A review by iviarelle
Wicked Pursuit by Katee Robert

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

(This is just an ARC version so far, only available to backers of this year's Dangerous Tides Kickstarter project.)

This story is a lot darker and more intense than the first-gen Wicked Villains, and not in a way I personally enjoy a ton as a rule. Still, KR's writing is like catnip for me, so when she said she was doing a stalker story set in gen 2 Wicked Villains for next year's Kickstarter project, I was hella intrigued.

And, I did have fun, but there are a lot of caveats attached to that. This book involves explicit cheating, and stalking, and deeply irresponsible behaviour beyond what most romance heroines get up to. It gets VERY dark.

Having sex with a stranger's blood on you after your stalker killed them, dark.

I haven't read much of KR's non-fantasy mob romance stuff, but I suspect this is a few steps past even those. It will be a difficult or no-go read for some people. But, it's still a KR book, and I trust them with my heart, and I was not personally disappointed in that choice.

So, take care of yourself. But as for me? I very  much look forward to this getting cleaned up, maybe a bonus epilogue attached, and even more, what else the Gilded Rose Auction has in store for us all in spring 2024.