We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Cora Carmack’s ALL PLAYED OUT! ALL PLAYED OUT is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is the 3rd book in the Rusk University Series, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.
All Played Out Review/Excerpt Tour
May 7
May 8
May 9
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 16
About ALL PLAYED OUT:
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.
And don’t miss the first two books in the Rusk University Series…
ALL LINED UP, Book 1
ALL BROKE DOWN, Book 2
About Cora Carmack:
Cora Carmack is a twenty-something
New York Times bestselling author 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 now splits her time between Austin, TX and New York City and spends her days writing, traveling, and spending way too much time on the internet. In her books, you can expect to find humor, heart, and a whole lot of awkward. Because let’s face it . . . awkward people need love, too.
Review:
Quite frankly I don't even know where to start. This was good. So so good. My first reaction was that this was probably the best Carmack book so far. But then, I can't really say that AGAIN, since I say that after every single book of hers... And after thinking about it, I still believe this is one of her best works so far.
The thing about Carmack is that in my opinion her writing is getting better. I mean I don't know how she does it but it just does. I loved her writing style from the first book, and I am totally one of her stalker readers.. ok don't worry I mean that in the most harmless way possible. I refer to the fact that I check her twitter regularly, I follow her on basically every social network site she is on. Even on Instagram - which is quite an admission to my stalker issues with her, since I usually only follow people whose photography I fangirl over on IG... I actually blame this solely on Carmack, by the way. Having met her at BEA 2014 has cemented my adoration, she is one of the nicest people I've met there. And let me tell you, most of the peps at BEA were seriously nice- so yeah, I am a total fangirl. Now what does that have to do with her books or this book? Well, I have very high expectations. Since All Lined up is one of my favorite books ever, and well I expected this one to be good. Very good. And you know what? The thing that shocked me so much? All Played Out exceeded my expectation BY MILES. Carmack somehow managed to get even better, so much better again.
This is mostly due to the great character building. The group of dudes are just swoon worthy, mean each and everyone of them is just super hot. But Carmack doesn't rely on their cocky hotness, she infuses each one with quirks and faults - just the right amount that makes you wanna be part of the group. And more importantly, you feel like you know them. And she doesn't rest on her lawrels when it comes to characters from previous books- nope she makes one see a different angle to them, a different side..
And you all know I am a total sucker for character driven novels. So Carmack has me there.
The story line is cute and fluffy. You know you romance with it's quirks. I read each book of this series in on sitting. It's entertaining and easy to read. And when you done you just want more.
A quick not to the style of this, this sorta written around Nell's to do list. Which adds a really quirky amusing note to the book. Especially if you a list writing geek like moi. I seriously found myself laughing at some her items, even more so because I know would be capable of writing it myself. Total stroke of genius by Carmack!
But actually all this is not what always surprises me. No it actually is that; somehow Carmack takes a fun and entertaining cute and fluffy storyline adds a bunch of amazing and realistic characters and adds surprising depths to it. After reading this series I find myself moved by the aspects she touches and I find myself pondering about much more than just the super cute side of them. What else can we ask for? Not much quite frankly. Just that Carmack should keep writing!
A must read in 2015!
Rating: 
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Excerpt:
“I can’t believe I’m about to do this. I’ve gone crazy. You’ve made me
crazy.”
Torres’s hand lingers at my waist for a long moment before he does what he’s supposed to and helps boost me up onto the base of the Rusk statue that we talked about at breakfast a few days ago. The base alone comes about as high as my chest, and I never could have gotten up without him. Or a ladder. The statue’s pose is reminiscent of the Lincoln Memorial, with Rusk sitting down, only his hand is open and stretched out, and that’s where I’m heading. If I can manage to climb all the way up without falling and breaking my neck. When Texas was an independent republic, Rusk served first as secretary of war and later the Supreme Court chief justice. And when Texas became a state he was elected as one of its first senators.
And now I’m honoring his memory by doing my best to climb up into his lap like he’s some giant bronze Santa Claus. I step up on his foot and try to haul myself up onto his knee, but I have a pitiful amount of upper-body strength. As in … basically none. I jump, hoping that might help, but I only end up clutching ridiculously at the knee, unable to pull myself up but too afraid to let myself drop for fear that I might twist my ankle landing on the statue’s foot.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” Torres says, having hopped up behind me with zero assistance. Then his hands are on my ass, and he’s pushing me up onto the knee.
“Did you suggest we do this just so you could grope me?” I call down to him.
“Unexpected benefits.”
Carefully, I climb to my feet, holding on to Rusk’s outstretched arm to keep me steady. Then, after one deep breath, I scramble my way onto his large bronze arm and shimmy my way down into his hand. I sit in his palm, and have to hang one leg over each side. My thighs are a bit too large to fit comfortably, so I feel like I’m wedged into his hand. And one look down at Torres’s grinning face tells me what an idiot I am.
I’m straddling the statue’s hand.
And while it’s holding my weight just fine, there’s no way I don’t look ludicrous. And probably a little lewd.
“Most people don’t actually sit in his hand, do they?”
“It’s the knee for most people, true.”
“Torres!”
“What? I figured go big or go home. Besides … it’s pretty fucking hot.”
“I’m going to kill you as soon as I get down from here.” I start trying to shift myself out of the hand, but my butt really is entirely too large for this thing.
“No! Wait,” he says. “Let me jump down and get a picture. You’re up there already. Might as well make the most of it.”
I try to scowl at him. But it is pretty funny when you think of it. And it will make a good picture. When my brother and I were growing up, Leo’s room had been covered in stuff like this. Photos with friends. He had a big stop sign on his wall that he and his friends had stolen God only knows how. He had souvenirs from places they’d been and things they’d done. Nothing crazy because we weren’t quite well off enough to travel or anything. But little things that meant something to him even if they didn’t matter to anyone else.
Memories.
I had trophies. Medals. Certificates. Those were my memories. But no one takes those kinds of things to college with them. You’re supposed to pack them away in boxes because as soon as you graduate, they don’t really matter anymore.
But now… I have this.
While Torres descends, I look out at campus. It’s dark, but there are streetlamps dotting the sidewalk. Noble Library is a few blocks over, and is still open, but otherwise the university seems abandoned. The statue is in the middle of a grassy courtyard, surrounded by old oaks trees that have probably been growing since the university was founded back in the late 1800s.
It’s peaceful and beautiful, and it occurs to me that I’ve never just sat somewhere on campus and looked. There’s always been somewhere to go or something to do, and I’ve never taken the time. I lean back on my hands and breathe in the night, and when Torres calls for me to look at him, my smile is wide and genuine.
“Come on! Get crazy,” he says.
I throw my hands up and smile even bigger. He laughs and snaps another picture on his phone.
“You’re a real wild one, Antonella De Luca.”
Then something occurs to me, and my stomach tumbles with nerves and a surprising feeling of exhilaration. Can I check two things off my list with this late-night adventure? Can I actually be a little wild for a change? I think about Torres’s words. You’re up there already. Might as well make the most of it. I take a deep breath, shift to sit on my knees, and wait for Torres to slip his phone back in his pocket.
Then I call, “Hey, Mateo!”
When he looks up, his eyes questioning, I gather my courage and the hem of my shirt and lift it up for one, two, three seconds. Then I tug it back down, keeping my eyes squeezed shut because I’m too scared to see his face.
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