If You Keep Me, by Ciara Knight, is a charming love story that is set after the second world war. Victor Bessler returns as a wounded war hero. Victor is haunted by wartime memories and tries his best to reconnect with his wife Rosie to rekindle their romance and marriage.

Knight has a talent for illustrating the sense of strangeness & abnormality experienced between Victor and Rosie, despite being married and in a loving relationship. Although they were facing problems in their marriage, it is truly heartwarming to see how they reach out to assist a group of orphaned street kids.

I enjoyed reading this lovely novel as it was a beautiful Christmas story of putting others ahead of one's self and how things just fall into place. If You Keep Me, is a quick, fascinating read with interesting characters who make this novel entertaining.

I would like to thank Ciara Knight, Author Collective 20, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Summary:A beautiful love story that will warm your heart.

3.5 stars.
An estranged married couple tries to work through their matrimony problems in postwar small-town America in “If You Keep Me”, by Ciara Knight.
Featuring a wounded hero troubled by memories of war and a heroine who embodies the shift in gender roles brought about in wartime, the story shows how Vic and Rosie try to rekindle their marriage and mend their broken ties, while also creating a new family with a group of orphaned street children.
I liked how the author depicted the sense of strangeness and unfamiliarity between Vic and Rosie and how, despite being married and loving each other, they feel so separated.
Vic is dealing with a lot of guilt and has overdeveloped protective instincts; Rosie, also nursing wounds of her own, is a brave, level-headed heroine.
This was a quick, entertaining read with both a heartwarming and heartbreaking tone brought by the characters of the children and an occasionally rosy look at reality.

The Sugar Maple series, and little town, has become one of my favorite series. From the beginning of the series the geriatric town leaders captured my attention with their mischievous manipulation of town events and citizens. The prequel allows us to see and understand how Davey has been their leader from the beginning of the series and why.

If You Keep Me is, also, a second chance romance for an already married couple. Separated by the war, PTSD, secrets and love for each other, Victor and Rosie struggle to find a way back to each other. It takes almost losing what little they have to help them see they really have a lot already.

So ‘Keep Me’ brings together the second chance at love with a chance of family. So not only do we learn about the beginning of the town leaders for books 1-3, we see how they became an official family through the love of Vic and Rosie. The ‘street’ children lead by Davey assisted in their own unique way to help Rosie and Vic see they could be a ‘real’ family with or without children of their own.

Each of the books in the ‘SM’ series is a stand-alone, though you could read the books in sequence and enjoy it either way. Davey is just as strong-willed and mischievous as an adult as he was as a child.

Time frame is the end of WWII.
Victor Bessler has returned from the war as a wounded veteran. His wife, Rosie, has been keeping herself busy trying to keep their wood working shop running. The effects of the war has played a toll on Victor. Can their marriage go forward?
Issues arise concerning having a child. Homeless children play a part in this story.
A story about finding peace and finding love.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and give my honest review about this book. All opinions expressed are my own.