• Ninja at First Sight: An Origin Story (Knitting in the City)

  • Knitting in the City
  • By: Penny Reid
  • Narrated by: Em Eldridge
  • Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (3,296 ratings)

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Ninja at First Sight: An Origin Story (Knitting in the City)  By  cover art

Ninja at First Sight: An Origin Story (Knitting in the City)

By: Penny Reid
Narrated by: Em Eldridge
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Publisher's summary

From the USA TODAY best-selling author of Truth or Beard.

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).

©2016 Penny Reid (P)2016 Penny Reid

What listeners say about Ninja at First Sight: An Origin Story (Knitting in the City)

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fun and Witty!

Ohhh why did I wait so long to listen to this! It was witty and funny and just downright fantastic.
What I love is how Penny can make a serious topic and give it balance with fun and humor.
Greg might just give Cletus a run for his favorite place in my heart. That accent lord be!
The narration in this is 100% the best and I want MORE!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Unnecessary snippet; a teaser?

Any additional comments?

I am a fan of Penny Reid's, although I prefer her Knitting in the City books to her other books. I was looking forward to reading another episode of that series even though it was a novella. What this turns out to be is a prequel to an upcoming book. I'm not sure why it was published except to be a teaser, or perhaps to bring a bit more income to the author. (I do support authors being able to earn a good living.) However I felt that this short book was really unnecessary. If this backstory is necessary to the upcoming novel, a skillful author will work it in to the story line; if not, leave it on your computer.

I think the best books are written quite tightly; they don't require prologues or epilogues. A good story evokes all kinds of questions in the readers' minds but doesn't have the need to answer every single one, up to the number of children and grandchildren the heroine has, for instance. The best books leave us with lots to think but do complete the essential story arc. Penny Reid writes contemporary romance, a genre which is often sneered at, although romance readers know that the best romances are as good as books in any other genre. That said, we romance readers still deserve the best writing, and many romance authors really do deliver, and Penny Reid is an author who can meet very high standards.

So why does this little novella exist? It's not particularly well-done or interesting. If it's a teaser for an upcoming novel, we shouldn't have to pay for it. If it's essential to that novel, it should be included in that novel. It certainly wasn't worth my time and money.

I also wish, once again, to request that readers for books are chosen more carefully. I think that actors or whomever it is who wants to narrate books should get voice training. Em Eldridge doesn't do a very good job differentiating between different characters; her male voice(s) are not believable. In addition, she has a regional accent which she should work to eradicate. In particular, she substitutes short i's for short e's, i.e. pin instead of pen. She is a somewhat sloppy narrator as well, and it makes the heroine less believable as the intelligent, talented young woman she is supposed to be.

This is a book that lovers of fan fiction might enjoy; for me it was a disappointment.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Penny Reid is a Master!

What made the experience of listening to Ninja at First Sight: An Origin Story (Knitting in the City) the most enjoyable?

Honestly, Penny Reid is a master story teller. Contemporary romance is littered with tropes, and that doesn't bother me, but I love that Penny Reid doesn't use them. She always surprises me.

What did you like best about this story?

Favorite moment.
Thinking to myself, 'Oh no, she's about to (Spoiler)' and discovering I was completely wrong.

What does Em Eldridge bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She's a good narrator. I didn't really notice her to be honest and that's about the highest praise I can give. When the narrator disappears and it's just you and the story.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • SP
  • 01-02-22

A*hole preys on sheltered 18yo

This is truly awful. A 23 year old ex marine and condescending misogynist pursues and preys on a naive, sheltered 18 year old with a traumatic past and abusive mother. It’s not cute or endearing. It’s not a love story. It’s a story of manipulation, celebrating predatory behavior.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Liked this!

I really liked getting to know Fiona and Greg! Learning about her childhood and how she met Greg in college gave added background to her. I hope to read more in next books.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Yuck

The male protagonist has the intellectual and emotional scope of a lizard. A truly unpleasant story. Penny Reid is incredibly unreliable with her characters, some of whom are barely human in their grossness.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Just awful

I don’t know how anyone would think this is a cute love story. I started this bc I have two children serving in the US Marine Corps. Greg is a disgrace to the Corps. His behavior is cringy. He is the kind of character you pray your daughter never dates!
I couldn’t finish

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

People whine too much

I thought the Narrator did a great job! To the complainer… SOMEBODY CALL THE WAAAAAAAMBULANCE… sheesh

I do have to say I’m not sure this book was needed… I care more about how she got her job more than Greg… but it was a good story:.. just kept waiting for more…

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Nice backfill for a great story

I prefer to listen to a story more than once before reviewing it and I must say, I enjoyed the “Knitting In The City” series just as much the second time as the first. Between Penny’s wit in and of daily life and the fantastic narrations of each and every narrator she has chosen, the stories were each a belly laugh and a captivating story.
Kudos 👍🏻 to everyone involved in the making of these audiobooks.
😣 I do have one complaint. Why O why are the women referred to as “girls”??? Are the males “boys” ? If we are discussing “girls and boys” should they be in an adult romance story??

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Recommended

Smart women entertain throughout in what is a romance with a difference. l love this writers style.

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