She has her life planned out. He lets the wind guide his sails. As the Cold War heats up, can they keep love alive on either side of the iron curtain?Finland, 1980. Kaisa has never been a risk taker. After graduation, she plans to marry the dependable older man who helped to pay for her classes and kept a roof over her head. But when she accepts an invitation to a party at the British Embassy, a … British Embassy, a handsome naval officer makes her want to throw caution to the wind. She surprises herself when they share a passionate kiss under the stars and promise to see each other again. But how could she possibly give up her sure-thing relationship for a man she barely knows?
When Peter Williams pictured his future, he saw a rising in the ranks and an endless trip around the world. Though when he meets the strong-willed Kaisa in Helsinki, his passion for the sea takes a serious turn. Not even the excitement of hunting down Russian submarines can compare to the thrill of his lips on hers. But despite his growing feelings, his commanding officers won’t tolerate him pursuing a woman from a Soviet-friendly nation.
Both torn between impossible choices, Kaisa and Peter must search their souls for the right answer. With the Cold War heating up between them, can two star-crossed lovers find their courage or will their relationship sink on the high seas?
The English Heart is a breathtaking contemporary women’s fiction novel with an undercurrent of romance. If you like vivid historical details, star-crossed chemistry, and complex characters, then you’ll love Helena Halme’s tale of a Cold War romance.
Buy The English Heart to experience a vibrant tale of courage and love in the face of war today!
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I read this out of sequence having read the second in the series a while ago – but the characters and their struggles were still fresh in my mind and I was keen to find out how this cross-cultural love story had originated.
These days England and Finland do not seem so monumentally distant in the era of budget travel and with (pre Brexit) so many people flowing easily between countries and studying and working abroad. Also we are now all so familiar with Scandi Noir that all the Scandinavian countries seem close. But back in the early 80s it was a different matter. We were embroiled in the Cold War and Finland was regarded as suspiciously close to the Soviet Union – especially by the Royal Navy – and even more so if you’re an officer on a nuclear submarine!
Kaisa and her Englishman, Peter, meet by chance at an embassy cocktail party – a chance meeting that should have ended there – especially as she was engaged to someone else. But sparks fly and they both know it’s not going to be a one-off encounter. Numerous obstacles are placed in the way of the couple – some of their own making, testing their feelings for each other to the limits.
Halme also conveys Helsinki and Finnish life – from food to saunas – as well as how England seems strange when seen through Kaisa’s Finnish eyes. She has a rather odd but visceral aversion to English tea with milk!
The book is written in a very simple straightforward style that sometimes reads like a diary. It will appeal greatly to anyone who has experienced a long distances love affair and how incredibly difficult that can be to sustain – as well as anyone who loves a happy ending (ah but is it?! – there are several others in the series to keep you reading on).
The Young Heart – My first book by this author and I have conflicting thoughts after reading all five books sequentially. I usually chain read as many books by one author as possible, but I had to pick up other books to take a break from Kaisa. This is introduction to Kaisa the main character and several supporting characters of the Nordic Series. Kaisa is a 14-year-old female. Her thought processes, or lack of, her experiences with her family members and her friends-to-lovers relationship with a 21-year-old man. I was fortunate to read this book before I read the other four books in the series and found the foundation set in this story explained some of her decisions she made in the other books. But it is not a must read to understand the other books.
This is an in-depth story about Kaisa and Matti’s relationship, so it may be good to read first, or not. While the book was well edited, thank you Ms. Halme, and I understood the Nordic and Russian cultures from history books and personal experience, I just didn’t care too much for Kaisa, but she is a child in many ways. This book stops and The English Heart picks the story up. There’s infrequent vulgar language and the sex is not explicit. 3*
The Nordic Heart series: I bought this set, else I would not have read the next four books. I bought the set before I read the prequel The Young Heart. Simplistic in writing, which is OK, and well edited, which is great, but I was disappointed in what could have been a great set of books. I’ve been aware of The Englishman and Helena Halme for over a year and was really looking forward to an interesting and entertaining series. I understand cross-cultures (been there, done that), alienation, abuse and misunderstandings, but her use of alcohol and promiscuous behavior along with her mindset is unsettling in how Kaisa handles life and problems. There are interesting descriptions of the different locations and the characters develop more with each book, except Kaisa she remains Kaisa, although in the last book, she does better with Peter. There’s infrequent vulgar language and the sex is not explicit. Each book continues with my review. I’m not sure which was a better deal, this boxed set or a cuppa of English coffee as described. 3*
The English Heart #1 (aka The Englishman) – Well edited and easily read with a simplistic, choppy writing style, and interesting descriptions of Sweden and Finland and some good main and supporting characters. There’s a lot of music references that don’t do anything for the story but give a timeline, if you know when the music first played. The movies help explain some of her mindset.
Picking up where the prequel The Young Heart ended, Kaisa mets her Englishman, a likable but dumb young man and begins the start of their long distance relationship. By the time I finished this book I really disliked Kaisa. She’s immature, self centered and very selfish, and doesn’t want to learn from her mistakes. She knows what not to do, yet goes full-bore and repeats her mistakes again and again. She uses everyone without regard, doesn’t consider the consequences of her actions and is about as social as a rock. 3*
The Faithful Heart #2 (The Navy Wife) – They’re married now. Kaisa thinks she a feminist so she doesn’t support her husband or her marriage. She thinks she’s being a “navy wife” if she cooks his breakfast before he leaves in the morning; she wants to sleep late and she doesn’t have a job. She won’t work on her marriage and expects Peter to do everything. Instead of communicating with her husband, she screams and rages. Instead of working out solutions to her problems, real and otherwise, she remains the immature, selfish and anti-social idiot increasing her alienation from everyone. I really, really dislike Kaisa and feel sorry for dumb Peter for falling in love with this moron. Unfortunately, he gives in to her anger, instead of telling her to grow up. 3*
The Good Heart #3 (The Good Officer) – Kaisa abandons Peter right when he needs her most. Typical behavior from her, it’s always about her. Her actions causes Peter to face a court martial, which affects his career in the Navy. Rose plays a large part in this story by helping and mentoring Kaisa with her career and life choices. Kaisa still ignores Peter’s family. 3*
The True Heart #4 – Together but still with problems, Kaisa still isn’t a likable character. She does do better with supporting Peter in his career. The past comes back to bite her hard, but she does better handling things than she did in the other books. She’s 30, she should have learned something from all her mistakes. This is probably the best of the books but only the last 50 percent. She’s still selfish, but others are supporting her. She still doesn’t interact much with Peter’s family. 3*