Keep Me is book one in the Sinful Manor series. This book follows Killian Barclay and Sylvie Devereaux.

Killian just wants to be left alone in his manor. One day, Sylvie sneaks into Barclay manor on a trip to Scotland to get a glimpse of a family heirloom, she did not expect to come face to face with the brutish scot. Weeks after the incident, Sylvie, who has been going through a rough spot, accepts an offer for ten million dollars if she moves to Scotland and marries Killian for a year to help with his reputation. The contract she signs entails way more details than Killian is privy to, but his family believes this is for his own good. What they didn’t expect was to actually fall in love.

I seriously loved this book so much, and I honestly read it slowly so that I could process everything. This book felt different from her others but not in a bad way at all! It was more mild but still had the spice and chemistry we all love from Sara.

Killian and Sylvie at first hated each other but slowly over time grew to love one another. I loved how their jabs at each other were heat filled at first, but over time became playful. Their chemistry was there even through all the heated arguments. I loved reading Killian and Sylvie’s journey because they both had demons to overcome, but they became better people because they had something to fight for. I can’t wait to continue with the rest of the series, this is just the beginning!

You will enjoy this book if you like the following:

- Marriage of Convenience
- Grumpy X Grumpy
- Kinky Vibes
- Scottish Broody Billionaire
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Age Gap (25/37)


Thank you, Sara Cate, Sourcebooks, and Hambright PR for the gifted copy.

As per usual, I absolutely loved a Sara Cate novel. I loved that this was a step away from both SPC and the club focus in The Goode Brothers series. I definitely think there’s potential for that to be brought into the story based on the little hints we got throughout the book (and maybe other hints we’ve gotten else where??). The literal only reason this lost even half a star for me is that one of the names that Killian calls Sylvia in the beginning made my eyeball twitch (and no, it’s not the C word you think). But overall, I loved the tension between the two characters. I loved that at the end of the day Killian was just someone dealing with trauma who needed someone to meet him where he was, really to even understand where he was starting from. And haven’t we all been there? (No? Well, I’ll speak to my therapist about that). I’m really excited to see where this series goes and how we see more of the other characters mentioned throughout the book. I literally sat and read the last 75% of this book in one sitting. I cried during one specific conversation at like 90% (like a lot). And I just loved the love between the two characters (once they finally acknowledged it - but loathe to love will do that to you).

Sylvie Devereaux is the daughter of two famous but terrible parents that has caused her to create this tough exterior that keeps everyone at arms lengths. She has grown up rich and spoiled doing whatever she pleases until she gets cut off from said parents.

She’s on vacation with her boyfriend in Scotland and decides she’s going to sneak into Barclay Manor to get a picture of a famous typewriter that was supposedly an heirloom. She has a very unconventional and horrifying meet cute with a very angry Scotsman.

Killian Barclay is a secluded angry man drowning his heartache in drinking and debauchery turning his ancestral home Barclay Manor into a family disgrace. Killian’s family is determined by any means necessary to stop him and regain their home.

I wasn’t anticipating the emotional turmoil that this book would put me through. I loved the banter they had toward each other. Their hate for each other was palpable. Then there’s Killian, a broken man that you just can’t help but fall in love with. There is so much more than meets the eye with him. My heart broke for him. Sylvie is just as shattered. She comes across as a spoiled brat but she really is just hurting and lonely. She grows so much by the end of the book. This is book one in the Sinful Manor Series. I can’t recommend this enough. It is a very raw and emotional read. I loved it.

Tropes
💍 Marriage of Convenience
🖤Grumpy X Grumpy
💍 Kinky Vibes
🖤Scottish Broody Billionaire
💍 Enemies to Lovers
🖤Forced Proximity
💍Age Gap
🖤Mental Heath Rep

Thank you @saracratebooks, @hambright_pr and @netgalley for this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This story was entertaining and a good read to add to your TBR if you are a Sara Cate fan. The plot of the aunt and what would happen with the house kept me engaged throughout the story and the development of the relationship between Sylvie and Killian was one I was glad to see grow.

That being said, this one definitely took me a minute to warm up to. The FMC and MMC are absolutely HORRID to each other in the beginning and definitely makes for an almost "can't stand-to-lovers" type of feel. The way they spoke to each other in the beginning is honestly what made it so hard to get into the story at first. The MMC calls the FMC names, that to me, would just be hard to imagine turning around into a relationship? There were also some areas in the book that I found to be repetitive (how many times Killian was described as large, huge, massive, etc.) or mismatched from the original description which led things to be confusing.

This book does have spice in it, although maybe not as much as some seem to have been expecting based on tropes. Keep Me was definitely a much lower spice level than other works by Sara while still containing open door spice, build up, and dirty talk!

Overall I would recommend!

*Thank you Sara and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC*

When Grumpy met Grumpy...

And they hated each other. Yet, they married for a year. Killian is grumpy and just plain mean to Sylvie. Sylvie is also grumpy, a New Yorker, while Killian is a Scot. He's notorious for his swingers parties. But he needs to clean up his dirty image and Sylvie is offered an outrageous fortune to marry him for a year. Some spice, swinging, then, Mine.

Sylvie is an independent spitfire and Killian is a grumpy recluse. She needs a change, he needs to please his family, so naturally they had to get married! It was definitely a wild ride as they navigated their situation. This is an interesting new world from Ms. Cate, and I’m intrigued to see where it goes.

It’s hard to believe this was my very first read by Sara Cate. Her books have been on my TBR forever, and now that I’ve read this one I’ll be busy devouring her backlist!

Keep Me was such a good read!! I blew through this book in less than a day - I didn’t even realize how quickly it was going because I was so engrossed in the story!

A grumpy reclusive Scottish billionaire finds himself in an arranged marriage set up with a grumpy American who has a chip on her shoulder?!? It’s not often you get a broody grumpy MMC paired with a cranky and sassy FMC, yet Sara totally nailed this duo! The total disdain Killian and Sylvie have for each other and the pure angst that hatred created was so incredible! Oh! And did I mention Killian wears a kilt and gives her a gaelic pet name?!

Seriously, this book made me want to hop on a plane and head to Scotland immediately! The tension between these two characters as they try their best to not hate each other too much for the one year they must remain married as they grump and brood around in Killian’s Scottish Manor had me squealing with delight! So much banter and sass created such a fun angst chemistry between Killian and Sylvie!

5 ⭐️ | 3 🌶️

Killian Barclay was one of the grumpiest MMCs I’ve ever read, but when his switch flipped, It FLIPPED and he was so gone. I loved this couple so much.

🩷 Age Gap
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Marriage of convenience
🩷 All the Scottish goodness (& adorable Gaelic pet name)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Grumpy X Grumpy
🩷 Billionaire
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Enemies to lovers
🩷 Forced proximity
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 “My wife” “Mine”

🌶️ (partner swapping, Dom, Seggs parties, v0yeurism, br33ding k!nk)

These two were SO MEAN to each other at the beginning and then they had me crying by the 3rd act 😂. This was more emotional than I was expecting from a Sara Cate book and I am not mad at it at all!

Both Killian and Sylvie had trauma to work through and they helped each other through it which was such a joy to read, especially after their tumultuous start.

The enemies to lovers created some STEAMY spice though let me tell ya. And when Sylvie got possessive over Killian?? Yes ma’am I was such a fan.

This story truly had it all and I’m so excited to see where this series goes next 😍.

🖤 Thank you so much to Hambright pr, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Sara Cate for the arc of Keep Me in exchange for my honest review!

Keep Me by @saracatebooks

Thank you so much to Sara Cate, @netgalley, @dreamscape_media and @sourcebookscasa for the opportunity to read the ARC and listen to the ALC.

Well I gobbled this up in one sitting and loved every minute of it. I had just come off of dnfing a book and this was just what I needed! A quick, wickedly delicious and sexy book full of witty banter, steamy moments and past trauma.

If you love:
👩🏻Headstrong FMC
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Broody Scottish MMC
💵Millionaire Romance
💙He Falls Hard
💍Marriage of Convenience
⛓️Taboo
💚Jealous MMC

The audio was so much fun! I loved the male narrator’s voice! He was perfect for the role 🔥

#keepme #saracate #saracatebooks #smut #smutbooks #taboo #scottish #millionaire #millionaireromance #marraigeofconvenience #arc #review #bookreview #bookreviewer #netgalley #audiobook

Having only read one other Sara Cate book, I went in thinking this would be a super spicy Scottish smutty read. And while it ~was~ spicy, it didn’t hold up to that of the SPC. And that’s fine! I was just surprised.

I also thought the description was a little misleading—the swinger-aspect didn’t quite feel accurate, but I digress. ALSO I was NOT down for the frequent use of the word “cow,” which is what the MMC called his “wife” for most of the beginning of the book.😡

Spice was like 3-3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

I’m a sucker for reclusive Scottish billionaires!

“Keep Me” follows Sylvie Devereaux, the daughter of famous yet neglectful parents, after she sneaks into Barclay Manor during a trip to Scotland. She doesn’t anticipate facing off against Killian Barclay—the brutish, maddening Highlander who lives there—much less enter a marriage of convenience with him. But his family makes an offer she can’t refuse—move to Scotland and marry Killian to improve his playboy reputation, and after one year, she’ll walk away with ten million dollars. But as she grows closer to Killian, their ruse becomes anything but.

This was the first book I have read by Sara Cate and it most definitely will not be the last! I nearly devoured “Keep Me” in one sitting and only made myself put it down to savor it.

Killian and Sylvie’s grumpy x grumpy, enemies to lovers romance made my heart melt! The two could not stand each other at the start, but their marriage makes it impossible to avoid one another for long. I adored watching them learn to open up as they unwillingly fell in love! Their verbal sparring matches were endlessly entertaining, the pacing of their relationship was deliciously slow, and both characters were very well-rounded.

It is worth mentioning that the taboo elements are very minimal in this one, so it is perfect for those looking to explore this subgenre.

“Keep Me” is the perfect book to kick off the Sinful Manor series. I cannot wait for each Barclay sibling to get their own story!

Kilt wearing, moody, broody Scot?? Shut up and take my money!
This is a slow burn, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience trope. It’s also full of angst.
Killian is a billionaire grumpy Scot who hates the world. Sylvie grew up rich and is spoiled but is now penniless so when asked to marry Killian to help his reputation she jumps at the chance.
I’m just going to say it. Sylvie and Killian aren’t the most likable people but they have great chemistry and their bickering and pet names for each other are great lol. And the angst is reeeeaaaallllll!!!

This book had me at reclusive Scottish billionaire! I read the ebook, but I can’t wait to hear this story in audio! Keep Me was lighter than this author’s typical books, but it was fun to read. I enjoyed it a lot!

Sylvie and Killian enter a marriage of convenience so he can keep his family manor and she can financially support herself after her selfish family disowned her. They are both lost souls when they first connect. Their meet cute felt a lot more like a meet ugly. These two do not click at all because they are so similar (and cause Sylvie broke into Killian’s house). They are both emotionally struggling, quick tempered, and neither is happy to be married to the other.

Sylvie and Killian are explosive together from their fights to their physical chemistry. One they transform from enemies to lovers, they become the others biggest support and cheerleader. They truly want the best for the other and that is so endearing.

Killian’s k1nky swinger friends all seemed like a lot of fun besides a certain someone who liked to stir up drama. I’d describe this book as k1nk adjacent. It is mentioned in the story, but not really explored deeply like the author’s SPC series. However, the book has some fantastic spice and I loved the impact scene.

I’m looking forward to seeing if the author continues to write about Killian’s family. I’d love to read about his sister!

Sara Cate’s first full traditional publishing release, Keep Me, brings a fresh take on the marriage of convenience trope, blending elements of forced proximity, dislike-to-lovers, and emotional growth. While I’m a huge fan of her Salacious Players Club series, known for its bold, sexy storytelling and respectful depiction of kink, this book felt notably tamer and, in some ways, a bit messy by comparison.

The story follows Killian and Sylvie, two characters who are abrasive and rude to each other at the outset. Their marriage is purely transactional, with both benefiting financially, but their relationship evolves as they’re forced to live together in Killian’s sprawling manor. What starts as a volatile connection full of yelling and insults slowly softens into a more tender, supportive dynamic. The exploration of their pasts adds depth and made me empathize with Killian, even when he was an alpha-hole who crossed the line into rude AF territory. That said, if overbearing MMCs aren’t your thing, this might not be the book for you.

Sylvie, on the other hand, had an inconsistent arc. She started off as a brash and unbearable character, but her personality shift midway through the book felt abrupt, almost as if she wasn’t the same person we’d initially met. While she retained her fiery nature, the sudden transformation into someone more likable left me feeling disconnected from her character development.

The spice in Keep Me was enjoyable, but far less prominent than I expected from Sara Cate. The kinks felt more like an afterthought than integral to the story, lacking the thoughtful exploration I’ve come to expect from her writing. Additionally, the pacing felt uneven, with some sections dragging while others seemed rushed—particularly Killian’s backstory, which needed more depth.

Despite its flaws, Keep Me does have its highlights. The tender moments between Killian and Sylvie were genuinely heartwarming, and their emotional connection was a welcome counterbalance to their fiery beginnings.

While Keep Me didn’t quite meet the high bar set by Sara Cate’s previous works, it was still a fun read. For fans of marriage-of-convenience stories and alpha-hole MMCs, this might hit the mark, but for me, it fell a bit short of the layered, smutty excellence I’ve come to love from her. That said, I’m excited to see what she writes next as she continues to grow in this new traditional publishing space.

Okay I LOVED this!!! This has to be one of my favorite SC books. I genuinely couldn’t put it down. I “one more chapter”ed myself to midnight

You know it’s a good enemies to lovers when you have a few moments where you think “maybe *i* hate him too” and then you end up changing your tune 😂

I love love loved both Sylvie and Killian. They were both so grumpy and headstrong and I loved that even as they grew they were still them. Sylvie is fiery, not afraid to speak her mind, and deeply protective of her man (whether she likes him or not). Killian challenges Sylvie and gives her space to grow and discover who she is all while razzing her and pissing her off (have I mentioned how much I love them????)

I also am obsessed with how this dual POV was done! I haven’t ever read a book written like this and I think it’s such a good way to do dual POV without just switching every chapter.

Of course, to no one’s surprise, Sara Cate gives us the most delicious spice 🥵

There really wasn’t anything I didn’t loved about this. I am SO excited to see where this series goes and what the Barclay Manor has in store for this siblings

Thank you Sara Cate for the ARC copy of this one!!!

Keep Me by Sara Cate is the first book in a new series by this author. It follows Killian, a reclusive Scot who just wants to be left alone in his ancestral home and Sylvie, the daughter of some well known artists. These two have the worlds collide after Sylvie sneaks into Killian’s home to check out a family heirloom. Hijinks ensue and they find themselves in a marriage of convenience. Will they be able to survive each other?

I’m not going to lie. This one took me a bit to get on board with the story. It kind of has an unrealistic start that I just could not fully feel invested in. But eventually, I just took the story as it was and ended up having such a fun time. These characters absolutely hate each other when they are forced to get married. I did not see a way for this to turn into a romance for a good chunk of the beginning. This is what I want when I say I want enemies to lovers.

I do wish there would have been more time spent setting up the relationship dynamic. This book feels a little on the shorter side and I think that slightly hindered my enjoyment of the overall romance. But I still had a great time. Like all of the other books I have read by this author, this book is about breaking down walls and building trust. I found Killian’s character to be especially well done because you really feel the effects of the trauma he has gone through.

I ended up really enjoying this book. If you can get behind the general premise, I think it’s definitely worth the read. The only thing I wanted was a bit more of the inbetween stage between being enemies and becoming lovers. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this series has in store!

A steamy romance between a Scottish recluse and a lost American. Sylvie has no money and has been cut off from her parents. She agrees to marry a Scottish recluse whose family feels he needs rehabilitation. The story was charming. This book has pretty steamy sex scenes. The use of profanity was off-putting.

Felt like this one was trying to hard to be spicy without evenly mixing the spice into the story's batter. The characters never really gelled for me - Killian had a good backstory, but I can't see the relationship with Sylvie lasting more than as a rebound/recovery romance.

A steamy enemies to lovers, dual POV, forced proximity, marriage of convenience romance set in Scotland that sees a broke American aspiring writer making a deal with an agoraphobic reclusive grumpy Scotsman's family in order for them to trick him out of the family estate.

Good on audio narrated by Kelli Tager and Will Watt, this book has great panic attack and grief rep and also includes graphic consensual sex (ie light BDSM). My first by Sara Cate, I enjoyed it more than I was expecting and liked the Scottish setting, the male narrator's accent and the mental health and therapy rep.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Killian and Sylvie are an unlikely pairing from the beginning. Neither character begins as very likeable, but when they are forced into a marriage of convenience for one year, they begin to warm up to one another. They embody a number of popular tropes, including grumpy--grumpy, forced proximity, enemies to lovers. Naturally, sparks fly, and when they finally do, things get pretty steamy!