Ms Cate has done it again!

I loved these characters so much. The way that anxiety has been portrayed within this book is wonderful and meant that I really related through my own. While reading Killian and Sylvie's story I laughed, and I cried, and I definitely fell in love with them. This is such an easy read that ,if I hadn't forced myself to slow down, I would have easily finished this in a day.

If you have read any of Sara's other books (and even if you haven't to be fair) you need to read this.

Fake marriage with a grumpy Scotsman and a hot headed American who act as a mirror so each can see themselves as they should be. 10/10.

Marriage of convenance, forced proximity with a healthy dose of hate to love with a good dose of instant attraction. Oh baby this one hit the spot.

Is this more tame than the previous Sara Cate books I have read? yes but no less delectable.

Sylvie is a spirited young woman trying to find her place in the world. Having been brought up in the world of elite one would assume that meant her life was easy and she was spoilt but honestly the sad reality of her life was that the only love she ever craved was that of her parents and coincidently the kind that she didn't get. It led to her making choices that didn't favour her and acting impulsively but what it didn't make her was bad. Or useless..

Poor Sylvie did not have it easy but made a deal in the hopes that her life would be easier. Her character was sad and lost and felt misunderstood and truly my heart ached for her. What I loved though is that she still had spirit and fire. She just needed time to find her way and the help of a angry Scott man most certainly helped.

Killian Barclay... Our angry Scott, kilt wearing delectable brute really tickled all my pickles. Oh his story broke my heart and I totally understood from his perspective the anger, the resentment and the need to drown his sorrows. Funny enough despite his angry disposition, he was actually super sweet and caring and oh so dirty in all the best ways.

Killian and Sylvie had this anger fuelled chemistry that had me on the edge of my seat waiting, wondering when they would finally give in. The name calling, bickering and secret admiration sent me in a tail spin. I laughed at them, swooned when they finally gave in to the inevitable and waited in dread for the moment all would come to light and hearts would be broken. To my utter surprise it didn't turn the way I thought it would. The growth of both characters was sweet and believable not just an instant change from love. No... it was a gradual thing. One that wasn't easy but needed for them to become exactly what they did. That ending... SIGHSSS, UTTER PERFECTION.

What a ride.

Unfortunately this one just fell flat for me which was a big disappointment as I'm a huge fan of the Salacious Players Club series. I just didn't vibe with the characters at all and didn't get the experience I was wanting from this book

I was unsure if I was going to like a book set in rainy Scotland but as soon as I started reading about Killian and Sylvie I was hooked!

I loved the tension between them and when they finally gave into their feelings for each other the spice was off the charts!!

This book made me cry and I was extremely worried at one point I wouldn’t get to read their HEA but Sara has once again written an amazing book.

Now I just need to find myself a Killian and all will be right in the world!

3.5* - This was a tricky one for me, as reading this after the Salacious Players Club series, given the similarities of the covers, I really expected a little more. The header of "sinful manor" along with the extensive trigger warnings at the beginning, left me expecting a book that I didn't get. Whilst I loved the concept, I loved the characters, I found myself wondering what the relevance of certain aspects of Killian's past was, particularly in relation to both this book and the relationship with Sylvie. I think if the back story of Killian isn't going to be included in the current (ie he still partakes in these parties), I would have liked a bit more of the falling in love scenes between them. It definitely felt a bit lacklustre for me, although I did enjoy it, I just didn't love it.

Keep Me by Sara Cate

Thank you @netgalley, @saracatebooks and Source Books UK @sourcebookscasa for this one!

🏰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💍🌧️✈️

9 / 10 ⭐️
4 / 5 🌶️

After American girl Sylvie is caught boldly intruding into Killian’s Manor House she finds herself offered a 10million dollar deal - marry Killian for a year, so his family can reclaim the manor. The catch, he’s a grumpy Scotsman and doesn’t know the manor will be taken from him. Can Sylvie survive a year married to this brute, and make everyone else believe the charade in order to get her money?

Hang on hang on - we have;
grumpy x grumpy ✅
Scottish billionaire ✅ (I can’t wait to hear this on audio book)
Fake marriage and marriage business deal ✅
Enemies to lovers ✅ and the fighting exchanges 🫦
“My wife” and “mine” ✅
AND Gaelic pet name! ✅✅
Kinky parties and Dom ✅🔥

This was my first Sara Cate book and I was NOT disappointed. I was drawn back to the story wanting to know what was happening with Killian and Sylvie, a year of marriage but the story beautifully flows and doesn’t feel stuck to stale at any point.
The manor and Scottish landscape had a perfect autumnal feel to the read that was perfect for this time of year and only added to my already enjoyable reading experience.
I loved the actual spite in their arguements and loathing for each other though they were otherwise strangers, the passion of hate was sizzling from their first encounter. I enjoyed both of their character development and felt it all come together beautifully and was true to the characters throughout the book.

As a whole this story had everything I needed and enjoyed, as a bedtime reader I stayed up late 3 nights in a row to read this - and that’s saying something.

Thank you again Sara, NetGalley and SourceBooks for this ARC. I am already adding more Sara to my kindle library!

I'm a huge fan of the Salacious Players Club series, so I was excited to read something else by Sara Cate. I love her writing, her stories are sexy af and she always depicted kinks accurately and respectfully. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get the same feeling in this book. It seemed a bit more...messy? It wasn't as smutty, which is totally fine, the kinks that were included just seemed a lot more superficially described, not well thought out, and more of an after thought, and I thought the story had some issues with pacing.

While Killian definitely had his issues, though I don't think the book delved into his backstory enough, his issues weren't more than the average MMC. Sylvie however, was unbearable at first, then things quickly changed and I wondered if she was even the same character. She was still her brash self, but seemed less like a ignorant cruel brat that we were introduced to.

Killian and Sylvie have an explosive relationship (read lots of yelling and insults), but they do quickly develop feelings and have a very supportive relationship, with many tender moments.

It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't the level I was expecting from Sara Cate, and I was left feeling disappointed.

This was really fun to read! I love a story where the reader knows a secret that one or more of the main characters don't know and this book has that.

I also love a marriage of convenience too, but I think this is a melting pot of convenience and arrangement as a contract is involved and everything is very formal with the main characters to start - they really dislike each other at the start, but the arrangement for the marriage suits them both.

The way the author allows us time to get to know the characters, and allows the characters to develop throughout the story, is really good. I liked that we traveled in time by way of seasonal events or weather changes, no need for bold statements of time passing as chapter starts for example.

I also liked the setting. I wanted to read this because it was set in Scotland. If written well, these sorts of books can be good. As someone from Scotland, I've also found that this can be done not so well. But even in the first chapter with the description of it being 'grey and rainy for days' I knew I was onto a winner. The well written vagueness of the location allows the reader to imagine a fair amount of the location and setting themselves, which I appreciated. I think this is what made this work so well.

There's no stereotypical Scottishness either, which I was very pleased to see; the language and tone was on par with what I'd expect, the side characters sounded about right for their class etc. All in all, I think this was well written for its location and setting and I really enjoyed it (even though I read it over a few dreich days myself ;))

The story itself was great. As a new to me author I was excited to see how secrets would surface and what the results would be, how certain characters would work to resolve issues and how the story might twist and where it would end. I was hooked, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole book; reading the first half in a day!

I'll look out for more in this series for sure, and go back to read more from this author (the other series is on my radar anyway) but this book was certainly enjoyable enough to make me want to pick up more from Sara Cate!

This a marriage of convenience plot and I absolutely love that trope. I am also Scottish so when I read that it was set in Scotland I was intrigued. I really did enjoy this book it had me smiling so hard in parts and also tearing up a little bit. I'm not sure if it was just because it was on my kindle but the layout was strange and some words were on a new line when they didn't need to be so that was a bit off putting but looking past that minor detail I really got into this.

I really liked Killians character i feel like he had really good development i also really liked that it was highlighting mental health in a male which is something I haven't read much about in other books. I loved how he learned to be vulnerable with sylvie and how she really was there to support him.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Keep Me - @saracatebooks

Sylvie Devereaux is impulsive and quick tempered. She has made a catalogue of poor decisions, but marrying an impossibly handsome and infuriating Scottish man she has only met once? Yeah, that’s up with the best of them. She must stay married to Killian for one year in exchange for a cool $10 million. All she needs to do is tolerate this rude and frustrating man who has a propensity for debauchery and a predilection for raunchy house parties. Breaking the contract will bring dire consequences, ones Sylvie isn’t prepared to manage.

The enigmatic Killian Barclay agrees to the marriage, but he has his own reasons for doing so. He doesn’t plan on falling for the angry, whip-smart American who he can’t help but find maddeningly beautiful and alluring. As their connection builds and the tension reaches a climax (😏), will the terms of the contract break them?

—-

Killian Barclay! What a gorgeous, tortured, loving brute of a man. He made me so angry at the beginning - so rude and so unnecessarily awful to Sylvie. Then when you least expected it, he changed and I melted. I adore when a grump switches to being lovable (but only for her).

This story had everything. Two excellent leads who needed their wounds healing and who found unexpected solace in each other. Gorgeous locations of Scotland and NYC. Super steamy spice (check your trigger warnings before reading). Troublesome family and meddling and scheming. It was so enjoyable that I read it within 8 hours, couldn’t put it down.

I can’t wait for this to be released so I can share it with my other friends who adore this genre. Thank you to NetGalley and Sara Cate for the opportunity to read this e-ARC ahead of release.

Woosh! Sara cate at it again with stories full of spice and substance. I hope the series continues with the other siblings which would carry through the same themes as her other books. As a Scot myself. I did cringe at some parts and I hate the name sylvie but all in all this book was an easy quick read giving me a taste for more Sara cate novels! Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.


P.s. no one in Scotland in the 21st century would call someone a Hag as an insult and cow is just horrible. Could he not think of better words that started as an insult but became endearing? Still 4 stars but just an extra note after I reviews elsewhere.

Headlines:
From like
To Love
To Wow (just my reactions)

Keep Me was a read that snuck in with interest, built to obsessive page turning and then sucker-punched me in the gut with a wave of feels so that I'm thinking of it now the pages are closed. The plot was strong but it was the two characters of Sylvie and Killian that reeled me in tight.

Sylvie was the entitled, brattish (I thought) Manhatten woman with famous parents and Killian was a brooding, mooding Scottish laird with a manor. Both were misunderstood and I encourage you to read this, as peeling back the layers of their characters and past was the best element of this book.

The story had chemistry that smacked you in the face and it had some sprinkings of spice but when it sprinkled, it was intense. The sex seemed inevitable, the connection was uncertain.

I don't want to explain too much about this story but it's my first from this author and I am feeling a sense of longing for these characters again. I don't know what is in store with this series but I will be rolling up for book two.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the review copy.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks UK for the ARC

Another great, steamy novel from Sara Cate. She is a master in not only smut, but plot. All her novels are fantastic and this is up to par! A broody Scot and a marriage of convenience is the perfect mash for this new spicy hit.