Book Review: Keep Me by Sara Cate
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5
This review may contain minor spoilers.

The wild Sylvie starts off this story by breaking into Barclay Manor and soon after is caught (and caught off guard) by the owner of the manor, Killian. The two loathe each other. So imagine her surprise when she is roped into an arranged marriage with the grump himself. This book includes arranged marriage, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, found family, and set in Scotland.

Reading the story of Sylvie and Killian was fun and enchanting. We got to see the growth of them as individuals learning to love themselves and each other. I am never fully prepared for the trauma healing Sara weaves into each couple's journey.

Reminder to self: Never doubt the amazing mind that is Sara Cate. Of course Sara was able to pull me in, provide emotional healing, and create a world I never wanted to leave. She is magic.

The main characters had wonderful banter and lit up the page. I was wrapped up in the loathing to love journey and the couples chemistry, especially when they would pick on each other in front of their friends and family. Can't wait to dive into more of these Barclay siblings stories.

Thanks Sara Cate & NetGalley for the eARC!

Ummm yes, please. I don't think there is a book Sara Cate wrote that I haven't loved. Kilts, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity had me so excited for this book. Killian and Sylvie's story was amazing. I couldn't put this book down and read it in one day! When Sylvia is in Scotland looking for her boyfriend's family heirloom she sneaks into Killian's house. This book had me laughing, crying, and sometimes ready to throw my book. They way this end was perfect and I loved every minute and hope there is more in the future of this family.

There’s something about a Scottish man that gets me every time. Anytime a book is set in Scotland, just take my money and add it to my never-ending TBR. The marriage of convenience, grumpy x grumpy, and enemies to lovers tropes were top notch. Killian finally met someone who doesn’t put up with his crap. Sylvie is unbothered by his insults, and their verbal sparring was so much fun. Besides their steamy romance, this book also focuses on grief, healing, self love, and family dynamics. This was such a good read and I would recommend it!

Read if you enjoy:
✔️Marriage of convenience
✔️Grumpy x grumpy
✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️Broody hero
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Kinky vibes
✔️”My wife”

⭐⭐⭐️.5/5 Plot
🌶️🌶/5 Spicy
💃💃🏽💃🏽/5 Characters

So...here is the thing. Usually, whatever Sara writes, I'm addicted too. This, however, is the exception. Now, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the book, but there were certain things that I didn't even know I disliked until I read it.

*Skip this paragraph if you don't want a summary* Killian lives in his family mansion alone and has done so for years. I use the term mansion loosely because it is described more as a castle. He was famous for throwing ✨️raunchy✨️ parties, changing the public perception of the Barclay family. In came Sylvie. She was trying to find a part of history but was offered the position of a lifetime - marry the brute and gain financial stability. The two benefit from this deal as it changes Killian's reputation, and she will be financially independent. There's only one problem: they hate each other.

Things I liked:
- I loved the attention to mental health in the book. The length of time for healing and the need for outside resources are essential to note. Many books move quickly, but this was a great showcase of how grief, anxiety, and panic don't have a timeliness.
- Sylvie did try to help Killian in any way she could. He fell first, but her love was felt more.
- I enjoyed the side characters a lot.

Things I didn't like:
- Our MMC calls our FMC a cow...more than necessary, making my skin crawl each time. They both are extremely rude to each other, but that insult was the worst.
- Sylvie is entitled. She was already well off but did this to get her own money since she was cut off from her parents.
- Where was the BDSM and hot smut that Sara usually promises in her books? This was soft, to say the least.

Overall, I did enjoy Keep Me. Did I want to keep reading, yes. Would I pick it up again, no. Would I recommend it, yes, as long as you can tolerate some heavy name-calling from both characters.

This was good !!!! I really enjoyed it ! I loved the chemistry between those 2 ! And ouffff what about the sexeeeeeeee

Cant wait to see moreee

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Grumpy Broody Scotsman
❤️ Enemies to Lovers
🌶️ Spicy
 😘 My Wife
💍 Marriage of Convenience

I loved this book by Sara Cate! It was my first book by this author but I will definitely be reading others. Set in a Scotland in a castle with a broody Scottish MMC, kilts and Gaelic and all! The audio was very well done. They narrators did a great job. I love a male Scottish accent! Both Killian Barclay and Sylvie are miserable in life but they come together in a marriage in convenience and everything changes.

I’ve long since come to the conclusion that I will always enjoy a Sara Cate book. This one definitely put me through it though, it didn’t feel like the usual for me. This is the grumpiest enemies to lovers I think I’ve ever read but that mixed with a marriage of convenience is what had me sold from the start. I didn’t immediately love or even like the main characters but their stubbornness and bickering had me committed to see how everything would play out.

Oh, Killian Barclay *fans self*
How you move me with your lovely pet names like fooking cow and filthy wench *swoon*

But seriously! He may be my new favorite book boyfriend! Kilt and all! I've never had a thing for a Scottish accent, but dammit I do now! He's a recluse in a big Scottish mansion and isn't impressed with the idea of a wife, but if it'll get his family off his back, he'll do it. He'll marry the bloody wench from America. These two had chemistry right off the bat, and the forced marriage just threw gasoline on the fire. I love everything about this book!

Dislike to love
Contract/fake marriage
A smidgen of BDSM play
Pretty tame as Sara Cate books go

After binge-reading Keep Me by Sara Cate, I was this close to booking a flight to Scotland—until I remembered a few key details: I’m married, my bank account said, “Absolutely not,” and, oh yeah, Killian Barclay is fictional. So instead of packing my bags, I decided to reread Keep Me and let Killian ruin my life all over again—because, let’s face it, this grumpy Scottish billionaire is worth every bit of emotional damage. Sara Cate has quickly become a one-click, must-read author for me. If she writes it, I’m reading it—and loving it. While I knew I’d enjoy this book, I was not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster it would take me on. Keep Me is a masterclass in delivering the best romance tropes—marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, forced proximity—all with a fresh twist that kept me hooked from start to finish. Sara took my favorite clichés, gave them a glow-up, and turned them into something utterly binge-worthy and unputdownable. If you think you’ve seen it all in romance, think again. Killian and Sylvia might start off as grumpy and damaged, but as their emotional baggage gets unpacked, we’re treated to some truly amazing characters. The growth? Incredible. The chemistry? Off-the-charts hot! This story had everything: spice, heartache, and a hard-earned happily ever after that hit me right in the feels. Killian and Sylvia’s journey is messy, emotional, and oh-so-rewarding—just like a good romance should be. I loved every second of it, and I guarantee you will too!

This one hit different than other Sara Cate books and not in a bad way. There was a slow burn without the pace feeling to slow which I really enjoyed.

I didn’t love either main character right off the bat so it was a little hard to connect but once you learn more about why they are this way it got easier to support them.

I would say this was considerably less spicy than other Sara Cate books which is a good thing every once and a while. Just don’t go into this expecting the typical level of spice.

I feel like this review is a little negative but I actually quite enjoyed the story and learning about the characters. It was fun to watch them grow and it was a very easy and enjoyable read.

This was a beautiful read I had such a good time with this one it was an emotional roller coaster to say the least. I had a blast with it even with all of the strong emotions. Killian struggled with anxiety and agoraphobia for sure but when a woman breaks in with no cares well he hates her so he chooses her to be his fake bride. Sylvie needed the money her parents cut her off her boyfriend cheated and she was on her own so she took the deal 10 thousand dollars would be worth it for her so she could live without her parents help a year would be fine little did she know and fall for the grumpy Scotsman. She didn’t realize taking his home would ruin him. Killian definitely fell first and that was beautiful but he still struggled with his own issues and he didn’t know that she was in it to take his home but she became the love of his life. The third act breakup about killed me and I wasn’t even sure the book would have an HEA I was stressed but it was perfect it ended so well two grumpy lovers made a life and a home for themselves.

Keep Me

I was so excited when Sara announced that she was exploring this new story and set of characters. Sylvie and Killian were both such great characters, separately and as a couple. As always, Sara has taken the reader on a journey through, pain, growth and healing with both of her main characters.

This is the first marriage of convenience book that I have read from Sara and she did not disappoint. The enemies to lovers was on point. Sylvie and Killian’s chemistry and angst was off the charts and it really did make it an enjoyable read.

To put it simply, I laughed, I cried and I swooned, add in a hot accent and a kilt and I am yours! I cannot wait to see what the rest of the cast of the manor has in store for us, but I cannot wait!

🎉Happy Pub Day!!!🎉

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for an ARC of this book!

Review:

Okay, so I’ve had some of Sara Cate’s books on my TBR for forever and this is the first one I’ve read… and y’all.. why did I wait so long to read her stuff?! I enjoyed this book so much. I devoured it in like 4 sittings (yes that’s really fast for me these days 😂).

It starts off with the FMC (Sylvie) breaking into the MMC’s (Killian) house to take a picture of a typewriter for her current boyfriend. Of course she gets caught, words are exchanged, and she flees the mansion.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and her boyfriend has dumped her for her best friend, her parents have cut her off (her parents are terrible people and I’m so glad Killian sticks up for her later), and Killian’s sister gives her an offer she can’t refuse: Marry and stay married to him for a year and walk away with millions of dollars (I can’t remember the amount but it was a lot 😂). Of course, his family has “reasons” for making this offer in the first place.

Obviously, Sylvie takes the offer and here is where the plot takes off. Killian is a broken man who only wants to party and be secluded in his big mansion. There’s a lot of childhood trauma that we find out he’s dealing with, which is handle and presented very well by the author.

Highly recommend this book if you like enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, lots of spice, some BDSM, voyeurism, and some degradation (not a lot but the MMC is not very nice to the FMC in the beginning.. at all. 😂 I had no issue with this, but I know some might). I’ll definitely be reading more of her books!!!

This was my first Sara Cate book, but I see her stuff EVERYWHERE and I was super curious to read something. I feel like this was a good place to start!

Thank you so much to Hambright PR for the eARC / Dreamscape Media and LibroFM for the ALC... these are my honest thoughts!

This is a story about a stuck-up New Yorker whose parents have cut her off... her boyfriend winds up being a cheater, and a chance encounter with a Scottish mansion while they were on vacation leads to this wild marriage of convenience story with a man who never leaves his house... oh, and he makes his house into a sex club on occasion.

I was expecting more spice and scandal in this one based on the premise, but what I got instead was a story of a very broken man grieving the death of his parents, and a wild child girl who finally begins to care about someone other than herself.

The connection and bond that forms between strangers/enemies-to-lovers is BEAUTIFUL. Both characters like to go for shock value, but it works out for them in the end because they end up feeding off each other's energy. And what mattered in the beginning of their one-year (by contract) marriage ends up transforming into something more.

And then... the third act happens, and Sara Cate just had me ALL UP IN MY FEELINGS ABOUT IT.... this break-up... the distance... the time.

The audio was SO GOOD. I loved both narrators and their performances. We got snotty New Yorker and we got grumpy Scotsman. We got the drama and the passion and the heartbreak in this story, and it was done SO WELL. Highly recommend checking this one out on audio!

Four solid stars. I'll be back for more Cate in the future!

This book had all the angst and sexiness you would expect from a SC book. The depth and growth of the hero made me fall for him. His character made the book for me. The heroine was well-written and was the perfect type of heroine for the hero. This enemies to lovers truly was enemies to lovers. There was no doubt in my mind that when they both let their guard down and fell they would fall hard. The emotions this book brings out in the reader will have you on a wild ride you weren’t expecting.

Keep Me by @saracatebooks

Ms. Cate never disappoints. 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Sylvie is in Scotland with her boyfriend when she sneaks into this manor and meets scruffy, sexy, Scottish Killian.

I didn't see where this could go but wow did it all tie up very nicely. I could not put this book down, Sylvie and Killians "marriage of convenience" had so much tension, the name calling they both expressed to each other was actually hot 🥵

If you love "my wife" and a Scotsman in a kilt this book is for you. I mean who doesn't?

Tropes:
🖤 Grumpy/Grumpy
🖤Marriage of convenience
🖤Forced Proximity
🖤Enemies to lovers
🖤Spice/Kink
🖤Age gap

Keep me is out now

Thank you @saracatebooks @netgalley @hambright_pr @sourcebookscasa for this eARC, I cannot wait for more of Sinful Manor

Have you ever wanted to fall in love with a sinfully handsome grumpy Scottish man in a kilt? YES PLEASE. ADD TO CART. GIMMIE.

I love a “broken” character, in fact it’s a micro trope that I track for myself. Both Sylvie and Killian are broken dealing with past traumas that haunt their present lives. Sylvie quite literally breaks into Killian’s life upending his carefully placed walls to shut everyone out, while he shows Sylvie what love can feel like.

The chemistry, even when it’s hate, is fiery and undeniable. The banter and wittiness literally had me laughing out loud.

If you love a romance with broken characters who learn to love, wild humor, top tier banter, chemistry, and tension for days? Then Keep me is the book for you!

Read if you enjoy:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Marriage of Convenience
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Age Gap
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Enemies to Lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Forced Proximity
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿grumpy x grumpy

𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒆.

Sylvie finds herself agreeing to a marriage of convenience with a broody Scottish grump. She has to stay married to him for a year to receive 10 million dollars. Seems easy right? Well Sylvie and Killian HATE each other haha. But they were a perfect match. Loved their banter, tension and getting to know them.

"𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆."
The story felt like a breath of fresh air and I loved the writing. It was different, fun and everything I wanted and more.

I can't wait to go back to the manor for the next book.

4.5 ⭐️

Gosh, I’m such a sucker for banter and insults as föreplay 🥹. Throw in a kilt and it’s a beautiful recipe. I’m also gonna need someone to call me their “wee wife” for research purposes.

This marriage of convenience was such a fun read and even though the kïnk was only sprinkled in, I did thoroughly enjoy it 🫠

I just loved Killian’s grumpy ass so much. All the stars for Killian.

This book was amazing it will beak your heart and get some tissues you will need them. It is heartwarming and you will fall in love with Killian and Sylvie. Their banter was perfect for these characters and their enemies to lovers story will grab you and pull you in. Both these characters are a little lost and have some baggage that they carry around with them. They heal each other as they fall in love. What started off as a fake marriage truly turns in to so much more.
The electric chemistry they have is like lightning hitting the ground when it's strikes it lights everything up.
change and grow
fast-paced
heartbreaking
easy to read
addictive
I was given this book as an ARC for my honest review