Truly, Madly Manhattan

Rating:
Summary: Two Amazing, Amusing, Sparkling Nora Roberts Gems!
Review: "Truly, Madly Manhattan" is a Silhouette reprint of two classic Nora Roberts tales, and it is an utter delight. Both tales are fun, fresh, and beautifully romantic and I was completely enthralled by them. Roberts has created four fascinating and sympathetic main characters and placed them in two totally engrossing and irresistible stories. What a pleasure it was to read this book! "Truly, Madly Manhattan" is 500 pages of pure enjoyment, so don't wait another minute to buy it!

The first of the two tales, "Local Hero", introduces Hester Wallace, a single mother who has just moved to a new apartment to be closer to her new job as a bank loan officer. Her 10-year-old son Radley is the one and only priority in her life, and she has long since determined that she needs and wants nobody but herself to depend on. But Hester's narrow view of her future is suddenly turned on end when she meets her handsome new neighbour, Mitch Dempsey. Mitch is a successful comic book writer, a profession Hester has trouble taking seriously, but he's also the creator of Radley's hero, Commander Zark. Mitch immediately forms a strong bond with Radley and is intrigued by the coolly polite Hester and her great legs. And Mitch soon discovers what an incredible and warm woman Hester really is, and he falls madly in love. Hester is undeniably drawn to Mitch, whose thoughtfulness and tenderness weaken her hard won defenses. In addition, Mitch's obvious love for her son touches her heart and makes her wish for things she has vowed to live without. But Mitch isn't about to give up on the woman he wants to love and cherish forever, though it won't be easy to convince her to let him into her life. Hester has sworn never again to trust or depend on a man since her ex-husband's careless and crushing abandonment 6 years before, and she's petrified of having her life shattered by a man again. Will Mitch be able to prove that he's committed to Hester and Radley for life? Or will Hester's painful past keep her from finding a future filled with love?

The second, equally fantastic tale is "Dual Image", in which we meet Ariel Kirkwood, an outgoing, compassionate, free-spirited woman and a talented actress. When Ariel gets chosen to play the leading role in screenwriter Booth DeWitt's newest movie, she gets much more than she bargained for as she finds herself falling hard for the mysterious and reluctantly caring Booth. But Booth has modeled Ariel's movie character on his cruel, cold, and duplicitous ex-wife, who has instilled in him an innate mistrust of actresses. And the better Ariel plays the part, though the calculating character is the antithesis of Ariel's generous, loving, and guileless true self, the harder it becomes to convince Booth to trust in her. In love with Ariel but terrified of being played and used again, Booth tries to distance himself from her. Ariel makes Booth feel things that he's convinced himself he has no desire for, and more, she gives him hope that honest and unconditional love really does exist. But these powerful emotions make Booth very nervous, and he still doesn't quite believe that his trust won't be rewarded with betrayal. And though there is a lifetime of happiness waiting for Booth in Ariel's arms, he may just turn away from his one and only chance at love everlasting.

"Local Hero" and "Dual Image" are both fabulous stories, and the romances between Hester & Mitch and Ariel & Booth are touching, passionate, and perfectly written. The characters in both stories are real, lovable and just plain wonderful and I adored them. Nora Roberts, in my humble opinion, is nothing short of a genius and she has a true gift for creating characters and stories that come vividly to life in her readers' minds and hearts. "Truly, Madly Manhattan" is sure to exceed your expectations and make you sigh with pleasure. Both tales are totally satisfying, equally excellent, and utterly entertaining and this is a book you most definitely do not want to miss!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review:

During a weeklong layoff earlier this month, I read a lot of books, but this one was easily one of my favorites. The first story, Local Hero, was kind of an emotional rollercoaster. I found myself smiling thinking of Hester, Rad and Mitch playing in the snow together in Central Park and a lump in my throat at the end (which I won't give away). Five star story

Like other reviewers I found Dual Image a little harder to get into, but I am a lot like Ariel, so I just had to see what she was getting into! Booth is definitely a piece of work. The twist at the end of this story will knock you for a loop. Four stars.

Rating:
Summary: TRULY MADLY MANHATTAN
Review: A PAGE TURNER. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN. THE STORY IS SO REAL YOU CAN PICTURE IT IN YOUR MIND. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK WHEN YOU CAN SIT DOWN FOR A QUIET AFTERNOON OF READING.

Rating:
Summary: definitely not her best
Review: Don't get me wrong. I am a big Nora Roberts fan but this was the only book of hers I could not finish. I believe this book is a reprint so she has come along way. It is so different form her usual engaging character development and witty dialog that I still can't believe it is her work. Enough said.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely stories!!!
Review: I enjoyed both of the stories in this book. They are both reprints, but they are great ones, and I think of all the Nora Roberts stories that have been reprinted lately, this duo really illustrates how she developed into such a great romance writer.

Local Hero is the story of Mitch Dempsey and his new neighbors, Hester Wallace and her son Radley. Despite the (in my opinion anyway) ugly name of Hester, this is truly a great romance. Hester is a bank manager and is a very careful and meticulous person who was hurt badly by love the first time around. She hardly ever hears from her exhusband Allan, neither does her son Radley. She is very wary of men. Mitch is a comic book writer/illustrator, who just so happens writes Rad's favorite comic book, Commander Zark. Mitch takes an interest in Radley right away, and volunteers to baby-sit him during the day when Hester is at work. By baby-sitting, he slowly integrates himself into Hester and Rad's life, falling in love with Hester in the process. She is very nervous, but reciprocates his love whole heartedly though she is very reluctant to take the final step of marriage. Mitch's time and effort to get Hester to love him and trust him back pays off wonderfully, in this classic romance. Definitely a wonderful story.

Dual Image is the story of soap star Ariel Kirkwood and script writer Booth DeWitt. She auditions for his newest tv show, and is cast as the female lead, the lead that just so happens to be based on his horrible and bitchy ex-wife. Booth wants to type cast Ariel in that role, but finds that hard to do as she is the complete antithesis of his exwife. She is loving and open, and unbeknownst to him has a secret that comes out at the end of the book. She falls in love with him almost right away, scaring him because he isn't used to such an emotional display. He evenutally accepts his feelings for Ariel and they fall in love, then her secret comes out, scaring Booth all over again. The minor intrusion of his exwife plays a small role in the book too. It is a very good book, and I really liked it being paired up with Local Hero. Definitely some great Nora Roberts's reprints!

Rating:
Summary: Thouroughly enjoyed this book
Review: I have been passing on these 2 for 1 books lately because they have been a drag. I picked this book up as a last resort and was plesantly surprised. Very good story line, very hard to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Thouroughly enjoyed this book
Review: I have been passing on these 2 for 1 books lately because they have been a drag. I picked this book up as a last resort and was plesantly surprised. Very good story line, very hard to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Two winners
Review: I liked both of these stories. I think this is probably the best of the reprints that have come out lately. These are early Nora Roberts books, so if you are looking for romantic suspense, you won't find it here. I also think these 2 stories are more polished than some of the other early novels that have been released lately. Of the two, Local Hero is my favorite. Mitch writes comic books, and though Hester's son likes him, Hester is wary. She is a serious bank manager who has been hurt by love before. (By the way, I agree with the other reviewer that Hester is not the greatest of names! Don't let that put you off.) I found this story to be absolutely delightful. Mitch is one of Ms. Robert's best heroes, in my opinion. The second story, Dual Image, I liked just a little bit less. It was also an interesting and well written story. Ariel get the lead in Booth's screenplay which he wrote about his nasty ex-wife. Even though Ariel seems different, Booth is not sure he trust her because she is, after all, an actress like his ex-wife and might be hiding her feelings. To me, the only downside to the story was Booth's cynical attitude. He pulls away from Ariel because she can't possibly be as good as she seems. The way he continually withdraws emotionally from Ariel got a bit tiring toward the end. Still, I did enjoy it. I would give Local Hero 6 stars if I could, and I would probably give Dual Image 4 and a 1/2. Both are definitely keepers!

Rating:
Summary: A Nice Diversion
Review: I've rarely read anything by Nora Roberts that I didn't enjoy to some degree. Although this is not one of her best, the lives of the characters managed to capture my interest.

"Local Hero" is a nice story with likable characters. Hester and Mitch struck me as an odd pair, but that notice didn't detract much from my enjoyment of the story. (I must admit, as others have here, that "Hester" isn't the kind of name one would expect to see in a romance novel; but perhaps Roberts' intention in naming her female protaganist Hester was to help paint a picture of her character. Although Hester is a very loving person, she feels it's necessary to be a responsible adult and exclude romance from her life. The name "Hester" fits that brief. ((No offense intended to anyone named Hester who may be reading this.)) ) Mitch is a really likable person. I had fun reading about him.

I thought the characters in "Dual Image" were very dramatic, but considering that most of the characters are in show business, the drama seemed to fit. However it's difficult to feel involvement with Booth's (the male protaganist) character. We are told that he's changing from dark and brooding to being more open to love, but not enough was put into the character to help the reader appreciate his transition. Ariel is a very likable character. She seemed like a person I would like to know. My main problem with the story is the way Ariel just assumed everything would work out between the people she loved, even though they hadn't met each other and didn't even know about each other. I didn't feel that particular point was credible.

Despite the flaws, I did derive pleasure from reading both stories, so I would recommend this book as a light diversion.

Rating:
Summary: No surprises here, but very enjoyable
Review: In another compilation of two of her earlier works, "Truly Madly Manhattan" delivers all the elements a Nora Roberts fan has come to love -- sensitive men, strong women, and happy endings.

Of the two books I preferred "Local Hero", the first, largely because Mitch Dempsey, the comic-book-writing hero, takes so closely after one of his own characters. There's a danger inherent in creating a "too-good-to-be-true" character like Mitch, and that is the possibility of completely alienating your core audience (women) who just can't relate to the guy in these pages. However, Mitch is SO endearing, so persistent in his plan to win over Hester, that this character somehow manages to win over the reader as well.