Review: All Played Out by Cora Carmack

All Played Out (Rusk University #3) by Cora Carmack
Published: May 12, 2015 by William Morrow & Company
Source: Purchased ebook

First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.
Straight A’s? CHECK.
On track to graduate early? CHECK.
Social life? …..yeah, about that….

With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay... Scratch that. She knows she hasn't had the full college experience).

So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a "to do" list of normal college activities.

Item #1? Hook up with a jock.

Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it's impossible to get hurt... again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.

Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she's never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he's willing to take the chance when it's more than just a game.

Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real. [goodreads]

I am a total fangirl when it comes to this series.  I read the first book earlier this year and couldn't wait to get my hands on the next.  The third installment in the Rusk University series did not disappoint!  These books have become my go-to when I am in need of something flirtatious and addicting.  Each one has delivered in that regard and I can not recommend them enough.

Nell was first introduced as Dylan's roommate in the second novel.  Though I didn't get a good feel for her then, I just saw her as the studious type who was more focused on studying than anything else.  Mateo (or Torres, depending on who is referencing him) has been a side character in the previous novels as well.  Always being portrayed as the life of the party, the jokester, the not so serious type.  Or I should say, the exact opposite of everything Nell's character is.  As Nell is finishing up her last semester of college (taking early graduation, I might add), she feels a bit of disconnect with the whole "college life" persona.  Before she takes on the big world, she wants to experience a few things first.  As she's attempting to mark her first item off the list, she's encountered by Mateo.  He's immediately attracted to her and wants in on the fun that she's up to.

Though their characters are polar opposites, I really enjoyed how their attraction to each other stuck like magnets.  While Mateo aided in supplying Nell with her own college experiences, she also opened up some old wounds that Mateo thought had been long healed.  As I've come to expect in this series, there is always a heavy does of physical interaction between the two main characters, producing quite a bit of heat.  But there's also an underlining story, one that takes time to surface, peeking at just the right moment.  Cora Carmack delivers another un-put-downable performance with this one, securing her spot as one of my favorite New Adult romance authors.

A Rusk University Review: All Lined Up & All Broke Down by Cora Carmack

All Lined Up (Rusk University #1) by Cora Carmack
Published: May 13, 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Source: Purchased ebook

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel. [goodreads]

All Broke Down (Rusk University #2) by Cora Carmack
Published: October 28, 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Source: Purchased ebook

In this second book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack s New Adult, Texas-set Rusk University series, which began with All Lined Up, a young woman discovers that you can't only fight for what you believe in... sometimes you have to fight for what you love.

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians you name it, she's probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He's in for a different kind of fighting. And though he's arrogant and infuriating, she can't help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it's trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He's met girls like her before fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn't think he's broken, and he definitely doesn't need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about: his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all. [goodreads]

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I am usually a hit or miss when it comes to New Adult novels.  I've attempted to read quite a few, but unfortunately have to DNF them because either the story falls flat, or the writing falls flat.  I was weary beginning this new series by Cora Carmack for similar reasons, but after the push to read it from some very trusted reader friends, I decided to give it a try.  And I am so glad I did!  The Rusk University books are definitely among my favorites that I've read in NA.  The stories are addicting, and the writing feeds that addiction with just enough to keep me coming back for more.

The setting takes place at Rusk University, a fictional college campus located in Texas with a football team that adds a lot of fuel to this otherwise middle of the road school.  Picture Friday Night Lights meets college life and you've got yourself an image that is definitely hard to resist.  

All Lined Up follows the story of Dallas, daughter of the college football team head coach.  She's followed his rules and regulations her entire life, never truly listening to her own heart when it comes to what she wants.  But then she meets Carson and it becomes impossible to ignore the feelings swirling in her stomach, threatening to break free if she doesn't act on them.  I loved the solid story we were able to see as the chapters rotated between Dallas and Carson, giving the reader a closer look at what makes these two tick.  I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning, cheering them on to seek what their hearts most desire personally and emotionally.

All Broke Down shifts gears a bit and introduces us to a new character, Dylan, a spunky girl who is active in doing good for others, yet falling short to ever take care of her own needs and wants first.  But it's Silas, someone we saw a few glimpses of in the first novel, that completely stole the scene for me.  He is broken and tragic, which could have definitely sunk this novel into DNF territories.  Yet it did the complete opposite for me.  I found myself sneaking in pages throughout my day, constantly thinking of this story, wondering what will happen next and will these two characters come out the other side together.

If you're on the fence about New Adult novels, never sure of where to start, I definitely recommend the Rusk University series.  The third book will be out later this year, one I definitely want to get my hands on ASAP.  Sometimes you just need a novel that will cause you to ignore some every day responsibilities, pulling you into a fictional world full of emotion and so much irresistible passion.

Losing It by Cora Carmack

Losing It by Cora Carmack
Published: December 5, 2012 by HarperCollins
Source: Purchased ebook from B&N

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe.

And as if that weren’t embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She’d left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier. [goodreads]

I had seen this novel popping up on a lot of blogs, tweets, and goodreads pages.  So much that it left me curious as to what it was about.  After that summary, it definitely sounded like something I would want to read.  I'm a fan of all types of contemporary -- whether that be young adult, new adult, or adult.  Throw in a hot British dude, and I am sold.

Bliss feels like the last twenty-two year old virgin among her peers, which sets the tone for where you think this novel is going.  I found her voice to be humorous at just the right moments, keeping those awkward moments funny, yet carrying the scene through into the next.  There were certain elements about her character that I could identify with, especially the unease of almost finishing college and not knowing what comes next.

When Bliss's friend forces her out of her shell, she ends up in a bar on a mission to lose her virginity with an unknown companion.  As soon as Bliss meets Garrick, it was evident that these two would have chemistry.  She saw something in him that she hadn't noticed in another guy before.  There was an instant attraction coming from both sides, that was hard to resist.  His British charm was enduring, a little overdone in some parts, but not enough to turn me off from the story.

What is meant to be a one night stand turns into a nightmare for Bliss, definitely something they can laugh about later, but in the meantime creates a world of anxiety for her.  Once they both realize who the other is, it sends the story into a series of tension filled moments, set amongst the back drop of college life and the theater world.  The focus of the story is about Bliss and Garrick and their almost relationship, but it tends to detour a little in parts, causing certain scenes to drag the story down.  I understood the purpose of throwing in a bit of conflict, but to be honest I just wanted more scenes with Garrick present.

In the end this story wraps up the way you predict it to, but I was still pleased with it.  Bliss may be focused on losing it from the beginning, but in the end she learns it's more than just losing her virginity -- she has to be ready to lose her heart to love as well.