If You Keep Me

The Sugar Maple series, and little town, has become one of my favorite series. From the beginning of the series the geriatric town leaders captured my attention with their mischievous manipulation of town events and citizens. The prequel allows us to see and understand how Davey has been their leader from the beginning of the series and why.

If You Keep Me is, also, a second chance romance for an already married couple. Separated by the war, PTSD, secrets and love for each other, Victor and Rosie struggle to find a way back to each other. It takes almost losing what little they have to help them see they really have a lot already.

So ‘Keep Me’ brings together the second chance at love with a chance of family. So not only do we learn about the beginning of the town leaders for books 1-3, we see how they became an official family through the love of Vic and Rosie. The ‘street’ children lead by Davey assisted in their own unique way to help Rosie and Vic see they could be a ‘real’ family with or without children of their own.

Each of the books in the ‘SM’ series is a stand-alone, though you could read the books in sequence and enjoy it either way. Davey is just as strong-willed and mischievous as an adult as he was as a child.

I love this book, returning to Sugar Maple is a delight. Vic returns from the war a damaged man, and Rosie is coping with her own losses, both learn to rekindle their relationship whilst, caring for the orphaned children around them. Quite emotional at times..

This was a beautiful and emotional Christmas historical fiction story.

Rosie and Vic are an estranged married couple trying to build their marriage back up. Davey and his gang of street kids come into their lives and things get interesting from there.

It deals with miscarriages and child death so don't read if you get triggered by these.

This story had so much emotion in it. Happiness, heart break and second chances. Davey is such a sweetheart and cares for everyone and scared to be around adults.

I enjoyed this story and will read from this author again.

Ciara Knight has done something I thought was impossible. She made me fall in love with Davey in If You Keep Me. Of course, this is the scrappy child who hasn’t changed all that much as an old man in the other If You Series books. This story goes back in time when he is around ten years old.

WWII has ended, soldiers are reentering civilian life. Many of the problems of the day are still around today. Families struggling, pregnancy problems, children mistreated, used and abused. It was also a hopeful time which we also still need today. Davey is the oldest of a group of Sugar Maple street children. This is their story along with Vic and Rosie Bessler.

The absolute best book of the series so far. Wonderful writing with emotional richness especially for Vic and Rosie shines through the story. The changes that the war brought with all the ways that the families needed to adjust to individual changes as well as the town. One thing that didn’t change is how a community must support the individuals, find new way to remember the lost as well as looking for ways to rebuild the community and the hope for a bright future.

I have read several WWII stories as of late but this one is the time right after the war. I love it. While part of the series it is a true stand-alone. For a different but amazing Christmas story I highly recommend If You Keep Me.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

T his is a beautiful story about a husband and wife trying to learn to connect back with each other, heart and soul after the war. Rosie, the wife, who wants children very badly. Victor, the husband, who wants children but will not risk losing his beloved. Things change when an orphaned boy comes into they life and changes them forever.

This book was such an amazing novel to read. I loved going back in time, and seeing how some of the history and what it was kind of like back then. Listening to the radio for television. Going to see the the new moving pictures. I also loved how well they were willing to work together with each other and not belittle one another because one was a man and another was a women. Over all this book definitely warmed my heart, and would recommend it!

This is a beautifully written story that is full of emotions. This is the first book I've read by this author and I loved it. If you like small town second chance romance story you will love this book. Thank you Author Collective 20 via NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This is my first book by Ciara Knight and I enjoyed it so much! The perfect description for this book is “short and sweet”. It takes place after WWII has ended. Rosie and Vic were married before the war and were reunited after it ended. Both Rosie and Vic went though many painful things while they were apart. They know they still love each other but they don’t know how to get back to where they were before Victor went off to war. With a lot of patience and the love of five homeless children who become very important to Rosie and Vic, they are able to find the family they’ve always wanted. I guarantee you will fall in love with pretty much every character in this book, especially Davey. This is one of those books that can be so incredibly sad one minute but then make your heart swell with happiness the next minute. I highly recommend this one and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Author Collective 20 for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
Another hit from this series for me. What impressed me was that this book is historical fiction, whilst the last book in the series was contemporary (unless I missed something). I haven’t read heaps and heaps of romance series but I think it’s pretty unusual to mix things up like that.
And I know I sound like a broken record but I absolutely adore this cover. If someone had asked me to fill out a tick sheet beforehand of what I wanted from a Christmas cover- this would be the end result.
What I also really really appreciated was this was a romance about a married couple who had to work out some pretty major problems and find each other again. We need more romances like this, because too often I think romances adopt the fairytale ending where all the hard works been done in the formation of the relationship and then it’s all plain sailing from there on out. And we all know life’s not like that don’t we!
So yes, I would highly recommend and I look forward to reading more from this author.

What a lovely return to a sweet series, it feels like returning to a close set of friends, these books are that warm and inviting. It’s another book featuring a warm romance, great community and friendships and overall a wonderful story. Emotional reading but always a worthy read. Lovely

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

3.5 stars.
An estranged married couple tries to work through their matrimony problems in postwar small-town America in “If You Keep Me”, by Ciara Knight.
Featuring a wounded hero troubled by memories of war and a heroine who embodies the shift in gender roles brought about in wartime, the story shows how Vic and Rosie try to rekindle their marriage and mend their broken ties, while also creating a new family with a group of orphaned street children.
I liked how the author depicted the sense of strangeness and unfamiliarity between Vic and Rosie and how, despite being married and loving each other, they feel so separated.
Vic is dealing with a lot of guilt and has overdeveloped protective instincts; Rosie, also nursing wounds of her own, is a brave, level-headed heroine.
This was a quick, entertaining read with both a heartwarming and heartbreaking tone brought by the characters of the children and an occasionally rosy look at reality.

Each book has its own effect, because it is a kind of composition of pictures through words. This one definitely has such a unique and wonderful effect that while reading it, it seems to you that you are watching a movie that touches you deeply and stays in your mind long after you read the last words.
I'm not a fan of books that are related to war in any way, it's too painful for me to read what one person is willing to do to another, in the name of some ultimate stupidity. But I read this book ... faster than I thought. I cried, I was shocked, angry but also touched by the depth and beauty of this story. Victor and Rosie, two victims who suffered in the war, maybe not on the front lines, maybe not from a bullet, but from the cruelty that separates them, from the monstrous memories that have the power to break even the bravest heart. Victor and Rosie, marked by the cruelty of war, but strong enough to face their demons and unite to help a group of orphans.
This is the first book I read by this author and I must admit that I am really impressed by her writing style - complex and rich, with lots of metaphors and interesting language structures. And so much emotions… Post war struggles, miscarriages, hope and love…everything so perfectly intertwined in this story that will pull on your heart strings from the beginning to the end. On the other hand, it simply perfectly conveys and cherishes the spirit of Christmas - kindness, generosity and the need to be united and loved. How sometimes we should forget our problems and focus on others who are in need. The main characters of Victor and Rosie are described and portrayed quite masterfully, relatable and with skillful psychological subtleties.
Definitely, a lovely Christmas-themed novel with interesting characters and even more interesting storyline that will transport you into the post WWII world, filled with darkness and hope, love and loss. A story of two people overcoming darkness to find happiness. A story that every reader should read.

This was a very sweet story. I have read other books in this series so this one was a real treat. I really enjoyed reading about Sugar Maple in earlier days. Discovering the childhood of Davey, one of the town elders, was especially good. The romance was good with husband and wife dealing with the aftermath of WWII and adjusting to life together once again. Rosie has had to be independent with Victor overseas but now that he's back how is she supposed to act? She's been running a successful business all alone, does she have to become a model housewife now? Victor is broken too. He was injured and is suffering from losing some of his men along with civilians along the way. There are homeless children in Sugar Maple too. Being childless has affected both Rosie and Victor in different ways. Can they overcome their heartbreaks and help these children? It all comes together beautifully in a wonderful way. A very inspiring romance!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.