Friends Without Benefits (Knitting in the City Book 2)

I smiled like a giddy Cheshire cat, laughed aloud and chuckled in my scarf over this book. At work, I glanced at the Kindle app on my mobile when no one was looking – well, maybe they were looking, but I was just ‘checking my messages’, all right!?!

I luuuurve books about people who have a shared past, and who run into each other after having been out of contact with each other for several years. Especially if one of them is an über-hot Italian with gorgeous green eyes and a body to die for, and who is funny and has his shit together.

It was a very entertaining story, written in a humoristic tone. Loved the sarcasm and was frustrated beyond belief that Nico didn’t just kiss Elizabeth – or the other way around – which is probably why I swallowed this book whole – because eventually, I was sure (and wasn’t disappointed) there would be kissing…and more! Oh, but how I enjoy the teasing – it’s so much better than jumping in the sack on page 10.

But there’s another book?! About Janey and Quinn..?!?! It is now on my to-read-list! Will there be more, I wonder, about the other women in the knitting club?

I enjoyed reading two of the other books the knitting series - Love Hacked and Neanderthal Seeks Human. I loved the heroes in those two books Alex and Quinn. They were possessive, jealous and totally in love with the heroines. Nico, the H in this book, was not possessive and hardly displayed any jealously unlike Alex and Quinn. Also unlike them, he had something to be jealous about as Elizabeth, the h, was going to sleep with someone else. Alex and Quinn would have lost it but with Nico, it was more that she hurt his feelings by being willing to sleep with someone else but not him. It was Elizabeth who was the jealous one as opposed to Nico. Even though Alex and Quinn had a few antisocial traits, they were unique and likable. There were enough details about them that I felt like I knew them. Neither were cookie cutter type heroes unlike Nico. He was fine but there seemed nothing unique about him. Nico was bland and seemed shallow to me. What I knew about him is that he was a good looking man who was good at flirting and promoting himself. Also, he had an interesting, loving family including his mother and he was Italian.

I have to admit that I disliked reading about Nico's show. Despite him saying that only intelligent women worked for him, getting naked or stripping down in bikinis and rolling around in liquid does not send that message. I dislike reading that his guests had to be naked or be in bikinis in order to go on stage. I hate that even after he and Elizabeth got together, he was still taking off his clothes and playing in jello with women on TV.

I did not agree with Nico's definition of love. He said that he loves Elizabeth and has since he was a child but had not seen her in over 10 years. They met by chance. Even when he became an adult, he made not effort to find and speak to her even though he claims he loved her. They did not have a relationship that was beyond friendship and sometimes not even that. But I am a sucker for a hero who thinks that he is totally in love with a heroine and loves her despite lengthy separations. Therefore I was ok with him saying he has loved her forever shortly after seeing her again. Then, he went ahead and ruined it by saying he has also loves another women, who he dated for 3 years. They broke up because he did not want to give up his show for her and she could not handle the lack of privacy due to his celebrity status.

This book, unlike the other two had noticeable grammar mistakes. Also I did not find it as funny as the other two books. The things I liked about the book was that there were a few hot sex scenes and the HEA. With that said, because I liked the author's two other books in this series, I would be willing to read more of her books.

Even though there are many characters each one is endearing. The stories aren't cookie cutter either. There will be surprises,laughs,intrigue..... It gets a book in you,you can't walk away from. Thank you. Now I'm going to the third in this series. Check out her other works too.

The perfect sort of romance, flavored with the essence of comfort and family! Resident, highly self-sufficient Dr. Finney, doesn't have time in her schedule for romance. Runs into childhood boyfriend, now superstar, and allows herself to be convinced that she is capable of love.
Great book for a rainy day. Don't start it if you don't have a few free hours or you may lose sleep.

As a knitter for over 40 years, crocheted for over 50 years and a harbinger for only 10 years I can relate. I'm still waiting for someone in The books to go on a frenzy about trying to find the perfect cable needle(i make my own with size 1 or 0 sock pin using a rolling pin.. Or the different kinds of stitch picker uppers. The link ones with weird heads, the wood o switch a flat twisty middle or the susan bates that only comes in the small size.

Penny Reid has done it again with her second novel in the Knitting in the City series. I absolutely loved Elizabeth and Nico "The Face" Manganiello. Penny's characters are so real that I can imagine them walking off the page. And believe me, you want to see Nico in person! Her characters are funny and intelligent. No "too stupid to live" heroines here. You will laugh your ass off. And I love learning new terms like "complisult" (a compliment mixed in with an insult). I was routing for Elizabeth and Nico from the first page and had tears in my eyes by the end. Another fantastic book that I didn't want to end. And Sandra is next! I cannot wait.

Penny Reid is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved this book for its abounding wit, the brief moments where it hit me in the feels, and it's ability to make me want to strip down to my drawers and dance! I love Nico and Elizabeth. Penny has a knack for writing strong intelligent women that are so relatable, even if you sometimes want to smack them. Buy this book, read it, and then call me so we can gush about its awesomeness.

3.5 stars. The ending and epilogue made this book in my opinion. Nico and his sweet Italian mouth. The thing that kept this from a four was Elizabeth. I was frustrated with her most of the book and it kept my complete enjoyment at bay. I finished in one day so I was obviously invested, despite my frustration. I wanted her to find happiness. It was well written and I loved the closed and open bedroom versions. Penny Reid seems like my kind of people.

After reading Neanderthal Seeks Human, I added this one to my TBR list for a later date, which ended up being the next day. This book is about Elizabeth, Janie's sarcastic doctor friend/roommate who runs into a childhood friend/tormentor at the hospital, whose niece is undergoing a drug trial for treatment for cystic fibrosis. This book has humor, sarcasm, a little suspense/danger. Hot hero, wild friends. Thoroughly enjoyable read. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

Another brilliant book in the Knitting in the City series. I can't wait to read the next one - I actually had to force myself to stop to review this book before just jumping right into the next one, but I really wanted to take the time to thank the author for these amazing stories! They make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, they make you laugh and even tear up with the characters. I know already that this will be a series I want to read over and over.

Penny Reid is known for her witty romances. It’s what drew me to her work initially and keeps me coming back for more. Her Knitting in the City series is an excellent example of her clever storytelling. Each book details the life of one of the ladies in an eccentric knitting group. While quite enjoyable, Friend’s Without Benefits lacks some of the whimsical spirit I anticipated.

This is Elizabeth’s story. She has blossomed from a scrawny, insecure teenager who was bullied, into a desirable, successful doctor. Unfortunately, experiencing a great loss at a young age has caused her to seek superficial relationships. Circumstances bring her face to face with her former childhood friend turned arch enemy, Nico Maganiello.

He’s now a famous, arrogant, and super hot Italian who is known for his panty-melting charisma and his hit comedy talk show. For Nico, Elizabeth is the one who got away, and he’s determined to win her over. She is cautious and hesitant to be friends, let alone bump uglies. Eventually, Elizabeth can’t help but succumb to his charms so she agrees to a friends without benefits relationship.

So far, so good with the plot, but then it’s like the air is let out of a balloon as the story takes on a more serious tone. I understand Elizabeth’s reluctance to risk her heart, but her persistent stubbornness remains long after Nico proves his trustworthiness. It becomes unreasonably tedious. Additionally, the concentration on Elizabeth’s loneliness is a bit of a downer.

The humor is sporadic, and I missed the lively, feel-good vibe that’s so abundant previous books. However, I loved the adventures of the ladies in the knitting circle. I can always count on them for an injection of fun craziness. There are other entertaining supporting characters who are either completely lovable or incredibly despicable. A dramatic side plot is also quite engaging.

I’m pretty sure Penny Reid is incapable of writing a bad story, and Friends Without Benefits is a pleasant read overall that I definitely recommend. I suspect I would have appreciated it even more had I not assumed it would be a total laugh out loud comedy.

I stayed awake all night reading this book, I just couldn't put it down. Elizabeth and Nico are believably awesome main characters, we still got to see Janie and Quinn plus the introduction of Sandra as a main secondary character really worked. I am an impatient reader and with a book this large I was very pleased at the pace of the story. By 11% I was laughing and by 30% the author had you on the path to the HEA which was expertly crafted over the remaining 70% of the book.

I read Neanderthal Seeks Human (review) and really enjoyed it so I immediately picked up Friends Without Benefits. I went into this one blind, I had no idea what to expect. When I realized that the premise was a second chance romance I was giddy. I always love the idea that old romance can bloom again. I really enjoyed Friends Without Benefits. It had the same wit and charm as Neanderthal Seeks Human.

We first meet Elizabeth in Neanderthal Seeks Human. She’s Janie’s best friend and works as a medical resident at the local hospital. At the beginning of the story, Elizabeth is attempting to recruit a young girl into a research study when she realizes the man standing in the room is very familiar. In fact, about ten years ago she knew him very well. Nicolo “Nico” Manganiello was Elizabeth’s boyfriend’s (Garrett) best friend. He spent the first half of their lives embarrassing and tormenting Elizabeth. However, after Elizabeth’s boyfriend died, Nico was by her side through it all. That is until they spent one night together and Elizabeth walked away, never looking back again. Now here he stands, 10 years older, a famous television comedian, and still as irresistible as he was back then.

The first moments between Elizabeth and Nico were awkwaaaaarrdddd. We know they have history and it’s clear that they are both struggling with the situation. Nico insists that Elizabeth takes care of his niece, Angelica, while she is undergoing the clinical trials for a rare pediatric disease. Elizabeth is reluctant, given their past, but agrees.

The relationship between Nico and Elizabeth is sweet but tumultuous. However the chemistry between the two is undeniable.

It was the kind of madness that peaks all at once. It crashes like a tidal wave, leaving no time for thought of the past or future or consequences. I couldn’t think of a single thing I’d rather do then kiss Nico Manganiello.

Since Garrett’s death, Elizabeth has not allowed herself to love another man. She’s been content to have short trysts with a few men, but once things started to become serious she hightailed it out of there. It isn’t until Nico steps back into her life that Elizabeth starts to feel stirrings of an emotion beyond apathy for a man again. Elizabeth doesn’t understand how she can feel this way about someone who spent most of their childhood making her life miserable. To make matters worse, Nico’s one to attract some pretty intense fans, including a stalker who’s set on making Elizabeth’s life hell.

I really liked Nico. I read a few reviews that said people didn’t really find him all that funny for a comedian but I felt that in his personal life he was more reserved. However, he had quite a few one-liners that had me cracking up. The way he cared for his niece and his mother was really touching. Nico is definitely a kindhearted family man. It was clear that he really cared about Elizabeth and he exercised a lot of patience with her hot and cold attitude.

Although the knitting group didn’t play as big of a role in this book, it was still fun to check in with all the ladies and see what’s going on. They are such a supportive group of women and I love that! It’s obvious they all look out for each other and it’s so nice to see a strong group of friends instead of women tearing each other apart.

The pacing in Friends Without Benefits could be a little slow at times, and it often felt that every moment was being played out for the reader. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but at times I just wanted things to progress a little more quickly.

I really enjoyed Friends Without Benefits. The chemistry between Nico and Elizabeth was fantastic and I loved the mix of witty banter and sweet moments between the two. While I didn’t love this book as much as Neanderthal Seeks Human, it was still really funny and sweet! I would recommend it to someone looking for a lighthearted romance with humor. I will definitely be picking up more of Penny Reid’s books in the future.

P.S. There are two versions of the steamy scenes in this book, one is a behind closed doors version and one is a closed doors version. I thought this was a really great idea for people who may not be comfortable reading the more explicit scenes!

Great little story about love gone awry, the stupidity of young men/boys and the healing power of a great group of knitting friends. Elizabeth is believable as both a knitter and an intern at a large hospital, a bit of a lost soul who isn't sure where her life is going. The addition of Nico into her ordered little world is just what she needs to perk things up and find direction at last. Would love to revisit this couple in ten years to see where they finally end up.

Once again Penny Reid has turned out the perfect love story!! I am always confident when I pick up a book with her name on it that I am going to love it. She's an absolute genius with romantic comedies!

I really enjoyed this 2nd book in the "Smart Romance" Series. Elizabeth and Nico were a lot of fun. Smart dialogue, interesting characters, hot guy. Good stuff. I think this book can be read as a stand alone book, but Neanderthal Seeks Human was too fun not read first. Loved getting a little more of Janie and Quinn and I looking forward to their follow up book. Penny Reid, I have you saved as a favorite author, looking forward to whatever you have next.

This book made me happy. I saw it yesterday through a book club recommendation of Facebook and immediately was drawn to it for the knitting, downloaded it and started reading. Completely loved Elizabeth and her craziness, her circle of friends and of course Nico and his family.

A fun romance novel with lots of laugh out loud moments. I will definitely be reading more from this author starting next with the first book in this series.

With the 1st book leaving us hanging about Janie and Quinn's engagement - I felt disappointed that this book just mentions they're engaged. The author missed out on giving us some enjoyable information about the two other characters who were featured in the first book. Otherwise, the story was enjoyable but seemed a little flat. Elizabeth is such a vibrant character that I expected more - out of the 1st 3 books this one comes in third.

I absolutely loved this book. What a great story and such delightful characters. Elizabeth drove me crazy at times with all of her over analysis and rethinking. I guess we all seem to take what we learn as children to be true. The older we get, we find there are other ways to look at things, and what we thought is not necessarily the truth about our shared experiences.

I really loved Neanderthal Seeks Human. I thought it was witty and funny. This book, however, blew me out of the water. It's funny and sarcastic. It's touching. My stomach did all sorts of flip flops. This is an amazing, touching love story. I'm not big on giving five star reviews unless the book really deserves one. This book, it deserved each and every star! I think I've found a new favorite author.

I really like the series of books, this being the second. I waited for the price to come down as I have a limit on what I will spend on an ebook, but this would have been worth the full price. They are smart, both hero and heroine, and well rounded. You feel the relationship build and form from what it was to what it became. I am really looking forward to more of the Knitting in the City books, once they are below the 2.99 threshold.

Again Penny gives us an amazing book with strong and lovable characters. Elizabeth and Nico are so right for each other in so many ways. They are adorable without being overly so. Their path is a rocky one, but very rewarding. The humor and camaraderie amongst the knitting group is still going strong. I finished this book in a few hours much like I did with NSH. These books are hard to put down, nigh impossible to not finish in one sitting. If anyone can resist Nico...well they are far stronger than I.

I never quite understood how a hero who professed to love the heroine his whole life would treat her as badly as the worst school bully ... but as an adult he is likeable, warm-hearted and funny. The heroine is a character, very fun.

Book #2 in the Knitting In The City series. Elizabeth and Nico; childhood adversaries..albeit one sided (Elizabeth's) meet again when Nick 's niece is enrolled in a clinical trial that Dr Elizabeth works on. Much backstory;be patient as it is worth figuring out the pieces of the puzzle that is their relationship. Another winning story from Penny Reid.

For this review and more please visit Zemfirka Blogs.

You guys! This was such a sweet romance, full of antics and sincerity, insecurities, imperfections, smart and witty dialogue, and some very lovable characters. I have to admit I didn’t read the first in Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series but fortunately Friends Without Benefits can be enjoyed as a standalone [I love it when authors do that!] nonetheless you can be sure I’ll be reading other books by the author very soon.

Penny Reid delivers a sexy, laugh-out-loud funny romcom that will cheer you up and make you wish that you were part of this knitting group. Heck, even being absolutely incapable of the simplest mending job let alone knitting I still would want to be part of this group and friends with these fabulous ladies. They were smart, honest, supportive, pushy at all the right moments, and absolutely hilarious. I laughed, I almost cried, and I definitely awed, because humor and love are always a winning combination in my opinion and they are perfectly in balance here.

Nico and Elizabeth made for a perfect pair and their “two-steps-back, five-steps-forward” approach to their developing or rather reignited relationship was a delight to read about. Elizabeth’s hesitance and wary approach to her feelings and opinions of Nico and love in general were endearing. She struggled to make the right choices, stumbling into many mistakes along the way, but at the end her imperfections and insecurities, along with her compassion and sincerity made her character. Nico, on the hand, was undeniably alluring, charming, charismatic, and of course super sexy, but his vulnerability and persistence in chasing after the girl… I mean, c’mon! I wouldn’t be able to resist either! *swoon*

So, I don’t want to give any more details away or tell you the plot, but be assured that there are plenty of shenanigans, comical and bordering on unbelievable situations that make these 400 plus pages fly by. It is a delightful, light-hearted romance that I would happily recommend.

Happy Reading!

I really enjoy the books by this author - the women are all strong and independent and the men are always hot! I've read some series that were disappointing because they all seemed the same - similar remarks made in each book, similar storylines, similar attributes with each character. Penny Reid's books are all completely different and it's really impressive. I especially love the fact that each woman has her own quirks but all of the women work so well together as friends!!
I wasn't quite as crazy about this book, mainly because Elizabeth's attitude got old fast. She was one of those characters who lost people as a child and teenager so decides she'll be single forever to protect herself from anymore heartache. She's got an incredibly hot, talented, successful, loving man who wants to be with her but she's constantly putting up roadblocks and lying to herself about how she feels. Her mindset was tedious and I was actually secretly hoping Nico would cut her loose! She also had a little bit of a martyr complex going on which was completely uncalled for.
Of course, my personal preference is that I don't like those types of characters and usually try to avoid them. Even though I didn't like Elizabeth, I still enjoyed the story and will definitely read anything else this author writes!!

Crazy angsty in places but the story ended with such a great HEA! I love an unwavering in-love hero and Nico doesn't disappoint. There were some crazy funny parts in this book that had me laughing out loud. Definitely reread status. I am backtracking and purchasing the first book in this series. Quinn sounds intriguing. Can't wait to see which "knitter" is up next!

Book #2 in the Knitting In The City series. Elizabeth and Nico; childhood adversaries..albeit one sided (Elizabeth's) meet again when Nick 's niece is enrolled in a clinical trial that Dr Elizabeth works on. Much backstory;be patient as it is worth figuring out the pieces of the puzzle that is their relationship. Another winning story from Penny Reid.

For this review and more please visit Zemfirka Blogs.

You guys! This was such a sweet romance, full of antics and sincerity, insecurities, imperfections, smart and witty dialogue, and some very lovable characters. I have to admit I didn’t read the first in Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series but fortunately Friends Without Benefits can be enjoyed as a standalone [I love it when authors do that!] nonetheless you can be sure I’ll be reading other books by the author very soon.

Penny Reid delivers a sexy, laugh-out-loud funny romcom that will cheer you up and make you wish that you were part of this knitting group. Heck, even being absolutely incapable of the simplest mending job let alone knitting I still would want to be part of this group and friends with these fabulous ladies. They were smart, honest, supportive, pushy at all the right moments, and absolutely hilarious. I laughed, I almost cried, and I definitely awed, because humor and love are always a winning combination in my opinion and they are perfectly in balance here.

Nico and Elizabeth made for a perfect pair and their “two-steps-back, five-steps-forward” approach to their developing or rather reignited relationship was a delight to read about. Elizabeth’s hesitance and wary approach to her feelings and opinions of Nico and love in general were endearing. She struggled to make the right choices, stumbling into many mistakes along the way, but at the end her imperfections and insecurities, along with her compassion and sincerity made her character. Nico, on the hand, was undeniably alluring, charming, charismatic, and of course super sexy, but his vulnerability and persistence in chasing after the girl… I mean, c’mon! I wouldn’t be able to resist either! *swoon*

So, I don’t want to give any more details away or tell you the plot, but be assured that there are plenty of shenanigans, comical and bordering on unbelievable situations that make these 400 plus pages fly by. It is a delightful, light-hearted romance that I would happily recommend.

Happy Reading!

I really enjoy the books by this author - the women are all strong and independent and the men are always hot! I've read some series that were disappointing because they all seemed the same - similar remarks made in each book, similar storylines, similar attributes with each character. Penny Reid's books are all completely different and it's really impressive. I especially love the fact that each woman has her own quirks but all of the women work so well together as friends!!
I wasn't quite as crazy about this book, mainly because Elizabeth's attitude got old fast. She was one of those characters who lost people as a child and teenager so decides she'll be single forever to protect herself from anymore heartache. She's got an incredibly hot, talented, successful, loving man who wants to be with her but she's constantly putting up roadblocks and lying to herself about how she feels. Her mindset was tedious and I was actually secretly hoping Nico would cut her loose! She also had a little bit of a martyr complex going on which was completely uncalled for.
Of course, my personal preference is that I don't like those types of characters and usually try to avoid them. Even though I didn't like Elizabeth, I still enjoyed the story and will definitely read anything else this author writes!!

Crazy angsty in places but the story ended with such a great HEA! I love an unwavering in-love hero and Nico doesn't disappoint. There were some crazy funny parts in this book that had me laughing out loud. Definitely reread status. I am backtracking and purchasing the first book in this series. Quinn sounds intriguing. Can't wait to see which "knitter" is up next!

The most amazing author. This book gives me the warm fuzzies. I like the idea that all women. Romance novels don't have to be swept off their feet. I like the requisite sassy protagonist, but penny Reid manages to give depth and intelligence to characters so they latch onto your heart. My experiences with penny Reid novels have been nothing but wonderful, I highly recommend her books to anyone interested in an intelligent romance novel.

I love your books; the characters ,the real life issues ,the romance and especially the humor. I laughed so much I had tears running down my face and that doesn't happen often. Thanks so much for the entertainment. I'm getting ready to read book 3 of the knitting club and looking forward to the rest!

I love this author because she writes about smart women and doesn't let them fall into the airhead trap. Sure, we women all make mistakes and aren't badasses all of the time, but Penny Reid writes about real, strong, badass women who fall in love.