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

By: Penny Reid

Narrated by: Em Eldridge

Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins

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

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.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

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.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Novella prequel - Fiona

Having read the first three Knitting in the City books and being intrigued by Fiona I was happy to see this come up in the Romance package. This backstory is written with the same wonderful feeling and true to life character as the other books.
I love this story! It is funny and clever and a tiny bit angsty and achingly wholesome because Greg loves Fiona so much and they take their time to really know one another. It is beautiful.
I am an old, married librarian and have read many, excellent, romance stories. Penny Reid is a treasure; I am going to read everything she has written.
The narrator is excellent too!

Unexciting.

Characters are too cardboard. I waded through this figuring it had to get better. Never happened for me. Odd pieces in this story just didn’t have much to do with the story.

Great!

Loved hearing about Fiona and finally getting to know Greg. Can't wait for the next one

My favorite thus far!

I am binge-listening to this series and much enjoying it. So, what a great surprise to get 5 books into it and find Fiona’s gem of a story (gem being a relative term, since they’re all very good)! As usual, wonderful characters you genuinely care about, and smart witty dialogue that’s not forced. And while I appreciate the strong female characters which Ms Reid portrays so well in her books, I am also glad that all the guys are strong as well. I’m blessed to be married to such a guy and my observation is that strong women need strong guys—kind, considerate, smart and strong. They’re out there. And when their women are also kind, considerate, smart and strong, you get a power couple no matter how much or how little money and “prestige” they have. These are the couples you see in the “Knitting” series and it’s great fun to immerse yourself in their world.

I need more!

I can't wait for the next book. I'm staying up way later than usual just to keep these stories going. they are so different in the best possible way.

ending is abrupt and unfulfilling

see title. the rest of the book and narrator is top Mark's. I love the characters, their interactions, and the overall warmth. The ending is very lacking.

young love

I love that we got to know more about Fiona and Greg. It was great that we got a glimpse of him in the last book. What a nice surprise that he has a British accent. He is witty and smart and funny and caring. It was also nice to learn more about Fiona. She is more than the serious motherly type that we see in the other books.

A lovely short story

I love a good back story. This had so many points from a first-time, naive freshman's perspective. I really enjoyed this extended look into how Fiona and Greg meet.

The narrator did just as good of a job here as she did in their full story.