If there is one thing in this world that is true.. it’s that Sara Cate does not miss. This was phenomenal! I loved this and I didn’t want it to ever end 😩 Killian and Sylvie stole my whole heart and soul! I loved both of their growth from the beginning to the end of this book! Their “meet cute” was one of the best I have ever read!

I loved that we see this juxtaposition in Killian being such a big tough brute of a man but then he struggles so much with mental health and anxiety. It is so refreshing to see this type of representation! I felt for him and all he went through, he was an amazing MMC! Sylvie was so strong and was able to take on all that was thrown at her, her parents really were a doozy and thank goodness for Killian and his rug 😂

This was a wild ride of a story, the banter was so great, even more-so in Killians accent! These two could both give it as good as they take it! The spice was off the charts, the chemistry between the 2 was HOT! And this was also so emotional, I found myself crying during multiple parts of this book! Overall it was such a well written and well rounded story that will put you through a whole laundry list of emotions!

Kelli Tager brought Sylvie’s sass to life perfectly! She was just the perfect person for this role! Will Watt did the very best job ever on this! His accent was impeccable and it really pulled you right into this story. I listened at 2.5x speed due to the heavy accent and it was still so perfectly clear, and easy to follow!

I went into this story completely blind as I am a sucker for any Scottish romance and the storyline was engaging right from the start!! The very first meeting is an American girl, Sylvie, breaking into Killian’s home while she is in Scotland and the mutual disdain for each other begins!

Their dynamic has all the thick tension but as their forced relationship develops, walls come down and it turns into such a beautiful romance! I was even tearing up at parts due to the powerful performance of the narrators in the audio as Killian & Sylvie deal with things in the relationship.And of course those Scottish accents throughout the whole story were so smooth and delightful!!

This is a slow burn romance BUT when that steaming hot spice hits, it is scorching!! Plus that tension between them creates little moments of heat that just immerses you even more into their building romance! It is quite a rollercoaster journey and they aren’t even sitting in the same seat at times but they go on a genuine journey of growth!

📖Keep Me begins with Sylvie visiting Scotland and she breaks into Killian’s house for a picture. When Killian comes across her, a heated encounter ensues. Once Sylvie is back in the states, Killian’s sister makes her an offer to enter a marriage with her brother in exchange for 10 million dollars. But, she has to sign over his house to their aunt at the end. Sylvie can’t pass that up and heads to Scotland to marry the man who she says completely hates her.

Grumpy/Grumpy
Strangers to Hate To Lovers
Scottish MMC & Family
Forced Proximity
Marriage Of Convenience

🎧AUDIO REVIEW:
This book was absolutely PHENOMENAL on audio!!! Kelli Tager and Will Watt narrate this audio in a dual narration and transported me right into Scotland! Their performance gave Killian & Sylvie’s romance so much depth with all the intensity and passion in their voices which completely elevated the story!

Kelli Tager is a new to me narrator who was just incredible as Sylvie! She uses so many voices to help differentiate each character while also bringing out so much powerful emotion in her voice that makes you reply feel the pain that Sylvie is going through. Also, her Scottish accent for Killian and his family was fantastic!!! When I first heard her softer tone with the female Scottish accent, it felt so realistic that I actually looked if I missed a narrator!

Will Watt is also a new to me narrator and if he is not a true Scottish man, I will be shocked! His deep voice matched Killian’s grumpy brute personality so well with a scrumptious Scottish accent that sounded so authentic! And this man’s female voice?!? I was shocked when he talked as Sylvie and somehow just turns off that deep accent and has this soft female voice?! Incredible!!!!

Overall, I highly recommend listening to this one on audio as the performance was outstanding by both narrators!! They put on a show in their performance and will make you feel like you are watching these two on a screen while pulling out all the emotions!

THIS WAS SO GOOD OMG!! A perfect mix of sexy, romantic and emotional. Killian and Sylvie are a new top Sara cate couple for me now. Their dynamic was everything and it gave Scottish kinky beauty and the beast. LOVE!!!!

This book was absolutely freaking amazing! I was fascinated with the plot, it was intense and full of so much angst & emotion.
I absolutely loved the passion, chemistry and angst between Sylvie & Killian. Their relationship progressed so well. I love how hard they both fell, they both had their moments, (their aha moments).
This was a beautiful, messy, intense, heartbreaking story.
Sylvie & Killian both have so much amazing character growth. I love how Sylvie was there and supported Killian when he really needed it, even when it was hard.
The angst and spice together was absolute perfection.
I was hooked from the first moment.
I am excited to see how the rest of the Barclays fair.

4 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 4 🎧

This is my first Sara story since the disaster that was Highest Bidder and I'm really happy I finally jumped back in. This didn't sound like Sara's writing until I thought back to her earlier stuff and realized she's maybe gone back to her roots and I am absolutely here for it. This one was sweet, angsty, funny and spicy, I loved it.

I am obsessed with broken boys and Killian was so, so broken. I loved watching him grow and heal and I loved that Sylvie brought about this change, reluctantly at first and then with all her heart.

The audio was really good. I enjoyed both Kelly Tager and Will Watt in this production. It was really well done and I loved listening.

Trigger warning: Killian calls her cow in hate and then in jest, I was forwarned about this and learned it is a common Scottish insult so it didn't bother me as much. But as a fat American it made me cringe and I know that word can be harmful to a lot of people.

“Just because I can do it without you doesn’t mean I want to.” 🤍💍

If you know me at all, you know that Sara Cate is my favorite author and I simply do not know how to shut up about her and the worlds and characters she creates. Months ago when Keep Me was announced, I preordered without knowing anything about this book or the characters because if Sara writes it, I’ll read it. Little did I know it would exceed my expectations the way it did. I so easily fell in love with these characters, and the originality of their story.

Killian Barclay is a grumpy, recluse of a man. He quite literally just wants to be left alone with Sylvie breaks into manor and shakes both him and his life up. Sylvie Devereaux has hit a personal new low. She’s caught her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend, she’s broke, and her parents overall aren’t anything special. Weeks later, Sylvie is approached by Killian’s family with an offer she simply cannot refuse. Marry and stay married to Killian for an entire year, make him change his playboy ways, and get ten million dollars. What could possibly go wrong? 🤍🫠

Keep Me has some of the best banter, spice, tension, and chemistry I’ve read in so long. The dynamic between Killian and Sylvie is so different, because they’re both grumpy, head strong, and stubborn to no end. We get enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, and plenty of my personal favorite - “my wife.” Scottish men, billionaires, kilts, and castles? 😮‍💨 Count me in. Not to mention, Sylvie is so relatable. She loves nothing more than coffee, trashy reality television, and books. I literally love her and her attitude so much.

💍 marriage of convenience
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 grumpy x grumpy
💍 scottish broody billionaire
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 enemies to lovers
💍 forced proximity

Will Watt and Kelli Tager are phenomenal. The dual narration was done so flawlessly, and the voices matched the personas of Killian and Sylvie seamlessly.

Thank you so much Sara Cate and Netgalley for the advanced audio listening copy. I absolutely adore Sylvie and Killian, and their story. I cannot wait to pickup a physical copy of Keep Me for my shelves and spend all of my time daydreaming about them until the next Sara Cate release.

Keep Me by Sara Cate releases December 3, 2024 and is available now for preorder most places books are sold! 🤍

Sara Cate’s “Keep Me” was a delightful surprise! I couldn’t put it down and finished it in a day. The two main characters, Sylvie and Killian, instantly captured my heart. Their enemies-to-lovers story was so engaging, and I loved watching them grow together. Overall, this was an incredible audiobook and the narration was great, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance novels!

I’ve lived this series so much! So grateful to be able to have a chance to be able to read this! Definitely will be reading more from this author

Sara Cate wrote a literal masterpiece. And the audio…oh my goodness, please bless your ears with the accent of Will Watt preforming as Killian. It is pure Scottish delight. Kelli Tager as Sylvie was just as enjoyable as well.

This story was just pure bliss from the first chapter. Sylvie is a mess and her life is a mess but she really gets a chance to find herself all while in this fake marriage she’s entered into with Killian, all while falling deeply in love and willing to give everything up for him in the process.

Justin incredibly written and incredibly spicy, all in the perfect spots and best of ways. Sara just knows how to write a book where the character and story will captivate you and take you away on a journey like you’ve never been on before.

Audiobook Review

💚 Hot Scot
🩷 Arranged marriage
💚 Slow burn
🩷 Enemies to lovers
💚 C*m play
🩷 Age gap
💚 Sp@nking
🩷 “MY WIFE”

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s been a while since I’ve read a really good Grumpy character, and Killian is the GRUMPIEST! But he has competition in that department with Sylvie who dishes everything he gives right back at him. It is crass, wicked, sexually tense banter at its finest. If you’re looking for Salicious Players Club-esque spice, that’s not what this book is about. Yes there is spice, but that’s not the focus of the story. This book contains two broken individuals who use anger to fuel their lives because of the trauma and lack of love that has made them who they are. They can be mean and spiteful, but that’s their defense mechanism. They are deeply flawed individuals full of untapped love, just waiting to find the person they didn’t know they needed. Killian and Sylvie are pushed together by some very interesting circumstances that end up being the best thing for them.

Breaking into a Scottish manor and running into a broody, bastard of a man isn’t something that Sylvie has done before. Thankfully her impromptu excursion was a one time thing and she won’t ever have to see that man again. That is, until his sister approaches Sylvie with a proposal. Marry her brother. For one year and ten million dollars, the Barclay family is asking Sylvie, a stranger, to marry Killian. The broody man in question thinks its to save his image, but his family has a different idea. For someone as down on her luck as Sylvie, this doesn’t sound like a bad proposition.

Neither MC was looking for love. Just looking for a way to get themselves through the rough situation. But in being forced to marry one another, they found something they were never intending on having. Never believed they could have. They fought each other for months, but the pull is just too strong. There were times that I got a bit frustrated with Sylvie and Killian, but that was while they were being bullheaded and continuing to hate one another. Once they gave into their attraction, it was no holds bar! I loved the protective and possessive natures of the two of them. They were willing to give up anything, stand up to anyone, for the other. They supported each other by being there, lifting the other up, encouraging, believing.

Keep Me is slightly reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast- the grumpy beast of a man in the large house who won’t, can’t leave. The independent, self-assured woman who enters his life somewhat haphazardly. The two detest each other, grating on nerves, sometimes on purpose, but ultimately they are drawn to one another. An opposites attract, yet perfect match. GAH! There is so much about this story that I want to relay, but it’s hard to put into words. Plus I don’t want to ruin it for anyone! Just, just read it!

This dual narration story is set up in parts. Each part being narrated by either Sylvie or Killian. Will Watt is an incredibly talented narrator who transitions FLAWLESSLY from one character to the next, one accent to the next. I adored his performance. When Killian was feeling protective, my gosh he emanated it! Each and every emotion was brought to life by Watt. And his Scottish accent…Holy smokes. It. Was. DIVINE. I didn’t want it to end! Kelli Tager is a new to me narrator. She voiced Sylvie’s part to perfection! Tager was able to bring the sass, snark, silly, sexy, and shameful feelings that Sylvie was feeling out, so that the listener felt them too.

Thank you Sara Cate for having me on your ALC team so that I can listen and review your books. It truly is such a gift! And you nailed it again 😏

💍“If I didn’t hate him so much, I might actually like him.”
🥃“Tell me to stop.”
💍“Let me say it again darling, you c*me so pretty.”
🥃“I need to be inside you Sylvie. I need to make you my wife.”
💍“My wife comes first.”
🥃“I’m gonna fill you up wife, make you mine.”
💍“Look how well you take me Mo Chridhe, like you were made for me.”
🥃“All mine. No one else can ever touch you, is that understood?”
💍“Then scream, Sylvie. You can scream all you want at me and I still won’t leave you.”
🥃“So no one else loves you, big deal. But I’m here Mo Chridhe, and I’m telling you I will love you enough to make up for all of them. I’ll keep you. And you can trust that no matter what you do I won’t let you go. Because you’re mine. Understand me?”
💍“C*me for me darling. C*me for your husband.”
🥃“You’re never more beautiful than when you’re fighting for yourself.”

🌶🌶🌶🌶🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 The absolute chokehold this book has had on me for the last 24 hours! I was hooked from the first chapter! Such a sucker for a Scottish accent “swoon”. Sylvie and Killian are 🔥. Captivating storyline that had me fully invested from the start. Fiery hot 🌶🌶🌶. Grabbed me by the heartstrings and made me cry multiple times(that almost never happens for me, I’m rarely ever a book crier). I cannot wait to see what happens next! (And I may also be running to read more by Sara Cate😜).

This brute scotchman made me cry and I adore him for it!!!
Sara Cate did it again, this time with two grumps that just needed some love and found it in each other. This book is so fun and HOT 🥵 and the audiobook narrators did such an amazing job transporting me to Scotland!

I’ve yet to read a Sara Cate book I don’t like so I wasn’t surprised this wasn’t any different, but I was surprised by how emotional I would get and it only makes the book better!

Sara Cate....just WOW!!!

Everyone please please please read AND listen to this one!

I love just about every single thing I've ever read or listened to from Sara, but this one has made it's way up to the top with Give Me More & The Home-Wrecker! It was so so good!

First off, the audio. GOOD LORD THE AUDIO! It is so frikkin' good! One of my top ones of the year! Will Watt as Scottish Killian....MELTED! Kelli Tager is also incredible as Sylvie! She brought her to life in such a great way!

The character development for both characters is PHENOMENAL! When the book first started, Sylvie was not my favorite...girlfriend was SPOILED and entitled and came off just a smidge selfish but I knew it had to be setting the stage for her growth and man did she! Over the course of the story I fell in love with her! I was rooting so hard for her by the end, she just needed a little love from a Scottish man ;)

Now Killian,,,,WHOAH! He may take the cake for favorite MMC from Sara & that's saying something! His development over the course of the story...wow! He was such a powerful character. So hurt, traumatized, not dealing with his grief or demons, lashing out or coping in unhealthy ways...but to see him change with Sylvie and how she helped him, seriously so fantastic and I just wanted to squeeze his big grouchy Scottish ass! I cried more than once for him.

Not going to give too many more details, because ya know, YOU NEED TO READ IT, but their story was full of enemy to lover vibes, hate to love, & the chemistry was ELECTRIC!

Eeeek. This was such an awesome enemies to lovers/marriage of convenience story.
I really loved Killian. He was so grumpy and really mean to our heroine. But don't be fooled. She gave as good as she got! The chemistry was off the charts, and I loved the character development so much!!!!
The third act break up was a bit cliché but I enjoyed it anyway.
I cannot wait for more from this universe!

Another Sara Cate novel to check off the list and she didn't disappoint again! What more could you ask for... A Scottish brute that has anger issues and an American girl that has her own set of insecurities and then they get married.. what could go wrong.. or right?

This was honesty so fun. I laughed so hard at Killian and Sylvie arguments. I will admit that the way they talk to each other is down right degrading and it may be hurtful to some that are reading it. But I did find it so funny and every time he called her names I just could imagine the look on her face. In the beginning of the book you honestly can't find a reason to like either one of these main characters and they are both deeply flawed with issues that run DEEP. But as the year goes by, they start to come out of their shells and you start to understand the way they are and feel for them. As always, Sara knows how to write a spicy book and she definitely delivers in this one as well. Funny enough, it actually seemed a bit more tame for what we have come to expect from her, but still so good.

Thank you to Sara Cate and her team for providing me with the ALC for this.

I'm honestly not sure why it's taken me this long to finally read a Sara Cate novel. After reading this I will definitely be moving those up on my 'tbr pile'. It took me literally no time at all to get hooked on the story and fall for Sylvie and Killian.

The character development and depth to Sylvie and Killian are completely out of this world phenomenal. IT not often you find such depth and development in a smutty romance novel but it was unmatched here. The grumpy banter and that turned to loving bullying is top tier for sure and genuinely added so much. Now, let talk about the spice... theres just something about a kinky Scotsman oh lordy. There was just the right mix of bdsm spice and plot that it didn't take away from the story at all.

The audiobook is definitely well worth the listen... the casting for Killian was probably some of the best audio casting I've ever heard. I do sometimes have some issue understanding heavy accents in audiobooks (especially since I'm one who ups the speed on audiobooks) but I had absolutely no issue understanding it here. The Scottish accent was so clear and sexy it definitely made this book so much better.

Keep Me is the first book in the Sinful Manor series. This book is about Killian and Sylvie and is told from both of their points of view.

Killian and Sylvie meet when Sylvie breaks into his house to get a picture of a typewriter for her boyfriend. They had some funny words, he broke her phone, and she was on her way. Then something happened and she's no longer with her boyfriend and has some issues with her parents.

Something happens and Sylvie agrees to a fake engagement/marriage with Killian. While Killian and Sylvie live together Sylvie realizes there is more going on with Killian than she originally seemed. I loved the banter between these two characters. What happens when their time is up? Will Killian and Sylvie have real feelings? Can Killian get past what happened in his past? Can Sylvie fix things with her parents?

I enjoyed this book, and am excited to read more in this series!

3.5✨rounded up.

For the most part I would say I enjoyed this. However both FMC/MMC were extremely Whiney, and immature and needed an immense amount of therapy stat. I love a broody grumpy man, but there draws a line when he’s verbally abusive towards her and calling her a cow and many other things. Let’s not forget about how the mmc is an actual a-hole and was basically actively cheating with his bffs wife?? I thought that was bizarre and I love a cheating trope. I listened to this when I was driving for work, and it kept me entertained for the most part.

I will say, the narration by Kelli Tager and Will Watt was fantastic! Both of these narrators were new for me but I really enjoyed Will Watt and his accent. I love a good Scottish accent and he did a good job.

What to expect:
- Marriage of Convenience
- Kink
- Forced Proximity
- Age Gap
- Enemies to Lovers
- Scottish MMC/Scottish setting

3.5✨
2.5 🌶️

Story rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 ☄️ (0-5) I bump up for public places/outdoor spaces, and they like it rough. The ½ is the paddle.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Sara Cate writes intense stories, and she totally captivates me. And these narrators, Kelli Tager & Will Watt, make the reader feel even more immersed in Sylvie & Killian’s story.
🤩 Arranged marriage for an American woman to a Scottish man in Scotland, billionaire family!
🤩 Quite the characterization. Killian is horrible. I’m not sure I can be made to love him.
🤩 Part two—Will Watt might make me looooove Killian, though!
🤩 I actually do love how he describes and thinks about Sylvie, and just wants to push her buttons.
🤩 House party! When they have to pretend in front of his friends! 🙌🏻❤️‍🔥🥵🌶️
🤩 When Killian wants to protect Sylvie from his drunk friends.
🤩 The back and forth enemies banter plus back and forth narration parts—just all the back and forth is intense!!
🤩 Sylvie is perfect for Killian & I loooooove how she’s perfect for dealing with Claire.
🤩 Just a peek! 👀 I’ll sweeten the deal. Yeah, I adore Sylvie!!
🤩 I’m a sucker for jealousy, especially when the party boy doesn’t want to share. “All mine.”
🤩 When they support each other. 🥰 I love them. I love him.
🤩 All the feels. 😭
🤩 One of the sweetest (still heart wrenching) third act breakups I’ve read.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Family hurt & trauma. They could probably use some therapy. Thank goodness there was some therapy representation for Killian.
💫 The paddle—it might be too much for me, but it didn’t last long.

This was so so good! The way Sara has me feral for every book she writes is an understatement I own them all and she’s definitely an auto buy author for me I love her work