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.

Keep Me is a brand new, standalone romance set (mostly) in the Scottish Highlands, written by the one and only Sara Cate. An author whom I've been wanting to read for THE longest time, finally having the opportunity to do so thanks to this audiobook that came my way last month.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Sinful Manor series.

At the moment, Keep Me is listed as book one of one in the series, which gives me hope that this is not our only jaunt to Scotland and to 'Sinful Manor' as a series. Books when mean to be standalones for the most part don't usually have a series name attached to them, so this is a good sign and hopefully one we can all manifest into becoming an actual series with multiple books within it. Standalone or connected. This reader isn't picky. I'll take whatever I can get.

Which is why I didn't spend a moment's hesitation in grabbing this advanced audiobook copy when I saw it. Having been unsuccessful in grabbing an advanced reader copy, I knew this was my chance to pop my Sara Cate cherry. Having heard numerous readers speak about Sara and how brilliant she is at writing and crafting steamy, lip-biting, erotic as hell stories, you bet I put her on my radar to hop on that train as/when I was meant to step on it. It also helps that this was a story set (mostly) in Scotland with a grumpy, growly Scottish MC, which my reader friends know I have a penchant for, especially. Simply put, it was kismet that this was the story to finally immerse me into the world of Sara Cate.

--'Their marriage of convenience is anything but…'--

Killian Barclay is a man that wants one thing, and that's to embrace his solitude and be left the hell alone. He is a man who has racked up more than his fair share of heartbreak and heartache to last a lifetime, so he has no plans in any future--near or far--to dip his toes back into the pool of love. As a result, this life choice has earned him--and rightly so--the notoriety of being a broody Scot. One that turn his grand, ancestral home into something no one could have possible seen coming. A den of iniquity.

Before long, word spread through his town that the parties that he holds at said den of iniquity reaches others within his family who also have their eyes on the self-same home that they are held in. Not pleased to say the least, they begin to hatch a plan amongst each other to not only stop these parties, but firmly shake and remove Killian from the stale, stagnant routine he's put himself into for far too many years.

Part of that plan? New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux.

Sylvie Devereaux, being from New York, is as tough as nails. She had to be. As the daughter of famous parents in their field of work, they neglected her in favour of their chosen careers. For all the years that she raised herself, she grew a hard shell and keeps everyone around her at a safe arm's length.

That is, until during a trip to Scotland with her boyfriend, she sneaks into Barclay Manor to get a glimpse of a famous heirloom that she had heard a lot about from said boyfriend. Sneaking into the Manor, she only planned to get in, have a glimpse of the heirloom and get out as if the devil were chasing her, nipping at her heels. Imagine her surprise when she comes across an actual devil in the form of a brutish, maddening Scottish highlander who hates both friends and foe alike. This chance meeting wasn't on her agenda, so she definitely doesn't plan on ever crossing paths with him again.

Weeks after her not-so-moral break-in, Sylvie on a random day is surprised by a member of Killian's family at her home in New York. She is offered an opportunity in the form of a proposal--literally--to uproot her life, move to Scotland and marry Killian. Why? To improve his infamous playboy reputation and if she manages to stay married to him for one whole year, she walks away with ten million dollars and no catch.

After a little consideration, she accepts.

The plan, albeit simple, isn't all as it seems. It is deceptive to the unwilling groom-to-be, which she is well aware of. Growing closer to Killian as the days, weeks and months go on and the end of their year together approaches, Sylvie must come to a solid decision. Does she keep the love of a good man with a dark soul, or does she willingly break his heart that has slowly but surely become hers?

Reading--or rather, listening to--an author's work whom I've wanted to dive into for the longest time, did not disappoint once the time finally came to do so. Her writing was clean, clear, fluid and very easy to settle down with as a first-timer who is not yet as familiar with her style and voice as a seasoned reader would be. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it felt more like coming back to something familiar, rather than foreign-to-me. I wasn't dragging myself from page to page, wading through uncertain waters, but was happily turning each one and swimming through the story with ease.

My biggest takeaway from this book had to be our MMC, Killian. Aside from being a grumpy, growly Scot which I adore, it's his Alphahole nature that really impressed me. As a reader who is not unfamiliar with either the grumpy, the growly or the Scottish, I have read my fair share of them and have yet to come across someone so Alpha-holey (yes, I'm using that as an official term) as Killian. Alphaholes come in many shapes and forms in many genres and tropes, but none have knocked my socks off quite like this man. I'm thoroughly convinced that his grumpy, growly and Scot nature all play a part in contributing towards his Alphahole personality, but its like Sara has literally born the fictionally-perfect on-the-page creation of the definition of said Alphahole term. If you looked up the meaning, you would literally see a photo of Killian right there next to the meaning of the word. Props to Will Watt in his portrayal of Killian's character. He was THE perfect choice for this less-than-perfect fictional man.

Now, let's talk steam and spice. Both were promised as par the course for a Sara Cate novel. Were they here? Yes. However, I felt there was more angst than spice. Both happened brilliantly as/when the occasion called for it (ahem, the stair scene. Iykyk), but it paled slightly compared to what I felt we were promised in the promo leading up to reading and/or listening to the story. I expected it to be an almost constant thing, or very explicit in terms of BDSM/erotica, especially with the tidbits of information about Killian's kinks and what goes down at the house. That said, this was not a negative of either the story as a whole or of Sara and her writing. It was misleading, sure, but not something to mark down or deduce a star rating.

It was light on the BDSM/erotica but as previously stated, isn't something to be critiqued. Maybe to seasoned readers of Sara who are used to steamier/spicier reads of hers, but this was a new read in a new series and with any first book introducing us to something new, its all about finding footing and this book was a definite step in the right direction in doing so.

There are three things that would have bumped this book up to the full five stars for me, and I'm going to do my best to describe them without spoiling anything. One, their (other) wedding. I would have loved to have seen it play out on the page, rather than in recap of time that has passed. Two, where they ended up. What happened in Scotland for my own taste, should have stayed there. Three, the home and what became of it. In my opinion, it should have remained someone's home. If those three things would have happened--again, for my own reading tastes--it would have made this book five-star material.

(As after all, spice and steam are NOT the only determining factors that make a read a five-star one).

Ultimately, the kudos also for the impact of the book has to go to Will Watt & Kelli Tager for their portrayals as Killian and Sylvie. Outstanding doesn't even begin to cover it. Will was made for Killian as much as I feel the character of Killian was made for him. They walked in the same shoes and delivered my favourite performance of his to date. A round of applause--and another polite request to see a kilted booth photo--for him. Kelli, well, what an introduction this was to another female narrator! Such a pleasant voice that I could listen to for hours--and in fact, did--, who like Will, was made for the character she narrated. I felt rather than heard her delivered performance, and will definitely be looking at listening to more of her next year.

All in all, Keep Me kept me entertained, intrigued and definitely requesting another return to this world and preferably to Scotland with another grumpy, growly alphahole MMC at the help. After all once you go Scot, you can not stop!

4.75 stars!

Did I like it? Yes. Did I love it? We have a fiery marriage of convenience between a guy who is really kind of a dick and a pretty selfish woman who's in it for the money. Their chemistry is great, I just wish they were nicer to each other.

While I was hoping for more character development—especially for Sylvie—the story still delivered plenty of angst and heat. There was plenty of spice (maybe a bit less than SPC), and it was definitely a fun, emotional read, but something felt a little off.

I had the pleasure of listening to this one and the narrators were fantastic. Will Watt is a personal favorite and was amazing as always.

5 ⭐ ⁣
4 🌶️⁣
⁣
I listened to the audiobook and read it at the same time because I needed that Scottish accent. Lol The tension, the drama, the banter!!! I DEVOURED it. ⁣
⁣
Sylvie got cut off from her parents and her ex-boyfriend cheated on her. When she got proposed to marry a grumpy Scottish man, she immediately agreed for 10 million. She just has to marry him for 1 year and they can divorce. But Sylvie and Killian do not get along at all. Always pushing each other's buttons. But the more time they spent together the more they start to understand each other. ⁣
⁣
I'll be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like Sylvie, but as I keep on reading, I feel so bad for her. And Killian!!! Oh man. I love when a playboy changes for a female. 😏 They're so kinky and I love it!!

This was not my favorite Sara Cate book for a variety of vague reasons that I'm having trouble putting into words. It just made me feel a little put off and I didn't really feel genuine emotion from or for these characters. From a writing style standpoint it works and flows, but the storyline just felt ridiculous to me and I didn't feel invested in the outcome. The audiobook narration also felt over the top with the accents so that may have also lessened my overall enjoyment.

This is an intense and emotional marriage-of-convenience romance brought to life by the outstanding narration of Kelli Tager and Will Watt. Sylvie and Killian's explosive chemistry and sharp banter evolve into a deeply moving connection as they confront their flaws and emotional scars. Cate’s portrayal of Killian’s anxiety adds depth, making his journey of vulnerability and healing especially impactful. The story’s transformation from enemies to lovers is beautifully crafted, with moments of heartbreak and hope that kept me hooked. Both narrators capture these complex characters' fiery passion and raw emotions, enhancing every twist and tender moment—a must-listen for fans of angsty, heartfelt romance.

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,, Dreamscape Media, Libro FM & Sourcebooks Casa for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Keep Me was fantastic. This is book 1 in the Sinful Manor series and I loved it. The saying 'there's a fine line between love and hate' was never more apparent than in this story.

This is Killian and Sophie's marriage of convenience tale and I was hooked from beginning to end.

The banter, the complex characters, the chemistry, the emotions, the angst, and the passion all came together to make this story such an engrossing one.

I loved seeing how the connection between these two strangers who were so hostile to each other at the start evolved. As the story progressed, their layers were peeled back and they found a real connection with each other.

This was such an enjoyable read and I can't wait for more in the series. I would definitely recommend this novel to romance lovers.

🎧🎧🎧

I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Kelli Tager and Will Watt. These two were fantastic. They gave the characters depth and emotions and their voices were perfectly suitable for the roles to which they were cast. Will's Scottish accent was on point and I was able to easily understand him without having to lower my listening speed. It was a pleasure listening to them narrate this novel.

I seriously love discovering new narrators! Especially if they are amazing and you can feel the emotions. I love a Sara cate book and will always devour it and i looove a good marriage of convenience. I feel like if I didn't listen to this one, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much but I did still like it!

This was a quick paced story with humor and tension. I could've done with more character connection, it did seem like we flew through the story, but I liked it. I listened to the audible and the narration was fantastic!

Killian and Sylvie had plenty of steamy moments, but they also made me giggle. There was a good mesh with the side characters and I loved that Sylvie never cowered or hid who she was. She gave Killian a reason to be brave in his fearful moments and it made for a pretty great story.

What a special story, couple & book this is! I love Killian & Sylvie so much! I want to live in this world! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The story line hit on so many favorite tropes for me, I couldn’t get enough of these two! The narration was truly perfect too! I love Will Watt’s Scottish accent, it was so authentic and genuine and made me connect so much to the story.

Read if you love:

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

“Keep Me” by Sara Cate kicks off the Sinful Manor series, and wow, it does not hold back! It’s about Sylvie, a reckless writer who ends up fake-married to Killian, a grumpy recluse with a tragic backstory, after her nightmare parents cut her off. There’s $10 million at stake, so Sylvie just has to survive one year in Killian’s remote Scottish manor. No big deal, right?

Sylvie’s gone from spoiled and carefree to broke and desperate, so saying yes to a fake marriage for cash? Easy decision. The whole setup gives serious “Beauty and the Beast” vibes, but way spicier. Killian is a broody jerk with anger issues (and wow, he really commits to the role), but then you see these little vulnerable moments that make you swoon.

This book serves up all the good tropes: marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, age gap, grumpy x grumpy, forced proximity, and two beautifully messy, broken characters. The banter between Sylvie and Killian is so sharp and hilarious—I loved that they were always butting heads. It made their chemistry and tension electric. Deep down, Killian’s just a guy desperate to be loved, and Sylvie’s someone who’s never been anyone’s priority. Their journey together? Perfection.

The romance? Amazing. The plot? Addictive. The smut? Absolutely top-tier. I devoured this.

🎧Audiobook Review
Will Watt nailed the Scottish accent (I mean, it was hot), and Kelli Tager was absolutely spot-on as Sylvie. The voice acting was so engaging, I couldn’t stop listening and finished this in one sitting.

Thank you @sourcebookscasa @dreamscape_media for a gifted copy of the audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sara Cate's Keep Me is masterfully written, weaving deeply rooted pain into a beautiful romance - the story rocked me to the core. Killian and Sylvie’s scintillating journey is soul shattering...the heart wrenching erotism all encompassing. I love how dark and edgy it got, but still so passionate and heartfelt.

Will Watt and Kelli Tager's performances were engaging, electric and mesmerizing. Bravo!

Oh this was fun.

Marriage of convenience
Scottish giant
I hate you so much
Kilts

Quite a dark romance and my first book from this author but I will be reading much, much more. Highly recommend the audio!!

4.5 stars! Not gonna lie, I really didn’t like either of these characters at the start of the book. But I believe in Sara Cate, so I didn’t let it deter me from reading this book. And to be fair, I listened to the audiobook, and Will Watt is one of my favorite Scottish narrators, and Kelli Tager did a fantastic job as well. And as anticipated, by this end, I absolutely was in love with this story, these characters are so perfect for each other, and I loved going on this journey with them.

The characters are flawed, and they are damaged and protecting themselves. Their emotional turmoil may stem from very different places, but they found a way to find each other through the mess of it all. And messy it was. Definitely a hate turned into love situation, and the circumstance surrounding their marriage of convenience were sketchy at best. But a little vulnerability goes a long way. Apparently so does a little hate s3x. I also appreciated that this wasn’t a cookie cutter or clean and easy way to address mental health issues. Killian is a severe case, and this wasn’t a “her love saved him” situation. And while, yes, she helped him find his direction, he still had to do the work. And Sylvie, with her own emotional baggage, is truly in no position to put herself out there as his savior, and she doesn’t really try, which I love. She’s there for him, he’s there for her, and in the end, it all comes together in a very real and beautiful way.

It’s a deeply emotional story with a lot of nuance and some intriguing roads traveled. The spectacular narration throws it to an even higher level, with depth and emotion that is visceral and wonderful. And, well, it’s Sara Cate, so you know the spice is spicing, and it is fantastic. 🌶🌶🌶🌶

I loved this one. It was filled with forced marriage with a scottish man... need I say more. I loved the audio book version of this one. The characters were so relatable, and I can't wait for more from this author.

Thank you Net Galley ARC

I listened to Keep Me by Sara Cate as an audiobook, and WOW—what an experience! 🎧🔥 The narrator’s accent was incredibly sexy, adding an irresistible layer to this already steamy romance. Every scene was brought to life with passion and intensity, making it impossible to hit pause.
This enemies-to-lovers story was executed perfectly. The tension between the characters was electric, and I found myself rooting for them at every turn. Their journey from clashing to finding their way to each other was full of heart, heat, and just the right amount of angst.
Sara Cate masterfully weaves a story that hooks you in and doesn’t let go until the very last word. If you’re a fan of steamy romance and well-done enemies-to-lovers tropes, Keep Me is a must-listen. Highly recommend!
Also, if you are aware of any brooding billionaire Scotsmen… Please comment 🥵❤️‍🔥
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/ 5

Great audiobook version of the book. The alternating points of view between Sylvie and Killian were well done. Listeners will definitely be a fan of Killian Scottish accent.