I love the idea of this book far more than the execution. While it was well written and had an interesting premise, it lacked in several other areas to much to overlook. The basic story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beauty with a futuristic, sort of I-robot, vibe to it. I enjoyed the main story points and the romance. The romance in this version is better than most retelling because Lorccan, the “beast”, isn’t actually the captor. This make the relationship more consensual and less creepy. I also like Alainn for the most part however I found that I missed the book loving aspect of Belle though. That is such an integral part of that character in every retelling I have ever read that to leave it out felt wrong somehow.
The problems that I found with the book were issues of pacing, a lack of world building and extraneous characters. The relationship between Lorccan and Alainn was slow and then very suddenly sped up. It felt unnatural between them. They were so hesitant before that the quick build up felt off.
The world in which this story takes place is barely explained at all. It seems to be just the same as the world we live in today. Except there are AI robots that apparently can pass for human in nearly every aspect. In addition Alainn’s dad and brother apparently make these robots in their garage. What kind of world is it where a man can just make a robot with Artificial intelligence in his garage? There really should have been a significant amount of time spent explaining the world and a brief history of how the robots developed would also have been nice.
There were several side stories that could have been entirely left out. The story of Alainn’s job and Greg felt like it was just tossed into the book. It jarred me out of the story and I found it boring so I barely read that section. In addition the story of Alainn’s friend Cara wasn’t necessary either. While it seemed to be used to give reason’s for Alainn’s behavior I felt like it wasn’t needed and she would have behaved the same way without that backstory.
There was a little talk towards the end about ethics and the humanity of the robots but it wasn’t fleshed out much. There is something there that could have brought a lot more depth to the story but was glossed over and too simply and neatly resolved.
This book is an enjoyable enough read and might be right for some people but it wasn’t the story for me.

Truly amazing! I couldn't put it down! This slow reader almost finished it on one day!

I have a thing for retellings of fairy tales, and when they combine genres and time periods, well, just like "Cinder," you have my attention!

Stradling wove a really intricate tale in my opinion, and did it well. We're dealing with technology, a little sci fi, a little magic/fantasy, and of course, Beauty and the Beast.

Everything I need out of a story was here...stakes, a blossoming romance that felt real and not forced, and an ending that resonates and didn't feel contrived. Loved the book!

Alainn's father is a genius inventor and has used Alainn's body as the template for his newest AI- Rose. She talks like Alainn and walks like Alainn, but there's always something disconcerting about looking her in the eye. Something was just wrong.

To save her father from a prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose's place in the household of the man who bought her.
Alainn comes to believe that her fate is sealed as a servant for this reculive billionaire, but as time goes on she'll realize that nothing is as it seems.

I started reading this book last night, and I couldn't put it down. I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley, and I am so thrilled I get to review it! Ensnared is Beauty and the Beast with an AI twist. As a character, Alainn is the perfect mix of archetype and modern nuance. Alainn and Lor are also so much more interesting than the typical Beauty and Beast archetypes. It's fairly clear from the beginning that Alainn + Lor = Beauty + Beast, but they're both given interesting and plausible backgrounds that really makes the story work on a modern level.

The main characters are great, but I really wish there had been more character development for secondary characters, like Alainn's brother and father. They're both essential to the plot line, but they're given almost no backstory. Their interactions with Alainn in the beginning of the story are fairly bizarre and leave a lot of unanswered questions. For instance, the brother in the beginning of the book does not act like the same brother at the end of the book. And there's probably a very good reason for that, like his sister has been missing for months. But that's never really addressed. By the end of the book, Alainn's father is basically just forgotten and a lot of his plot points are unresolved.

There were also a few moments that felt rushed, and could definitely use some fleshing out. Most of the last 50 pages or so really felt like they could use some more character interactions or developments. I think there need to be more scenes with Lor and Alainn, and maybe something with Lor, Alainn, and Alainn's family. I also really, really want some resolution between Alainn and her father. I want her to stand up for herself, and I want them to address all the ways he's horribly let her down as a parent.

I really enjoyed this book. I love Alainn and Lor and I especially love Blue, the German AI monkey. I'd definitely recommend this book to a friend, preferably to be read on a cold winter's night with a glass of wine.

Three and a half from me
I spotted this futuristic reselling of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale and just couldn't resist. Yet it has to be said that it's the artificial intelligence part of the story that dominates here. If you have read Asimov or even seen the movie I, Robot then you will be all too aware of the very real concerns many have concerning the future applications of robotics. Whilst this is no "judgement day" it does tap into that very primitive fear in our hind brains .
So back to the story and indeed the romance. Alainn is the daughter of a genius inventor who unfortunately is both a gambler and a coward. Without giving away too much detail it's Alainn that goes to the home of Lorccan and pretends to be her fathers creation Rose 76GF. Lorccan is a scarred and hypercondriac man who just wants what's normal and he intends to learn how to interact using Rose 76GF. The problem is though Alainn is all too real and fears her humanity will give her away but what if there's an even greater betrayal coming?
So it's a sweet little romance and yes it sticks with the idea that Beauty saves the Beast. Yet for this reader it was overshadowed by the AI components of the story, particularly the second half of the book. It did seem inconsistent at times and the world building whilst somewhat futuristic just wasn't fleshed out enough for this reader. Also if brutally honest there are characters mentioned here from co workers to old friends that really didn't add much to the story and confused it somewhat.
What does work beautifully is Alainn. She's a flawed individual , not exactly with a death wish but clearly not someone who places great value on her own life. Although I have to say with a family as selfish as hers I'm not really that surprised! This leads me to Lorccan who has had a truly nightmarish upbringing which made me very sympathetic towards him although I do take exception to his love interest if I can call her that but to say more would be to say too much!
So my final thoughts are it's not perfect and when it comes to Lorccan I'm still left with unanswered questions. It is a fanciful piece and perhaps a little too far fetched but there are moments that really piqued my interest and if you enjoy imagining what the future holds as technology gathers pace this unusual romance might end up on your book shelf!
This voluntary take is of an advance reader arc from Netgalley and is my honest opinion

I didn't like this book, and to be clear I adore fairy tale retellings and am always interested in how they change and update the story. I am trying to think of one thing that I liked about this book and nothing comes. Alaiin could have been likeable but then suddenly falls in love and has no personality. Lor was just boring, I had no feeling for him whatsoever. The story doesn't pull me in, and honestly I almost didn't finish the book. I like a good sci fi retelling, but this just fell short.

This book started so well, and then it just flopped. The whole robot thing just didn't do it for me. I don't think this is a retelling of Beauty and The Beast at all. It was more like a robotic thriller. Just didn't work for me.

I picked up this because it sounded kinda like The Lunar Chronicles. And because I love Beauty and the Beast stories. But to start off I would have probably given this book two stars or less if it hadn't been for the last half (or quarter) of the book. The writing style of this book was juvenile, "holy crap" was used a lot and it reminded me of a 50 Shades of Grey quote "holy cow", I've read way better.

Next there were so many unanswered questions or just things that weren't fully explained. The world building was low grade; I realize we're in the future but there is only brief talk about how the world operates and how the robots/androids are used as well as what kind of jobs humans have. Also are we in the city? In the suburbs? In the country? I had to use my imagination and common sense for location purposes because nothing was really explained. Alainn's father, Connor Murphy, was going to jail for 5 years for stealing money from Lorccan (or something like that) but when did he steal money from him? He built Rose for him and was going to deliver her; so that's just not explained in depth. I would have loved to learn more of Lorccan's background instead of the little bit we are given for the plot. My last grievance I'll talk about is that Stradling kept pointing out how Alainn was not as smart as her father, brother or Rose and didn't illustrated enough how Alainn was still smarter than the average person.

Now on to the bright side; this is one of the few books I've read where they actually talk about about a woman's period. The end was very action packed and I enjoyed it very much. I liked the romance between Lorccan and Alainn a lot; it wasn't a Stockholm syndrome kind of thing.

Yes, I will admit: I'm a big fan of Walt Disney. So when I saw Rita Stradling's retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I had to read this one. And yes, there is a beauty (Alainn) with a little strange inventor dad. And we have a plant (aka the rose) and a beast (meet Lorccan, a recluse with a secret). But this is where the parallels between Walt's movie and Rita's book end.

Was I disappointed? Well, certainly not! The story draws you in a nearby future, where there are AI robots everywhere. They walk, look and feel like you, but there are robots. And you have artificial intelligence in your homes, which create a happy living environment (including artificial windows, to show you everything you would like to see). It's a bit like Star Trek actually. But then it starts to get creepy. Because the AI-robots begin to have a mind of their own. And although they are programmed to avoid the hurting of people, the begin to create logic to evade these rules. So yes, I was officially spooked by this story. Rita does an excellent job in ensnaring you in her story. You will start with meeting Alainn and her genius family: father Connor and brother Colby. When Alainn let's herself be trapped in the mansion of Lorccan Garbhan to rescue her father from being send to prison, we meet Rosebud, the AI-robotics that control the mansion. At first, it's only the voice, which commands Alainn to go to dinner on time. But as the story progresses, we see that Rosebud is capable of much more things...



Lorccan (or Lor) is an intriguing person. At first, I really didn't like the guy: living as a recluse, scarred and strange. Who wants to eat dinner with a robot? But then Rita slowly shows you an inside of Lor's history and the reasons of his scars. Well, then take out your tissues, you are going to need them! So when you are warming up to the beast, the story suddenly takes a turn. What will AI-robots be capable of? Are they a match to a beast? One thing is for sure: I will probably not want something with arrtificial intelligence in my home for the next few decades.

High praise for Rita Stradling. Hopefully more books in this genre will follow. Four out of five stars from me. With a thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC.

During the time i was reading it Ihere on Netgalley, it popped up over on Kindle scout, Which I am alslso on, So I OUT IT Up FOR nomination. .. I loved this and I also nominated it on kindle scout...a great twist to a classi,

Ensnared is about a woman named Alainn Murphy whose father, Connor Murphy, has been commissioned to create a robot for the rich recluse, Lorccan Garbhan. Connor's robot, Rose, has been designed to be as human as possible but it seems like there are still a few issues that need to be worked out before his deadline to Lorccan. After asking for an extension of time, and being denied, Alainn agrees to temporarily switch places with Rose (who was designed to look like Alainn) until repairs could be completed. Unfortunately, she is unsure what Rose's purpose is at the Garbhan household.

Although it was pretty different than what I originally expected, I thought that the concept was pretty interesting. Alainn discovers that she is the only human in the house other than Lorccan, but there are plenty of other robots. The book brought up some ethical questions about AI and human interaction with automatons.Be forewarned- there are a few "steamy" sections in this book. I thought about recommending this book to some of my students and then realized that that wouldn't be the best idea.. lol. There are a few characters/questions I would've liked to have seen developed more, but overall, it was a quick read that I enjoyed. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. It's predictable but it's based on a well-known fairytale, so that comes with the territory. I like how we don't learn everything about the characters, only enough to give us a sense of who they are. It definitely leaves room for more storytelling- prequels, perhaps?

Futuristic fairy tale with robots and the Beast which pretty much follows the story line of the original fairy tale. A bit rushed at the end but all in all a good read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I was intrigued by this retelling of Beauty and Beast. The story takes place in the future. As in the Beauty and the Beast story, the father is an inventor. In this case he invents robots that are very human like. Unfortunately, he owes a robot to a client but the robot isn't finished. His daughter, Alainn decides to go to the client's house and pose as the robot to give her dad more time to finish. The client is a recluse much like the Beast and Alainn falls for him much like Belle. I had a hard time believing that someone couldn't tell a human from a robot especially after having an intimate relationship with them. The robot, Rose, that is supposed to go to the client, starts reprogramming herself and tries to kill Alainn. There is a lot of suspense but I feel the ending was a bit predictable. Overall, this book was a good read and the relationship between humans and robots intrigued me.

Sometimes it can be hard to talk about a property you didn't like. How do you articulate what went wrong for you without sounding petty? Without sounding as though you are whining?

'Ensnared' was a book that appealed to me immediately on premise alone. Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite dynamic/retelling. I am always ready. Beauty and the Beast with somewhat futuristic trappings? Gimme.

So what I'm saying is, I wanted to love it. I went in with the expectations I would. I just didn't.

Now, to be fair, if this had been strictly a YA property, I'd have given it three stars. Not necessarily because younger readers deserve less, but because some of the decisions made by characters would have made more sense if they had come from younger people. Coming from adults though? In a book geared towards adults? Not so much.

The setting
If you're going to bother having a story set in a world like this, sell me the world. I was constantly struggling with how futuristic the world was meant to be. Automatons exist and carry out certain menial tasks, but not all. AI is basically human and intuitive, but the main character is completely oblivious of technology, (I understand she isn't a 'genius' and that's meant to be her charm, but even today, *most* people know how everyday computers and such work--her, not so much). We have an entirely new currency, but no way of knowing how or why that is, or what infrastructure is in place, so it feels arbitrary. I could never get a real handle on how anything looked or functioned save for pieces parts. It never felt like a world, only a corner.

The pacing
For the most part the plot rolled along well enough. It did not take long to set up the story's foundation, and even with the whole Alainn takes Rose's place feeling a little convoluted, it wasn't that bad. The problem was, once the middle of the book rolled around, the plot ground to a halt. Alainn really isn't nearly as intrepid as Belle (I hate to compare a Disney property to a new adult novel but. . .Disney's Beauty and the Beast has become iconic). The scenes in the tower consist of Alainn sitting in her room, having dinner with Lorccan, watching movies and playing games, and then sitting in her room. The middle sections that should have us sharing the wonder of the tower, this place no one else has ever seen, just isn't there. The end is a little garbled and abrupt and there's a strange subplot thrown in that I'm still not even sure of the purpose of. The villain's motivations also felt like an afterthought, even though there was some buildup. I can't decide if it's because tonally it didn't seem to fit the rest of the novel or not.

Characters
Because this is a new adult property I did go in with some trepidation. The last thing I wanted to read was a book where the power dynamic was totally uneven. Beauty and the Beast easily lends itself to jeers of Stockholm Syndrome and sometimes, they're not wrong. I went in, worried that Alainn would be taken advantage of. Luckily that wasn't the case. And yet. . .

Because this is a romance, that needed to be the strongest and I just didn't feel it was. I understand Lorccan feeling attached to Alainn--he's never interacted with anyone else before. But. . .what about Lorccan attracts Alainn? What do they know about each other? What do they share? What do they trust each other with? The answer is, nothing really. She's just there long enough that she develops a crush on him, but you can't see why. Neither of them feel like strong enough characters for us to see what about each other they'd be drawn to. They fall in love because they must.

And now we come to the thing that bothered me. Lorccan, who does not like people, believes Alainn is a robot, a machine. Alainn begins an intimate relationship with him under this pretext, choosing not to tell him the truth. This. . .felt icky. Mostly because it seemed if the genders had been reversed, it would never have happened. It felt like Alainn took advantage of him in a way, and then when the truth is revealed, nothing much is made of it. Which felt unrealistic, because really.

Is it the worst book ever? By no means. It is fluff and fluff does has its charm. I did tear through the book, so it's not as though it's unreadable. But the charm I'd hoped for, the romance and the interesting setting, just didn't really happen for me.

Now out of all the Disney Tales Beauty & The Beast has got to be my all time favorite story, I'm a sucker for the plucky maiden and the misunderstood disfigured hero, so it stands to reason Ensnared and myself would fit together like a cuppa & biccy, a dog & a bone, and it did.
From the moment i started reading i was fascinated by this totally different and somewhat weird retelling of a futuristic beauty & the beast. It shouldn't have worked but it did.
I found myself cheering on Alainne as she pretended to be Rose 76GF and i got very caught up in the whole tale.
Alainne herself i found to be a very unselfish individual, all she wanted was to help her dad and if that meant putting herself out well, so be it. There was also some past issues that she still has trouble coming to terms with, this gives her a bit of a hero complex as she wants to save everyone, even at the cost of her own safety.
Now Lorccan Garbhan, mmm what to make of him as a character, I would say that our Mr Garbhan is quite a strange fella, isolated from society by what i surmise where very paranoid unloving parents, Lorccan has evolved into a eccentric anxious individual, afraid of the outside world, he is also heavily scarred which adds to his apprehension of outsiders.
Lorccan Wants a robot to help teach him to interact with others mainly a love interest Shelby who he has only spoke to on the phone.
I don't want to give much more away i will just say, that i couldn't help smiling as these two emotionally scarred people fell for each other, It was lovely watching them both discover each other a calm before the storm. there is action, love, drama, psychotic robots and cute robot monkeys.
I would have liked a slightly different ending, not as open-ended, but that in no way takes away from this marvelously inventive tale and is just a personal preference, give this whimsical story a go, you might be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy it, i devoured Ensnared in one sitting it hooked me like a duck.
I received a free e-arc of this ebook from NetGalley for a review and this is my own honest opinion.

I loved the premise of this book. A futuristic retelling of Beauty and the Beast — I couldn't wait to get started.

I had high hopes for this book, and it didn't disappoint. I adored the characterisation of Alainn — she will do anything to keep her father out of prison and if that means pretending to be a robot, then so be it!

Lorccan character was very complex, and Ms Stradling drew him with incredible skill — he was very real in the telling, and my heart did bleed for him. He is the modern day Beast, but instead of an enchantment locking him away, it was years of abuse — he has the scars on his face to prove it. He has never been outside, but now that he is alone he longs for human company, but fear keeps him a prisoner. For now, he will settle for a robot as a companion.

Ms Stradling, certainly likes to take her readers on a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute I found myself laughing out loud, the next I was in tears. I really came to care about the characters.

A lot happens in this book, and I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it is enough for me to say this is one super read. Although futuristic it is realistic. Ms Stradling is an exceptional storyteller with a gift for creating amazing imagery and characters you just can't help but love. I simply adored this new take on Beauty and the Beast.

Would I recommend? You bet ya!

*I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley for review consideration*

[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.]

It's more 2.5 stars, but I realize this review is turning out mostly negative, so I just put 2.

This is Beauty and the Beast with robots. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be as "adult" as it was - there is quite a bit of explicit sex starting towards the middle, so be aware of that. The reason I was surprised is because I read a review on NetGalley that said that it wasn't too explicit, and was appropriate for young adults, left by an "educator." I don't know what book she was reading, but I wouldn't recommend this for anyone under 18. I am not about censorship and am all for people choosing their own reading materials. I just feel that "not too explicit" absolutely does not describe the sex in this book (it was very very explicit).

So now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's get to my actual review.

I thought the writing style was mostly well done. There was good narration, the suspense was pretty good, and I enjoyed most of the plot. I didn't like the dialogue, though. It wasn't really believable to me. I think that Lor's falling in love with a robot (and everything that happens after he does) just makes him seem like a doof. I realize that the only human contact he's ever had was from his messed up abusive parents and his online girlfriend (who turns out to have a major anxiety disorder so of course they get along), but how realistic are robots supposed to be in this society that he's having contact with a human being and doesn't get it?

Speaking of the society, I really could not get a sense of place from the narration. I felt like they were living in a quaint little neighborhood with this huge tower downtown. It's full of AI. Like seriously, everywhere. Cops, tow trucks, automatically driven cars, even hospital workers are all robots. Where are the humans? What are they supposed to do for a living? How did they get to this point? How does Lor have all this technology at his disposal and no one else seems to have anything even remotely similar?

Rose 76GF was genuinely creepy. Once her master plan is revealed, though, it seems a lot less anticlimactic than I think the author intended. I thought, "Oh, that's it? Ok..." It's not really sinister, more misguided from an AI that doesn't really understand humanity. I guess you could see it as sinister, considering the lengths she's willing to go to in order to make her goal happen, but the end result, while creepy and totally wrong, isn't that dramatic. I guess I've just read so many other dystopian novels that this seemed tame in comparison.

The backstory with Alainn's best friend Cara didn't serve much of a purpose, and I think if that part and the parts with her job on the mountain weren't involved, the story wouldn't have lost much. Then again, it adds dimension to a pretty one-dimensional character (Alainn really doesn't have a personality outside of wanting to be on a mountain rescuing people, and once she's stuck in Lor's tower she falls for him pretty quickly with absolutely zero reason). Lor doesn't have much of a character either, they are two bland people who I guess end up being perfect for each other. The only characters I did connect with ended up being AIs - Blue, one of the robot automatons that keep the tower running, and Rosebud, the AI that interacts with Alainn on a daily basis while she's locked in. So...I'm not sure if that says more about me, or the characters.

Despite all of this, it was a quick, semi-entertaining read. So while 2 stars means "It was okay," I didn't necessarily love it but I didn't hate it either. It was something to pass the time, but I wish I had spent that time reading something with a little more soul to it.

An interesting cautionary Sci-Fi / romantic tale, Ensnared bills it's self as a near future retelling of Beauty and the Beast. To save her gambling addicted father from prison our protagonist Alainn is convinced to stand in for a robot version of herself that was promised to a rich recluse but remains unfinished.
Ensnared was a quick read and certainly kept my interest for the duration. Details about a future where robots and AI are the norm are pretty sparse, although the story doesn't necessarily suffer. At its heart, Ensnared is a romantic tale that just happens to be set at this time.
Late on in the tale, a few interesting ethical questions are raised around the idea of artificial intelligence and the point at which certain 'human' rights should apply. There was not much exposition these ideas, again the story moved to its conclusion at the same quick pace.
On the whole a fun, fast read with lots of ideas and possibilities. While part of me would have liked it, any further exploration of these points would have taken a much lengthier volume and could well have detracted from the core romance of the story.

This was a bit too out there for my tastes. It also had what I would deem "cheating" on the part of the hero. He has a girlfriend (granted, it's a really messed up sort of relationship), and yet he falls in love and has sex with our heroine, who he thinks is a robot at the time. Yes, that's creepy, right? He has sex. With a robot. That he bought, so technically he literally owns her. She knows he has a girlfriend and it's wrong, but she does it anyway. He continues to call his girlfriend nightly while still having sex with his robot. I mean, really - how do I get on board with this? Too many wrong things going on for me to recommend this to anyone.