Alainn is deeply protective of her genius father and his inventive nature. Unfortunately, Colin Murphy is perfectly putting his beautiful daughter and genius daughter at risk while he gambles and invents robots that rewrite their own ethics programming. When Murphy fails to deliver his AI specimen to Mr. Lorcan Garbhan, his notoriously reclusive investor, he is headed for a prison sentence. Murphy's latest AI project, Rose, looks exactly like his daughter, and the AI knows it. Early in the morning, Rose breaks into Alainn's room and convinces her that she must impersonate a finished AI and take her place so that Colin Murphy can complete his work and avoid prison. She takes the robot's place and begins life as a companion robot. Garbhan is a disfigured young man, living life alone in a tower that is designed to prevent people, and germs, from making their way inside. Believing he has a compromised immune system, he desires a robot companion to teach him how to interact with other human beings. Thus begins one of the weirdest Beauty and the Beast tales I have ever read.

Ensnared is well written, but the book struggles to maintain the concept of a happy ending, even when it doesn't make sense. Alainn is a prisoner in this skyscraper tower she cannot escape from. Later in the book, her father refers to her falling deeply in love with her captor as Stockholm Syndrome, and Alainn deeply denies it. However, it's a pretty convincing argument. Ensnared has that same dangerous nature as the Twilight Series. The reader is drawn into the love story and relieved that it is occurring rather than just a horrifying tale of a woman trapped in a tower, but that is where the danger lies. Just like a freaking old vampire committing pretty much every sign of abuse and control over a woman, Lorcan controls every aspect of Alainn. He provides her with designer dresses, demands she eat meals with him, controls her action, even to the point of demanding her arrival at a particular time every evening before dismissing her casually. It's even creepier that he claims to fall madly in love with her, when he is certain through almost the entirely of the book that she is a robot and not a human being. He wants to marry a robot. COME ON!

Ensnared is designed for an adult audience, but so much of the book falls back on YA techniques and style. It's a good piece of escapist fiction and entertaining for sure, but the over all feeling of the book just left me shivering and uncomfortable.

Ensnared by Rita Stradling is now available.

Very interesting story. I liked the characters. Looking forward to read about Colby.

Book Title: Ensnared
Author: Rita Stradling
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Modern Fairytale Retelling, Romance
Publisher: This is a Kindle Scout Book
Source: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

⇝Add to Goodreads⇜



♪♫My Pick For Book Theme Song♫♪

Alive by Adelitas Way --This is for Alainn and Lorccan…I searched for awhile on the internet looking at all sorts of songs and then decided to listen to my own songs and found this one, I thought…this is perfect!!! This song actually makes me like this story a little more than I already did.

♫And I'll be hanging on every word you say to me.
Hanging on a feeling that I get,
'Cause you make me
Laugh a little louder,
Love a little harder.♫




⇝Ratings Breakdown⇜

Plot: 4.3/5
Characters: 4.5/5
The Feels: 4/5
Addictiveness: 5/5
Theme: 5/5
Flow: 3.8/5
Backdrop (World Building): 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Ending: 5/5 Cliffhanger: No

Will I read more from this Author? Yes, I would

OVERALL RATING: 4.2/5 STARS

⇝My Thoughts⇜

I, Robot meets Beauty and the Beast…I really liked this, is it without faults, no, but the faults did not take away from my overall enjoyment.

The writing starts out a little choppy, but evens itself out for the most part, about a 1/3 of the way through. At least I think it did…or I could have just adjusted to the style. I liked the futuristic aspect of this, it just doesn't always come off as believable. There are elements that transpire that seem over-the-top and hard to fathom but, ultimately the sweet love story of Alainn and Lorccan is what kept me reading. Plus, the oddly weird, but mostly likable assortment of supporting characters…especially the monkeys. I loved the monkeys!

⇝Sex Factor⇜ This is a Beauty and the Beast spin for the adult crowd, while it is explicit at times it's not overdone at all.

I loved this book, The human feel of the robots was well portrayed, although keeping that essential kernel of unhumanity was lost sometimes, with the robots showing too much emotion. The monkeys were probably my favourite characters in the whole book, but again, such a lot of emotion for robots. But maybe that is the way of the future? Then we will really have to beware...

It took me a while to give this rating. I started the book a couple of times, but was not enticed to read further. But I wanted to really read it to give an honest review.
Beauty and the Beast.. I love that story. So this retelling was really interesting to me. But I did not like the writing style and I was not sold on the romance. He believes her to be a robot... and does not care if she is real or not.

So this was a miss for me, but the book will not be published until the end of this year. So maybe there will be certain changes. The premise was very good actually, but the execution not so much.

A very unique book with lots of twists and turns look forward to more by the author

This is such a refreshing take on a classic story. A must read for enthusiasts of retold, classic fantasy stories.

Saying that it's a Beauty and the Beast retell is correct , but I would have to say it is just on the core part of the story. You know, leaving home to live with a complete stranger for the good of the father, something happening in the middle of the book (or story) to bring the stranger and the main character closer, them falling in love and then the climax where she leaves and then has to come back to rescue her former captor.

Yes, Ensnared was a retell in the most basic way and that is why I liked it.

The concept of a futuristic book where Robots can be created to be just like humans in almost all sense of what a human being is intriguing and when is done right, it makes for a great book.

I definitely had my doubts when I first requested this book because I'm not too fond of Beauty and the Beast and because is a retell, but I had to swallow my words and hatred toward retells one more time.

What I liked most about this books is how different it felt when I read it, the whole idea of bringing human like robots that can think and act for themselves and then override their own code to make themselves better was unexpected and fascinating.

The way the relationship between Alainn and Lorccan was like watching a couple of teenagers fall in love and it was really cute, because they have never really been in love and even though it could be childish it's still very cute and sometimes they are the best romances.

Then Rose created some expected, but unexpected drama that sort of throws you for a loop because once it happened it seemed impossible for things to go back to the way they used to.

So in conclusion, the story had an amazing plot, it's a dark and twisted Beauty and the Beast retell which is the best part and it has drama, tons and tons of drama that I love.

The only things I didn't like and the reasons it got a 4 out of 5 stars is because I was missing some backstory on how the world came to be what it was and why Lorccan had never left his castle, I mean it said that he was germophobic, but I just needed more.

Overall, Ensnared was a very amazing, surprisingly good read that makes you want to read more. Is captivating with a dark twist that makes for one great story.

Alainn Murphy is the daughter of a scientist who specializes in Artificial Intelligence, the downside is Mr. Connor Murphy has a gambling issue and has lost a considerable amount of money - have no fear Lorrcan Gorbhan has been funding him.. but soon the money stops and the only option is to send Alainn away or her father will be imprisoned...

Lorccan has many phobias and is locked away in his tower, but when Alainn Murphy is sent to him and he believes her to be an automaton, interesting things begin to happen.

This all sounds interesting, it's what ensnared me - ha - ha - ha... I made a punny. Beauty & The Beast retelling, romance, science fiction, automatons! In theory, it really would have been fantastic, too!

But, for me, there was no world building which is disappointing because I think a lot could have been done with the world. In fact, there literally is no world outside of the tower once Alainn is there and because there are no others to interact with it's really just reading back and forth between Lorrcan and Alainn, which would be alright if their development was strong but it wasn't. There isn't a lot of progressing, there isn't a lot of insight either. There are a lot of questions that arise that never really get answered.

The plot also comes to a halt halfway through the book and I mean it's basically finished by the halfway mark, yet the book continues on. I think if there was more of a world or at least deeper insight into the characters then it wouldn't have felt like everything came to that screeching halt.

It was a quick read, though. One I would recommend to anyone wanting to devour retellings!

So of course around this time of year (early 2017) Beauty and the Beast is all the rage, we are all attacking all sorts of retellings and snatching all the clips as soon as they come out.
This one however, manages to add a sci-fi twist to the story.
Yeah... I had to see what that was about.
The book contained a deeper message than is seen at first glance. It contained a lot of, "What makes us human?" and all that jazz.. Many things I felt like werent address and maybe shouldve, just as his behavior and well... The phobias that are attached to those behaviors.
I truly didnt feel the love as much as is attached to the original tale

There's a lot of problems with "Ensnared", which presented itself as being a potentially really wonderful retelling of one of the most popular fairytales. It doesn't turn out to be so, and this is primarily due to the fact that the writing feels very unedited and scattered, like someone drafted the story quickly and went to print with it right away. It lacks the polish and sharp edge that other YA novels have, retellings such as Meyer's "Cinder", for instance. The story and characters are also quite underdeveloped. Lorccan's role as the beast isn't very believable nor does it capture the reader's sympathy, for instance. His physical injury feels exaggerated while his health condition, which is much more interesting, doesn't receive the kind of attention it deserves. This is true for all the main characters in the novel.

In fact, I'd say that "Ensnared" doesn't quite know what it wants to be, and that the tagline of it being a near-future retelling of Beauty and the Beast is more of a marketing strategy than an appropriate descriptor of the book itself. There's so much going on, leaving the characters of Cara and Shelly feeling like vague ghosts in the novel, while the court scene at the end and the whole issue of whether AI is capable of developing its own conscience, as Rose's character demonstrates, makes this feel like an entirely different novel for a chunk of it.

I don't really have anything positive to say about this novel other than the fact that I managed to enjoy some parts of it. It was nice to be able to periodically sit down and focus on a book where one didn't have to think. Given how much this novel tries to showcase it's AI premise that isn't a good statement to make, but there were small glimmers in Alainn and Lorccan's relationship that, for short periods of time, made me happy. It's a rather light novel that might manage to bring one some light entertainment, but doesn't live up to its promise and grand statement.

The book was cute. Fun read, and quick read. I enjoyed it.

This book was on my TBR and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it on Netgalley. Even more surprised when I was approved to read it. Beauty and the Beast retellings are my all time favorite and this one did not disappoint.
-I liked that this book was set in the future. The robots and AI's gave this book a unique twist and set the basis for the world building and interactions of the characters. I do wish we got more information about the world though, especially at the beginning. I felt like I was thrown into a world that I was just expected to understand, and though it was built up a bit later, it had so much more potential.
-I absolutely adored Alainn and Lorccan (cool name). I thought their characters were well developed and interesting. Alainn was totally a kick butt heroine and I loved it. I liked that they were both vulnerable yet stubborn and that they fit well together. The romance was believable and I thought they were developed well as individual characters too. I wish we got more back story for Lorccan, especially early on in regards to him never leaving and being a hypochondriac. I also wish that Alainn was explored a little more at the beginning and we got more details about Cara and the kidnapping.
-As for the other characters, they definitely need work. I did really like that Greg, who I'm assuming was Gaston, just ended up being Alainn's friend. I think the dad needs the most work. He had no character development or pertinence to the plot. I think if the author gave a prologue explaining the world and explained why his character made Rose and how his wife's death impacted him it would bring the story up a notch.
-One of my favorite parts of this was that Lorccan didn't make Alainn come to the tower. I liked that Rose was the reason she went there and that Lorccan didn't know who she really was-makes it less captor prisoner.
-I really wish we had more information about Rose. She was such an interesting character and pivotal to the plot, yet her reasons for what she does aren't explored. In addition I would like to know more about Rosebud.
-In regards to the book overall, it needs more world building, character development and better structure.
Overall I surprisingly really liked this book. It had a very rocky start but once I was about half way through I was completely hooked and finished it in one sitting. It seemed like this was a very early draft and hopefully goes through a few edits and some fine tuning before it comes out in December. I would definitely buy this book to see what they change.

A retelling of Beauty and The Beast but set in the future. Yes please!!
Alainn will do almost anything to keep her father out of prison, even if that means taking the place of Rose, the robot created for mysterious recluse Lorccan. Will it be a tale as old as time?

Kinda.

The story, for me, is only very loosely based on Beauty and The Beast. Scarred loner with a tower, girl who wants to save her father and the Gaston who wants to break it all apart.
Alainn (pronounced I-LEAN apparently), isn't all that likeable. She's supposed to be the heroine of the story but I found myself disliking her the more the story progressed. Her moral path seemed to be all over the place and yet she's so innocent. Never having given herself to anyone since the first time way back when, spending time with her mother, saving people............ (hunting things).
Lorccan (LOR-CAN) or Lor is your typical mysterious loner. Scarred, brooding, standoffish but then suddenly changes his feelings when he realises he loves his robot that's not actually a robot. Your typical stereotypical Beast.
Rose, the Gaston of our story, is a quite good bad guy. With hints of Humans (TV series) and I Robot, this AI overcomes her ethics and wants to..... well I'm not 100% sure but I think destroy human feelings. Possibly take over human kind. It works.

The story was interesting and I did enjoy it having said that some of the more technical bits were a bit over my head and I think a little more detail into what Rose is planning to do wouldn't go a miss. It felt to rushed.
As a near future retelling of Beauty and The Beast goes I wouldn't say this is it. This was more using the very basic formula and basing a story around that. A nice idea but stubbles at the first hurdle as they say.

I love me some reimagined fantasy stories, but this one, while fun, was less than the awe-inspiring blurb promised it to be. Cute, but not hot; Smart, but not genius; fun, but not amazing - you get the point.

This book was strange. I feel like calling it a retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a bit of a stretch. If it was never mentioned in the synopsis I would never have seen much of a connection. The only thing this book and the original fairy tale have in common is a girl lives with a man she doesn't know. The line in the synopsis makes it sound like it's her choice to live in the tower, like it is in the fairy tale, when (and this isn't a spoiler since it happens really early on in the book) it's not really her choice, and she doesn't exactly have a great relationship with her father the way Belle does with her father.

The technology in this book was odd and poorly explained. I would have preferred if there was any kind of explanation on how the AI works, and how any kind of AI robot could pass as human for longer than 10 minutes. It was glossed over and makes this story much less Science Fiction and more Science Fantasy.

The romance was very, very strange to me. It felt very one-sided, and I never caught when either of them fell in love with the other. The handful of interactions they had were all the same, and nothing very meaningful happened between them. Any connection they formed wasn't anything that could classify as love. And I know this guy isn't used to being physically around people, but he's around enough AI Robots that he should have really noticed a difference between a robot and a human.

I am also kind of put off on the interpretation of mental illness in this book. The way it was portrayed was some odd mixture of the most extreme version of their illness, Mysophobia, and Agoraphobia. But only when it suited the story.

The part of this book that kind of made it better but didn't really line up with the Beauty and the Beast retelling. Which is why I believe that if this book hadn't stated that it was a retelling of my favorite fairy tale, but nothing was different about the book, I would like it a lot more.

Oh my gosh this book was so cute, especially the ending. I wasn't really that into the book in the beginning but once certain things started happening I just couldn't stop reading. This was a very cute and fast read and that's the only reason I'm giving it 3 stars. There was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't mind-blowing or anything. It was a cute contemporary read, plain and simple.

So this book is a robot retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I love reading retellings. This one just didn't start off in the most attention-grabbing way. I'm happy I kept reading, though, but some people won't just continue to read a book they cannot get into. This book is expected to come out on December 18th, 2017 and will be around 380 pages.

For a decent portion of the book, I really didn't like the main character too much. It wasn't until she had gotten situated into the tower and becoming comfortable that I started to like her. She was whiney in the beginning and I hate characters like that but in the end, she is incredibly selfless and I found that I really admired that in her. I ended up really liking her in the end and I wouldn't mind reading about her and Lor again. I will say that the romance between the start off slow and slowly built over time and to me, that made the book more realistic. There was no insta-love in this book and for that I was grateful.

I cannot say that I loved reading about robots and AI related things very much so I ended up skim reading most of that. It's not really the fault of the book, I just wish there had been a little less of that. I also love love love a good romance book and I was so happy that we got a little more about their lives after everything at the end of the book. Some books don't do that and it makes me really upset because I like reading about people in love. I think the ending is the main reason that I gave it a full three stars instead of my original 2.5-star estimate.

This book definitely has some sexual and detailed scenes but I don't believe that only those over 18 should read this novel. You know your own maturity and you know if you want to read a book I don't see anyone stopping you. Except maybe your parents but they might not mind. Basically, make the decision for yourself but know that this book has some, not many, but some, sexual scenes.

I think I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Beauty and the Beast as well as futuristic retellings with robots. I think this book is a good one to read when you are between books but it probably wouldn't help you get out of a book slump. There really isn't much more to say about this book but if you want a quick, cute read with the smallest bit of suspense that keeps you turning the pages towards the end then this book might be for you.

I started this book with a little bit of trepidation. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie and I am thrilled to see the live action remake that is coming out later this month. I was worried in the description of this story that the "adult" scenarios would be overpowering and unfortunate and would not be something that I enjoyed.

But, I found that I did enjoy this take on Beauty and the Beast. It is different enough that it doesn't need to be compared to the Disney version - or other versions that have come from it. BUT similar enough that it makes me smile to think about Alainn and how selfless she could be - while still thinking of herself very much.

The AI in the book gave it a very modern, dystopian feel which is a very real stress that many of us feel on a daily basis now.

One of the things that I wish the book had more of - and that was a new development - was the relationship between Alainn and Colby. As a sister to four brothers, I always find the connections between siblings the most interesting thing to read about - whether it mirrors my own relationships or not.

Their are adult experiences in this book - and while I think the book would have been complete without them, they were not gaudy or too superfluous, in my opinion.

Overall, a good and fun read for adult women that may have enjoyed Beauty and the Beast as a child.

Ensnared was such a wonderful twist on Beauty and the Beast. I couldn't put the book down. It was well written and imaginative. I was almost sad when I finished the book because I had come to love the characters so much. It reminded me a little of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, which made me love it even more since that series itself did not include a twist on Beauty and the Beast. I almost felt like this book belonged in that series. I can't wait to suggest it to my friends.

I'm a fan of Beauty and the Beast (but not the sugery Disney version) and I love a good sci-fi, but I wasn't sure at all, reading the synopsis of the book, if a future setting for the fairytale would work.
Yes, it does and very well. The book is a page turner and I totaly fell in love with the story.
If fact, I like the fresh take on an old tale so much, Ensnared was also my KindleScout favourite and of course, I voted for it and am currently holding my breath and hope the title will be selected.