I would love to be in Penny Reid’s head as she writes her novels. It must be a trip of epic proportions. Better yet, I want to do lunch and cocktails with this fabulously intelligent, witty, and talented woman. I want to pick her brain as to how she comes up with her funny, charming characters and the situations they get themselves into. If you haven’t guessed, I have a huge girl crush on Penny Reid and her novels. I absolutely adored the Elements of Chemistry/Hypothesis series. I must confess, I’ve not finished the Knitting In The City series, however, after reading Love At First Ninja, you can bet I’m definitely jumping back on track.

Ms. Reid has the best openings for her novels. She plunks us into the story like we belong there. In this case, Fiona’s overprotective mother is on a rant that the college dorms are coed. Coed! The real issue here is that Fiona has chosen a college seven states away from home, which is not acceptable. Fiona takes it all in stride, sharing eye rolls with her dad, as she politely shoos her parents on their way. You see, this is the first time Fiona is experiencing “normal” and she wants to savor it from the very beginning. At 18, Fiona is a newborn of sorts. Her childhood was spent locked up in the world of competitive gymnastics until age 14 or so when a brain tumor changed the course of life as she knew it. Treatments, a compromised immune system, and home school took her out of circulation. Now that she’s been in remission a few years, she wants to live life. At a college far away from her overprotective mother. As a matter of fact, Fiona is so inexperienced when it comes to interacting with people her own age, she comes at it like an alien. She studies the facial expressions and body language of others to determine appropriate reactions as she settles into college life. Fiona may be a neophyte, but she sees life through the eyes of an old soul. She knows sacrifice, pain, heartache, and loss. And she knows the gift of life is a precious thing not to be taken for granted. Fiona lives without self-consciousness or fear.

When she meets Greg, he’s so gorgeous it’s somewhat intimidating. His quick wit and uber intelligence are a perfect match for Fiona’s personality. Fiona’s IQ is off the charts, as is her ability to verbally spar. Which results in some debate team worthy banter. It’s refreshing, funny, and entertaining as hell.

I grasped that he was older than me. He had the beginnings of laugh lines or worry lines or frown lines around his eyes and mouth—I couldn’t tell which. But more than that, there was an air of wisdom and experience that radiated from him, like he’d already lived a great deal.
 
I often find, as a cancer survivor, I tend to know when another person has lived through tragedy, prolonged physical or mental suffering. Like recognizes like, and I recognized it in this man…
But nothing about this man repelled me, nothing at all. I felt strangely and suddenly involved.

Greg’s “air of wisdom and experience” is a result of his stint in the Marines immediately after high school. He has seen more than he cares to tell, and he too values life. His attraction to Fiona defies reason, however, he wants her and not just for a fling. He is an expert at expressing his feelings with honesty and deep-felt emotion. And oh, the things this guy says!

“I want to be your first kiss.” My silence didn’t seem to matter to him because he said, sounding quite tortured, “I want to be your first everything.”
 
“Because if it’s possible to have a partner who gives all of themselves without reservation, who looks forward to working and sacrificing for me just as I look forward to doing the same for her, who can’t help but love ferociously, brutally, and unconditionally—and even perhaps without reason or sound judgment—that’s what I want. Because that’s how I plan to love in return.”

Love At First Ninja packs a huge punch for a novella. In every aspect. Fiona and Greg are such well-developed characters it takes no time at all until you know them, and feel their every emotion. Their story has the depth of a full-length novel, and even though the end is somewhat of a cliffhanger (only because I wanted more of these two!) it’s perfectly satisfying. Next up…Happily Ever Ninja, the continuation of Fiona and Greg’s story, present day.

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Knitting in the City

Neanderthal Seeks Human, Book #1

Neanderthal Marries Human, Book #1.5

Friends Without Benefits, Book #2

Love Hacked, Book #3

Beauty and the Mustache, Book #4

Scenes from the City, Book #4.5

Ninja At First Sight: An Origin Story Book #4.75

Happily Ever Ninja, Book #5