The Family Way

Tabor Heights Year One #4

by Michelle L. Levigne

Everything is going right for Lisa. Her comic strip is becoming a book, and she is pregnant -- finally, her critical father-in-law will admit she is a good wife.

Todd comes home in a foul mood and destroys her happy announcement with: "Is it mine?"

He tries to make things right, but everything he does only worsens Lisa's pain because he has never learned to apologize. Their marriage disintegrates, until his own sisters urge Lisa to leave him. Todd slowly, painfully learns to face family secrets, and break free of his father's poisonous influence.

Lisa knows she must forgive and learn to love Todd again, even as she wonders why. Todd never loved her, so why try to make their marriage work?

Kindle Edition

First published January 29, 2010

About the author

Michelle has been a book addict since picking up 'The Cat in the Hat'.

She started writing her own stories in junior high, when TV shows didn't turn out like she thought they should. Her first rejection letter came the summer after high school graduation, her first published story was in connection with fan fiction, and her first sale was in the Writers of the Future anthology.

With a BA in theater/English and an MA in Communications, focused on film and writing, she has worked for a local newspaper, then in advertising, and now works as a freelance editor. She is published in multiple sub-genres of romance, as well as SF and fantasy. Awards include multiple finals in the EPIC Awards competition and winning in 2006 and 2010, and finalist in the Realm Awards.

"Universes" include the Commonwealth (SF), The Hunt (Fantasy), The Zygradon Chronicles (Arthurian fantasy), The Faxinor Chronicles (Fantasy/romance), Guardians of the Time Stream (Steam punk), Neighborlee, Ohio (Fantasy), AFV Defender (SF adventure), Tabor Heights (Inspirational romance) and Quarry Hall (Women's fiction/adventure).

Reviews

[Nikki ღ Navareus · Rating 2 out of 5]

***TWO STARS***
I've been on and angst kick lately, so I downloaded a bunch of angsty reads and started this one first. I didn’t realize this was a totally religious story until I was a ways into it (wasn't branded as one that I could tell), or I’d have skipped it all together because that genre really isn’t my thing. That being said, the bit of angst in the beginning of this kept me reading it until the ending to find out what happened.

This story starts out with Lisa, the “too perfect” little wife who spoils her husband Todd rotten, and babies him ridiculously, all the while getting completely taken for granted by her indifferent husband. Lisa suspects she’s pregnant and decides to make this fabulous dinner celebration, and plans to do the pregnancy test together with Todd when he gets home. The problems start when she lets Todd in on the news of her possible pregnancy, and instead of being excited with this news, he acts like a dick and asks her if the baby is really his.

See what I mean? Perfect angst to get a story started off right. Todd has been coddled by Lisa for their entire marriage. And he doesn’t respect his wife at all. He never calls when he says he will, never follows through on promises to her, and he never does anything special for her (even on Valentine’s Day). Todd just expects Lisa to keep on kissing his ass 24/7.

Todd’s dad is a real piece of work too. He’s abrasive and despicably nasty to everybody he comes in contact with, but especially so to Lisa. She can do nothing right in his eyes, and he’s constantly talking negatively about her to her face, as well as talking shit about Lisa to Todd behind her back. He pretty much detests everything about Lisa.

Things just get worse from there between Lisa and Todd. Because of all of Todd’s father’s meddling, distance forms in Lisa’s and Todd’s relationship. Things fall apart between the two and eventually Lisa decides to give up on her marriage and move out. Lisa moves her stuff into a new apartment (with the help of Todd’s sisters who all take Lisa’s side. They all think Todd’s an ass and they all pretty much hate their dad).

Todd seems confused about how his world has plummeted and can’t figure out why Lisa is pulling away from his dick behavior and not putting up with his shit anymore. Finally he decides he will try to start treating her better and surprise her by moving her into a house she’s wanted to live in forever.

But Lisa refuses to have anything to do with Todd at this point. I felt really bad for Todd through most of this story. He was only the way he was because of how he was raised by his dad, but everybody in town and in his family turned against him and worked against him, without ever helping him resolve anything with his wife. He wanted to change and wanted to make her happy again, but was truly lost about what to do next, and even the efforts he did make were totally ridiculed and ignored. To me it felt like everybody just wanted blood from Todd for being the spoiled son he’d always been in his life and now that he was finally brought to his knees, everybody was happy to see his world come crashing down around him. Eventually, after much help from the church pastor/marriage counselor, there finally is a happy ending between these two, and and the evil Father in Law is dealt with. I’m not sure whether this story didn’t do it for me because of the overbearing religious theme, or if it was just because Lisa was such a butthead (along with everybody else) to Todd through the whole story.

[Fyrephoenix · Rating 1 out of 5]

Does anyone ever edit their books anymore? So many mistakes. Sheesh. And the story....don't get me started. Had I known I'd be drowning in God when I started this I would have bailed right away. I hope young women do not read this as some sort of relationship advice. Just Ick

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story about forgiveness.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was fascinating where the abusive FIL is a key role, while the married couple fights to save their marriage despite him. It was well written and kept me reading the whole story.

[Shawna Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a great deal. It reminded me of our early years of marriage when my husband and I were trying to forge our identity apart from our parents. Fortunately neither of us had to put up with any family members like Lisa's father-in-law, but I do recall a fight over whether or not it was considered bad taste to register multiple colors of bath towels -- a difference in how we were raised.

This book made me nervous at times, b/c I wasn't sure how it was going to work out. And sometimes I wasn't sure I wanted it to work out. Michelle kept me on the edge. She also did a great job in fully exploring human nature and the modes of behavior we often default to when we feel we've been wronged. The characters in this book were an excellent balance - no one too perfect, or too flawed -- which delivered a spiritual message that wasn't just truthful, but also touching. Sometimes these two don't go hand in hand, and I applaud her for this ability.

What I absolutely delighted in while reading this book was the interaction of the characters with those in Michelle's other Tabor Heights novels. It makes you feel like you're bumping into old friends. I definitely recommend The Family Way, as well as the other books in the Tabor Heights series.

And if you're curious, after 18 yrs of marriage we have quite the assortment of colored bath towels, and are happy just to have something to dry off with.