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Local Hero

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A woman discovers what’s best for her son—and for her heart—in this touching story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts.

Hester Wallace’s neighbor, Mitch Dempsey, doesn’t have to try very hard to win over her nine-year-old son, Radley. Mitch is the creator of Radley’s favorite comic book superhero. But Hester is a different story…

Hester has never needed a man in her life except for her son. But as Mitch and Radley strike up a friendship, she starts to see her neighbor in a new light—caring, dependable, and downright sexy enough to turn her life around.

A NORA ROBERTS CLASSIC  AVAILABLE DIGITALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1988

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About the author

Nora Roberts

1,179 books59.1k followers
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

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5 stars
1,528 (34%)
4 stars
1,340 (30%)
3 stars
1,186 (27%)
2 stars
263 (5%)
1 star
75 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
Profile Image for Marta Luján.
Author 28 books199 followers
October 30, 2021
#RetoRita5 #RitaNorita

Un 3,5 para esta historia entretenida, sin más.

La historia se desarrolla en Nueva York, aunque no es relevante para la ambientación de la novela. El peso de la misma lo lleva el hecho de que Mitch, el protagonista, es dibujante de cómics; así que sus dibujos, la editorial para la que trabaja y la decoración de su habitación o el orden de su apartamento son los elementos base de la ambientación. Debo decir que, quizás, es la parte que más me ha gustado, lo que él siente cuando dibuja, ese mundo aparte en el que vive, el caos de la editorial. De alguna manera, me he sentido identificada.

La trama no puede ser más sencilla y, para mi gusto, menos interesante. Mitch se siente atraído por Hester desde el primer momento y quiere llevársela a la cama. Poco a poco se irá enamorando e intentando conquistar a esa mujer que tiene miedo al compromiso. Y esa es toda la fuerza de la trama. No hay subtramas, ni giros inesperados, ni siquiera un amor complicado.

Mitch es un personaje bastante ambiguo, que genera tanto sentimientos positivos como negativos. Al principio de la historia su comportamiento es demasiado seguro de sí mismo, rayando en lo prepotente. Quiere a Hester en su cama y la va a tener. De alguna manera, es un poco impositivo, a pesar del rechazo de ella. Luego, no es que te llegue a conquistar del todo, pero compensa un poco su forma de ser con la ternura y el cariño que le muestra a Radley, el hijo de Hester, y con la paciencia que tiene con la propia Hester. Da la sensación de que es un niño grande que, en ocasiones, se comporta como adulto.

Hester es madre soltera. Era demasiado joven cuando se casó y apenas tuvo a Radley, su marido los abandonó. Esto ha hecho que tome la decisión de no involucrarse en ningún compromiso con un hombre, sobre todo por su hijo. Se toma la vida y su trabajo como madre muy en serio, y la presencia de Mitch no hace más que alterar su esquema, a pesar de que se siente atraída por él. Así pues, se cierra en banda a la posibilidad de la felicidad. Hace casi diez años que la dejó su marido, ¿no debería haber cambiado un poco su actitud? Esta pregunta me la he hecho cada vez que Hester negaba su relación con Mitch, sobre todo porque ella decía que lo hacía por Radley, pero el niño se veía muy feliz al lado de este hombre que podía convertirse en su padre.

El final, por supuesto, es feliz, pero me ha parecido un poco "impuesto". No se podía alargar más la historia por lo que había que poner punto y final, así que la autora toma el carácter impositivo de Mitch y lo usa para que decida arrancarle el sí a Hester. Por suerte, esta "se convence" de que debe aceptar a Mitch poco antes de que este llegue a buscarla.

En fin, una historia que pasa sin pena ni gloria. Entretenida sin más.
Profile Image for *CJ*.
4,990 reviews615 followers
March 19, 2020
"A light went on for me when I saw you, Hester." He came closer to put his hands on her shoulders. "I haven't gone through my life knowing exactly what I wanted, and I can't claim that everything always goes the way I'd planned, but with you I'm sure." He pressed his lips to her hair. "Do you love me, Hester?"

"Yes." With a long sigh, she shut her eyes. "Yes, I love you."


"Local Hero" is the story of Hester and Mitch.

Another fabulous NR tale, with a h who is a single mother to an adorable boy, and a comic book writer H who the boy reveres. They meet when the h and her son move into the flat next to him, and the plot involves the H and his dog slowly making space for themselves in their lives, and their heart.

I think I again have to appreciate the honesty and the naked emotions the characters portray- my heart swooned every time the H bared his feelings and professed his love for the h and the son, and his determination to be a part of their lives. The h was a cautious filly, the son a robust and enthusiastic link, and the dog Taz was just adorable. I really enjoyed the H's pursuit and his push to make the h face her past, and eventually accept him. Romance, angst and happiness- all rolled into one!

Safe
4/5
Profile Image for Antonella.
4,074 reviews613 followers
March 17, 2023
Considering that this was Nora Roberts's early work if not the first published book it was the worst of her books I have read... Sure as the book was published in 1988, it suffers from outdated things and the pace and dialogue were awkward. Still, I didn't dislike it completely. The heroine was judgmental asshole. But the kid was charming.
Profile Image for Lauren.
2,514 reviews159 followers
March 30, 2022
Local Hero
3 Stars

Originally published in 1988, this is one of Nora Robert's earliest works and it certainly shows its age. The hero, Mitch Dempsey, is in pursuit and not in the least bit subtle about it. In fact, he is quite overbearing in his refusal to take no for an answer. The heroine, Hester Wallace, is exceedingly shy and reserved, and only exhibits a backbone when it comes to protecting her son.

Nevertheless, the romance itself is quite sweet, and Hester's intelligent and precocious son, Radley, is simply delightful. He and Mitch's dog steal the book.

Overall, not the best of Nora's works but a pleasant enough read to while away an afternoon.
Profile Image for Julie .
4,234 reviews38k followers
November 15, 2012
I came across this book while looking through my shelves for holiday themed books. The cover had a wintertime picture, so I tossed it in the pile. Well, it's not Christmas themed, but it is set during winter. (Around Valentine's Day actually) It was published in 1988 and is only 250 pages long. The story is awesome! Heartwarming without being sappy. Mitch was just dreamy. I could understand Hester being wary. Going through a divorce and then finally getting yourself together makes it hard to. try again. But, Mitch refuses to give up on Hester. He was such a good guy. Sigh!
But, beware! The book is badly dated in many ways. The first thing that sadly came to my mind was that today we would wonder why a grown man would go out of his way to spend time alone with a kid he just met. Hester really didn't know him all that well. Today we practically take blood samples before we chose a daycare provider. Then the way Hester was treated at her job. A guy made a pass at her and she never said a word. Her boss called her "darling ". There were video arcades, VCRs, and video rentals.
Despite all that, the story was wonderful!! I give it an A
Profile Image for Bren.
975 reviews148 followers
May 20, 2019
Me gusta la novela romántica y me gusta Nora Roberts, pero aún y cuando este libro cubre esas dos premisas me ha quedado a deber y mucho.

Siendo honesta tengo que decir que es un libro de corte romántico totalmente predecible, completamente rosa, nada complicado y si lo comparo con otros de este mismo corte y estilo podría salir ganando puntos.

La cuestión es, que he leído novelas de Nora Roberts millones de veces mejores que este, que tienen mucho más profundidad, no entran tanto en el cliché típico y este es un libro tan cliché que viniendo de Nora me decepciona, siempre he sido muy selectiva con lo que leo de esta autora, aunque se que es muy prolífica y tiene mas libros publicados de los que yo sería capaz de leer y siempre me preguntaba cómo le hacía para escribir tanto, pues bueno, he tenido en mis manos la respuesta a esa pregunta, si por cada uno bueno escribe 10 como estos, pues ahí está.

El libro me decepcionó, si bien es imposible criticar el estilo narrativo de Nora Roberts que, a pesar de que este libro es tan anodino y superficial hay que reconocer que tiene calidad literaria, está bien escrito y al menos eso se agradece.

La historia es demasiado sencilla y conocida, chico y chica se conocen, se enamoran, tienen algunas dificultades para aceptar ese sentimiento y tiene final feliz, sé que hay mucha gente que ama que el libro solo tenga eso, así que si eso es lo que les gusta, no lo duden y lean este libro, si quieren más historia, más profundidad, mayor calidad de historia, pues, mejor busquen otros muchos de esta autora que son por mucho mejores.

Para terminar pronto si bien no tengo nada que criticar porque es un libro que entrega lo que ofrece en cuanto al género se refiere, me ha quedado a deber demasiado, así que pues no, no me ha gustado.

Profile Image for Monika.
1,319 reviews49 followers
August 11, 2025
Local Hero is about Hester, a single mom and bankers, and Mitch, a comic book author. They were really cute together. Mitch was very patient with Hester as she dealt with her emotions after her past with her ex-husband. Mitch was really good with Hester’s son. It felt like more historical than contemporary, because of the way it was written. It felt 1988, but not in a bad way. There was no problematic stuff in it. Local Hero is short and easy to get into.
Profile Image for Thenia.
4,400 reviews180 followers
January 1, 2016
Hester, a single mother of a young boy gets a new job and moves to a new apartment building, where she meets Mitch, an easygoing neighbor who happens to be her son's favorite comic book writer.

I am your number one fan

Mitch had been struggling to find inspiration when Hester and little Rad became his neighbors and brought him more than he thought he needed.

Sweet story, with a determined, stubborn but lighthearted hero that's exactly what the responsible, too serious young mother and lovable little boy need.
Profile Image for ❤️ Dorsey aka Wrath Lover Reviews ❤️.
1,037 reviews320 followers
April 10, 2014
3.5 Stars

Nora Roberts has always been hit or miss with me and this one I found just okay.

Hester Wallace moves into a new apartment with her 9 yr old son Radley. Hester is a single parent after Radley's father decides being a responsible grown up isn't the life for him, Radley was only a year old or so when his father abandoned them. Because of this Hester is determined to NEVER trust another man!

Mitch Dempsey lives in the same building as Hester and Radley, he decides to introduce himself when the pizza delivery came to his door rather then his new neighbors. Mitch very much likes Radley and they soon form a very strong bond, their friendship is actually quite heartwarming. Slowly Mitch falls for Hester and tries to win her over. I think this is where I start to lose interest....Mitch is CLEARLY not her her ex husband, nor is anything like him, yet he is constantly trying to do things to prove to her he's not and the minute she feels the tough shell around her heart crack she reminds herself how she felt when her ex walked out on them.

Eventually we get our HEA, but by that time I really wasn't feeling anything for Hester, but I loved the dynamics between Mitch and young Rad, so for them I'm glad for the HEA.

Profile Image for Devanshi Gupta.
Author 4 books39 followers
September 9, 2016
So this was an okay book. I was certainly engrossed in it from the love angle and sometimes I was on the edge of my seat. But sometimes this book irritated me and forced me to say out loud "Just say yes . Damn you!" While in the starting I was like, "I wouldn't have tolerated that if I were a single divorced mother and after a day of meeting someone he tried to kiss me."
Profile Image for Laura.
1,711 reviews24 followers
August 31, 2018
Este libro me ha sorprendido bastante.
Yo admiro mucho a la autora y me encantan sus libros, por eso sé que la autora tiene dos tipos de libros: los que tienen 500 páginas aproximadamente con un transfondo y un desarrollo increíble (que son los que suele escribir ahora), y los que escribía hace 20 o 30 años que tienden a ser más cortos, de entre 100 y 200 páginas, en los cuales no conocemos a los personajes en profundidad y en los que no hay un gran desarrollo.
Antes de empezar a leerlo me informé de que este libro fue escrito hace 30 años y que era corto, por lo que lo catalogué rápidamente en el segundo grupo de libros. Sin embargo, la autora me ha sorprendido dotando a los personajes de una profundidad y de unos sentimientos que no suele desarrollar en libros de aquella época, y también con una relación de pareja algo más madura, pausada y realista que en las demás novelas del segundo grupo que ya he comentado antes.
Me han gustado los dos protagonistas en general, sus personalidades me han parecido muy afines y creo que se complementaban muy bien. Además, el niño pequeño que tenía Hester le ha dado a la historia un toque de frescura y de inocencia que me ha entusiasmado.
Sin embargo, lo que no me ha gustado tanto es que la autora no ha desarrollado el trabajo de Mitch tanto como me hubiera gustado. Los libros del primer grupo se caracterizan por la amplia descripción del trabajo artístico de los protagonistas, permitiéndonos ver el desarrollo y la creación de sus obras en el ámbito que sea, y en esta ocasión no ha sido así. No puedo, sin embargo, culparla ni condenarla por ello, puesto que es un hábito que desarrolla años después de que se escriba esta novela.
Por todo lo que he comentado creo que, a pesar de que esta novela se escribió hace 30 años, muchos más que la mayoría de libros que se encuentran en el segundo grupo, puede considerarse como una novela de transición o intermedia entre ambos grupos, siendo bastante mejor que las novelas que se encuentran en el segundo grupo pero sin llegar a la altura de las del primero.
Además, cabe destacar que, como siempre, el estilo de la autora es magnífico: cuidado, lírico, preciso y muy delicado.
Profile Image for Mojca.
2,132 reviews165 followers
June 13, 2017
It started with a pizza delivered to the wrong door, but then he fell in love with her son...and her legs, and Mitch Dempsey knew life would never be the same.


What a lovely, heart-warming, a little sad at time, and slightly exasperating, thanks to the heroine, romantic little story this was.

I loved Mitch (the hero) for his steadfastness, comfort with himself and around other people, for his stubbornness when he knew he was doing (and demanding) the right thing, and his love and care for Radley. I loved Radley for his openness, his optimism, and his love for his mom and his new hero. He looked at life as full of possibilities, unlike his mother who looked at life as full of obstacles, especially when it came to her and men in her (and Radley's) life.

I understood her reservations given what she's been through with Radley's father, but as the story progressed and the reader (and her) got to know Mitch, I couldn't help but find her a tad annoying in the way she kept using Radley's no-good father and her poor experience (a long time ago, mind you) with him as a crutch to push the more-than-decent guy away.

Luckily, Mitch was just stubborn enough and he had help in the form of his little Corporal, and the conflict (that shouldn't have been there in the first place) was resolved rather quickly...

Loved it.
Profile Image for Amanda Siegrist.
Author 64 books745 followers
February 27, 2019
I was not a huge fan of this book. I honestly didn't care for the hero, Mitch. He was too pushy and demanding right off the bat and I just didn't connect with him. It also threw me off that the heroine's name is Hester. I liked her character, but I just didn't see how they matched. It was hard to get through, but I read it until the end.
Profile Image for Paula Hurtado.
Author 4 books14 followers
June 21, 2021
He leído muchas novelas de Nora Roberts que en comparación son bastante mejores, con historias más desarrollados y elementos que las hacen muy interesantes.

Pero es verdad que la he disfrutado, en su sencillez y simpleza me ha parecido una historia tierna y bonita, aunque nada más, sin pretensiones. Correcta para una tarde de desconectar en el sofá.
Profile Image for Just a dreamer.
738 reviews25 followers
April 19, 2023
Quite some issues with it:
1) Mc is quite judgemental
2) Li is creepy, stalkerish and doesn't understand consent and forces her to do stuff his way.
3) Why did he come into her home without invitation when they first met?? Still hate that.
Profile Image for Conina.
454 reviews19 followers
August 6, 2019
Сладникаво. Лесно и простичко. Никакви злодеи. Никакво развитие.
Profile Image for Sadie.
448 reviews26 followers
April 29, 2012
Cute story, but not as good as some of her others. It was almost more of a story of the man and the son. Very touching, very sweet. I can see where the mother thought she might be a package deal. The second 1/2 brought out more of their story. Also sweet, but it was the story of Mitch and Radley that was most touching.
Profile Image for Melissa.
281 reviews63 followers
July 4, 2014
I loved this book! I read this story in a 2-in-1 book by Nora Roberts called "Perfect Harmony".
I really liked the story of the couple meeting and becoming friends. And how he becomes friends with her Son also. A really wonderful romance!
Profile Image for LauSibaja.
60 reviews7 followers
October 3, 2017
Linda historia

Las historias de esta autora siempre me han encantado. Las disfruto muchísimo!!! Nunca me han decepcionado. Muy recomendada; esta en especial ya que me encanta las historias donde están involucrados niños!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews

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