Kali Bailey

“Madison Kate Danvers was murdered tonight.” Those words changed my life, and not for the better. They were wrong, of course. I wasn’t dead. But I was set up. After being charged with a string of offences - and made an example of by my political-minded father - I’m eventually released back into Shadow Grove with one thing on my mind. Hate. Someone is going to pay for derailing my carefully laid-out future. How very convenient that someone just moved into the bedroom down the hall from me.

Roxie’s senior year at Stark Springs Academy is not what she envisioned. She never intended to be privy to Stark’s biggest secrets, but she’s thrown right into the middle of it, whether she wants to carry that burden or not. As Ryker Black’s girlfriend, nothing is simple or straightforward. A ski racer first and foremost, Roxie can’t let the ghosts of Stark Springs Academy distract her from the racecourse. Will she be able to pull it off?

Overnight, Roxie Slade went from an outsider at Stark Springs Academy to a ruler at the prestigious boarding school for elite winter athletes. But Roxie didn’t know if she wanted that power, and she definitely wasn’t sure about sharing it with Ryker Black, who came from a different world and lived by a different set of morals. Ryker may have decided to trust her, but could she trust him? Roxie only cared about her rising position in the ski rankings, but now her status at Stark and within the winter sports community is skyrocketing, whether she asked for it or not.

Welcome to Stark Springs, Colorado, home to the most talented young athletes in the world. When Roxie Slade snaps into a pair of skis, there’s no one on Sugarville Mountain in Vermont who can keep up with her. Still, Roxie was shocked when she received a scholarship to Stark Springs Academy, a boarding school that churns out Olympians in each graduating class. But upon arrival, Roxie discovers that Stark Springs lives under its own set of rules, and it appears one boy plays dictator. Ryker Black is not friendly and Roxie cannot fathom why everyone wants to be his friend.

I’ve made it this far and I’m not about to slow down now. In fact, I’m ready to start breaking some records. With my junior year of college quickly approaching, I know it’s time to step it up a notch if I want to run professionally after I graduate. Hoping for a race day breakthrough, I wonder if it’s actually a mental barrier holding me back - and if so, how am I supposed to confront what I can’t see? Letting my past be my guide, both on and off the trails, I listen to my heart and finally know what it takes to win it all…trust. In Jace and myself.

I thought everything would fall into place when I started college. Instead, everything is falling apart. Uncertain of my coach’s expectations or my place among new cross country teammates, I’m struggling to redefine my running goals and prove myself. My steady relationship with Jace should be a source of comfort, but his unexplained behavior throws everything between us off-track. Running may be the only way to help me get through it, but I’m not running away - not from this new team or from Jace. This freshman is headed for the finish line, and nothing is standing in my way.

Pepper: The best part of a happy ending...finding out it's actually just the beginning. Having someone promise to be by your side, to chase dreams with, whisper troubles to, it's more than I could have imagined. But after three seasons of Jace playing pro ball in Ohio, three long seasons, with him on the road, and me training all over the world, I’m questioning if we can really have it all. Harsh criticism of our relationship is all too familiar and uncovers old wounds. I only ever wanted to run and to be with Jace, and finding the perfect balance proves to be my greatest trial yet.

We pulled the trigger and braced ourselves for the fallout. We were ready for anything. Or so we thought. War revealed our greatest weaknesses, the ones inside of us that we kept hidden. It forced us to face our vulnerabilities, to overcome the battles within that threatened to hold us prisoner. Enemies came in all forms, but so did strength. As a united front, we were unstoppable. Our power came from each other, and our greatest weapon was about to be unleashed.

Hazel Ross had no idea what she’d stepped into that night at my 18th birthday party. I’d waited years for the right moment, and there she was, forcing me to show my cards before it was time. Now she wasn’t only a pawn for our enemies, she had a target on her back. I don’t regret it, even though I should. I could never regret making Hazel mine again. She gave me something real to fight for. It was too late for her to back out now. She was one of us again. And she was about to find out what that meant.

All I wanted was a little trouble. Okay, so, maybe, choosing Cruz Donovan’s 18th birthday party wasn’t the way to go about it. Three years ago, I fell for him. I thought he fell for me, too. But when he broke it off, he took my heart, and as if that wasn’t enough, he took my best friends, too. They aren’t the same boys I knew before high school started.