Stark Springs Academy

De: Ali Dean

Narrado por: Leanne Woodward

Duración: 18 h y 28 m

Resumen del Editor

It’s not a place for the weak.

No one here tolerates wimps.

If you can’t handle it, leave.

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. Not even the boys. Still, Roxie was shocked when she received a scholarship to Stark Springs Academy, a boarding school that churns out Olympians in each graduating class. Entering as a high school junior, Roxie can’t wait to learn from renowned coaches and train with the fastest ski racers from all over the globe. 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. Sure, he’s gorgeous and rides a snowboard like it’s his fifth limb, but he’s cold, ruthless, and holds way too much power over the Stark Springs population. Roxie won’t put up with it. She’s here to train, and she doesn’t care about impressing anyone off the slopes. The only problem? Ryker Black doesn’t permit defiance. Not without consequences.

This boxed set contains all three books in the best-selling boarding school sports romance series: Black Diamond, Double Black, and Black Ice.

©2017 Ali Dean (P)2022 Ali Dean

Bully's

Wow – what a series! I am not sure that I have ever read a series where I went from loving a character one minute to hating them the next! I have to remember that these are high school kids, so their behavior will be somewhat immature! The storyline is well written and takes you through the junior and senior year in the life of a skier and snowboarder. Roxie is an up-and-coming potential hopeful for skiing, she is awed by the way things are done at Stark Springs Academy. Who heard of a student being the one actually in charge? Ryder is this student who has everything in the palm of his hand. Everyone is afraid of him (even the adults) and he decides who can be in his little posse.

Roxie has gotten under Ryder’s skin and throughout the series, I believe that sometimes Roxie thinks to much about the future as a 17-year-old – she didn’t know how to have fun and was thinking about marriage and children when her and Ryder first started seeing each other.

Lots of drama, angst, deception, betrayal, mystery, twists and turns, revelations, and SECRETS! I did enjoy this series and look forward to reading more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Sexy, Harlequin Presents type of rich, alpha hero

This box set of the Stark Springs Academy series is a convenient way to experience all three books in this highly entertaining, YA series, which focuses on three things: winter sports, romance, and a suspense subplot. The events of these books take place across a time period of about a year and a half. I had previously read all three books in Kindle format when they were first released a few years ago, and I recently experienced them again in the recently released Audible audiobook version of this box set. The talented voice artist who narrates this series, Leanne Woodward, does an excellent job with both male and female voices of all ages and multiple different regional accents.

At the start of Book 1, seventeen-year-old rising junior, Roxie Slade, has become a champion ski racer in an extremely expensive sport in her home town of Sugarville Mountain, Vermont. But there is only so far she can go in her sport without a great deal more money than her middle-class parents can afford to send her to important competitions. Until, amazingly, she receives the enormous windfall of a full-ride scholarship to the prestigious Stark Springs Academy, an exclusive boarding school in the gorgeous Colorado mountains. It caters to elite, winter-sports athletes and is world famous for regularly fostering Olympians. Roxie will be receiving training from renowned coaches and offered the opportunity, all expenses paid, to compete in prominent skiing competitions in the US, Canada, and Europe.

Unfortunately, soon after she arrives, she comes under the domineering attention of gorgeous, 18-year-old senior, Ryker Black, an incredibly skilled snowboarder. For some mysterious reason, he acts as if he is the dictator of the school, and he is determined to bring Roxie under his thumb.

This fun, YA, sports-romance series has more than a little flavor of a Harlequin Presents novel, with its ultra rich, alpha, romance hero. Though the main plot centers, as is this author’s brand, on a gutsy heroine who is an elite athlete, there is a touch of romantic suspense in a crucial subplot, as well as enough focus on the enticing chemistry between Roxie and Ryker to satisfy avid fans of YA romance.

The entire series, as is typical for YA novels, is written entirely in the first-person point of view of Roxie. In order to enjoy the complete arc of Roxie’s adventures, it is important to read all three books, in order, and this box set is the ideal way to accomplish that.

I rate this series as follows:

Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Sports Plot: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Suspense Plot: 4 stars
Setting: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Audiobook Narration: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

Good

This was a pretty fun boxed set. The characters were relatable, and I really enjoyed listening to the story.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A Sports Romance with A Great Story and Wonderful Couple!

Thank you to Ali Dean and Booksprout for allowing me to listen to a copy of this series. I loved seeing Roxy and Ryker's relationship blossom, and how they tackled what they faced. The arcs that each character went through was amazing, and I am sad to see these characters go. Highly recommend giving this series a listen or a read.

Love Ryker and Roxie

This was my first book by Ali and I'm in love with her imagination, writing and plot. The characters and chemistry were so amazing and drew me in right from the start. Looking forward to more books by Ali.

Really Enjoyed this series! Worth the credit!

What an amazing collection of books! I can’t believe all the action, suspense and drama included in here. I loved that this is set in the skiing community. I really felt like I was going down those hills with these characters!

Many, Many, MANY times I have disliked Ryker in here! It took me a LONG time to wrap my heard around this type of characters. He is a strong mental and physical guy. Roxie is one I liked from the beginning and always wanted the best for her. There are a ton of secondary characters. Some I liked and others I did not. They all added to the story and become more involved as the story rolls along

This is three book for one credit and I highly recommend this series. I loved the stories, characters and of course all the skiing/snowboarding! I did listen to this on audio. The narrator dies an excellent job on reading this to me.

Ali Dean Does Not Disappoint

I'm a huge fan of Ali Dean books. I also love billy romances, so this one was a no brainer. It was so good. A little YA for my typical taste, due to lack of smexy scenes, but overall a solidly good listen.

I love how the characters start out hating each other, then listening to the characters develop overtime. Ali does a great job writing the awkwardness of youth, so it feels real. Seriously, I recommend reading this one.

LOVE THIS SERIES

I can re-read Ali Dean’s books over and over, and Stark Springs is one of my favorites! She writes such a strong, female heroine and Roxie is *chef’s kiss*

This trilogy has everything I’m looking for. If you want your romance with a little suspense and a lot of sports, this is definitely the series for you!

Great Start To New Series!

Black Diamond is an entertaining start to the Stark Springs Academy series. I loved the characters in this book and the drama and craziness of the academy is addicting and kept me turning the pages. Can't wait till I start book 2 today!

tangled webs

What a collection of crazy people all in one series. The fact that they can rationalize their crazy is astounding. Angst, drama llamas, entitled rich, mean girls, and a jock with a brain and a solid head on his shoulders . I liked seeing Ryker grow throughout the stories. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a good job.