“I’m a twenty-five-year old woman who’s never left my father’s extensive grounds. My only real-world experience centers around throwing parties and playing to expectations, allowing people to see my pretty face without concerning themselves with my mind, my ambitions, me.”
Did we all have a crush on Princess Jasmine? I’m going to go ahead and assume that the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. There’s something about her casual jewel toned clothes paired with a sassy, charismatic attitude.

Not to mention, if you’re anything like me, having a pet tiger sealed the deal.

“Desperate Measures” is the first book in the Wicked Villains series by Katee Robert. In the foreword of the new deluxe edition, they say, “This was the first book that I wrote out of spiteful joy….” and truly, they couldn’t have put it better than that. Our beloved characters outgrow the delightful hijinks of our youth and evolve to be more multifaceted and dynamic.

Black and White is out — Morally Gray is in.

Katee Robert leans in to the kinky good times
Friends, please check your trigger warnings before reading “Desperate Measures”, or really any Katee Robert book. There are a fair number of content warnings on Robert’s website, and she’s the first person to tell you to take care of yourself. I speak for myself, but I feel like most would agree, romance readers are all here for a good time. That being said, not every book needs to be for every reader, and that’s totally okay.

“He’s cruel in his gentleness, in the slow touch while he holds me in this vulgar position so effortlessly.”

“Desperate Measures” has the sexy, steamy, erotic romance that you’ve probably come to expect with a Katee Robert book. It’s also important to note that there is a decent amount of dubious consent between Yasmina and Jafar; though, as Robert points out through the annotations in the Deluxe edition, there are a lot of subtle check-ins peppered in throughout the story.

“Jafar might like playing with the darker edge of desire the same way I crave, but he always manages to check in with me. To make sure I’m right there with him. It makes me feel far safer than I have any right to.”


giphy.com
Deluxe Edition Bonus Material
I don’t usually have an opinion on an original publishing vs a deluxe edition, but in the case of “Desperate Measures” I am going to strongly encourage picking up the deluxe edition that was recently released. Not only does this copy have beautiful artwork interspersed between the chapters, but it also has multiple (!!!) extra scenes at the end, and the entire book is annotated by the author.

The annotations are the best bonus of having read this deluxe edition.


Giphy.com
Not only are we immersed in the story, but readers are also getting insight into the author’s personal mindset at the time they were writing. Why did they write that scene? Why did they choose that POV? How did they feel about x, y, z.

I especially loved getting to read Robert’s thoughts through this retelling, because their insights shine light and perspective onto characters, ideas, and themes that I might have overlooked due to feeling a familiarity to a well-known story. I specifically love Robert’s insight into the character of Yasmina, who has amazing self-awareness and inner strength but lacks the confidence to act on it. She thrives, though, within certain framework and specific circumstances, and that allows her personal development to shine and expand in other aspects of her life.

Final Thoughts
Loved it. Recommending to everyone who loves an open door, dark romance. Especially encouraging readers to grab this if you like Disney retellings, LGBTQ spice, and/or if you ever wanted to keep a tiger as pet. This could open your eyes and introduce you to A Whole New World.

Blissfully naughty and spicy read that pulls you to that in and makes you fall in love with the villain… couldn’t put it down and highly recommend!!

Mind blown.

Let me just say...MIND-BLOWN!!! It sucks you in! There were some parts that's totally out of my comfort zone, but I need to know what happens next so I kept on reading. It didn't disappoint! It's such an amazing idea to make the villains the anti-hero! I love this concept. Great idea Katee!!! ⁣
⁣
"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴."⁣
⁣
Jasmine is obviously a submissive in the relationship. She's always caged in and always underestimated. She's tired of being the pawn. As the story goes on, you see Jasmine getting on her own feet. Changing her future. I love how she challenges Jafar every turn. HOT Jafar! Lol He's all Dom, dirty, and intriguing! You really don't know what he's going to do. Throughout the whole book you'll realize that he always gives her an out. He wouldn't do anything that Jasmine doesn't want. They're legit explosive together! enemies to lovers. They've been attracted to one another for years, but didn't do anything.⁣
⁣
I'm looking forward to the other characters stories.

Katee Robert cannot miss. Literally, they just cannot.

I don't know what else to say about Katee than you just need to read everything they've written.

I've read every single book by Katee (including the monster romance which isn't even my jam) and I've loved everything, the Dark Olympus series being my favorite. But the fairytale spinoffs are so great too. How can anyone like Jafar in a romance novel after having watched the movies? Katee can make you!

This isn't quite what I thought it would be. I thought there would be more of a balance of dark romance, smut, and plot but there wasn't. It was mostly smut. I listened via audiobook. I could easily listen at 2x speed so it went by quickly. I did not enjoy Jafar's narrator voice nor did I enjoy the overuse of the word "daddy".
I am not sure if I will read more in the series or maybe I'll go into it knowing it may be mostly smut. I do still want to read Neon Gods by the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced copy

What I’ve always loved about Katee Robert and her writing is the ability to make so much happen in such a small amount of time. Despite the low page count, the story is a wild rollercoaster, and while very smutty, delivers some excellent dynamics on the goings-on of Carver City with a fabulous plot twist at the end. This entire series is over-the-top, fun, and oh so salacious in the very best way. Aladdin has always been one of my favorite Disney movies, and I really loved the kinky, dark romance, mafia twist.

The spice in this book is top tier! Jasmine's submissiveness takes center stage for most of the book though she redeems herself towards the end. However, I wish we could've seen her personality and strength come out more. Jafar, on the other hand, was a mid MMC, but if you like daddy kink, this book is for you.

You will no longer be kept in a cage. Yasmina can’t believe that she is a prisoner to another man. She hoped that one day that she would be free but another man has taken her freedom. Jafar knows that he needs to put Yasmina in her place she belongs to him now and he will own every part of her. But will their dance lead to what they both want? A good read. Hot & steamy. Does have some triggers that could upset some readers.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

This book will always be a 10/10 for me, it's everything you could ever dream of wrapped in a pretty little bow

"Caged birds always crave the sky, Jafar. You'd do well to remember that."

This book is iconic! A Jafar and Jasmine retelling where Aladdin is the villain?? YES PLEASE. Not only was this book so spicy, it also had a pretty good plot which I really enjoyed. Jafar was next-level hot and I loved how Jasmine was so defiant and ready to fight for what she wanted, love a heroine with a backbone.

Absolutely ate this book up. I absolutely love retellings and this one will be one of my favorites. Aladdin was my favorite Disney movie growing up and I loved seeing this villain retelling.

The story was really a lot of fun. This is a quick read and the pacing is great. I loved that this was a retelling of Aladdin, but in this book Aladdin was not a good guy. Jafar wasn’t the best guy either, but he was a moral grey character and provided a lot of pleasure to Jasmine. This book is smut, with that I mean the sex scenes were more apparent than the plot, but plot is still there.

Loved it. Cannot wait to continue this series.

Katee Robert takes classic characters and spins them into an intense, seductive reimagining that’s definitely not your average bedtime story. The chemistry between Jasmine and Jafar is fiery and full of complex tension, giving the story a fresh, forbidden feel.

While this is a fun escape for fans of dark romance, it might be a little over-the-top for some, and not your cup of tea for others but if you’re here for a steamy, page-turning adventure in a twisted world, this one is worth diving into!

I loved this spicy retelling the chemistry between Jafar and Jasmine was electric! Definitely recommend this for fans of enemies to lovers and spice, I thought the ending was great!

In Desperate Measures, Katee Robert spins a sizzling tale where fairytale dreams get a dark, delicious makeover.

This retelling flips the script on Aladdin as Jasmine, our fierce heroine, finds herself in the grip of a dangerous bargain with the ruthless Jafar.

After one fateful night burns her former life to ashes, Jafar offers Jasmine a twisted choice: walk away with nothing or play his game and risk everything for a chance at freedom. Spoiler alert: it doesn't quite go as she plans!

Jasmine is no damsel here, she's fiery, defiant, and as intrigued by Jafar’s punishments as she is desperate to escape his cage. But as the line between control and surrender blurs, Jasmine finds herself questioning everything, even her plans to break free.

Robert brings major heat to every page, blending power plays, steamy tension, and a slow-burn romance that’s as addicting as it is dangerous.

If you're a fan of reimagined fairytales that are a bit darker and a lot spicier, Desperate Measures is a wickedly fun ride that'll have you rooting for both the villain and the vixen. Not for the faint of heart, but perfect for anyone ready for a steamy twist on a classic tale!

Let me start with the character art…it was perfect I loved it! Overall I thought this was an interesting spin on the villain. The spice was spicy but it didn’t reel me in like I wanted it to. Some parts felt slow and not cohesive. Definitely a lot of overshadowing themes that it just fell flat. If you want to see the villain Jafar get his HAE then you should read this book! Modern take on fairytales. Mafia, dark romance, forced proximity.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I read this book and wow was I surprised!!! And in the best way possible!! Like I didn't know I needed this smutty retelling of Jafar and Jasmine but goddamn I am so happy for it!! And how the rest of well beloved characters are involved!!!

As a huge Katee Robert fan, this one just didn't hit for me. I know that Robert can build amazing characters and work so much plot into a novella, so this one was a bit of a let down. Now, this does appear to be earlier work, and I am not sure the plot was really the point here, so it is interesting to see the growth as a writer over times.

As for the good stuff-the spice is spicy. This author doesn't disappoint on that and here even dabbles in darker romance/kink in ways that still center consent and romance. The world building is interesting and does make me want to read more in the series to see how all the stories connect. The seeds planted for Dark Olympus are also a fun treat.

My critiques-even by novella/short story standards, not much happens. The conflict is resolved in a few quick strokes of our-of-character actions. The "plot? what plot?" aspects are also slow moving most of the times, then a little incongruous at others. I think all this results from being very spoiled by the artistry of Robert's current works though, so YMMV.

I will still happily read this author and despite this not being a five star read for me, I do already have the rest of the series on hold at the library.

I read this series when it was first published and I really.enjoy them. This series is what really introduced me to Katee Robert's writing. While Desperate Measures isn't my favorite of the Wicked Villians Series, I still enjoy it as an introduction to Robert's world.
I like the added artwork to the story. They are very nice and add a cool touch to help visualize some of the scenes.
I also enjoy the added footnotes. I love getting more context or the authors insight of the story.

I had trouble deciding what to rate this book because I love Katee Robert’s work. Neon Gods is a favorite. But I had one hang up with this book. The start of the book comes off very aggressive. In the first pages Jafar and Yasmina have started their game and in the second chapter he’s pinning her down to take her virginity in the hallway of her father’s palace. To the authors credit she does put a footnote explaining that the first two chapters are a lot but it’s works because of the history between Jafar and Yasmina. However we don’t get to see any of that prior so it’s just being thrown into an aggressive CNC chase game that Yasmina can’t decide if she likes or not. I just found it somewhat jarring.
However this is a great book. It has a great cover. The pictures inside I loved. I love to see how the author think what they have written looks like. I just wish they were more. The footnotes added some great insight to the book. I’d be thinking someone and the author would then address it in the footnotes. Or it would be added explanation on what something happened. I am always here for the daddy kink trope and it’s done so well here. Yasmina is so strong and feisty. You spend the whole book rooting for her. And I was worried I wouldn’t be able to see the character of Jafar as sexy because of the old Jafar we all grew up with in the Disney movie but that wasn’t a problem. This Jafar is sleek, savue and in charge.

This author’s books have me in an absolute chokehold. I’ve read so many of them at this point, but this was my first one in the kind of Disney villain area. The book focuses on Jafar and kind of gives him this interesting mafia story background that has him falling in love with his boss’s daughter, and trying to figure out a way to control her. Much like all of this author’s books it is a fast read, and engaging read, and The spiciness is on point, but also the plot is engaging.