Overall, my rating of this book is 3.5 out of 5 stars for both the story and audiobook narration. It's not my favorite Sara Cate book, if I'm being honest, it's probably my least favorite so far. I do plan to read the other Sinful Manor books because I'm interested to see how the other characters' storylines play out in their respective novels, but I hope it's not grump vs grump again (like this storyline). I did enjoy that the POVs switched regularly within the different sections of the book! As with all the other Sara Cate books I’ve read, this one was very easy to read and moved along at a good pace.

Tropes:
* Scottish Billionaire
* Marriage of Convenience
* Enemies to Lovers
* Emotional Trauma
* Dual POV
* Grumpy X Grumpy

Honestly, Sylvie was super annoying for over 50% of the book. She’s in her mid-20s and is still living off her parents, but mad at the parents' assistant who works for them? At least she had a job… I understand wanting to follow your passions, but as someone who’s worked since I was 16 and held down two part-time jobs at the same time during college while pursuing a full-time degree, I don’t have much sympathy for Sylvie at the beginning of the book. The assistant probably doesn’t want to be in that position her entire career, or even if she does, of course, she’s going to do what Sylvie’s parents instruct her to do since she works for them. Sylie is so self-centered and whiny, it’s honestly frustrating as a reader to have to listen to this narrative sometimes. Maybe I’m just projecting my own experiences onto the character, but it is frustrating for me. Sylvie finally did experience some character growth, but not as much as I would've hoped for her.

Another thing I didn't like was that the female narrator’s (Kelli Tager) Scottish accent was also not the best and felt very fake. She also placed odd emphasis on the verbal narrative when I wouldn’t expect her to do so. She is probably my least favorite narrator that Sara has chosen so far for any of her books.

The male narrator (Will Watt) did a much better job overall than the female narrator in covering both characters' sections of the book. The spice was good, once it started happening (around 50% into the story). I did enjoy the setting of the book - an old manor in the countryside.

Keep Me- Sara Cate
Narrated by Kelli Tager and Will Watt

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Narration 🎧🎧🎧🎧

Sara Cate has done it again with another spectacular and spicy book! 😏 was I expecting this to be a romcom going in? No, but I found myself cracking up at Sylvie’s antics and her and Killian’s banter. Did I expect to be emotionally distraught by this book? Also no, but ugh the emotions were pulling on my heartstrings. Between Sylvie’s abandonment issues and Killian’s own guilt, there was a lot more emotional damage in this one than I was expecting. Overall, I absolutely loved it and wish I could read it again for the first time all over again.

Kelli and Will did absolutely magnificent on this one. I think they’re made an incredible Sylvie and Killian. I do think this particular audio would have been just 🤏🏻 that much better if it was in duet rather than dual, but like I said, I loved it and it’s still an incredible audiobook.

“Gazing up into his eyes, I feel something I never felt with him before. It feels like mine and home. Safety. Comfort.”

Oh my goodness, Sara Cate toyed with the heartstrings with her new scorching-hot release, Keep Me! When a reclusive billionaire Scot meets a vivacious plotting American, hate-at-first-sight vibes soar. Killian flocking Barclay still has a chokehold on me weeks after listening to this banger series starter! Sylvie Devereaux is a down but not out sweetheart with a tearjerker upbringing and ferocious spirit. Killian and Sylvie’s love story was a spicy, hard-fought, endearing HEA. I love Sara Cate’s storytelling and these complex MCs.

Will Watt and Kelli Tager were amazing in their performances to turn this emotional story into a visceral listening experience. Will Watt’s gritty, passionate, schmexy AF performance is seared into my heart. His growly Scottish accent nearly melted my headphones. I loved the way Kelli portrayed Sylvie’s complicated, heartbreaking, and healing character arc. While her Scottish accent wasn’t my favorite, I enjoyed her endearing performance of Sylvie. Kelli and Will made a scorching hot duo, Keep Me is a must-listen!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So....this is a dnf for me. At 26%

I didn't like the characters at all.
I thought the female lead was quite entitled and selfish in general. She was also manipulative and didn't care how her actions would impact others.
The author tried to make her parents sound bad, but two wrongs don't make a right.

Then the dude....like maybe this would have been okay if I liked one of the main characters until the other is redeemed. But nope.
We get to hear inside his head and he was absolutely giddy about how she is a firecracker when he called her the c word.

I totally hear people on how both characters are supposed to be unlikeable in the beginning. But I'm already 26% of the way into this book. I feel like it's been long enough that its not worth continuing.

I did think the author's writing is super good though. I would be willing to try another one of her work because the writing style does pull me in.

I also loved the male narrator!!!! His accent was so hot.

When I saw this arc I was immediately intrigued. Marriage of convenience, Scotland estate, enemies to lovers… then 2 seconds in and I’m listening to the content warning and I was honestly really worried what I had gotten myself into.

Based on the warnings in the content, I would say that this book actually felt very tame. I had some issues with the story at first, but the characters changed so much by the end that it almost felt like a different story and I ended up really enjoying it.

I have to say though, thank the lord for this man’s pov because if we had only had hers, I would’ve stopped reading immediately. I can understand why some people would dnf early on, because this is HATE to lovers…. These two are both pretty insufferable in the beginning and unnecessarily mean. BUT, the growth 👨‍🍳💋

For being such hard-headed characters, these two are incredibly loving and surprisingly sweet.

The second half of this book MADE this story, and I honestly really enjoyed it and I'm excited to see where the rest of the series goes!

Keep Me by Sara Cate is the first book in their new series, Sinful Manor. The story follows a deeply troubled Scottish “brute” Killian who lives in the family manor and Sylvie, who is the daughter of famous artists but has been cut off. Killian and Sylvie are forced into a marriage by offering financially struggling Sylvie money and hoping to take the manor away from Killian. Killian being aggressive and Sylvie being headstrong start them off to a rough start.

This book follows the enemies to lover’s troupe. They have great chemistry and their banter is fun and witty. There are explicit sex scenes, a lot of them, so would highly recommend for fans of extra spicy books! If you chose the audiobook route, the narrators were amazing. They kept to the accents according to each character and I loved it. I would recommend the library to purchase this book.

🎧𝗔𝗟𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪🎧
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𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗠𝗘 𝗯𝘆 @saracatebooks

𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: Sinful Manor? (Book 1)

𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧: Audiobook (Dual Narration)
Kelli Tager @tageraway
Will Watt @willmwatt

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 5/5 ⭐️

𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 4/5 🔥

𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: 5/5 🎙️

𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘: Forbidden Romance

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Enemies to Lovers, Marriage of Convenience, Forced Proximity, Grumpy x Grumpy, Mental Health Rep, Kinky

𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗥𝗕: Slide 2️⃣

This was exactly the type of great story telling I expect from Sara Cate and simultaneously unexpected at the same time! I love to see a Queen who fights to save her King and a King who fights for himself and does the work to deserve his Queen!

This a perfect example of enemies to lovers being the elite trope!!! The tension and fighting between these two was so. good and created the perfect build up of chemistry. Neither Sylvie or Killian were on good terms with their families, both having dealt with grief and betrayal - finding comfort and safety in their isolation. But that saying “it takes one to know one” or “like begets like” - they start to see those scars and cracks in the each other when they’re forced together.

The audiobook was outstanding especially all the accent work, but I have to give Kelli props for not only performing a believable accent, but doing it as the MMC Killian! Male Kelli is HOT!

Will’s seductive, grouchy Killian was spot on but what I loved most was tender and vulnerable Killian! Granted - snarky Killian was pretty great too! 😏

Highly recommend putting this one on your TBL!

Thank you to Sara Cate for the ALC!

Keep Me by Sara Cate (Sinful Manor #1)
Pub Date: 12/3/24
Format: audio
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Whew did I have mixed emotions on this book. First, let me speak to the audiobook (thank you NetGalley and Libro.fm for the advanced listening copies in exchange for an honest review)! Kelli Tager and Will Watt were an absolute treat in this dual POV audiobook. I believed they were really in this story together and the Scottish accents (both his and also hers when doing his pieces of dialogue in female POV chapters) were fab!

This book had such beautiful and tender characters with a lot of depth. I really loved Killian’s character specifically because I’m a sucker for male love interests that have anxiety representation! Sylvie took me longer to come around on, but I did appreciate her backstory with time and she had a really nice growth arc. Their relationship was much more touching than I expected going into this book and I truly loved that!

There were two pieces that I did not love about the plot and one, which isn’t really a spoiler, is that Sylvie enters a contract to marry Killian but he doesn’t know this contract is to steal his family home away from him and to sign it over to his evil aunt. This really took me out of their story because it felt like there was so much deception tainting their story of falling in love. I hate reading a romance novel and just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The other piece is small and spoilery but just didn’t love some double standards in Killian’s backstory.

Anywho, the deception piece is usually enough for me to DNF a romance book and I still finished and truly enjoyed this book for the most part which is really saying something! Would recommend as long as that isn’t a hard nonstarter for you!

I will definitely check out the next book in this series!

I listened to the audio of Keep Me and I was hooked from the start! We meet Killian & Sylvie when they are both at their worst but going on their journey to healing was so good! You could feel their initial hate and you could feel when it started to turn. Definitely looking forward to more in this series!

Again the audio was superb! Kelli Tager was so good and I could listen to Will Watt all day long!

4 ⭐️ 3 🌶️ 5🎧

I really liked this book a lot and was pleasantly surprised with how much the characters grew and changed throughout the story! It didn’t feel like a Sara Cate book, but it was definitely a top fav of hers besides Praise and GMM.

Killian and Sylvie enter a marriage of convenience and neither of them want to be in it. Sylvie has a secret she’s keeping from Killian and the tension and hate between these two is palpable. Killian is this angry Scottish asshole that just wants to be left alone in his big mansion. The enemies to lovers trope is strong in this book, but I was here for the angry sex and explosive tension. The smut was fantastic and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the story between them and seeing their past traumas really broke my heart. The ending was wonderful and I loved seeing them both heal and work through the issues they had.

A bit of a spoiler -I didn’t realize I would be triggered by a word, but in this book he calls her a cow a lot in the beginning when they hate each other. I wasn’t sure if it’s a Scottish insult, but after some research I found out it is lol.. In general I disliked that he called her that even if it wasn’t in reference to her body or anything -it took me out of the story a lot.

The audio was fantastic and I really thought Kelly and Will did a great job bringing the story to life with their narration.

This book really had me in my feels. I saw the trauma in Sylvie from the jump. I was in tears off and on and full-on sobbed twice. This story spoke to me deep in the mother wound. That feeling of being emotionally abandoned by a parent is not something i would wish on anyone, but it's so deeply healing to feel seen on this level. Killian's trauma is also a kind that often exists unseen. It hides deep in the shadows of a person's heart, and that kind of anxiety is debilitating.

This story was emotionally rich while also being cute and funny. There were also a couple of nods to the SPC that I found particularly clever. It was obvious a choice was made, and I loved it.

The narrators for this book were fun and made this an enjoyable listen! Will Watt and Kelli Tager, you both did a wonderful job! Will, the transition of your accents is SUPER clean! Kelli, the emotion of Sylvie towards her mom, brought me to tears. 👏 👏

Thanks to Sara Cate for the opportunity to be on her ALC team! 🫶

This book had SO much heart!!

The audiobook performances by Kelli Tiger and Will Watt really brought these characters to life and as they went on their journey, they became so relatable and real. Initially, I wasn't finding either main character "likable." She seemed spoiled, entitled and immature and he was rude and came off like such a jerk. In true enemies to lovers fashion, I knew they had to hate each at first. But I NEVER expected to fall in love with them both like I did.

Sara Cate always has an amazing talent to humanize her characters. These two went on such a HARD journey, both together and separate, towards healing and growth, and their arcs were beautiful. I was in tears several times when I understood WHY they were the way they were. And I had such hope for them to grow from it. I also loved and appreciated the very pro-therapy approach with this story and wish we saw more of it in romance. Sometimes love isn't enough and the love of 1 person alone cannot fix you. We have to love ourselves enough to get the help we need before we can love others well and accept their love in return.

Highly recommend. Have some tissues ready.

Will I ever turn down the chance to spWill I ever turn down the chance to spend a few days with a rugged grumpy billionaire? Absolutely not. end a few days with a rugged grumpy billionaire? Absolutely not.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ALC!

I absolutely devoured this book! It was a lot more emotional than I was expecting. I enjoyed seeing that it was the MMC that had the “weakness” (for lack of better word, trying not to spoil too much information), and the FMC is the one who helps him. Although at the end, my favorite part is that he does all the hard work himself. Absolutely loved that!

The only reason not a full 5 stars is because I felt the connection between the characters was a little weak. Beyond the spicy scenes and the “issues” she helped with, I didn’t feel a super strong build up before the I love you’s too place.

Otherwise, really good story! Highly recommend!

Keep Me (Sinful Manor #1) is a forced proximity, enemies to lovers romance.

Killian and Sylvie were both grumpy characters that I learned to love as the story progressed. You get insight into how their personalities came to be. I enjoyed as their connection grew, and their animosity toward each other fade into a pleasant ending.

Will Watt and Kelli Tager did an amazing job narrating both characters. They brought so much life to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Sara Cate for the early review audio copy of Keep Me!

Scottish billionaire and secluded grump, Killian Barclay is at risk of losing his house to his family. Enter New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux, the woman who snuck into his house to get a glimpse of a family heirloom, and maybe the only person tough enough to be his fake wife. With her neglectful parents cutting her off, she can't say no to the money they're offering her to stick it out for a year and play into Killian's family's scheme.

Keep Me is the first book in the Sinful Manor series by Sara Cate and narrated by Kelli Tager and Will Watt. The contract is absolutely wild but it made for a fun story. It was a little slow at the start while the story is set up and they were both so cranky and both of their families are completely messed up but they way they grow together was cute. I appreciated the way Killian gets time to deal with his past and work on his mental health for himself rather than for the FMC. I'm interested to see what happens in the rest of the series. I don't think this one was as spicy as I was expecting based on her SPC series but it was still good!

What you can expect:
- Forced Proximity
- Marriage of Convenience
- Scottish Countryside Setting
- Family Scheming

This was a fun addition to Sara Cates Catalog. I listened to the audiobook. Let me just say that really makes the story. With the backdrop of the story being mostly in Scotland having the Male narrator - Will Watt with the accent was just top notch. The Female Narrator - Kelli Tager also did an amazing performance. They brought the story to life for me!
I thought the house was a nice backdrop for the story. It being a main part of the storyline, had me paying extra attention and feeling attached to it as our characters made memories and bonded inside. I liked the discussion of agoraphobia as a theme throughout the novel. It allowed for some good character growth as our characters went through the story.
I liked the scenes where they were interacting with their various families. I wish there was a tiny bit more of that because it added a lot of depth to the characters. Seeing them stick up for each other were some of my favorite parts. There’s just something about complicated family dynamics that just really interest me!
The romance between our two MCs was very nice. I really enjoyed the spicy scenes. I felt like it was well balanced with the rest of the plot. I liked their chemistry their banter was stop notch. As the story went on you could really feel their care for each other.
As always, Sara Cate wrote another winner! I highly recommend!

Boy am I a sucker for a grumpy MMC, and Killian is no exception. This enemies to lovers, arranged marriage story was full of bickering, emotion and steam. As the story goes on you find out what has made Killian and Sylvie the way they are and you can't help but to have it pull at your heartstrings.
This book wasn't quite as spicy as some of the other books Sara Cate has written but make no mistake it's just as good!

For those of you that love The Highlands Series by Samantha Young, this new book of Sara's will be right up your alley. It's filled with all things Scottish, to a giant manor, a Scottish wedding, a meddling family & the grumpiest Scotsman you ever did meet whose obviously gorgeous with long hair & a kilt to boot!😉

Keep Me begins with a carefree American, Sylive Deveraux, who is visiting Scotland with with her boyfriend. After deciding to break into the Barclay Manor to retrieve a certain piece of paper, she's caught red handed by Killian himself. He's mean, gruff & mad as heck that she's interrupted his privacy. They are both the biggest grumps & their dislike for each other is palpable.

Circumstances find them both in situations that require some clever solutions so a mutually agreed upon marriage of convenience is made that will benefit both of them financially & help them out. 12 months married & then they can split ways.

The initial hate for one another is fierce & quite honestly mean but as they begin to spend more time with one another, they begin to peel back layers of themselves & we find out things about their pasts that have shaped them into who they are now. Some of of it tragic & toxic. The love/hate relationship is a bit overdone in the beginning, but it does make more sense as we get to know these characters more & as time goes on. They each have personal traumas & issues that have stuck with them for years & prevented them from truly opening up to another person to love.

I enjoyed the growing relationship they had. It felt a little rushed but you need to keep in mind that this story takes place over a year so in reality this helps make it feel more believable. They find ways to support each other & try to make life better for each other.

It's hard to find a better place for the setting of a book than Scotland & this is just infused with all the Scottish vibes, the Highlands, love, romance & beauty. This is one thing I really loved about the story.

As with most of Sara's characters, there is a huge amount of emotional depth to Sylvie & Killian. It's hard to see at first but as each layer is peeled back & we find two souls that are broken & we see them change & grow in the best of ways.

🎧Let's talk narration...Tager and Watt are seriously phenomenal voicing these characters. Both getting to show off their Scottish accents but it's the emotional performances that are a real stand out for me. Tager is a new narrator to me & I was blown away by how much I enjoyed her voice & talent. Watt was terrific as Killian with the deep booming voice you can just picture Killian having. His grumpy personality was perfect & his American accent blew me away. There's a lot of emotion to these MC's & these two narrators bring it all & their performances are fantastic!

I definitely recommend this one for lovers of Scottish romance and Sara brings the heat in her usual fashion leaving you blushing with a little kink & a whole lotta heart.🔥🖤

4 Stars Keep Me is the first book in Sara Cate's new Sinful Manor series and is an emotional marriage of convenience romance set in Scotland.

Tough as nails New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux has no problem facing off against brutish Scotsman Killian Barclay after he catchers her sneaking into Barclay Manor to get a glimpse at a famous heirloom. After Sophie fled, she never expected to see Killian again, until his sister finds her with a proposal: move to Scotland to marry Killian to improve his playboy reputation and walk away with $10 million after one year. Sylvie agrees to the plan, even knowing that the real plan is for Sylvie to win Barclay Manor in the ensuing divorce and give the Manor to Killian's scheming family. The marriage of convenience is anything but, with Sylvie and Killian butting heads at every turn. When the tension between them turns into a burning passion and the end of their year together grows closer, Sylvie will have to figure out how to keep Killian without breaking his heart.

Sara Cate is known for her spicy books that often explore kinks and BDSM. While Keep Me has some hints of BDSM, it is relatively tame compared to Sara Cate's other books. Keep Me was really entertaining and will definitely stir up some emotions; frustration during the early days of Killian and Sylvie's marriage, anticipation as their love grows, and heartbreak during the third act breakup. I definitely recommend listening this one because the narrators are excellent, especially Will Watt's Scottish burr.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the ALC!