When I first read the description for this book I knew I had to read it. A futuristic Beauty and the Beast retelling involving robots. How could I not? I am delighted to say that, for the most part, Ensnared did not disappoint.

This is a story that focuses on, for the sake of the retelling aspect, a beast in his tower. Afraid to go out into the world. Afraid to let anyone glance upon his face. But a life of solitude gets lonely, and to help him adjust to the idea of expanding his universe he commissions a beautiful, life like AI to be built for him. To live with him in his tower and to become his friend. Someone he can practice being real with. Someone he doesn't need to hide from.

Our futuristic Belle is actually to be an AI named Rose, but Rose has other plans. Sending in, instead, her creator's daughter Alainn, whom she was modeled after, to take her place. Alainn goes along with the plan thinking doing so she is protecting her family. She has no idea the insidious plans being made behind her back, no grasp on how completely this ruse will change her life.

I thoroughly enjoyed Stradling's story concept. It was a truly inventive twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairytale. My only complaint was the author's inclusion of flagrant sex scenes. For near half the book it was clean and there was really nothing to deter me sharing this book with my 13 year old when I finished. Then things took a turn. The sex was not simply alluded to, it was very much the focus of several chapters. I honestly think the story would have worked just as well without this addition and would have allowed for a bigger marketability of the book. So, there you have it.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this review copy and opportunity.

Side note: I much prefer the cover on the ARC than the one that appears to be the final print option.

The characters were confusing and the story is very light.
Saying that it is a easy read.

The fault of me not liking this book lies entirely with myself. I love sci-fi. I love beauty and the beast. What could there possibly be not to love about Ensnared? It is unfortunate to say that I do not enjoy stories about robots-EVER. I couldn't finish Cinder by Marissa Meyer, I couldn't finish the robot version of cinderella-hec I don't even remember the book's name. And- I couldn't finish Ensnared.

So, I cannot fully say who would like Ensnared, but I for one felt like this was a 50 shades of soft erotica wanna be trying to prance around as beauty and the beast. BUT HEY, IF THAT"S YOUR THING, NO JUDGEMENT. The writing in and of itself was acceptable.

I will read any Beauty and the Beast retellings so I was really excited when I received an ARC of Ensnared. I haven't read a futuristic Beauty and the Beast retelling and the synopsis sounded really interesting to me.

The main character Alainn takes the place of Rose, an AI her father built for Mr. Garbhan. When I was reading the synopsis, I assumed that Mr. Garbhan, or Lorrcan as Alainn comes to know him, knew that a human was taking the place of the AI he was expecting. Very early in the book we find out that he does not know and this seems a bit hard to pull off to me. Of course, the author finds a way to incorporate all of a humans needs into something that an AI also needs to do. I found this a bit off. I also found it a bit off that Lorrcan sees nothing wrong with having a sexual relationship with an AI. I'm sorry that is just not my thing, I find it to be kind of odd. And the fact that he thinks an AI would also behave the same way when in an intimate situation, was also kind of hard to believe.

I had high hopes for this book but I just didn't really like it. There were too many things that were just too weird to me to actually get invested in the main characters and enjoy the story. Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC.

I'm a HUGE fan of fairytale retellings, but I did not enjoy this one that much. It was all to much to the surface, not much depth...
I did not like the MC.. It just didn't work for me, don't know...

While waiting for Rita Stradling to complete her Dakota Kekoa trilogy I thought I'd pick this book up to hold me over. It sounded interesting...a sci-fi retelling of Beauty and the Beast? Yes please! While it was creative and unlike anything I've read before, it still didn't live up to how much I've love her other books. I know, I know. I shouldn't be comparing apples and oranges but I can't help, OK?

This story closely follows the overall message of Beauty and the Beast but takes place in a futuristic society. It's centered around Alainn, who is sent to the home of a recluse named Lorccan. The catch? She has to pose as one of her father's robots, the Rose 76GF. You see, her father, while completely brilliant, is a gambler and cheater who has gotten both of them into trouble. The whole question is what will Lorccan do when he realizes that she isn't actually a robot, but a living breathing human?

I was entertained while reading this book and read through it quite quickly. However, it didn't really flow, parts were uneven and there were a lot of parts that either didn't add up or caused confusion. The insertion of random minor characters was completely unnecessary. That said, I did really like the two main characters. They were deeply flawed but funny and interesting. The setting made it really standout! I have no clue how Stradling came up with it but if it wasn't advertised as a Beauty and the Beast retelling I could have easily read it as completely original in every sense of the word.

Overall, Ensnared is a book that I'm glad that I had a chance to read. It demonstrates the amazing amounts of creativity Stradling possesses, she truly had a talent with taking things and turning them on their heads. However, it felt a bit rushed and uneven. A few more edits or clarifications here and there would definitely improve its readability.

Ensnared was an odd odd book. It was intriguing enough to keep me reading to the end, but it wasn’t entirely believable for me. It has an interesting premise that I thought could be really promising but it very much fell flat for me.

First some good things. I liked that the Artificial Intelligence had enough differences in personality that I could quickly tell the difference between Rosebud, Rose, and Rosette. I liked that Alainn was independent, and that we actually get to see her without the catty step-sisters, but instead a decent big brother. I also liked the sci-fi feel of the world. Aside from that though I just didn’t feel the rest of the book.

I didn’t understand Rose’s motivations, and I didn’t understand Lorcan and his weird desire to stay inside. This poor guy was abused by his parents, and falls in love with the first slightly human thing he interacts with. Granted she was human, but she’s really the only person he’s ever met “in real life”. It was weird, and then he spends all this time trying to make the actual robot love him. Then everything is magically better, even though he still refuses to go outside. I just couldn’t buy into it, especially because Alainn does nothing to get him therapy and help. It’s kind of like “Oh well, we just accept him as it is, even if that leaves him in torment.” Unfortunately with all of those plot issues, I can only give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Calling this a Beauty and the Beast retelling doesn't give it enough credit. While there's a vague similarity in the overall storyline, this book is so much more than just that.
Alainn's father creates robots with AI. To pay off his gambling debts he has to hand over his Rose model but she has overwritten her own programming and persuades Alainn to go in her place and pretend to be a robot in order to give her father more time to fix things. The first half is good but it is in the second half that it gets really exciting.

After downloading this, I realized that this title was just not for me. It seemed to be all over the place as a retelling and I just couldn't finish it. Thank you for allowing me to read and review it even still.

For some reason I just couldn't connect or get into this story, even after multiple times trying. Maybe the fact that there are so many Beauty and the Best retellings and I've read a bunch and I'm full of them.

The premise sounded very interesting: Beauty and the Beast retelling in the near-future with robots and AI. But it really really fell flat.

I read the first few chapters, then put it down for a couple of months. Eventually, I decided to give it another go so I could give it a fair review instead of a DNF (did not finish).

What threw me off first and foremost was that the writing was not very good. The dialogue felt stilted and unnatural. At times, every movement a character made was narrated. Things didn't flow. Hopefully there will be another round of editing before this goes to print.

Then the plot itself was a bit far-fetched: Alainn had to pretend to be a robot so her dad wouldn't go to prison for not having the robot done in time. This plan was proposed by said robot, Rose. I guess they just needed a way to get Alainn into the house to have a sexy relationship with Lorccan.

I've said this before, but for me it's characters that make or break the book. And they broke this one. Lorccan had some horribly abusive childhood that has left him disfigured and he has never left his house. And yet this is explained briefly, once. He also falls in love with Alainn thinking she's a robot. Just....... No. Their whole relationship is weird and I could not get behind it. And the random sex scenes are quite explicit.

Alainn was slightly better? She had a hero complex, apparently stemming from when she and her best friend were kidnapped as teenagers. This was also not fully explained. In any case, she pretended to be a robot, then at some point she suddenly developed feelings for Lorccan, and then she's in love with him and perfectly happy to live her entire life in this house with him. (?!?!) After she was a huge outdoor sports person. Also she had a fear of elevators that is never explained.

Redeeming aspects: The AI robot, Rose, and her whole subplot of evil world domination (well, kind of). That took up a large chunk of the middle to end of the book and made me like it slightly more. I would have liked more exploration of the theme of AI and what makes people "real" humans, etc. Also, the monkeys! There are AI monkeys that apparently do all the housework and they were the best part of the book.

In summary, a kind of creepy futuristic semi-retelling of Beauty and the Beast. There is a lot of potential for this to be good, but it would need some good editing and work. As it stands, I would not recommend.

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Ah man what even was this. Honestly this book was kinda great but kinda shit at the same time. It wasn't quite trash (even though the smut was next level and I mean come on you know when the last scene in a book is a sex scene that it's verging pretty close to trash), but it also could have been way better.
The sci fi with all the robots was like a poor man's version of Cinder, along with the obvious re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. It was feelsy and fun and hot but clearly never even thought about entering the realm of credible or high-brow.

That's alright though, I'm trash too and I enjoyed this just fine.

I wanted this to be amazing. It just wasn't that for me though. I liked the concept but it lacked on the execution for plot.

A lot of points dragged and I wish there was more on why Lorcan was the way he was. And less of Alainn's family not believing her.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rita Stradling for the chance to read and review this ARC;

I am a dyed in the wool fairytales girl. I love fairytales told as they are in storybooks of old. I love fairy tales in the future. I love fairytales re worked and retold, as they would have been passed from lips to lips, and hearts to hearts, over camp fires and cook stoves, to travelers on every night and children before bed, at festivals and every days. I could not more resist requesting this Future Age retelling of Beauty and the Beast than I could resist breathing in.

The sweep of this book is exquisite, and the writing style is not to be missed. Alainn is a great new heroine turn on a fan favorite, of the girl with so much courage, to take on the challenge of saving her father and the challenge of seeing beneath the world of what seems more beastly and ghastly to find the golden heart beneath. I was in love with her and her love story, swooning at each new step, like a child seeing this all for the first time, and a passionate dedicate of this great love story, every single time.

The abject creepiness of Rose gives the book a whole new flavor I wasn't expecting, giving me chills and kept me jumping at possible forthcoming shadows. Great going with giving it some new life in every sense of the word!

Beauty and the Beast is one of my very favorite fairytales. I was super excited to get to read this version. However, this book failed me on many levels. It's slow, then clunky. I wasn't happy with the abusive, unromantic, jerk who takes advantage of "his" woman because she is under his control. Lor was a beast indeed, as in get out of that abusive relationship and run Alainne/Rose/Jade! I don't care that Alainne is human pretending to be an AI. I didn't care that we are in the future, because Lor is such an abusive discussting person, you can't spin any charm or love out of this disaster. I don't quite get why she has three names, but where is it ever alright to force sex on anyone, even under the premise of a robot? This is NOT a clean read and it is NOT a YA.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Ensnared is based on Beauty and the Beast, but it takes the basic idea and runs with it, throwing in sci-fi elements with automatons, AI, and self-aware robots.

I was expecting a young adult story from the blurb, but it's aimed at adults.

If I'm being honest the story is daft, there's not a lot of world building, and there are plot holes you can drive a truck through. But it's also a lot of fun, with likeable characters.

I liked Alainn, she's independent and not afraid to speak her mind, but she's not perfect. She's not overly intelligent and is prone to taking risks that endanger her life. It's this daredevil impulse that leads her to agree to impersonate the robot Lorccan has ordered to save her father from going to jail. It (kind of) makes sense in context.

Lorccan is a recluse who is scared of germs and has little to no experience of other people. I can almost believe he doesn't realise that he got a real person instead of a robot, even though Alainn is very, very bad at pretending to be a robot. She doesn't even think about how she is going to eat, so almost starves herself at first. I think about food all the time, so if I was going to have to pretend to be a robot somewhere it's probably the first thing I would worry about.

I liked that Lorcann's problems aren't magically fixed by the power of lurve. At the end of the book, he still can't leave his home for fear of germs. It's clear that it's a bigger, ongoing issue that Alainn can't fix for him.

My favourite character in this has to be Shelley. She has anxiety, and battles with herself when she pushes herself way out of her comfort zone to help Alainn when things go wrong. She reaches a point where she can't force herself any further and leaves with the police instead of escaping with Alainn. I loved that she wasn't treated as a coward for this, instead, Alainn thanks her and calls her a badass.

If you want something that's not going to tax your brain and you can just enjoy reading it, then this is a good choice. I read it in a day, I didn't want to put it down. I even had to have it propped up in front of me while I was brushing my teeth!

When I request this book in Netgalley, December 2017 was the publication date. However, I learned this week that it'll publish on May 23 this year.

I'm thrilled to read this one. Aside from the cover that caught my attention, it get to me because it is Beauty and the Beast retelling and sci-fi genre.

Alainn Murphy seek Lorccan Garbhan to save his father be sent into prison. Her father made a contract with Lorccan to work on artificial intelligence. However, failed to deliver the robot on time. Rose 76GF is the robot and imitation of Alainn and suggested that Alainn should replace her and act as a robot so she can work on Rosette 82GF.

The story is good and can read in one sitting. It just took me time to finish this one as I was very busy with other things.

Rose 76GF is design to act and feel like human. She override her ethical coding, hack, calculate and to the point that she can go beyond what's designed to her. I like that idea. It's fascinating that robots can do bad things and makes me think that it is definitely possible that robots can overwrite their coding. With our latest technology, that is really possible.

At first, I'm not sure who the antagonist in the story. I thought it was Lorccan because he will Alainn's father into prison but then I realize he's not qualified as one. I also that Rosebud was the enemy because she doesn't approve Alainn going out of the tower. But then again, I realize who the real culprit. This book surely gets me to think and ask question almost everything I read. Some of the twists of the story are not predictable.

However, what I still can't understand after reading was how come Lorccan could not feel Alainn's pulse when he hold her wrist or couldn't even feel or saw that he's having sexual intercourse with a human and not a robot? How come Lorccan didn't even suspect or feel that Jade is human? I know that he lacks social interaction but I believe that he's intelligent to know and feel that he's having intercourse with a human? He even proposed to Jade (which is Alainn, who replace Rose 76GF) with a knowledge and believing that he is in love with a robot. The idea of loving a robot. It reminds me of the movie HER wherein the protagonist fell in love with the OS. It's a futuristic yet heartbreaking movie.

Further, Colby and Shelly's story would be interesting as well! There are hints and possible love story of the two and I'm looking forward to it.

What struck me in this book was even if you save and risk your own life for someone you love yet he denies you because he believes that you crushed his world! That really hurt.

Overall, though I believe that some parts may still subject for improvement this book is recommended to other sci-fi book readers and those who loves to read retelling.

I saw the summary to this book and was immediately intrigued. It is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that includes robots. I have to admit, I was disappointed with this one. While the story had potential, there were things that just felt off for me and I couldn’t get beyond that.

The characters were interesting and I thought the relationship between Alainn (as Rose) and Lorccan progressed well but there was something about it that just felt off to me. It might have been the fact that he thought he was having a relationship with a robot…I don’t know.

I love fairytale retellings so it pains me a bit to write this. It could definitely be an “it’s me, not you” thing here. This story just didn’t win me over but you might like it.

The story was fascinating and I really felt drawn into the world. It was slow at first but I absolutely loved it! I felt the romance was handled well, and I'll put it in now, there are some really steamy scenes in this one, so you've been warned! The ending was sweet and the story wrapped up well. <3

I absolutely love fairy tale retelling and sci-fi books especially when they are combined.. I was able to read it in two sittings and it did keep me intrigued. It most definitely is a New Adult/Adult book as there are very steamy scenes.
I was very iffy on how the romance started out. I think it could've been written a little different. It was not insta-love which was great.
I did love how the robots had a mind of their own and how that can cause problems because of how they think life could and should be. It made me think of a Cyberman from Doctor Who. Thinking life could be perfect if certain feelings were not involved.
When this book comes out, I may have to do a reread to see if any changes were made.
Thank you very much for allowing me to read this ARC.