My Heart’s Undoing by Phyllis Halldorson follows Colleen’s unrequited love for Erik, who becomes engaged to her cousin. After a twist of events, they marry but face challenges when her cousin returns.
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My Heart's Undoing by Phyllis HalldorsonRating:
Published: 1986
Illustrator: McCauley Conner
Imprint or Line: Silhouette Special Edition #290
Published by: Silhouette
Genres: Category Romance, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Buy on: Amazon
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader
MILD SPOILER ALERT
The Book
What a frustrating read was My Heart’s Undoing by Phyllis Halldorson. This Silhouette Special Edition category romance was filled with so much anguish!
Two People In Love, But Not Necessarily With Each Other
Colleen had been in love with Erik for years. However, as she stood in her more beautiful cousin’s shadow, Erik lost interest in her. They had briefly dated in the past, but Erik dumped her when he met her much more sophisticated (read: slutty) cousin, Brett.
Erik and Brett become the town’s hottest couple, and soon after they get engaged.
Despite the disinterest, Colleen hangs on like an attached puppy, Erik’s friend, to the end.
The Plot
The story opens with Brett calling off their wedding at the last minute for a promising modeling career across the country. Eager Beaver Colleen is there to help Erik pick up the pieces.
He gets drunk, and they fall into bed together. Naturally, Colleen is a virgin. And naturally, she gets pregnant.
Despite the complications this will cause in the family, Erik proposes, and the two settle into a marriage filled with lots of love: Colleen’s love for Erik and Erik’s love for Colleen’s cousin.
Things take a turn for the worse. And then they go from worse to worst when Brett returns, her tails tucked between her legs as her career didn’t flourish the way she’d planned.
Will Erik take Brett back and forget his commitments to his ball and chain—er, his wife, Colleen?
Final Analysis of My Heart’s Undoing
I wanted to throttle both the hero and the heroine at times. Erik was so stupidly infatuated with a worthless loser like Bret while ignoring a very remarkable woman right before him. And Colleen for being such a prideless hanger-on.
Still, My Heart’s Undoing by Phyllis Halldorson had its angsty moments, which made for a diverting read, particularly towards the end, when things come to a crazy head.
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| Overall: | 3.3 |
Synopsis
Colleen had been in love with Erik Johansen for as long as she could remember. And now, in just forty-eight hours, her green-eyed Viking was getting married to another woman, a beautiful model–her own cousin.
But when her cousin left him stranded at the altar, Colleen was there to pick up the pieces. She knew Erik had always thought of her as a little sister, but this night he needed her. And she had never stopped needing him. In one night of unforgettable passion, their lives were inextricably joined. But suddenly Colleen had a decision to make. Could Erik learn to return her love, or was she tied forever to a man she would never really possess?
My Heart’s Undoing by Phyllis Halldorson