Here we go again.

Like, I'm still traumatized after The Heartbreaker. What's-her-face was so unlikeable and whinny, but I really didn't want that experience to affect my perception of Keep Me, so I went into this book with my heart open, truly. I was hoping for a fresh start, but unfortunately, I found this book a bit misleading. Maybe it’s because I expected something 'kinkier' from the author of SPC, and with a series called Sinful Manor, plus the book being promoted as having 'kinky vibes,' I was expecting it to deliver on that—but it didn’t. It had so much potential, and I mean so much, but it wasn’t explored nearly enough, which is a real shame.

Sylvie, the FMC, was pissing me off from chapter 1. She's so self-centered and spoiled, and yet she acts like she isn't. I was hoping there would be some solid character growth, but that just didn't happen. She’s 25, and her parents didn’t really raise her, so she’s got this whole 'woe is me' attitude—but they’re filthy rich. So, yeah, classic poor little rich girl. They cut her off, and she managed to blow through the money that was supposed to last 18 months in just 4. And she was crying about it because she didn’t want to work. Also, it was so funny how she tried to paint her parents' PA as the villain when, honestly, she was calling Sylvie out on her bullshit, and fairly so.

Things got even worse for me when we were introduced to the MMC, Killian. He’s basically the male version of Sylvie, but worse, since he’s nearly 40 and acts like a teenager. And, of course, anyone who tries to help him is automatically the bad guy. I just couldn’t handle two selfish, entitled main characters who refuse to act their age. Honestly, they deserve each other. Both are completely out of touch with reality and don’t care about anyone but themselves—they’re the epitome of 'poor little rich kids.'

I’ll be honest, by this point, the only reason I hadn’t DNF’d the book was because ‘partner swapping’ was listed in the content warnings, and I was curious to see how that would play out. When I finally got to that part—and, to my surprise, it didn’t happen between the main characters (which was a bit of a relief, since I don’t think I’d have liked it)—the story picked up enough to keep me hooked and going. And the second half of the book was definitely better, and I felt more excited to keep reading. But my real issue with this book is the main characters—I just couldn’t empathize with either of them. That said, the breeding kink was a reward for not giving up on the book.

And I’m still trying to understand the point of that marriage—and her being chosen as the bride on top of everything else—beyond just fitting the trope. The 'hate' they had for each other didn’t make sense either. It felt like the author was trying to convince readers they hated each other, but it just came across as forced.

There wasn’t enough build-up for me. They went from hating each other to being attracted to each other way too quickly. I couldn’t grasp how they were falling for each other when there wasn’t a single genuine interaction between them. Sure, they had chemistry, but love? I don’t think so. I was fully expecting a slow burn, both sexually and emotionally. You don’t just go from calling someone a cow to worshiping her in a chapter—absolutely not.

The way the story was written is to blame. There were several time jumps, and I think we missed out on a lot of character development during the periods we didn’t get to see. By the end of the book, it felt like the main characters were completely different people, but the change wasn’t gradual; it was abrupt. One moment they hated each other, and the next, they didn’t. In the second half, their behavior seemed out of character, and it didn’t feel like real 'character growth' because the shift happened too suddenly. It was as if I couldn’t keep up with the development of their feelings.

Returning to the kink aspect of the story, I was convinced she would make him submit, creating some kind of role reversal at some point. Okay, maybe that was wishful thinking, but when she mentioned that he needed someone he could trust and that he didn’t need more control, I thought it was setting the stage for him to eventually submit. Not necessarily all the time, but perhaps in one scene or another, just to take the weight off his shoulders. For me, it was a missed opportunity.

And this book was borderline a bully romance? Because he kept calling her a cow, cunt, bitch... I mean, HE CALLED HER A COW. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't give the time of the day to any person who called me a cow, no matter how hot they were. Also, there were some scenes which he was very aggressive with her because he was drunk. And that sure wasn't consensual and it should be stated in the trigger warnings.

Finally, there are some inconsistencies throughout the book, such as Sylvie's hair color, Killian's age, the book she supposedly wrote exclusively on a typewriter that later magically appeared on her laptop, and the amount of time she spent in the Manor. I want to clarify that I understand this is an ARC, and these inconsistencies did NOT affect my rating; they just bothered me.

Phew.

By writing this review, I don’t intend to discourage anyone from reading this book. I’m fully aware that reading is subjective, and the reasons I disliked it could be the very same reasons someone else loves it. It just didn’t resonate with me at all.

When I first started this book I hated Killian and strongly disliked Sylvie. For the first time ever, I considered abandoning a Sara Cate novel. But I think I was meant to hate them at first. I saw them at their worst because they saw each other at their worst. It was only with each other that they could open up and just be the pain and hate that encompassed them. Then something magical happened, they grew, they created safe space, they protected the other and with that we saw the beauty that comes with pain. We began to watch them fight to find happiness and peace, not for themselves, that still wasn't enough, but so they could be better for each other. It was transformative and healing. So yes, I hated the characters at first and you may too, but perhaps you had to hate them in order to eventually truly love them. This was a beautiful journey and the ever present reminder that Sara Cate will always push your boundaries.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This is a classic marriage of convenience with spice, that being said it really led you to thinking there would be an insane amount of spice that didn't really come to fruition. That being said, I am a sucker for a enemies to lovers, and throw in some mental health and I'm sold.

3 stars!

Wow! This was a hot one! It's the first time I've read a book from this author, and I will definitely seek out more.

Keep Me was my first Sara Cate novel and it’s definitely safe to say that it’s not my last!

I was immediately drawn to the idea of a fake relationship, marriage at that, between Killian Barclay, a broody Scotsman and the independent, take-charge New Yorker, Sylvie Devereaux. Travel to Barclay Manor with Sylvie as she agrees to marry Killian, a complete stranger; a marriage that must follow a legal contract and last one year. Can she survive her new hot headed, party animal husband and walk away a multimillionaire?

Over the course of the novel, you’ll fall in love with Killian and Sylvie; the two truly have so much love and compassion buried deep. The pair must trust one another and undergo individual journeys; putting in the work to peel back the layers protecting their hearts.

Keep Me is filled with self discovery, snark, steamy banter, spice, and found family.
The release date for this novel is December 3rd, but you can preorder your copy today!
•••••••
Thank you to Sara Cate, Hambright PR, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

If I could give this book a million stars I would. The way this book had me staying up until 2am like I don’t have a job to do in the morning 😂

The arrange marriage/ extreme dislike between Killian and Sylvie at the beginning had me cackling to myself, the banter, the arguments were too dang good. They love to get a rise out of each other and watching that hatred slowly morph to fiery passion was A++ 🥵🥹😍

This book made me cry TWICE! Dang you Sara Cate. I’m not really a crier with books but both of these characters and their loneliness and baggage really tugged at my heart strings. I love them! I was in my bed sobbing at 2am because their story was so gosh darn beautiful.

Keep Me is going up there as one of my favorite Sara Cate books and I feel honored to have been given the chance to read it early. Can’t recommend this one enough! When I heard sexy Scottish man in a huge Mano/castle with an arranged marriage trope I was ALL IN and this book didn’t disappoint.

Fave Quotes:

“You are my wife and I will put my hands on you as much as I want.” 🥵

“Killian worried because he cared, and I have literally never felt such concern in my entire life.”

“I don’t know what’s going through your head, but
you’re out of your mind if you think all of this has been pretending. Even when we’re alone. You are my wife, Sylvie. At the end of this year, you can try to leave, and if you piss me off enough, I might let you go. But I have a feeling you won’t. Because I don’t mean nothing to you, and you know it.”

“I could f__k you right here, and you’d let me. Wouldn’t you darling?”

“Let me see it again, darling. You co*e so pretty.”🥹

“It feels like finding the one other soul on this planet that matches mine. It feels like home.”

a quick read, am not sure I would recommend it to anyone. lots of dramatic behavior from all of the characters with poor characterization in general.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.75

Sara Cate can never do any wrong and I’d like to see someone tell me otherwise. Because we’ll fight. To the death. And I will be the victor.

I ate this book the fuck UP. Finished it in less than 24 hours and I’m not ashamed.

My baby, Sylvie. God, I love her. I don’t know how many more times I can say that I related so deeply to a main character, but here we go again. She’s another part of my soul and I will never get over her.

Killian? This man? Protect him. At all costs. Whatever needs to be done, fucking do it and save this man from any unhappiness. Everything he went through, everything he endured and came out on the other side of? Incredible. I love him, your honor. Lock me up.

Thank you so much to Hambright PR and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC of this book. I will think about it forever 🥹🫶🏻

Omg this book!! The feels and the spice, I absolutely loved the banter, and the ANGST. Every emotion was hard fought and hard won and totally worth it. 100/10 stars.

Thank you Netgalley, hambright PR, raincoast books and sourceebooks for the e-Arc and arc physical copy. My opinions are being left voluntarily. If Sarah cate writes it I'm gonna devour it like I'm parched. Her romance always just hits!!! I love the characters the side characters the plot the steam I expected it to go in another direction but was happy how it all worked out. Sara cate is an autobuy author and look forward to collecting all her trophies.

5/5☆

Killian Barclay is a billionaire playboy in a literal castle, a castle that has a reputation for salacious parties and debauchery. He's broody and alone and he likes it that way. His family does not, enter Sylvie Devereaux, a take no crap kind of lady with a known wild streak. Everyone in her life thinks she's reckless, but she just wants to be her genuine self even if no one likes it. So, when she's approached by Killian's family with a proposal—move to Scotland and marry Killian to improve his playboy reputation, and after one year, she'll walk away with ten million dollars. She takes it, even if she doesn't feel quite right about it.

Whew, the angst in this novel is Fierce! I enjoyed it deeply. I love a snarky heroine who is ready to fight if it means taking jerks down a peg. Killian is a broody angry hero, and also so freaking sweet. I might have yelled in triumph when the multiple family comeuppance played out on screen, which just made the drama better. The spice was spicy and great, but I was here for the DRAMA. So well crafted. I do hope there are additional books in the series, like so many romances these days. I would read them and highly recommend them.

Keep me. An adult romance of fake marriage. I did not care for the female. She was spoiled and wanted to take. The content is very adult

The branding for this title gives the same vibe as the Salacious Players Club, which leads to a bit of disappointment when the story is far less salacious.

I loved this book so much! It’s a classic Sara Cate age-gap with the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.

We’ve got a grumpy Scottish man, a young and bold American woman, and chemistry that sets the page on fire. What more could you want?

Oh. Angst? You want a little angst? Copy that. Family tension? Sure thing. Character growth? YES. Sylvie and Killian both go through a ton before the end of the book and it makes them fantastic characters you feel compelled to root for.

If you’re a Sara Cate fan already, you’re likely going to love this book. If you’re new to Sara Cate, I think it’s an excellent first book to read by her!! It’s full of heart - made me both laugh and tear up a few times. Super excited for the next book in the series!!

It all starts with Sylvie going to where Killian lives in Scotland with her boyfriend. Wait til you find out why! Sylvie gets caught by him and you may think that’s the end of their story. Wrong! Sylvie winds up not long later breaking up with her boyfriend. What he does and with whom is mind blowing. All the while Sylvie is just shocked at what her eyes reveal. This is just not what she needs. You see her relationship with her parents isn’t all that great either. Wait til you see why.

Somehow with everything going on, Killian’s sister approaches her with a proposal. A fake marriage for a year and some money at the end if she does something with the home Killian lives in. At first this seems too good to be true. Killian and Sylvie are definitely enemies at first. Fussing and arguing. How could this marriage even last a year with the two at odds all the time. As time goes on, to me a spark forms. It is clear to Sylvie that Killian has a lot bottled ip inside. Will he open up to her? Will a bond start to form? Will Killian find out what Sylvie is up to? If he does, how will he react? So many questions, but the end will definitely shocked you. Two people from different worlds, but both going through a lot in their lives.

In Keep Me by Sara Cate, Killian Barclay, a brooding Scotsman with a reputation for raunchy house parties, wants nothing more than to be left alone. After suffering too much heartache, he’s turned his ancestral home into a den of indulgence. His family, concerned about his behavior, hatches a plan to change his ways, roping in Sylvie Devereaux, a tough New Yorker with her own emotional walls. When Sylvie sneaks into Barclay Manor on a trip to Scotland, she clashes with the surly Killian, but she doesn’t expect to see him again—until his family offers her a proposition: marry Killian to improve his reputation, stay for a year, and walk away with ten million dollars. As Sylvie gets to know the real Killian, she has to decide if his love is worth keeping or if she will leave him heartbroken when their arrangement ends.

I absolutely loved this book! It had been a while since I’d read a steamy romance, and Keep Me did not disappoint. The age gap, the enemies-to-lovers trope, and the unique premise all pulled me in, and I flew through the pages. The chemistry between Killian and Sylvie was electric. The setting—split between the rugged beauty of Scotland and the bustling streets of NYC and being my two favorite places to travel to made me love the book even more. If you’re a fan of sizzling romance with a good dose of drama, this one is a must-read!

Thank you to @hambright_pr, @saracatebooks and @sourcebookscasa for a copy of this arc!

This was cute and not what I was expecting in a Sara Cate book because of how tame it felt lol. This is a dislike to lovers because both the fmc and mmc were annoying and a bit rude at the beginning of this. They have a marriage of convenience that benefits both financially there is forced proximity as they are forced to live with each other in the mmc's manor. As we get to know the main characters we see more of them and their pasts and what made them the way they are and it made me empathize a lot with the mmc even though he's an asshole for some of the book. There are spicy scenes but not as much as I thought it would be and I loved the tender scenes between the main characters. Im excited to read more books by this author. Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Hambright Pr for this arc!

"𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆. 𝗜𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲."

Killian and Sylvie...hate each other. They are in a fake marriage that neither want but both need, and it pisses them off. They are constantly yelling and fighting and calling each other names, all while slowly falling in love. Man, Killian fell 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 for Slyvie and we love to see it! Sylvie was able to really come into her own with Killian and realize that she was dealt shit parents and that wasn't her fault. She needed someone to treat her like she was the only thing that mattered, and that person was Killian.
At this point we will read anything Sara writes and we were so lucky to receive an arc from NetGalley!

Reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, spicy and sweet. A love story tangled in family drama and secrets. Sylvie is a no nonsense, stubborn girl that gets swept up into a romance out of necessity. Killian Barclay, a brooding Scotsman with family secrets hates her. Enjoyable & and undeniably spicy, this story grabs your attention and keeps you wanting more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holy hotness, Killian Barclay is an alpha hole to end all alpha holes! Enemies to lovers, forced proximity and a bit of light k!nk makes this one of my favorite tropes!

I love Sylvie and how even though she has been beaten down by everyone in her life, she never loses her fight or her spirit.

I started out absolutely despising Killian and as the story progressed we got to see how demons and how he’s battled them. Sylvie has her own but she helps him battle his while never losing herself. Watching them fall in love for real was amazing.

The chemistry between these two was off the charts and nobody writes a romance like Sara Cate, and I could practically see the hills of Scotland from her writing.

Honestly these are couple goals and I loved the ending.