Book: Of Karma and Corridors by Sloane St. James
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4.5/5
Of Karma and Corridors by Sloane St. James
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5)
I loved Anna and Casper's tattoo artist × client stalker romance.
Anna is such an interesting, layered character. She carries literal and metaphorical wounds from her past that have shaped her into the woman she is today: heavily regimented and determined to stay in control. I love that she works with a therapist because I'm always here for positive portrayals of therapy in media. She's determined to live a clean life post-rehab, even if that means her days are monotonous and almost joyless. Until Casper.
Casper is a morally gray golden retriever. He's the complete opposite of Anna: loud, brash, a shameless flirt, and VERY comfortable with breaking and entering. HE OWNS MY ENTIRE HEART. A 6'7" (!!!!!!) menace who wears heart-shaped sunglasses to pole dancing class? YES! And sure, creeping around inside the walls of Anna's apartment isn't a great look, but he's trying to protect her. The parallels between the danger Anna faces when her past catches up with her and Casper's own childhood trauma are undeniable, making it easy to understand why this otherwise gentle giant would go to such extreme lengths to keep her safe.
They both have guarded hearts, but when they finally let each other in, they REALLY let each other in. Their communication, especially from Casper, is fantastic (except for the whole spying-through-the-walls thing). When he feels Anna pushing him away, he's quick to establish communication boundaries while respecting her right to privacy (I KNOW, I KNOW). Anna sets boundaries of her own, which really highlights how far she's come in her relationship with herself.
Most of all, I love that Casper brings color back into Anna's life. The dates he plans are AMAZING, shaking up her carefully maintained routine in ways that still allow her to feel safe. But more importantly, when she finally lets him see all the ugly parts of her past and present, he accepts her exactly as she is. No pity. No disgust. He's fully ten toes down for her, and I absolutely love him for it.
An EXCELLENT entry in the Black Rabbit series, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Sloane St. James expertly balances spice, humor, dark elements, and emotional beats, and she really delivered here.
Thank you to the author, Podium Entertainment, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!