“Desperate Measures” by Katee Robert is the first book in her “Wicked Villains” series. It’s for, as Katee states in her book, “everyone out there who prefers the villains to the heroes”. As a lover of all the bad boys and villains, I knew I had to get my hands on this series, and boy am I glad I did!!!
“Desperate Measures” is the story of a modern and twisted retelling of Jasmine and Jafar. Jasmine, the “princess” of her father’s underworld empire, and Jafar, his right-hand man who betrays Jasmine’s father and takes control of their business. It’s a pairing you may be raising an eyebrow at but I promise it’s perfection!
Right out of the gate, this book is unlike any romance novel I’ve read before. The story is darker than a traditional romance but that dark underbelly within the story makes it all the more exciting. Jasmine and Jafar are so well written, showing their inner thoughts only when they have a chapter in their point-of-view. It lets the reader really dive into all the complexities of the story while also getting insight to each character’s motivation.
Although, I did have a minor piece that I wish would have been different. This story just tosses you into the novel, which is great…but it also meant I was a little lost for a couple pages as my mind switched to what it knew about the characters from other movies and stories and into this new world of fiction.
The first chapter was also VERY INTENSE and for that reason, I want to take a moment to thank Katee Robert for doing something I have NEVER seen an author do in their books before.
Katee Robert gave us a content warning for the novel!
As a person who chooses not to read very specific types of fiction and content for personal reasons, it was nice to have the very first page of this novel contains a content warning. It lets the readers know exactly what they are getting into, especially when it’s a major theme throughout the book. I thank Katee Robert for this and I hope it starts a new trend!
If you are going to read this novel, please take note of the content warning because without that content warning, the first chapter would’ve had a much different impact. Since we get thrown right into the thick of it, we miss out on some details of Jafar and Jasmine’s backstory. We do get that backstory as the story progresses, but I personally would have liked a little more in the beginning to help me transition into this new world.
Even with that, “Desperate Measures” will be sitting on my shelf of favorites. If you’re interested in a story with a sexy, dark twist, characters who fight hard to be their true selves, and are wanting to try something new, “Desperate Measures” is the book for you!
Stories by Shanna Pikora 
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