his ownership of Barclay Manor. In this respect, how is it at all feasible that he would know nothing of the estate's terms of ownership AND be completely unsuspecting of the marriage scheme put together by his sister?

In terms of character development, Sylvie and Killian are far from sympathetic characters. Despite attempts to provide them relatable backstories, the two come across as rude, selfish, and incredibly juvenile. They are also just plain mean to each other. Killian treats Sylvie in an archaic manner, namely through offensive name-calling and rough manhandling. To be fair, Sylvie calls Killian names as well, but the ones she throws at him are by no means as derogatory as the ones that are aimed at her. At a certain point, I could no longer suspend my disbelief. While I knew that Sylvie and Killian would eventually fall in love, I couldn't imagine it in the slightest. The constant exchange of vitriol made me actively dislike the characters and care little about their futures, which is the exact opposite of a what a romance novel should do. A romance novel should convince readers that love is inevitable and encourage them to actively root for the couple every step of the way. If it doesn't, then what's the point of even reading it?

This review will be posted on Storygraph a few days before the December 3, 2024 publication date.

This book just did not work for me. I am fine with a fake marriage trope, but the reasoning behind Sylvie's marriage to Killian made no sense. Sylvie's parents are artists, and they were really cold and uncaring for her when she was growing up. They finally cut her off, and she has no money. Killian's sister offers to give Sylvie $10 million if she marries Killian for one year, gains ownership of his castle/manor, and then gives it to his siblings. Killian is still dealing with the trauma of losing his parents, and he has not left his house in six years. The sex scenes in this book were meh and there was no chemistry between Sylvie and Killian. Killian is supposed to be Scottish, but it just felt like Sara Cate would throw in Scottish phrases randomly. The drama between Sylvie and her parents just felt too extra. Skip this book.

Okay, but why did this make me cry??? Not at all what I was expecting from this book but in the best way. Overall it wasn’t the most groundbreaking romance I’ve ever read but I loved the character development! Will definitely be recommending this one.

A missed opportunity to write about a duo of damaged rich lovers. Instead Keep Me reads like fan fic.

I absolutely love Sara Cate. LOVE. Her spice is 😘 but the thing that got me about this book is it made me feel things. The only thing I would say is Sylvia’s mum’s revelation didn’t exactly feel realistic. But hey, maybe she did some soul searching off page.

My first Sara Cate book. I loved the characters and how they helped each other without smothering the other. A really great book!

An emotional and intense start to another great series from Sara Cate. The setting is immersive, the dialogue is impactful, and the characters are vivid and earnest. Truly a stunning read all around, can't wait for more!

I love Sara Cate’s previous books, so I was really excited for ‘Keep Me’. Enemies to lovers? A fake marriage? A Scottish manor, complete with a grumpy owner? Sign me up! However, the execution was lacking overall. It was hard to root for Sylvia and Killian, when all they do is bicker the first half of the book. The spice was okay, but Cate’s Salacious Players Club books are better by far. I will be interested to see where the next book in the series goes.

Loved the plot outline for Keep Me! The execution didn’t quite live up my expectations. Neither of the MCs were particularly appealing. While I came to like them a little better as the story progressed, it was still hard to understand what they saw in each other. We did see some much-needed character growth throughout the story, it just wasn’t enough to alter my overall impression of the book.

This was a true enemies-to-lovers story - so much so that I wondered how the MMC who was really unlikeable at the start was going to redeem himself and end up with the FMC. The author had done a great job of developing the characters and building a believable romantic arc throughout the story. I really connected with the FMC and felt invested in the relationship and rooted for her to find her happy ending. The chemistry was sizzling and the spicy scenes were very well written and helped move the story along.

Having read some of the books in the Salacious Players' Club, I went into "Keep Me" thinking it was along the same lines. There were a few things that surprised me about "Keep Me" - while it wasn't as spicy as the previous books I read by the author (but still pretty spicy!) - it was full of emotion, well-rounded backstories, and two characters you can't help but not cheer on! This is my favorite book I've read by the author.

Plus this book is set in Scotland so you know what that means?! Men in kilts! From the first page, "Keep Me" kept me intrigued as I wonderd countless times how two stubborn, hard-headed people would be able to survive together, let alone in a fake marriage. As the pages turned, the reader begins to unravel the lives of Killian and Sylvie, exposing their past traumas, family issues, and mental health challenges. I loved how they supported each other through it in different ways - both together and seperately. I'm going to keep my eye out for more in this series and hope they revolve around Killian's siblings!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing a digital copy for me to review.

What a fun and wild ride! Sara Cate knows how to tell a great story. Keep Me is a fantastic addition to her collection of works. Much like I, I have no doubt her readership will be eager to get their hands on her newest release and just gobble it up.

Sylvie and Killian are two strangers who find themselves face to face when Sylvia decides to break into his home to sneak a peak at an antique typewriter for her (soon to be ex) boyfriend. It is hate at first sight, a mutual dislike for each other’s strength and unwillingness to submit. So what should happen naturally afterwards? Sylvie finds herself propositioned by this stranger’s family: marry him for one year and help them get back the family mansion he has been partying in for years. One year is all it takes and she will be ten million dollars richer. She agrees and they begin their life of wedded “bliss.” But they soon realize they’re more alike than they originally thought and inexplicably drawn to each other. As passion and feelings begin to arise within the walls they’re sequestered in, they find themselves wondering what will happen at the end of their one year contract?

I had no business loving this book as much as I did, but who doesn't enjoy a man in a kilt? I normally am not one to enjoy the fake marriage trope but this one had me carrying my iPad EVERYWHERE to finish it in a single sitting. The main characters grew as people both together as well as separately, addressing their demons and past traumas while falling for each other despite all their best efforts. The spice was absolutely delightful and I look forward to sharing this with anyone and everyone who asks me for book recs!