The Color of Winter by Lisa Shapiro

In a world that glorifies the mind but stifles the spirit, two women struggle to live on their own terms...

Haunted by ghosts of the past, Dr. Sandra Ross, 51, seeks safety in the conventions and conformity of academia. Newly appointed to the History Department at University of California - Berkeley, she becomes faculty advisor to 29-year-old Jay Hope, the rebellious daughter of wealthy philanthopists.

Jay's inheritance is contingent upon her receiving a college degree befopre she turns 31, and her powerful mother will do everything she can to ensure that Jay plays by her rules. But Jay has other plans...