Ninja at First Sight by Penny Reid

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Title: Ninja at First Sight
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Knitting in the City #4.75
Published by: Indie
Release Date: February 29, 2016
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Em Eldridge
Length: 4 hours and 24 minutes
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Source: Audible Escape Package
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2019 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2019 Beat the Backlist Challenge, Lenoreo's 2019 Reading Assignment Challenge, Lenoreo's COYER Summer Hunt
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ iTunes
My rating:

Blurb:

What do a cynical former Marine and a sheltered former Olympic contender have in common?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

He has a girlfriend, and she's never been kissed.

He's sullenly sarcastic, and she's earnestly empathetic.

He can't stop thinking about her.

She knows she should keep her distance.

Nevertheless, when opposites attract, the results may be unexpected, but they're also undeniably magnetic.

Ninja at First Sight is a stand-alone, prequel novella (for book five of the Knitting in the City Series, Happily Ever Ninja).

My Review:

5 stars — I honestly don’t know what it was about this one that just totally captured my imagination.  I was just sucked in by Fiona from the first page.  Which is funny, b/c I can’t say I connected with her as much in any of the other KITC series books, but in this one she is everything I LOVE in a heroine!  She’s smart, witty, empathetic, a bit naive…I don’t know.  Just.  Perfect.

I loved the natural observer that she was, because I can definitely relate to that.  And I loved watching her attempt to get out of her own shell.  I thought Fern was a great foil for Fiona, and I was so glad that she had her in her life, even for just a short period of time.

And Greg.  Wow.  Am I the only one who had no idea that Greg had an English accent?  Maybe I just forgot.  But it totally took me by surprise and I actually initially wondered if he was just faking it for some reason.  I think I just need more sleep.  He was HILARIOUS, in this totally wrong way.  We’re always told how hilarious he is in the other books, but I truly understood what that meant in this one.  I loved that he has this dry and perverse wit, but you can also see the depths of his feelings and emotions even through that.

And the two of them together were just SMOKING!  Their chemistry had me blushing and smiling all over the place.  I loved watching Fiona struggle with her feelings, and I appreciated the way their relationship unfolded, even though he initially had a girlfriend.  I also appreciated that while their love was intense, it was still accessible to me (which I’ve had a harder time of with the other couples).  Even though it’s a short novella, I felt their feelings for one another, I believed them.

I loved the way Fiona stood up for other girls, and really was a strong supporter of girls having each other’s backs.  Some of her comments made me cheer!

The ending totally threw me off!!  I don’t even know what to do with myself now, and I’m worried about what I’ll miss between this book and the next.  I’m trying to have faith, but it’s hard!!

I think another reason I ADORED this book so hard is that Ms. Eldridge just absolutely fucking NAILS Fiona and Greg’s voices.  I felt all of the emotions, and she conveyed the dryness of Greg’s humour perfectly.  I loved her accent for Greg (no idea of accuracy), and I really appreciated the range of voices she had for other characters.  I can’t wait to hear more from her in Fiona and Greg’s main book.  She just has that balance of innocence and wisdom nailed down for Fiona.

So yeah.  Thus far my absolute favourite of this series.  It’ll be interesting to see how I like the next one!

COYER Summer Hunt: Read a book with a cartoonish cover — 1 point.