We have yet another stellar book from Penny Reid, a book that is sure to hook you from the beginning! Happily Ever Ninja is a story of love, marriage, and life choices. It has everything you have come to expect from Penny’s books with an extra umph added! Check out more about this awesome book, read Tina’s Thoughts and an excerpt from the story, and make sure to enter the awesome giveaway to celebrate!
Happily Ever Ninja
Knitting in the City #5
Penny Reid
Publication Date: January 19, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Humor
From the USA Today Best Selling Author of ‘Truth or Beard’
There are three things you need to know about Fiona Archer… I would tell you what they are, but then I’d have to kill you.
But I can tell you that Fiona’s husband—the always irrepressible and often cantankerous Greg Archer—is desperately in love with his wife. He aches for her when they are apart, and is insatiable when they are together. Yet as the years pass, Greg has begun to suspect that Fiona is a ninja. A ninja mom. A ninja wife. A ninja friend. After fourteen years of marriage, Greg is trying not to panic. Because Fiona’s talent for blending in is starting to resemble fading away.
However, when unexpected events mean Fiona must take center stage to keep her family safe, her response stuns everyone—Greg most of all. It seems like Greg’s wish has come true.
Except… not.
When all is said and done, can Greg handle this new version of his wife? Will his irrepressible cantankerousness push her away? Or can the couple find a way forward without either being forced to step back into the shadows?
This is a full length, 100k word novel, and is the 5th book in the Knitting in the City Series. All books in the series can be read as a standalone except book #1.5
You can purchase your copy of HAPPILY EVER NINJA today at the retailers listed below!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes
Penny Reid’s books are filled with fun. They make me laugh and cause my heart to react to the happiness and heartache her characters experience. Penny says that each book she writes has its own personality and quirk factor, something I have found to be so very true. They are all unique and I cannot seem to get enough. With Happily Ever Ninja, there is a whole other level of unique. This book is a refreshing ray of sunshine in a book world that focuses on finding true love and starting your happily ever after. Instead, this story features a couple that is in the middle of their love story. This book is about married people (shocker) and they have a healthy relationship (gasp, I know!). Sure there are ups and downs with snags along the way (what marriage doesn’t have those) but all in all they have a marriage that gives the reader an inside scoop into what hard work and life choices determine in a functioning relationship. So many books today have cheating couples or divorce or the honeymoon stage displayed in their books. Having a story that shares the work and frustrations of marriage with the absolute love and companionship of that relationship, well the end result is that people are going to be stunned and invested in everything that happens in this book.
After reading the prequel novella, Ninja At First Sight, I was ready for more Fiona and Greg. Their banter and blooming love story was brilliant and I could not wait to see what happened. You see glimpses of Fiona’s adult life in the other books in the Knitting in the City series, and to me, she is always the mothering hen with a fierce protective streak and a big heart. Finally being able to see Fiona and Greg in the spotlight was something I had built up in my mind and this book did not disappoint.
Let me be blunt. This book shocked the bejeezus out of me. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but what I read was certainly nowhere near what I anticipate. The surprise factor was what endeared the story to me so much more. With that being said, this review will be a bit vague on book details. But trust me, you will appreciate that fact when you experience it for yourself firsthand. I adored how this book does not sugarcoat the rough patches of marriage. It highlights the hard parts and works through them. Couple that reality with a fast paced action story and you have a best seller! The ups and downs of Fiona and Greg’s relationship adds drama to the story, but it is a drama that I am sure is authentic. Since I am single, I can only assume that some of the scenarios are spot on, and after discussing the book with people I know who are married, I know this to be true. Greg’s humor lights up the book and Fiona’s general bada$$ nature brings it to life in a fresh way. I could go on and on about this fantastic story, but really, the only way to truly understand how great it is, is to simply pick it up and read it yourself. Because that will be the moment you can thank the book gods for Penny’s ingenious brain and quirky humor that brings such an endearing and brilliant story to life.
I tucked my fingers under her chin and lifted her face to mine, stealing a kiss; true distress clawed at my chest, traveled like a spike down my spine. I didn’t want to guess, or entertain any possibilities. Inevitably, my mind always jumped to the worst possible conclusion whenever I saw her inexplicably sad (i.e. brain tumor).
Even so, I attempted to keep my tone level and calm. “What could be too important for the greeting card aisle? It’s the perfect place to tell me anything and everything. There’s likely a card we can buy afterward for the occasion.”
She huffed a laugh, laughed a bit more, and then began crying again.
Her laughter was a good sign, so I went with it.
“Let’s see . . .” I shuffled us both to the rack and plucked a greeting card from it. “You tell me if this one describes your situation.” I cleared my throat and began to read, “Dear Brother, Many blessings on your fortieth birthday. May your girlfriend bring home that hot girl she works with and suggest a three-way.”
Fiona began laughing in earnest, burying her face against my chest.
I returned the original card, walked us a few steps farther down the aisle, and selected another card at random. “Here’s another. Dear Friend, Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I am so lucky to have you in my life, especially after that time I hit you with my car and salted the earth around your house.
I cracked a smile as I grabbed another card. She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
“Dear Co-worker, Get well soon. Sorry about the scorpions in your bed. And the leprosy. And the chlamydia.”
“Stop! I can’t- I can’t breathe.” Fiona gripped the front of my shirt as though she needed my solid frame to remain upright.
I took one more step and picked a new card. “Dear Dad, Happy Father’s Day. I know I’m not your favorite child, but I hope you will . . . you will . . .” I stopped reading because Fiona had stopped laughing.
In fact, she’d grown eerily still, though her fists remained anchored in my shirt. I don’t think she was even breathing.
“Fe?”
She released an audible exhale—as though bracing herself—and titled her head back. New tears shone in her eyes and she looked . . . emotional.
Not sad. Not worried or scared. Just emotional.
And I knew.
“I’m going to be a dad,” I said.
She nodded, her mouth wanting to smile but her eyes betraying the disordered chaos of her thoughts.
I had no idea what she was thinking.
I had no idea what I was thinking.
But I felt like I’d just been punched, slapped across the face. And it felt scary. And good.
I felt like I was the king of the universe, the luckiest man alive.
I felt panic, because I didn’t know how to be a dad, at least not the kind I wanted to be.
I felt a bizarre surge of pride, of accomplishment.
I felt a heady wave of possessiveness, for this woman I loved, for the child we’d made. I felt responsible.
But I did not feel burdened.
And I knew nothing would ever be the same.
To celebrate the blog tour for HAPPILY EVER NINJA, Penny Reid is hosting an awesome giveaway! Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win 6 SIGNED BOOKS! This is amazing prize you will not want to pass up! To see the books check out the picture to the left! To enter for your chance to win these signed paperbacks, simply follow the instructions listed on the giveaway page and you will be entered. Do not miss out on the all the fun! Good luck.
SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).
By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.
