"I never intended to fall in love with my wife."

Sylvie is going through a rough time. She discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her. Sylvie is also broke and her parents refuse to help her. Enter Killian Barclay. Killian is a grumpy Scottish billionaire. Sylvie is approached with a deal that is impossible to turn down. If she stays married Killian for one year she will inherit a large sum of money. One problem is that Sylvie and Killian can't stand one another.

“I won’t hurt you, darling. You can trust me.”

“Careful, darling. You wouldn’t want your wife to suspect you of catching feelings.”

I ate this book up! No crumbs left! I loved Killian and Sylvie! The hate to love vibes were done so well. In typical fashion of this author she sucked me into the story and made it impossible to put down. I could have read even more of their story! I hope we see more of them in the future.

Keep Me by Sara Cate is a deliciously spicy marriage of convenience romance between an American woman & the reclusive Scottish man she marries. The chemistry between the pair is an electric entity that cannot be tamed. I loved the fierceness & feistiness that occurred whenever they were in the same room together.

This is book #1 in the Sinful Manor series & what a fascinating start it is!

Keep Me is great for those looking to read…
🖤 Marriage of Convenience
🖤 Scottish Billionaire
🖤 Grumpy x Grumpy
🖤 Enemies to Lovers
🖤 Broody Hero
🖤 Forced Proximity

This is my first Sara Cate book but it won’t be my last! I did not expect to feel so many emotions. I love the surprisingly deep emotional connection & the intriguing personal histories their lives entailed. The spice was blush worthy & I loved reading their story.

I listened to the audiobook & it was such a fun listen. I enjoyed the Scottish accent moments the best. I listened at 2.5x speed & it was great for my ADHD brain.

If you are looking for a fascinating, fan your face spicy & wickedly fun marriage of convenience romance, I highly recommend Keep Me!

Massive thanks to NetGalley, Hambright PR, Libro FM & Sourcebooks Casa for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Sara Cate, a grumpy-grumpy romance, and a mercurial billionaire Scottish hero (with kilts?!) Such a recipe for so much delicious!! Keep Me is intriguing and tension-fueled enemies to lovers page turner, brimming with sassy banter and kinetic chemistry. Throw in some beauty in the beast vibes- heroine takes a deal to willingly be trapped in a Scottish mansion with a beastly lord of the manor - and a bit of kinky scandal, and I was hooked.

Our meet cute happens with a Scottish manor invasion…of the more fun kind, as Sylvie recklessly breaks into Killian’s house in order to lay eyes on a historical typewriter for her boyfriend. Said intrusion leads to quite a vitriolic meeting for the two…not to mention causes a domino effect as Sylvie, already broken after being cut off by her parents, suddenly finds herself single and pretty much alone and hopeless. Until an intriguing offer comes her way from Killian’s family- marry the rude Scottish lord for a year to help his reputation (and help the family get control of the house) in exchange for 10 million.

Sylvie and Killian are so deliciously hostile to each other at first- both also drawn to and intrigued by each other. True enemies to lovers here- in fact, Killian says some pretty nasty things to her in his notorious tantrums, and Sylvie really can get under his skin. They are both grumpy and a bit anti-people, but under it they both have some really heavy baggage stemming from their history with their families, primarily their parents. Killian has true unaddressed trauma, insecurities, and paralyzing fears…..let’s just say, there’s a reason this man is so attached to his manor, and it’s not his kinky parties. And Sylvie, will at first seems pretty entitled and recklessly privileged, is actually tragically lonely and unseen. She’s the quintessential bad attention is better than no attention- she’s lost, thirsty for love, and desperate to matter.

Truthfully, they aren’t easy characters to love at first- their flaws are flags they both wave proudly. But as the story unfolds, we see the layers and dynamics unfold. And they start to connect more authentically, as Killian sees Sylvie in a way that is validating to her. His protection of her, his care for her comes often with edges, but it’s a visibility and concern she’s never experienced before. And she cares about Killian’s baggage in a non-judgemental way. She breathes new life into him and settles him. IN both they find the first real connection either has every experienced, earth shattering for both of them. And it’s not easy- there is angst and drama and they fight it tooth and nail, but ultimately they settle into an unexpected romance where the marriage no longer feels fake.

I’ll say the first half of this felt a bit slow for me, I think in part because the characters take a minute to sink your teeth into and love. Their personalities are very strong- and they sure do fight.. Killian is truly a brute, and Sylvie seems petulant and bratty at times. But I really loved the second half of this, and while their love did feel a bit fast for me, I did really buy into their connection and chemistry. I loved how they helped each other grow- Sylvie felt more grounded and mature and selfless, and Killian softened and addressed his past.

As someone who is a huge Sara Cate fan, the spice in this one is definitely softer and lighter, and some of the triggers or warnings are even unnecessary/ misleading. Don’t expect some SPC level kink here. Which honestly, the story didn’t need it, it’s beautiful enough and the spice was enjoyable! But I felt like it warned a lot of kink and BDSM and kinky parties, and while this was there, it wasn’t a huge element and didn’t really play a part of the characters or get too kinky (which I’m actually glad about). In fact, the kinky party piece (and past cheating) felt almost unneeded for their story, and as such it almost felt a bit unresolved. Like it was added for the shock/kink of it. I’m so used to Sara Cate stories having the sex be a huge catalyst to the character growth vs. it just being there, and in this story that didn’t feel like it was the case. It might just be that there was just too many elements in the expanse of the story (that also had some timehops, with off page character growth that I wish we’d seen more) so a few pieces felt less essential or not as developed/resolved (the parties, her family element, his past affair, etc). But the romance itself was the star of the show, and while there might be some loose ends, I did love how their arcs resolved and they found their together, and the ending was super cute and satisfying. This definitely felt on the sweeter side for Sara Cate, which I loved after such a turbulent beginning for these two.

Will Watt and Kelli Tager are amazing on the audio. Will and his Scottish accent as Killian pretty much melted me- and I loved the layers he brought to the performance, both the angry/grumpy Killian side as well as the vulnerable, broken side of him. And Kelli brought so much empathy and emotion to Sylvie, even when the character was being petulant or reckless, she leveled a gravitas to the performance that brought Sylvie to life.

I hope we get more from the characters (the brothers, his sister) in this world- I’d love some more time in Scotland, and perhaps with his brothers we’ll also get to more outside of the manor Scottish fun too.

💍 Marriage of Convenience
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Grumpy X Grumpy
💍 Family drama and secrets
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Broody Billionaire (and yes, kilts!)
💍 Enemies to Lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Forced Proximity
💍Strangers to hateful enemies to lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Age gap (10+ years)

If you like a grumpy man this is the book for you! Killian has not left his house in the last decade for different reasons and is a player through and through!!
Sylvie on the other hand just got cheated on by her boyfriend and don’t know what to do with her life until she gets a call from Killians family about a marriage proposal! Marry Killian for a year and get 10 million by the end. A proposal she can’t say no to…
Did I forget to mention that Killian and Sylvie actually already met when Sylvie broke into Killians house and got caught! Not her finest moment!

Their romance is a one of a kind thing and I loved how they both grew into their romance and how they really tried to remain stone cold towards each other, but couldn’t stop their attraction to each other. The cute moments in this book really melted my heart. The only thing was the spice was not really hitting😉 For me it felt like this was gonna be a spicy read, but it wasn’t any extra in my opinion!

But I really liked the book and flew trough the pages!!🥰

Favorite quote: “just because I can do it without you doesn’t mean I want to”

Keep Me is the first book in the Sinful Manor series by Sara Cate and I'm already obsessed with the way this series is going.

I really loved it! I love that Sara writes sexy, steamy stuff, but also adds a lot of emotion into the books she writes. It was funny at times, but also heart breaking. These two really had to WORK for their HEA.

I'm hoping Sara stays in this world a bit because this book is my favorite of hers, so far, and I loved Salacious Players Club series, so that says a lot about this book.

Read it if you enjoy:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Enemies to Lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Marriage of convenience
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Grumpy vs. grumpy
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Forced proximity
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Found family
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Fighting as a love language
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Caretaker trope
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Slightly kinky times
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Kilts

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book .

Billionaire romance isn't something that I normally go out of my way to read but since it's set in Scotland, on my bucket list, with tropes such as enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience, and a grumpy AF, foul mouthed Scottish brute (swoon), I knew I had to make an exception and I am immensely glad that I did.

When our leading lady Sylvie makes a life changing discovery, even though it did kind of feel like she was already heading for a change in the relationship department anyway, she has no good options and when offered a once in a lifetime opportunity, she doesn't really take that much time to think it over. How bad could it be? Enter Killian. Above mentioned grumpy, swoon inducing Scotsman. Sylvie and Killian butt heads instantly and their love language is thoroughly entertaining because what starts off as degrading insults and constant conflict is also what eventually sets them on fire!!! Both have some past trauma that is a serious roadblock but I loved their dynamic even before it became an issue.

While not as steamy and provocative as a series like SPC, and that's totally ok, it does become apparent that the relationship between Sylvie and Killian would be anything but vanilla. Given how alpha they both are, the exploration of that would be something to see. I, for one, would love to see more from this world.

✨✨✨ ARC Review ✨✨✨

Tropes:
Marriage of convenience
Broody Scotsman with a k!nky side
Rich American city girl
Enemies to lovers
Mental health rep
Forced proximity

5⭐️
4🌶️

★★★★.5

“I just need you, mo ghràidh”

This book is a marriage of convenience romance. It follows Sylvie and Killian’s love story.

Sylvie finds herself in Scotland and fearlessly steps foot into a grumpy Scot’s house uninvited. She has one task on her mind and doesn’t expect to get herself caught by the house owner. Killian is upset to see her and only assumes the worst. She leaves that day never thinking she’d see this broody Scot again.

Sylvie's life turns upside down when she returns to New York and finds herself in need of money.

Killian’s family has one motive: to get Killian out of his house. They strike up a deal with Sylvie and offer her ten million dollars to marry Killian and convince everyone that his reputation has changed within a year. Sylvie, being in no position to refuse, accepts the offer.

These two hate each other from the very start of their marriage, but later, they start to develop feelings. It was fun to see Killian purposefully mess with Sylvie because he loved to see her feisty side. Neither of them knows how to navigate a relationship but they do their best to be there for each other. I loved seeing these two take care of each other, and Killian was just about the cutest man ever when he would show his obsession for Sylvie.

This was a pleasantly surprising book of Sara Cate’s. It was very different and I loved every minute of it. Sara knows how to write unique characters and that’s something I’ve always admired about her. Sylvie was honestly a badass and I loved how she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Killian was a challenging character and he had a lot of flaws. I loved how these two hated each other. It made it even more special to see these two fall hopelessly in love. I was obsessed with this story. I can’t wait to see what else Sara Cate creates.

-MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE
-FORCED PROXIMITY
-SCOTTISH BROODY BILLIONAIRE
-ENEMIES TO LOVERS
-GRUMPY X GRUMPY
-AGE GAP (FMC: 25, MMC: 37)

Sylvie & Killian
Age gap
Billionaire
Hate to Love
Marriage of convenience

I have conflicted feelings over this book! It's nothing like I was expecting from a typical Sara Cate book. Whilst there are spicy themes in the book, it isn't actually very spicy compared with Sara's norm.

That being said, I did really enjoy this one!

Killian has been through some traumatic life events, and he's very misunderstood! I love how his sister is doing everything she can to help him rediscover his true self!

Sylvie takes no nonsense from everyone! Her family are horrible and she decides to take her life into her own hands, by moving to Scotland!!

I did an audio/ebook parallel read for this one and really enjoyed it!

4⭐️ 3🌶️
- MF
- Marriage of Convenience
- Grumpy/Grumpy
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity

This book reminded me of why I love Sara so much. It had all of my favorite tropes. Marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and it is set in Scotland. Say less! The tension and banter were fantastic. I love how Sylvie and Killian bickered like an old married couple despite being newly weds with a sham marriage.

I loved the growth both characters went through in this book. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Sylvie because she seemed so messy and self centered in the beginning. But she won me over by the end of the book, and trust me that is no small feat.

As a grumpy, Scottish, billionaire with a man bun, Killian didn’t have to work as hard to win me over but he really put in the work and I adored him. Both characters had so much more depth than I was expecting.

I rarely say this about a third act breakup, but I loved it. It made me ache in all the right ways. It was beautiful and so healing for both of them.

There were a few loose ends that I wish we had a better understanding of but overall I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the next one!

Sara Cate is an amazing author who effortlessly combines romance with emotionally charged characters and a story that you can’t help but to get lost in!

I loved the push and pull of Killian and Sylvie’s relationship. Their enemies to lovers story in the beautiful Scottish countryside feels modern and timeless all at once. I loved the characters and plot, and some scenes almost melted my kindle! I really enjoyed reading this book, and hope she writes more stories in this world.

One of my favorite tropes? Marriage of convenience. One of my favorite authors? Sara Cate. One of my favorite reads of the year? This book.

It's got the heat and the heart that Sara balances so well.

I have mixed feelings on this one. Killian and Sylvie are such unlikable characters for a large part of the early story that it made it difficult to relate to them or become invested in their HEA. Sylvie’s difficult relationship with her parents and their constant withholding of love and now money and her subsequent tantrum makes her appear childish at her age. Killian has been through terrible, unbelievable trauma. The reader finds out about the breadth of it when he’s already displayed atrocious behavior and been offensive. Knowing more sooner would have been helpful, but not excusable. This man needed help desperately and everyone failed him. I like that Sylvie became a catalyst for him getting what he truly needed, but their relationship is toxic before it transforms. They do both grow and change from knowing each other, but it’s not easy—like iron sharpening iron. If you can struggle through the early part of being disenchanted with their abrasive personalities and wait for them to grow through the pain of challenging one another, they get the HEA that brings them both peace even if it’s different than what you might expect.

Keep me

Sylvie and Killian

Keep Me has become one of my favorites from Sarah Cate. The chemistry between Sylvie and Killian is top tier and the banter… omg so good!!! This book had me laughing out loud and at times I felt a bit emotional but I think it was from the way I could relate to Sylvie on some level. Sara writes in away you can almost feel what the characters are feeling and this one got me. Don’t fret though ladies the spice is there and as hot as ever!! The ending is absolutely perfect and I don’t think it would have worked any other way. You did an absolutely amazing job on this book Sara!!! I enjoyed it so much!!! I wonder if I could get my husband to wear a kilt and call me mo ghràidh in a Scottish accent 🤔🤔🤔

Keep Me on audiobook

After reading Keep Me I knew if the narrators were good the audiobook would be absolutely amazing and omg were they were perfect!!!! Will Watt and Kelli Tager did a fantastic job!! I think Will could read the phone book in any accent and make me melt 😅

I admit it: I fell in love with the grumpy Scot. Killian and Sylvie were so misunderstood by their friends and family. The baggage each carried was pretty intense and harmful. My heart broke for both of them.

I read and reviewed a copy of this book.

Keep Me is Sara Cate's first entry in her new Sinful Manor series, and y'all, I was already an absolute goner for sexy Scots with a brogue, but this? I was not prepared! From the very beginning, I was absolutely lost for this book and these characters. Sylvie and Killian's "meet-cute" alone will live rent free in my head for a while. The tension, the animosity, the chemistry...

Also - I don't know if it's age or the mood I was in when I read this, but I absolutely love how prickly Sylvie is. Considering her circumstances at the start of the book and her general background, I found it utterly believable, but also sympathetic in a way. It was hard not to love and feel compassion for her. And Killian? He's no angelic ray of sunshine either. Man is an agoraphobic, angry, extremely rude, broken, "I'm going to deal with the tragic death of my parents by drinking, partying, and debauching myself into oblivion" rakish brute that's kinda on the outs with everyone in his life.

Basically, you have two profoundly broken, grumpy people stuck in a marriage of convenience, but it was everything they didn't know they needed. Hell, this book was everything I didn't know I needed. I was LIVING for every moment of it.

There were numerous emotional gut-punches throughout this book, too (not a surprise, as this is Sara we're talking about. The woman loves her angst and conflict), and it left me thoroughly impressed how she could make me want to smack these characters in one moment before aching to wrap them up in a blanket and tuck them away from the world in the next. Sylvie and Killian are both hurting in their own ways so much, sometimes it just bleeds right off the page, but it also serves as evidence of how excruciatingly perfect for one another. Their broken pieces fit one another's.

The the attraction between them, the friction of that push-and-pull, the will-they/won't-they during the first half, is nothing short of exquisite, coupled with the intensity of that passion once they finally do collide... très magnifique. But these two are so freaking stubborn, and the situation they've found themselves in sometimes felt so bloody impossible, the angst and tension were AGONIZING - I hated and loved it in equal measure.

One thing I really want to drive home about this book, though, is how deeply emotional it is. Intensely so. If I had to give this book a single theme, it would probably something along the lines of learning to love and understand your worthiness of love while be broken. Because that's really the crux of Keep Me. Sylvie and Killian are broken, thrown into an impossible situation that they know (especially on Sylvie's side) is going to end in hurt, which makes those moments of fear and longing and jealousy and passion and grief all the more intense.

This book was immaculate. The character arcs. The emotions. The kink. The tension. That climax. ALL. OF. IT.

I didn't think anything could top how much I love Salacious Players' Club, but Keep Me may have just booted SPC from it's spot. This book made me hold my breath, swoon, groan in frustration, and weep in pain. Sara really outdid herself with this one. I don't know what else there is I could say.

11/10 recommend.

“I need to do this on my own, love,” “And I’m afraid it might take forever.”
•
When I saw that the tropes involved marriage of convenience and grumpy x grumpy… AND written by Sara Cate, I needed this on my kindle immediately. As always she did not disappoint!
•
Keep Me follows Sylvie Devereaux and Killian Barclay, Killian is a recluses who refused to leave his house for the past 7 years and his family has had enough, until Sylvie Devereaux breaks into his mansions and becomes the solution to all their problems.
•
No because who let Sara write a scottish marriage of convenience with the biggest grumps to ever grace the Sara cate universe and it was kinky. When I tell you these two characters had me laughing and gagged was an understatement and the last half of the book had my heartbreaking for both of them!
•
Can’t wait for the Sinful Manor Book 2, Keep me comes out Dec 3rd available on Ku and all platforms.

When Sylvie is vacationing in Scotland, she runs into Killian in his own home (that she was not invited to). She ends up returning back to the states, and her life continues spiraling downwards. However, her luck changes when Killian’s sister makes her an offer she cannot refuse if she returns to Scotland, but can she marry someone she does not know in exchange for a life without worry? Upon her arrival back at the manor, it is clear that Killian and Sylvie still hate each other, and he is only agreeing to the marriage contract to keep his manor: he has not left the comfort of his home in years, despite his family’s protests. However, after months of solitude, Sylvie and Killian eventually grow closer (who does not love when the MMC takes care of the FMC when she is sick). Neither one of them have had people who love them unconditionally, as they are known for being disappointments. The real question eventually becomes can Sylvie take something away from someone she loves, and can Killian bind her to a life in solitude when she needs others to thrive? Can they give up what they have always wanted for each other? I really enjoy that the story was broken down into different parts, and that is when the narration switched between the two. The writing is so descriptive and lets you visualize what Sylvie and Killian are seeing, like the first time she lays eyes on the manor’s door or the importance of the typewriter and its keys. Who knew cow would become a favorite term of endearment of mine? Barclay Manor is going to take readers on a journey, and I am here for what is next on the ride.

I have a strong love for all things Scottish, so when Sara was like here's a book about a Scottish man who also happens to be grumpy it was a must-read for me.

I will start off by saying that the setup of the book did throw me off a little since it felt different from her normal writing and how the chapters were set up. But once I understood the pace and style it took me no time to fly through the book.

Sylvie is a little reckless and feisty, and I absolutely loved her spunk throughout the book.
Killian is a grumpy Scottish man that I couldn't help but drool over. While admittedly wanting to punch at times.

I would say this was more of a slow-burn read which is acceptable when the storyline is full of banter, angst, and character growth.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Keep Me🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
4 💫
Another Sara Cate book to add to the list for 2024 and this one was very different than past books. The writing style is what stood out the most to me. We have dual POV but in parts. Our FMC/MMC fall under the dislike (borderline hate) to lovers. They have a marriage of convenience that leads to more. You get forced proximity which is one of my favorite tropes!
As we get to know the main characters we learn more about their pasts and what shaped them to what we see now. I won’t lie it did take me a while to warm up to these characters as they are not like some of Sara’s others. Sylvie gave me spoiled rich kid vibes at first but once you meet her parents and then really get to know her character you understand and that changes. Killian is definitely a VERY rough around the edges, grumpy, alphahole kind of guy who you can learn to love. There’s more character development and growth in the FMC/MMCs than I’ve seen in some of Sara’s other books. You can tell she put in a lot of effort into these two.
There are spicy scenes but not as much as other series (which is to be expected given it’s not about a s*x club lol). I don’t want to say too much because you should experience all that is Barclay Manor for yourself 😏
Thank you to Sara Cate, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and NetGalley for this arc!