Helsinki Sunrise, a Passport to Romance, blog tour follows on from the second author interview yesterday with Shirley Corder in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Review of Helsinski Sunrise by Aldyth Thomson
Today I’ll be reviewing Marion Ueckermann’s debut novelette, Helsinki Sunrise, a fun romance set in Finland.
This charming Christian love story with feisty heroine, Eveliina Mikkola is set, surprisingly, in the exotic location of Finland.
Missionary Adam Carter from Africa has been offered the use of the family cottage on a beautiful lake by a close friend of his, who turns out to be Eveliina’s brother, and he plans to spend three weeks there fasting and praying. Unbeknown to her brother, Eveliina needs a break from a stressful job and an equally stressful relationship, and decides that a stay at the beloved family cottage is just what the doctor ordered.
Imagine her surprise when she arrives to find a strange man in the sauna! Handsome and well-proportioned he may be, but Eveliina orders him to leave. Unbelievably he refuses. Never one to accept defeat, Eveliina decides to use every feminine trick in her considerable arsenal to force Adam to leave…and so begins a most entertaining love story.
I have never read a love story where the main character is fasting and praying of all things, and yet Marion Ueckermann skilfully turns what could be dry and boring into a modern day Taming of the Shrew with a Christian twist. You can almost feel the sexual tension; laugh at the antics; and smell the scrumptious blueberry pies. Marion has an intimate knowledge of Finland as her son was a missionary there for some time and is married to a Finn. It shows in the myriad of interesting details and descriptions that are so fascinating to a reader from Africa like me.
Marion also skilfully weaves the thread of God’s great love and providence into the story without preaching and the reader is always aware of His benevolent presence, so can relax and enjoy the ride through the twists and turns, knowing that a loving God who does hear and answer prayer will surely answer Adam’s.
A light, quick and enjoyable read, I highly recommend Helsinki Sunrise to you.
From the back cover
He needed the island to himself. So did she. 
Three weeks alone at a friend’s summer cottage on a Finnish lake to fast and pray. That was Adam Carter’s plan. But sometimes plans go awry.
On an impromptu trip to her family’s secluded summer cottage, the last thing Eveliina Mikkola expected to find was a missionary from the other side of the world—in her sauna.
Determined to stay, Eveliina will do whatever it takes—from shortcrust pastry to shorts—to send the man of God packing. This island’s too small for them both.
Adam Carter, however, is not about to leave.
Will he be able to resist her temptations?
Can she withstand his prayers?
Join the blog tour
Be sure to follow this blog tomorrow down to Tennessee, USA. Diane Tatum will share with us her journey in critiquing this novelette and her thoughts on Helsinki Sunrise at Tatum’s Thoughts 4 Today.
There will be an eBook of Helsinki Sunrise up for grabs today. To be entered into the draw, please leave a comment with your email address before September 19th.*
Numerous eBooks of Helsinki Sunrise will be given away on the blog tour, so take a journey to each of the stops and leave a comment. Don’t forget to include your email address.
Helsinki Sunrise will be available to purchase from Pelican Book Group, Christianbook.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes.
Watch the Helsinki Sunrise book trailer on YouTube.
Watch the Passport to Romance book trailer on YouTube
Meet author Marion Ueckermann
Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter (Tyndale House Publishers), and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven. Her debut novelette, Helsinki Sunrise, releases August 22, 2014 by White Rose Publishing, a Pelican Book Group imprint, Passport to Romance series.
Marion blogs for International Christian Fiction Writers and Beauty for Ashes. She belongs to Christian Writers of South Africa and American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.
Connect with Marion Ueckermann:
Website / Amazon/ Facebook / Twitter/Pinterest
Blogs: A Pebble in my Pocket / Foreign Affaire
* Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
Permission to use images obtained.
Aldyth organised the Beauty for Ashes women's conferences for 21 years since its inception in 1996. An ex history teacher, she and her husband ex-patted in Ghana, Zambia and Burkina Faso for 12 years before moving to Cape Town in 2017. She compiled the Beauty for Ashes Prayer Journal and co-authored the Beauty for Ashes Health Journal for Women with Sally-Ann Creed—a bestseller which was also translated into Dutch. She is a breast cancer survivor of 15 years.
Excellent book review Aldyth! Well done again Marion. Love to you both.
Thanks, Shirl. At least this time we’re getting to travel together 🙂
I have only ever read non-fiction Christian books, so if I win Helsinki Sunrise it will be my first Christian novel. I am looking forward to it!!
Jane, I’m holding thumbs that you’ll win and that you’ll be blessed by this story. Thanks for stopping by.