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.
Title: All Played Out (Rusk University #3)
Author: Cora Carmack
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Publication Date: May 12, 2015
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I want to thank William Morrow for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.
I'm a huge Cora Carmack fan. I've read every book she's published and I don't plan to stop. So given the opportunity to review any of her books, well, you can imagine I jump right on it. And I knew this installment of the Rusk University series was going to be amazing. I wasn't wrong!
From the get go I loved Mateo Torres. Who couldn't love a guy who liked to take his clothes off in any situation? He's full of humor, which makes him that much more sexy. And of course he's a football player, so, yeah, what more could you want? But he's also got this sensitive side that you never saw coming. When I first met him in All Lined Up, I knew there was more to him than meets the eye. I wasn't wrong. He's so much deeper than anyone could have imagined.
And in steps Antonella Deluca. Nell is totally unexpected. The girl who has her whole life mapped out and then realizes that perhaps she might be missing out. So what does any good nerd do? They make a list. And Nell's list is nothing if not interesting. From partying to having mind blowing sex, she wants to experience life before she starts her neatly planned life. What she wasn't expecting was one guy named Mateo Torres who seems to be the opposite of anything and everything she knows. He's crass and uninhibited. Nell is absolutely my favorite female Carmack character to date. Probably because I could relate to her so well. Much of my college years were spent worrying about lists and checking things off!
As always, Cramack gives each character a uniqueness you might not expect. And she creates a story that's not only about college life and football, but also about what happens after graduation and where people see their lives going.
I love that Nell and Torres are kind of thrown together. They are pretty much total opposites, but it seems to work for them. And you can tell they never expected each other, or to fall for each other. Torres has been a player, but Nell changes how he thinks. And Nell's life has been mapped out, not including a tornado of a guy who throws her entire life into a loop.
Of course both characters carry their baggage. Though I thought Mateo's baggage was a little more hefty than Nell's. He was much more broken by the events that happened in his life. His story had my heart aching. I wanted to wrap him up and take all his pain away. To fill his voids and show him what a wonderful person he really is. But he didn't need me for that because Nell filled that roll perfectly.
And this wouldn't be a Rusk book if we didn't see the other characters reappear. What a great supporting cast. I want each and every one of their stories. I hope Cora gives them to us!
I don't know how Cora does it. Each story gets better and better. Ok, I will say that Silas still has my heart. But Torres has certainly pushed his way in and made a nest there. Carmack has created a sweet and sexy read that leaves out all the angst you often feel with new adult romance.
If you're looking for a great romantic read that will have you turning the pages so fast you'll be sorry when you're done, then this is the one!
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. 
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