Sylvie Devereaux is the daughter of famous yet neglectful parents. She is tough as nails and keeps everyone at arm’s length. During a trip to Scotland, Sylvie decides to break into the Barclay Manor to get a glimpse of a famous heirloom…except, she doesn’t anticipate getting caught by the grumpy man that lives there.

Killian Barclay lives at Barclay Manor and wants to be left the hell alone. He’s suffering from a traumatic past and is riddled with guilt. His family attempts to hatch a plan to get him out of the house…but it involves marrying the woman who broke into his home. Will their marriage of convenience last long enough to complete the contract or will they tear each other apart before time’s up?

I really enjoyed this book! Sylvie was such a headstrong character with neglectful parents and Killian was a grumpy man with a history of trauma/grief. The banter was so fun and I loved how both of them progressed as characters. The spice was spicyyy and I was here for it! I will definitely be reading more by Sara Cate!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to an Advanced Listener’s Copy (ALC) in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This book gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes and the Scottish accents in the audio were fabulously done. Killian is deliciously grumpy and that with the Scottish brogue had me melting as I listened. The dynamic between Killian and Sylvie was so tension filled and full of chemistry. They are truly the definition of that fine line between love and hate. Their journey

Okay this book just wasn't for me. I wasn't really into the story or the characters. The premise of a marriage of convenience is one of my favourite tropes but the way this one came about was not it.

I did really like the narrators and the audiobook itself was really well done.

This audiobook is amazing! The narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life. It had all the feels.

Sylvie and her then boyfriend are visiting Scotland when she sneaks into a mansion to get a peak at an antique typewriter and was caught by the brutish owner. Weeks later she has rid herself of her cheating boyfriend when the family of the owner of the mansion finds her and has a proposal for her. Come back to Scotland and marry their brother for a year for $$ to keep their aunt happy. Too bad Killian is so, so unhinged and does everything he can to make her life miserable. Until they come together after visiting his aunt and she confronts her. When Killian and Sylvie come together they first do so in hate until it turns into love and then when they seem to be moving along there is a stumble and secrets revealed. Sylvie ends up back in the states and the souls who were healing and working so well together are not working too well apart. Make sure you read/listen to this one all the way to the end, you will not be disappointed.

I cannot wait to see where this series take me next!

✨ Keep Me by Sara Cate ✨

Oh how I loved this book!! I was immediately sucked into Killian and Sylvie's story- especially since they meet while she's breaking and entering into his Scottish castle. It was so so good!

"𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶....𝘐'𝘮 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥."

Killian is unable to leave his castle after a traumatic event. After years of being alone, his family sets up a marriage of convenience with Sylvie. Sylvie is an American woman who finds out her boyfriend cheated on her and after years of abuse from her highly successful artistic parents, decided to move into the caste and be married to Killian for a year in exchange for the money she needs to start over.

"𝘚𝘰 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭...𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦."

Their dislike for each other was so believable at the beginning- it was the definition of hurt people will hurt people. But I was so invested in both of their personal growth as they let each other in and started healing all their hurt. The ending was also everything I could have wanted and more. From the emotional moments to the mind blowing spice, this was a fantastic marriage of convenience romance in a swoony location.

You should check it out if you like:

✨ Scottish Hero
✨ Marriage of Convenience
✨ Enemies to Lovers
✨ Mental Health Rep
✨ BDSM
✨ Family Dynamics
✨ Forced Proximity

📚 Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🎧 Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🔥Spice Rating: 🖤

🎧 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼...
If a book takes place in Scotland and the narrator has a Scottish accent, you know I'm going to say the audiobook made the book better!! This book is no exception. I loveddd Will Watt and Kelli Tager in this audiobook. They were both new narrators for me and I loved how they brought life to these characters and this story. Their accents were incredible and I cannot recommend it enough.

Huge thank you to Sara Cate and Dreamscape Media for this gifted audiobook.


Spice Rating
🤍 clean romance
💗 closed door/ fade to black
❤️ spicy content (a few detailed scenes)
❤️‍🔥 explicit, play-by-play (major part of the plot)
🖤 graphic, more than vanilla

There were some fun spicy scenes and I loved how the main characters met, very Goldilocks. I thought the ending was perfect for these characters. I would definitely read more of Sara Cate's work in the future.

Kelli Tager and Will Watt did a good job narrating the story, Will's Scottish accent at times sounded more Nordic than Scottish, but it was still enjoyable.

🎧Song Pairing: Lights On - H.E.R.

💭What I thought would happen:

We can all collectively laugh at the fact that I thought this would be a YA THRILLER. Yup. I made a judgement error 😂

📖What actually happens:

😈Breaking and entering
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Grumpy Scotsman
👑Entitled rich woman
💍Marriage arrangement
🌶️Spicy (light BDSM)
🩷Real feelings happen

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Well ladies I said 2025 would be the year I step out of my little reading comfort zone. So once some light was shed on the fact that this book was pure se❌❌ I was like oooo Nelly! Brace for impact! Kidding.

All in all it wasn’t even as hawt hawt as I thought it would be but it definitely had Jamie glancing over as I was performing a data analysis and listening at the same time. Raise your hand if you love to shock your husband with your books 🙋🏼‍♀️

Anyways, ending ended up being much more touching and sweet and the book did have some depth to it. Zero complaints (shocking right?!)

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.

This is my 2nd Sara read. Again this was ok. I think the main problem is that I didn't see the connection between the main characters and how they became a marriage of convivence was to far fetched for me. Sylvie's parents were annoying but all of the side characters were nothing noteworthy about. The middle part dragged and I just the story felt a bit incomplete or even rushed and with some missing information especially with Killian's Aunt. I need more substance with this one.

Narrators Kelli Tager; Will Watt were perfect.

I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Keep Me
by Sara Cate
Narrated by Kelli Tager; Will Watt

Keep Me by Sara Cate was overall a 3.5/5 stars novel for me. The plot was decent, but quite predictable. That's not to say that it wasn't worth a listen. It was, it just didn't hold any real surprises for me. Sylvie first meets Killian when she's visiting Scotland with her boyfriend and breaks into Killian's manor to steal a typewriter. Not quite sure what the whole point of that was, but she gets caught. Fast forward to Sylvie being approached to marry Killian for a year to ultimately get him kicked out of his house, and for doing so, she is set to receive a nice chunk of change. It takes a bit, but Sylvie and Killian do get married and eventually, their attraction wins. There's a bit of kink and a bit of trauma, but overall it was an enjoyable listen. I didn't get the gut punch like I do sometimes when you really connect with characters and they then feel heartache, but with a bit more character development, that could have been possible.

The narration was well done and I felt that it definitely added to the listening of the story. I'd be interested to listen to book 2 to see what happens next with the two of them. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for the chance to listen to and review this ARC!

Sara Cate can do no wrong. This Beauty and the Beast type book set in a Scotland castle is just what my romance loving heart needed. And the audio? Absolutely delectable and so wonderful! Sara is the master of romance and this is an instant classic!

My feelings about this book are further proof why I just don’t think romance is my genre.

A lot of the plot devices and details that brought this story along were just nonsense. I’m expected to believe that two people are going to spend three weeks in Scotland to SEE a typewriter? I don’t know, it just felt like I didn’t believe a thing that happened in this book.

The characters were likable enough but the banter that made these characters enemies was overkill in my opinion.

The smut in this book was okay. I could take it or leave it.

Overall, this one was just not for me. I probably should have DNF.

There is something about a grumpy/grumpy dynamic that is just not done enough in romance, and I loveddddd how well this one did it!

💍 Marriage of Convenience
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Grumpy X Grumpy
💍 Kinky Vibes
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Broody Billionaire
💍 Enemies to Lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Forced Proximity

These two truly do get married against their wills, and yet even with all the grumpiness and hate towards each other, the tension is to not be ignored. And seeing their hatred morph in to love really was such a beautiful transition.

The 3rd act breakup was something that truly was necessary here, and she did make it lasttttt - but when you see how it pays off, it is all worth it!

Killian and Silvie meet under very unusual circumstances. When fate throws them another curve ball they come back together as they both need something only marrying the other will get them. I loved how supportive and possessive Killian is while Silvie is suck a free spirit who ends up just really wanting what is best for them both no matter the cost. Kelli and Will really bring their all to these characters in the audiobook giving Sara Cate another amazing audio for everyone to rave about!!

What makes this story stand out is its emotional depth. Both protagonists have been scarred by their pasts, and watching them navigate trust, love, and their own insecurities adds layers to what could have been a straightforward romance. The supporting cast, especially Killian’s meddling family, brings humor and warmth, balancing the story’s heavier themes.

The slow burn between Sylvie and Killian builds delicious tension, and the payoff is worth every twist and turn. Their chemistry is electric, with plenty of banter, passion, and heartfelt moments to keep you hooked.

If you’re a fan of steamy, character-driven romances with a touch of high-stakes drama, [Insert Title] will sweep you off your feet. This isn’t just a love story—it’s a tale of healing, second chances, and the power of vulnerability. Highly recommended!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2 🌶️🌶️ 🎧

I wanted so badly to love this as an avid Sara Cate fan but it really fell flat in comparison to writing we are used to from Sara in my opinion.
I really liked the premise of the marriage of convenience and the original set up of the story line however as the story progressed I felt we lost so much of the character development behind curses and redirection.
We also have a MMC who it keeps being talked about is into ‘Dom’ yet we had 1 scene in chapter 32 that included this in the whole book.
The ‘swinging’ parties is all but a bit of spin the bottle and snogging and some suggestive comments which felt like it could have been left out in all honesty.
My final point would be that I listened to this on audio and the female narrators Scottish accent was so jarring it brought me out of the story on numerous occasions. If this hadn’t been dual narration I wouldn’t have been able to continue with listening.

Killian Barclay. This grumpy Scottish brute has turned his family manor into an adult playground and refuses to leave!! His family is trying to take the manor from him. Sylive Devereaux is impulsive and just wants to be loved for who she is. She is essentially creating chaos with her life. She blew through her inheritance in four months that should have lasted 18 months.

The characters in this story were so complex and interesting to me- my heart just feels for them. They were in so many aspects such similar type personalities. I love a grumpy x grumpy trope add in hate to love but instant attraction these two are just unstoppable. There was so much tension and chemistry between these two your turning the pages as fast as you can to just wait for them to finally give in.

"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."

The audiobook was perfect with the scottish accents! Narrated by Kelli Tager and Will Watt. Will was absolute perfect for the voice for Killian.

Let's chat about this book… First things first, I liked it! It definitely has that guilty pleasure vibe, and I respect that.

Both of the lead characters have pretty rough starts and don't come across as particularly likable at first. However, they definitely grew on me as the story progressed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I loved the combination of a convenient/reluctant marriage and the extreme enemies-to-lovers dynamic. And honestly, anything set in Scotland is a win in my book.

That said, my one big drawback: I received the audiobook ARC, and while the male narrator did an excellent job, the female narrator (who was great in her main role) had to perform a male Scottish accent... and it was, well, *something*. Honestly, it was hard to listen to, and it made the chapters from Sylvie’s perspective a bit less enjoyable.

Still, if you can get past that, this is a fun, classic-feeling romance novel.

A quick note: This book is heavy on the spice and touches on some sensitive topics that might be uncomfortable for some readers, so keep that in mind!

I’ll Happily Be Kept
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)  
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4/5) 
Audio Rating: 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️(4.5/5)
~
“…find someone who thinks your mess is a masterpiece.”
~
Vibes:   
What an into to Sara Cate. Broody Scottish marriage of convenience to a spoiled yet love-deprived American. Killian and Sylvie’s chemistry is off the charts. Throwing insults becomes foreplay, and the forced proximity creates the perfect storm for the heat to reach a boiling point. The spice was explosive… check your triggers before diving in (no “cheating” of MCs but some exhibitionism & bdsm). The backstories are gut wrenching - I was not prepared for the tears. And of course my heart broke during the 3rd act… but the HEA was worth it.
~
Tropes:
Marriage of Convenience
Grumpy x Grumpy
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
K¡nky Vibes
Brooding Hero
Age Gap (25-38)
~
Audio Notes:
I’m so impressed by the accents and character voices! The tense and spicy moments were perfectly performed. There was only a handful of emotional moments, when I was pulled out of the story. I would still 100% recommend this audiobook! It brought all the Scottish elements to life.
~
Recommended to...  
Romance readers who like the extra spicy of a grumpy Scot with an FMC who gives as good as she gets.