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Sandra

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Sandra is Currently Reading

Sandra is currently reading

Silver Linings

by Violet Page (Goodreads Author)

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9 hours, 36 min ago

Sandra is currently reading

Bull's Boy

by Kiki Clark (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 01, 2026 10:28PM

Sandra rated a book it was amazing

The Rose Enigma: A Contemporary Beauty and the Beast Retelling (The Castle Series Book 1)

by Lauren Lopes (Goodreads Author)

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read in October 2025

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Sandra said: " When you see a book that is described as a retelling of a beloved fairytale, you think you know what you're getting. The Rose Enigma certainly has the structure and characters of Beauty and the Beast, and it's all interwoven with complexity and plot When you see a book that is described as a retelling of a beloved fairytale, you think you know what you're getting. The Rose Enigma certainly has the structure and characters of Beauty and the Beast, and it's all interwoven with complexity and plot devices that make me think Lauren's notes and story mapping must be truly diabolical to behold.

In this story, Bella is a neurosparkly hacker who is devoted to her father and lives on energy drinks when she is deep in hyper-focus territory doing what she does best behind a keyboard. Brendan is the wealthy, injured individual who has holed up in his castle nursing his wounds and trying to solve the mystery that surrounds family tragedy.

The supporting characters are all affectionate nods to the Disney version of this story, but in this retelling the sitting is Johannesberg with bursts of local names and phrases in (I'm guessing) Afrikaans, with a undercurrent of crime that is all too relevant these days. Even though I've watched the movie several times over the years, I still got caught up enough in the story and forgot what to expect. When I did think I had a handle on the plot, Lauren would deliver another zinger and take me in another direction. Again, diabolical!

A particular delight for me was watching the way the characters got each other's measure, learned to communicate, trust and protect, to become the found family they all needed. Isabella is a hyper little hacker girl in a male dominated field, so to see her finding herself with a circle of female friends who supported and pulled her into line was wonderful. Another source of happy sighs and highlighting was the originality of Lauren's phrasing: Brendan twitching a smile, Bella described as a wild orange and lavender Johannesburg sunset, the dappled gold of his eyes. I could go on and on, suffice to say that my kindle highlights amounted to 27 pages.

What really shines through in this story is the joy the characters discover in their found family, the way they learn to communicate with each other which ultimately leads to true friendship, and of course the ever growing attraction between Isabella and Brendan while they deal with PTSD, organised crime, narcissists (Gaston is a real piece of work in this story, URGH), teenagers, professional hackers, dark crime, family betrayal, spice and everything in between.

Yes there's a HEA, and the journey Lauren takes you on to get there is a rollercoaster. I was charmed at the beginning of the book with the South African sayings and vehicles, it made everything that little bit different, something new and shiny to pull me in, and I was all too happy to stay.

Now that Brendan is conquered his Beast and has got his Belle, there's a lot of work to do while they attend to NO SPOILERS HERE everything else that was going on in the background, and I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

All up, this was a highly engaging read. Get it, read it, love it, you're welcome. ...more "

Dec 31, 2025 02:19AM · see review

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Sandra’s Notes & Highlights

Book cover for Sine Qua Non (Nick & Jay #2)

Sine Qua Non (Nick & Jay #2) by Nenia Campbell

1 note & 86 highlights

“If it gets really bad, maybe you can sell some of your jewelry to buy yourself some more time. Apart from that, I really don’t know what else to tell you.”