This is what happens when you mix hanging out with friends, discussing Disney films, and a shared connection over reminiscing about reading questionable stories “back in the day” on Wattpad: a recommendation to start Katee Robert’s Wicked Villains series, starting with Desperate Measures. If you can handle the depravity, that is. This series (so far) consists of classic Disney Renaissance Era retellings with an enemies-to-lovers twist, where the villain “gets the girl” so to speak, starting with Robert’s take on Aladdin (1992). As a lifelong Disney fan, lover of that trope, and former Wattpad user, I was fully ready to dive into some depravity and see what this universe is all about.
Desperate Measures (Wicked Villains, Book 1) By Katee Robert
Before we dive too deep into things, I feel it’s only fair to give you a warning: this is an explicit/kinky book and an explicit/kinky series (if you can’t tell from the cover). If you plan on reading this or recommending it to someone you know, please do check the content tags/notes so you (or they) know what to expect. Some readers may be more or less sensitive to this type of material, so as always use your best judgment and take a look before immediately picking this up. Having finished the book I can say all the tags/notes are accurate with the addition of one explicit MFF/FF encounter and mentions of MMF.
Now with that out of the way — Desperate Measures is a retelling of Aladdin, but it takes place in modern day and is a Yasmina (Jasmine) x Jafar romance. Yes, Jafar’s name stays the same but you get used to it after a while. The book opens up with a literal and metaphorical bang that sets the tone for the entire story:
“Once upon a time, I was a sheltered princess. Now he owns me, body and soul.
One night, and my entire life went up in flames. All because of him. Jafar. As my world burned around me, he offered me a choice: walk away with nothing but my freedom…or rise to his challenge and win my fortune back.
I bargained.
I lost.
Now Jafar owns me, and even as my mind rails against him, my body loves the delicious punishments he deals out. It’s almost enough to believe he cares. But a gilded cage is still a prison, and I’ll do anything to obtain my freedom.
Even betray the man who captured my heart.”Desperate Measures (Wicked Villains, Book 1). Katee Robert. https://www.kateerobert.com/books/desperate-measures.
In that one night that Yasmina mentions in the synopsis, she is wide awake and pacing because her abusive and very controlling father has promised her marriage to Ali and she’s thinking of any possible way to get out of it. Jafar (her father’s second-in-command) goes to her bedroom late that night and she essentially begs for him to help. He then reveals he’s staged a coup and is now in control of everything and offers her the titular bet: if she wins, she receives her trust fund with no strings attached and walks away with the freedom she’s always wanted; if she loses, she’s his forever. From there blossoms a romance, yes, but also an exploration of what Yasmina wants and what both of them want together.
Desperate Measures is told in first-person dual perspectives, but most of it is told from Yasmina’s perspective. The bulk of the narrative is about her interpersonal struggles and her trying to figure out how to navigate her situation. She’s been a caged bird for her entire life and so desperately wants her freedom to pursue her dreams, and is trying to reconcile that with her feelings for Jafar and the budding relationship between the two of them. It’s not really a “good guy versus bad guy” story, but more so about Yasmina sharing with the reader her perspective, trying to figure out her next steps in a world she is unfamiliar with, and wondering if she will ever truly be seen and treated as an equal by the man she loves and not just property or a prize he’s claimed. Or if she will always be second to his goal of becoming more powerful.
I liken this book to a political romance in that way, because a lot of it is political. The easiest way to think about this universe, set in the fictional Carver City, is like the mafia, where certain powerful people are in control of certain “territories.” Jafar’s coup means he forcibly took control of that territory/Yasmina and thus took that chance away from Ali, showing everyone that he’s now in charge. But Yasmina is afraid of being in the same dynamic she had with her father, where she has no power and no agency. Prior to the book’s opening chapter, there is a lot of strong romantic tension between Yasmina and Jafar, and all of that is finally allowed to explode and be fully explored following the coup. That romance is what Yasmina has to consider while she plans her next move, and what Jafar has to consider as he tries to keep her safe from a dangerous and vengeful Ali.
The spice level for Desperate Measures is definitely a 5/5 — as if you couldn’t tell from the tags. But having said that, this book does not strike me as a story that is smut for the purposes of being smut (no shade, no judgment). I do personally see a lot of character growth in our protagonist and the full realization of what her dreams are and what she wants; I love the dynamic between Yasmina and Jafar, how they shape each other, and how they ultimately end up together. I love Yasmina’s growth as a protagonist, her entire character arc, and how she feels and is finally seen as more than a pawn in someone else’s game.
But since spice is very much integrated into the story, can we just talk for a second about how this (from my very limited perspective and knowledge) seems like a pretty ethical depiction of an intimate relationship? Jafar’s character is more experienced and Yasmina is more closeted but throughout the book he:
- Encourages open and honest conversation about what she’s interested in, and is genuinely curious about them and fulfilling them.
- Makes himself a safe place to share and discuss intimacy.
- Is respectful of her limits and boundaries by use of a safe word and reminds her she can use it freely at any time.
- Outright asks her if they’ve ever done anything she’s uncomfortable with or didn’t consent to and she honestly, wholeheartedly says no.
- Provides aftercare after intimate experiences and encourages that closeness and togetherness.
- Concernedly asks on at least two separate instances if he had unintentionally hurt her during such experiences.
I am by no means an expert, but this is part of what I mean when I say I like how the Yasmina x Jafar relationship is portrayed. While they are both trying to play this political game and play their cards right, they’re not actively trying to hurt each other, whether it be intimately or publicly.
Another audiobook-specific element of Desperate Measures that I really appreciate is the production. Typical audiobooks just have the narration, but this book (and hopefully the rest of the series) features the narration and other background elements that add to the ambiance. You can hear certain sound effects while characters are talking (think like someone walking by, laughing, or talking in the distance) and mood-appropriate instrumental music when certain things are happening. I haven’t encountered this before but I love what it added to the story and think it made the whole listening experience a lot more immersive.
Desperate Measures might actually have to be a 5/5 book for me. I enjoy the premise and all the little call-backs and references to other Disney characters; I enjoy the character growth and the romance; I loved the way I found myself rooting for Yasmina and her progression; and I loved the deeper thoughts I gathered while reading. Similar to the deeper thoughts I had while reading The One or The Seven Year Slip — if a book can make me do that then that’s huge and something I really appreciate. Again, read the content tags before you start this series but if you’re a Disney fan and are interested in exploring a villain x hero/heroine romance, then give this Katee Robert one a try!
My Hot Takes (Spoiler Warning)
- Yasmina is lowkey perpetually naked for the first four chapters and in hindsight that’s a little funny to me.
- Jesus Jafar, you need to stop ripping her dress and underwear, okay? That stuff’s expensive.
- I don’t know if all the Wicked Villains books are set in the same shared universe/timeline, but in this one at least, other renditions of Disney characters exist. Tink is a high-end personal stylist, Hades is the owner of a club all the powerful people frequent called The Underworld and makes shady deals, Megara is his second-in-command and helps run the club, Hook is another mafia-like powerful figure that has his own territory, etc.
- As with any author, certain phrases are way overused. If I have to listen to “more times than I can count,” “wanton,” or “rolls over me/him/us” one more time, I’m going to lose it.
- The voice narrator Jack Calihan does for Ali’s character is perfect because it sounds so obnoxious.
- I adore the feminine rage Yasmina feels when she realizes she’s done being controlled, done being under the thumb of men like her father/Ali, and takes control. She is done being told what to do and being just thrown around and I am 100% here for it.
- If you get this story on Audible, the actual book ends at Chapter 21 and there are three bonus chapters after that as an epilogue. I don’t know if that is the same for the physical book, but just so you know.
- Sometimes this book and the romance is so cute and adorable and “awww” and it has no right to be.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
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