All Played Out
Author : Cora Carmack
Series : Rusk University
Genres : Romance, New Adult
Publication : May 12th 2015 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Synopsis : 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.
I really enjoyed this book ! My favorite is still All Broke Down and Silas, but this one was also a good one !
Plot
The formula is pretty simple. A football player, who loves to hook up with a lot of girls, and a serious student, who happens to be a virgin.
Nothing original here. But the author has a way to make it VERY addictive.
Mateo’s POV is more interesting than what I was expecting ! He is hiding a deep wound that hasn’t healed properly. How he feels inferior to everyone, how he feels he can only fools around, thanks to his ex girlfriend.
He is more fragile than he seems and hides behind his humor. He is lonely, especially now that his friends are in serious relationships.
Making a stupid decision doesn’t make you stupid. Just as making a smart decision doesn’t necessarily make someone smart.
I have to say that my favorite Rusk University’s book is All Broke Down and that it probably won’t change anytime soon.
Moreover, Nell is a little more stereotypical than Dylan and Dallas, the two previous female main characters.
What I really enjoyed and found original is the Nell’s bucket list. It was funny to witness as it kept changing !
I really enjoyed it ! It was funny, fast paced, witty and really steamy ! It’s also a quick read !
There’s an interesting characters’ growth, a signature of all the Rusk University’s books.
This series is one of my favorite NA reads.
Characters
- Nell is still an interesting character. She stands for herself, has learned to be an independent woman. She doesn’t rely on anyone.
The fact that she wants to go out of her comfort zone leads to some hilarious situations !!
Through the book, her character has grown so much.
- Mateo really interested me. Not as much as Silas that swept me off my feet but still. He is hurt deep inside which explains the distance he put between him and the girls he flirted with (and more).
With Nell, it’s different. She reminds him of his ex, but she manages to heal his wounds. He wants to own her firsts. He becomes really protective and possessive.
They have nothing in common but that’s why it works, in my opinion. That’s also why their relationship is such an interesting one ! They have so much to learn from each other !
And when that day comes, it won’t matter so much whether every step was in the right direction because life is not a straight line. It will only matter that you took them. That you never let yourself stand still.
I can’t wait for the next book to be released !
About the author
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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