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.
Title: All Lined Up (Rusk University #1)
Author: Cora Carmack
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Publication Date: May 13, 2014
RATING: 5/5 STARS
THE COVER CONTESSA'S REVIEW:
So I've really been into new adult contemporary lately. Actually, YA contemporary, too. For a long while I was going through this slump where whenever I read one, I got annoyed and disliked it. So, when given the chance to read this book, I jumped at it. Not only did I know that I love Carmack's writing (Did you read Losing It?) but I just couldn't pass up a story that involved college football. You see, I went to college in Ohio and out there, wow, college football is amazing. Everyone worships it. So I knew I would connect with this story, and I was not mistaken.
Enter Dallas. She's stating college. Sure, not where she wants to be, she really wants to dance. But given the fact that her father is a little protective and that he really doesn't believe in her dancing ability (thinks it's just something she does to pass the time) she wasn't getting what she wanted. So off to Rusk she goes, where she tries to blend in and not stick out as the football coaches daughter (like she did in high school). She's determined to make her own name for herself, so she tried not to let on who she is. I love that Dallas is strong, but she's also broken. She's had things happen in the past that she buries deep inside, not letting them out. And it causes her to be a bit shut down from others. She's irrational at times, which is typical of characters in new adult books. But she's also sensitive and funny and fun.
Enter Carson. He and Dallas meet accidentally at a party as she's trying to escape the clutches of another guy. And immediately there's a tension between them that's palpable. There's an attraction that is white hot with fire. But Carson has his own secrets, and he's determined not to let a girl get in his way of making his dream a reality. You see, Carson is a football player but he's not the star. And he needs to focus so he can work his way up the ladder and shine. He's put aside romance to do so. And Carson is holy hotness, hot. He's sweet and funny and totally caring.
And the secondary characters are just awesome. They completely compliment the main characters. Friends that offer companionship and a shoulder to cry on, what more could they want. And then there are the parents, particularly Dallas' father. He's so stern and tough. He's determined to excel and he'll do pretty much anything to get there, even ignoring his daughter's needs. But he, too, is broken, by the disappearance of Dallas' mother.
The thing I love so much about Carmack is that she makes her characters totally relatable. They don't have this huge secrets that no one would ever have. I was immediately empathetic to both Carson and Dallas. They provided such realistic emotions it was hard not to just want to hug them both, them shove them at each other. I also love that Carmack doesn't take the typical bad boy route with her character. This is nothing bad about Carson. He's all good. He's not sleeping around he's, not fighting, he's just determined to make sure his life goes int he right direction. And Dallas is a bit broken, but she's like Carson, determined to direct her life the way she wants it to go.
And, while the romance was a huge part of the story, it wasn't all about the sex and what happens physically between the characters. There was a ton of emotional growth where the characters really learned about each other and each other's needs.
Carmack's pace is just perfect. There wasn't a time I wanted to put this book down (obviously since I finished it the day I started it). I finished it and wanted to pick it right back up to read it again. It was funny and heart warming, it wrenched at my heart, but also brought it right back around to wanting to burst out of my chest with love.
Lovers of Jennifer Armentrout's Wait for You series and Kasie Wets' The Distance Between Us will find Carmack's story right up their alley.
Enter Dallas. She's stating college. Sure, not where she wants to be, she really wants to dance. But given the fact that her father is a little protective and that he really doesn't believe in her dancing ability (thinks it's just something she does to pass the time) she wasn't getting what she wanted. So off to Rusk she goes, where she tries to blend in and not stick out as the football coaches daughter (like she did in high school). She's determined to make her own name for herself, so she tried not to let on who she is. I love that Dallas is strong, but she's also broken. She's had things happen in the past that she buries deep inside, not letting them out. And it causes her to be a bit shut down from others. She's irrational at times, which is typical of characters in new adult books. But she's also sensitive and funny and fun.
Enter Carson. He and Dallas meet accidentally at a party as she's trying to escape the clutches of another guy. And immediately there's a tension between them that's palpable. There's an attraction that is white hot with fire. But Carson has his own secrets, and he's determined not to let a girl get in his way of making his dream a reality. You see, Carson is a football player but he's not the star. And he needs to focus so he can work his way up the ladder and shine. He's put aside romance to do so. And Carson is holy hotness, hot. He's sweet and funny and totally caring.
And the secondary characters are just awesome. They completely compliment the main characters. Friends that offer companionship and a shoulder to cry on, what more could they want. And then there are the parents, particularly Dallas' father. He's so stern and tough. He's determined to excel and he'll do pretty much anything to get there, even ignoring his daughter's needs. But he, too, is broken, by the disappearance of Dallas' mother.
The thing I love so much about Carmack is that she makes her characters totally relatable. They don't have this huge secrets that no one would ever have. I was immediately empathetic to both Carson and Dallas. They provided such realistic emotions it was hard not to just want to hug them both, them shove them at each other. I also love that Carmack doesn't take the typical bad boy route with her character. This is nothing bad about Carson. He's all good. He's not sleeping around he's, not fighting, he's just determined to make sure his life goes int he right direction. And Dallas is a bit broken, but she's like Carson, determined to direct her life the way she wants it to go.
And, while the romance was a huge part of the story, it wasn't all about the sex and what happens physically between the characters. There was a ton of emotional growth where the characters really learned about each other and each other's needs.
Carmack's pace is just perfect. There wasn't a time I wanted to put this book down (obviously since I finished it the day I started it). I finished it and wanted to pick it right back up to read it again. It was funny and heart warming, it wrenched at my heart, but also brought it right back around to wanting to burst out of my chest with love.
Lovers of Jennifer Armentrout's Wait for You series and Kasie Wets' The Distance Between Us will find Carmack's story right up their alley.
Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Losing It series. ***Please note: I am rarely on goodreads, so if you're trying to get a hold of me, the best places to find me are Twitter, Facebook, my blog, Instagram, and via email (coracarmack(at)gmail(dot)com).
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