If you enjoy books by Jojo Moyes, Liane Moriarty or Elin Hilderbrand, you’ll adore this stylish series of novels by the Finnish author Helena Halme.Finland, 1980. Kaisa has never been a risk taker. After graduation, she plans to marry the dependable older man who paid for her classes and kept a roof over her head. But when she accepts an invitation to a party at the British Embassy, a handsome … 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.
Can their love go the distance?
The Nordic Heart Box Set includes Books 1,2,3 and 4 in the Nordic contemporary fiction series with over 900 pages of unputdownable fiction.
The English Heart (Book 1): When Kaisa is invited to the British Embassy cocktail party in Helsinki to celebrate a Royal Navy visit to Finland, she’s not looking for romance. Enter dashing Navy Officer Peter. Kaisa falls head over heels in love and the two embark on a long-distance relationship. But at the height of the Cold War, while the Englishman chases Russian submarines, Kaisa is stuck in Finland, a country friendly with the Soviet Union.
The Faithful Heart (Book 2): In Britain, Kaisa finds herself jobless, lonely and shunned by the other Navy wives. Her ambitions to pursue her own career are repeatedly crushed by her foreignness and her marriage to the Navy. Enter rich, charming and clever Duncan, who seems to have all the answers to Kaisa’s problems. Can Kaisa resist his advances?
The Good Heart (Book 3): Kaisa knows she’s to blame for the marriage break-up and flees to her native Finland. Peter doesn’t care one way or the other. He’s angry at everything and everybody. He’s about to lose the one thing that means the most to him: his Navy career. All because he fell in love. Can Peter and Kaisa find their way back to each other and reignite their love?
The True Heart (Book 4): Kaisa’s relationship with Peter is blighted by childlessness, but worse is to come when she learns of a close friend’s illness, which could wreck her happiness. And then life takes another heartbreaking twist … Can love conquer all?
BOX SET INCLUDES:
1. The English Heart
2. The Faithful Heart
3. The Good Heart
4. The True Heart
Look out for exclusive, never published bonus chapters from the series as well as a FREE prequel novella – details inside the box set.
Grab your copy of The Nordic Heart Series Books 1-4 and start reading this epic Nordic love story now!
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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*