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147 reviews

Sandra

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Sandra is Currently Reading

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)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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 "

18 hours, 53 min ago · see review

Sandra rated a book liked it

Inked Adonis (Litvinov Bratva #1)

by Nicole Fox (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in February 2025

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Sandra said: " Kudos to the author, this has to be one of the most original meet-cutes I've come across so far. A really hot guy getting dry humped by a great dane isn't what I expected, but it certainly kept me reading!

Really enjoyed this one, although the FMC see ...more "

Dec 29, 2025 07:15AM · see review

Sandra is currently reading

Saddle to Sunup (The Darling Brothers, #3)

by Emmy Sanders (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 28, 2025 10:46PM

See all 68 books that Sandra is reading…

Sandra’s Notes & Highlights

Book cover for False Front (Bishop Security #1)

False Front (Bishop Security #1) by Debbie Baldwin

43 highlights

The wine did relax her, and they chatted effortlessly. It took Emma nearly an hour to polish off the drink, and when she returned from the ladies’ room with a fresh coat of lip gloss, a second glass sat waiting. What the hell. It was a big ...more