Beneath a Northern Sky - Northern Beginnings Series, #1

Second Chances aren't always easy... especially if they're forbidden. ShannonTwo years ago, I lost the love of my life, Cody Williams. We were best friends--we'd dated for nearly a year. But after my mother and Cody's father announced their engagement, she forced me to break up with Cody and sent me to Illinois to live with my father and attend college. Her excuse? Dating my soon-to-be stepbrother couldn't happen. It's taboo.  Unfortunately, life with my estranged father was as brutal as it had been with my mother.
My dad changed over the years, and not for the better. I didn't know how sick he was until I found him hanging from his closet. I'm an emotional mess, and now, my mother is forcing me to return to Michigan, back to where he is. This summer, Cody's dad and my mother are getting married, and I'll have no choice but to face my past.   Unfortunately, the crap doesn't end there. I enrolled at Northern Michigan University just an hour away from Cody, biding my time until I'm free of my mother's hold.  His best friend from high school, Brent Duray, attends NMU, too.
If you can believe it, my new roommate Lacey is Brent's girlfriend. How's that for fate, karma, or freaking meant-to-be? Duray is determined to introduce me to the social life here by playing matchmaker, but he's gone too far. After his frat brother bailed on our blind date, guess who he set me up with? Cody Damnit, I'm going to kick my best friend's ass. What the hell was Duray thinking when he set me up on a blind date with my high school girlfriend--a.k.a. my soon-to-be stepsister? After spending my summer interning in Germany, the last thing I needed was to return to Michigan Tech and have the asshat pull his matchmaking crap.
I don't need this shit. I dumped my ex, Janna, because she was a world-class clinger and our relationship felt like prison. The last thing I need is to deal with another shitshow.  It's more complicated with Shannon. Our past is messy, and I didn't break ties with her as easily as I could with Janna. I suppose after Dad and her mom marry, I'll have no choice but to suck it up. She's as gorgeous now as she was then, but she's changed.
Since her dad's death, she's more reserved. Understandable, except something happened while she lived in Illinois. She refuses to talk to anyone about it. Why do I care? She broke up with me, right? I should give her a double dose of the middle finger and move on with my life. I can't. Seeing her again made me realize I still love her. I never stopped. Because of our parents' engagement, she thinks our relationship is taboo.
I say bullshit. We dated before my dad and her mother. I'll just have to convince her to get over it and realize we belong together. *This coming of age/new adult novel contains adult language and sexual situations not suitable for readers under 18. TRIGGER WARNINGS: Rape, sexual abuse, adult situations, and langage. **This storyline is a continuation of Shannon and Cody's YA adventure in Spirit of the Northwoods.
While this book is a standalone, it might be helpful to read their beginning.