If readers are looking for erotica set in Scotland here it is, but that is all.

I was waiting for more from the characters and the plot. The time jumps did not help the main characters or their relationship develop. If more time was given to the smaller moments, there overwhelming love for each other by the end wouldn't surprise the reader.

Many tropes in erotica were alluded to but never happened, which confused readers more than teased.

If readers are desperate for something to read, pick this up, but there are better options.

This was soooo good! I absolutely loved it! I fell in love with the storyline and the characters. I love a good marriage of convenience and this was a great one! The “my wife” moments are the best. I loved Killian and Sylvie! This story was emotional, cute, and sexy. I highly recommend it!

“You can believe whatever you want, Mrs. Barclay… But you are my wife, and it’s only a matter of time before you truly submit.”

“The world outside this room is cosmic and too massive to comprehend. But the world that exists between him and I is more so. The love we share is infinite.”

Killian and Sylvie’s story was so entertaining! I loved the unique grumpy x grumpy trope in this one! The sass and banter was next level, my jaw hit the floor with some of the things they said!
With all of the talk of the kïnky parties that Killian used to throw, I wish there were some flashbacks, because I have FOMO!
I rarely cry, but Sara actually had me in tears! Prepare to feel all of the emotions with this one.

Keep Me
Sara Cate

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was a bit different than other books I have read from Sara, but I still really enjoyed it.

We start off with Sylvie and her boyfriend Aaron on holiday, Sylvie ends up meeting Killian Barclay in an unconventional way let’s say. We learn that Killian is sort of a grumpy loner.

After vacation is over, Sylvie receives a visit from Killian’s sister with an offer of a contractual marriage for a large sum of money. With certain terms that have to be met, like stay married for a year, and you must remain true to your vows. Sounds easy enough right. Except Killian is grumpy playboy, who has in been involved in swingers parties.

I will admit for the first part of the book I really didn’t like Sylvie I thought she was a bit of a brat. I really couldn’t understand why everyone was trying to take the home from Killian instead of trying to get him the help he so clearly needed. But, I feel in love with them as a couple towards the end of the book after they had time to grow and make their changes.

Once again, Sara has another winner on her hands.

Sweet read. Two people who are hurt and alone find each other and fall in love. Very touching story with characters that you can relate to. Their chemistry is very hot and their kinkiness is scrumptious . Another great read!

Received a copy from NetGalley

Sylvie ends up in Scotland with her boyfriend. She ends up in a manor of a huge angry Scot. All she wanted to do was see the typewriter in the library of the manor. Who knew the encounter with Killian would end up changing her life. When she gets back home her life takes a turn for the worse…her boyfriend cheats on her and she is on the verge of being kicked out of her home. One day Anna shows up and offers her a contract to marry her brother. Just so happens that brother is the big angry Scot. Pick up this book to see how their story plays out. You will be so glad you did, I highly recommend this book!!

I have some mixed feelings about this book and I think it’s the first time Sara has stumped me. Loved the story. Loved the mental health representation. Loved the dramatic setting of a manor in Scotland. But for the first half of the book I found the FMC and MMC unlikable and obnoxious, which may have been the point given that its grumpy x grumpy. Once the characters walls started to crumble, they started warming up but it was tough trying to root for them initially.

I have to assume the next books will follow the other Barclay siblings. I’m torn as to who I want to read about next. I just hope Anna doesn’t end up with any of the men we met in this book 😂

Absolutely wonderful enemies to lovers story. Killian and Sylvie start the story as adversaries, a fake marriage contract brings them together and sparks fly. The character development is excellent. The steam is high and the feelings are deep. I highly recommend this book as its one of my best reads of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I’d rate this 4 stars and 3.75 chili peppers for spice. This was such a fun kinky read. It had a rom-com vibe with the BDSM but also some deeper issues of social anxiety and guilt. The two main characters are enemies to lovers with a sort of slow burn to insta live romance. I thought it was really interesting that he knew about the contract the whole time but just didn’t know one specific part of it which she was hiding. I also loved how when he said he was going to work on his mental health, he actually used his time for therapy. Overall a really good quick read and I will totally read the next book in the series!

🖤 Age Gap
🖤 Marriage of Convenience
🖤 Forced Proximity
🖤 Mental Health Rep
🖤 Ge Falls First and Hard


I think this might be my favorite Sara Cate book yet. I absolutely love Killian Barclay. He is so real and raw. The depiction of his anxiety and panic attacks left your heart breaking for him. Sylvie's charcter grew so much throughout this book. She started out a spoiled brat, but as each layer is stripped away you learn she is just lonely and hurting and just wants someone to put her first.

The visceral banter between these two at the start of their relationship made me burst out laughing. The way he throws that rug 🤣

I cannot wait too read the next brothers story!

Whenever I pick up a Sara Cate book I know it is going to be a good time. For this one we are going to Scotland! Our FMC is Sylvie. We find her in Scotland at the Barclay manor with her boyfriend. Their mission is to see a typewriter that her boyfriends relative used. When they find that it is in fact private property she decides to go in univited to take a picture of the typerwriter anyway. This is how she meets Killian… But to find out how they end up together you are going to have to read the book!
The is a hate to love, marriage of convenience, grumpy x grumpy, forced proximity romance with the twists that you would expect from Sara Cate.
I thought her character development in this one was great as always. She has a way of writing characters that makes me care about them and become invested. I really liked the banter that happened between our two main characters though I know that they didn’t really care for each other in the beginning some of the names he called her in the beginning that he called her later on more as a joke becuase they were joking later on about still hating each other I really didn’t care for. Other than that I absolutely loved this book and it rated it 5 stars!

Tropes: ▪ Marriage of Convenience ▪ Enemies to Lovers ▪ Forced Proximity ▪ Grumpy x Grumpy ▪ Ƙìńkƴ Vibes ▪

I went into this book completely blind, because I always love Sara's books, and this one didn't disappoint at all! This is quite different to Sara's other books that I've read, in layout, themes and characters but just as good!

Sylvie is caught breaking into Barclay Manor, which leads to an unusual proposition, marry the man of the Manor for 1 year and receive 10 Million dollars, it surely can't be that hard! Killion wants to get his family off of his back so agrees to their demands, because he doesn't have to like his new wife, only live with her.

Based off of Sara's previous books and the trigger warnings, I did expect this to have more group activities and more scenes, however I still really enjoyed it. I loved that their realtionship developed and I actually really loved the progress that was made at the end, I feel like it happened how it should have! Definitely recommend!

Thank you to Hambright PR, Netgalley, Casablanca Books, and to the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Guys, I am suddenly in my Scottish romance era and I am 100% not mad about it. After reading the Salacious Players Club series by Sara Cate, I knew that this book would be spicy and addictive, and it definitely delivered. It’s a fiery blend of a marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and has plenty of passion! I didn’t want to put this one down.

“I never intended to fall in love with my wife”

This book had me going through all the feels!
I was angry, kicking my feet giggling, so incredibly happy, proud and I might at some point also have had tears falling down my cheeks in heartbreak.
So when I say all the feels, I mean, ALL THE FEELS!

This is grumpy little spoiled brat, meeting big old Scottish grumpy man! They fight like they mean it and they hate each other to the bones!
She call him an asshole and a brute, he calls her a cow and a wrench.
But he also in the middle of all this calls her “mo ghraidh”, darling and wife. It’s not all hate, at least it doesn’t continue to be. The fighting never stops, but somewhere along the way they stop hating each other and hate turns into passion.

“Mo ghràidh” might by the way be my new favorite nickname!

This journey they are both on and help each other through is incredible, they help each other in their own way and it’s exactly what they both need.
I’m blown away by their love for each other.

This is an incredible story and I’m so grateful to have met Sylvie & Killian Barclay!

⭐️⭐ Keep Me by Sara Cate

This book was a struggle to read. I read her Salacious Players Club books and devoured those. So, I got this one. Read it. And bleh.

The way in which Sylvie and Killian meet and enter into their fake marriage was so absolutely ridiculous. And of course, they don’t like each other. Therefore we not only have a fake marriage of convenience, but an enemies to lovers storyline as well. Okay. I can do this. But the way in which they went from enemies to lovers had no depth. It was unbelievable and full of holes. The story felt like a first draft, before the author put any thought or substance behind the story.

I hate to be so harsh as I think Sara Cate is a great author but this one was not it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

Overall: 4.25/5
Spice level: 3.5/5
Tropes, marriage of convenience, grump/grumpy, "my wife", forced proximity, enemies to lovers

I'll be honest, at first I didn't like Sydney's character much. I can't pinpoint why, but she grew on me and became a sympathetic character. She had a lot of growth, especially after she stopped worrying about gaining her parents' love and approval.

I will say the double grump trope made for some interesting interactions between her and Killian. Kindred spirits of sorts.

I think one of my favorite aspects of the book was how Sydney accommodated Killian's anxieties and fears about just leaving the house, and he did the work of overcoming it.

The third act breakup up created time and space for them to better themselves and have development.

Keep Me is a story filled with brazen humor, no holds barred banter, and chemistry that shines through in every interaction the main characters have. On the surface, this is a marriage of convenience born between two individuals who TRULY do not like each other. Sylvie, our brash American FMC, is looking for a quick way to replenish her fastly depleting bank account. Killian, our stubborn, grumpy Scottish MMC, is facing the fact that his family wants him to relinquish his rights to the family manor. When a year-long arranged marriage offers each of them a solution to their problem, they jump on it immediately.

Keep Me is more than what we see on the surface; it's a spicy tale filled with debauchery, yes, but it's also a story of falling down and finding your way back to who you want to be, with heartfelt emotion that truly makes the reader love the characters through all of their flaws.

Sylvie and Killian are two people who've experienced so much pain in life that they've hidden themselves in various ways to avoid more hurt.

Sylvie may seem selfish in her motivations for entering the marriage, and she is. But she’s also an incredibly caring individual who seems to wear this mask of hating the world as a guise to avoid the hurt she’s felt from being let down in every interpersonal relationship she has time and time again. Killian may be the life of the party and a brute force, but he is also a man who feels deeply and it shows.

Sara Cate created a very honest tale of what grief and the loss of oneself can look like through the eyes of her characters in a way that was unexpected. I love these characters and can't wait to see what's next in the series!

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚, 𝙎𝙮𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙚,” 𝙄 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧.
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨.”
“𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚.”

Another unputdownable read by the Daddy of Spice!

Alls I’m going to tell you for the synopsis: Sylvie is offered the chance at $10 million dollars if she marries Killian, and stays married to him for 1 year, with no extramarital affairs…

Ok, so my initial thoughts on this one, as an avid Sara Cate reader: this one just felt “softer”? Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely some good spice, but the love story just felt more “gentle”, I guess.

And I just loved all those sweet, gushy feels!

These two were so passionate, in love and hate, but when they started to fall for each other? 🥰🥰🥰

They both have deep seated issues to work through, and I really appreciated the way they both worked through those separate issues, in order to get their hard earned HEA.

Thank you Sara Cate and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Contemporary Romance
✅ Marriage of Convenience
✅ Age Gap
✅ Grumpy Scot who loves a feisty gal
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ Past traumas

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️½ / 5

3.5 stars - I liked the Beauty and the Beast (but make it Scottish) vibes that was the story of Killian and Sylvie. The marriage of convenience plot made sense, but overall this story fell flat for me.

I enjoyed Killian and Sylvie as a couple, but they did give me whiplash. They went from arguing like cats and dogs, to giving into their chemistry and deciding to give into their relationship, despite the secret Sylvie was keeping.

We didn’t spend much time outside of the castle, which added to the monotony of the story. The plot felt underdeveloped, in that some things were brought up but barely handled. The people sharing didn’t materialize into the orgy it was alluded to, the time jump at the end felt like a way to rush the story along, and the ending was very abrupt.

I would recommend this book, but I wish I’d gone in with lower expectations as this didn’t remind me of a regular Sara Cate novel.

Sweet and sappy, with a little bit of spice thrown in. Killian is a complete brute who let his past dictate his life until he met Sylvie. She is a foul mouth, entitled cow according to Killian, but she is also the only woman Killian would consider entering into a fake marriage with. Sylvie, dealing with her own issues agrees, knowing that 10 million dollars awaits at the finish line. What neither of them expected was to actually fall in love.
For those who enjoy the troupes of a marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity.