Battling Destiny — Danielle Stewart

Michael Cooper has his life together. He is the successful lawyer all his friends turn to when they find themselves in trouble, and he and his beautiful wife just welcomed their newborn daughter to the world. In just under two years, he went from a cocky bachelor to a quintessential family man with a close-knit group of friends. Yes, Michael Cooper has his life together. Until the news that his father has died forces him to return to his hometown in Ohio. Any feelings of grief and loss over his father are overshadowed by the idea of having to step back into a world he has spent years trying to forget. He knows, all too well, the reach of his mother's manipulation and the grip of his father's spiderweb like empire. It took everything he had to leave Ohio all those years ago and make a life for himself in Edenville, NC. Now, in the wake of his father's death, will he have the strength to leave it all behind again? Will Jules, the one woman who understands him the most, stand by him when the truth about his family comes to light? Can Michael battle the destiny that's been thrust upon him and make his way back to the simple life he's fought so hard to build?